Morning sunlight slowly spread across the estate as the first rays crept over the hills.
The training yard was quiet except for the gentle rustling of leaves in the breeze. Dew still clung to the grass, reflecting the golden light of the rising sun.
Evan stepped outside, stretching his arms above his head.
Despite the early hour, his body felt light and energetic. Five years of training had turned waking up early into something almost natural.
He rolled his shoulders and looked toward the distant hill.
For a moment, he remembered the boy who used to collapse before even reaching halfway.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Things have changed a lot.
Just as he was about to begin his morning run—
A familiar voice echoed inside his mind.
[Good morning, Master.]
Evan blinked.
"Good morning, Echo."
He walked toward the center of the training yard while rubbing the back of his neck.
"I still can't believe I have a system spirit now. It feels like I suddenly gained a personal assistant."
[ Hehe...That is an acceptable description of my function.]
"Did you just laugh? You can do that?"
[Of course, master, I haven't done that until now because I was still in the initiation process.]
"So like onboarding?"
[Master, what is onboarding?]
Evan chuckled softly.
"Nothing, leave it."
"Echo Careful. If you sound too professional again, I might start giving you a mountain of work."
[My purpose is to assist the master. Additional tasks are acceptable.]
"Switched to professional mode again?"
[Hehe]
Evan stopped walking.
"…You realize that response only encourages me, right?"
Echo remained silent for a moment before replying.
[Then I will limit my responses to prevent unnecessary task assignments.]
Evan laughed.
"Too late. I already like having you around."
He crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"Actually… now that I think about it, there's something I've been curious about."
[What would the master like to know?]
Evan glanced around to make sure Lyra wasn't nearby.
Then he grinned mischievously.
"Show me my status."
There was a brief pause.
Then Echo spoke again.
[Understood.]
A familiar sound rang in his mind.
!~Ding~!
A translucent window appeared before his eyes.
[Notice: Displaying User Status.]
Evan leaned slightly closer to read the screen.
But before the full status appeared, Echo spoke again.
[Before displaying your current status, it may be beneficial to review your initial status for comparison. When you used the 'status' function for the first time.]
Evan raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? You're suggesting a progress comparison?"
[Yes. It will help the master better understand the growth achieved over the past ten years.]
Evan smirked.
"I like the way you think."
The screen shifted slightly.
[Initial Status Record]
[────────────────────
Name: Evan Veyndral
Race: Human
Age: 0 Years
Realm: Mortal
Title: None
Cultivation: None
────────────────────
[Attributes]
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Vitality: 2
Endurance: 1
Intelligence: 18
Perception: 15
Willpower: 16
Soul Strength: 14
────────────────────
[Special Traits]
Reincarnated Soul – Mind from another world detected.
Abnormal Mental Parameter – Mental maturity exceeds body maturity.
]
Evan stared at the numbers for a moment.
Then he let out a quiet laugh.
"…Wow."
Echo responded calmly.
[The master appears amused.]
Evan nodded.
"Look at those stats."
He pointed at the screen.
"I had the strength of a wet noodle."
[He he... that is an inaccurate biological comparison.]
Evan shook his head.
"You get the idea."
He leaned back slightly while crossing his arms.
"I remember barely being able to lift anything heavier than a small pot when Lyra first started training me."
Echo processed the information.
[Your physical parameters were indeed extremely low at the time.]
Evan sighed.
"Low is an understatement."
Then he smiled faintly.
"But things are a bit different now."
Echo responded immediately.
[Correct.]
!~Ding~!
The status window changed.
[Current Status]
[────────────────────
Name: Evan Veyndral
Race: Human
Age: 10 Years
Realm: Mortal
Title: None
Cultivation:
Peak Body Tempering
Peak Essence Awakening
────────────────────
[Attributes]
Strength: 38
Agility: 35
Vitality: 40
Endurance: 36
Intelligence: 25
Perception: 22
Willpower: 24
Soul Strength: 23
────────────────────
[Special Traits]
Reincarnated Soul – Mind from another world detected.
Abnormal Mental Parameter – Mental maturity exceeds body maturity.
]
Evan stared at the new numbers.
Then he slowly whistled.
"…Okay."
Echo waited patiently.
"The master appears satisfied."
Evan nodded slowly.
"I mean… look at that."
He gestured toward the screen.
"Strength: 38."
Echo responded.
[That represents a thirty-seven-point increase since birth.]
Evan chuckled.
"Thanks for the reminder."
He looked toward the hill again.
"No wonder running that path feels easier now."
"My endless training paid off."
Echo added calmly.
[Your endurance and vitality have also improved significantly.]
Evan nodded.
"Lyra's training is brutal, but I guess it works."
Evan's eyes moved down the screen again.
"Intelligence twenty-five…"
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"So all those years of studying and meditation actually did something."
Echo responded calmly.
[Mental attributes improve through learning, analysis, and spiritual cultivation.]
"Good to know."
Evan smirked slightly.
"Good. At least my brain is improving along with my legs."
He paused for a moment before asking another question.
"So tell me something."
[Yes, Master.]
Evan leaned slightly forward.
"For someone my age… are these numbers normal?"
Echo processed the question for a moment.
[Negative.]
Evan raised an eyebrow.
"Negative as in slightly above average?"
Echo answered calmly.
[Negative as in significantly above average.]
Evan blinked.
"…Really?"
[Yes.]
Echo continued explaining.
[Most children at the age of ten have not yet completed the first step of cultivation. Reaching the peak of both Body Tempering and Essence Awakening at this age is uncommon. Most kids only start cultivation at this stage]
Evan folded his arms thoughtfully.
"So I'm ahead of the curve."
[That would be an accurate interpretation.]
A slow grin appeared on Evan's face.
"Well… that's good to know."
Echo responded immediately.
[Master's confidence levels appear to be increasing.]
Evan laughed.
"You noticed that? So the system has that information too? "
[It is my function to notice.]
Evan stretched his arms again before looking toward the house.
"Lyra is going to be insufferably proud when she sees this."
Echo responded calmly.
[Based on previous behavioral patterns, that probability is high. Unfortunately, only you can see the status, Master.]
Evan chuckled.
"Well… I suppose that means I should write that down on paper and show that to her."
[That would be the only way.]
Just then, the door behind him opened.
Lyra stepped outside.
She glanced toward Evan.
"Standing there talking to yourself again?"
Evan grinned.
"Not exactly."
Lyra crossed her arms.
"Then what are you doing?"
Evan looked at the floating screen that only he could see.
Then he smiled.
"I'm just checking how far I've come."
Lyra studied him carefully.
Then a small smile appeared on her face.
"Well?"
She pointed toward the training yard.
"Stop admiring your progress and start running."
Evan sighed dramatically.
"I knew that was coming."
Lyra smirked.
"Of course you did."
Evan took a deep breath.
Then he started running toward the hill again.
This time, however—He ran with a confident smile.