Although I had gotten ready to be studied while I was upside down, the man that was supposed to be my father just stared at me with that face of his. He looked quite large with the armor, but after he took his helmet out, he looked a lot more lean than I had expected. Still, since he was a full-grown adult, it looked like I was staring at a tower.

  His hair was black too, but his eyes were green. I saw some other people with blond and light brown hair, but black hair was the most common around these parts.

  “Isn’t he rather quiet, Ellenessa?”

  “Aizen is always like that, but he is as healthy as a bull. He never got sick, and he never fusses over anything, even when he poops, or when he was bitten by insects.”

  Ellenessa… that was quite the pretty name, a bit mouthful as well. Maybe that was common in this world. Regardless, I was thankful that she didn’t call me Ai. It was too much of a cute pet name.

  “Really? Well, he looks fearless enough with his unflinching gaze. Or is it just a blank expression?”

  “I can’t tell for sure either.”

  Mother showed a wry smile… for someone who hadn’t seen the father of her child in over a year, she looked happy, but not that clingy. Maybe things aren’t as romantic in this world. Still, that was fine. While I have resistance to pretty much anything when it comes to the mind, I would rather not see my parents being lovey-dovey in front of me.

  “How are things in the front lines?”

  “The same. I am not making much progress either, so my standing didn’t change at all. Still, I have the feeling that we might get together soon. Aizen also gives me a good feeling.”

  I wondered why that fell on my shoulders… He seemed like an important warrior, but maybe not that important. The warriors of this world might be at a long war against something troublesome, and that was why they couldn’t visit their families often. Still, that left many questions unanswered.

  “I don’t know when I am going to return or if I am going to return, so raise him well. I will do my best in order not to let him and the others become folders for my brothers, but we need to consider all possible outcomes.”

  “All right… good luck.”

  They hugged each other, and I noticed that all the other soldiers were leaving as well. It looked like this was a short visit for whatever reason. Given that they didn’t seem all that beaten down or tired, it didn’t feel like this war that they were taking part in seemed all that difficult.

  ‘I guess I will have to take part in this. If this is taking too long, it will get in the way of my plans.’

  I didn’t want to follow the orders given to me down to a T. It just didn’t sit right with me, even if I understood why it was necessary. I had to be mindful, though. War is never a simple thing, and if it’s left unchecked or mishandled, it only creates bigger problems down the line. Still, the thought of blindly sticking to someone else’s plan annoyed me, even as I weighed the consequences.

  While I was caught up in my thoughts, my new father reached out and patted me on the head. I froze. It felt... weird. Not just the physical act itself, but the fact that it came from him. A guy. It was awkward, almost intrusive, and I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of discomfort. I didn’t know what he was trying to accomplish with the gesture given that it was the first time he had seen me since my birth., but it just added to the pile of things I didn’t really want to deal with.

  “Grow strong, Aizen. That will let us meet soon enough.”

  Again, why does this have to rely on me? I guess he must not have much agency over his life, either. He didn’t have much facial hair, so perhaps he was young too, and that would explain a lot.

  Before long, he left with the other riders in the direction they came from… from what I could see, most of them were pretty cold. They didn’t even hug their families or talk that much with their kids. If it was only a short break, I guess they came from a harsh battlefield… While there were two hundred houses here, only forty or so soldiers came to talk with the people here.

  ‘Not having information is a pain in the ass and since I can’t move by myself yet, I guess I need to improve my hearing skills. That would be another passive skill, but it is fine since I have two other slots.’

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  The treasure already reached level ten a few days ago, and I had the chance to learn Enhanced Vision. After staring at the distance beyond my home, that option appeared when I had the chance, and it seemed useful, so I picked it as well.

  All these skills will come in handy in most situations in the future, but while my parameters were increasing, I still was pretty weak when it comes to my durability. I had nineteen years left to complete the first true challenge, and I didn’t feel like I had made that much progress so far.

  My mother took me back home and then she panicked when she recalled that food was being cooked… Now, I could tell that we received some help from outside since these soldiers worked hard to defend whatever they were defending and since there were a lot of kids here, it was beneficial to whoever was calling the shots to make sure that no one back at the homes of the soldiers would starve to death.

  ‘He didn’t seem that fazed, so he had experience fighting… I didn’t find kids older than five when I was outside too, if I connect all the dots, that explains many things. Regardless, it is time to start thinking in the long run and consider seriously the skills I need to take over this world.’

  I considered three main skills that should be available to me right now to some extent. Start using and developing them now would really come in handy. The first was crafting. Crafting is a cornerstone of preparation and sustainability in warfare. By making use of crafting, a leader ensures their army is well-equipped with weapons, armor, and essential supplies. This skill becomes especially critical during prolonged conflicts, where resources may decrease, and supply lines can be disrupted.

  The second is charisma. Charisma is the key to building and maintaining a loyal and motivated force, as well as forging alliances that can shift the balance of power in war. A charismatic leader inspires confidence and dedication among troops, boosting morale even in dire situations. High morale leads to greater combat effectiveness and reduced chances of desertion or rebellion. Beyond the battlefield, charisma can be used to recruit new soldiers and win over neutral factions,

  Finally, there are tactics. A tactically skilled leader can turn the terrain to their advantage, plan ambushes, and exploit weaknesses in the enemy’s formations. Additionally, tactical thinking extends beyond combat to include organizing supply chains, fortifying defensive positions, and managing troop rotations to avoid exhaustion. The question was: can those activities be turned into skills? I had to try all of them before I had the chance to turn a new action into a skill.

  ‘This all seems too problematic and uncertain. Developing fighting skills myself and training them to win the battles that need to be won by myself seems a lot more promising, but can I do that alone?’

  I had confidence in my mental strength, but I didn’t have confidence in anything else… After such a long time in that room, I still couldn’t tell why I was sent there and why I am in this world. The mission given to me was clear, but I still didn’t know the real why.

  Maybe I needed the extra time the white room could grant me to think this through… I might not be able to improve my skills there, but the ideas while I focus there will certainly come in handy.

  I still lacked the necessary pieces of information to make any decent decisions, but time was ticking in. Having no agency over my second life was already troublesome given that I had to do something as absurd as taking over the entire world in twenty years. It would be even more unnerving if I had to follow orders of those that I could see.

  ‘For starters, I have to learn how to use mana and stamina. Not having active skills and not using those types of energy as much as possible is too inefficient.’

  Pushing my body to use my stamina seemed a bit too difficult as I was right now… However, using mana seemed a lot more possible. Still, with no idea how to do that, I had to try a bunch of things myself.

  The first thing that I tried was to sense the mana inside my body, sensing something like a spiritual core or other things like that… Clearing my mind and entering a state of meditation was easy, but that changed nothing. I couldn’t feel the energy inside me. Thanks to that, I couldn’t control it.

  “Hello again. It has been a while.”

  Since I was lost in thought, I got caught off guard when I heard a familiar voice… It was the old lady that helped with my birth. My mother was nodding off on a chair, but soon she got up when she heard the old lady.

  “Hi, Luaria… is there something wrong? It isn’t about the time for you to check Ai, right?”

  “I received orders to check the kids of the village more often in order to check if they have some talent. All because a certain girl showed a bit of potential.”

  “Who did? When was the last time someone with a treasure was born in our village?”

  That talk picked my interest… were they talking about the kind of treasure that I could see in my mind? I considered that some people might have them since it seemed the only way they could create their own skills, and develop their strengths further. However, did that mean that there were other people like me? People that were reborn in this world?

  “... It is Luana. It looked like she inherited one from our ancestors, even though that didn’t happen in over one hundred years.”

  “Oh, your granddaughter? If she awakened at her age, then she has a bright future ahead of her.”

  “Yeah, about that… huh?”

  The old lady stopped talking when she looked me in the eye… it felt like she had sensed something within me. That was bad. If she had a treasure and could sense others, then she would be able to sense mine as well… but in the end, that didn’t matter. This was bound to happen, and this seemed like a chance to get the information that I needed.

  “Your boy has a lot of mana for his age. Perhaps he has the potential to awaken one as well.”