Chapter 2: A third chance (Redone)
If you see any grammar errors or Typos, make sure to warn me!
Thank you, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
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/9 Months later/
'It was a sunny day like any other. But today was a special day, the first day of the year, and the day his son would be born.'
'Marcus, the future dad, could be seen pacing around the place anxiously.'
'He looked completely different from the "him" 9 months ago. Marcus' body was much "bigger", showing his big muscles, and he now had a thick beard on his face, much to the displeasure of his wife.'
…
"Waaa..."
'Little cries could be heard coming from upstairs.'
'Marcus ran towards the room and he saw it, his wife holding a perfectly fine baby.'
'There was another woman on her side, making sure everything was alright.'
'He wanted to cry but had to keep a strong man front. He needed to protect his family from the terrible monsters, his parents weren't the adventurers they once were, being much weaker due to old age.'
'But he was weak. Even if he wanted to, it was too late to start training now.'
'He looked at his son, with small bits of dark hair, small hands, and silver eyes. He was excited to see how he would develop.'
'He gave the baby back to his wife and went to fetch some things. Leaving the priest, herbalist and the doctor(Hiom) to take care of the baby.'
'The husband came back after 5 minutes with a large bucket filled with hot water and some supplies.'
'The wife was now sleeping while the doctor was nursing the baby. With the supplies on hand now, they could continue with some minor chores.'
'This time, the husband looked at his son and couldn't help but cry a little. The other two males in the room just smiled but didn't make fun of him, while the doctor smiled a little as well.'
'The husband cleaned his face and went downstairs to talk with his family and some friends.'
…
/Three days later./
'The wife was nursing her son on the bed. While discussing something with her husband.'
"How about Dionys Silver? Mellios Silver? Fulmen espes?" She said.
"Why do you want to put silver on every name? Not that it's bad but…" Said Marcus in a worried tone
'The husband was afraid his wife was going to name the child something awkward.'
'The baby looked at the two in wonder.'
"Ahhh! I can't decide. Marcus! Choose one for me!" She demanded.
"Weren't you the one who said the mother should choose the name?"
"I just can't decide! Look how cute he is! He needs a good name to represent his beauty. Isn't that right?" She started to play with the baby.
/Baby sounds/
"Sigh. Let's leave that for later, today we are receiving guests, we can ask them for help."
'Marcus got up from his chair and went downstairs to greet the guests.'
...
'10 minutes later, the man, Marcus, came back with a multitude of Women.'
'He led them to the room and once again went downstairs to wait for more guests.'
"Rubia? Are you there?" Asked one of the women softly.
"Bribri? Please come inside and help me…"
/Creeek.../
'They opened the door, entering the room.'
"Help me…" She said while holding the baby.
'She didn't know what to do.'
'From here on, it was just a long session of tutoring from the experienced mothers.'
…
'One hour later, the husbands of all of the womens could be seen playing some kind of board game.'
"Is this normal?" Asked Marcus
"Be prepared for the next few years. You aren't going to have a good sleep ever again." Said a more buffed man.
"Yeah. Even though my little girl is calmer than most babies, I still had many sleepless nights." Said a man with thin glasses.
"Sigh… I was ready for this. But I also don't want to lose my precious sleep..."
'At that very moment, the womens finally decided to leave the room.'
'Finally!' Thought Marcus
'They went to the door and were prepared to leave after saying their goodbyes.'
"You all even left some supplies… I don't know what to say." Said Marcus
"It's okay! You also helped each of us when we had our own! Be sure to ask for help when needed, okay?" Said one of the husbands, a more normal-looking man.
'With their final greetings, everyone left. 5 wives with 5 husbands.'
'After everyone left, Marcus went back to the room where his wife was.'
"Tomorrow your parents are coming, right?" Asked Marcus.
"Don't forget that your parents will be visiting too dear... In fact, did you buy the…"
"Yes. But what about the house? I can't clean and do my job. Much less cook and take care of the plants."
"..."
"I think we should ask our parents for help with this. Since you never liked the idea of a maid."
"...They always destroy homes."" Said Rubia with conviction.
"Sigh. Those novels you read don't depict reality. How many times do I need to talk about it?"
"Humph."
"... I will go make dinner and clean the house since I postponed some of my commissions, but I can't do this for much longer. I need to be back at the forge at least till after tomorrow."
'He got up and opened the door.'
"Dear…" Said Rubia
"Yes?"
"Please put some water on the plants."
"... I love you too…" He said dejectedly as he left the room.
"... I love you too, idiot"
/1 year later/
'In a house on top of a hill. There was an old man cutting some wood.'
/Swing!/
/Thump!/
'The wood stump was easily cut in half by his ax.'
"SAPHOS! Just how long are you going to keep your sorry ass out there?! Come back here!" Said an elderly woman from inside the house.
'... The man mumbled something before putting his ax on the side and entering the house.'
'Inside he saw his "beautiful", or should we say, once beautiful wife.'
"What is it you need?" Asked the old man
"Go fetch little Silver. It's almost time for dinner." She replied
'The old man looked at the clock and saw 16:40'
'It wasn't time for dinner, not even close.'
"Old woman. At this rate, you are going to turn him into a ball!"
"For the last time!..."
/Loud screams.../
'Somewhere inside the house...'
"..."
Sigh. They are at it again. For an even more worthless reason… But this is fine, I like this carefreeness.
'The one who thought this was none other than the baby in the Office room down the corridor. He was currently reading a book on the Geography of Orario.'
To think I would be reborn… Once again?
Much less in this place...
The world where Gods live among the mortals...
Yesterday, "I" was playing with a doll on the ground when I suddenly had that moment of enlightenment. Who am I? Followed by a string of memories.
Although not all of them have returned, I know a lot about my first life and my second one.
At the start, I thought I had been reborn in a medieval-style world, however...
The moment I came into my grandparents' home and read some of the books, I came to realize where I was almost immediately.
Even though I couldn't read most of the words, it was enough when I read 'Orario'.
But it still feels like a dream. As if until yesterday I was a college student, and all of these memories are nothing but a movie I watched. But I know this isn't the case.
It is as if I was suddenly grabbed from my peaceful life and stuffed in the body of a baby…
'The baby shook his little head.'
No. Who am I trying to deceive?
My parents died and I spent many years working just to die of overwork. That was my first life.
I did the same in my second life. And now... It's my third time...
Everything just feels like a dream…
/Thum/
'He closed the book and went towards the kitchen.'
I can't read while they argue…
My family is quite interesting. All of my grandparents are actually adventurers, third-class adventurers, meaning they were all level two.
Only my parents aren't adventurers and this was a choice made by themselves. Adventuring is a bloody and dangerous job that has a high death rate.
What does "level" mean?
By fusing words from the book I read plus my memories it goes like this:
There are literal Gods among men. They give the mortals their blessings, called Falna. This allows the people to grow and collect Excelia by many means, growing their power and "stats".
The most common of them is to hunt monsters.
(N1)
What are Stats?
They are Falna being displayed as numeric values and words so that normal man can understand it.
(N2)
As for my level and abilities? Only a God can provide me with those. And to do that, I need a baptism, but that would mean joining a Familia.
My grandparents are part of a Familia, although retired. My parents on the other hand aren't.
Although I heard that my grandparents have been putting pressure on them so they join one of the agricultural Familias here in the countryside.
At least for now, since there is no reason to not be.
However, it isn't impossible to raise one's Stats without killing monsters. Training and studying can heavily influence the end values and progression of your Stats.
But I am only a 1-year-old child…
'He opened the door towards the kitchen and said in a cute and childish voice:'
"Hungy."
'Silence…'
"You win, old bag." Said Saphos
"Oh dear, come here, sit. The soup will be ready soon." She said softly.
'He walked and tried to sit on the chair but it was too tall.'
/Grab./
"Here we go little man." Said grandpa as he lifted me up.
"..."
My grandparents might keep bickering with each other but they seem to truly love each other.
'An hour later after he had already finished eating, Marcus arrived at the house.'
"Father, mother. Is everything fine?" Marcus Asked
"How couldn't it be, brat? Didn't you say you had things to do? Why are you here?" Questioned, grandma.
"I finished my commission earlier than expected, so I came here to fetch him up."
"... You can leave him a few more days here. It isn't a problem taking care of a little boy." Replied Saphos
'Marcus' face got fully black.'
Look at this old man. He doesn't even have the audacity to admit he likes him…
"This isn't for me to decide, it's Rubia's. And you know how she is. But… I think I can convince her for a few more days…"
"Look at you! You only want to free yourself from him!" Said grandma as she accused Marcus
"Indeed! Ullia is right! You don't care about him!"
/Bang!/
'The door was closed right on his face.'
"..."
'Marcus didn't say anything and just left, feeling dejected.'
"..."
'A small kid could be seen sitting on the ground as he read a book.'
I heard everything... Even though I am in another room on the second floor.
Somehow, my senses seem to be well beyond those of a baby my age. In fact, can a baby's brain even support this level of complex thoughts?
Could it be something similar to what happened to me in my previous life? In fact, are those "perks" going to be carried over to this world as well?
Or did I just luck out and gained a talented body?...
I need to do some experimentation, I do seem capable of remembering everything I read… But those books were not that complicated, to begin with. I need to fully master this world's language first…
'He picked the next book. It was a thin book with several images associated with words and how to spell them.'
"Urg..."
Why does my grandfather have something like this? It's from when my dad was a child?
I only hope it isn't outdated...
...
/Four years later./
/Clang!/
/Clang!/
"Phew… This is enough for now."
'The child grabbed his wooden sword and carefully stored it in the wall weapon stand.'
'Yup, a sword. It's not sharp, rather blunt actually. But it's very sturdy. It was his gift for making 5 years of age. After he begged his grandparents non-stop for several weeks.'
"All done." Said the child
'After leaving the warehouse where he trained every day. His next stop was the shower, followed by a studying session.'
'Why all the training? For one reason only. Orario! The Dungeon! The place where all of the strong and talented eventually meet. Where a big chunk of the Gods resides.'
'After all, there are many Gods who live outside of it, depending on their divinity. Some became large merchants, others became kings, some even became village elders.'
'There are many Gods from bigger ones like Zeus, to minor ones.'
"..."
'The baby looked at the small calluses on his hand.'
"Sigh..."
This is all for the future...
This training serves to increase my chances of gaining good Development Abilities every time I level up when I receive my baptism by a God.
"This training could also end up gifting me a Skill."
Skills are very important since I don't know if I even have one, I need to try my best to gain at least one! Else I will never achieve the top, being destined to remain a regular elite adventurer.
People stay decades training and risking their lives, only to become level 3, few become level 4, while the super-elite reach 5.
As for 6? That's reserved for the very top of Orario, while there is only one person I know of who is 7.
However, I wouldn't be surprised if there were more.
In the past, there used to be levels 8 and 9, but they all died fighting 'that' monster...
'The child fully opened his eyes in surprise!'
No… Wait! Where am I in the timeline?
'He ran towards his room and opened some books.'
/Flip flip flip.../
"..."
There isn't any news of the fight between the Hera and Zeus Familia against the One-eyed black dragon.
Of course, this village is quite a few days away from Orario but…
As long as I know when the fight happens, I would know at least an estimate of where I am in the timeline.
Not like I know much, to begin with. I have already steeled myself that my actions are going to change it, but knowing some things is always useful.
At least, I am confident that I am going to become someone meaningfully enough to change the entire course of this world.
…
'The kid left the house and went towards a nearby river to take a bath.'
'He stopped and looked at the small house on the Hill behind him.'
Recently I have been living here more than in my own home.
My mother is unhappy with this, but that was my father's problem to deal with.
'Putting his thoughts aside, the boy took his bath and left.'
'He went back towards his books...'
..
/Back in the library/
'A small kid could be seen with a thick book in front of him.'
"Today I am reading books about herbs and plants. The final category of books from my grandfather's collection."
After several years, it's only natural that I would finish it.
'He flipped the first page.'
"Time to dig in!"
…
A few hours later.
/CRASH!/
'Suddenly the sound of something breaking downstairs reverberated around the house.'
Did grandma drop another plate? Sigh…
/BANG!/
'This time it was the sound of something crashing against wood.'
Oi! This isn't some normal accident! Is something happening down there?
'The boy opened the door slowly, the house was completely dark. Normally, his grandma would light up the illumination crystals around this time…'
'Something is very wrong! She never missed her timing, ever!'
/CRACK./
'It was the sound of wood being stepped on, someone was climbing the stairs. Slowly.'
'He quickly hid inside a wardrobe and waited. He used his enhanced senses to keep track of the sound.'
/Step, step.../
Those aren't Grandma's nor Grandfather's steps. I can recognize them by the sound of their shoes. They each have one pair of shoes to use inside the house.
If grandfather uses the wrong set of shoes, grandma would kick him out, and I never saw grandma use the wrong pair even once.
'He picked a sharp object up inside the wardrobe and prepared to strike.'
/Crunch.../
ITS TIME!
'Jumping out of the closet, using the doors as a way to stun the target, the Boy swung his blade! The moment the sharp piece of wood was about to hit him…'
'He grabbed the kid's hand.'
'For a moment the boy felt as if the world had stopped, this person either had insane reflexes, or he knew the boy was here from the beginning.
"..."
'The boy sweated as he thought.'
To have such reflexes he can't be a Human, at least not a normal one… Someone from a Familia? But why…
'His hand went towards my head. So he took this chance to bite it!'
'But he caused no damage whatsoever to the big man...'
Fuck! It can't end like this.
/Spit!/
'He tried spitting at man's face, but he easily dodged it.'
My final move!
'His legs moved at an incredible speed as aimed towards his balls! It's a fifty-fifty chance since "he" could actually be a she...'
/Thud.../
'But he once again blocked it.'
"..."
'I tried my best, I only hope he doesn't kill me immediately.'
'If only I had my Plasmids…'
'But against all of my expectations. He hugged the boy and said:'
"It's okay now Silver. Your grandpa is here."
"Grandpa..."
"But to think you would be so fierce… HAHA! You definitely took this from Ullia! She was just like you back in the day!" He said in a hearty tone
"...Sniff… What happened…"
'Silver's body unconsciously started to tremble and cry a bit. Due to the immense psychological pressure, he was under previously.'
(N3)
"She is just down there, dealing with… The broken cutlery." Said the old man in a stiff tone
"... I am not that dumb grandpa…"
"..."
'The old man looked at his grandson with an awkward smile.'
"Sigh… It's nothing anyway. Go to sleep. Dinner is going to be ready soon."
'Silver did as he was told since he didn't have even the smallest of a chance to pass through his grandfather.'
I have some books to finish reading anyway.
…
/One hour later/
'Silver walked towards the stairs to eat dinner in the kitchen. He saw broken pieces of wood and furniture all around. Although most had been cleaned, he could still see broken areas in the house.'
'He could even smell blood. But it's unknown if that's from the meat or from somewhere else.'
'Both Sapho and Ullia seemed fine, but the house was in shambles…'
'He couldn't resist anymore and asked:'
"... Grandma, what happened?"
"..."
"Grandma…"
"... It's nothing sweety, just some problems from decades ago. Now, finish your curry." She said as she placed a large bowl of curry on the table
'The atmosphere was a little gloomy. So Silver ate the food and went towards his room to sleep.'
'A few seconds after he left, grandma's eyes became fierce as her anger was released pressurizing the surroundings!'
"To think they would follow us all the way here! They almost… Bastards!" Said Ullia As she grabbed the table
/Creeek.../
"..."
I need to calm her down a little...
'He smiled and said:'
"You had to see little Silver. He looked like a beast! He is your grandson, no doubts about that."
'She smiled when she heard that.'
"Blood sure is thick huh? Marcus got your mumbled brain while the grandson got my ferociousness."
'As she said that, she removed her collar. Her body started to change, Two cat ears appeared on her head, her nails got slightly sharper and a tail appeared behind her.'
'She was actually a demi-human!'
"So much better now!" She said as she stretched
"Look at that gray fur… Time sure has left its marks." Said Saphos
"You are one to talk! You can't even lift your sword anymore!"
"What?! Of course, I can!"
"Psff!... Before we continue talking… How about the young man over there come here."
.
.
.
Notes
N1
(Falna is the grace given by Gods and Goddesses to their Familia members. Adventurers and supporters can gather Excelia to raise their status and grow stronger. Wiki.)
N2
Status is the Falna set as various parameters. The status is made up of Basic Abilities, Development Abilities, Magic, Skills, and the overall Level
N3
He is a child, not a pussy. Even if he has most of his memories, he is still heavily under the urges of his body.
It's not as much as you would imagine. It's not like he will become horny when he sees a beautiful woman like some authors like to describe teens. It's just some more unconscious things.
Like trembling in front of a massive monster. It's the Human body instinct to do so.
(If you are wondering why I gave him a "strong" family there is actually a reason for that.)
DISCLAIMER FOR NEW READERS!
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You must've noticed that I dont use the standard writing style of "" for speech '' for thoughts and blank for narration, that's because by the time I started this I didn't know much about the traditional so i ended up keeping my style as to not mess with my pace by having to redo all of these chapters.
Its not really that hard to get used to but I also understand that as a reader, you are not forced to keep up with some author's strange writing style just because he says so.
Sorry my friends.
Also, if you see any sort of grammar mistake, make sure to mark it with some sort of comment so I can fix it soon!