I never expected to discover a cheat-like'system' on my first day of transmigration.
My palms were sweating with excitement, and Volth, the butler, looked at me in surprise.
I knew it! In an otherworld transmigration, a cheat must be indispensable. Even a villainous character should get some 'bonus gifts' to make things manageable.
It's incredible. Is this what it feels like to show off? For an ordinary modern person, it's quite exhilarating.
"Young Master Robert, you are truly amazing."
Volth praised me sincerely.
As the second son of the Anglus Family, this is only natural. I almost said that, but I had to hold back and maintain my composure. Regardless, being praised still feels very good.
"You got all the single-digit arithmetic problems correct, Young Master Robert. That's truly remarkable."
Volth's praise was indeed heartfelt.
No, no, no, wait. Don't think this is my'system.' I haven't fallen to such a pathetic state yet.
Arithmetic is secondary. My biggest discovery is that a panel appeared in front of me once I started learning Arithmetic with Volth.
It read "Proficiency Upgrade System" and presented a complete set of attributes.
[ Name: Robert von Anglus (???)
Species: Human(???)
Level: 0
Age: 5
Strength: 3
Stamina: 2
Intelligence: 7
Agility: 3
Magic Power: (Currently Unawakened)
(Note - Avg. value of an adult human is 10 )
Skills: None ]
There was also a note attached to the panel.
[ Sorry, the delivery for the system was a bit late. But it's alright now.
As my loyal reader, I chose a good system for you. As long as you work hard enough, it can infinitely stack your stats without limit, turning you into a stat monster comparable to a certain bald man. I believe you know who that bald man is.
It can also provide help at critical moments and once you pass the major plot points, the system will also upgrade and unlock new functions.
Work hard my friend, I look forward to meeting you again ]
Reading the note, I was pissed. If you have given a system, why give this useless Proficiency Upgrade System. You're talking about hard work. Do you think, I, an Otaku want to work hard. Work hard my foot. Couldn't you have given a more awesome system such as Sign in system of Heavens or something. Also what's up with ??? At the corner of my name and species. Am I not longer a human.
Forget it, I don't really care that much.
Returning to the topic.
When I solved the Arithmetic, a prompt appeared on the corner of the screen.
[ Intelligence+0.00001]
I didn't feel any change after seeing the prompt. But things like Intelligence, I definitely can't feel it normally, can I?.
It also important to note that I can read the words of this world. I don't know the principle behind it. Even though the words are completely different from those in the real world, as long as I recognize them as writing, their meaning automatically translates into a language I understand in my mind. This feeling is also very strange. If I had such a system in reality, I wouldn't need to learn other languages.
"Oh, Young Master Robert, I didn't expect you could even write your own name."
Anyway, that's how it is. At my age, I should just be starting to learn to read, but my literacy in this other world has far exceeded others' imaginations.
[ Intelligence+0.00001 ]
Can even this increase intelligence.
I can't help but be astonished.
Looking at this, the attribute increase doesn't seem difficult. If this is the case then the author didn't lie when he said this was a great system.
Judging from previous two prompts. The Intelligence is linked to knowledge. Does that me as long as I keep learning, I will become stronger.
Robert recalled some knowledge from his past life and tried solving two digit multiplication in his mind. In less than a second he had an answer.
Unexpectedly, the system prompt didn't appear.
What's the situation? Why didn't my intelligence increase?
I was unsure of the reason and didn't understand the way to increase stats. Did the author patch the bug? Do I have to learn everything physically again. This is too much.
Learning is, of course, no difficulty for me at all; rather, it's a kind of alternative torture. Volth's coaxing tone, like he's talking to a child, makes me feel like I'm back in kindergarten.
I also tried asking Lucis and Aisha what they were studying, but Volth replied that it was too early for me. What an uncooperative man?
However, this free time is also a good opportunity to organize the current information.
Among the people I've met so far, the important characters worth mentioning are my father, Marquis Anglus; my elder brother, the eldest son of the Anglus Family, Lucis; my elder sister, the eldest daughter of the Anglus Family, Aisha; and the woman who spoke up for me in the living room, who should be my mother, her name currently unknown. None of these characters appeared in the novel.
Not only that, but I also have no idea what kind of childhood Robert von Anglus experienced. Therefore, the novel plot I understand is currently of no help to me. Is it simply the cold family environment that created the villainous character Robert von Anglus?
Oh, right, there's an important character closely associated with Robert that I didn't recall immediately after arriving in this world.
That is Robert's younger sister, the second daughter of the Anglus Family—Lia Anglus.
Lia Anglus, one of the heroines in novel, a junior classmate younger than the male protagonist, quiet, somewhat reserved and introverted, with an ice beauty persona. Through multiple coincidences (plot contrivances), the male protagonist's gentleness melted Lia's heart, and she gradually changed. The male protagonist also became her only reliable support, and this dependence naturally developed into romance. She is skilled in ice magic but has poor stamina.
To use an RPG analogy, she's a pure damage-dealing mage who needs a melee tank to protect her. In the later stages of the novel, she will comprehend ultimate ice magic and gain the blessing of water spirits to learn several practical Auxiliary Magic. It can be said that she lives up to the name of the Anglus Marquis House.
But most importantly, because her brother Robert transformed into a villain in the later stages and fell into an irreversible abyss, she ultimately had no choice but to uphold justice and, along with the male protagonist, eliminate 'me' who had become a demon.
The author insisted on using such a cliché plot to fill a volume's worth of words, which puts me, having transmigrated as Jeno, in a very awkward position. What attitude should I adopt towards my sister, who might 'eliminate' me in the future?
I'm probably about 5 years old now, and my sister Lia is even younger. She's currently being looked after by specialized servants and doesn't need to follow the family rules for activities yet.
However, judging by the behavior of the family members today, I can understand why the adult Lia would become quiet, withdrawn, and introverted—it's definitely due to a lack of communication from a young age.
Family education, even in an otherworld, is a global challenge.
...
The morning was mostly spent on learning that was meaningless to me but it allowed me to gain 0.00008 intelligence. But I still haven't been able to figure out it's underlying logic.
At noon, I don't know if it was because a child's brain reached its limit, but I became very sleepy. During this time, Butler Volth almost completely obeyed my every word. Perhaps it was because I was still young, and many things were indulged. When I suggested that I wanted to rest, he readily agreed. Then, after lunch, I slept soundly for over two hours. As the saying goes, children who sleep more grow faster. In an otherworld with little entertainment, sleeping was the only effective way to pass the time.
There were no requirements for me to study in the afternoon and evening; it seemed I was free to play. Children have a lot of free time, but how to arrange it was a headache for me. To be honest, I really wanted to lie in bed all day, but that would be too unlike a child, so I gave up on the idea.
"Young Master Robert, let's go outside and play ball."
Play ball? Do sports like soccer or basketball exist in this world? As if I had found a savior, I nodded vigorously. But in reality, I was overthinking it; it was just throwing a round ball back and forth.
"Young Master Robert, try to go fetch the ball."
Am I a dog?!
This feeling of being terribly embarrassed yet having to pretend it's fun—I wonder who can understand it. If it were a real child, they might indeed run around excitedly with a ball to burn off their excess energy, but for me, it was undoubtedly mental torture, just like the morning.
"Young Master Jeno, is it fun?"
"It's not fun."
"Huh?"
I figured it out. The most important thing isn't what we play, but who we play with. Since I can only play ball, I'd rather choose to play with the maid than with Butler Volth.
So I mustered my courage and walked towards a maid who was sweeping the floor, tugging at her skirt.
"Let's... play."
Look at my pure, invincible, and affectionate gaze attack!
"O-okay..."
The maid readily agreed.
For them, playing with a child like me must also be a kind of mental torture. I feel quite sorry for them. But this is also your job, so please forgive me.
[ Agility+0.00001 ]
[ Stamina+0.00001 ]
[ Agility+0.00001 ]
[ Stamina+0.00001 ]
[ Agility+0.00001 ]
[ Stamina+0.00001 ]
Could this also help me increase my stats.
This sudden turn of events made me more excited and I played with greater concentration. When I was almost tired of playing, I shamelessly asked the maid for a hug. The maid looked a bit troubled, but she didn't refuse me and gently held me in her arms.
Since transmigrating, it's been nothing but troublesome things. Who could keep going without this mental compensation? I won't accept any doubts; if you were in my shoes, you'd do the same!
Anyway, it was a pleasant time.
After taking a bath in the evening, I returned to my room and lay spread-eagled on the bed. The first day of transmigration was about to end, but I still didn't feel real about it. I even hoped that by tomorrow, I would be lying on an ordinary bed again, and all of this was just a rather long dream.
I won't really be able to go back, will I?
If I really disappeared from modern society, what would happen to my family? I hope they wouldn't be too sad for me. The transmigration to an otherworld, which I had longed for, wasn't as enjoyable and exciting as I thought. Instead, I feel quite pessimistic about my future life. I really want to go back to my small room right now and claim the login rewards for the mobile game that hasn't launched today. At least let me use up all the gacha resources that I've been saving for so long.
Creak—
Hmm? Someone pushed the door open at this time, and without knocking. Who could it be?
I propped myself up and met the visitor's gaze directly.
It was one of the four women who stood behind Marquis Anglus this morning, and also my mother in this world. Oh, right, I hadn't seen her since breakfast this morning. Is she only now finding time to see her son?
No, could she have noticed my change this morning, noticed something was wrong with me? After all, her saying she taught me how to use a knife and fork yesterday might have just been a lie to give me an out. If that really wasn't the case, then my identity as a transmigrator would be exposed... No, even so, she wouldn't jump to that conclusion, would she?
Regardless, my mother coming to see me at this time made me feel a bit nervous, but I was also curious about what kind of person my second 'mother' would be. From her appearance, she could be considered a beauty, but her attitude towards me was not that of a doting, loving mother. It was more like the gaze of someone about to discipline a child who had done something wrong.
"Mom?"
The woman walked towards me step by step, accompanied by an oppressive feeling of being looked down upon. My heart began to race.
"I heard, Robert, you didn't listen to me again today..."
"Huh?"
Was it about the knife and fork this morning after all?
"You went and approached those two little brats on your own. You're a bad child."
The woman grabbed my head, staring intently into my wide eyes as if to prevent me from looking away. I couldn't even care about the pain from my head being squeezed; my mind felt like it had suddenly turned into a blur as I stared blankly at the woman's gloomy face.
"...Huh?"
Who are the two little brats? Lucis and Aisha? My brother and sister? Is that how my mother sees them? I didn't listen? I approached them on my own? Did I do something wrong? Why?
Too much information and too many questions caused my brain to short-circuit.
"Why don't you listen to Mama? Mama taught you so seriously, did you not understand Mama's meaning? Well, it can't be helped, after all, Robert is still young. Mama has been teaching you diligently these past few days, but you kept crying. Mama is very gentle, that's why she patiently taught you again and again. You must understand Mama's painstaking efforts."
What? What is this?
"Come, look into my eyes. Say it once, who am I to you?"
"Ma... Mama."
Something... is wrong.
Something is very wrong.
"Yes, I am your Mama, the person who loves you most in this world, so you must listen to every word I say. Only Mama will never harm you. Do you understand, Robert? If you understand, nod your head."
I nodded reflexively.
"You're Mama's good child. I've always believed you are smarter and more excellent than anyone else; you will definitely not disappoint Mama. So, you must obey what Mama says, understand?"
I still nodded stiffly.
"I heard from Volth that you tried to get close to Lucis and Aisha today, but they cruelly pushed you away. How pitiful. Now you know, don't you? They don't love you as a younger brother at all. They only see you as an enemy."
"Enem... enemy?"
I don't understand. Family members... are enemies.
"That's right, Robert, I'll tell you again. Your siblings, including those lowly servants, everyone in this household is your enemy. They hate you, they find you troublesome, they envy your talent and status, and they wish our mother and son were dead."
"Except for me, only I, your mother, will always be by your side to protect and love you. So you cannot trust anyone, you cannot get close to anyone, and you are not allowed to give your heart to anyone. You must show everyone who looks down on you how excellent you are. Only you..."
Terrifying... So terrifying, so terrifying, so terrifying, so terrifying, so terrifying, so terrifying, so terrifying, so terrifying, so terrifying, so terrifying, so terrifying!
"...are qualified to become the next head of the Marquis Anglus House."
This woman... she's brainwashing her own son!!