Jaune, now five years old, found himself in the courtyard. Across from him stood his father, a wooden sword held out for him to grab. His three older sisters stood to the sit alongside his mother and his younger sister. "Now son, since you're five years old. It's time to start teaching you in the Arc Sword Style. I've taught your sisters the basics, now it's time for me do teach you it as well." My father said as he held the wooden sword closer to me.
I smiled, taking a short moment to glance back at my status window.
Name: Jaune Arc (Jonathan Miles Luna).
Level: Four
Level Progression: (9/40)
Age: 4 Years.
Race: Demon Hybrid.
Class: None.
Hp: 15/15
Mp: 5/5
Attack: 12
Defense: 15
Magic Power: 5
Magic Defense: 7
Speed: 10
Skills: Demonic Common 3 (2), Culinary 5 (7), Night Vision 1 (7), and Appraisal 2 (4).
Unspent XP: 145
He should probably explain how he gained some of these stats and skills.
Jaune was wandering about the halls of the Manor. His younger sister had been born just a few days ago and his parents were both in what his sisters called their "Nesting Mood", not that they bothered to hide it. He remembered how he could always see his mother and father in his vision for the first few days of his new life. Now he was just a witness to it, something his older sister had all seen before.
But that's besides the point. He, like the rest of his siblings, would always have a servant following them at all times. He just has the bad luck of being followed by the Head Butler of the Manor, Sir Walter. He swears that man could glare through solid stone.
Still, he was making his way to the kitchen, intent on testing something that had been gnawing at the back of his mind. He watched his sisters cook, even help out the maids and butlers sometimes. He was going to test somethings about the skills in his status window. His ability to undertsand Demonic Common was labeled a Skill that could improve, yet his ability to walk didn't.
This was technically a two in one test.
One was seeing what can be considered a skill.
Two was seeing if his past life would have any sort of effect on his skills.
So he's going to the kitchen, to cook and see what would happen.
"Is Young Master aware of where he's going?" Walter spoke up, breaking him out of his musing. "Yes Walter, We're heading to the kitchen, all for something simple." I said nervously. Walter just shook his head before speaking up; "Well Young Master, you should know that you passed the hallway to the kitchen two minutes ago." Walter said, causing me to freeze. "Ah, thank you." I said embaressed.
I corrected my path and followed Walter's directions. The doors to the kitchen were parted by Walter as I strode inside. A few Maids were mulling about, cooking small meals to accommodate their breaks. They only gave him a glance and smiled at him before returning to their work. I gave them a glance and a smile back before thinking about what to make.
My mind mulled over the options, memories of my old education surfacing in my mind. What I had done, when I was cooking all throughout high school and apprenticing under a local chef, may have a greater effect than expected. Slowly, I looked around noting what I could use to cook.
"Young Master wishes to create something simple?" Walter inquired. I nodded in answer, causing the old man to flash him a smile before pulling a book from his sleeve. I gave him a confused look before he reached out and pulled open a cupboard. He removed a small wooden box and placed it on the counter before looking into the book.
"I think a quick snack would be best Young Master, would you prefer something sweet or something with a bit of spice?" Walter asked. "Sweet." I said on reflex, stealing a glance at the wooden box. "Understood, I have a recipe right here." Walter said while leveling a page with a recipe on it. "Can I help make it?" I asked. Walter smiled in response, even letting a small chuckle escape his lips. "Of course Young Master, quite easily. Now go wash your hands while I collect the necessary ingredients." Walter instructed.
I followed his instruction, washing my hands in a sink he had pointed at. When I returned to the counter I found that Walter had gathered a small number of berries, nuts, and butter. He even had a large piece of bread set out nearby.
It was a classic pb and j set up with an isekai twist.
Walter had set out a bowl for the berries and was sprinkling them with a powder as I reached the counter. Walter didn't even look away from the ingredients, instead arranging them into two piles. "Now Young Master, I will let you mash the berries into a sweet paste while I deal with the nuts." Walter said before passing me a wooden knob. I took one look to see that Walter had already de-shelled the nuts and was busy mashing them with butter. I followed suit, twisting the knob into the berries with considerable force.
It took time but eventually I managed to mash them into a sort of jam. Walter just looked at me happily before offering me the bottom half of the bread. I spread the jam over it as Walter did the same with the top. As the two halves were connected I could feel something flow threw my being.
"User had obtained the Skill Culinary (1).
Error...
Due to User's past experiences, modifications have been made too the Culinary Skills and Progression. XP expenditure has been given a 15% discount for advancement of Skills. Skill Progression has been boosted by 50%."
"Enjoy your gift from me Young One."
The last sentence was spoken with true emotion, confirming that Salem was aware of what he was doing. It also answeres two very important Questions, both being true.
His first bite of that sandwich was made all the sweeter by such a revelation.
Staying up late at night was not something to be considered healthy. But he couldn't help himself. The damn had been broken and now his mind was helplessly pondering on how he could use and Aquire more skills. Taking a glance at the status menu in the corner of his vision, he concentrated on two specific spots.
Skills: Demonic Common 2 (6) and Culinary 4 (9).
Unspent XP: 110.
The System (what he decided to call it) wasn't lying about the growth of his Culinary skill. It also gave him an understanding of just how these Skills worked. Culinary 1 started as just that, then as he continued cooking it grew. Becoming Culinary 1 (2), then it grew to Culinary 1 (3), and on until it reached Culinary 1 (10) and advanced into Culinary 2. Same with his Demonic Common skill. Not only could he advance his skills by spending XP, which can be earned by gaining skills, but they also advance through using said skills over a long period of time.
Level progression seemed rather weird, it would grow slowly. Only growing as his skills advanced. It was strange, but good to know. At least his discount and growth progression on the Culinary skill didn't have any negative effects on his level progression. So now he's checking something else, something very important.
He unlocked Demonic Common by getting a basic idea of the language, he unlocked Culinary by making a simple sandwich with the help of Walter. What could he unlock by staying awake for a long period of time, maybe night vision or some sort of insight skill.
He took another look around his room, trying to see in the dark. Taking note of the details in the room. He remembered how his room looked in the light of day, how far certain objects would be from one another. He stopped for a second, glancing out to the window. Memories of the fauna and flora outside slowly painting a picture in my mind.
"Skill Unlocked: Night Vision 1" I hear the voice again, confirming my suspicion. The world seemed to gain more detail, yet it remained edged in darkness.
I will definitely have to experiment with this some more.
Father has been more stressed as of late. Someone was stealing things; food, clothing, random fabric and trinkets. He was not the culprit, nor was any of his sisters. Walter and the rest of the staff always knew where he and his siblings were throughout the Manor, same with his father.
Mom didn't seem all that stressed out, rather busy keeping an eye on his younger sister.
Still, Dad has set out twice as many guards in the Manor than before. All the Maids and Butlers were now armed with short swords in case the thief tried anything. He could see what had to be goblins and other Demons in armor patrolling the halls. The only one who didn't seem to be armed was Walter.
What that entailed he didn't want to think about.
If only he could...
Maybe there was a skill he could unlock to help with it. Perhaps... Something to detect movement, or track foot prints? If only the system let him buy skills instead of making him work to unlock them.
Maybe?
He began observing things again. Taking in certain details of the area around him. Even taking care to observe the fixtures on the ceiling. Noting down certain details such as the coloration and the shine of the metal.He remembered his dad talking about them, debating with someone on whether using bronze or painted steel was a better choice for light fixtures in a place like this.
Dad went with bronze metal for the fixture, but the chains were made of painted steel. The candles though, they were made of bee's wax with twine in the centre.
"Unique Skill Unlocked Appraisal (1)."
I heard the voice of Salem in my head while the new skill joined the others in the list. The fact it was called a Unique Skill piqued my interest, but I didn't have much time to think about it before something else hit me.
"User has leveled up from level One too Level two. Stats shall be adjusted to compensate." she continued speaking. I had watched as the Level Progression bar continued upwards, unsure of what would happen as I leveled up. I pulled out the full status screen and looked over it.
Name: Jaune Arc (Jonathan Miles Luna).
Level: Two.
Level Progression: 0/30
Age: 4 Years.
Race: Demon Hybrid.
Class: None.
Hp: 10/10
Mp: 3/3
Attack: 7
Defense: 9
Magic Power: 2
Magic Defense: 2
Speed: 5
Skills: Demonic Common 2 (8), Culinary 5 (2), and Appraisal (1).
Unspent XP: 125.
I smiled slightly, looking over the stat improvements. It wasn't much, but considering the fact that its just level two I wasn't surprised by how low the stat changes were.
With a giddy feeling in my chest I smiled, using my Appraisal skill to look over everyhting around me. Then I saw something in the corner of his eyes. A great source of power, almost like a star in a field of candles, was approaching from over the corner.
Jaune felt his spine curl for a moment before his father rounded the corner. He felt a wave of relief wash over him, even as his father grumbled in annoyance. "Dad, anything crazy." I asked out of curiosity. He looked at me for a second, his annoyance leaving him for a moment. "Nothing much, still can't find the snake taking things from the Manor." my dad said while kneeling down to ruffle my hair.
"You'll find him." was all I said, adding a small smile. Sebastian just smirked before standing up; "You can bet on that son. they'll never see it coming." he said with a chuckle before he paused for a second.
"Dad?" I asked as he turned his head to the side. His gaze lingered on the hallway he had just walked out of for a second before he turned back to me. "Don't worry about it son, let's go find your mother." he said brashly.
Calmly I followed my father's urging, taking a lone glance back while activating my Appraisal skill to see what he was looking at. I could have sworn that there was a small silhouette just peeking over the corner.
Dad continued on for a few feet before I saw him pull something out of his sleeve. I saw the faintest shine of metal before my father threw it behind him. The wall at the end of the hall cratered as I heard someone shout in shock. Dust flew up as the outline of the figure became clearer.
The figure was dressed in a large cloak, ragged and stitched up. Two eyes starred back at us in shock as my father approached them. I could hear someone running up to us, a few butlers were standing behind me as Dad held the hood of the figure's cloak. With a simple tug the cloak was torn in half and my Father's eyes widened in shock.
A Young boy, probably around my age, with black hair and a lone strip of pink in it starred up at him. The boy's eyes were wide in fear as he tried to free himself from the torn remains of his cloak. My father grabbed the boy by the scruff of his faded shirt and held him at eye level.
The boy was in terrible shape. His clothes were ragged, even worse than his cloak, dirt and dried blood seemed to cake his form. His arms were rather thin, far too thin for someone his age. My dad just looked surpirsed before he ran his free hand over the bridge of his nose.
"I don't kill kids." I could hear my father mutter. "WALTER!!" my dad shouted as the aforementioned butler appeared just behind me. "Yes Sir?" Walter asked. My father huffed before holding the terrified and struggling boy in his grasp. "Get him cleaned up then find out why he was stealing from us." my Father instructed as he handed the boy to Walter.
Walter just nodded before dissapearing with the boy.
I could only watch with concern, knowing that Walter can be extremely terrifying when he wanted to be.
A few days later I saw the boy again. His figure now cleaned and his wounds bandaged. He was dressed with a smaller version of the Butler's uniform and followed after Walter like a duckling.
Cautiously I approached them, Walter just shooting me a small smile as the boy hid behind his legs. "Young Master, I do believe you have met the young boy before yes?" Walter asked as he offered a hand. I nod before looking at the boy and hoksing out mt hand. "Hi, my name's Jaune, what's yours?" I asked. The boy just seemed to shrink before looking up to Walter. The Head Butler just shot him a smile gesturing for the boy to approach me.
Cautiously the boy took my hand and shook it. "Lie Ren." was all the boy said before shrinking back as my father approached. My father kneeled down, facing the boy with a more apologetic face. "Son, I have a few words with Ren here. It won't take long but would you be willing to head out for a little bit?" my dad asked me. I nodded, shooting Ren a friendly smile before waving goodbye. I only step a short distance from the room before the doors close and I lean against them.
"Now Ren, I know this must be terrifying. But I just want to know why you are even here in the first place. Considering what you stole I know you aren't here for my family or our fortune." I heard my Father say in a calm voice. He was only met with silence from Ren. I heard my father sigh before standing up. "Can I atleast know where you're from. I know it has to be somewhere within the country's borders since you couldn't have walked across the borders without being detected. Do you know where your home is?" Sebastian asked.
I heard Walter speak up, but I couldn't understand what he had said. My dad just huffed before I heard him speak again. "Can you atleast give me the name of your home village?" he asked. I heard Ren squirm before opening his mouth. "You can't find it. It's all gone." was all he said. "How is it just gone? did bandits or an army invade?" my father asked. "Darkness. then light." was Ren's cryptic answer before I heard my dad let out a yelp.
I back away from the door as I see my dad being pushed out of the room by Walter. "I believe the boy has answered enough questions sir." was all Walter said as he began dragging my dad with him. I watched them leave, then looked back into the room. Ren was still in the room, his face rather sunken.
Then I saw him shake his head and rub his eyes. Calmly I stepped out and approached him, though he didn't seem shocked. "You Ok Ren?" I asked. "No, your dad is mean." Ren said. I frowned before opening my mouth. "My Dad is just concerned for you." I respond, eliciting another shake of Ren's head. "He threw a Knife at me." Ren reasoned. I pause, remembering the fact that said knife had cratered the wall. "He thought you were an enemy, someone who was going to hurt us. He didn't know it was just you." I said.
Ren seemed to frown at this. "You both saw me, no one had seen me before then ." he said mysteriously. "Your Skill?" I inquire, curious on if other people were also aware of their skills and stats. "Yeah, you shouldn't have seen me." Ren reasoned. "I had a Unique Skill." I shoot back. "What is the skill called?" Ren asked, confirming that people of this world were indeed aware of the System. "Tell me what your skill is called and I tell you what mine is." I reason, gaining a small smile. Ren seemed to huff for a second before turning away from me. "I'll tell you if you tell me what your's is, promise?" Ren asked while holding out his hand. "Promise." was all I said before shaking his hand.
For a second I felt something surge through me like when I unlocked a new skill, but nothing popped up on my status menu. "My skill, is a unique skill called Unnoticeable." Ren said. "My Unique skill is called Appraisal." I said in return. Ren seemed to look at me curiously. "Were you born with it?" he asked. I shook my head; "Nope, unlocked it." is said. "Show me?" he asked.
"Only if you tell me something else." I reason. Ren seemed to consider it for a second before we heard footsteps approaching. "Can we talk again?" Ren asked. I nodded before heading out of the room just before my father and Walter came into view. "Is Ren still in there?" my father asked. I nodded, causing him to smile. "See Walter, kid just needs help." he mused.
Walter didn't seem to pleased, gesturing for me to head out, something I wisely did.
My father had left the morning after my talk with Ren, he's still hasn't returned. I looked down at the courtyard, watching as Ren tried to copy one of Walter's stances. The old man would glance at him for a second before shaking his head and helping the boy adjust his stance. Ren had not left Walter's side since that night and it was becoming increasingly clear that Ren would become a permanent member of staff.
I approached, waving at Walter as he helped Ren adjust his footing. Walter looked at me and smirked. "Hello Young Master, are you here for some afternoon training?" he inquired. I nodded before looking over at Ren. The boy had dropped his arms to the side and was taking a moment to relax. "Does this also happen to involve a certain promise?" Walter asked as both our eyes went wide. "I know everything that happens in this Manor, just be careful and don't teach Skills all willy nilly." Walter advised as he stepped to the side of the courtyard.
Ren and I looked at him awkwardly for a moment before I pulled him close to me. "Ok, how I unlocked it... Its kind of hard to explain.." I trailed off as we both glanced over our shoulders at Walter. "I started looking at things clearly, knowing what they're made out of and how their colors clash." I pause before pointing towards one of the light fixtures. "Their made of bronze, but the chains are colored steel. The candles are made of beeswax and the twine in the centre..." I trailed off as I saw Ren squinting at the same light fixture.
"Are you trying to unlock it?" I asked. "I have it, its... Just so weird." Ren trails off before he turned too Walter and quickly jumped back. "A bit more than you expected Young Man?" Walter mused. "Yeah, dad also felt pretty strong under it." I said in an attempt to comfort him. "I can assure you Young Master, you aren't prepared to see me with Appraisal." Walter spoke up.
I look back at him; "Do you have Appraisal?" I asked. "Indeed I do Young Master, a rather powerful form of it even." Walter answered honestly. Walter then looked to the sky for a second before turning back to us. "I must be going, Miss Saphron has requested my aid with an art piece in a few minutes. You can come along Young Ren, if you wish too. I will see you around dinner time Young Master." Walter said before bowing and walking out of the courtyard.
Ren looked at Walter for a second, then he turned to me.
We spent the next hour just messing around with the Appraisal skill and trying to mimic Walter's stances without him being there.
I look at my father as he holds out the wooden sword. I take it with my right hand, then have my left join it. I take a stance similar to how Walter would stand with a sword. My father chuckled for a second before he began adjusting my stance. He slackened my shoulders and adjusted the bend of my knees. "Now take a swing at it son." my father instructed.
I followed his command, performing a short overhead swing. My arms ached and my back felt weird after the swing. My father shook his head before adjusting my footing again. "Now try again, make sure to swing from from your legs." My father advised. I followed suit, the strain far less intense than last time.
I look to the side, seeing my sisters smiling at me. My mother just mouthed a command to me; "keep trying." was all it meant. Walter had arrived with Ren following after him, a tray of sandwiches and drinks in his hand. I smile at them for a second before turning back too my father.
I swing the wooden sword again, and again, and again. My body slowly adjusting as my father gave steady instructions on my stance and style. Then I heard a voice in my head.
"Skill Unlocked: Swordsman (1)."
