Since his rebirth, there was something that never ceased to baffle Astra: his talent. Although the tests he underwent didn't yield promising results, his reality seemed to be something completely different, as his brain grew faster and faster.
He also discovered that if he focused enough with his eyes, he could see things that normally wouldn't be seen, such as strange energies of various colors everywhere.
He assumed that these energies were what was used in this world to perform magic and spells. In addition to being able to see these energies in the environment, he could also see how they mixed within people and how they coursed through their bodies.
Among all the people in the mansion, including his family, he could see that a large portion of these energies were housed in a single place like a sphere. Both the sphere and the way they coursed through the body varied depending on the person. He decided to call these energies and the places where they were housed: mana and mana cores, respectively.
The reason for this? Easy, that's how he remembered it from what he'd read before.
Also, according to his experience as a reader, both his intellectual ability and his eyes, which can easily see mana, are among the best talents one can have.
Could it be that I'm actually very talented, and my talent can't really be detected, so it's taken for granted? Astra thought.
That would be spectacular, since we're here, the more amenities the better.
Everything would be perfect if I had some cheat like a system or a treasure. He thought with a sigh.
[Yes, I'm here, host.] A somewhat robotic voice was heard.
"What the hell?!" The metallic voice startled him so much that his heart leaped.
The sound scared him greatly; after all, he'd been concentrating on his internal monologue, and suddenly something clicked inside his head. It caught him so off guard that he was momentarily startled and spoke, but since his vocal cords hadn't yet fully adjusted, all that was heard was a slightly fearful babble.
The maid looking after him was named Lois. She approached upon hearing Astra's slightly frightened babble and took him in her arms.
Lois, dressed in an English maid's outfit like the rest of the maids in the house, had a well-proportioned figure, and her brown hair fell to her shoulders. She looked like a quite capable woman.
"Did something happen? Were you scared, young master?"
"Relax, I'm here," Lois finished, smiling at Astra.
After seeing Astra calm down, she thought it was just a momentary fright from the baby and placed him back in the crib from which she had taken him.
For his part, Astra, after calming down from the shock that the robotic voice had just given him, became a little excited and asked cautiously inside his mind.
"System?"
[Yes, Master.]
"I didn't think you had a system. How long have you been with me?"
[Since a time before the host's birth.]
"And why didn't you say anything?" Astra asked, a little puzzled and annoyed. After all, he'd just been given the shock of his life.
[The host was in a mentally unstable state, so the system decided to wait until the host calmed down a bit before making contact.]
"I see… it's understandable."
Astra thought about it that way; after all, he knew well that since the host's death, his mind had been in chaos. So even if he knew he had a system, he wouldn't have paid enough attention to it.
"So… tell me."
"What can you do?"
"I'm warning you something. If you're one of those systems that give absurd and humiliating missions, don't even try it. I'm not going to lower myself for rewards."
He clearly remembered that in several of the novels he had read, there were cases where the protagonists became slaves to their systems' tasks for their rewards. There were even cases where they had to do humiliating things or things they simply didn't like, but they did them just for small rewards.
To him, it was deeply unpleasant.
He didn't plan on becoming that; he chose not to beg for his life as he was dying to maintain his dignity and be true to his principles. He wouldn't sacrifice his dignity in any way, no matter how many rewards were offered; that was his pride.
Besides, he had also spent his entire life running around trying to improve his quality of life and that of his family. He felt he could use a break in this new life. If it's a system of running around getting into trouble, it's better to have nothing at all.
As he continued to think about several things, the system interrupted him.
[Excuse the interruption, host. Let me introduce myself first. I am the Origin System, a system created by the Origin to help the sole ruler of all creation grow.]
"The Origin?"
[According to your current knowledge, host, it's a bit difficult for you to fully understand what the Origin means, since it's a concept that transcends boundaries, but he can understand it as the beginning of everything.]
"And what's this about being the ruler of all creations? It sounds like a lot of work."
In truth, he didn't want an extremely busy life; he wanted to take it more calmly.
[The host shouldn't worry about that; it's actually easier than it looks. Likewise, he won't have to act as a ruler unless he truly wants to.]
[The origin is a completely objective entity. Although it understands emotions and logically interprets them as they should be, it lacks the ability to feel. Therefore, it needs help making major decisions without relying solely on objectivity.]
"Uh... Very interesting," Astra said after grasping many important points in their conversation. He was truly amazed. The concept of origin was something new to him. He felt it would take a while to fully understand it, but he was excited to do so.
"So I'm free to do whatever I want?"
[Yes, and my purpose is to help the host live as he wishes.]
"Uh... what a relief."
"By the way, system. Are there other systems like you?"
[Although there are other systems in the cosmos, none can compare to this system in any way. Besides, this is the only system created by the Origin.]
"Impressive. Now I have a lot of questions about you," Astra said with curiosity.
Although what the system said was simple, it was still a bit difficult for him to fully understand, especially when it referred to the Origin. But in short, it's a very powerful system.
Then, Astra continued to ask the system small questions about origin in order to gain more information. This lengthened their conversation. He still didn't fully understand what "the Origin" meant, but something inside him was igniting. For the first time, he felt like his new life was just beginning.