Chapter 1 - Status

Lynett

My name is- was Aileen Woods. Recently, something unexpected happened.

I died. But that was not the “unexpected” part. Actually, I kind of awaited this -well, when you’re sick, you are prepared for things like this to happen. No, the “unexpected” part was what came after. I was reborn. But that’s not it. I was reborn in Erthia, a world that I created.

Right now, I am very conflicted about this. I mean, what would you do if one day, one of your creations suddenly came to life? This is supposed to be every artist’s dream, but what if a random character you drew suddenly appeared next to you, in flesh and bones? You’d freak out, right? Well, in my case, it isn’t just one character, it’s a whole world.

It was a little hobby I had in my past life, since I had a lot of free time. I invented Erthia, a world of magic and swords. It’s the kind of universe you see in every RPG game or novel. Yeah, the kind of world every kid dreams about.

I liked it, but I never thought one day that I would be living in it. And it is exactly because I was the one who created it that I know how dangerous it can be. Sure there is magic, but there are also dragons, brigands, slavers and wars. If I remember well, I think there is even a Demon Lord –yes I know, there was once a time I was childish like this and I included such a cliché element. Anyway, not the kind of world where you can lead a peaceful life.

I would be lying if I said that I've never dreamt of becoming a hero, going on an epic journey to save the world, but this is the kind of dream you have when you’re young and naïve. It’s just like a child saying “I wanna become a superstar when I grow up”. Moreover, after ten years of sickness and suffering, putting my life on the line for such an ideal purpose is the last thing I want. I already died once, no way I’m going to risk my new life like this. Right now, I just want a peaceful, normal life.

Anyway, in this life, I’ve been granted the name of Lynett Maedis. Most of people call me Lyni though, it’s like a nickname, and they say it’s cuter. I like it better to be honest, Lynett sounds a bit too girly and too childish for me. Just a matter of taste.

It’s been six months since my rebirth, and I noticed some things.

I was born in a family of two. My mother’s name is Azariah Maedis. She is a beautiful young elf. Well, I say young, but I’m not sure, really. She’s an elf after all, she doesn’t age like humans do. My brother, Aoban, is four years old, but he is quite a mature child for his age. He takes his role as a big brother very seriously. Whenever mother is busy, he stays by my side, watching over me. He's really patient -for a child, that is. I have yet to meet my father, but since I’m carrying my mother’s surname, I’m guessing she’s a single mother.

As I thought, our family is pretty poor. We’re currently living in a cheap inn, the one I was born in. Mother doesn’t really have a job. She does everything she can, running errands, washing dishes, helping the owner. She doesn’t earn much but it’s enough for the three of us to live.

The first months, I noticed something weird. Mother is really beautiful –she’s an elf after all, all elves are beautiful, universal rule- but whenever she goes outside, she would wear a hood, partially hiding her beautiful features. It’s such a waste. At first I didn’t understand why, but now I think I know: she’s hiding her ears. Agraal is a human kingdom. So far, beside mother who is an elf, I have yet to meet another race. There seem to be a strong discrimination against the other races, so it’s no wonder mother is trying to hide the fact that she’s an elf. The big question is: why is mother in a human kingdom to begin with? Besides a rare few kingdoms, the different races do not mix with each others. I’m curious. I’ll ask her later.

Mother is being very careful in order not to get found out. When she went into labor, she categorically refused anyone in the room. The owner of the inn really panicked and insisted on calling a midwife, but mother turned down the offer, using the pretext that we were poor and didn’t have enough money –which is not entirely false. Not convinced, the owner almost forced the door, but fortunately, the delivery was fast and I was born before it happened. Even after I was born, we barely went outside, since she was afraid that we would get found out.

I also noticed that black is not her natural hair color. It took me a while to notice that since I always knew her with black hair but then at some point, her roots started changing color. Mother’s natural hair color is sky blue, just like her eyes. But it stands out and it is basically shouting “Hello guys, I’m an elf!”, so she started dyeing it. Just like on Earth, here, humans’ natural hair colors are black, brown, blond or red, while elves have brighter hair color. Recently, mother started dyeing mine too. I was born with blond platinum hair and golden eyes. It does not stand out as much as mother’s blue hair, but it is still very unusual. Now I have black raven hair, just like mother. She can’t hide my eyes since lenses do not exist here, but at least she can hide my natural hair color. Fortunately, my ears are much shorter than hers. They are still pointy elven ears, but they will be easily hidden once my hair is long enough. I’m guessing father is human, which makes me a half.

I’m not sure if I should be happy about this… I mentioned discrimination against other races, right? Well, it’s even worse for halves.

Aoban was luckier. He must have taken after our father, he looks perfectly human. Brown hair, black eyes and round little ears. It’s a relief, since mother is already ruining herself buying enough dye for both of us. Dyes are expensive but we don’t have the choice. Sorry for being born with platinum hair, mom…

Anyway, life as a baby is pretty boring. The first months were the worst since my muscles were still undeveloped and I lacked control. My body wouldn’t move like I wanted, I could barely look around me. Fortunately, I needed a lot of sleep so boring moments never lasted long. I must say I’m a pretty cool baby. I don’t cry a lot and barely bother the others, except when I don’t have the choice, but since Azariah is an attentive mother I barely need to signal her when I need to be fed or changed.

Now I’m six months old. My days are longer but my activities still limited, as mother doesn’t bring me outside a lot. Most of the time, when mother is working, it’s Aoban’s responsibility to watch over me. I like playing with him a lot. Well, I say play, but it’s mostly him telling me stories and legends. Not that I complain, since it’s a good way for me to gather information.

As I thought, this is Erthia. I already knew it, but I was kind of in denial until now, thinking that maaaaybe it was just a huge coincidence. But the more I learn about this world and the more I’m convinced that this is indeed the world I invented, especially when Aoban tells me about the legend of the terrifying dragon Charizard that kidnapped the princess, how the prince charming rescued her and how they married and lived happily ever after.

…

Uuuuugh… This is so cringe worthy… I’m not sure what is the most embarrassing; the fact that I was the one who actually wrote such a cliché story, the fact that I named the so called terrifying dragon Charizard, or the fact that people in this world actually believe in a stupid story like this. But now I’m starting to get really worried. This is one of the many legends I wrote back when I was still a child, because I thought it was “so cool”. I had forgotten about it until now but what if they were more like this? I really don’t want to find more of my childish fantasies like this. Some things are better forgotten…

Aoban’s stories also allowed me to understand the political situation a little better.

Even though I did create this world, the only thing I never wrote anything about was the people. The reason is simple: it’s too complicated. Creating a world is much easier than creating its inhabitants. It’s a bunch of physical laws and constants, with a measure of randomness, but in the end, it’s all about logic. On the other hand, people are nowhere near logical or predictable. This is why besides a few legends about heroes and gods, I never wrote anything about the people of this world. I did create the different races populating Erthia, but it’s just like a Wikipedia page, a bunch of information about their physical description or their attributes and that’s it. So I knew pretty much nothing about the political situation or the country’s history.

Agraal is situated in the Middle continent, which is primarily inhabited by humans, beastmen and elves.

Apparently, the humans have been fighting the beastmen invasions for centuries. While they lacked magic affinity, beastmen were known to have greater strength and agility, which made them dangerous melee fighters. They’re also called demihumans. Because of their lineage and their reputation for being savage and brutal, they were treated like beasts. It is only recently, a few decades ago, after the war ended that they were given human rights. However, because of their past constant fights, they’re still strongly discriminated.

Elves on the other hand did not cause as much trouble. They live completely isolated and are hard to see. Apparently, they had the reputation of being self-centered. But since they were so rare, they were considered prime material for slave traders, and often captured to be sold as trophies for the richest noble households.

Basically, humans clearly did not consider the other races as their equal –no wonder mother is so desperate hiding our lineage. But that’s not all. There were also conflicts between human kingdoms. Well, humans sure are good at creating conflicts, whether it’s with beastmen, elves or their own kind. I guess some things don’t change, no matter the world.

I’m really starting to be worried for the future… Seriously, mother, what are you doing in a human kingdom? Isn’t it very dangerous?

Oh well…

◊◊◊◊◊◊

The last few weeks, mother has been really busy. Maybe because she felt that I was old enough and didn’t require as much surveillance as before, or maybe because we’re reaaally broke –blame it on the dyes- but she’s working much more nowadays.

Randy, the owner of the inn we’re staying in, seemed to have offered her a job. At first, he was really suspicious about mother. Can’t blame him, I mean, if you saw a woman who almost never left her room, who always wore a hood, and who categorically refused anyone in, even to clean, of course you’d be suspicious. But since it’s been a few months we’ve been living here, I guess he felt he could trust her. He probably took pity on her, seeing she was having trouble paying the rent, as a single mother with two children, so he offered her a permanent job –along with a much higher income- instead of occasional tasks. Besides, it seems he was really satisfied with her previous work.

Mother is a pretty silent person. Not that she is shy or anything, but since she had to be cautious all the time about not getting find out, she avoided getting herself involved with the others, which gave the impression that she was asocial. Because of this, she would often feel others’ curious gaze on her and sometimes, she would hear unwarranted comments. While she didn’t mind it, Randy started to take action, kicking out the rude customers. Wow… Randy, you’re a really nice guy. Not only you offer mother a job, but you also take her side. I’m grateful to you.

Anyway, since she got her new job, mother has been really busy, and today is her first day off. Actually, it’s the birthday of the first Prince so most businesses closed their door. Everyone is out in the street to celebrate the Crown Prince’s 10th birthday. The inn did not close, but Randy still gave mother a day off for the occasion. Mother is not planning to go out. I am currently lying in her arms while she enjoys her free time, telling me stories. I can tell she is in a good mood; it’s been a long time since we last spent some time together like this.

“Mommy!” A small voice called out.

Mother and I turned our gaze towards the wooden door of the room, where Aoban just entered. He was wearing his best outfit for the occasion.

“Oh my, already back Aoban? Didn’t you say you wanted to see the festival?” Mother immediately asked.

“That’s not it” He answered, shaking his head. “Can I go to the plaza? There is a demonstration of magic”

W-what did he say? M-Magic? Like real magic? Oh gods, I want to see. I have to see. Six months doing nothing but staring blankly at the ceiling. Now I finally have a chance to see magic! It’s been six months that I reincarnated in a supposedly world of magic, but I had yet to actually witness it with my own eyes. For someone like me who grew up in a world without magic, can you imagine how exciting it is to have the chance to actually see real magic? I wanna see, I wanna see, I wanna see.

“Sure, why not?” Mother answered.

“Thanks!”

As Aoban was about to leave, I tried calling him, letting small sounds come out with my cute voice and desperately tried to reach him my tiny hands. The trick worked. Aoban turned around, looking at me with his confused eyes.

“Hum… Could it be that Lyni wants to watch too?” He asked unsure.

As I was about to rejoice myself, mother suddenly crushed my expectations. “Don’t talk nonsense Aoban. There will be too many people and it is way too noisy. It’s not a good environment for a baby.”

… Hum, mother? You’re kidding, right? No, no, no, you can’t do this to me. Six months I have waited, six months! You don’t get to crush the dreams of a young maiden –baby- like that!

“Hum, okay… I’ll be back soon then…”

He is leaving! Without me! No wait, dear brother! I kept protesting and whimpering desperately in mother’s arms, while Aoban looked at me, full of sympathy. He then directed his gaze to mother, as if expecting something. Finally giving in, mother sighed loudly. “Fine, I’ll bring her. Give us a moment, okay?”

Yes! Victory!!

“Okay!” Aoban happily replied.

Mother put me down on the bed to prepare herself. She untied her hair and arranged them in order to hide her elven ears as much as possible. Then she put on a cheap robe that fell down to her knees and drew the hood over her head, covering completely her ears. Once she was done, she wrapped me in a warm sheet, hiding all my inhuman features –beside the eyes.

As we were leaving, we ran into the owner. “Oh my, Miss Maedis, are you going to enjoy the festivities with your family?” He asked.

“Yes…”

“Well, well, isn’t this the little Lyni?” He approached, but then suddenly flinched when he saw my face though the gap of the sheet. “Heh?! Sh-she is a very beautiful child…!”

… Randy… Your voice is wavering. Thinking about it, it may actually be the first time that he sees me, thus his reaction. Mother politely bowed to him, and before he started asking questions, she exited the inn in hurry. Aoban happily led us to the plaza. On the way, mother had been more careful, burying my face in her chest. Her weird outfit still attracted some curious gazes though.

Finally arriving at the plaza, the display of magic had already begun. The place was filled with people, mostly children, cheering and watching the show in awe. Mother had to force her way through the crowd. As soon as we arrived, Aoban quickly disappeared among the children, but mother didn’t seem to be worried. Instead, she just lifted her arms a little, in order for me to have a better view of the spectacle.

A mage was muttering some kind of incantation that I couldn’t understand. A few moments later, mana filled his body as fiery spheres materialized, hovering above him, before starting to levitate around him. A second mage suddenly threw a couple of knives at him and, as if alive, the flames protected the first mage, immediately incinerating the projectiles. The flames then gathered into one huge fireball directed at the assailant. But before it could reach him, the second mage shouted another incantation and an earth wall suddenly appeared in front of him, blowing the fireball away.

Wow… I want to cry. This is beautiful. That’s right, that’s real magic, not one of those fake tricks where you make a bird suddenly appear under a hat.

After the display of magic, the two mages bowed to the audience before leaving the area for the next performers. The crowd went into an uproar, cheering and applauding loudly as they left. Well, that was quite a good show.

After the demonstration, I started to wonder what kind of magic they just performed. Was it considered high-level magic or just basic magic? I kept staring at the two mages intensely when suddenly, as if to satisfy my silent curiosity, a blue window suddenly popped out in front of me.

[Status]

Name :

Peter York

Race :

Human

Class :

Mage

Gender :

Male

Age :

23

Level :

16

Vitality :

543

Defense :

115

Strength :

97

Mana :

565

Intellect :

432

Agility :

109

That’s… a status window isn’t it? Yup. No matter how you look at it, it’s definitely a status window. I was so surprised that I blanked out for a few seconds. I didn’t expect this world to have such a game-like feature. But well, once again, I did invent this world based on RPG-games so I guess it’s not that surprising.…

But level sixteen, huh? Is it considered high? I wonder if I can compare with others. Hum, how did I do that? I just have to strongly think about it, don’t I? Alright, pick a random person, and focus… Focus… Focus…

[Status].

[Status]

Name :

Ann Conner

Race :

Human

Class :

Villager

Gender :

Female

Age :

28

Level :

3

Vitality :

55

Defense :

14

Strength :

26

Mana:

5

Intellect :

27

Agility :

32

Ooooh~! It worked! That’s actually easier than I thought!

So, let’s see. Level 3. That’s quite a difference, but well, this one is not a mage.

I tried comparing with other people but I got similar results. Most of people’s level did not go beyond level 5. Normal adults were level 3, 4 or 5, while children were level 1 or 2. I guess Mister Mage was pretty strong after all! Well, it kind of makes sense actually. They weren’t going to let a debutant do a display of magic with so many people around, especially since there are children here. If he ever lost control, it would have turned into a disaster.

Turning my gaze one more time at my favorite mage, I focused on his status window, comparing his with the others’ as much as possible. Then something unexpected happened. The status window evolved into a more detailed one.

[Advanced Status]

Name :

Peter York

Race :

Human

Main-Class :

Mage

True Name :

Roy

Sub-Race :

None

Sub-Class :

None

Age :

23

Level :

16

Affiliation :

Agraal

Guild of Mages

Gender :

Male

Rank :

D

Titles

None

Reputation

Fame :

17

Infamy :

0

Stats

Vitality :

543

(Regen : 11/min)

Mana :

565

(Regen : 5/min)

Stamina :

212

(Regen : 20/min)

Strength :

97

(Melee Attack : 55 max)

Intellect :

432

(Magic Attack : 312 max)

Dexterity :

69

(Ranged Attack : 38 max)

Physical Defense :

24

Magic

Defense :

108

Luck :

210

(Critic Ratio : 0,05)

Agility :

109 (Evasion: 23)

Charisma :

33

Wisdom :

241

Magic Affinities

Fire :

D

Wind :

F

Light :

F-

Water :

F-

Earth :

E+

Darkness :

F-

Oh my, there is even an [Advanced Status]? That’s so cool! Wait, what is [True Name] though? Oh well, not important. I carefully examined every detail. Affinity in Fire magic, rank D… That’s it? Isn’t it really low? Even though he used such a cool fire magic… I wonder what an A ranked fire mage can do then. Oh no, not good, I’m starting to get excited.

Returning to the festival, the next performers were knights. Two young knights were showing off their skills in synchronization. I must admit it was pretty cool, even though so far, it looked more like a dance than a martial art. A few moments later, the two knights faced each other, ready to duel. It was not as impressive as the mages, but the other children clearly didn’t share my opinion, judging by the thunderous applauses and the cheers. The adults too seemed to be satisfied with their demonstration of swordsmanship. Since I didn’t have as much interest in the spectacle as before, I started zoning out.

What? I’m biased? It’s just your imagination.

I was thinking about my future possibilities. I’m not planning in endangering my life by becoming an adventurer or something like that, but I definitely want to try some magic. I wouldn’t want to conform to gender stereotypes, but I have to admit that while I have no interest in the sword, I’m strongly attracted to magic. If possible, I’d like to enroll in some kind of special school, where people learn magic -there is always one in fantasy world, Erthia shouldn’t be an exception. Besides, I didn’t have the occasion to attend to school a lot in my past life, so I kind of anticipate my future school life in this world. Making friends, learning magic… It’s going to be great.

Then later on, if I’m good at it, I could try getting a job involving magic –yes, I’m a magic maniac- a healer or something like that. It’s kind of ironic considering the fact that I died of illness. Becoming a healer, saving people and curing diseases… Sounds great. Yeah, I shall do this.

I, Lynett Maedis, six months old, have decided of my future!

…

Wait, can I even do it?

Most of people have a low affinity to magic. Actually, nobles are more prone to have high affinity to magic while some commoners can’t use it at all. I’m a commoner, right? …Crap! What was I thinking when I created such a rule! Ugh… I’m so stupid. I always complained that life was unfair, but in the end, what do I do? Aaah… I was too influenced by fantasy novels. As someone who was raised with the idea that everyone should have equal chances, I should be ashamed… But well, there is no such a thing as a perfect world right? Yeah, I’ll just do my best.

…

Should I check my stats? Can I even do it? Well if I can see the others’ window status, there is no reason why I wouldn’t be able see mine. I’m a bit apprehensive now, but let’s try it.

[Status]

[Status]

Name :

Lynett Maedis

Race :

Half

Class :

Administrator [New]

Gender :

Female

Age :

0

Level :

1

Vitality :

Error

Defense :

Error

Strength :

2

Mana:

Error

Intellect :

Error

Agility :

11

What the heck? Only two in strength? That’s offensive. I know I’m supposed to be a baby, but it’s so pathetically low, it’s depressing. No wait, forget about the strength, what’s with all those “Error”? Is this a bug? The world system is actually bugging? Isn’t it really bad? And what in the world is [Administrator]? Shouldn’t I be a villager like the others? Moreover, it’s notified as a new class… Ugh… Too many questions, my head is going to explode right now.

Oh, wait. Since it’s a game-like feature, I should be able to have more information if I focus on a particular stat, right? Let’s try it.

[Administrator].

[Administrator]

The one who has access to the World System. The [Administrator] possesses the jurisdiction to define the Laws of the World and to manage its Environment.

Wait, what? An access to the [World System]? Like the status windows? Well, that explains…

…

Nooooooo! What do you mean by “define the Laws of the World”? No matter how you see it, it’s obviously an over cheated ability! But well, if you think about it, it actually makes sense. I mean, I was the one who created this world, so I was the one who defined its Laws but…

I have a very bad feeling about this right now. I don’t like this situation at all. I’ve read enough novels to see where this is going. A reincarnation with a cheat ability, and all those “Errors”… Could it be…? No, no way… I’m scared. I’m not sure if I want to know. Now is still the time to turn a blind eye Aileen. You can still decide that you didn’t see anything and return to your normal life. It’s not too late.

…

Shit, damn this curiosity of mine.

[Advanced Status].

[Advanced Status]

Name :

Lynett Maedis

Race :

Half

Divine [Locked]

Main-Class :

Administrator [New]

True Name :

Aileen

Sub-Race :

High Elf/Human

Sub-Class :

Mage

Age :

6 months

Level :

1

Affiliation :

Agraal

Gender :

Female

Rank :

None

Titles

Goddess of All Creations [New]

Reincarnated Soul

Reputation

Fame :

0

Infamy :

0

Stats

Vitality :

999 999 999

(Regen :

50 000/sec)

Mana :

999 999 999

(Regen : 999 999 999/sec)

Stamina :

8

(Regen : 1/min)

Strength :

2

(Melee Attack :

0 max)

Intellect :

999 999 999

(Magic Attack :

999 999 999 max)

Dexterity :

7

(Ranged Attack :

0 max)

Physical Defense :

0

Magic

Defense:

999 999 999

Luck :

13

(Critic Ratio : 0,005)

Agility :

11

(Evasion: 0)

Charisma :

100

Wisdom :

74

Magic Affinities

Fire :

SSS

Wind :

SSS

Light :

SSS

Water :

SSS

Earth :

SSS

Darkness :

SSS

…

Oh gods… Here goes my precious normal life…