At one year old, life for Lyra Silverstone was an exercise in frustration and extreme patience.
In her past life, she could clear a 100-floor dungeon in a weekend. Now, it took her nearly five minutes just to crawl from the rug to the wooden chair. Her "Vessel" was still at Level 0, and the physical debuffs were real. But there was one perk to being a baby: people talked in front of you as if you were a piece of furniture.
"And then, the Great Hero lowered his holy blade," Anna whispered, her voice animated and soft.
Lyra lay in her mother's lap, staring up with wide, obsidian eyes. Anna was currently "reading" from a tattered, leather-bound book that looked older than the house itself. Lyra found it hilarious. Mom, I love you, but you realize I'm supposed to be fascinated by a rubber ball right now, not the geopolitical history of the Continent, right?
However, as Anna turned a page, the tone of her voice changed.
"But the shadows never truly leave, Lyra. Every two hundred years, the sky bleeds crimson, and the Demon Lord is reborn. It is a cycle as old as the stars. He falls, he sleeps, and he returns."
Lyra froze. A 200-year respawn cycle? That's a World Boss mechanic.
Anna noticed the way her daughter's tiny hands gripped her tunic. She smiled, thinking the baby was just captivated by the flickering candlelight. "Oh? You like the scary parts, don't you? My brave little girl."
Anna leaned in closer, her wheat-colored hair brushing Lyra's forehead. "The prophecy says the next awakening is only sixteen years away. That is when the new Heroes will assemble at the Royal Academy. The top students, the strongest and the brightest, will be chosen to lead the world's army."
Anna sighed, a trace of melancholy crossing her face as she stroked Lyra's hair. "Of course, for commoners like us, the Academy is just a dream. But I hope that by then, you'll at least be a happy student at a local school, far away from the front lines."
Sixteen years, Lyra thought, her gamer brain spinning. The Demon Lord is the Final Boss. The Academy is the Tutorial Hub. If I'm not in that top-tier team, I'm just an NPC waiting to be farmed by the demon army.
The sense of security she felt in her mother's arms was suddenly sharpened by a new resolve. She wasn't going to be a background character. She was going to be the "Hidden Boss" of that Academy.
I need more info. System, analyze the source!
Lyra focused her gaze on her mother. [Appraisal]!
[Target: Anna Silverstone]
[Level: 12]
[Class: Housewife / ???]
[New Feature Unlocked: 'Titles']
[Title: Unknown (Appraisal Level too low)]
Lyra blinked. Unknown? How could a simple village mother have a hidden title? Usually, "Housewife" would be the only thing there. The mystery deepened as the system scrolled further down her mother's skill list.
[Detected Skills:]
Basic Heal (Rank: C) — [Locked: Requires Appraisal Lv. 5]
Basic Cure (Rank: C) — [Locked: Requires Appraisal Lv. 5]
Lyra nearly choked on her own saliva. C-Rank magic? In a commoner village? In most games, a village healer would have an F-Rank "First Aid" skill. C-Rank was professional-grade—the kind of magic used by official church priests or mid-tier adventurers.
Mom... who exactly were you before you met Dad?
She reached out a chubby hand, trying to "grab" the glowing blue text of the Basic Heal skill, but the System gave a dull, red flash.
[Learning Failed: Insufficient Appraisal Level.]
[Current Appraisal Level: 1.8 | Required: 5.0]
A wave of sadness washed over her. It was like seeing a Legendary item in a shop window and realizing you were 10,000 gold short. She had the ultimate cheat code, but she was still stuck in the "Trial Version" of her own life.
I'm at 1.8 percent... Lyra thought, narrowing her eyes as she looked around the room. Her gaze landed on a spider crawling up the wall, a wooden spoon on the table, and the flickering fire in the hearth. If I have to appraise every single blade of grass in this village to get to Level 5, then that's exactly what I'm going to do.
Anna gently set Lyra down on the thick wool rug, surrounding her with a few wooden blocks and a stuffed rabbit that had seen better days. With a soft kiss on her forehead and a final "Be a good girl, Lyra," Anna stepped out, the heavy oak door clicking shut behind her.
The room fell into a cozy, dim silence—the perfect environment for a pro-gamer to start a speed-run.
Finally. Solo queue begins now.
Lyra didn't waste a second. She didn't reach for the wooden blocks; instead, she activated [Night Vision (Lv. 1)]. The shadows of the nursery peeled back, replaced by a sharp, monochrome clarity that turned every grain of wood and speck of dust into high-definition detail.
Her eyes darted to the corner of the ceiling. There, silhouetted against the rafters, was her first "mob": a common house spider, twitching its legs as it wove a silver thread.
Target locked. [Appraisal]!
[Target: Common House Spider]
[Level: 1]
[Status: Foraging]
[Experience Gained: +0.2 Appraisal XP]
[System Notice: Appraisal has reached Level 2/100!]
A tiny, toothless grin spread across Lyra's face. Level 2! I'm already doubling my efficiency! But the System wasn't done yet. A new window, shimmering with a faint green light, popped up beside the spider's stat block.
[New Trait Detected: 'Spider Hand' (Rank: F)]
[Description: Provides a microscopic, 'sticky' adhesive force to the palms and soles. Allows the user to grip vertical surfaces with 30% increased stability. Excellent for stealth and ambushing.]
[Would you like to copy this trait?]
Lyra paused, her gamer brain weighing the "Meta." It's only F-Rank, but for a baby who can barely crawl? This is a God-tier mobility buff. If she could stick to surfaces, she wouldn't have to worry about her clumsy infant balance. She could climb the walls to reach higher "Appraisal targets" that her parents thought were out of reach.
Confirm. Copy [Spider Hand].
A strange, tingly sensation washed over her tiny palms. It wasn't "sticky" like honey; it felt more like a million invisible hooks were suddenly part of her skin. She pressed her hand against the smooth leg of the nearby table and pulled—it held firm.
[Trait Acquired: Spider Hand (Lv. 1)]
[Synergy Bonus: Because you observed the spider in total darkness, 'Night Vision' has leveled up!]
[Night Vision: Level 2/10]
Two level-ups and a new trait in under five minutes? This village is a gold mine, Lyra thought, her excitement peaking.
She turned her attention away from the ceiling and began a "Full Map Scan." She crawled—much faster now with her new grip—across the floorboards. She Appraised the iron fire poker (+0.1 XP), the heavy wool curtains (+0.1 XP), the pine-scented floor wax (+0.1 XP), and even the tiny brass hinges on her toy chest (+0.1 XP).
[Appraisal Progress: 2.9/100]
She was nearly at Level 3. Lyra looked at the closed door, hearing her mother's humming from the kitchen. She knew she had to be careful—if her parents walked in and saw their one-year-old clinging to the wall like a gecko, the "Unknown" title wouldn't be the only mystery in the house.
I need something bigger, Lyra thought, her eyes landing on the tall, locked bookshelf in the corner. Something with more XP.
The towering bookshelf in the corner was more than a piece of furniture; to Lyra, it was a dungeon tower waiting to be conquered. Her eyes locked on a specific target at the very top—a book with a weathered, crimson-colored cover that seemed to hum with a faint, invisible pressure.
That's not a cookbook, Lyra thought, her pulse quickening.
She crawled to the base of the shelf and pressed her tiny palms against the dark wood. [Spider Hand] activated instantly. The invisible "hooks" in her skin locked onto the grain, and with a strength that defied her infant limbs, she began to scale the vertical surface. She looked like a small, determined shadow moving up the wall.
When she reached the summit, she used her head to nudge the crimson book. It wobbled, then tipped.
Thud.
It landed perfectly on the thick rug below. Lyra scrambled down, her "sticky" grip making the descent a breeze. Breathless, she crawled to the book and focused her gaze.
[Appraisal]!
[Target: Sealed Grimoire of the Four Elements]
[Classification: Ancient Magic Catalyst]
[Experience Gained: +210.0 XP (Massive Discovery Bonus!)]
[System Notice: Appraisal has jumped to Level 5/100!]
Lyra's jaw dropped. A Grimoire? In a commoner's hut? This was like finding a legendary railgun in a starter village's wooden chest. As she pried the heavy cover open, the pages began to glow with a soft, multicolored light. The System windows started popping up like rapid-fire notifications.
[Detected Spells:]
Fireball (Rank: D) — [Locked: Requires Appraisal Lv. 5 / MP: 20]
Waterball (Rank: D) — [Locked: Requires Appraisal Lv. 5 / MP: 20]
Earth Bullet (Rank: D) — [Locked: Requires Appraisal Lv. 5 / MP: 20]
Light (Rank: D) — [Locked: Requires Appraisal Lv. 5 / MP: 20]
"I have the Level... but I don't have the Mana," Lyra whispered to herself. Her current MP was a pitiful 5/5. But then, a golden window appeared—a reward for hitting Level 5.
[Feature Unlocked: Stat Point Allocation]
[Level 5 Reward: 25 Stat Points (SP) Available]
There it is! The build-maker! Without a second thought, she dumped 15 points into her MP (Magic Power) stat.
[Stat Update: MP 5 -> 20]
[Requirement Met! Initiating Mass-Copy...]
A whirlwind of blue, red, brown, and white light swirled from the pages and sank into Lyra's chest. It felt like drinking a gallon of ice-cold energy drink.
[Skills Acquired: Fireball, Waterball, Earth Bullet, Light]
[Warning: Copied skills have reset to Rank: F (Level 1/10)]
Lyra didn't feel discouraged; she felt a thrill. She noticed a small footnote in the System log: [Note: Skill Rank is dynamic. Maxing a skill's level allows for Rank Evolution.]
So an F-rank 'Fireball' can become an SSS-rank 'Hellfire Inferno' if I just grind it enough? Her gamer heart soared. In most VRMMOs, you were stuck with the rank you found. This system allowed for infinite scaling.
She looked at her tiny palms. She could feel the four elements humming under her skin, waiting to be released. She was only one year old, but she already had the arsenal of a mid-tier mage.
Time to start the real practice, she thought, looking at a fly buzzing near the window. But I have to be quiet. If I blow a hole in the wall with a fireball, Mom is definitely going to take away my dessert.
---A moment ago---
Lyra's tiny heart hammered against her ribs. The four elements felt like restless hummingbirds trapped in her chest, but she knew she couldn't exactly launch an Earth Bullet at the nursery wall without explaining the new hole to her parents.
I need a test run. Something low-profile.
She focused on the [Light] spell. It was the only non-destructive option in her new arsenal. Closing her eyes, she channeled 5 MP into her fingertip.
Pop.
A small, floating sphere of soft, white radiance flickered into existence. It was barely the size of a marble and let off about as much glow as a tired firefly.
[Skill Used: Light (Rank: F) — Lv. 1/10]
[Current MP: 15/20]
Five MP for a glorified candle? Lyra mentally groaned. The efficiency is terrible at Level 1. But as she watched the little orb bob in the air, her disappointment faded into a predatory gamer's grin. It doesn't matter. In every RPG I've ever played, the 'Starter' spells are just placeholders. If I can evolve these to SSS-Rank... I won't just be casting 'Light.' I'll be summoning a Miniature Sun.
The possibilities were endless. She could see the branching paths of a "God-Tier" build opening up before her.
Creak—
The sound of a floorboard groaning in the hallway snapped Lyra back to reality. Footsteps. Light, rhythmic, and familiar.
Mom!
Lyra looked down at the massive, ancient crimson Grimoire sitting conspicuously in the middle of the rug. She was a one-year-old; there was no way she could lift this heavy thing back to the top shelf in three seconds. Panic flared for a moment before her Pro-Gamer instincts took over.
Strategy: The 'Innocent NPC' Maneuver.
She flopped onto her side, curled her tiny body around the corner of the heavy book, and let her eyes flutter shut. She forced her breathing to become slow and shallow, her thumb trailing near her mouth.
The door pushed open. Anna stepped in, her eyes scanning the room. She stopped dead when she saw her daughter on the floor.
"Oh, Lyra! Did you fall?" Anna rushed over, her voice hushed with worry. Then, her eyes landed on the crimson book. She blinked, looking up at the empty spot on the high shelf, then back at the "sleeping" baby. "My goodness... did I leave that on the floor? I must be losing my head."
Anna was many things—kind, mysterious, and apparently a bit of an airhead when it came to her own tidiness. She let out a relieved giggle, convinced she had simply forgotten to put it away after their earlier storytime.
She gently scooped Lyra up, the baby's head lolling convincingly against her shoulder. Anna tucked her into the small wooden crib and kissed her cheek before picking up the Grimoire and sliding it back into its hidden perch.
"Sleep well, my little angel," Anna whispered, closing the door softly.
In the dark, Lyra's eyes snapped open. The "Spider Hand" tingle was still in her palms, and the four elemental seeds were firmly rooted in her soul.
Tutorial stage: Complete. She looked out the window at the moon, her mind already calculating the XP she'd need for the next ten years.
Enjoy the peace while it lasts, world. The Cheating Goddess is just getting started.