In the middle of Fang Ye's eleventh month of infancy.
He was in his room, running through one movement after another, a thin sheen of sweat clinging to his chubby little face. If anyone had seen what was happening, they would have been utterly dumbfounded.
A baby this young was actually training on his own.
It practically defied biology.
Unfortunately, the only ones in the room were Fang Ye and Ikaros, so there was no chance of a third person ever finding out.
[Congratulations, Host. Physical training completed. Strength +0.01, Charm +0.01.]
"Haa..."
As he finished the final movement, Fang Ye felt power surging through his limbs and bones. A sharp gleam flashed through his eyes. His condition right now was exceptionally good.
"Show status panel."
[Name]: Fang Ye
[Age]: 0 years, 11 months
[Strength]: 5.14
[Mind]: 10
[Charm]: 14.04
[Skills]:
[Body Control (Gold)]: Minor Mastery (1366/5000)
[Japanese (Green)]: Proficient (384/1000)
[Chinese (Blue)]: Minor Mastery (105/5000)
Counting the Strength I've naturally gained through growing up, I'm already about as strong as a twelve-year-old kid now.
Once the Strong Baby mission ends, I can officially begin polishing my culinary skills!
Fang Ye looked at his status panel with satisfaction. These numbers were the result of relentless special training, day and night, over this whole stretch of time.
At the start, it had taken him three or four hours just to complete one full set of movements smoothly, and after doing it once in a day, he would already be too exhausted to keep going.
Now, he only needed half an hour to finish one set, and he could do two sets in a row. Two in the morning, two in the afternoon—his efficiency had become downright terrifying.
As for why he did not do even more?
Naturally, it was because his stamina had hit its limit. After all, he was still just a baby.
Still, looking at that number is so annoying. There are fifteen days left before the mission ends. I also gain 0.1 Strength naturally each month, which means I still need seventy-six training sessions.
That comes out to five sessions a day and I'll land it exactly. That's only one more than I'm doing now, so the pressure shouldn't be too bad.
Looking at the numbers on his panel, Fang Ye felt vaguely uncomfortable even though he did not actually have obsessive tendencies, and so he decided that before this mission ended, he would grind himself all the way to 6 Strength.
That was equivalent to the physical quality of an ordinary fourteen-year-old boy.
It should be clarified in advance that so-called Strength was not simply a combat stat. In this food-centered world, it was more like a shorthand that fused together multiple attributes.
It included things like raw power, agility, reaction speed, and other fundamental bodily functions, all rolled into one combined measure. Even a slight increase meant a full-spectrum enhancement.
"Little Fang Ye, don't stay cooped up in your room all the time. Come outside and get some sun with everyone once in a while. Enjoying a sunny afternoon is wonderful too!"
Just as Fang Ye grabbed a towel to wipe off his sweat and was preparing to rest a bit before taking a bath, Leonora Nakiri's voice rang out. A moment later, she came rushing into the room.
The instant she saw Fang Ye sitting on the floor apparently doing nothing, she reached out and scooped him into her arms, utterly ignoring whether he wanted it or not, and carried him straight outside.
Fang Ye only felt himself sink into a soft, warm embrace. By the time he came back to himself, he had already been picked up, with Ikaros following along at Leonora's side.
"Erina, Alice, come over here. Take little Fang Ye with you and go play."
The three of them arrived at a small garden, where Erina Nakiri and Alice Nakiri were happily chasing each other around while Mana Nakiri sat quietly on a lounge chair, watching.
Compared to a year ago, she had grown even thinner.
"Okay."
"We were getting bored playing by ourselves anyway."
"Little Fang Ye, since you just got here, you can be 'it' first! Erina, run!"
Hearing Leonora's voice, Erina and Alice immediately stopped fooling around and came trotting over.
Then the two girls noticed the little boy standing beside Leonora. His hands were in his pockets, and he was looking at them with a rather complicated expression.
Of course, children had no way of understanding what that sort of look meant. The moment her mother told them to bring Fang Ye along to play, Alice Nakiri made her decision immediately.
The power of bloodline, huh? Erina Nakiri could already speak at three months even without a system, and now, before even reaching one year old, she can run and jump. Compared to an ordinary baby, her rate of development is more than just a little faster.
Without much hesitation, Fang Ye set off after them.
He did not use his full speed. Instead, he kept to a steady pace, neither too fast nor too slow, almost like an adult teasing little children.
The two girls ran with all their might up ahead. Every time they thought they had shaken him off and slowed down a little, they would look back in surprise and find him still right there behind them, the distance between them not having shrunk in the slightest. Left with no choice, they could only lower their heads and keep running for dear life.
The one downside was...
children had poor balance and were prone to falling.
"Careful."
Fortunately, Fang Ye's training had not been for nothing. In an instant, he burst forward with astonishing speed and grabbed Alice Nakiri by the back of her collar, preventing what would otherwise have turned into a tragic tumble followed by loud, tearful wailing.
"Mana, did you see that?"
"I did. What incredible speed. As expected of a child who inherited Brother Fang Zheng and Sister Su Wan's blood."
Though they remained where they were, Mana Nakiri and Leonora Nakiri had been keeping a close eye on the children the entire time.
The moment they saw Fang Ye suddenly explode with that shocking speed and catch Alice before she fell, they exchanged a glance, each seeing the same astonishment in the other's eyes.
"This little one's future achievements will definitely be limitless. I just hope the three of them can become good friends and support one another as they move forward on the path of cooking."
There was a note of emotion in Mana's voice. Though all Fang Ye had shown so far was speed, he had already displayed something extraordinary, something clearly different from an ordinary infant.
Given time, once he fully matured...
"Brother Fang Zheng probably had the same thought when he left the child here. Once the grabbing ceremony is over in a little while, we can start arranging early education for the three of them."
Leonora nodded slightly. She felt the same way. Looking at Fang Ye, her eyes were full of affection. After all, he was a child she had helped raise with her own milk.
"Be careful. Don't fall."
Fang Ye straightened Alice Nakiri back up and spoke in the tone of a little adult.
"That's only because you were chasing us so closely! Erina and I got so panicked we started running like crazy! But thank you for saving me, Brother Fang Ye."
Looking at Fang Ye, whose size and build were already not much different from that of a two- or three-year-old child, Alice naturally called him "Brother," her eyes bright with excitement and gratitude.
"Brother Fang Ye, you're so fast! The two of us couldn't outrun you at all."
Erina Nakiri came running up from the side as well, her little face flushed red from exertion. The way she looked at Fang Ye was full of admiration.
A child's world was that simple. Whoever showed talent in something everyone recognized would naturally become an object of admiration to the other children.
Looking at the innocent expressions on Erina's and Alice's faces, Fang Ye felt a stir of emotion.
Especially Erina—right now, the smile on her face was bright and pure, nothing like the sour-faced girl from the original story who seemed to look down on everything.
"Let's play hide-and-seek next. I'll be 'it,' and the two of you can hide. But you're not allowed to leave the garden."
"Okay!"
"You definitely won't find me! I'm going to hide in a place only I know!"
A smile appeared on Fang Ye's face as he looked at the scene before him.
He suddenly realized that playing with children could actually be fun. At the very least, it allowed the constant sense of urgency in his heart to relax a little.
The afternoon sunlight poured down over him, a gentle warmth spreading through his whole body. Fang Ye raised a hand to shade his eyes and began counting while the two little girls ran through the garden searching for places to hide.
A dozen seconds later, Fang Ye began looking for them.
This was his childhood—
the childhood he had never experienced in his previous life.
It was a little childish, perhaps, but it made him genuinely happy.
It was destined to become a beautiful memory someday.
Join here to read ahead.
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From Junkman to Wasteland 35
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 26
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