After Damian calmed down, he looked at his status screen again, taking note of how his talent had increased from B to S and his Will stat had jumped from 3 to 120.
He could understand why his Will had risen, considering he had now regained his past life's memories.
Looking at his previous talent of B rank, it seemed that his hunch that he wasn't one of the main characters of the novel, was true.
But he didn't understand why his Talent had increased, or even what really determined Talent in the first place.
Before he could delve further into it, a wave of fatigue washed over him.
"Today has been a long day… Getting used to these memories will take time."
"Let's just get some rest for now. Tomorrow will be a long day again."
He took his pillow, laid down on the hard surface of the floor, shut his eyes, and soon fell asleep.
What Damian didn't realize was that this was how Alessio used to sleep. It seemed he had gained more than just his past memories.
****
The next morning, Damian woke up and quickly took a shower. When he opened his closet to find something decent to wear, he realized nothing there suited his taste.
The clothes which he found perfectly fine till yesterday, now seemed rather irksome.
Eventually, he found a sleek black suit with matching shoes. After dressing up and styling his hair, he gave himself one last look in the mirror before leaving his room.
As he walked downstairs toward the dining table in the large Valcor estate, Damian couldn't help but reflect on how fortunate he was in this life.
From the moment he could remember, his parents had showered him with immense love.
The love he had never once experienced in his past life as Alessio. That made it all the more precious now.
He had always known he was adopted. His crimson eyes and red hair stood out too much from his parents' features for it to be otherwise.
But he never cared. The love they gave him was real and equal to the love they gave their daughter, his younger sister.
Yes, in this life, he had a sister as well.
It almost felt as though fate or perhaps God - was compensating him for the misery of his previous existence.
According to his parents, Damian was their lucky charm.
For years, Alaric and Lyandra had tried and failed to conceive a child. The moment they adopted Damian, Lyandra became pregnant with Luna.
To their shock, soon after, both Alaric and Lyandra advanced to Rank A one after the other.
"Now that I think about it… I really am their lucky charm," Damian chuckled as he stepped into the dining room.
But the moment he entered, he paused.
All three members of his family were already seated, their faces tense. When they noticed him approaching, their expressions shifted to open shock.
"…What?" Damian raised an eyebrow at their stares as he sat at his usual place.
It was as if a spell broke. Their eyes lit up as they looked him over from head to toe.
"Damy… you look so handsome!!!" Lyandra exclaimed, her face beaming with pride.
"This hairstyle suits you, kiddo," Alaric added with a thumbs-up and a rare grin.
"Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad." Damian smiled lightly, relieved they hadn't brought up his talk of past life memories from last night. His gaze shifted to his sister.
Luna Valcor was the picture of grace. She had inherited her mother's flowing black hair and her father's striking silver eyes. Sweet and affectionate by nature, she had always been adored by everyone who met her.
But right now, she simply stared at him with wide eyes, a faint blush on her cheeks. When Damian's gaze met hers, she flinched and quickly looked away.
"Br-Brother, you… you look good," Luna mumbled shyly before pretending to focus on her food.
"Thank you, Luna." Damian chuckled at her reaction.
She had grown shyer around him as they got older, though he still remembered the days when she clung to him constantly, even refusing to sleep without him nearby. The memory only deepened his fondness for her now.
They ate breakfast together, but the conversation quickly turned to the topic they had all been waiting for.
"Brother, have you received any notification yet?" Luna asked, her earlier shyness fading into curiosity.
"Relax," Alaric replied before Damian could answer. "It's still ten minutes before the Federation releases the results." His calm tone radiated quiet confidence.
"Yes, don't worry, darling. Your brother will definitely get into a good Academy," Lyandra chimed in, smiling brightly.
"I'm not worried, Mother! I was just asking!" Luna pouted. But her faith in Damian was absolute.
Damian merely smiled at their chatter. The warmth of this scene wrapped around him like a blanket. Yet beneath his calm expression, darker thoughts stirred.
'Forty years of memories crammed into the mind of a fifteen-year-old…Although I feel a little detached from reality, one thing is certain.'
His eyes grew cold for a moment, a ruthless gleam flashing within them.
'Anyone who dares threaten this family… will die a horrible death.'
The air in the dining room chilled. His parents felt it, their instincts tightening.
But just as quickly as it came, the atmosphere softened as Damian closed his eyes again.
Both of them exchanged uneasy glances but said nothing. Even Luna seemed aware of the subtle changes in her brother since last night.
Ten minutes passed.
Damian's communicator beeped.
[Beep! Beep!]
He calmly opened the notification.
[Congratulations, Mr. Damian Valcor. You ranked 987 in the entrance examinations and are qualified to join any academy you desire.]
Damian raised an eyebrow.
'Not bad, considering my talent was only at B rank during the exams…'
Stormhold Academy only accepted the top 2,000 examinees, and Damian had secured his spot.
In fact, considering how much weight Talent carried in the scoring, that was nearly 40%, his result was impressive. Most top scorers had started with A-rank or higher Talent.
As Damian considered this, more notifications flooded in.
[Beep! Beep!]
[Beep! Beep!]
His communicator vibrated nonstop with invitations from prestigious academies across the Federation.
"How is it?" Lyandra asked, her voice brimming with excitement despite her attempt to appear calm.
Damian smiled faintly and handed the device to her. His parents leaned in eagerly, and their eyes lit up as they read the screen.
"I knew it!!!" Luna shot up from her chair, hugging her brother tightly in excitement.
Lyandra clapped her hands together in delight. Even Alaric's reserved face cracked into a proud grin.
After hugging him for some time, Luna moved away from Damian again, her face filled with a strong blush as she ran to her room fast before anyone could say anything.
"I… I need to use the washroom~~"
She was mortified by her own reaction and was too embarrassed to stay in the dining room.
Damian chuckled as he looked at her while shaking his head, then he moved his gaze back to his communicator which was still ringing with invitations from all sorts of academies.
Then his gaze fell on a message from Stormhold Academy with the title 'Special Invitation'.
[Mr. Damian Valcor is hereby invited to further his studies at Stormhold Academy. Your excellent performance in the theory examinations has been noted by the Academy, distinguishing you from the rest of the eligible students.
If you choose to join, please accept the invitation. Further information will be provided upon confirmation. Congratulations.]
Damian's crimson eyes gleamed as he read the words.