The night was silent.
Only the soft crackle of dying firewood… and the distant rhythm of a sleeping world. In that silence, the newborn strained again.
His fingers curled. His tiny arm trembled. His lungs burned with effort far beyond infant limits.
He did not stop.
A chime.
> Reward Available — 1 Training Point
• Basic Grip Enhancement
• Minor Pain Resistance
• Breath Endurance
(choose wisely — this choice influences foundation)
He hesitated — instinctively aware this was no cosmetic choice.
He was weak. A true commoner.
Just a body born to labor, to break early, to be forgotten.
So he chose the most long-term, fundamental survival option.
He selected:
> Breath Endurance — Cost: 1 Point
→ Lung capacity + minimal stamina regeneration unlocked
→ Future physical & mana training efficiency slightly increased
Warmth spread through his infant chest — not magic — not divine — but biological.
His breathing quietly strengthened.
A farmer's son would cry louder, tire slower, last longer in the fields. That was what this was — not some sudden power.
But it stacked.
He understood immediately.
Foundation first. Power later.
A slow empire, not cheap fire.
He forced another movement — tiny legs kicking from the blanket — lungs deeper now — sustainable.
> +0.01 Training Progress
Even that increased faster.
Outside, the world remained unaware — a small cottage by the flickering embers of a hearth, far from war, closer to fate than anyone would ever guess—
And somewhere unseen…
the System briefly acknowledged him.
As if amused. Or impressed.