It has now been two weeks since I woke up in this world. During the first week, I've been training my body on how to walk and read. There were some... other things that I needed to relearn, but it's too embarrassing to remember.
Luckily, I regained my momentum after only a few days; however, I couldn't learn all of the characters at the end of the week. Thus, I've been learning the following week. It took four more days, but I successfully learned to read. Now, I could read childish stuff at the end of the first week, but that wouldn't cut it. I assume that the books I need will require a high reading comprehension...
After learning, I went straight into the study and went through as many books as possible. Since then, I have read only three books. Luckily, all of them were what I needed the most...
This world is known as Yermus and behaves similarly to Earth but with a few differences. First, the concept of time is the same but with different names. Also, all the months have only twenty-eight days. There are four weeks in a month, and each week consists of seven days. A year has twelve months, totaling 336 days.
Second, the landmass comprises three islands: Innerland, Outerland, and the mainland. The mainland is the largest of the two and hosts two-thirds of the civilization. The land has various small kingdoms and only three large kingdoms.
I'm currently living in one of those kingdoms - the kingdom of Mirixia. Unlike the other kingdoms, it is the most neutral of all the races, so the population doesn't have a particular demographic. One of those kingdoms is mainly made up of elves, while the other is of beast folk.
One of the largest cities in Mirixia is Avidia, a place mainly consisting of adventurers., which is where I live. Surrounding the city are three forests with dungeons in two of them. The area was built to quickly get to those forests by following the roads connected to each of the gates. Finally, the last entrance leads to the Royal Capital.
The other third of civilianization is split between the other two islands. Sadly, I couldn't find much info about them, but I did find out that the primary race in the Outerland is demonkind while the Innerland has dwarfs.
Lastly, this world works based on a power called The System. With the system, everyone is granted extraordinary powers known as skills. These skills are one's ability to function in the world. Without them, you wouldn't be able to live...
Well, that's not entirely true, but very close. You can still do activities without the skill, but the skill increases its efficiency and power. For instance, cleaning a room might take an entire day without the Housekeeping skill, but the skill, at the lowest level, drastically decreases the time to around six hours.
Most skills have different stages known as levels. They range from one to ten, one being the beginner and ten being the master. Unfortunately, not many people have level ten skills as it gets exponentially harder to level one up. Supposedly, the power of the skill at maxed level is so superior that you become superhuman. Using the Housekeeping skill as an example, it might take only a few seconds to clean an entire house at level ten.
The only way to obtain these skills is either by purchasing them through the system or from constant action (training). The same logic applies to upgrading the skills too: either by buying them or through training. Note that training can take years before they're given to you or is upgraded. To buy them, you need EXP. The only way to obtain EXP is by killing monsters.
Although it sounds complicated, the system has a user-friendly interface for everyone to interact with the system quickly. This interface is known as a status. One's status has your personal information, skills, and the market to buy or upgrade skills. You need first to be appraised at a church to access this interface.
Then, you will be given a tablet. This tablet is how you would access your status; however, there is a better option that many people get first once appraised... The skill is called Virtual Status. You can access your status any time you want without needing the tablet.
When do you get appraised? Typically, you go to the appraisal on your fourth birthday. As for me, I currently don't have one. I wasn't sure of my age, but judging based on my body height, I thought I had to be close. After speaking with my parents, I found that I'm due one as I am four; however, I couldn't go to the church as I was in a coma. As soon as I woke up, Kaichi immediately scheduled a meeting with the church for my tablet...
This brings us to today...
...
"Ah, look, Sho, it's the church!"
Michiko calls out to me as I stare out of the window. I turn my head to look at the tall building in the distance. Proudly displayed at the top is a large round picture of seven figurines with different colored outfits. These represent the seven Gods that governed the world: Life, Death, Combat, Magic, Love, Wisdom, and Creation.
Kaichi looked over from the driver's seat to me as we drew closer.
"All you need to do is follow the nice Nun's instructions, okay?"
"Yes, sir."
"Very good. Oh, one thing to note is that we will not be going in with you."
I cock my head.
"Why is that?"
"Well..."
Sweat beats down Kaichi's face. Michiko quickly interrupts.
"The church only wants the one who needs the tablet to enter. I think it has something to do with the child being too focused on their parents to concentrate on the prayer."
"Oh, okay..."
"""..."""
After a moment of silence, Kaichi coughs.
"Anyway! We have arrived. We'll stay right in front so just come back outside when you finish."
"Yes, sir!"
We stop in front of the double doors. Standing outside is a nun wearing black and white clothing. Once I get out, I walk toward her. She hesitates for a second but then bows.
"W-welcome Nii Sho. We have been expecting you. Please follow me inside, and we'll start the process."
"Yes, ma'am."
The nun enters through the doors. I follow behind but stop right before entering. I turn my head back at our two-horse, black carriage. They both wave at me. I wave back and head inside.
""...""
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
In silence, I follow the nun through a lecture room and into the back of the building. Along the way, other nuns stop and stare at us. Some huddle together and whisper to one another.
Do they usually stare at people like this? Or perhaps, could it be my outfit? It does seem out of place...
The only clothes I could find in my dresser were various black yukatas. There wasn't much variety... Also, none of them was my exact size. They all were either too large or only slightly larger. Right now, the bottom half is dragging on the floor. Yeah, it must be my outfit...
I ignore their stares and continue following the nun. After passing through a few doors, we walk into a room with only two podiums. She walks up to the larger one and instructs me to stand at the small one. I do so, and the process begins.
The nun sets a blank stone tablet in front of her and prays.
"Thank you, all seven Gods, for watching yet another inspection. Please, review this young one and grant him his status. The God of Life, please grant him Health. The God of Wisdom, please grant him Intellect. The..."
She continues in a monotone voice, praying to each of the Gods. Afterward, she makes a sign with her fingers and bows. As soon as she does, the stone tablet shines. It continues to shine brighter, turning the room into a sun. I close my eyes for a second. When I reopened them, the light was gone, including the tablet.
Where did it go?
The tablet suddenly appeared on my stand with light blue writing on it as I thought this. The script is not Common Folk, which is the primary language in Mirixia. Instead, it's in God's Tongue. I don't know it, though I've heard that only a few people learned it other than the Gods.
"The inspection was successful. Congratulation Nii Sho, you now have your status. To use it, recite 'Status' while holding onto the tablet. Please try it now."
I nod and grab the light tablet.
"Status"
The light blue words shine as I recite the command. While lit, the words start moving around, forming into the writing of Common Folk. Four tabs appear on the top: Status, Skills, Market, and Self. The Market tab is greyed out.
Oh yeah... I can't buy skills until I reach adulthood or fifteen years old. I think it was because children wouldn't know how to use their EXP, and the Gods didn't want them messing up their futures. I believe that control was given to my parents. However, they can release their authority, but why would they do such a thing?
I continue to inspect the device. Below the tabs is the display. Currently, the Status tab is selected.
----------------------------------------
Name: Nii Sho
Age: 4
Race: Human
EXP: 2
Level: 1
Class: None
Health: 10 / 10
Intellect: 220 / 220
Protection 5 / 5
Resistance: 10
Endurance: 79 / 92
Strength: 5
Mobility: 6
Titles:
> Disliked by the Gods
> Bookworm
> Hardworker
Effects:
> Harder to obtain EXP (Disliked by the Gods)
> Harder to upgrade stats from training (Disliked by the Gods)
> +100 to Intellect (Boomworm)
> +85 to Endurance (Hardworker) Error: Due to the title, Disliked by the Gods, the other Hardworker effects are disabled.
> Large memory capacity
> Improved reading comprehension and reading speed (Skill)
----------------------------------------
Aren't these stats... meager? Is it because I'm four? Also, what's with this title - Disliked by the Gods? Come on! I know I made a mistake in my previous life but isn't disliking me too extreme? Give me a chance! Its effects seem a tad over the top too! I guess this is another trial... It even blocked one of the other effects—what a powerful curse.
Large memory capacity - I bet I got this skill when I reincarnated. I always wondered why my thought process didn't get converted to that of a four-year-old. I guess it was necessary to repent and be conscious of my prior mistakes.
Hardworker and Bookworm must be from the last two weeks. I did train a whole lot. I imagine the final effect was a combination of my training and reincarnation...
I lightly touch the tablet, clicking on the Skills tab.
----------------------------------------
Skills:
> Intellect Boost LV 1
> Common Folk LV 4
> Improved Comprehension LV 4
----------------------------------------
Only three skills, huh? Again, I don't know if that's a lot or not. I can say that my language skill and reading ability must be higher than an ordinary kid—I hope...
I skip over the Market tab and open the last tab - Self. Once selected, most of the words start combining while the remaining form at the bottom. The combined words turn into a frame where the center is of a paler blue. After the bottom part finishes writing, the frame shines, revealing my face. I stare widely at my reflection. T-this is me?
My hair is a combination of both my parents, in color at least. The left side is silver while the right is black. My hair is short and slightly curled. My eyes also have the same effect but the opposite. My left eye's color is black, and the right is silver. My face seems more towards Kaichi's, but my eyes are slanted like Michiko's.
Was this why everyone was staring at me? This was my first trip outside, so I assumed it was my outfit. Plus, I haven't seen my face till now too. There were no mirrors anywhere inside the house.
I look down and read the bottom line. You need the Status Improvement skill to unlock to see deeper into yourself. So, I need another skill to see more details in this tab. Currently, it's nothing more than a portable mirror...
"Are you done? If so, I will escort you out."
I nod and follow the nun back outside. My parents wave from the carriage—the nun bows.
"Have a nice trip. Thank you for coming to the church. May the Gods bless you all."
I bow back to the nun and enter the carriage. While Kaichi maneuvers the horses, Michiko congratulates me.
"You got your status now! You better start planning for your future now as everything matters."
Kaichi interrupts.
"She's right, Sho. Unfortunately, though, it might be slightly harder for you to do so... You know, with that title of yours."
"!?"
My entire body twitches. They can see that!? I thought they could only access the market. They both laugh.
"Didn't you know? Parents are given full access to their children's status to ensure that the child doesn't make any bad moves. This includes all their statuses since they can't know what skills would be good for them without it."
Oh, that makes sense... Still, it's embarrassing to know what I have. Will they suspect something? It can't be normal to have the title, right?
"The numbers are low too, though not that ours are any better. I was surprised to see your skills, though. You must be the only four-year-old who can read better than an adult! Most of them only reach LV3 in reading comprehension. Not to mention your level in Common Folk! You are already at the level of the nobility. It might even reach level ten when you reach adulthood!"
Michiko smiles after praising me.
"Haha, yep! Luckily you didn't get that skill too. Our plans..."
Michiko's smile instantly disappears as she coughs.
"Ahem."
Huh, wait, what skill?
"Uh, sorry! Forget about it... Anyway, Sho, we don't want to take control of your future, so..."
"We'll grant you access you your status. But, please do wait until you are of age before messing around with the market..."
I rapidly blink as I go back and forth between them. My initial thoughts wash away as new ones rush into my mind. Then, all at once, they overload me. Finally, I stretch my eyes out while leaving my mouth agape.
Then, as I stare, a robotic voice enters my ears.
Your parents have forfeited their rights to your status. You now have complete access.
Huh?!
...