"Get up, love. You've slept plenty," Mariah said, sitting on the bedside, caressing Peter's forehead.
"Umm… just five more minutes," Peter mumbled, turning his back on her and pulling the blanket over his head.
Mariah sighed. "That's what you said five minutes ago too. Come on, get up and get ready. Breakfast will be ready in fifteen minutes."
"Okay…"
She got up and left the room, returning to the kitchen.
…
"Good morning, Mom. Good morning, Dad." Peter took his seat at the table, glancing at the roasted bird placed in the middle.
"Woah, it smells delicious."
"I wish I could say I cooked it, but Dad had Matilda make it. She has a much higher level in Cooking than me."
"Your food is my favourite, Mom."
"Quite the charmer, aren't we? I wonder who taught you such things," Mariah laughed before playfully glaring at her husband.
He lifted his hands in resignation, and they all laughed.
"Happy birthday, my sweetie."
"Happy birthday, son."
"Thank you for the wishes, both of you."
"Come on now," Mariah clapped once. "Let's enjoy the food before it gets cold, and then we can discuss your status and the plans for the day."
She started distributing the dishes, and the three of them enjoyed breakfast in a pleasant silence.
…
"Let's look at your status."
After breakfast, they sat together on the couch. Joseph had decided to stay home today.
"Did you check it yet?" Joseph asked, leaning back comfortably.
"I did." Peter nodded. To be honest, he felt a little guilty hiding things from his parents, especially after receiving so much love from them.
He had thought about it a lot.
In the end, he decided to live as normally as possible so his parents could experience raising a child properly.
He would tell them his secrets once he was strong enough not to worry about hiding things.
And when that time came, he would sincerely apologize.
He had already decided that one day, he would set out to explore the world. But before that, he would make sure his parents never lacked anything.
Using his abilities, he would give them a life of comfort and luxury.
"Well, you don't seem too disappointed, so I'm guessing it's not as bad as you imagined," Mariah said with a smile, gently caressing his cheek.
"We'll be able to see your status in a few hours when we visit the church for your registration, but I can't wait that long."
"Tell us your stats—and any skills you got," Joseph added.
Peter nodded and read his Status Screen aloud. Mariah and Joseph listened carefully.
"That's everything," he finished.
"Hmm, you've already unlocked an uncommon stat," Joseph noted, rubbing his chin.
"Looks like that adventurer was right—you have real potential for magic," Mariah added.
"What about the skill?" Peter asked.
"Well… Mana Sense is not that rare of a skill by itself, to be fully frank with you, Pete. Almost everyone gets it one way or another in their life." Joseph shrugged, smiling sheepishly.
"It is still a boon, no? He has it from the beginning. Usually, people have to meditate for a few months before they can start feeling mana inside their bodies,"
Mariah reasoned with her husband, trying to keep Peter from feeling disappointed.
"Really?" Peter asked, expecting a study session incoming.
"Your mother is right. I guess it's time we start giving you lessons on things like this now that you have your status unlocked."
Joseph continued, "We want you to unlock a few of your mental stats as soon as possible if we want to take advantage of your high mana pool."
"Okay, it's decided then. Let us teach you a few important but basic things before we go and visit the church."
"Are you up for it, my boy?" Joseph asked, and Peter nodded.
"Good. So, where do we begin? Hmm… Let's talk about stats first."
"I know three branches of stats: Physical, Mental, and Spirit. Make note of the fact that other branches exist besides these main three."
"Are you following along?" Peter nodded.
"Generally speaking, on the first awakening, people definitely unlock Constitution, Spirit, Strength, and Agility. Do you want to guess why?"
"Umm, Constitution represents how healthy you are, Strength tells your physical might, and Agility shows how quick you are. Spirit… maybe tells how powerful your soul is?"
"A very good guess," Mariah added from the side.
"Indeed. You are right. You're very smart for your age. I'm a bit surprised that you didn't unlock any mental skill, title, or additional skill. Quite the oddity."
"Regardless, let's continue. Did you notice that these four stats are either very essential or easy to calculate?"
"Constitution and Spirit are crucial for any person or beast. One represents the body, and the other represents the soul. They are also linked to Health and Mana pools."
"Meanwhile, Strength and Agility are both physical stats and are routinely utilized. They are also easy to measure. Thus, these four are always unlocked from the start."
"Are we good so far, or do you want me to repeat any of it?" Joseph asked.
"You seem to be enjoying this, my love," Mariah giggled.
"Well, I also want to spend time with my child and teach him things. Most of the time, I'm busy with my duties, so I'm glad I finally have an opportunity to guide him."
"I hope you don't come to regret your decision later on. Our son is very curious and demanding." Mariah interlocked her fingers with Joseph while bantering with him.
"I understand. You can continue, Dad." Peter nodded, studying his stats.
"People need to meet certain requirements to unlock other stats. Like your Luck stat—I think no one else in the village has it besides you."
"Do you know what it does?" Peter looked at both of his parents.
"We don't. Physical stats are the easiest to raise—you just need to train your body. Mental and spiritual stats also have their own training exercises, though they're much harder to raise."
Joseph sighed," But luck"
...To be continued