NOVEL WEB Chapter 5: A Second System
Raiden turned three years old today, and the Goldheart estate was alive with vibrant celebration. The great hall rang with laughter, music, and the clinking of glasses as friends and relatives gathered to honor the young heir.
True to their name, the Goldheart family had spared no expense to make the occasion unforgettable. Festive banners draped the walls, and long tables groaned under the weight of the food and delicacies from all across the realm.
Yet, amidst all that happy mood, one thing was conspicuously lacking: the birthday lad himself.
"Where could Raiden have gone?" Looking about the hall, Lady Elise asked in a somewhat worried tone. Her brilliant smile hardly covered her growing nervousness.
Her husband, Lord Cedric, placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You know him; he wonders about everything. He is surely just looking at one of the rooms. Kent will find him soon enough." He gestured toward Raiden's older brother, who was already leaving the hall in search of the tiny troublemaker.
Kent.
_____
Meanwhile, at the far end of the estate, Raiden sat on the edge of a soft bed in a quiet room, staring intently at a translucent screen.
Today wasn't just his birthday—it was also the day the Fusion System had activated, marking the emergence of his second major power in this life. And with it came another unexpected gift.
Fixing his attention on the brilliant blue text on the screen, he murmured, "So this is what she meant."
The Fusion System was nothing alike when compared to the Skill Draw System. While the latter allowed him to purchase skills using skill points and track his fundamental stats, the Fusion System screen displayed feature descriptions, each more seductive than the next.
[Fusion System: Activated]
[Function: The Fusion System lets the user combine skills, spells, and objects to produce enhanced, more powerful versions. Easily movable between systems, skill points fuel the fusion process. The cost of every fusion is influenced by its success rate, the ranks and compatibility of the skills or selected items.
Raiden's eyes widened as he scanned the descriptions, a grin slowly forming on his face. "So I can combine abilities… just consider the possibilities."
Calling up the familiar interface of the Skill Draw System, he compared. The layout of the two systems was nearly identical, though the Fusion System's interface had silver edges instead of blue. Displayed before him were his 60 skills gained from the Skill Draw System, all ranging from E-Rank to D-Rank.
Though none of them had yet reached the C-Rank or higher, he could sense the potential boiling just under the surface.
And now, he had found a way to modify that.
'Let's see…' Looking over his skill set, he came upon a new button marked [Transfer Skill Points]. Raiden tapped it, and right away a prompt appeared.
[Input skill point value for Fusion System transfer.]
Eyeing his total 60 Skill Draw System points, Raiden considered, "Everything's perfect."
"Let's start with 30 points," he thought, verifying the figure once again.
[Transfering 30 Skill Points…]
[Fusion System: 30 Points Added]
[Skill Draw System: Transfer Confirmed]
Two alarms flashed quickly, one from the Fusion System, which now displayed 30 points on its own interface, and one from the Skill Draw System verifying the transfer.
"Perfect," Raiden said softly. His eyes returned to the skill list, already considering the potential combinations.
The Fusion System claimed that he would only be able to combine skills of the same rank, and compatibility would determine the fusion's success.
Raiden selected two of his E-Rank skills—each rather underused: [Silent Step] and [Light Touch].
As he selected the skills, his eyes lit up.
A new panel materialized, displaying more data.
[Selected Skills: Silent Step, Light Touch ]
[Compatibility: 70%]
[Fusion Cost: 3 Skill Points]
Raiden gave a small, satisfied nod. "Three points, huh? Let's see what you can do."
He confirmed the fusion. A progress bar appeared, and the panel updated.
[Fusion in Progress… Capacity for balancing.]
Breathless, Raiden watched the screen hum. A few seconds later, a new alert started to show.
[Fusion Perfect] [Newly Acquired Ability: Shadow Glide]
[Description: Allows the user to move with almost invisibility and minimal sound, briefly merging into shadows. Ideal for stealth and evasion.]
A smile crept onto Raiden's face as he whispered the name, testing how it felt on his tongue. "Shadow Glide…"
He likes the sound—sharp, smooth and stealthy. The ability itself—almost invisible, mixed with silence—was far superior to his two natural gifts.
Eager to try once more, he selected two more E-Rank skills for fusion.
With six more E-Rank abilities combined, Raiden burned through fifteen skill points, generating three fresh D-Rank skills.
Every successful fusion brought him closer to a more potent ability, and it was exciting to see his skills evolve.
But just as he was about to try yet another fusion, a loud crash shattered the silence.
Bang!
The door exploded open, splinters spraying across the floor.
Startled, Raiden looked up to see his older brother, Kent, walk into the room, his face somewhere between delight and irritation.
"Well, there you are," Kent said, folding his arms. "Dad is Furious. You know you're meant to be downstairs?
Raiden tried his best innocent glance, quickly closing his system interface and replied, "I was… busy. Doing more significant things, you know?"
"More significant things?" Kent raised an eyebrow, and a grin tugged at the corners of his lips. "Now I see. More important enough that you had to forget your own birthday celebration?"
Raiden gave a sheepish, lighthearted shrug. "Perhaps. That aside, I assume you came to 'protect' me, right?"
Kent laughed and ruffled Raiden's hair as he walked to the bed. Even at ten, Kent was a force to be reckoned with. If nothing else, he was most certainly a genius, just as Raiden was. While most children awakened at age ten, Kent awakened his Mana Heart at seven. His strength even now was staggering.
"Father is going to make you pay for this, you know," Kent said with a grin. "He seemed prepared to have a statue commissioned of you, yet here you are, hiding in a room."
Raiden rolled his eyes and sighed; then he laughed just a little. "Well, if he wants my statue that badly, he can always wait."
Kent nodded, laughed, but his tone shifted. "Come on, birthday boy. Remember? It's my role to be the one who rebels. Now let's go before they dispatch a search party."
Raiden got off the bed and glanced at his brother. "Fine. Lead the way."
As they walked down the corridor, Raiden grew more and more respectful of his older brother. Despite the pressure of being the first son, Kent was strong, brilliant, and naturally self-assured.
Drawing on the skills he had kept hidden from his family, Raiden had tried to challenge him in secret a few times in the past. But every time, Kent readily humbled him.
As they reached the great hall, the sounds of the celebration greeted them: family members raising their glasses to toast while servants rushed about.
Raiden's mother spotted him and waved at them, her face lighting with relief.
Grinning brilliantly, she declared, "There he is! The man of the hour!"
Raiden looked up at Kent, who nodded enthusiastically, and found himself smiling in return. "Ready for your incredible moment?" Kent asked as he shoved him ahead.
Raiden gasped. "Let us wrap it up now."
He knew that he still had a long way to go before he could truly stand his own against his incredible brother.
But with the Fusion System and the Skill Draw System as his arsenal, he had tools to carve his own path—and leave his own mark.