Ding.
Arthur heard it clearly in his head. He blinked, staring at the Vision in his hands. Purple, with lightning crackling across it occasionally.
Wait. What was that sound?
Then he saw it a golden screen floating in the air in front of him. Only he could see it, obviously. No one else in the plaza was reacting.
Text appeared on the screen:
[Congratulations! You have been granted the Enhancement System!]
Arthur froze.
A system?
A freaking system?
He looked around quickly. No one noticed. They were all going about their business, the plaza quiet in the evening light.
He looked back at the golden screen.
So he got a Vision AND a system. Like those isekai novels.
"Okay," Arthur muttered under his breath. He pinched himself. "Hiss that hurt!" This is happening.
Looking at the system interface, Arthur asked, "System, what are your functions?"
The text on the golden screen shifted, responding immediately.
[Hello, Host! I am the Enhancement System. My primary function is to boost your cognitive abilities temporarily.]
[Current Function: Enhanced Understanding][Duration: 1 hour per day][Effect: Increases intelligence and comprehension by approximately 200 IQ points during activation][Cooldown: 24 hours]
Arthur stared at the screen. His mouth opened slightly.
Two hundred IQ points? For one hour a day?
"That's... that's it?" he asked. Not that he was complaining, but compared to some isekai cheats where people got instant god-level power or infinite systems...
[Correct! This is the Basic Enhancement System, Version 1.0. Additional functions can be unlocked through system upgrades.]
"Upgrades?" Arthur leaned forward slightly. "How do I upgrade you?"
[System upgrades unlock automatically when Host reaches specific power thresholds. Current system level: Basic (Mortal Level)]
Arthur frowned. "What level do I need to reach for the next upgrade?"
The screen flickered for a moment before displaying new text.
[Next upgrade available at: God Level]
Arthur's eyes widened.
"God level?" he repeated slowly. "You mean... actual god level? Like the Archons?"
[Correct! Host must achieve divine status to unlock Enhancement System Version 2.0 and additional functions.]
Arthur sat back against the oak tree, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
God level. The system wanted him to reach god level.
That was... that was insane. He was ten years old with a Vision he'd gotten five minutes ago. God level was so far away it might as well be on another planet.
But then again...
He looked at the Vision in his hand, then back at the golden screen.
He had years of meta knowledge. He knew what was coming. He knew the game mechanics, the lore, the characters. And now he had a system that could boost his intelligence for one hour a day.
One hour didn't sound like much. But if he used it right? If he used that hour to figure out what others couldn't, to understand elemental theory at a level no one else could reach?
Maybe god level wasn't impossible.
Maybe it was just... a really long road.
"Okay," Arthur said quietly, more to himself than the system. "One step at a time. First, I need to figure out how to use this Vision. Then I'll worry about becoming a god."
[Good luck, Host! I believe in you! (◕‿◕)]
Arthur blinked at the little emoticon that appeared on the screen.
A friendly system. Great. At least he wouldn't be alone in this insane journey.
He glanced up at the sky. It was getting dark. His parents were probably wondering where he was.
Standing up, Arthur tucked the Vision carefully into his pocket. The golden screen disappeared with a thought apparently, he could summon and dismiss it at will.
For the first time in ten years, Arthur felt... alive.
Not just going through the motions. Not just existing. Actually alive.
He had a Vision. He had a system. He had knowledge of the future.
And he had a goal.
Arthur started walking home, his steps lighter than they'd been in a decade.
Arriving at the Lawrence clan estate it was really big. The structure was very old too. This was also a piece of pride that the Lawrences had, besides their ethics about honor.
Arthur loved and hated this clan.
Hated it because he had to learn noble etiquette, how he should speak, and the Lawrence swordplay that was a pain in the ass sometimes.
Loved it because... well, it was still his home. His family. Even if they didn't understand him.
In the middle of the Lawrence estate stood a big mansion the residence of the clan leader. That's where his family lived.
Yeah, his father, Alaric Lawrence, was the clan leader.
Alaric. The name was damn difficult to pronounce sometimes. But from what Arthur had heard from his mother, it meant "ruler over all." It was given to his father by his father Arthur's grandpa who was obsessed with restoring the clan to its former glory. So he gave his son an ambitious name.
According to Mother, this name had troubled Father a lot in the past. The burden of the clan's expectations, the weight of that name it caused him to rebel, to become a troublemaker.
That was how his parents met, actually.
Alaric Lawrence, the troublemaking heir who didn't want to live up to his name.
And his Mother, the serious Knight of Favonius who kept having to deal with his nonsense.
Somehow, that turned into love. Arthur still didn't fully understand how that worked, but his parents seemed happy now, so whatever.
Going inside the mansion it was big inside too. As Arthur entered, he saw a blonde-haired woman with blue eyes. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, and she wore training clothes. She was holding a cloth, wiping sweat from her face. A sword hung at her waist.
Yup, that was his mother. Frederica Gunnhildr.
She was the one who straightened his father out. And she kept her own family name too. Hey, turns out she was more prideful than a Lawrence.
"Mother, I'm home," Arthur called out.
Frederica looked up, and immediately her eyes narrowed slightly. about to scold him for staying out so late
"Arthur," she said, walking toward him. "You're late. I was about to send someone to—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at his face.
"You're smiling," she said, almost in disbelief.
Arthur blinked. Was he? He touched his face. Oh. Yeah, he was.
"When was the last time I saw you smile like that?" Frederica murmured, more to herself than to him. Then her expression shifted, becoming more focused. "What happened?"
Arthur hesitated for just a moment. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out the Vision.
The purple Electro symbol gleamed in the light of the mansion's lamps. Small sparks of lightning danced across its surface.
For a moment, there was complete silence.
Frederica stared at the Vision. Then at Arthur. Then back at the Vision.
Then she dropped everything.
The cloth fell to the floor. Her hand released the sword at her waist it clattered against the ground.
"You" her voice cracked slightly. "You got a Vision?"
Arthur nodded, still holding it out. "Yeah. Just now, in the plaza"
He didn't get to finish.
Frederica moved faster than he expected, closing the distance in an instant. Before Arthur could react, she swept him up into her arms, lifting him clean off the ground.
"Wait—Mother—!" Arthur yelped, surprised.
But resistance was useless. He was ten years old, and she was a trained knight with years of combat experience. The height difference and strength gap made any attempt to escape completely pointless.
Frederica hugged him tightly, then started spinning him around, laughing actually laughing, a sound full of pure joy.
"My son is a Vision bearer!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with pride and happiness. "My son got a Vision!"
"M-Mother, put me down!" Arthur protested, though there was no real force behind it. He was too surprised by her reaction to be truly annoyed.
She spun him around one more time before finally setting him back on his feet, though she kept her hands on his shoulders, looking down at him with the brightest smile he'd seen from her in... well, ever.
Her eyes were actually glistening. Was she crying?
"I'm so proud of you," Frederica said softly, her voice thick with emotion. "So, so proud."
Arthur felt something twist in his chest. When was the last time someone had been this genuinely happy for him? This proud?
he cant rememeber if anyone looked at him like this ever.
He looked down, suddenly feeling awkward. "It's just a Vision, Mother. It's not that big of a deal"
"Not a big deal?" Frederica laughed, wiping at her eyes quickly. "Arthur, do you know how rare Visions are? How many people spend their entire lives wishing for one and never receive it?"
She knelt down to his eye level, her hands still on his shoulders.
"This is a blessing," she said seriously. "The gods recognized something in you. Your ambition, your resolve, whatever it was that made you worthy they saw it."
Arthur bit his lip. If only she knew. If only he could tell her that it wasn't just a blessing it was a necessity. That he needed this power to survive what was coming.
But he couldn't. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
Instead, he just nodded. "Thanks, Mother."
Frederica smiled again, softer this time, and pulled him into another hug. This one was gentler, less exuberant.
"My little knight," she murmured.
Arthur allowed himself to relax into the embrace, just for a moment.
For the first time in ten years, he felt like maybe just maybe things were going to be okay.