《Rebirth (a litrpg story)》 Chapter 1 Whats this? With a gasp, Ilara jolted into consciousness. Or at least awareness. Her body felt strangely lethargic, barely listening to her commands. At least I¡¯m not paralyzed, was her first thought as she slowly wiggled her stiff fingers and toes . Where the hell am I though? And why is it so dark? Her heartbeat started to pick up as panic started to rear its head. Why can¡¯t I see? Why can I barely move? What the hell is going on?! Ilara started to struggle, demanding that her body move, to do something other than a weak wiggle. Her struggle lasted an eternity. Or at least that¡¯s what it felt like. In the end, she wound up gasping for air and her body shaking with weakness. Fuck me, she thought as she couldn¡¯t even move her lips and tongue enough to speak. Okay, calm down. I¡¯m not going anywhere. Regroup and assess. Maybe I really am paralyzed? Or received some kind of head injury? What was I doing before I woke up like this? She mentally frowned, trying to recall her last memory. As she looked back, it felt like there was a haze around her last memories. She backed up some more. I was on leave for three weeks and was going to visit some friends from high school. The high school reunion was coming up and the old gang wanted to catch up beforehand. In fact, I was driving up North to meet them in a rented car, taking my time and then¡­ nothing. No matter how hard she focused, her last memory was driving the car and singing along to a song on the radio. Did I get into a car accident? That would suck. Here lies Ilare Dekare, decorated medic, who met her end by truck. Dear me, that would be shitty. I can almost hear the jokes. You know what. Fuck it. I¡¯m going to take a nap. There better be something interesting or new when I wake up. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ilara woke up again after an undeterminable amount of time had passed. Goddammit, I still can¡¯t see shit. Shouldn¡¯t I hear something? Or feel more that¡­ whatever this warm and heavy feeling is? She tried to move her body again, but all she could was wiggle her fingers and toes. Damn it all to hell and back, she mentally cursed. This is not normal. I never heard of people being this aware when unconscious. And if I¡¯m paralyzed, I shouldn¡¯t be able to feel what I feel. I¡¯m a medic, trust me. Sure, I am more used to treating bullet wounds, blisters, sprains, and burns¡­ but I know stuff. I actually paid attention in class, I promise! Hard not to, when you realize your knowledge and actions may make the difference between life and death. Mentally nudging her mind to get back on track, she decided to count the time she spent waiting for something to happen. That way, I should get a better handle on whatever¡¯s going on¡­ hopefully. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ¡­, 13, ¡­, 113, 114, 115, ¡­713, 714, 715¡­ With a start, Ilara woke up. Whut¡­ She would have rubbed her eyes if she could have moved. Damn it, I fell asleep. It¡¯s not like I was counting sheep. Then again, I¡¯m surrounded by something warm and gooey, and it¡¯s dark and¡­ Wait! Warm and gooey? Ha! I didn¡¯t feel that before. Progress! She did a happy dance in her mind. Now if I could only move¡­ Nope, still not more than a wiggle. Guess I¡¯ll continue counting. Where was I? 913, 914, 915, ¡­, 1313, 1314, 1315, ¡­ Ilara stretched a little bit before bumping against something, immediately waking up. Holy crap! I can move! I can move! I am aliiiiiiiiiiive! Her jubilation was quickly cut off as she realized she was awfully restricted, wherever she was. She could only move a few centimeters. Am I still trapped in my car? But I don¡¯t feel any pain. Am I restrained in the hospital, so I don¡¯t injure myself? So many questions and so little answers. Maybe if I make a lot of fuss, somebody will notice¡­ Holy shit, Houston, we have contact! After wiggling, kicking and pushing around, something suddenly pushed back! She kicked at the spot where someone pushed back, focusing intently on¡­ well anything really. Again, something pushed against the¡­ wall? Restriction? Trapping? She was in. Ha, I didn¡¯t imagine it! Sweet ol¡¯ progress. What does it mean though? Before she could really ponder this new development, she fell asleep again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So I¡¯m guessing this is day 5. Or at least, 5 times I¡¯ve regained consciousness, which is nice. At least I¡¯m waking up. And I can¡­ She wiggled around again. Yup, I can still move somewhat, but I¡¯m still trapped. No new sensations. This is kind of boring. Then again, it may be known that I have a tendency to move. Constantly. Unless I¡¯m in my zone. Then I could focus 100% on something without fidgeting. Thank God for that, otherwise operations would be a bitch. Anyway, I thought I specifically requested something interesting to happen, two cons ago (conscious days). Someone pushing back against my gooey restrains doesn¡¯t count. Am I in some sci-fi regeneration gel? Oh my god, don¡¯t tell me I¡¯m abducted by aliens? Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Ilara promptly lost her ever loving shit.
Con 8. Okay, so remember when I said I can¡¯t sit still? Apparently, that applies to my mind too when my body can¡¯t move! I feel like my synapses are firing away at light speed. I¡¯ve went through about every song I know of and some I didn¡¯t recall I knew. I¡¯ve tried counting again and managed to get up to 5113 in between my naps. Just watch me, I¡¯m going to pump those numbers up!
Con 12. Those naps are treacherous. If not for them, I swear I would have reached 10K by now. Okay, I admit, I got distracted sometimes. But it is important to keep up my wiggles! Daily exercise is good for you. And okay, I didn¡¯t need to spend so much time listing reasons why Lord of the Rings is the best trilogy every made. Everybody would agree in a heartbeat. But a girl¡¯s gotta do what she¡¯s gotta do, right?
Con 20. So, I¡¯ve stepped up my game again and reached 15K! take that, you sneaky naps! Seriously though, how long is this going to take? I¡¯m not sure how much more my sanity is going to take. This mind-numbing nothingness is killing me! I even started to do imitations of famous actors just so I wouldn¡¯t have to hear my own voice. But hearing a badly imitated Arnold Schwarzenegger gets old, quickly.
I think I¡¯m on con 22 now¡­ Or is it 23? Ugh, this truly sucks. There is nothing to do! At one point, I thought I heard some noise, almost like people talking, but it was so faint, I wasn¡¯t entirely sure my mind didn¡¯t just made it up. Even my wiggles can¡¯t amuse me anymore, not even when something responds to it by pushing back. I¡¯m almost at the point I wished my alien theory was real, just so something would happen. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be the friendly type and not the dismembering type¡­ right? Right. So, in other news, I managed¡­
Threshold [24 weeks] passed. System initializing.
Ilara jolted out of her musings as a blue screen popped up in front of her. Or at least, she thought it was in front of her eyes. She still couldn¡¯t see jack shit besides the screen. What in the world is going on? Ilara mentally shouted. As suddenly as the screen appeared, it disappeared just as quickly. Did¡­ that just happen? She wondered. I know I¡¯ve been going just a tiny bit stir-crazy and might have wished for something interesting to happen¡­ but yeah.
Error. Consciousness detected. Scanning¡­
Uh oh. I don¡¯t like the sound of that. Error reports never lead to anything good. You better cut me some slack here!
Scanning complete. Soul detected. Initializing reincarnation protocol. Scanning memories¡­
Hold up! What is all this nonsense? And you better not be rummaging through my mind! That is NOT a safe place, as these past few days have indicated. Ilara could only read the messages in disbelief. Reincarnation¡­ did that mean I died? A realization suddenly hit her. Oh God. Does this mean¡­ AM I INSIDE SOMEONE¡¯S WOMB RIGHT NOW?! Oh God, oh God, oh God, this is just¡­ FUCK. Before she could slide into a full-blown panic attack, another blue screen popped into existence.
Scanning completed. System updated according to Reincarnation protocol. Status Screen loading¡­ Please remain calm.
It felt like she got shot with a dose of tranquilizer. Which was probably a good thing, as she was kicking and punching her FREAKING MOTHER TO BE in her panic. Sorry mom¡­
Status Screen loaded Please state Status Screen with intent for it to show.
Oh goodie, it¡¯s finished, she thought in utter peace. The system or whatever this is sure gives out the good stuff. I haven¡¯t felt this relaxed in ages. Can I buy it? For medical purpose, I swear. Wait, what was I supposed to¡­ Oh right¡­ Status Screen, she mentally stated. Chapter 2 Whats that? A slightly transparent, blue tinted screen popped up in front of Ilara¡¯s mind eye. Or that was how she thought it worked, since she couldn¡¯t open her eyes.
Name N/A
Age 24 weeks. Estimated delivery in 15 weeks
Race Human (female)
Class N/A
Level 0
Experience 0/100
Titles Reincarnated
Afflictions None
Attributes
Strength 1
Agility 1
Endurance 1
Intelligence 1 (+10)
Wisdom 1 (+10)
Willpower 1 (+20)
Magical Affinity N/A
Skills None
Spells N/A
Ilara really really really wanted to lose her shit about the fact that she still had 15 MORE WEEKS to go in this suffocating darkness (yes, the accommodation was downgraded). But unfortunately, the system knew what it was doing with its drugs, and she promptly fell asleep without truly looking at her status screen.
So¡­ Yeah. That happened, Ilara mused after waking up from her forced nap. Although she wasn¡¯t under any influence of drugs, she felt remarkably calm given the situation. Somehow, the nap had given her enough time to reclaim her equilibrium. Did this mean she wasn¡¯t upset anymore about her situation? Fuck no. but she at least realized that she had no control over how she got here and no way out. That left being rational and calm as the best option. Besides, she thought, suppressing one¡¯s emotion is a viable coping mechanism, I swear! This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Ilara pulled up her status screen again. Let¡¯s see what we get to work with¡­ The good news is that I am still human and female. I¡¯m not sure if I could have handled being anything other than that. Although how cool would it be to turn into a housecat? Naps all day and free food¡­ Anyway. I guess my parents are supposed to pick my name. I hope they pick something cool and not something like Paris or Rose. I prefer something a little more unique. I still have 14 weeks and 6 days to go before I¡¯m released from this prison. Wait¡­ I could have sworn it said 15 weeks last time. I guess naps aren¡¯t so bad after all. And at least I know that a week has 7 days here too. Unless I¡¯ve been asleep for more than a day, but I doubt that. I¡¯ll keep an eye on it, just in case. Poking around class, level, and experience didn¡¯t result in any information, which just meant she had to play around with it eventually. She did, however, have a title.
Title Reincarnated Somehow, your soul managed to find an empty vessel to inhabit after your death. For having such a primal will to live, +20 willpower. For retaining your memories and knowledge from your previous life, +10 to wisdom and +10 to intelligence. For earning this title, you will be able to freely access your status screen from now on, instead at the age of 10. Furthermore, you will have no limits to the amount or type of skills you can learn. Note that this does not include spells.
The first thought that popped into Ilara¡¯s mind was what has my soul been up to without my knowledge?! I look away for one moment and boom, I¡¯m somehow in a fetus. Did I kick out the original soul? The description says empty vassal, so I don¡¯t think so. God, I hope not. Okay, bright thoughts. Free gifts are always nice, I guess. I wonder what kind of limits there are for normal person. Guess I¡¯ll have to wait and see. Although Ilara still felt uneasy about the whole situation (who wouldn¡¯t?), she also couldn¡¯t help feeling a little excited. She was in a whole new world if what she read about spells existing was right. She seemed to have a leg up compared to normal people, which was always nice. I wonder if I can learn skills when I¡¯m not even born¡­ It would make the time go faster¡­ She mentally shook her head to get back on track. First, let¡¯s finish poring over the rest of the status screen. Let¡¯s see¡­ Attributes. Mhm. I¡¯m kind of getting a gaming vibe. Don¡¯t let this be some kind of horror game please! Ilara focused her attention on each attribute, getting a short description of what it means. Strength is about how hard you can hit, how much you can carry and how healthy you are. Endurance is about how long you can last, and also how healthy you are. I¡¯m seeing some overlap, although no clue how it works. Ilara mentally shrugged and just accepted it. Agility is about how nimble you and how good your reflexes are. Intelligence and wisdom seem to be an odd duck. Intelligence is about how much mana you have, and wisdom is about how fast you regenerate it. Does that mean¡­ there is magic in this world?! She couldn¡¯t help but dance a little jig. New things to explore, neat! I wonder how it works¡­ More stuff on the list to figure out later. Ilara sighed. It¡¯s becoming a long list¡­ Anyway, willpower is also a strange one. It influences casting time for spells, strength of spells, the power of my soul (whatever that may mean), and mental fortitude. I seem to be shaping up to be one badass, spell-slinging baby¡­ if not for the restriction on magic. It seems that magic needs to be unlocked and one can only do that at the age of 12, or so the system tells me. Bummer. Then again, I can only imagine the destruction a baby in a tantrum could wrought if that restriction wasn¡¯t there. Then again¡­ It unlocks or at least can be unlocked when kids hit puberty. Like that¡¯s not a recipe for disaster. So, with pain in her heart, Ilara put her plans of being a magical badass on hold for the next decade. But I promise, it is not forgotten! It just means I have 12 years to figure out what magic actually means in this world and to come up with good ideas. Satisfied with her exploration, Ilara once again settled in for a nap.
So, Ilara mused. My status screen seems pretty straight forward. I still have questions of course. Like why is there a status screen to begin with. Why are things like your health not depicted. How do I raise my attributes, what are the consequences, etc. But I suspect those questions have to wait until I¡¯m old enough to ask them. But for now I can focus on something else: skills. Thanks to my title, I have no limitations on the amount or type of skill. And I¡¯m hoping, since I¡¯m conscious and have a status screen, I can acquire and train skills. It would keep me busy. But where to start¡­ After some more musing, Ilara decided on something easy. After all, she could only use her mind. Math is supposed to be an universal truth, right? Regardless how it¡¯s called. So let¡¯s start there. I¡¯ll begin with some easy math and work my way up from there. 1+1=2 ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ 1+2=3 ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ 1+3=4 ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ 1+4=5 ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ 1+99=100 She waited for a few seconds after finishing her, admittingly pretty boring, addition. But nothing happened. Maybe it wasn¡¯t enough? 100-1=99 ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ 99-2=97 ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ 97-3=94 ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ 94-4=90 ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ -10-100=-110 Jeez, still nothing? This system is picky, Ilara huffed. I refuse to believe I can¡¯t learn skills yet. How about multiplying? 1x1=1 ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ 1x2=2 ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ 1x3=3 ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ 1x4=4 ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ 12x12=144 Really?! I mean, yeah, this is kind of pathetic for my previous life. But I¡¯m 24 weeks and 1 day old! I¡¯m a genius! Acknowledge meeee! She fell silent for a few seconds. No? Fine. Divisions then. Stupid system, she muttered dissatisfied. 1/1=1 ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ 2/1=2 ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ 3/1=3 ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ 4/1=4 ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ 150/15=10
Ding. You have learned the skill Mathematics. You receive 100 experience points (exp) for learning a new skill on your own.
Level up! You have leveled up. Your current level is 1. You receive 2 unassigned attribute points (AP).
Ding. You have gained your first skill before your first birthday. You receive 100 exp.
Ding. You gained your first level before your first birthday. You receive 100 exp.
Ding. You receive the title Frontrunner for gaining your first level and skill before your first birthday. With this title, you receive +1 to endurance, and +5 to intelligence.
Holy crap! Warn a girl before you start to throw out these screens! Ilara exclaimed mentally as blue screens popped up one after another. Didn¡¯t know math was so profitable. Good to know that learning skills result in experience, which can make you level up, which in turn grants you attribute points. I wonder what other titles I can get though. Especially since there seems to be a time requirement for some. This sounds like a perfect time to grind! But first¡­ A nap! Chapter 3 Grinding part 1 Ilara looked at her status screen in satisfaction. 2 weeks had passed since she discovered she was reincarnated, and she decided to find and grind some skills. Turned out, gaining a new level in for example [Mathematics] gave 50 exp. Thanks to that and getting a few other skills, she made some massive gains in a relatively short amount of time. Or that was what she assumed. Ilara knew she could have pushed even harder, but naps, a lack of paper and pen, and a lack of feeling urgency had impeded her. Still, she reasoned, she came farther than a normal newborn would be able to go.
Name N/A
Age 26 weeks and 1 day. Estimated delivery in 12 weeks and 6 days
Race Human (female)
Class N/A
Level 0 -> 4
Experience 0/100 -> 3100/4000
Titles Reincarnated, Frontrunner
Afflictions
Attributes
Strength 1 -> 2
Agility 1
Endurance 1 -> 3 You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Intelligence 11 -> 18
Wisdom 11
Willpower 21 -> 22
Magical Affinity N/A
Unassigned AP: 6
Skills
Mathematics (uncommon) level 21
Deductive Reasoning (uncommon) level 11
Recall Memory (uncommon) level 11
Anatomy (uncommon) level 1
She managed to gain some attribute points, mostly by diligently working on skills, wiggling around, and contemplating heavy stuff like the meaning of life and the consequences of magic being a natural law in this world. Although she couldn¡¯t verify anything, it was good mental practice. And it resulted in the skill [Deductive reasoning], which was quite surprising. I mean¡­ why is this a skill? And an uncommon one at that. For that matter, why are all my skills uncommon so far? I would expect things like math and anatomy would be common knowledge? Getting the skill [Anatomy] wasn¡¯t that difficult. I merely visualized the way my body is structured and how it works. Nothing too specific either. I just imagined my hand consisted of skin, which acted as a layer of protection and a means to sense the outside world. Bones, to keep its structure. Muscles and tendons to be able to move. Veins, to keep the whole supplied with necessary nutrients. Flesh, for extra protection and to fill up empty space. And last, nerves, to process sensations and deliver orders. Sure, it¡¯s an overly simplified and a bit unscientific way of describing it. But if it works, it works. Probably the reason why I only got level 1 in the skill. But this kind of knowledge shouldn¡¯t be too hard to discover. My worry only increases when the fact that my high school knowledge of algebra and calculus was enough to push [Mathematics] to level 21. How bad is the education here? The issue about skills and its rarity were mentally writing down on the ¡®questions to ask when I can speak¡¯ list. It didn¡¯t make a lot of sense to speculate about it right now. Ilara¡¯s goal at the moment was to find and grind some more skills. Although I have to admit, I¡¯m not as motivated as I could be. After I came to terms with the fact that I died (okay, I lie, I have begrudgingly accepted that it is an unavoidable conclusion, but let¡¯s not think too deeply about it), I became somewhat excited about the fact that everything I do will be displayed. It gives a sense of accomplishment to see the numbers rising, to know I¡¯m getting better, smarter, stronger. But. A part of me wonders why I¡¯m trying so hard. Why am I spending almost every waking moment on improvement? I¡¯ve already surpassed the expectations of a newborn, or so I assume. In fact, it may be a horrible mistake to be too different from the norm. who knows what the world is like? Just look at Earth¡¯s history. Supposed witches were burned at the stake for having more knowledge or a different application of that knowledge. And heck, I don¡¯t even have a clue what higher levels or attributes would entail. Would I become a buff baby if I increase my strength? Would I grow so much that a normal birth wouldn¡¯t be possible? Ilara shuddered as she imagined several horrifying possibilities. No, I think it would be better to take it easy. Or at least easier than my current pace. I wont even be touching my unassigned attribute points. Maybe some experimentation with skills, but no increasing my physical attributes.
+1 wisdom.
Huh. Even the system agrees with me. Maybe I¡¯ll contemplate the workings of the system and how it can give points for things I only thought and haven¡¯t acted on. Ilara fell silent for a few minutes. You know what. Best to let sleeping dogs lie. I don¡¯t need to know everything. With a decisive nod, she set a new course for the remaining weeks. Of course, she started it off with a nap. Interlude A mothers worst nightmare Saya winced as her precious little Pearl started kicking again. She was about 25 weeks pregnant now. And it had not been what she had expected. Oh, it went fine in the beginning and just like Meggie, the midwife, had said. Saya and her husband had been overjoyed when they felt little Pearl¡¯s first kick a few weeks ago. A bit earlier than Meggie had predicted, but still in normal range. They did notice that the baby was awake often. Every few hours, Saya could feel the baby moving, as if it wasn¡¯t satisfied with its position. But it was fine. Despite the discomfort, she was happy to have a healthy and active baby. It was said that an active baby in the womb would lead to a strong child. Their joy, however, turned into horror 2 weeks ago. Saya was carrying a plate of food to Harry, one of the woodworkers. ¡®Is that your famous stew I smell, Saya?¡¯ He exclaimed happily. ¡®You shouldn¡¯t spoil these oafs so much¡¯ Sari, our local seamstress, admonished with a smile. ¡®Look at how big they are!¡¯ Saya chuckled. ¡®Now now, they have worked hard, they should¡­¡¯. Suddenly, pain exploded from Saya¡¯s belly. She let out a painfilled cry while she collapsed on the ground. ¡®Get Meggie!¡¯ She cried as she clutched her belly. Her little Pearl! Saya didn¡¯t know what happened, but it couldn¡¯t be good. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Somebody ran out to get Meggie who lived across the street from the inn as the rest of the people in the room hovered at a distance. They wanted to help but didn¡¯t know how. Just as Meggie arrived, the pain went from being stabbed by a scorching hot knife to a duller throbbing. ¡®Meggie, the baby!¡¯ Saya sobbed as she grabbed the midwife. ¡®Help her!¡¯ Meggie laid a hand on Saya¡¯s belly, trying to find what happened with magic and to feel its heartbeat. Several tense minutes passed, only filled with Saya¡¯s sobs. Finally, although hesitantly, Meggie said ¡®The baby is still alive.¡¯ Relief swept over the crowd. ¡®However¡­ Her heartbeat is rather weak. I don¡¯t know what happened as I can¡¯t sense anything wrong. But you should stay in bed for the next couple of days. Rest will do you and the baby good. I will check up on you every day.¡¯ So it was said and so it was done. Saya was gently carried to her bedroom, and someone would be with her every moment of the day. She even had to demand that her husband take a break and go somewhere else, as his concerned hovering made her crazy. A few days went by and to everyone¡¯s relief, the baby seemed fine. She was moving around with even more vigour than before. It would be a while before Saya could truly relax and enjoy her pregnancy though. Chapter 4 Grinding part 2 Ilara stretched as far as she could, which wasn¡¯t very far. Her tiny jail became even smaller over the past few weeks. Although she was glad that she seemed to be growing normal, it put kind of a damper on her movements. She had stopped wiggling all the time, just a few wiggles here and there for stretching and letting her mother to be know she was there. Wouldn¡¯t do to scare her shitless by suddenly not moving anymore. She had mostly focused on mental skills, since she didn¡¯t want to change her body overly much. Or risk it at least. She did get a skill called [Listening], which is kind of a physical skill. It enables me to¡­ hear better! Surprise! Thank the gods it¡¯s a common skill. I would really have lost all hope for this world if it wasn¡¯t. But it came in handy as a distraction. I¡¯ve been listening to my mother (I assume) talking and signing to me. I don¡¯t understand a word she¡¯s saying, but it is surprisingly soothing. Maybe some more system fuckery, who knows? Ilara shrugged at the thought. She had taken a wait and see attitude regarding the system and its shenanigans. Anyway, I¡¯ve been doing more than napping and listening, although I have been taking it easy, as promised. I¡¯ve gained the skill [Meditation], which was surprisingly difficult. Then again, what else did I expect with my brain bouncing around? Needless to say, I haven¡¯t managed to upgrade it much. But that¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll get there¡­ someday. During these past few weeks, I¡¯ve also been thinking a lot. I¡¯ve levelled up [Deductive reasoning] and even gained the title Philosopher. Really surprised me, although the title itself it rather useless. It does have a nice bonus though.
Philosopher You gain the title Philosopher for spending more than 100 hours in a short amount of time trying to understand fundamental truths about yourself, the world, and your relationship to the world. You receive +5 to wisdom.
It sounds fancy, but basically, I¡¯ve been thinking about what¡¯s important to me and what I want to do with the second chance at life. No clue why I got the title. I haven¡¯t made any ground-breaking discoveries or anything like that. Just been thinking over my past life and what was important to me. It really boils down to a few things, I think: I feel like these core principles are a solid base for my new life too. It probably won¡¯t be as easy as it sounds, but when is it ever? Besides, I have zero interest in being some kind of celebrity or hero or whatever. Sure, I¡¯ll try and use my knowledge to make my life and those around me easier. But I¡¯ve never been the type to seek glory and fame. Sounds like too much hassle. Ah well. Time for another nap I guess. Ilara mentally grunted in annoyance as her elbow and knee collided with her confines. I am so ready to be born. Just one more week to go. Not that I look forward to the event itself, but I would finally HAVE SOME GODDAMN SPACE. By the gods, if anything could give me claustrophobia, it¡¯s this. I have to constantly refrain myself from moving since I could hear the discomfort my mother to be is in when I do move. Why did I have to be so big?! Or maybe it¡¯s my mother who is small? Or maybe this is completely normal and the reason babies cry when they are born? Who knows? And more importantly¡­ who cares?! I¡¯m still STUCK. Ugh. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Acknowledge the sensation and feelings and just let them be. She mentally chanted to keep herself in check. Honestly, I¡¯ve always been a bit skeptical about the whole mindfulness crap. Meditation too, since I used to think it was all the same. But during my confinement, I learned and felt that meditation is more about emptying your mind of all distraction, to rise above them, so to speak. On the other hand, mindfulness is focused on the here and now, on acknowledging and accepting your feelings, bodily sensations, and the like. And really, they¡¯ve been helpful in providing some peace. Sure, I¡¯m still impatient as hell to start life, but on the other hand¡­ heaven only knows what my life will look like. Anyway, those are not the only gains over the past few weeks! I¡¯ve reached level 5! Pretty impressive, if I say so myself. Honestly, I have no clue if I¡¯m ever going to truly and consciously use some of my skills. Still, it feels good to have them. Maybe I¡¯ll start my own version of Pokemon: Gotta catch them all, Skillemon? Ilara thought it over for a few seconds. Eh, it¡¯s still a work in progress. Let¡¯s see how my status screen looks like, since I will FINALLY BE BORN IN A WEEK.
Name N/A
Age 38 weeks and 1 day. Estimated delivery in 6 days
Race Human (female)
Class N/A
Level 4 -> 5
Experience 3340/4000 -> 30/5000
Titles Reincarnated, Frontrunner, Philosopher
Afflictions
Attributes
Strength Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. 2
Agility 1
Endurance 3
Intelligence 18 -> 20
Wisdom 16 -> 17
Willpower 22
Magical Affinity N/A
Unassigned AP: 8
Skills
Mathematics level 21
Deductive Reasoning level 12
Recall Memory level 11
Human Anatomy level 1
Listening level 9
Meditation level 4
Mindfulness level 5
Memorisation level 12
Spells N/A
I learned the skill [Memorisation] when I started to try to remember strings of numbers. I started easy. I would state four digits before taking a nap or practicing a skill. Then, a few hours later, I would try to remember the four digits. Granted, it was impossible to know if I memorised it correctly since I couldn¡¯t write it down. But I got the skill and even levelled it up, so I must have done something right. Going down her status screen, she looked over the description of her skills.
Mathematics (uncommon) level 21 Mathematics is a skill which has evolved from the practice of counting, measuring, and describing the shapes of objects. You will be able to use these applications faster and easier as it levels.
I still kind of wonder why such skills exist. Is it used as proof that you can do something? Or, and I¡¯m just speculating here, is it necessary to get some class? Sadly, besides mentioning classes in my status screen, I don¡¯t have any information on it. The system doesn¡¯t seem to feel like explaining it. Ilara thought while pouting a little.
Deductive reasoning (uncommon) level 12 Deductive reasoning revolves around the process of reasoning from one or more premises to reach a logical conclusion. You will find it easier to reach logical conclusions when having sufficient data as it levels.
Science, bitch! Ilara couldn¡¯t help but think as she read the description. But seriously, can my brain become some kind of computer if I level the skill enough? That sounds both fascinating and disturbing at the same time.
Recall memory (uncommon) level 11 Recall memory helps recall previous events you have witnessed. The amount of detail is dependent on your focus and perception of the event, as well as the level of the skill.
Why is this a skill? This is literally what my long-term memory is supposed to do! To make matter worse, it¡¯s an uncommon ability! Are people like goldfishes here? That would suck¡­ Ilara mentally pinched the bridge of her nose. So many questions and so little answers.
Anatomy (common) level 1 Anatomy (human) deals with the structure of organisms (humans). As the skill levels, it will grant you aid in understand the workings of a human body.
I haven¡¯t felt like grinding this skill. I know I have the knowledge and I rather apply it than theorise about it. Then again if I need the knowledge then something went wrong¡­ Ilara shrugged. It¡¯s not like I need the help of the skill to do what basically had been my job over the past 5 years. What I find more interesting though, is the emphasis on human anatomy. Is there a skill called dog anatomy? Or monster anatomy? Ilara mentally played the dramatic tum tum tuuum sound in her mind. After all, when there is magic, there are monsters, right?
Listening (common) level 9 Listening aids you in hearing and identifying sounds.
Ilara sighed. I have no words for this¡­
Meditation (uncommon) level 4 Meditation encourages a heightened state of awareness and focused attention. During meditation, you regain stamina, health, and mana faster.
Finally, a skill which actually does something. It sounds like a useful recovery ability, if I ignore the fact that it gives absolutely no idea about the quantity.
Mindfulness (uncommon) level 5 Mindfulness represents a mental state in which you focus on the present moment, while acknowledging and accepting one¡¯s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. This skill temporarily increases willpower.
This is the kind of skill I¡¯m not certain about. I mean, yeah it gives more willpower, which is always good, I think. But how much does it increase? And for how long? Details are important! I really would like to have a talk with whoever designed this system.
Memorisation (common) level 11 Memorisation is the process of committing something to memory or learning something by heart. You will be able to memorise more the higher level the skill is.
So, there¡¯s that. My glorious progress over the past 14 weeks. I regret NOTHING. Could I have done more? Sure. But I¡¯ve decided to treat this like a vacation. To take it easy the next few years. At least until I know more about this world.