Chapter Text
The area in the forest, not far from the Emilia camp's temporary residence, echoed with the sounds of fists meeting wood and bodies hitting dirt. The "secret" training ground—pride and joy of the transmigrator Natsuki Subaru—was especially lively today with Garfiel being extra enthusiastic and full of resolve.
"Les go fer anotha’ round Cap’n! Don’ go down yet! Get some grit and y’all become almost half as amazin’ as my amazin’ self!" the young warrior shouted, his sharp-toothed smile almost reaching his ears.
Alas, despite Garfiel rolling a "critical success" during his "inspiration action", Subaru was unable to keep up with his younger friend. He collapsed onto his back, gasping for air like a fish out of water, every muscle in his body screaming for mercy.
"Amazing my ass!" Subaru wheezed at the sky. "Garfiel, I'm dying here! Can we please call it a day?"
"Not yet, Cap’n!" Garfiel's enthusiasm hadn't diminished even slightly despite the hours of sparring, running, training, hitting the trees with bare hands, and lifting whole logs. If anything, he seemed even more energized. "Jus’ a bit more! My amazin' self is almost dere!"
"Almost where?" Subaru groaned, forcing himself to sit up. "The only place I'm almost at is the afterlife! And you can trust me, I'm an expert on this feeling."
But Garfiel wasn't listening. He was too busy jumping a good ten meters in the air, doing somersaults and landing perfectly on the highest platform. Garfiel's face broke into a massive grin. He pumped his fists in the air with a whoop that probably scared birds three miles around.
"VICTORYYY! Finally reached another Level! My amazin' self is the greatest there is!"
"Another Level?" Subaru blinked in confusion. "Another Level of what? Is this some kind of training regimen I don't know about?"
But Garfiel had already jumped down and sprinted toward the mansion, leaving a trail of dust and a very dumbfounded Subaru in his wake.
"Garfiel! Get back here and explain! GARFIEL!"
***
Dinner that evening was a lively affair, as usual. Almost the entire household had gathered in the dining hall: Emilia, Ram, Otto, Frederica, Petra, Subaru, Beatrice, and of course, the still-overenthusiastic Garfiel.
"And that's when my amazin' self finally broke through!" Garfiel was gesturing wildly with a chicken leg. "Been stuck at my old Level for eight whole months, but today—BAM! My amazin’ self got it!"
"That's ve-e-ery impressive, Garfiel," Emilia said with a warm smile. "Reaching a new Level with trainings alone with how powerful you already are. You are truly diligent."
Ram delicately sipped her tea with a sarcastic expression. "My, my, how cute. Little Garf reaches another Level and suddenly thinks such a mundane event is worthy of getting praise. Ram surpassed your current Level when she was just ten."
"Ram!" Frederica's tone was gently chiding. "You should know better than mocking him so childishly. And you, Garf, stop boasting about such trivial things. Especially at the dinner table. You are not seven anymore. It is uncouth and makes you look like Ram."
"Hmph!" was the only response from a pink-haired maid.
"Aww, c’mon Sis-"
Subaru's fork clattered against his plate. "Okay, I'm going to need someone to explain what the hell you're all talking about. What is this 'Level' thing?"
The entire table fell silent. Everyone turned to stare at Subaru as if he'd just asked what color the sky was.
"Em… Natsuki-san," Otto said slowly, adjusting his merchant's smile into something confused. "Are you... feeling alright? Perhaps you’ve exhausted yourself too much during the training? Or hit your head slightly?"
"I'm totally fine! I just don't know what you're talking about!" Subaru looked around the table desperately and noticed that everyone, even Emilia, was looking at him with a mix of puzzlement, concern, and pity. "Wait, why are you all acting like this is common knowledge?"
"Because it is common knowledge, I suppose," Beatrice said from her seat beside him. "Perhaps the most common knowledge that exists, in fact."
Emilia's face showed genuine concern. "Subaru, do you really not know? But... How is this even possible? Even I knew about Levels from earlier years, and I lived in a frozen forest for most of my life!"
"Even Emilia-tan knows and I don't?!" Subaru's voice cracked. "What kind of cosmic joke is this?!"
Ram's eyes glinted with amusement. "Barusu's lack of common sense has reached new heights. Ram would be impressed if she weren't so disappointed with Barusu’s sheer lack of one."
"I'm not lacking common sense!" Subaru protested. "I just… nobody ever told me about this! What even are these Levels anyway?!"
The table erupted in overlapping explanations that made absolutely no sense. Subaru caught fragments about "experience points," "Levels," and "attribute allocation," but none of it connected into a thread of coherence.
Finally, Beatrice held up one hand, commanding silence. She looked at Subaru with those ancient eyes, and he could see the moment she connected the dots about his otherworldly origins.
"Betty will explain, I suppose." She folded her hands primly. "Levels are how all sentient beings in this world grow stronger. Since early childhood, every person can open the Soul Window. It is a magical tablet that displays one's attributes, traits, divine protections, and other useful information."
Subaru felt his eye twitching. "You... you mean... like a system window? Does this world really have a game system?!"
"Game?" Otto tilted his head. "I don't understand the reference, but yes. The Soul Tenet of Od Lagna, or, simply put, System, as you called it, is how everyone develops. When we study, train, fight, or work, Od Lagna grants us experience points. These points, after reaching a certain threshold, allow us to reach what is called a Level. Each Level grants Skill points that can be allocated to various attributes such as Strength, Agility, Constitution, Charisma, Magic, Intellect, Luck—"
"—STOP! Full stop right there!" Subaru held up both hands and took a very deep breath, doing his best to keep it together. "You're telling me that this world… this world, that from day one has systematically deconstructed every fantasy trope I believed in, sometimes very cruelly… actually has the one trope I thought was too stupid to be real?! An RPG stat system?! Are you out of your mind?!"
"The only one seeming out of his mind here is you, Barusu, but we are used to it."
The butler-knight felt his head starting to spin. With each sentence this whole conversation looked more and more like a lucid dream.
"Ar-pi-gi?" Emilia tilted her head in confusion. "What is that, Subaru?"
"It doesn't matter right now!" Subaru grabbed his hair. "I can't believe this! Of all the things to be real, it was this one?!"
"Subaru-sama seems distressed," Frederica observed with growing worry. "Perhaps we should conclude this conve—"
"Of course I'm distressed! I've lived here for over a year now, and no one ever mentioned that they have a goddamn character sheet!"
"Well," Frederica said diplomatically, "it's not something one typically discusses, Subaru-sama. It's considered rather impolite to examine your Soul Window in public or to discuss it. One usually does so in private, or perhaps with close partners."
"T’was only 'cause my amazin' self got so excited dat I said anythin'!" Garfiel added, feeling like he could’ve been the one to blame for his Cap’n’s sour mood. "Normally it won't be mentioned in front of others."
Subaru's brain began to melt. "So you're saying that every single person I've met has access to this System, could have been checking their stats at any time, and I just... never knew? Do you have any idea how ridiculous this sounds?"
"Well, yes?" Otto confirmed, feeling quite frustrated with his friend’s silly antics. "And the only thing that sounds ridiculous here is your claim, that you lived for as long as you did without even knowing about it."
"How do you even open this window? I really want to check my current Level, class, and other stuff!"
For the first time since the conversation started, he felt a surge of enthusiasm. Who knows, perhaps a whole new layer of this world was about to open up to him. With his past experiences with video games and internet discussions, Subaru was planning to explore every nook and cranny of this System!
"Ram can’t believe we are playing along with this foolishness," Ram muttered, not realising she said the exact thing Otto was thinking right now.
Everyone at the table raised their hand and performed the same gesture in the air—a quick, subtle motion with their thumb and index fingers, as if zooming in a picture on an invisible smartphone screen. Yet Subaru saw absolutely nothing.
He tried to copy the gesture. Zoom in. Nothing happened. Zoom in again. Still nothing. He tried several more times, using the other hand, adjusted his fingers, tried slower, then faster.
"Um." Subaru looked at them, not stopping his attempts. "I don't see anything."
"Of course you don't, you dunderhead," Emilia said gently. "Only the owner can see their own Soul Window. We can't see each other’s windows either."
"No, I mean..." Subaru swallowed hard. "I seem to be unable to open my own. Perhaps I should undergo some sort of training to learn this?"
"Enough of this nonsense, Natsuki-san! Even little kids can open their windows! Honestly, you would’ve sounded more credible if you claimed that you came from another world!"
"Well, actually—" Subaru started, somewhat embarrassed that Otto, of all people, was talking him down like he was a rowdy kid.
But Otto wasn't finished.
"You just wish for it to open and do the sign with your fingers, it’s that easy! This knowledge is literally ingrained in every sentient being much like their ability to walk or eat." Otto said with growing exasperation evident in his tone.
"Subaru, this is one of your jokes where you look silly rather than funny." All of the sudden Emilia started talking to him with a serious and mature tone. "You were fully capable of casting magic before you broke your gate, so surely you knew how to open your Soul Window and allocate Skill points into the Yin magic. How else would you learn magic?"
"Well, you are right, I could, but… I was just following Puck’s instructions, and it worked. After that I simply remembered the procedure. I swear I’ve never once seen this window!"
"People cannot learn magic without allocating Skill points into it first, Barusu! There is a limit to absurdity that can exist, even when it comes to you!" Although Ram’s words sounded angry, those that knew her well noticed it as a sign of concern.
"And…" Subaru gulped, growing more and more nervous and continuing to move his fingers in the air. "What If I… don’t have one? I've never been able to open anything like that. To be fair, until today I’ve never even heard about it. No matter how strongly I wish for it to open, nothing happens, and believe me, I want this thing to pop up!"
The silence that fell over the table was deafening.
"Impossible, I suppose…" Beatrice said, but her voice lacked its usual certainty.
"Subaru-sama, surely you jest." Frederica's ears twitched nervously. "Without the Soul Window, how would you learn to speak? To read? To write? To cast magic or wield your whip? All these things require allocation of Skill points to obtain and master."
"Uh, the usual way?" Subaru looked around at the shocked faces. "You know, through practice? Repetition? The mother of learning? Just like everything else?"
"But… without allocating the Skill Point to the language skill tree—" Frederica started.
"Skill tree?! There're also Skill trees?!"
"Of course there are skill trees, in fact!" Beatrice's composure was cracking. "Every skill must be purchased with Skill points and added to one's Soul Window!"
"Beatrice-sama is absolutely correct. Didn't you allocate your Skill points to the language skill when you were learning to write and read, Barusu?"
It was a rare moment when Ram dropped her stern or smug expressions, allowing her surprise and concern to be shown openly.
"I just... learned the characters and words! Memorized their meaning by writing them down repeatedly!" Subaru was gesticulating wildly now. "That's how the human mind works! You practice something, your brain forms neural pathways, you get better at what you are doing, and gradually become smarter and more skilled!"
"Neural what?" Ram asked. "You're spouting even more nonsense than usual!"
"And the muscles?" Garfiel leaned forward, his usual grin replaced with confusion. "How'd ya even build muscle without pumpin' points into Strength?!"
"By LIFTING THINGS! By working out! You strain your muscles, the muscle fiber tears, and then your body rebuilds it stronger than before!" Subaru could hear the hysteria creeping into his voice. "It's basic biology!"
"What's ‘biology’?" Emilia whispered to Ram.
"Obviously it's another ridiculous 'Barusism,' Emilia-sama."
"This is NOT how things work, Natsuki-san..." Otto pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his forehead. "You train, gain experience points that eventually grant you Skill points that you use to allocate them to the Strength or Dexterity. Much like Garfiel-san did today."
"Do you even hear yourself, Otto?! Are you seriously telling me that you can learn a new language or become a mage simply by… chopping trees all the time?!"
"Don’t be stupid, Natsuki-san! Of course you can’t! You should first encounter the new language or see the magic you want to learn to unlock the appropriate skill. And after that happens, you spend your Skill points to obtain it! The more experience points you get from doing certain activities, the cheaper it is to learn new skills that are connected to said activities. That is why you DON’T cut trees to become a scholar! It’s simply not cost-effective!"
"But it is possible, right?" Subaru kept pushing.
Otto suddenly realized that his friend’s words actually held some merit. "Well, technically… Still, this is unprecedented. I've never heard of anyone existing without access to the Soul Window. It’s like someone living without a gate at all! By all accounts it should be impossible!"
Petra, who had been quietly sitting until now, raised her hand timidly. "Um, Subaru-sama? If you don't have a Soul Window... how do you know what your stats are?"
"I don’t! I have no idea what my stats are! I just live… exist! I do things! Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail!"
"But how do ya know if ya're close to gettin’ anotha Level?" Garfiel asked, genuinely concerned now.
"I don't know what that means!"
Beatrice was very quiet for a time, and when she finally spoke.
"Betty has a theory, I suppose." She looked at Subaru with well-meaning pity. "The place Subaru has come from... perhaps it operates on different principles. Without the System."
"A place without the System?! How would anything function there? How would people even develop beyond being toddlers!"
"Apparently through this 'biology' thing," Ram said dryly. "So uncivilized. Just like Barusu."
"It's not uncivilized! It's NORMAL!" Subaru protested. "You're the ones living in a video game universe!"
"Video game?" multiple voices asked in confusion.
"Never mind!" Subaru groaned. "So… let me get this straight. Everyone in this world has been min-maxing their stat builds while I've been stumbling around like a default character?"
"Min-maxing?" Otto repeated. "I don't understand that term, but if you mean optimizing one's Skill points allocation depending on their role and goals, then yes. That's standard practice."
"Of course it is." Subaru buried his face in his hands. "This explains so much."
"Like what, I suppose?" Beatrice asked.
"Like why everyone is so ridiculously overpowered! You're all running around with optimized builds while I'm stuck with whatever random stats I was born with!" Subaru looked up with sad eyes. "So… I suppose Garfiel got a huge amount of exp after he defeated Elsa, huh?"
"Ya bet! Dumped most of it in my Strength and Dex! Also added some points to healin’ magic. Dat bitch almost got my amazin’ self a few times. Needa be tough’a then dat."
"That… sounds surprisingly well thought out coming from you Garfiel-san" Otto praised him, happy to distract himself from the weird talk.
"Betty also received a substantial amount of new Levels after defeating the Great Rabbit. These additional Skill points she used to learn new magic with her contractor, in fact." Beatrice used this to try and cheer up her obviously melancholic contractor. She really didn’t like when he was down like that.
"Huh, is that so? And here I thought this magic was mine and your original ideas. However, from what you said, it seems you just obtained them from a skill tree?" Subaru suddenly felt even more disappointment. Were his and Beako’s exploits and experiments really for nothing, and she could simply choose them from some "catalog"?
"You underestimate the power of Betty, I suppose! She created those spells from zero using her "Spell creation" ability! The research we did was needed to lower the cost of Skill points to create them. Creating new spells is very costly, because you need to influence the Od Lagna itself, so our exploits were very much needed, in fact!"
"Oh, my Beako is truly amazing!" Subaru smiled happily, patting the head of a content spirit girl.
"Hmpf! That’s right! The most amazing there is!" she said with a smug expression. After all, she succeeded in bringing a smile back to her contractor.
"It was not only Beatrice that got mu-u-uch stronger after that fight," Emilia butted in, wanting to be part of their happy talk. "Since I was considered by Od Lagna a part of the group that defeated the Great Rabbit, I also received a lot of experience points."
"Oh, did you spend it all to increase your beauty? I did notice you became even more gorgeous since the Sanctuary!" With his spirit uplifted thanks to his loyal spirit, Subaru, as per usual, used any opportunity to compliment the half-elf girl.
"D-Dunderhead…" Emilia answered, blushing profusely. "What I meant to say is that I also received a lot of Skill points. Thanks to them, I was able to learn how to wield all those kinds of weapons and use them for my Ice Brand Arts. Also, I allocated some points to the "Puppetmuster" skill tree to be able to create ice soldiers."
"Huh… that… does explain a lot. I did wonder how you managed to learn so many different styles of wielding martial weapons without spending years on training. I thought it was because you had a natural talent and Clind is a great teacher."
"Mhm. That is why it’s important to have a few points in reserve in case you need something ve-e-ery urgently!" Emilia said with a content expression.
"You have no idea how anime-like it sounds. When in a tough spot the main character feels cornered, in need of a new finisher move and all of a sudden he stands up and is able to do new incredible feats…"
In Subaru’s head a conspiracy began to take form. What if the System actually existed in his world too, but not everyone had access to it? But that thought was for another evening.
"Still, the fact that you can learn how to wield a halberd instantly just by clicking a few buttons sounds demonically unfair! I thought your great mana pool and raw physical strength were traits of your elven heritage, but apparently you’ve been investing heavily in Strength stat?"
"Ah, yes. Elves do have increased bonuses to Strength and Magic. That’s why Puck advised me to invest heavily in them during our days in Elior."
"The Great Spirit, huh… and why exactly in those attributes, Emilia-sama? You could’ve improved your Charisma or…" Otto hesitated for a moment, torn between fear of sounding rude and desire to know the answer. "Perhaps add a few extra points into Intellect?"
"Oh, that’s simple. Strength and magic were needed to protect me from danger. I have a huge debuff to Charisma due to my inborn trait as a silver-haired half-elf, so there is little sense to try and invest there. And as for Intellect, Puck said that there is no need to waste points on it, since all I have to do is look adorable and for him I was already the prettiest."
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence. No one present had any idea how to approach this matter. Even Ram wasn’t sure she was ready to open this can of worms.
"Emilia-tan… for the future. Consider it again, please. After all, Puck is temporarily unavailable, so perhaps you should learn to be more self-sufficient."
"Well, since Subaru says so, it must be a good idea…" Suddenly she turned away, her gaze embarrassed. "But, alas, I’ve spent most of the available Skill points and have no idea when I’ll be able to level up again."
"Wasn’t it you who just talked about the importance of keeping reserves of Skill points?" Subaru started to feel something completely alien boil inside him. Apparently it was anger at Emilia.
"I kno-o-ow! But those abilities to wield nunchucks and sai looked so-o-o interesting I just couldn’t help myself!" Emilia said, giving him her best ‘puppy eyes’ she could muster.
Subaru was almost boiling with rage. Gally for Emilia, her trick has worked, and she diverted this rage from here. Instead, Suabru felt a strong urge to scream "PUUUUUUCK!!" at the top of his lungs, but since no one present would understand his Star Trek reference, he ultimately decided against that.
"Honestly, the way you said it was absolutely adorable but…" He was struggling to give an exact level of such blockheadedness measured in ‘Lia’s.
"Subaru," Emilia spoke up gently, feeling the urgent need to shift the topic away from her, "if you never allocated your points into stats or abilities, how do you even know if you're getting stronger?"
"I... I guess I just feel it? When I see that I can do things I couldn't before? When I feel that I can run further and faster, or be able to read the text I couldn’t before. Things like that." Subaru shrugged his shoulders. "And you can just... allocate points however you want?"
"Within reason, I suppose," Beatrice said. "There are limitations. For instance, one cannot put points into Magic if they have no aptitude for it. And the effectiveness of skills depends on personal traits they were born with. There is no point in allocating many points into magic if one has a faulty gate, I suppose."
"This is insane. Absolutely insane." Subaru looked around the table. "How has nobody questioned this? Like, philosophically?"
"Questioned wha’?" Garfiel asked.
"The fact that you can quantify personal growth into numbers! The fact that you can literally point at a number and say, 'That's how strong I am!' Doesn't that feel weird to anyone?!"
"Not particularly, in fact," Beatrice said. "It's simply how the world always works. It would be like questioning why the water is wet."
"Water is wet because of intermolecular forces and—" Subaru stopped himself. "You know what? Fine. I live in an isekai RPG world now. Sure. Why not? What else should I know? Perhaps there are even quest logs?"
The guilty silence returned. Everyone immediately found something very interesting on the table, floor, or in the ceiling.
"There are quest logs." Subaru's voice dropped flat.
"There can be major and minor quests. They appear automatically when one accepts tasks from others or sets a clear goal to themselves," Otto admitted. "It's quite useful for tracking one's responsibilities."
"And none of you thought this was worth mentioning to me because...?"
"We thought you knew!" Emilia said earnestly. "Everyone knows about the System! It's like... like breathing! You don't explain breathing to people!"
"Apparently, I've been going on ultra hard mode this entire time while you all had UI assistance!" Subaru grabbed his hair again. "Okay, go on, finish me. Do you also have fast travel mechanics?"
"What's fast travel?" Petra asked.
"Thank Buddha for small mercies," Subaru muttered. Then louder: "I don’t think I can handle any more astronomically unfair revelations today."
"O’ c’mon, Cap’n! Do be so down ‘bout it! If wha’ ya said is true dat means ya’r even more awesome den we thought!
"That… is actually quite considerate of you, Garf." Subaru said with a grateful smile. Perhaps everything was not so bad after all. Inside him arose a warm feeling of camaraderie and acceptance that-
"Cause it means ya’ve beaten my amazin’ self while being a lame Level one shmuck!"
And just like that the feeling was gone.
"You’ve raised my hopes and crushed them quite expertly, Garf… I give you seven Rams out of ten!"
"Really?! Thanks, Cap’n! But wha did my amazin’ self said to make ya all sad again?"
"So, um," Emilia said carefully, the situation was so tense that she started to think that Subaru might be rather upset. "What will you do now, Subaru? Now that you know about the System?"
"What will I do? What can I do?! Apparently, I don't have access to it!" Subaru laughed bitterly, slightly unhinged. "I'll just continue stumbling through life the old-fashioned way. Like a caveman. While you all optimize your builds and complete quests and… Haaah, let me guess, there are also achievements, right?"
"Yes," Otto said. "But they're mostly cosmetic titles—"
"I don't want to know! I don't want to know!" Subaru stood up abruptly. "I'm going to bed early. I need to sleep off this existential crisis. Please don't tell me about any more game mechanics. My sanity can't take it."
As he walked toward the door, Beatrice called out, "Subaru!" For what it's worth, you've survived quite well without the System, in fact. Perhaps there's something to be said for your… biology."
Subaru paused at the doorway. "Thanks, Beako. That actually helps. A little."
"Though Betty must point out that your effective Luck stat must be quite high to have survived this long without optimization—"
"GOOD NIGHT!"
The door slammed behind him.