I’m grateful when the next two years pass by quickly. Being as limited as I was truly drives home how powerless anyone can be when first born.

Other than building myself up and learning the language, I didn't do much else. No other notifications came from the System indicating an update, no massive quests were garnered or granted, no uber abilities were randomly gifted or earned.

Seriously, I just did the baby thing and tried to toughen myself up faster. Made all the right noises, cried whenever I needed anything. Made sure to shit and piss on both my parents, because which baby doesn’t? Made sure to take several tumbles out of their arms when they were carrying me to inflict guilt for not paying more attention, though I stopped after the second time - not much into self inflicted damage. I moved, squirmed, wiggled, and crawled as much as possible to toughen up, because being a helpless kid is terrible.

I slowly started to learn this new world language and I learned my name. It was repeated often enough.

Eldrin Gildersah.

My father, Maltran Gildersah. My mother, Ghealie Gildersah. They were successful adventurers and dungeon explorers, met each other while traveling and dungeon diving. Became attracted to each other during several joint adventures, then tied the knot and retired after a large score. Moved to this backwater village, bought the house on the hill for the view, then I was conceived.

They like to talk about such things and this is what I’ve pieced together with my limited grasp of this new language.

Now, the only reason I’m absolutely certain that two years has passed is due to the birthing day celebration my parents hosted for me and the fact that my age is recorded in the status window. I checked it periodically to determine any stat gains and to work the math out on any possible modifiers.

I did learn that if I focus on any single stat, I get an explanation and brief example for said stats use. Strength determines how much you can lift or how powerful you impact an opponent with fists or weapons. Endurance determines how long you can commit to any physical activities and factors into physical resistances and overall health. Agility is speed and graceful fluidity of movement. Dexterity allows for precise and difficult coordinated movements of the body.

Intelligence has a wider definition. High intelligence doesn’t necessarily make you smarter, but it does allow a person to retain more information with greater clarity and recall. This will allow for a more diverse spectrum of options available when encountering problems, but without a breadth of knowledge at your disposal, high intelligence would just be a number.

Wisdom allows for sound judgement of the options made available from the intelligence stat. Having a high numerical value in wisdom makes it easier to determine the proper and best path or action for pretty much every moment of a person's life.

Charisma is a mixed bag. This affects physical beauty, as well as how successful interactions with other people occurs. This is a more subtle stat in that only those with ridiculous numbers will actually be able to sway or convince others to follow the rhetoric being given. There have been people throughout the ages with an extremely high charisma but were total morons and the opposite, people who knew exactly what needed to be done and even portrayed it excellently but their poor charisma dampened the effect.

Luck is luck. This increases or decreases the probability of good or bad things happening at random times. Handy, but I personally never cared for it. My luck has been proven to be low and given that, I’m not sure how I would feel at having more randomly occurring events happen to me.

At least with my low luck, I know to expect the worst all the time. Well, I know now.

Since I’m a very young child; the HP, MP, and SP numbers are obviously all low. Due to low numbers in the physical stats, I cannot determine any modifiers for anything. My magic being locked prevents me from determining my MP as well.

HP is the abbreviation for health points, MP is mana or magic points, SP is for stamina.

What hasn’t been listed are the hidden stats, or what I think exists as hidden stats. Will power, resistance to physical and magical damage, additional damage percent increases. The mental and spiritual stats and modifiers.

Character alignment.

Now, I always viewed myself as a chaotic neutral kind of dragon, always thinking more about myself than doing good or bad actions. Being incredibly selfish rather than how I’m portrayed as evil incarnate and always causing mayhem. That’s not to say I didn’t do those things, just not for the reasons people had thought.

My rule was pretty much tyrannical, but no one died from hunger or exposure. I’m quite confident that is defined as a ‘benevolent’ act.

All that aside, today is turning out to be an interesting day. I haven’t soiled myself, my belly is full, my body is no longer sore from my morning exertions to train this puny shell, and I received a bit of good news.

Administration has determined that the age modifier for full System use is now lowered to ten years of age or a suitably life threatening event occurs that the user will die.

Horribly.

That said, if the user intentionally attempts to endanger himself, then you can die a terrible and agonizing death.

Now why would this notification be a bit of interesting news?

Quite simple really. The village, along with my family and I, are being attacked.

By goblins.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

Nasty little shits that stand about a meter tall, with some variation. Pot bellies, varying hues of green pigmentation for skin, bulging yellow eyes, ragged pieces of leather skin to barely cover their shame while occasionally having oddball pieces of standard armor located sporadically on their body. Clubs, shortswords, daggers, pitch forks, or branches ripped off a tree are being used for melee.

From the brief glance I had of them on top of the hill, while being held in my mother's arms, there were at least forty of the blighters. All racing towards the village I claim residence of, to rape and pillage.

To kill.

The goblin in front of my mother and I, is poised for an overhead strike with a wooden club. My father is halfway down the hill to help defend the village and doesn’t know, doesn’t see, the lone attacker attempting to steal my mother and myself.

Women for raping, birthing new goblins, then eating them when they die from ‘overuse’.

Children, because they’re fatty and tender. Skin, muscles, bones, all soft and delicate.

Delicious.

As I have lived for millenia, there is no fear in me. Since I am currently powerless - there is no need to worry about dying since I have no ability to defy death.

The pending violence is all frozen in place as I ponder the new System screen in front of my eyes.

Due to an approaching ‘violent’ death, the System is fully unlocked for the user.

Congratulations! You have unlocked the abilities tab. You may peruse at your leisure and upgrade when you gain enough experience.

Congratulations! The ‘Old-Soul’ life experiences ability has been unlocked. This ability carries over all previous life experiences, including but not limited to all abilities and stats.

Use this ability wisely, for it can make or break your future!

I stare blankly at this particular screen, barely noticing more behind it. The blank look slowly warps into a small grin, which widens to a smile from ear to ear. I smile so wide, my face hurts. Then, I laugh. I laugh so long and hard, it could be deemed hysterical.

An untold amount of time later, I stop. The dull and lifeless look that had been expressed through my eyes is no longer present, replaced with a kaleidoscope of feelings that are blazing stronger than ever before.

I can have my power back.

I can be mighty again.

I take the time to look at the remaining System screens, curious as to why there are so many.

Due to being in a life threatening event well before the System foretold, the Awakening of your Blood has commenced. This will awaken your origins - from this world and from previous incarnations.

Dragon.

Heheheh, I don’t know whether to decimate these goblins or allow them all to live for this.

No, they’re attempting to take what is mine. She may be my mother, but she is still mine. My father? Mine. This village and its inhabitants? Mine.

From the buildings, to the people within them, the clothes they wear, the tools they use, to what looks like wheat in the fields, every fruit, every tree, and each individual blade of grass.

Mine, as a possession. As part of a dragon’s hoard. A dragon’s hoard that should never, ever, be stolen from.

They will all die for this transgression.

The next nine screens are abilities that I care nothing for at the moment. The last screen is what makes me openly, shamelessly weep.

Intrinsic ability: Magic, is sealed with a Divine Conditional effect.

Condition was: to die, knowing the great magic held within was present but untouchable.

Condition met.

Unlocking Intrinsic ability: Magic

I wept.

I cried out my pain and anguish, my anger and hate for this shackle that was forced on me. Then I cried tears of joy, for having what was taken from me - returned.

Energy surges throughout my body now, starting the moment the System granted me access. The Old Soul ability has suffused my tiny body with power beyond what it should handle, but with my dragon origin unlocked, it prevents me from popping like a wet balloon.

The presence of my magic drapes over me like an old, comfortable blanket. Covering, soothing, embracing me with an old warmth I had forgotten and yearned for.

I have gained back parts of what was mine again.

Time will restart the moment the user exits his status window.

Hint: movement is allowed during this frozen time.

I slowly move my mother’s arms away from me and climb down to the ground, her arms staying locked in the position I left them. I’m almost a meter tall, almost the same height as the goblins, so the ground isn’t too far.

Once I’m on terra firma, I take a moment to examine the picture in my status window. Since I lack a mirror, I hope this is an accurate representation of my looks.

The baby fat my parents worked so hard to build up on me is gone, replaced with lean and hardened muscle. Not cut like a bodybuilder, that would look beyond ridiculous on a two year old's body. Only a slight bit of definition exists, as if I was overly active while playing. My hair is a shaggy mess, still pitch black and starting to get long. Eyes are still amethyst, a more noticeable slit in the pupil and emit a purple luminescence. Tanned skin, from all the time spent outside. Thankfully, I didn’t grow any taller.

That would be a little awkward to explain.

I walk over to the goblin poised to strike my mother. Grabbing the club, I slip it out of its hands and examine it. It’s just a sturdy piece of tree limb, cut down to size. Nothing fancy.

I wield it single handed, slapping my other palm while I consider how to destroy this pitiful shitstain.

Shrugging, I coat the blunt weapon with my magic to make it sturdier and I strike both knees with the full force of my unlocked stats. A few dozen strikes are aimed at the torso and four to the head, all from different angles. Nothing appears to have happened.

I walk around the goblin and ponder. Either I wasted time and effort for nothing or the amount of force I just generated and the impacts given will all occur after time resumes.

Nodding thoughtfully, I mosey off to the village and do the same thing to the rest of the abominations invading my territory.

There are a few villagers who are about to be struck down, caught in mid pose. I move them out of the way so they don’t accidentally die or become hurt when I close the status screen and resume time.

Thankfully, time froze before anything truly bad could happen. No one was captured, killed, or being raped.

I wandered the area, doing an ever widening circular search pattern to make sure I didn’t miss any of the blighters.

Having found no others, I make my way back to my mother and go to climb back into place.

Or I was going to, I forgot about the damn club.

It’s too bad I don’t have an inventory…

You’ve unlocked your inventory!

Presently, it has unlimited storage capacity. Use it well, you never know what you might need in the future.

Well, seems that I do. I toss the club in and proceed to climb back into my mother's arms. If what I expect to happen actually does happen, then this ought to make for a humorous sight.

At least, for me.

If they all die in spectacular ways, it’s just a shame I’ll miss the rest of them perishing.

I had thought about flaring my power or conjuring a giant fireball, something to demonstrate my newly awakened power. I’m not one for grandiose posing and especially not for monologuing. That has gotten more so-called villains killed than damn near anything else, ignorant fools.

Seeing no other point in prolonging this incident, I cuddle closer to my mother of this world and close the status screen.

Time resumes, the goblin in front of me looks confused for a moment before a visceral shrieking wail comes out of its disgusting mouth.

Then it explodes in a messy green, red, and white shower.