The next morning was bright and peaceful — exactly the kind of morning that implied nothing chaotic would happen.
Which, of course, meant chaos was guaranteed.
His mother dressed him warmly, humming a happy tune.
"There we go! Time for your first visit to the village!"
His father froze mid-sip of tea.
"T-THE VILLAGE? Are you sure he's ready for society? Or buildings? Or people? Or anything?!"
His wife rolled her eyes affectionately and hoisted the baby into her arms.
"He'll be fine."
Lee was not confident in that assessment.
The System chimed politely:
[New Objective: Social Integration Attempt]
Goal: Survive visit to village.
Difficulty: Extreme.
His father scrambled after them, carrying a bag packed with:
two blankets
a bottle
a piece of rope
and a wooden spoon (for what purpose, no one knew)
**THE VILLAGE REACTS**
The moment they entered the village square, everything stopped.
Bakers stopped kneading dough.
Children stopped playing tag.
A merchant froze while counting coins.
All eyes turned to the baby.
Whispers filled the air.
"That's the one!"
"The magic baby!"
"He blew up a priest's crystal!"
"He bent a spoon by babbling!"
Lee blinked.
He hadn't meant to bend the spoon.
It just… bent.
A group of elderly women rushed over immediately.
"Ohhhh look at his chubby cheeks!"
"He's adorable!"
"I heard he can lift a horse!"
Lee was passed between them like a baked potato at a feast.
His father hovered nervously behind.
"P-please be gentle! He's… volatile!"
An old lady cackled.
"Don't worry, he won't explode!"
Lee sneezed.
A faint shockwave puffed out.
The group of women clutched their wigs as they nearly flew off.
His father shrieked and dove behind a barrel.
His mother simply cuddled him more.
"Oh sweetheart, you're just a bit chilly!"
SYSTEM QUEST: BABY SOCIALIZATION
A new notification appeared:
[Tutorial Step 6: Social Skill Development]
Task: Allow an unfamiliar adult to hold you without panicking.
Reward: +1 WIS
Failure: Screaming + unnecessary magic burst.
Lee was currently being held by a baker whose beard smelled strongly of cinnamon.
He tried very, VERY hard not to panic.
He lifted one arm.
It trembled.
His lip wobbled.
His eyes widened.
The baker beamed at him.
"Ohhh, look at him trying to grab my beard! What a strong lad!"
Lee's mind screamed:
DON'T TOUCH THE BEARD. DON'T TOUCH THE BEARD.
He touched the beard.
Mana sparked.
A puff of wind shot out and blew flour off the baker's apron in a dramatic cloud.
The baker laughed heartily.
"What a spirited boy!"
His father screamed in the background,
"HE'S SPARKING! TAKE COVER!"
The System chimed:
[Task Outcome: Partial Success]
Panic Level: Medium
Damage: 0
Reward Granted: +1 WIS
**THE TIPPING CART INCIDENT (NOT TOO FREQUENT)**
As they continued through the village, everything seemed calm—
Until a tall produce cart hit a small rock.
It tilted.
Lee's soul left his tiny body.
His eyes bulged.
His limbs stiffened.
A squeak escaped him.
His mother turned, concerned.
"What's wrong, baby?"
The cart wobbled more.
Lee inhaled in terror.
His father spotted the scene and screamed:
"IT'S HAPPENING!"
He lunged forward to catch the cart.
But in the same moment, Lee reflexively activated Spatial Skip.
He teleported exactly three feet — into his father's face.
The father collapsed backward into the cart, legs flailing.
The cart fell over gently—
not on anyone—
but spilled produce everywhere.
Carrots rolled.
Apples bounced.
Cabbages flew like slow-motion projectiles.
The village stared.
Then laughed.
"Oh, look! The magic baby teleported to save his father!"
"Such devotion!"
"What a prodigy!"
His father lay half-buried under cabbages, groaning.
Lee drooled on his father's forehead.
The System chimed:
[Emotionally Triggered Spatial Skip Activated]
Cooldown: 20 minutes
No injuries detected
Panic Level: Maximum
His mother simply cooed, "He loves his papa!"
The father whispered, "He headbutted me at the speed of light…"