Kiran, along with his parents and his teacher, was standing outside the tiny shack that belonged to the teen. This was an important moment for the child as well as his parents. After all, their firstborn was going to be Awakened and that too in such a rare Class. It would be a moment of pride for any parent.
The family would have preferred to perform the Awakening in a temple, under the eyes of the Gods but the Ashram had not a single temple dedicated to any God. Which was strange, considering that even peasants usually built an altar for the Gods in their tiny homes, yet this huge complex that housed the most spiritually learned beings did not.
However, the ways of ascetics were strange and mysterious. And the Gods were present anywhere and everywhere. Thus, they chose the place that had been the Karmabhumi* of the teen for the past two years.
“Go to your parents.” The man dressed in saffron robes whispered to the teen. “And ask for their blessing.”
The teen nodded and walked up to the couple, who had their eyes shining with pride. The boy then knelt to touch their feet one by one before he straightened up and with folded hands he bowed.
The women cupped the face of the boy within her hands while the man softly placed his right hand on the bald head of his son. A soft smile lit their face as they both spoke out aloud, their voice clear and proud. “The glory be yours. The prosperity be yours. The Awakening be yours.”
As they finished speaking, their own status changed. A new line had appeared next to their [Karma], signifying an increase. Whether this [Karma] was good or bad, it was unknown to even the wisest of people. But this was a necessary sacrifice to Awaken a person and a bargain that parents happily made.
Ting.
| [Access to [Status] granted.] |
The boy was startled by the sudden sound and the adults held back a smile.
“Call on your Status son.” The woman encouraged and the child promptly did so. “Status.” The teen called out.
Ting.
| [Kiran] [Skills] [Spells] |
“That will take some time getting used to.” The boy flinched again at the sudden sound before calling out his own name. “Kiran.”
|
Name: Kiran Prajapati Race: Mortal Species: Manav Age: 14 Gender: Male Class: [+] Level: – HP: 80/80 MP: 120/120 HPR: 18/Day MPR: 22/Hour Titles: – Dharma: To learn. Karma: |-|- [Str: 3] [End: 3] [Agi: 2] [Int: 6] [Wit: 3] [ Rea: 3] [Spi: 2] [Wil: 2] [Ref: 3] [Sur: 3] Attribute Points: 0 Skills: [Link Lv.1] Spells: – |
The [Status] was…more than a bit underwhelming for the teen.
He had expected grand things, with high Attributes and numerous Skills already listed on the screen. He had lived the past 2 years of his life in deep austerity and continuous struggle to achieve just that, hadn’t he?
Instead, what he had received was a pittance of Attributes and a single [Skill], and that too was a common one. He couldn’t stop his mouth from grimacing in distaste.
“Is something the matter?” His father’s brows furrowed at the teens’ expression.
“It’s just…” The boy began, “…are the numbers supposed to be this low?”
“I will take my leave now.” Before anyone could answer, the teacher addressed the parents. “And give you some privacy.”
The parents nodded at the man gratefully. Status was not meant to be publicly known after all. The teacher’s timely departure was thus well received.
The inspector frowned and asked. “How much [HP] and [MP] do you have?”
The boy scowled. “80 HP and 120 MP.”
The mother sighed when she heard that and the father resisted the urge to hit the back of his son’s head.
“Ow!” The man ultimately gave in and the boy yelped as he rubbed the back of his bald head and eyed his father accusingly.
“You little…” The inspector scowled back. “Is that less for someone who has no Levels and has not yet seen their 15th birthday?!”
“Kiran’s father.” The woman chided as she placed a hand on her husband’s arm and turned to face the boy. “This is quite a lot, son. Even more so because you don’t have any [Levels] yet. How much are all your Attributes?”
Kiran gave them the information. Although he would have preferred to just show them his Status, there were no known methods to do so. The [Status] was private and was meant for only the owner’s eyes
“With just this, sending you here was worth it!” The inspector laughed but as he saw the doubt in his son’s eyes and decidedly smacked the boy again. “You little! The normal value of Attributes is between 3 to 7 for a grown man, with 5 being the average value.”
“And you have yet to fully grow up.” The mother smiled too. “Besides, don’t you have [Will] and [Reflection]? They are quite rare, you know.”
At the moment, she turned to face her husband and frowned. “His [Surplus] is on the lower side though.”
The boy frowned in confusion. His [Surplus] was low? But weren’t his other Attributes also the same amount?
“Nothing could be done about that.” The father sighed. “It is the result of his own karma. All we can do is just support him.”
“You must work hard son.” The woman nodded as she gripped her husband’s hand. “Life will be difficult for you but you have to fight it and never give up. Your father and I will always support you so you must struggle, do you understand?”
The boy’s forehead became marred with lines and his brows furrowed but he nodded nonetheless. He had reached this stage through his hard work. And although he did not understand their worry, he understood the action that they were required of him.
“Your teacher will explain the Status and what everything means later,” The inspector placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “But you should pick your Class now.”
The boy nodded and focused on the [+] sign next to the Class tab.
Ting.
| [Choose your [Class].] |
| [Shishya] |
| [Monk] |
| [Apprentice] |
| [Student] |
Kiran focused on [Shishya]. It was the only one that he was interested in.
Ting.
| [Do you wish to select [Shishya] as your [Class]? This selection is final and cannot be changed.] |
| [Yes] [No] |
The teenager focused on the [Yes] option.
Ting.
| [Class [Shishya] granted. Grants +1 [Attribute Point] at every [Level]. Grants a [Skill] at [Level 1]. Grants a [Spell] at [Level 10].] |
Ting.
| [You have levelled up! +1 Attribute Point granted.] |
Giddy with excitement, the boy opened his [Status] again.
|
Name: Kiran Prajapati Race: Mortal Species: Manav Age: 14 Gender: Male Class: Shishya Level: 1 HP: 80/80 MP: 120/120 HPR: 17/Day MPR: 21/H Age: 14 Gender: Male Titles: – Dharma: To learn. Karma: |-|- [Str: 3] [End: 3] [Agi: 2] [Int: 6] [Wit: 3] [Rea: 3] [Spi: 2] [Wil: 2] [Ref: 3] [Sur: 3] Attribute Points: 1 Skills: [Link Lv.1] [+] Spells: – |
-X-
Within a desolate desert, inside a dilapidated shop, on a simple chair, a youth seemingly slept.
-X-
Karmabhumi*: A place where one performs their Job/Work/Karma. This word had a usage similar to “battlefield”. The Job/Work is the battle and the place of work is the battlefield.
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