A beautiful woman with long silver hair and golden eyes stood motionless, her gaze piercing through the wall as if it were made of glass.
Her attention was fixed on her son, Davin, who sat cross-legged on his small bed, engrossed in a thick, leather-bound book. Gaela's mind buzzed with curiosity.
'What is he planning to do with that book?' she wondered.
It was the same book he had stubbornly insisted his father to buy for him just a day ago.
"Ray," she called out, her voice tinged with excitement.
"Huh? What is it?" Ray looked up from his bowl of steaming oat porridge, his brow furrowed in mild confusion.
"I think our son might grow up to be a scholar!" Gaela exclaimed, her golden eyes sparkling as she turned to face her husband.
Ray blinked, setting his spoon down. "Huh? Is he actually reading that book?"
"Yes, and he seems completely absorbed in it."
"But… we haven't taught him how to read yet," Ray said, his voice laced with disbelief.
"How is that even possible?"
"I thought you had taught him!" Gaela shot back, her excitement momentarily replaced by perplexment.
"Isn't that why you bought him the book in the first place?"
"No," Ray admitted, scratching the back of his head.
"He practically dragged me to the market and demanded I buy it for him. I didn't think he'd actually try to read it."
Gaela's gaze shifted back to Davin, her expression a mix of pride and bewilderment.
"Then how is he reading it?" she murmured, more to herself than to Ray.
~
Meanwhile, Davin sat on the bed, his small fingers tracing the intricate patterns on the book's cover.
'Damn it, this thing is way too wordy to read,' he thought, his frustration mounting up.
Even with the system's ability to translate the text for him, his young mind quickly grew bored after just a few pages.
"System," he muttered under his breath, "read this book for me and give me the summary afterward."
[Understood.]
A soft golden light enveloped the book, its glow catching Gaela's attention. She stiffened, her golden eyes narrowing as she watched the light flicker and fade almost as quickly as it had appeared.
But for Davin, a familiar chime echoed in his mind.
[Book analysis complete!]
[Would you like the summarized version of the information—]
Suddenly another notification sound rang out, cutting off the system mid-speech.
[+9 Intelligence Stats for being a seeker of knowledge!]
[PS: This is a one-time reward from the Admin!]
'Huh?!' Davin's eyes widened as a sudden, sharp pain shot through his head. He clutched his temples, gritting his teeth to stifle a groan.
~
Gaela gasped, her motherly instincts screaming at her to rush to her son's side. But she forced herself to stay put, so she could get more info from what was happening with her son.
'Did he just use mana to implant knowledge into his mind? But how? He doesn't have a mana core, nor has his body shown any signs of aura. What's going on?' Questions without answers bombarded her mind.
"Gaela? Is something wrong?" Ray asked, his voice tinged with concern as he set his empty bowl aside.
"Yes," she replied, her tone tense. "Davin is… experimenting with mana. And I can't figure out how he's doing it."
"What?!" Ray shot to his feet, his chair scraping against the floor. He was about to storm into Davin's bedroom when Gaela's hand shot out, stopping him in his tracks.
"Wait," she said urgently. "I want to observe him a little longer."
Ray hesitated but nodded, his eyes darting toward the bedroom door.
~
Inside Davin's mind, the pain was beginning to subside.
'Shit, that hurt! And who the hell is this Admin?' he thought, his frustration bubbling to the surface.
[Forgive me, Host,]
The system replied.
[The Admin has chosen to remain anonymous. Even I have no information about their identity. It seems they've blocked all knowledge of themselves from both of us.]
'What about the sudden stat increase and the pain?' Davin demanded.
[The Admin is responsible for the stat increase. As for the pain, it was caused by the Time Orb channeling energy directly into your brain to enhance your intelligence stat. What's strange is that the energy came from within the Orb itself.]
'Don't tell me you don't have full access to the Orb,' Davin said, his tone skeptical.
[Correct. While I am connected to it, you are its primary controller. However, it appears that only a small portion of its power is currently accessible.]
'Then who is this fucking Admin, and why are they so determined to stay hidden?' Davin wondered, his mind racing.
He then slid off the bed, placing the book on a nearby table before heading toward the door.
[Would you like the summarized content of the book now?]
'Later,' Davin replied, his stomach growling loudly. 'I'm starving.'
[Your sudden hunger is likely a side effect of the stat enhancement.]
'I feel like I could eat an entire pot of porridge right now,' Davin thought, his mouth watering as he stomped toward the living room.
The rich aroma of oats and honey filled the air, making his stomach growl even louder.
~
Gaela sighed, a mix of relief and disappointment washing over her. She was relieved that Davin seemed unharmed but frustrated that her observation had yielded no answers.
"He's coming," she said, her voice tinged with exasperation.
"And I still have no idea how he did it."
"Do you think he's some kind of genius?" Ray asked, his tone a blend of awe and curiosity.
"Yes," Gaela admitted.
"But a genius of what talent? I can't tell."
"You know, yesterday he surprised me with how strong he was in log pulling—"
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Gaela interrupted, her golden eyes narrowing as she pouted.
"It slipped my mind, I guess," Ray said sheepishly.
"Maybe I should smack it a little to make sure it doesn't forget important things so easily," Gaela retorted, her tone sharp enough to make Ray flinch.
"Good morning, mama and papa!" Davin's cheerful voice rang out, saving Ray from further scolding.
"Good morning, Davin," Gaela replied, her pout melting into a warm smile.
She quickly served him a generous portion of breakfast, the earlier tension forgotten as the family shared a peaceful breakfast.
Just as they were finishing, a sharp knock echoed through the house.