Holding my breath, I slowly look in my mother's direction. Okay, she isn't paying attention to me right now. Should I open the system? What if she sees it? I'm still unsure if anybody but me can see it.
Well I guess there's only one way to find out. I say as I command the system to appear in front of me.
[Status]
Name: Ronin Vale
Level: 1 Class: None Race: Human
Title(s): None
Unique Traits: [Skill Tree] [Inventory]
Health: 10/10
Mana: 10/10
Available Stat Points: 0
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Dexterity: 1
Intelligence: 1
Skills: Analysis(2)
Well it seems that the number next to the skill indicates what level it's at, seeing as it was only the number one last time I saw it.
It also appears that using the analysis skill does not consume any mana. That's good to know.
As I say this, I look up to see if my mother somehow saw the status screen in front of me, when I looked up, however, it was already too late.
"Ah! Ronin! Get away! Get Away!"
My mother came rushing towards my position with a horrified expression on her face. It seemed as though she was looking directly at the system. Seeing this, I immediately dismissed it and as I did, my mother scooped me into her arms.
I can't believe it! She can see the system? I thought I was the only one able to view it!
As I was thinking this, my mother simply continued to run until she reached the room where my crib was situated. Soon after reaching it, she plopped me down onto the uncomfortable straw-like mattress inside the crib. Rushing out of the room afterwards.
In a panic I started thinking to myself.
Oh no, oh no. What if she knows it was me that summoned the screen? Maybe she went back to check if it was still there?!
What if she comes back and notices my panicked expression? She'll know for sure it was me. I need to calm down.
With that thought, I started thinking more rationally.
It's okay, maybe she won't know it was me that the status screen was referring to.
However, as soon I finished thinking, my mother came slowly walking back into the room with a relaxed expression on her face, which obviously confused me a bit.
"It's okay Rony, don't worry. I took care of the bugs."
With that said, a flurry of thoughts came rushing into my mind.
Huh?! Are you serious?! Bugs, it was just a couple of bugs?! So you can't even see the system... son of a bit-!!
With that, all of my fears and worries completely disappeared. I was now extremely confident that I was the only one who could see the system.
My mother yet again, wrapped me in her arms and carried me out to the round wooden table situated in the kitchen.
Looking around I noticed that the plate from earlier with my food on it, was lying in a bucket of water on a nearby countertop. It was likely that those bugs were after the food from my unfinished meal.
Well at least now I can see what that Skill Tree is all about.
Summoning the system as I sit at the table, I focus my attention on the words at the top, [Skill Tree].
As soon as my attention is focused on the Skill Tree, something new I haven't seen before appears right before my eyes.
It was an image of a tree. An enormous tree with what seemed to be countless branches in every direction. There seemed to be words written on all of these branches, but when I willed the system to move closer, all I could see was the word [Locked].
The only information that was visible to me seemed to be at the very bottom of this gargantuan tree.
[Skill Tree]
Available Skill Tree Points: 1
Available Classes:
[Swordsman] [Assassin] [Magician]
These were the only things that were visible to me, but already I was astonished.
Does this mean it'll let me choose which path I want to take? I'm not sure... Can I only choose one? Maybe I can choose more if I get some of these skill points. Should I choose, or maybe I should wait.
Oh well, there's no point in waiting. I'll just decide which one to pick now.
Seeing as there are three options, which one would be the most opportunistic?
A swordsman who specializes in close combat and strength-based attacks. An assassin who specializes in sneak attacks and focuses primarily on agility, or a magician who excels at magic-based or long range attacks?
For me, the answer was obvious, I mean come on who in their right mind wouldn't pick being able to shoot fire from their hands, or even being able to heal the most fatal of injuries over flailing a blade around? It just doesn't make sense.
With that, I focused my mind on the word [Magician] and instantly, I felt a strange power that wasn't there before begin to rise from my feet and enter into my gut, then to my head as my body began to naturally relax and straighten out.
Then in front of me something appeared.
[You have chosen the class Magician]
[You have gained 5 free stat points]
Amazing. That is the only thing I can think as I stare with an excited expression towards the message from the system.
5 free stat points? This is awesome! That means I can improve my other stats now, right? I think to myself as I summon the status screen.
[Status]
Name: Ronin Vale
Level: 1 Class: Magician[+20 Mana] Race: Human
Title(s): None
Unique Traits: [Skill Tree] [Inventory]
Health: 10/10
Mana: 30/30
Available Stat Points: 5
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Dexterity: 1
Intelligence: 1
Skills: Analysis(2)
Well, it looks like the stat points aren't the only thing that's changed. The class slot has indicated that I'm now a magician.
Wait! It seems like choosing a class gives a buff to a certain stat. That's why it gives me an extra 20 mana. Yeah, that's gotta be what it does, or else why even include the class function?
Hmm, but what about the stat points? Where should I allocate them?
It isn't very fun being a baby when all of my stats are only at one. Not to mention the very little control I have over everything else, including my bowel movements.
It's a harsh life, being a baby and all.
Well, let's see, if I invest my stats into agility then I'll probably be a bit faster but does it even matter when I'm stuck in the body of a newborn child? The same thing goes for strength. So seeing as my mana has already gotten buffed from the class change, there's one stat left, Dexterity.
When I think about the dexterity from the past, I always think about improving ones defence. Meaning that if I put points into dexterity there's a high likely hood that my health will increase, right?
Without thinking further into it, I focus my mind and will the system to increase dexterity by 1 stat point, and to my surprise, the health stat increases by 10 points.
To my knowledge, 10 more health should be quite a bit. Especially for a child.
Okay, then I'll just put all of the stat points into dexterity.
With that, I now had 60 health points that reassured me about future injuries that might occur. Soon following this discovery though, I heard a voice calling out to me.
"Ronyyy, your dad's back from work! We're going to go greet him!"
With that, my mother scooped me up from the creaky wooden chair and, after flinging the door open, slowly walked down a little stone path to the entrance of an old gate that was situated in front of our house.
The journey only took about 3 minutes, seeing as the stone path leading to the door of our humble little stone house was relatively short.
My family isn't amongst the richest of common people in the quaint little village that we live in, but we do possess a bit of money. Mainly from my father, who works as a knight, protecting the village and its people from monsters.
I have never actually seen a monster before, primarily because I'm never taken out of the house except for welcoming my father home. But, I hear they are quite ferocious, especially from my father who has to meet face to face with them every day, but I know I'll have to see them eventually.
With that final thought, I see, in the distance, a man with dark, silky hair and an extremely toned body, trudging up the hilltop that our home is situated on.
With a vibrant, shiny sword at his side, and wearing a sleek silver armour around his entire body, the man looked like he could have been a hero in some kind of fantasy novel. But no, that was just my father coming home after a day of killing magical beasts.
Greeting my father at the gate, my mother turned around and slowly started walking back towards our house with him at her side.
I was in her arms looking blankly towards my father as I thought to myself.
Maybe one day I too, could look as cool as that.
----------------------------------
New status:
[Status]
Name: Ronin Vale
Level: 1 Class: Magician Race: Human
Title(s): None
Unique Traits: [Skill Tree] [Inventory]
Health: 60/60
Mana: 30/30
Available Stat Points: 0
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Dexterity: 6
Intelligence: 1
Skills: Analysis(2)