As Égon's eyes slowly adjusted to the new and bright environment, the very same voice spoke up right next to him.
"Égon, are you alright?"
Although he had heard the voice, he couldn't quite register it as he was stunned by where he found himself. He sat by a large table in a massive high-class diner. The walls were decorated by various paintings or some other high-quality metal works from precious metal.
On the table, there was a whole regiment of food already prepared. Each had a wonderful smell that he had not smelled for many long years due to the war. Even before him, on a plate, there was a massive steak along with some salad. The sight was enough to make his mouth water, let alone the powerful, intoxicating smell of the luxurious foods.
"Égon!"
The voice spoke again, this time deeper and harsher, almost as if he were being scolded.
"Erm.. I am sorry... I was just lost in thoughts."
Égon replied instinctively without taking his eyes off of his steak. However, suddenly, someone grabbed his shoulder and squeezed it. There was some strength behind the gesture, but its aim was not to harm or hurt but to induce a sense of importance as well as get Égon's attention.
Feeling the new sensation, Égon instantly looked to the side where the person to whom the hand belonged. Égon's gaze was cold, almost as if he was ready to retaliate, but as soon as he saw the person, his gaze softened.
It was his father who sat beside him and squeezed his shoulder. His father was still quite young, but his body was a picturebook of his past. His well-honed muscles, which slightly stretched the tight but expensive-looking clothing on his body, as well as numerous scars all over his hand, were the fruit of his hard work.
The man had very short black hair, almost as if he had just shaved off his hair a couple of days ago. Despite his seemingly hard and difficult past, he smiled at Égon, which soon grew into a grin.
"That was a fine glare, Égon! Since you were so spaced out, I will repeat it again... Have you thought of what you would like to do in the future? After all, you are already six, you should start laying your ground to acomplish great things."
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The last portion of what he had said surprised Égon greatly. His eyes widened, and then he quickly looked down at his hands. His once hardened hand, which resembled his father's, was now soft and smooth, and on top of that, they were small.
"This is surreal! How is it possible?! I remember dying, and now I am back here?! This must be some sort of illusion. There is no way that I went back in time... Still... It would be great if it was reality... Though with my miniscule talent, it would be hard to change anything..."
He thought as he scratched his head and just glared at the still-hot plate of food before him. Suddenly, something unexpected happened. A window floating above his plate appeared. It was dark grey coloured and had text written on it. Also, it was somewhat transparent, as he could still see his steak on his plate.
The very top of the panel showed his level, which was currently one. Bellow it, there was a line called "Talent", which had the value 0.020 next to it. These two sections were written with larger characters compared to anything else, and they were well divided from the rest.
Looking lower were stats with whole numbers next to them. Strength was at five; Endurance was also at five, Agility was at three, and last but not least Intelligence, which was at one.
"I... I want to be a knight..."
Égon replied while still staring at his stats. His feelings were indescribable since his stats did not change as he had anticipated after his death. His Strength, Endurance, Agility and Intelligence were exactly the same as previously; however, his level was reduced back to one, and his Talent has risen greatly. It had jumped from 0.005 to 0.020.
Talent represents the overall power and ability to get stronger. The higher the value was, the faster one could progress and the stronger they were in general. The fact that he had been multiplied by four was a great piece of news. However, he knew that it was still too low to be able to rise above average.
"Hah! A fine decision, Éron! I am sure by the time you turn twelve, you will have already developed a stunning level of strength, as I am sure you have just as great of a talent as your older brother!"
Égon's father added as he gently hit his shoulder.
"Thank you!"
Égon replied melancholically, though his father didn't quite notice it. Children would need to turn twelve before they could gain access to seeing their own stats, as it needs a considerable amount of training. However, thanks to Égon's experience, he could manifest it already.
Égon knew that if his stats really were the same with that much higher talent, he would be almost as strong as his past self, a trained soldier. He clenched his fists and looked at his father with a slightly brightened expression.
"Father... If it is alright with you... I would like to start training right away! If possible, right after we ate!"
"Of course! I don't know what changed your mind so quickly, but let us have a duel as soon as we ate!"
His father replied with a chuckle and continued eating. Égon was slightly startled by what he had just heard. He couldn't quite remember why his father mentioned that he had changed his mind, but he didn't care about that. If he was truly granted a second life, he knew he needed to make the most of it and get strong enough to stay alive.
After shaking his head, he proceeded to eat. It was heaven compared to the military food. It was not only terrible, but there was always a food shortage, so the army needed to go on without being properly fed.