Tyr leaned back in his booster seat, belly bulging tight against the lower buttons of his suit.

  Apparently The Honeyed Tongue served their main dishes Brazilian Steakhouse-style. A rotation of servers circled the table, bearing slabs of meat and carving knives, or trays laden with hearty feasts.

  Braised short ribs from an A-Grade Holy Cow, served on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes and asparagus, with a side of crusted bread, was almost sacrilegiously delicious. A noodle dish in a rich, creamy sauce, with Space Scallops that seemed to blur and shift slightly even in death. Dry-brined Lightning Lamb with a perfectly-seared crust, drenched in truffle butter.

  It went on, and on.

  Tyr’s favorite, however, was a thin-sliced brisket that melted in his mouth, perfectly marbled, that reminded him somewhat of a mix of chicken and beef. At first, he had almost refused the meat after learning it came from a griffin, but he was determined to sample a bit of everything.

  After the first bite, there was no going back.

  Sorry, my potential bond-pet. You were already dead anyway.

  Though he probably broke several rules of etiquette by only taking a few nibbles of some of the dishes, the others at the table shamelessly finished off his portions.

  Wine and liquor had begun to flow, though of course Tyr was limited to water with lemon.

  Small conversations broke out among the others, but Tyr mostly focused on his food and Father. Leon was a fountain of wisdom and advice, and more than anything, he loved to monologue.

  Father’s voice was a constant droning. He explained why it was so annoying for Tyr to upgrade his mental attributes compared to his physical.

  They had started off higher, for one, making it harder to naturally advance them compared to his Strength and Dexterity.

  On top of that, though Tyr had shown an interest in learning and his environment, he hadn’t truly stressed himself to the point his Willpower or Perception would increase.

  Fortunately, one didn’t have to torture themselves in order to improve, though it certainly helped.

  That’s where General Skills came in. They offered concrete, measurable improvement from the System itself. Practicing a General Skill naturally improved attributes, and reaching certain milestones rewarded one with more stat points.

  Whether these extra attributes came from some external magical source, or were merely the expected result of achieving a new level of breakthrough mastery in a Skill, seemed to be a matter of debate. Leon was certain that they were natural breakpoints, but admitted there were some experimental anomalies that stopped the theory from being a true law of nature.

  To Tyr, it seemed obviously external. The entire System was some mysterious, external force, after all. People back on Earth could push the boundaries of the human limit by breaking world records in various feats, but they could never become truly superhuman.

  Tyr doubted this was a novel argument no one had considered before. The presence of mana and other magical aspects, such as Racial Grades, could be considered natural, as people were innately born with them. The System may simply be an interface for manipulating their natural energy flows into certain directions.

  Tyr’s mouth was too full of griffin to ask many questions at the moment.

  It was an academic matter, and he didn’t care too much about the underlying particulars. Just how to exploit them.

  The general layout of a Skill Build made sense in light of the knowledge that they boosted his attributes. Each of the suggestions was tailored to improving one or more of them. The balance also prevented burnout from someone focusing solely on physical or mental activities, leaving them drained in one aspect while the other was untouched. Once muscles reached failure, the mind could still be trained.

  There was one question he asked. Something that had been bothering him since his birth.

  “Why did you seal my Bloodline?” Tyr asked.

  The table grew silent. Mother and Father shared an awkward glance.

  “It’ll be unsealed when you’re ready to handle it,” said Leon. The most annoying possible answer. But the bastard refused to budge, and so the conversation moved on.

  After an eternity of paradise, the meal concluded with their choice of dessert. Tyr, feeling like he was about to burst, made room for a simple banana pudding that cleansed his palate from all the rich delicacies.

  As promised, his attributes had seen a remarkable boost just from one meal.

  Strength 6 > 7

  Dexterity 9 > 10

  Constitution 1 > 2

  His birthday dinner hadn’t included an improvement to his Will or Charisma, but that made sense. Consuming physical food wasn’t going to make him more personable.

  Not to mention…

  Focused Mind (Common): 1 > 7.

  His intense appreciation of the sublime food while listening to Leon’s yapping had advanced the Skill from his Achievement. Early levels indeed came easy. It was a subtle improvement, similar to a few sips of coffee during a groggy morning, with the downside that he noticed fewer peripheral details.

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  After he managed to put down the final bite of pudding, Tyr set his spoon down with a sense of finality. He wanted to share his appreciation for what must have been a fortune of a meal, but Mother interrupted.

  She clapped her hands. “Time for presents!”

  Tyr pumped one tiny fist with all the energy he could muster—which, admittedly, wasn’t much at the moment. His eyes drooped, and the call of a food coma seemed all but irresistible, but they managed to snap open at the mention of more gifts.

  First came the wrapping paper, so to speak. From his breast pocket, Leon withdrew a diamond ring carved into an ouroboros symbol—a snake eating its own tail, representing Infinity.

  “This is from Garrett,” said Leon.

  Tyr’s tutor offered him a sheepish grin. “It’s an unbound spatial storage ring. You can store an inventory about the size of one of your toy boxes back home. Which, keep in mind, is huge. Put it on, direct some of your willpower into it, and it’ll bond to you. Band size changes over time to match the finger. You can store and withdraw objects with a thought.”

  Eyes wide, Tyr slipped it onto the index finger of his right hand. It constricted to fit beneath the second joint. Snug, but not too tight to remove with a bit of wiggling.

  No one explained to him how to direct his willpower into an object, but it was simple enough.

  You’re mine now! Tyr internally cackled.

  And just like that, he could sense the contents of the spatial ring. It was indeed a space of around two cubic meters. Quite a significant haul.

  [ General Skill Identify (Common) is now available. ]

  This was the Perception Skill Leon recommended he take. Almost everyone selected it as an option. It offered basic information on anything he focused on. Investing some willpower into the ring must have been the impetus for it to unlock.

  He selected it without hesitation.

  [ General Skill Identify (Common) Level 1 has been learned. ]

  He directed his thoughts to the spatial ring and a couple lines of text appeared.

  Bonded Spatial Ring. Stores two cubic meters. A gift bound to Tyr Hollan.

  Identify (Common): 1 > 2.

  Basic indeed. It may have provided even less information if he hadn’t received the explanation from Garrett.

  More details would come as he gained levels. Even better, Skills Advanced at the 25, 50, 100, 200, and 500 breakpoints, allowing specialized pathways, evolutions, and parallel divergences.

  Within the ring were three artifacts. A small iridescent marble, a whitewood wand identical to the replica tucked into his breast pocket, and a slim book.

  He removed them in order and laid them across the table.

  Eye of the Dragon God. An exceptional affinity treasure.

  Whitewood Wand. A focus for Holy, Life, Solar, and Moon magic.

  Endless Notebook. Can be linked to any Library, with permission, to receive access to the contents.

  Identify (Common): 2 > 8.

  Even the servants, as professional and blank-faced as they had remained all service, couldn’t resist staring at Tyr’s small collection with awe.

  The Eye of the Dragon God somewhat surprisingly came from Father. He would have guessed he was the source of the magical Kindle, but apparently that was from the Grey Twins.

  Leon explained it would enhance all of his affinities by 1-3 points, with the higher affinities receiving less. Skills would likewise prove more troublesome to advance over time.

  Tyr wondered if it would boost his Mind at all, but that may be too much to ask. He had already surpassed the natural limit according to his Achievement, a feat that must have been impossible from simply consuming treasures.

  Unamusingly, Tyr would have to swallow the Eye whole. Serious choking hazard. He stared down at his bursting gut and stored it back within the ring.

  “I get it,” said Leon. “Still, eat it as soon as possible. That cost more than the entire district we’re in, including this restaurant. Suffice to say, that’s a lot.”

  The Whitewood Wand was self-explanatory. Mother had him bond with it. Afterwards, he could sense little swirls of his internal energy within his chest—his Mana Core. Only the ones mentioned within the description, with Moon little more than a pale, nebulous wisp, though he could sense vague hints of his other affinities within his Core.

  The Endless Notebook, however, was his favorite. As long as he had permission, he could study the near-infinite knowledge of this world whenever he wanted. Perhaps Crystal tablets existed that could achieve similar feats, but the tactile sensation of a real book was impossible to beat.

  He blew a kiss across the table to the twin maids. To his surprise, the stoic, reliable Servants blushed and clapped their hands to their cheeks in unison.

  “Thank you everyone!” Tyr announced. “This is amazing!”

  Mother squirmed in her seat, the Twins fanned themselves with their hands, and even Father wore a genuine grin instead of his usual villainous smirk.

  Alana stood up, swaying slightly from the wine. It must have been quite the potent vintage. “I can’t wait anymore! It’s time for the entertainment! Tyr, you’re going to take these Skills! They’re the best. Trust your Mommy!”

  Tyr shot his Father a concerned side-eye, but the man only nodded in agreement.

  Mother shook her head, smoothed her robes out, and propped her staff against the table. With all the elegance and dignity she could muster, she sauntered over to the stage. Displaying no effort at all, she soared up onto the four-foot-high platform with a one-footed hop.

  A few steps brought her to the crystal microphone. It was set perfectly to the level of her mouth.

  “Testing, testing,” Alana’s soft, warm voice drifted throughout the small restaurant, amplified by the mic. “Tyrus, my love, I’m going to be one of your tutors from now on. You’re going to be the best healer in the world. And also, the best entertainer.”

  What’s that?

  And then, her words perhaps slightly slurred from the wine, she began to sing.

  The sound washed over Tyr like a lullaby. An unknown language, haunting and beautiful, that stirred his heart and his soul. The beginning reminded him of his lowest moments, but as it continued, it became more hopeful, more expectant.

  Mother’s voice was simply angelic. Captivating.

  No one could keep their eyes off her. Notifications for [Focused Mind] leveling up passed across his vision unheeded.

  Along with the song came a performance. Subdued, drudging steps at first. As the acapella tune lightened up, Mother became more energetic. Large, dominating steps across the stage, carrying the crystal microphone stand with her, her golden hair snapping side to side, hips swaying.

  When the final note of her song faded, the entire room broke into applause. Leon whistled and hooted until Garrett finally shook him back to his senses.

  Mother leapt off the stage, almost seeming to float back to their table. Her slippers touched the floor daintily, right next to her seat.

  “Okay!” She grinned in triumph and swept a few loose strands of hair out of her face. “Now it’s your turn, Tyr! Take [Singing] and [Dancing] as soon as they’re offered, so you can level them up during your performance!”

  Tyr froze in place like a deer in headlights. “Uh—“

  “Tyrus! Tyrus! Tyrus!”

  Mother started the chant, and soon every occupant of the room followed. Tyr swiveled in his seat and noticed even more people had joined the audience.

  All the kitchen and management staff had shown up. At least thirty adults were crammed into The Honeyed Tongue.

  Excuse me?! Tyr panicked. What am I, a K-pop idol? No dating, singing and dancing on a stage? Hello?

  Stunned, he offered no resistance as Mother hauled him out of his seat and carried him to the stage. She lifted him up and set him down next to the microphone. Without any apparent prompt, the crystal stem shortened until it was level with Tyr’s mouth.

  “Tyrus! Tyrus! Tyrus!”

  He had heard that people feared public speaking more than death. What about a musical performance being forced upon them with no warning? At that moment, Tyr would have preferred being flung out of their carriage mid-flight.

  Yet…he caught sight of his reflection in the plate of the crystal microphone. He was grinning. The chants of the crowd energized him. All drowsiness from stuffing his face had vanished.

  The faces of the crowd disappeared as he focused all his attention on his own reflection. After a hesitant moment, a warbling, cherubic voice began to sing into the microphone, echoing and amplified.

  ????Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

  How I wonder what you are. ????

  And so, a new star was born.