Chapter 0002 「Growth」
On the latter day, the classes started as usual.
They showed the use of signs, expressions, and primary language.
101 understood the gesture and signs, but language was troublesome to comprehend even for him.
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Five days passed.
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The everyday routine remained the same.
First, wake up early, and then the classes begin. After that, the professors would leave the children solely in the room so they could interact and play with each other. None of the children knew how to speak and would play with the toys offered to them in groups.
To fit in, even 101 formed a group. Three kids made up the group: Number 101, Number 18, and Number 71, and all were identical in height.
Number 101 had deep black eyes and black hair.
Number 18 had blue gem-like eyes, while Number 71 had black abyss-like eyes.
Number 18 and Number 71 both had silvery hair.
The professors gave different puzzles to them. One being a wooden box with holes of different shapes, and the subsequent being wooden blocks with different shapes. They could solve the puzzle by putting the correct wooden block in the right spot.
Three of them tried to solve it. Number 18 was the first to solve it, accompanied by Number 71. Number 101 did not even try. He observed the other two. He noticed the children here differed from normal children. Their cognitive and comprehensive abilities matched a teenager's intellect. The children learned at an incredible rate.
Number 18 saw Number 101 had not solved the puzzle yet. Assuming he could not figure out the riddle, Number 18 took one of the triangular blocks and implanted it in a triangular hole while presenting it to Number 101.
Number 101 looked at Number 18. She had a smile on her face. She could not speak, but he could tell what she tried to convey from her expression.
"This is how you solve it. You try it too. It's fun."
He smiled a little and then solved the puzzle.
Number 71 did not care about others. He looked at the mysteries, board games, and puzzles and solved as many as possible. In most classes, he would be the one who solved the most puzzles.
Most kids would sleep for around 10 hours at night, but Number 101 was different. He preferred to learn, but the situation was not favorable for him. If he could read, then he could refer to books, thus being able to obtain knowledge.
But they had not lectured about writing. Number 101 did not have any books or papers. However, he had patience. So, he waited.
He would also not sleep for 10 hours. He would often meditate—a habit from his previous life. Next, he would do moderate exercise. His body was that of a 6-year-old, so he did not push it much.
But.
Frequently, he would move here and there and make random moves like punching the air. Doing such things excited his heart. In his previous life, being born with glass bone limited his movements. The feeling of being caged by his own body would always linger in his mind.
Even when his father used unorthodoxical means to cure his condition, his bones never became as sturdy as an average person.
But now, he felt free.
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The Days Continued.
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After a week, most kids had apprehended vocal communication, little by little.
Some could say light words; some still struggled.
Communicating with each other helped them improve their terminology.
Small groups merged. Those who could speak most fluently were the ones who took the lead.
Most groups comprised around 12-20 people.
Except for one, it was a group of only three individuals, including Number 101, Number 18, and Number 71.
Number 71 did not interact with others; he often lived inside his fantasies and minded his interests. He was a quiet kid.
Number 101 was likewise similar. When others tried to interact with him, they would notice his deep black eyes gazing at them. The blank expression and the gaze that could pierce one's soul made the kids uncomfortable. The black eyes would scare away most kids. Number 101 didn't mind this scenario.
Number 18 was mainly interactive. Most kids knew her, and various groups invited her, but she remained with the two weirdos.
Number 71's decision to stay in this group relied on the quiet atmosphere and an unfamiliar yet strange feeling of similarity. Number 101 remained because he did not wish to join any enormous group; neither did he want to stand out. Number 18 stayed because of the uniqueness she sensed in them compared to others.
"…. I…. a.m…. num..be.r…..18."
"I... a… m...…. num… ber….71."
The kids learned to introduce themselves. Today the supervisors taught them about basic greetings and introductions.
Their speeches were sluggish.
Number 101 stayed quiet.
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Three Days Passed.
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The moment had finally arrived. Professors distributed papers and pens. They taught about letters and how to write.
Professors showed distinct characters. They explained how they pronounced the letters.
They also provided some assignments.
Number 101 sought to learn as much as he could and soaked in as much information as possible, like a sponge absorbing water.
Later, one professor took the kids to a library. "Follow me," The professor commanded.
As the children left the room in a line. Number 101 began to take notice of his surroundings.
The pathways were vast and had many routes like a maze. If someone unfamiliar with the maze's workings were to enter it, they would get lost. The floor and the walls seemed to be constructed from well-crafted grey stones. And within period distance, there would always be servants on the lookout.
101 found it strange. First, he reckoned the servants served like guards. But if they did, then why didn't they carry any weapon? They did not even have armor and wore purple cloaks and black inner wears.
Clank!
The professor opened the metallic door, and many shelves of books rested inside.
The library seemed divided into multiple floors and compartments.
The professor only allowed the children to explore the right compartment on the bottom floor.
The shelves had been packed with simple storybooks in the right compartment.
Most kids could not read the contents of the books.
Yet, the master gave the books so they could gradually comprehend the contents while learning in class.
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The night time had arrived.
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101 rested in his bed and read the book; however, it was challenging. Even if he had 200 years of memories, his mind right now was still that of a child, and he could not immediately understand it.
He had to read letter by letter; reading one line took over 2 minutes.
He shook his head, "This won't do," he whispered.
He thought of ways to learn a language faster using his previous knowledge.
The best way he could feel right now was simply effort. He already had a habit of learning new languages, and because of the absence of resources, it would be tough to use any practical method.
101 read the contents in the foreign language, then noted it in his language on a paper. He did this to record some facts he discovered within the stories that linked some information about the world he was in.
Using his original language as an analogy for another would also enhance his apprehension. Still, it would likewise demand more effort, but noting facts in his own language functioned as a diversion if his notes were discovered. Rather than just language, he used symbols and codes to hide the actual context of the text.
That day he did not sleep much. He spent approximately half a night contemplating as he found some astonishing facts inside the stories. Hence, he could only cover half a page, "No matter, it's just the beginning."
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Other kids did not bother glancing at the books except a few, as they had just learned to speak. Reading and writing were something they had just started to fathom.
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"Did you guys look at the books?" Number 18 asked in a silvery voice. Her speech was now more precise.
Number 101 shook his head, denying it.
"Only the first page," Number 71 replied.
Number 101 lagged because he envisaged the context and the future events rather than simply reading.
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The Days Continued,
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Two weeks passed, and most kids now started studying the books.
"How many pages did you study till now?" Number 18 asked.
"Around 70 pages," Number 71 replied.
Number 101 shook his head, denying the fact that he studied.
However, Number 101 had finished translating around 1/3 of the book. Number 71 was proficient. With every word he read, his comprehension increased quickly, but Number 101's progress hiked when he stopped overthinking and started skimming.
On the first day, he could only read half a page. In the second, he completed two pages. On the third day, five pages. His progress increased; after two weeks, he read over 300 pages.
He also gained various insights.
Insights about this world.
The books given were simple storybooks.
But even though they were just short and simple stories, Number 101 could deduce various things.
Like what period was it? What cultures were present in this world?
Those were simple things, but it was a start.
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The professors took simple tests.
It measured how much a child had learned until now.
Number 101 would solve only the problems that produced average results in the test.
Number 71 and Number 18 ranked first and second.
Thus, various problems arose.
Some kids struggled with the assignments, so they asked Number 71 for guidance, but he bluntly refused.
Some even requested Number 18, but she politely declined. Both of them were busy studying on their own. They had gotten addicted to the concept of learning and discovering new things.
Denial caused others to feel inferior to them.
Even at such a young age, the children had already established some hierarchy.
The feeling of inferiority was slowly giving birth to hatred within them.
But being kids, they did not act for now.
They kept asking Number 71 for help, but he refused and got irritated.
This caused him to yell at them, "Don't bother me," His face scowled. "brainless fools."
Those words had now decided what kind of life they would live from now on.