Once the hour of breastfeeding was over, I kept staring intently at the woman holding me in her arms. Hair white as snow, fair skin, kind eyes… and that air of tenderness that seemed straight out of a diaper commercial.
The man who came in afterward had brown hair, perfectly adjusted glasses, and the stern expression of someone who always corrects grammar in text messages.
I, on the other hand, had jet-black hair. Not white. Not brown. Black like the ink that stains a classified file.
The thought crept into my head like an icy drop:
"I'm adopted. Damn. Damn."
I felt a little tear run down my chubby cheek, completely ruining my image as a tough, relentless baby.
"There, there, there… everything's going to be fine, little one. Mommy's here," said the young woman in a sweet voice, rocking me gently while I tried not to think about how a few minutes ago I'd been feeding on her breasts.
"Darling," the man interrupted, adjusting his glasses with a precise gesture. "There's no need for you to do that. Our daughter will soon be born and you won't be able to feed her."
Excuse me?
That's when my brain exploded like a badly made firecracker.
"Our daughter? Then I…? What the hell am I, a trial edition?" I reasoned coldly.
While I was trying to process everything, a metallic, dry sound rang inside my head.
DING!
A translucent blue screen appeared floating before my baby eyes:
—
[Welcome, User Liu Xuan]
[Previous Identity: Isaac Smith]
[You have been selected for the Personal Adaptation System]
[Your main mission: survive, evolve, and gain allies]
[NEW FUNCTION UNLOCKED]: Trust Points.
You gain points when someone trusts you.
You lose points when you betray that trust.
Current points: 0
—
"What… the hell is this?" I said to myself, moving my tiny chubby hands clumsily.
The man with the glasses didn't even flinch. The woman, oblivious to my existential crisis, smiled tenderly and kissed my forehead.
DING!
—
+1 Trust Point
Source: ??? [100% Trust]
—
"What do you mean 100% trust!? She barely knows me!"
Another notification flashed like a neon sign in Las Vegas:
—
ALERT: Main target detected.
System Recommendation: Do not lose your adoptive mother's trust.
—
"Lose her trust? What if this woman decides I'm defective and returns me to the store?" I thought as drool slipped from my lip.
A shiver ran through me, even though the room's temperature was warm.
At that moment, the man with the glasses, whom I assumed was the dad, looked at me with a calculating expression, as if evaluating whether I was a rough diamond or a manufacturing defect.
DING!
—
+0.5 Trust Point
Source: ??? [50% Trust]
—
"Great. He didn't even give me a full point."
"This is going to get ugly…", I thought as I tried to smile like an innocent baby, not knowing I had just started the most dangerous game in the world: earning the trust of two complete strangers who apparently planned to have a real daughter while I was still here, sneaking into the party.
"What does Trust Points mean?" I analyzed, mentally reviewing what God had said.
Again, a bluish screen appeared floating in front of my eyes:
—
[Trust Points in this world reflect the faith people have in you.
Depending on what they think of you, that will define what you become.
If they believe you can fly… you will fly.]
—
"What an interesting world… very moldable," I thought with a half-smile, while my chubby little hands rubbed together on their own, imagining all the possibilities this brought.
Every gesture, every action, every reaction from others could transform me. If someone believed in me, that gave me power. If not… well, then I'd just have to figure out how to earn their trust.
My heart gave a little leap of excitement. This game had just begun, and I could already feel I had infinite strategies at my disposal.
A new notification appeared, floating before my eyes like a bright blue hologram:
—
[System Updated: Trust Conversion]
Your Trust Points can now be transformed into Player Points.
With them, you can increase:
Strength
Agility
Endurance
Evolve your own power
—
"Well… this isn't just a game of smiles and cute gestures anymore," I thought, massaging my chubby little hands and licking my lip.
"Every person who trusts me is literally fuel to become stronger."
As I started digesting the idea of turning other people's faith into power, another notification appeared, more serious than the previous ones:
—
[SYSTEM WARNING]
All Trust Points you gain must be converted into Player Points before other people's trust in you decreases.
If you don't do it in time, you will lose those points irreversibly.
—
"This again?!" I exclaimed, moving my chubby little hands and giving a tiny slap to the blanket as I squirmed in my adoptive mother's arms. I rolled my eyes toward the invisible ceiling and arched my eyebrows with baby frustration. "This is too much!"
"Perfect…", I thought, frowning. "Not only do I have to earn people's trust, but I also have to spend it quickly before it's lost. Every action, every gesture… has to count."
This wasn't just any stat game: it was a strategic board where time and other people's perception decided my evolution.
"Let's see how this game is played… and I'm not losing a single point," I told myself, with a half-analytical smile.
DING! Another notification appeared instantly, as if the system could read my frustration:
—
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Your thinking is not incorrect. However, you have another option: you can store your Trust Points without converting them immediately into Player Points.
There is a shop within the system where you can buy unique abilities using the Trust Points you accumulate.
—
"A shop…?" I murmured, tilting my head while nibbling on the edge of my little hand.
My eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint. "Hmm… so instead of spending points instantly, I can save them and plan. That could be… advantageous."
Rocking slightly in mom's arms and kicking my legs softly, I rubbed my little hands with excitement, imagining all the possible combinations.
But in the middle of my concentration, I moved a bit too much and almost lost my balance. My legs flailed in the air and my body tilted to one side.
"Oh, careful, little Xuan!" exclaimed my adoptive mother, quickly catching me. Her expression filled with worry as she adjusted how she was holding me, making sure I wouldn't fall.
"All under control… I was just… planning strategies," I thought to myself, trying to recover my posture without losing my "tactical baby" composure. I swayed a bit more, almost toppling over again, and a slight squeal escaped me as I tried to regain balance.
My adoptive mother hugged me more firmly, murmuring softly: "Easy, little one… mommy's got you."
I, of course, tried to keep my serious face, frowning like a miniature military strategist while my mind was already calculating how to use trust points optimally.