"526...""557...""601..."
Each number echoed like a metronome in the early morning light as Lyrasia swung her sword in a practiced arc, each strike sending a vivid splash of blood across the grassy plain.
In the digital haze that followed, it almost seemed as if her blows were pixelating the world around her, boars fell like poorly rendered sprites, their bodies splintering into a flurry of colorful fragments.
"Okay, I think that’s all for today..." she murmured, lowering her sword with a flourish.
With a decisive slash, she flicked away the remaining droplets of blood, sending them swirling through the air until they disappeared into the ether.
After her impromptu combat session, Lyrasia trudged over to the nearby river.
The water, clear as polished glass, lapped gently at the shore.
She dipped her sword into the cool stream, letting the water wash away the remnants of her exertions.
As she cleaned her blade, she paused to glance at her reflection in the rippling surface, her gaze staring back at her.
Moments later, a system notification flashed before her eyes:
[You Have Earned +500 Strength, +300 Agility, +750 Endurance, +688 Magic Affinity]
"That’s it for today..." Lyrasia murmured with a small, self-satisfied smile as she pocketed the coin-like rewards.
Eight years had passed since that day.
In that time, Lyrasia had led a life shrouded in secrecy.
Every day, under the cover of darkness, she honed her skills, leveling up away from prying eyes.
No one knew the truth: the prodigy who appeared as an infant was, in fact, a 31-year-old soul trapped in a baby’s body.
Now, the girl who once struggled with every swing had transformed.
Her hair had grown into beautiful, wavy strands of lavender that shimmered in the sunlight. She was slightly taller, more agile, and her eyes burned with a quiet, unyielding resolve. But still a child regardless.
"Let me see my class stats," she commanded.
________________
[SUB-CLASS STATS]
[Rank: A]
[Level: 87]
[Level EXP: 72/100]
[Accumulated EXP: 1,234,567]
[Strength: 3,450] – Advanced
[Agility: 2,980] – Advanced
[Intelligence: 3,670] – Advanced
[Endurance: 3,220] – Advanced
[Magic Affinity: 3,540] – Advanced
[Mana: 9,999/10,000] – Supreme
________________
She had spent her days dispatching forest monsters—boars, wolves, even the occasional giant spider—while carefully avoiding drawing too much attention to herself.
But she hadn’t given her merchant missions much thought yet. Not yet. Her system was brimming with a long list of unfinished tasks waiting to be tackled.
Then she went home.
Her mother was nowhere to be found, off on another wild hunt for clues about her missing father.
Up until now, he still hadn’t been found.
The village hadn’t changed much either.
The village head was still a bootlicker, and progress was at a standstill. Since that fateful day, the place had grown heavy, and the village no longer felt as joyful as before.
"Lyrasia!"
Once her name was called, Lyrasia spun around as Ruan panted, "It’s mom!"
They rushed outside to find a familiar scene: her mother on the ground, tear-streaked and pleading, while four moneylenders jeered and hurled insults.
"Give me back my husband!" her mother cried, her voice cracking.
One of the men sneered, "What, gonna stab us with your little twigs?" Their cruel laughter filled the air.
For a moment, Lyrasia’s hand brushed against her sword’s hilt, tempted to strike.
But she knew her mom’s desperate theatrics were foolish, and that she couldn’t afford to escalate things in front of a crowd.
Instead, she stepped forward in her best innocent, pleading tone, "Please, don’t hurt Mom!"
Her unexpected protectiveness softened the crowd’s jeers.
The moneylenders exchanged uneasy glances before reluctantly dispersing.
Ruan and Meila stood awkwardly behind her, unsure whether to applaud or scold.
She watched them until the commotion finally died down, and they left, with the village head trailing along.
But anger burned in her chest, so when night fell, she slipped outside.
She crept over to the Village Head’s house, where a group was casually chit-chatting.
Suddenly, the peaceful scene shattered—daggers glinted in the moonlight.
"Pay up, Village Head! Or we’ll raid your village!" a gruff voice commanded.
The village head fumbled, paying the demanded sum, and the group dispersed into the night.
Without hesitation, she followed them, her footsteps silent as she trailed into the shadows.
After trailing them deeper into the forest, Lyrasia found herself before a rough camp. The moneylenders had stripped down, their gaudy clothes thrown aside in a display of crude bravado.
It turns out, they were bandits. The four men were bandits.
"Hah! Now we’re rich! I can’t believe that stupid village head actually thought we are moneylenders from the capital that they’re indebted to," one sneered.
"Guess stealing clothes from merchants does have its tricks, after all," another chuckled.
Inside, Lyrasia thought bitterly, ’At least I don’t have to feel guilty...’
She crept closer until she was right in front of them. Suddenly, the men screeched in alarm.
"What? It’s the little kid from earlier..." one stammered, eyes wide with surprise.
"Kid, what the hell are you doing here?!" roared another.
With a disarming flutter of her eyelashes, she replied in her sweetest tone, "I’m lost..."
Immediately, one of the bandits growled, "Ah, we can’t have any witnesses! Even kids can be snitches..."
Before anyone could react further, another voice bellowed, "Kidnap her so we can sell her!"
She drew her sword, a little blade nearly her own height, and held it high. Instantly, the onlookers burst into laughter.
"Kid, what are you gonna do with such a tiny sword?" one of them jeered.
"This isn’t a child’s toy," she snapped.
Taking a deep breath, she felt mana swirling within her.
"You know, I’ve never had human test subjects before..."
The mana wrapped itself around her sword like living silk. With a swift, graceful slash, a burst of raw power cut through the air, so fierce that the very clouds above seemed to split in half.
One of the men’s cheeks split open, a vivid streak of red marring his face, and the others froze in shocked silence.
’Should I kill them?’ she wondered inwardly.