Chapter 2: Inheritance
In the depths of darkness, a shining light pierced through, beckoning him towards awareness. Slowly, Dominic opened his eyes, the blinding light giving way to the familiar sight of his bedroom ceiling. He lay still for a moment, disoriented and groggy, the events prior to his fainting gradually coming back to him.
He tried to move, but a sharp pain shot through his body, a grim reminder of the brutality he had endured. The injury was too severe for him to make any sudden movements. Summoning what little strength he had, Dominic moved his hand, feeling the rough fabric of his bedsheets beneath his fingertips.
Realization dawned upon him—he had been brought back to his bedroom. He wasn't in the workshop anymore, facing the merciless debt collectors. Instead, he was in the relative safety of his own room, the familiar surroundings offering a small measure of comfort amidst the pain.
Dominic exhaled slowly. He then looked at the night sky through the open window and realized it was already night. The stars twinkled faintly, and the cool night breeze brushed against his skin, providing a stark contrast to the turmoil within him. The serenity of the night seemed almost mocking in its indifference to his family's plight.
"What should I do now?"
Dominic whispered to himself. It was in this moment of despair that Dominic found himself confronted with a choice—one that would shape the course of his destiny in ways he could scarcely imagine. As the screen flickered to life before him, its words shimmering in the dim light of the forge.
As Dominic gazed upon the glowing screen before him, his breath caught in his throat, and his heart pounded against his chest with a frantic rhythm. His eyes widened in disbelief, and a single bead of sweat trickled down his forehead, reflecting the dim light of his room.
"Do you want to inherit the Talents of your predecessors?" the screen asked, its voice echoing in the stillness of his bedroom.
For a moment, he could only stare in stunned silence, his mind reeling with the gravity of the situation. The words on the screen seemed to blur before his eyes, as if taunting him with their simplicity.
His heart pounded in his chest, and a bead of sweat trickled down his temple.
"This... this can't be real,". He blinked several times, trying to dispel the image before him. "Am I dreaming? Or is this some kind of cruel joke?".
His hands trembled as he reached up to rub his eyes. "Maybe I'm hallucinating because of the injury," he muttered to himself. When he opened them again, the screen was still there, glowing steadily. He reached out tentatively to touch it, but his fingers passed through the light as if it were made of mist.
"What's happening to me?" Dominic's voice quivered with a mixture of fear and awe. "Is this some kind of magic? Or have I finally lost my mind?"
He shook his head and decided it was all just his imagination. "I must be seeing things. I'll feel better if I get some rest,".
Slowly, he lay back down on his bed, moving his arms over his forehead. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to sleep and hoping that everything would return to normal by morning.
But the voice persisted. "Do you want to inherit the Talents of your predecessors?" it repeated, its tone insistent and unyielding. Dominic tried to ignore it, squeezing his eyes shut tighter and pulling the blanket over his head. "Just sleep. It's all in your head,"
"Do you want to inherit the Talents of your predecessors?" the voice echoed again, louder this time. Dominic's irritation began to build, his frustration bubbling to the surface.
"Do you want to inherit the Talents of your predecessors?" The voice continued, relentless.
Finally, unable to control his anger any longer, Dominic threw his pillow at the screen and shouted, "Will you shut up? I am trying to sleep!"
Loud footsteps started rushing towards his room, the sound growing louder with each step. His door burst open with a loud thud, and a voice shouted, "Dominic!". A tall figure stood in the doorway, then rushed towards him, arms outstretched. The arms went around his body, enveloping him in a tight embrace. He smelled a sweet plum blossom fragrance coming from the person, a scent so familiar and comforting that it instantly cleared his mind of all the negative emotions and thoughts.
He knew who this person was instantly. He felt the warm tears of the person crying on his right shoulder, each drop seeping into his shirt. The arms then held both his shoulders, pushing him back gently. "Are you ok? Is it painful where you are hurt? Tell me right now," the voice demanded with a mixture of worry and tenderness.
Dominic looked up and saw the familiar, tear-streaked face. With a smile, he replied, "Mother, I'm alright. The pain isn't as bad as it seems."
Just then, he heard multiple footsteps rushing towards his room. His father and brothers entered one after the other, each of them asking if he was okay. His father’s voice was gruff with concern, while his brothers’ eyes reflected their shared anxiety.
Dominic raised his hand, trying to calm them all. "I'm fine, really," he said, addressing each of their worries with a steady voice. "Just a little bruised, nothing more."
As they gathered around him, expressing their relief and support, Dominic felt a deep sense of gratitude. He was happy that he was born into such a caring family. At that moment, he thought to himself, “I need to protect this happiness.”
His mother checked his bandaged bruises with a gentle touch.
Dominic asked, "What about the collectors? What happened after that?" He glanced at each of his family members, sensing a tension in the air.
Immediately, his brothers' faces darkened, their brows furrowing with worry.
His father sighed heavily before replying, "Don't worry about it. They are gone for now."
His mother, her voice gentle but firm, interjected, "All you need to worry about is recovering. Your father and brothers will figure something out."
Dominic looked worried. "But, mother—"
"Listen to your mother" his father interrupted, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Dominic couldn't find any words. He simply obeyed his parents and focused on getting better. He laid back on his bed and closed his eyes. This time, he drifted off to sleep without any worries.
As the morning dawned, soft rays of sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow across Dominic's face. The gentle chirping of birds outside his window filled the air, accompanied by the distant sound of a rooster crowing. The room gradually filled with the ambient sounds of a new day beginning: the rustle of leaves in the breeze, the faint hum of distant activity from the bustling streets outside.
Slowly, Dominic stirred from his slumber, his eyelids fluttering open as he welcomed the morning light. He stretched his arms above his head, feeling the stiffness of sleep begin to fade.
He sat up, rubbing his eyes to clear away the sleepiness. Looking around, he saw the room bathed in soft morning light, with shadows dancing on the walls.
Feeling refreshed, Dominic got out of bed and stood up. He took a deep breath of the cool morning air, feeling ready for the day ahead. With a smile, he exclaimed, "So I wasn't hallucinating. It's real!"
The voice asked him again, "Do you want to inherit the Talents of your predecessors?"
With uncertainty lingering in his mind, Dominic grasped onto the glimmer of hope offered by the mysterious voice. "As long as it can truly help my family, I don't care if it's a blessing or a curse" he thought to himself. After drawing a deep breath, he uttered softly,
"Yes."
The screen flickered to life with the message: "Command confirmed. Initiating the inheritance process. Process complete: 0.1%... 1%... 6%... 18%... 25%..."
"Process completed! Inherited the talents of your predecessors -100%. Congratulations!”
***********************User Info***********************
Name: Dominic Raventale
Age: 5
Level: 0
Talent: Blacksmith (Can be evolved)
Strength: 3
Stamina: 2
Intelligence: 40
Speed: 4
Skill: Blacksmith's Eyes
Skill: ???, ???, ???
???
???
???
Please level up to unlock more features of the system.
**********************************************************
"So, is this my information?" he said to himself, scanning the details on the screen.
" What is this Level?"
" Why are there a lot of question marks?"
"Skill....Blacksmith Eyes. What does this do?”
Then, as if in response to his inquiry, the screen shifted to the Skill tab, revealing the details of Blacksmith's Eyes.
The screen illuminated with the answer: "Blacksmith's Eyes: Reveals target weak points. You can level up this skill”.
After reading the last point, Dominic asked himself, "I can level up this skill? How do I do that?"
While contemplating how to level up his skill, Dominic noticed a Gift icon blinking in the top right corner of the screen. Intrigued, he reached out to touch the icon.
A pop-up message appeared, announcing, "Congratulations! You will receive the bronze chest as a beginner's reward."
An image of a bronze-colored chest materialized on the screen, accompanied by a message at the bottom prompting, "Click the chest to open it."
After Dominic clicked on the chest, it promptly opened, revealing his rewards in a sequential list. First up:
“Stat points: 10”
“Rookie Hammer”
“Stamina potion x3”
A storage icon materialized at the bottom of the screen. The Rookie Hammer and Stamina potions automatically shifted into the storage.
Intrigued, Dominic clicked on the storage icon, revealing both the acquired items and several empty slots. Curiosity piqued, he selected the Rookie Hammer. To his amazement, the hammer materialized in his hand, ready for use.
"Wow, this is awesome. Now how do I put it back?" Dominic exclaimed, marveling at the Rookie Hammer in his hand.
In response to his query, the screen displayed a prompt: "To put an item in the inventory, please hold the item and select 'STORE IT IN INVENTORY’. The item will automatically be moved to the inventory."
To test it out, Dominic clicked on "STORE IT IN INVENTORY" and as instructed, the hammer disappeared from his hand. When he glanced at the inventory, he observed the hammer occupying one of the previously empty slots.
Marveling at the sight before him, excitement bubbling within him, Dominic exclaimed, "This is amazing!"
Eager to see more, Dominic clicked on the stamina potion. Instantly, a small bottle appeared in his hands, and an information window popped up.
"Drinking this will permanently increase Stamina by 5 points." it read.
"Is this for real?" Dominic wondered aloud. He uncorked the bottle and drank the potion in one gulp. Anxious to see the effects, he hurried back to the user information page. Under Stamina, the number had changed from 2 to 7.
"It works!" he shouted, his heart racing with excitement.
Now, all he had was an empty bottle. Curious, Dominic wondered if the empty bottle could also be stored. He clicked on "STORE IT IN INVENTORY," and the bottle vanished from his hands, reappearing in a different empty slot in the inventory.
"Even empty items can be stored? This is amazing!"
Dominic marveled at the possibilities, feeling a surge of excitement and curiosity about what else this system could do.
He looked around his room and spotted a broomstick in the corner. His eyes lit up with excitement as he rushed towards it and picked it up. The screen immediately displayed a pop-up message with the option to store the item in the inventory.
With a quick click on the "STORE IT IN INVENTORY" button, the broomstick disappeared from his hands and reappeared in one of the empty slots in the inventory.
"This is amazing! This will be really useful when bringing materials for the smithy,"
"With this, I can carry more materials and never be overburdened again."
The system could revolutionize his work at the forge, making tasks easier and more efficient.
"Alright, what can I do next?"
"Ah! There was that skill called Blacksmith's Eyes. How do I use it?"
As if on cue, his vision sharpened. He could see everything in his room with crystal-clear clarity. He was amazed that simply thinking about the skill had activated it.
He turned his gaze to the tiny blade on his table. Instantly, he was able to analyze it and pinpoint its weak points.
"This skill is excellent. I can see it so clearly now."
His eyes filled with joy and determination, he clenched his fists.
Dominic immediately grabbed the blade and rushed downstairs to the smithy where his father was working. He shouted, "FATHER!"
Elias rushed to him, panic in his eyes. "What happened? Are you ok?”
Dominic replied, "I am well, Father. Not to worry."
Relieved, Elias took a deep breath and then shouted, "THEN WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING?"
Marcus, who was also in the smithy helping his father, chimed in, "But you are also shouting."
Elias shot him a look. "Shut up."
Turning back to Dominic, Elias asked, "Why did you call me?"
Dominic held up the blade he had grabbed from his room. "I need you to help me with something."
Elias raised an eyebrow. "Help? What do you need help with?"
"I am going to make this blade strong," Dominic said with determination.
Elias looked at him skeptically. "I know you want to forge your own weapon, but you are too young. You still have a lot of time before you take up the hammer."
Dominic's eyes shone with conviction. "I know that I do not have the strength to lift the hammer. That is why I am asking you. Please trust me."
Elias studied his son's face for a moment, seeing the resolve and passion there. He sighed and nodded. "Alright, Dominic. Show me what you want to do."
Dominic smiled, his heart pounding with excitement. "Thank you, Father.”
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