Five Years Later!
"Children, if you ever wish to go to the city, you must at least be able to read, so that every matter of yours will be easier to handle."
At this moment, all the children of the orphanage—about twenty of them, aged between five and nine—were gathered in a room with a chalkboard. Sister Lisa had brought a friend from another village to teach the children how to read.
Richard sat among them, the most striking child of all.
He had black hair like his mother, though messy, while his skin was pale and his features somewhat delicate. His lips were redder than most, sometimes making people mistake him for a short-haired girl, especially since his body was slender.
In this orphanage, he had grown well under the special care of Sister Lisa.
His relationship with the other children wasn't bad either.
Of course, there were those who were hostile toward him, but he had long since made them submit.
Making the others bow down in this orphanage wasn't difficult—it only took a fight.
Though he was only an ordinary human, at the very least he had the wits to win every fight.
Learning to read the letters of this world—different from those on Earth—was naturally very important, and he listened to the lesson attentively.
This opportunity didn't come often, as Sister Lisa had to beg her friend to stay in the village for a week to act as their teacher, since she herself was illiterate.
The main reason she begged her friend was because Richard often asked her where he could learn to read.
The lesson began with memorizing letters one by one.
The teacher was quite strict, making sure each child remembered the characters. But for Richard, all it took was one look, one hearing, and the letters were engraved into his memory.
Sister Lisa, hearing that all his answers were correct, was deeply satisfied with his intelligence.
The lesson lasted for more than two hours, only ending when the teacher herself grew exhausted.
"Richard, come with me. I have something for you," Sister Lisa said as she left the classroom.
Hearing this, Richard quickly followed.
The other children looked at him with envy. They knew he was special to the orphanage, and they couldn't complain—he was kind to them, and those who dared to cross him had long been beaten into obedience.
"Sister Lisa, is it a delivery from Mrs. Wilson?" Richard asked as he followed her.
Mrs. Wilson, of course, had been keeping watch over his growth.
She only came perhaps twice a year at most, but she sent him many things—from delicious food, fine clothes, to various items from the city.
Often, he shared these things with the other children, which made them like him even more.
Naturally, Mrs. Wilson never mentioned his mother. She never told him his background, clearly intending to keep it hidden, even though she knew the truth.
"Yes. And this time, what she sent seems to be something rather special," Sister Lisa replied with a smile.
"Special?" Richard was a little surprised to hear that.
They entered Sister Lisa's office on the third floor.
"Here it is!" Sister Lisa said, picking up a small wooden chest from her desk.
"What's this?" Richard was startled. The chest was crafted from high-quality wood, carved with floral patterns, and secured with a lock.
"You can open it. Here's the key…" Sister Lisa handed him a small key.
Too curious to wait, Richard quickly unlocked and opened it.
Inside was a silver necklace with a pendant shaped like a star, made of light-blue gemstone.
Amazingly, it radiated a faint, cold blue glow.
"My, it's so beautiful…" Sister Lisa was instantly captivated.
"No, this isn't an ordinary necklace. It's a Magic Artifact—the Cooling Pendant," she added.
She almost reached for it to examine more closely, but didn't dare.
"Richard, this is an expensive Magic Artifact from the city. If you wear it during the summer, it will keep you cool," Sister Lisa explained.
Richard's eyes widened at her words. He immediately took the necklace and put it on.
Magic—something he yearned to learn, but had yet to touch.
In the village of Purple Rose, there were no Magi, and knowledge about them was scarce.
From what he had seen, the villagers at best owned a Magic Artifact bought from the city with all their savings.
The effects varied, but most were practical things to help with daily life—like this Cooling Pendant, or Warming Pendants, or even Lighting Artifacts to brighten homes at night.
When Richard wore the Cooling Pendant, he instantly felt a chill, as if surrounded by an air conditioner.
"Richard, you must keep this necklace secret. It may seem safe here, but if the villagers discover it, I fear some may try to steal it," Sister Lisa warned.
"Mm…" Richard nodded.
"Sister, I'll go to my room first," he said.
"Go ahead," Sister Lisa said kindly, letting him leave.
Richard's room was on the third floor, not far from Sister Lisa's office. It only took a few steps to reach it.
In this orphanage, once a child was old enough to sleep alone, they were given their own room.
The orphanage was quite large for only twenty children.
In truth, it was rare for parents to abandon their babies at such a remote orphanage.
By the time a child turned ten, they were allowed to leave and find work. Almost all the orphans chose to work once they reached that age.
In this world, it wasn't unusual. Children started working young, and marriages came early.
Inside his room, Richard sat before the mirror, staring at the necklace on his neck for a long time before concluding that he still understood nothing about it.
Status:
[Name: Richard]
[Magic Realm: Mortal]
[Aether: 0/1000]
[Aether Accumulation: 0]
[Body: Mortal]
[Element Affinity:
(Fire: 78%)
(Earth: 77%)
(Darkness: 74%)
(Blood: 73%)
(Shadow: 71%)
(Lightning: 70%)
(Iron: 69%)
(Wave: 69%)]
[Codex: None]
[Grimoire: None]
[Arcane Art: None]
That was his status after five years.
From having no elemental affinity at all, he now possessed many—each at remarkably high levels.
The System continued to increase his affinities almost daily.
Yet, he still didn't know their true use, for he hadn't grown any stronger because of them.
His Magic Realm was still Mortal, and Aether—the energy of this world—had never increased.
He suspected it was related to Codex, Grimoire, and Arcane Art.
Unfortunately, even now he didn't know what they were, let alone how to obtain them.
It seemed the System only raised his affinities, but did not grant him those things.
He would have to acquire them on his own.
Elements, after all, existed naturally within everyone.
It just so happened that most were born with 0% affinity—just like he had been at birth.
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