"Hey, Luca."

Micah stopped me on the way out of the dining room after breakfast.

"I know you said you forgave me, but are you sure you didn't want to discuss it?" he asked.

Damn it. No, I didn't. I couldn't even remember it.

"What's there to discuss?" I asked.

"I just want you to know that everything I did was for your sake. I had good intentions," Micah said.

I sighed.

It being the past me, I suspected the one needing to apologize was probably me, not Micah. I had perhaps taken fault with something he had done and lashed out and, out of pride, had stopped talking to him.

"Micah, I don't even remember what it was. So really, it's all water under a bridge."

Micah's green eyes widened. He looked shock-stricken.

Damn it. I shouldn't have said that.

Of course, that was his reaction. I ignored him for months, and now I'm saying I don't even remember why I had ignored him.

"Look…” I rubbed my temples. “What I meant to say is, it's not that important in the big picture. You're alive and well. And life is short. Why fight needlessly? We don't know how long we have."

"Ah."

Micah had a look of understanding.

Good. I somehow maneuvered around that.

"I'd better get going. I need to take care of something before going to my etiquette class," I said.

Micah's expression turned odd again.

Right. Didn't I always skip my lessons? But today, it was imperative that I attend. Of course, I didn't remember anything about the snobbish etiquette and rules of Adovoria's society. In the future, I had spent the past couple of years in a less... cordial environment. Still, I wasn't about to get myself tangled up in a duel and die just because I accidentally insulted some stupid noble's mother at the ball.

And given my recent streak, I had a bad feeling I was bound to stumble into another regression.

Micah gripped my left shoulder.

"Luca, if you ever need help or are in trouble, you can talk to me about it."

I studied his face. His green eyes looked serious.

Was attending my lessons really such an oddity for me?

"What brought that on?" I asked. "I'd say you're the one that has been through more trouble than me."

He's the one that apparently was used to assassination attempts. Enough to laugh one-off.

"I just wanted to make sure you knew. If you ever get depressed. Or feel like you're going crazy. Just know that I'm here. I'll help," Micah said.

He had such a genuine expression.

"Th-thanks. Yeah. Sure. I will. I'm fine, though."

I didn't know what else to say. Where was this coming from?

Was sudden forgiveness and attending my lessons really so unusual?

Then again. I did kill a man today. My first kill technically at this point in my life. It's more unusual how normal I was behaving despite that.

He should worry more about himself, though.

"Good." Micah let go of my shoulder. "I'll see you in the carriage in a few hours when we leave for the ball then. Oh, and I have something important to discuss with you. I meant to let you know earlier, but I'll leave it as a surprise instead. We'll talk tomorrow. "

He smiled brightly and walked away.

What does he want to discuss? A surprise? What kind of surprise?

It was the first time I lived this day with Micah still alive in it. Maybe that's how he would have been in my first life if he had lived?

I rubbed my temples.

I summoned the primary stats screen while walking back to my room.

[ Strength : 4

Dexterity : 35

Intelligence : 12

Charisma : 7

Mana : 2 ]

That's new.

"Hey, System."

I was back alone in my bedroom.

"Why did my Intelligence stat go up from 11 to 12? I didn't even get a notification."

[ You showed that you gained new knowledge and found a way to utilize it in practice. ]

[ And to your second question. As you have only 40% of the game mechanics, notifications might not always appear. ]

That again? What a faulty game.

"Exactly what did I do, though? It's only been the equivalent of a day, but I managed to increase it by 10%."

[ … ]

[ 1/11 is closer to 9%. You increased your Intelligence by about 9%. However, I'm wondering about the validity of this, given how you can't do simple math. ]

"I was approximating! Obviously."

I paced my room.

What was with this System?

"Can you explain what I did to make it go up by a point so suddenly? So that I could replicate it."

[ Unfortunately, the detailed hints function isn't available to you as you only have access to 40% of the game mechanics. ]

That yet again??

"Is there anything you can say?"

The blue screen didn't appear with a response right away like usual.

Is it thinking? Can the System think?

I realized that I had no idea what this weird blue screen was. I didn't even understand why my world was part of a 'Game.' The only games I knew involved cards. Or dice. Or other small objects. Not an entire world.

"Come on, give me something. Don't you want me to beat this game?"

I had made one assumption about the System. It turned me into a Player because no one else was available. This 'Game' was supposed to be fun for Players, yet the System took me, an NPC as it called me, and made me a Player.

It wants someone to beat this game for some reason: that was the conclusion I arrived at.

[Here's a tip. If you obtain particular objects in your world, they can help increase your stats. ]

"Now we're talking. What are the objects, and where can I find them?"

I sat at my desk and pulled out a sheet of parchment and a pen, ready to take notes.

[ Certain foods can impact your health. So by eating high-protein food, you can help improve your muscle growth. ]

I set the pen down, not bothering to write anything down.

"What the heck? Eat healthily? That's obvious. There has to be more."

I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair.

A memory crossed my mind.

Grandrov had taken me on an exploration mission once. We went into some old ruins and found some ancient magic-infused artifacts. After equipping them, he became significantly stronger. He had provided me with a bracelet then as part of the loot. It must have had some magic embedded because whenever I wore it, I felt less tired.

What if I find some magical items like that? Heck, I could loot those old ruins myself and save some coin. Or sell some off and make a small fortune.

I gazed at myself in the vanity mirror.

Well, perhaps not in my current state. I was too weak. And at this age, I had never ventured anywhere outside this city. So I needed to prepare myself.

"System, got anything else that could help me?"

It was still quiet.

I looked up into the air. It felt like I was communicating with a ghost. Not that I had ever met a ghost. I didn't even believe in ghosts.

[ There might not be any official side-quests available to you at this time, but if you help those around you or engage in battle, both can help increase your stats. ]

"How vague."

I shook my head.

"Fine, whatever. I'll just train my body for now."

And when I'm able, I'll go to the ruins.

"Wait a moment. You said 'at this time'. Are you saying there will be side-quests or whatever available at some point?"

[ Yes. The official 'Game' starts in year 784 of the Nexus calendar. ]

"Then why did it start for me in 780?"

[ Because of the condition you posed:

'…if I have a chance to reset everything and save everyone I cared about… of course, I damn well accept']

I stared at the words I uttered at death's doorstep.

"Do you mean to tell me I could have posed a different condition?"

[ Yes, if it was within my power to accommodate. ]

It must have been truly desperate to obtain a Player for this 'Game.'

"You brought me back to today because Micah had originally died on this day?"

[ Indeed. That was how the condition was able to be met. ]

I laughed.

I was suddenly relieved that I didn't have anyone I cared for die when I was a toddler. I couldn't imagine how I'd have managed then.

Would I have had to throw my diaper at the evil-doers? Maybe smash my milk bottle and use it to stab someone's foot?

It was already hard enough as a 26-year-old in a 19-year-old's body.

"So, you're saying that starting four years from now in 784, I will be able to grow my stats using side-quests?"

[ That is correct. ]

I sighed.

"I suppose I'll manage somehow until then."

I had a lot of people I had to figure out how I would save in the meantime anyhow.

And at least I'm not a toddler.

I had that much going for me.