“Alright, everyone,” she said softly, “time to sleep. We’ve all worked very hard today.”
Mira yawned loudly and stretched her arms high above her head. “Uaghhh, My whole body hurts. My arms feel like they’re going to fall off from all that scraping and washing.”
Lys helped move the low table to the side so they could lay out the sleeping mats on the floor. They arranged them the same way they always did, Lys in the middle, Elara on his left, and Mira on his right. It had become their normal routine, and Lys also surprisingly found comfort in how familiar it felt.
Mira lay down first, pulling the thin blanket up to her chin. “Good night, Mom. Good night, Lys. Don’t stay up thinking too much, okay?”
Elara smiled and gently brushed a strand of red hair away from Mira’s face. “Good night, my sweet girl. And worry for yourself. You are the one who sleeps later than us.”
Then Elara turned to Lys. “You worked harder today, honey. Bringing those pelts, helping us clean them, and then going out again at night… I’m really proud of you. Now rest. Or you will feel sore tomorrow.”
Lys nodded and lay down beside her. “I will, Mom. Good night.”
Elara blew out the lamp. The hut became dark, lit only by the faint moonlight coming through the small window.
------
For a while, the only sounds were their slow breathing and the occasional creak of the old wooden walls settling for the night.
Lys stared at the ceiling, eyes wide open. Sleep wasn’t coming easily tonight. His mind was still buzzing from everything: the creepy walk home, the successful deal with Madam Vesper, the intense time with Sara, carrying the heavy pelts, everything he did today came to him one by one in reverse.
Then he suddenly remembered the big reward sitting in his system.
He quietly opened the system screen in front of his eyes. The glowing blue window appeared, visible only to him.
<< Host: Lysander Veyne >>
Strength: 18 + 10
Stamina: 19 + 20
Mana: 100/150
System Points (SP): 1000
Active Targets:
[Elara Veyne (Step-Mother)] – Difficulty: SS-Rank | Status: Very horny (Physical contact 8%) | Affection: 93 | Lust: 44%
[Sara Thorne (Landowner)] – Difficulty: B-Rank | Status: Talking with Elowen Valtor (Physical contact 0%) | Affection: 66 | Lust: 89%
[Mira Veyne (Step-Sister)] – Difficulty: S-Rank | Status: Exhausted from the work all day: Sleeping (Physical contact 0%) | Affection: 124 | Lust: 87%
Passive Targets: Elowen Valtor
Skills:
- Basic Mana Breathing (Tier 1)
- Basic Hunting (Tier 1)
- Basic Herb Knowledge (Tier 1)
- Basic Regeneration (Tier 2)
- Enhanced Stamina Skill (Tier 2)
Lys stared at the 1000 SP. ‘Hmm, so my reward from that Tier 3 quest with Sara had already come!’
The reward was huge. He felt excited, but also felt a heavy responsibility now. Because he had to spend each of these points wisely. One wrong choice could waste everything. After all, this is the starting point. Many things matter at this stage.
He opened the skill shop and began scrolling slowly through the long list. There were dozens of skills, each one tempting in its own way. Each skill had a short description about what it does, just by it’s side, he read them carefully, thinking about his current situation and how those skills might of use to him.
<
Energy Detection (200 SP) – ‘Could help find hidden things or mana sources. Useful, but not urgent right now.’
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Minor Healing (250 SP) – ‘Good for small injuries, but my Basic Regeneration already healed me overnight. Oh no, shit. Is it for healing others, then? Isn’t this super helpful if it is? Let's check out the other skills first. If any point is left, then I’ll buy this for sure.’
Night Vision (250 SP) – ‘Would be helpful for walking at night, but I could manage with a lantern for now.’
Silent Walk (300 SP) – ‘Good for sneaking, but I wasn’t planning to sneak around much yet.’
Keen Hearing (300 SP) – ‘Might help detect danger early. Interesting.’
Danger Sense (350 SP) – ‘This one is a little interesting. Being able to feel danger before it happens could save my life. But my hunting skill already given me good instincts in the forest. Do I even need to spend my precious SP for this right now?!’
Appraisal (350 SP) – ‘Oh, This looks very useful. I could check the real value of items, maybe even people. No more getting scammed like what almost happened with Madam Vesper. Perfect for making money and knowing many things without asking around. I’ll purchase it.’
Appraisal: 350 SP
Purchase: Y/N
‘Yes, yes.’
‘Ok. lets see other skills now.’
Aura of Calm (350 SP) – ‘Could help me to calm people down. But not a high priority right now, I think.’
Eagle Eye (400 SP) – ‘Better vision for long distances. What, That’s it? Nope, not for now, then. Maybe later.’
Quick Step (450 SP) – ‘Faster movement. Nice, but not the most important right now.’
Enhanced Strength (500 SP) – ‘Hmm, now that's tempting. I really want to get stronger to protect everyone. Should I buy it now? Hmm, but it costs 500 SP. lets check other skills first. Who knows, maybe there are some better skills in this range.’
Merchant’s Tongue (500 SP) – ‘Better at negotiating and trading! What the! Is this even possible?! Whoa, that's a magic world for you. Anything is possible, huh! This could help with selling pelts and future deals. But SP cost is too high to purchase now, maybe later.’
Iron Skin (550 SP) – ‘whoa. Now this is good. Making the host’s body tougher Passively. It also hardens the skin to the density of thick leather, making the host resistant to shallow cuts and bruises?! This might be super helpful. Maybe even life saver for me. Lets buy this too.’
Iron skin: 550 SP
Purchase: Y/N
‘Yes, purchase.’
Instinctive Map (700 SP) – ‘Remembering paths and places automatically. Useful for traveling.’
Heavy Strike (750 SP) – ‘An active skill that consumes stamina to double the force of the next physical blow.’
Sense Hostility (850 SP) – ‘Feeling when someone wants to hurt me. Very strong, but too expensive for now.’
Tracking Expert (900 SP) – ‘Excellent for hunting or following people. Looks like an upgrade of my hunting skill.’
Object Appraisal (High-Tier) (900 SP) – ‘An evolution of Appraisal. Reveals the history of an item, such as who owned it last or if it was used in a crime.’
Advanced Mana Breathing Technique (1,000 SP) – ‘Much stronger mana gathering. Tempting, but not enough SP available right now.’
Aura of Command (1,200 SP) – ‘Passively increases the host's presence, making people more likely to follow orders or feel intimidated during negotiations. Whoa, Too expensive.’
Poison Immunity (1,400 SP) – ‘The host’s blood becomes a universal antitoxin, neutralizing 95% of known non-magical poisons. Very useful, but way too expensive.’
Mana Shield (1,500 SP) – ‘Creates a shimmering barrier of pure mana that can block one high-tier physical or magical attack. Hmm, very powerful protection, but impossible to buy right now.’
‘Ok, that's it. After this come just higher-tier skills. Not under my budget right now. Let's focus on what I bought now.’
Lys spent a long time thinking if he bought the right skills or not. He weighed every option carefully. Trying to think if he was impatient or not.
‘Protection first. I need to stay alive to complete the missions and take care of Mom and Mira, if there is any danger. So, Iron Skin was definately a right choice. It will make it harder for me to get hurt. That’s important. Yeah. And Money and information come second. So Appraisal will help me know the real value of things. That will help me get rich faster.
He looked at the remaining points after choosing those two. ‘1000 - 550 (Iron Skin) - 350 (Appraisal) = 100 SP left. Not enough for anything big, but I should save it.’
He thought about Elara and Mira sleeping peacefully beside him, as a warm, tingling feeling spread through his body as the new skills settled in. His skin felt slightly tougher, like a thin protective layer had formed underneath. He flexed his fingers; they felt stronger, too, and more solid.
He smiled in the dark. ‘This is good. Step by step, I’m getting stronger. No doubt about it.’
He closed the system screen. Beside him, Elara shifted in her sleep and moved a little closer. Her warm body pressed gently against his side. Mira’s soft, even breathing came from the other side.
Lys closed his eyes, feeling safe and content for the first time in a long while.
He still had 100 SP left. He would save it for something important later when more points came in.
For now, surrounded by his loving family in their small, warm hut, he finally let sleep take him.
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