Chapter 5: Six Years
Six years had passed since my rebirth, and how do I put this... I had truly come to love my new life.
The irony wasn’t lost on me. In my previous existence as James, I had commanded multiple estates, sprawling mansions, and entire apartment complexes that stretched across city blocks. Now I found myself in what could only be described as a medieval European village, living in a humble cottage with walls of rough-hewn stone and a thatched roof that leaked when the rains came hard.
The adjustment had been brutal, especially that first year. I remember lying awake at night, staring at the wooden beams oveIsabellad, my body aching from sleeping on straw mattresses while my mind reeled from the stark contrast. Where once I had silk sheets and temperature-controlled rooms, now I had wool blankets that scratched against my skin and winters that seeped through every crack in the walls.
Our cottage consisted of just two small rooms – barely larger than walk-in closets in my former mansions. Currently, I alternated between sleeping in my mother’s room and my sister’s room, curled up like a cat wherever there was space. But I knew this arrangement wouldn’t last much longer. As I grew, they would inevitably ask me to make do with the living room – if the cramped space near our cooking hearth could even be called that.
Unless, of course, I could convince them to let me continue sharing their beds if you know what I mean. But that would require careful maneuvering, and the timing wasn’t right yet.
Despite the humble circumstances, everything else was progressing wonderfully. Today, in particular, brought me genuine joy because after two long years of patient observation and careful cultivation, something extraordinary had finally happened.
Skill: Blacksmithing
Current Mastery:
Rank 1Progress to Rank 2: 20%
The notification appeared in my consciousness like a warm glow, and I couldn’t suppress the grin that spread across my face. Two years ago I had begun haunting Henrik’s smithy with the determination of a man possessed. What had started as curiosity about whether my Omni-Essence Assimilation ability could work on crafting skills had evolved into something much deeper.
I remembered those early days vividly. Henrik, the village blacksmith, was a mountain of a man with arms like tree trunks and a beard that seemed to have a life of its own. His first reaction to my presence had been less than welcoming.
"Get out of here, boy!" He had bellowed, waving a still-glowing piece of iron in my direction. "This ain’t no place for children!"