Chương 23: Rules of the Game

Beginning properly, Arien discovered, meant being weighed and measured before anyone opened a single book.

"When I ask a question, answer clearly. When you do not know something, say you do not know. Guessing wastes time and teaches bad habits." Will straightened at once as Velyn's attention moved to him first.

"Name."

"Will Greyrock."

"Goal."

"To become a knight like my father."

"Good. Then we'll find out how much you already know about becoming one." Velyn turned to the girl.

"Sylviane Greyrock," she said before being asked.

"Though I prefer Syl, Lady Velyn. I like studying and taking care of plants."

"Better. You listen before answering." Velyn's gaze shifted to Arien.

"And you?"

"Arien," he said, bowing his head slightly.

"I help with the cows. I like my father's stories." Safe enough. Velyn studied him a moment longer than the others.

"Do you now?" Arien kept his face blank until she finally turned toward the fireplace.

"Good. Today we won't study much. First, I need to see where each of you stands. Sit by the fire. Comfortably, but not lazily." Will immediately sat straighter. Velyn opened the notebook in her lap and looked at Syl.

"You have had lessons before."

"Some, Lady Velyn," Syl said.

"Mother taught me counting and a little High Arintha. Father said you would teach me to read and write. Is that true?"

"Yes. I will teach all three of you," Velyn said.

"How quickly depends mostly on you." She tapped the end of her pencil against the notebook in her lap.

"Knowledge requires focus, discipline, and the willingness to admit when you are wrong. A good scholar cares more about finding the truth than being right." Then Velyn's gaze sharpened.

"Enough philosophy. High Arintha. What level do you know?" Arien glanced at Will, and the boy looked equally lost.

"Nothing? Not even a single word?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not a single one, Lady Velyn," they said together, lowering their gaze.

"And you, Syl?"

"I know the basics, I can talk a bit about the weather or my interests."

"Excellent," the teacher said, and Syl straightened proudly.

"Boys, mathematics? No? Basics of the System? History of Wyndor? History of Arintha? Pantheon of the Gods? Numbers? Nature? Magic theory? Law?" With each question, Arien felt himself sinking deeper into the ground. How was he supposed to know any of this? He was a farmer's son, for god's sake… His only comfort was that Will appeared to know exactly as much as he did, which was nothing.

"I see I have a lot of work ahead of me," the teacher sighed.

"But weren't we only supposed to learn reading and writing?" Will asked, blushing.

"I need to train in swordsmanship and horsemanship if I'm to become the best knight in the kingdom."

"The best knight in the kingdom should also know these things in order to better serve the king."

"Oh... really?"

"Really. In times of war, you need strength of arm, but in times of peace, it is the mind that must work. Alright, Syl, let's start with the basics of the System. You can explain it to the boys. Don't worry about mistakes; if you get something wrong or need clarification, I'll help."

"Oh, alright, Lady Velyn. So, um… every living being is part of the System. Each has access to it. The System is a gift from the Gods to all beings, assigning each a personal path where, by improving ourselves and the world around us, we please the Gods," Syl paused, looking uncertainly at the teacher.

"Maybe skip the theology part, since according to the research of Merkius and Zabenny it is uncertain whether the Gods created the System or whether it existed even before them," Velyn said, making a note.

"O-okay. For each race, the System looks different; each also has different gifts and limitations. Humans, for example, start with low Attributes, and each level grants only two extra Free Points to distribute, while for example elves receive six. Our gift, however, is the absence of a cap on Levels and Skills."

"Yes, it is a wonderful gift," Velyn confirmed.

"We have practically unlimited potential. It's a shame so many people don't understand this and settle for mediocrity. Continue, Syl, you're doing well. Boys, are you keeping up?"

"Yes, Lady Velyn," they answered in unison.

"Th-thank you," Syl stammered.

"Every human until the age of ten gains a level on their birthday. The System itself, possible Skills to assign, Attribute Points, and Profession become visible only on the day of our tenth birthday, when we lose the Child profession."

"I must correct you there, dear," Velyn interjected gently.

"For most people, that is true, but there are exceptions where children aged nine, eight, or even seven manage to unlock the System."

"Really?!" Will shouted.

"How?"

"Unfortunately, there is no fixed path to it. Studies show one requirement is high Perception, but the rest depends on the individual. Noble children mostly unlock the System at nine, sometimes eight. I myself, though not of blue blood, unlocked it at eight. All I can tell you is: work on yourselves, train body and mind, study as much as possible, and maybe you will succeed too. Syl, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Because I turn ten in three months?" Syl's voice cracked.

"Why couldn't Father hire you earlier?" She pressed both hands over her mouth, as if she could force the sob back in. Velyn closed her notebook. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

"Sylviane," she said. The girl looked up, eyes bright with tears.

"Three months is still three months. Worry about what you can do with them, not what you might have done two years ago." She drew a folded cloth from her sleeve and held it out.

"Dry your eyes. We still have work to do."

"Did you know about this?" Will asked Arien, apparently unaffected by his sister's tears.

"No," Arien replied, still processing what he had heard. In a few minutes, he had learned more about the System than months of guessing had given him.

"Incredible."

"I'll have to give it my all," the boy declared seriously.

"Kreft is sure I already have Swordsmanship and Horsemanship. If I could assign them–""Alright, boys, listen. We'll finish going over the basics, and then we'll take a short break. Unlocking the System early has advantages, but it doesn't change everything so drastically. You still have years to catch up if you work hard. At level ten, you start with seven assignable Skills, and those choices can shape your entire life. Reaching the early levels is easy.

Advancing further requires not only practice, but also understanding. Many people ruin promising futures simply because they choose poorly. That is why we spent years studying Skill selection at the Academy." Arien felt his heart race. Until now, he had been satisfied with his choices, but what if there were better ones? Why didn't the System have a guide?!

"Can a poorly chosen Skill be fixed?" Arien asked before he could stop himself. Will turned to him. Syl did too. Arien lowered his gaze at once.

"I mean… if someone chose wrong."

"A sensible question," Velyn said.

"And a dangerous one. For ordinary people, no. Assume every assigned Skill is permanent." Permanent. Arien's thoughts immediately went to Mana Sense, Mana Manipulation, Lightning Aspect, and Fire Aspect. Four choices made before he had even known there were rules.

"Which is one reason understanding what you are choosing matters. Skills are divided into common, uncommon, rare, legendary, and mythical. Only a handful in our kingdom possess a legendary Skill, whether mythical existence at all is still debated. Traits are also interesting. They can be innate or acquired. Known ones include Aristocrat, Combative, Cunning, and, of course, Child, which grants us free levels and Attributes while growing up. Yes, Will?"

"What does the Combative Trait give, and how do you get it?"

"No one knows exactly what determines Traits. Hundreds of studies have been conducted, but the only certainty is that the System treats every case individually. For common Traits, we have clues, but little more than that. Combative increases Strength, Endurance, and Agility by 0. 5 per level. It is highly valued among combat Professions. Most scholars believe it can appear after surviving a battle involving genuine risk of death while displaying courage, though there are documented cases linked only to training."

Arien began to understand why adults were so careful about teaching children System lore. Will already looked ready to run outside and manufacture a life-threatening situation for himself.

"May I ask what Traits you have, Lady Velyn?" Syl asked. Velyn's pencil stopped moving.

"Asking about Traits is considered very rude, especially among the higher classes." Syl went pale.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." Velyn watched her lowered face for a moment, then extended a hand.

"I understand. You do not need to apologize for what you have not been taught." Syl kept her eyes lowered.

"But remember this. I am here to prepare you for the wider world, and the wider world will not be as patient as I am." Velyn let that sit for a moment, then her expression softened by a fraction.

"You do not need to fear me. Questions are allowed. Careless answers are not." Her pencil tapped once against the notebook.

"As a sign of trust, I will answer. I acquired the Bookworm Trait a few years ago. It gives half Wisdom and half Perception per level."

"And what is your Profession?" Arien dared to ask.

"My Profession is Scholar. Among other benefits, it gives two Wisdom per level." Two Wisdom per level. Velyn returned her attention to the notebook.

"As I said, you begin with seven assignable Skill slots at level ten. The limit increases by one every five levels after that." She turned a page.

"That may sound generous, but those choices affect more than the Skills you can use. They also determine which Professions remain available to you. Every Profession has requirements: specific Skills, certain levels, sometimes even particular types of Skills. Choose recklessly, and you can lock yourself out of paths before you know they exist." Will frowned.

"So… if I choose wrong, I might not become a Knight?"

"You might make it harder," Velyn said.

"Or impossible, depending on the path." Will went very still.

"Most children in larger cities assign at most three Skills on their birthday, even if they have more available. Patience is often more valuable than enthusiasm." Arien looked down at his hands. Patience, apparently, had not been one of his strongest qualities. Velyn closed her notebook.

"That is enough for today. We will return to the System's complexities later. For now, take a twenty-minute break. Velyn immediately returned to her notebook. Arien looked around, unsure what exactly a twenty-minute break was supposed to involve here.

"Want to see my training yard?" Will asked, already reaching for his hand. Arien barely had time to answer before the boy pulled him toward the door. The ease of it caught him off guard. After all his worrying about whether Will would even like him, the boy seemed to have skipped that entire problem. Arien had forgotten how simple friendship could be at that age. On Earth, two children could meet on a playground in the morning and be inseparable by dinner.

They went outside, circling the estate until they reached several wooden training mannequins near one of the farm buildings.

"These are my enemies," the boy said, pointing at them.

"My dad and Kreft make me hit them in different spots with my practice sword," the boy went on excitedly.

"See, everyone's a different size and has different target points. This one's the worst. See those sticks sticking out? I have to strike without touching any of them. But Kreft says I'm getting better and better. Want to try? I know you're still small, but Dad said you're as clever as Syl. How old are you? They say you helped us during the accident. Is that true?" Arien stared at him, not sure which question to answer first. Somehow, the comment about his size bothered him most. I'm not that small!

Will was only half a head taller and a little broader.

"In a month, I'll be five," he said.

"And I think I'll just watch."

"I'm already six years and four months old. I'll train a bit and show you how it's done." Will ran to a small shed and returned moments later with a wooden practice sword. Then he charged the "enemies," striking them with enthusiastic warlike noises. Arien wasn't sure whether Will always had this much energy or whether Velyn's lesson had filled his head with dreams of unlocking Combative. He had to admit he was impressed.

He wasn't an expert in swordsmanship, but the boy wasn't just mindlessly hitting the mannequins. Each strike looked fluid, almost graceful. Will stepped into the blows instead of swinging only with his arms, keeping his balance even when he struck hard. No wonder Will's hands were so calloused. Minutes passed, and his movements began to slow, grace fading into heaviness. Apparently, such training was far more exhausting than Arien had expected.

"Will! Time's up, Lady Velyn sent me to get you!" The boy froze mid-motion, then dropped his shoulders, breathing heavily.

"So?" he asked Arien, ignoring his sister.

"You'll be a great knight," he replied seriously.

"Thank you! I hope so. Father says the earlier I start and the more I train now, the easier it will be later. The worst part is I don't have anyone my age to spar with," he said hopefully.

"You, knight, go wipe yourself off before you come back inside; you're sweating like a pig," his sister said and walked back toward the house. When they returned to the living room, Velyn was lying on the rug, biting the end of her pencil in thought.

"Alright, I've decided. We start lessons tomorrow. Today I'd like to speak with each of you individually." Her gaze settled on Arien.

"We'll start with you, so you can head home right away." Will looked disappointed.

"Can't Arien stay after?"

"Not today," Velyn said. Syl caught her brother by the sleeve and led him out, leaving Arien alone with their new teacher. For a few moments, only the fire crackled. Velyn closed her notebook and offered him a small, unreadable smile.

"There are a few things I'd like to ask you in private." For the first time that day, Arien felt genuinely nervous.