Upgrading An Attribute

Theron was being carried by his grandparents all around the house, while his mother and father attended to his sister. Charlize was chattering about various things, mostly about their experiences on vacation.

"The Capital of Arcanis looks really good, Mother!" Charlize exclaimed out loud as she dreamingly looked in front.

Chuckling, Allyza gently stared and smiled at Charlize. "You don't want to stay here in our kingdom already?" she jokingly said out loud. 

"Of course not! My family is here so Charlize won't ever lweave this kingdom!" Charlize replied enthusiastically, yet her voice was full of finality.

Currently, the Xion Family resides in the largest kingdom in the Arcanis Empire, known as the Kingdom of Estoria. They were located in the north, below them was the capital of Arcanis, where a humongous castle for the empire's royal family lies.

Despite being a nolde, the Xion Family's popularity and wealth have continuously decreased over the decades. Their businesses in armory and clothing have steadily declined as new trends emerged.

Struggling to keep up with these trends, the family resorted to investing in small businesses as a way to earn money. However, this provided only enough to sustain them. They couldn't afford to splurge or buy the most expensive things, like other nobles.

"And my cwute Bwother is here! Charlize wants to become a good sister!" Charlize uttered in a loud voice. Confidence and determination were laced in her voice. 

'What an enthusiastic person,' Theron uttered as he opened his eyes to glance over at his sister.

If it were like this in his previous life, he'd probably leave his siblings to fend for themselves, just like what they did to him. 

Theron's childhood wasn't that great. Being an illegitimate child, he was alone most of the time. His only companion back then was his mother and his personal maid. 

'Ahh, let's just look at my status page first.' Theron thought of it as he stared in front. He didn't want to recall those bad memories of his previous life.

'Let's see… Status Page,' Theron thought as a white holographic screen appeared before him. 

- - - - - 

Name: Theron Charles Xion 

Age: >1 month old

Mana: 5/5

Race: Human 

Title/s: Son of A Baron 

Future: ??? 

[ Swordmanship (/2): F ]

[ Magic (/2): F ]

[ Visual: D+ ]

[ Communication: E- ]

[ Reputation: D- ]

Skills: None

[Upgrade Available!] 

- - - - - 

[What attribute do you want to upgrade, My Lord?] 

Hearing the question, Theron stared at the holographic screen with darted eyes. He found it hard to choose among the 5 attributes. Upgrading his swordmanship and magic seemed to be ideal since they need 2 upgrades to level up. 

However, logically thinking, since he was still a baby, then what he needs to upgrade the most was his communication. This would allow him to finish his other tasks as they were connected with one another. 

'Communication' 

[Ding!] 

[Upgrade Completed.] 

Current Status:

[ Communication: E ]

When the upgrade was done, Theron proceeded to check on his tasks. 

[Tasks:] 

- Make the whole Xion Household like you.  

- Make your mother cry.

- Say your first word.

'So how can I make my mother cry?' Theron fell into deep thought.

He couldn't think of any ways. In his previous life, he never really did anything to his parents. He had experienced many things in the world, but not this one.

'For the third one… it would still take me some time.'

Taking a deep sigh, Theron glanced around and noticed that he was already in an unfamiliar location.

'Was I thinking that long?' Theron's question after seeing a large long table was in the middle. It was adorned with white and gold fabric. On top of it were candles and golden tableware, meticulously placed together.

It seemed like this was their dining area. It was his first time seeing this part of the house. Despite knowing that it wasn't that large, it somehow felt big because of his small body.

Ah, how he wished he could already grow up.

As Allyza took him into her arms, Theron felt warmth enveloping his whole body. There was something about his mother's scent that immediately made him feel at ease.

'Should I test my communication?' Tilting his head to the side, Theron stared at Allyza's face. He swallowed before opening his mouth to see if there was an improvement on his skills.

"Nyaaa!" (Hello?)

'I guess it's too early to tell,' Theron instantly regretted making a sound when multiple eyes darted in his direction.

"Our dear grandson can make a sound now?" Beatrice's eyes widened in surprise, her heart filled with awe after hearing Theron's voice.

"Yes, Mother! Not only that. He's a good boy who rarely cries! Because of this, Allyza and I can sleep soundly at night!" Finding it as an opportunity, Tyron boasted loudly. He glanced at the maids as if encouraging them to agree with him.

"Is that true?" Beatrice suspiciously asked. 

"Yes, My Lady! My Lord is telling the truth. The young lord is really amazing!" A maid who was standing on the side uttered out loud. She was Rina, Theron's personal maid. 

"I think he's tired and hungry already, my dear," Despite their joy, Allyza spoke out her concern.

Theron rarely uttered a sound, and when he did, it was usually because he was trying to communicate something.

Since Theron's diapers had just been changed, the most likely reason for his speaking was that he was hungry.

It wasn't entirely false, as Theron's stomach was already feeling empty. He noticed that his appetite had been increasing these past few days.

"Eyaaa!" (Feed me already.) 

"I guess he really is hungry." Tyron agreed, followed by a short laughter. He immediately fetched Theron's feeding bottle, since Allyza couldn't breastfeed in public.

"Here, Theron." 

Theron's mouth automatically opened as a feeding bottle was brought closer to his lips. He sucked on it instinctively, as if it were already normal for him. Being served food like this reminded him of the time when he was still an emperor.

'I guess being a baby is not that bad.'