Intelligence Accumulation Through Studying!

Lyrasia stood there, blinking up at the scholar, trying to keep up the facade of being a slightly less-than-smart baby. She crossed her arms in a way that could only be described as adorably frustrated.

She had a wealth of knowledge from her past life, but right now, all she had was a chubby, tiny body, and she wasn't about to spill all the secrets of her genius just yet.

The scholar studied her for a moment, his eyes narrowing in a way that suggested he was used to dealing with all kinds of situations, from the perplexing to the truly bizarre. He gave a soft chuckle, like he knew exactly what was going on in her mind.

The man leaned over the counter, his hands gently resting on the wood as he peered at her.

"You're not fooling anyone, little one," he said, his voice low and amused. "You may look like a baby, but I can tell you're not just drooling and giggling your way through life. You have that look in your eyes. It's the same one I had when I first started reading."

Lyrasia narrowed her eyes, keeping her mouth shut as she looked at the man, pretending to be just a clueless little baby. She didn't want to reveal too much, but it was clear that this man wasn't your average scholar. He could see past the baby act, and that made her slightly uncomfortable. She wasn't used to being figured out so easily.

Without a word, he stood up from his stool and walked over to a shelf lined with ancient-looking tomes. He picked out a few books, all of them looking heavy and far too big for someone of Lyrasia's size. He turned back to her with a smile that was almost too knowing for her comfort.

"I think these might be useful to you," he said, setting the books down on the counter, "You've got quite a sharp mind, but your body's not quite keeping up. This should help," he said. "Don't worry, I'm not expecting you to read them all in one go. Just start with the basics. You'll get the hang of it."

She sighed dramatically, which looked oddly cute given her tiny baby frame. Reluctantly, she reached out, her hands barely able to grasp the edges of the thick tomes. 

The moment her eyes touched the pages, there was a strange warmth spread through her. It wasn't magic, but it felt like she was absorbing the words in a way that wasn't entirely normal. The system notification popped up in front of her.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

[You are studying the basics of reading and writing.]

[INTELLIGENCE GAINED: +1 for every minute of study.]

'Wait, how am I supposed to study this?!'

A screen appeared in front of her, practically glowing with convenience. Her eyes flicked over the now-translated words, and she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, this is definitely a cheat," she muttered to herself.

It was unexpected that studying would give her EXP points, but it made sense in this game-like world. It was a strange kind of reward, but one that felt oddly satisfying. 

As the minutes turned into hours, she found herself slowly absorbing the material. She wasn't used to feeling this studious, especially not as a baby, but the idea of leveling up through knowledge was appealing.

Even though she had no choice but to sit here and read, there was a small part of her that enjoyed it. Maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be the worst thing to spend her time learning after all.

After what felt like ages, Lyrasia finished the first book. Her tiny hands were sore from turning pages and holding the heavy tome, but it was oddly satisfying. She looked at the scholar, who had been watching her with quiet amusement the entire time.

[Your Intelligence Stats Reached Level Three!]

[You Have Reached Level Three!]

"Done already?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lyrasia nodded, even though her brain felt like it was about to short-circuit. There felt a surge of pride, though it was hard to ignore the exhaustion creeping in. After all, she was still a baby, and reading for hours straight wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the world.

"Well, let me note this down for you," the scholar said, walking over to a wooden ledger. "I'll write down that you're borrowing this for... a day, maybe more. Don't rush through it, though."

No need to rush. There was no deadline, no immediate danger, except for the fact that a baby body was a complete obstacle. Her eyes watched as the man quickly scribbled down her borrowed books, but as when she glanced around, Meila was nowhere to be seen.

The scholar, finishing up his writing, gave a small shrug. "She left a while ago. I think she went outside."

She rushed out the door, her small legs moving quickly.

A group of older girls and a few boys were gathered around Meila, laughing at her.

One of the girls, with her pigtails bouncing, pointed at Meila, "Look at her, always reading those boring books! Who needs to be smart when you could be… I don't know, fun?"

Another boy joined in, laughing, "Yeah, books are for losers! You should be playing tag or something instead of acting all smart and—"

Meila, who had been standing there, holding a book as if it were her lifeline, bit her lip. "I-I like books! They make me happy," she said, looking down at her shoes.

'Ugh, kids.'

Everyone always said that kids were these sweet, innocent little beans, right? Wrong. If they'd actually been kids themselves, they would know that kids are wild. No one ever talks about the absolute terror they can be. They're like little bundles of chaos, all sassy attitudes and questionable decisions that somehow go unchecked because, well, they're kids. They either never grow up or grow into terrifying adults. Either way, it's a problem.

Standing in the alley, eyeing the group of bullies with a level of disapproval only a reincarnated genius could muster. The adults were nowhere in sight, and there were no rules here. Just the sweet taste of sweet, sweet revenge. She glanced around quickly, looking for something to work with. 

Bingo!

A broken wooden plank was lying there like it was waiting for her to make her move.

"Perfect," she muttered to herself, picking it up with her tiny hands and inspecting it like a weapon of war.