Joseph sighed, "But luck"
"Luck is an unknown, though. The only way we know to raise it right now is by using free stat points, which the System rewards either for accomplishing feats or for raising class levels." He shrugged.
Peter didn't have that option available for now.
"You'll get a class once you turn ten, and since we don't know how useful Luck is as a stat, I'm not sure if you should spend your precious free stats on it instead of other attributes."
"It's definitely a tricky situation. We can't know how effective it is without increasing it somewhat, and we can't afford to invest in it without knowing if it'll be worth it for you." Mariah sighed.
"That's why I'm jealous of nobles." Joseph sighed too.
"Why?" Peter asked.
"Because they likely have lots of books containing information about various kinds of skills and stats—probably a few titles too. They keep all that information to themselves to always stay a few steps ahead of the general population," Joseph explained.
"Why are you explaining politics to our five-year-old child, dear? He's too small to be worrying about things like that," Mariah interjected. "What if he ends up repeating stuff like that to a visiting noble and offends them? Will you take responsibility?"
"I'm sorry. You're right. Listen to me, Pete. Try to stay away from nobles until you're old enough to not say something that might make them hate you. Will you promise Dad?"
"I promise," Peter nodded, just to assure them.
"Good. Let's continue. Your mother will start teaching you calculation and morals from tomorrow so you can quickly unlock your Intelligence stat."
"You're too small to decide what path you want to choose in life. You have a high mana pool as well as Mana Sense unlocked from the start. That shows you have potential for a combat-oriented class."
"We'll help you unlock a few stats that are important if you decide to choose a combat-oriented class when you get older. But you don't have to—if you want to choose something else, that's fine too." Mariah added.
"They would still be very useful. A scholar or a merchant requires a high Intelligence stat just as much as a mage, though for different reasons."
"I'd refrain from telling you too much at once. Your mother can teach you all the finer details during your studies."
"Let's finish with a warning. Do not accept any skill the system says you can unlock. There's a limit to how many skills a person can have."
"For now, just understand that the number of skills a person can have depends on the strength of their soul. Generally, every 10 points in a stat allow a person to hold one extra skill."
"So, make sure to consult with us before accepting any skill," Joseph said very seriously.
…
Peter nodded, making it clear that he understood everything.
"Good. You can go to your room and try to digest what you learned today, or play if you'd prefer that," his father said, setting him down from the couch.
"Let me help your mother with the dishes, and then we'll go to the church to pray to the gods and have you registered."
Excusing himself, Peter headed to his room.
It was simple, containing just a bed and a cabinet for his clothes and toys. The rest of the space was empty.
His room didn't have a window—there was always the possibility of some creature breaching it and getting inside. And it wasn't just magical beasts that posed a threat—even a venomous snake could be deadly.
Now alone, he had the opportunity to decide what to do next.
Knowing that he could only have a limited number of skills made it even more important to choose carefully.
At the moment, his Spirit stat sat at 278. Raising any of his stats would be significantly harder now that he had awakened.
In fact, the reason he had been able to raise his Spirit to such a level likely had something to do with having a reincarnated soul.
How much of a role that played, he wasn't entirely sure.
Not that it was something he needed to concern himself with—at the end of the day, it was a good thing.
What mattered now was deciding which skills to add to his arsenal and prioritizing them properly.
Peter already had Mana Sense, IDE, and Status Camouflage. That left 24 open slots for now.
However, he needed to keep one slot empty since his parents believed he had only 28 Spirit stats and had already unlocked Mana Sense.
That meant he had 23 slots left to fill—and he needed to choose wisely.
Picking an impractical skill at this stage wasn't an option. To narrow it down, he set some criteria:
The skill had to be useful both now and later in life.
It needed to align with his existing skills. If he had a skill that didn't appear on his Status Screen, others might become suspicious.
If the skill was level-based, he had to be able to train it without drawing unwanted attention.
A skill like Fireball was immediately ruled out. As much as the thought of throwing fireballs excited him, it was far too flashy and wouldn't serve any real purpose right now.
The village was close to a forest, but magical beasts never ventured out. The garrison regularly patrolled the area, ensuring that any threats—whether magical creatures or predatory animals—were swiftly dealt with.
Telekinesis, on the other hand, would be extremely useful and much less conspicuous, but training it in secret would be difficult.
Social skills like Silver Tongue, Poker Face, and Irresistible Charm were excellent choices—but not for the present. Nobles likely had those skills, making it risky to rely on them too soon.
Similarly, leadership abilities such as Tactician's Aura and Inspiring Presence were powerful, but not something he would need in the near future.
It was a tricky situation indeed as none of them felt right for that moment.
To be continued....