A new day dawned in Westeros. And this time, it wasn't two, but all three children who woke up together.
Twig opened his eyes and thought,"Wow… why did I wake up so early today?"
[Ding!]— Host, you didn't go to sleep hungry or tired yesterday. In addition, your attributes are higher than before. Your overall health has increased as a consequence.
Jenny and Aron looked at the boy in amazement, noticing how cheerful he seemed that morning.
"Wow, Twig!" said Aron, surprised. "You're already up? I didn't even need to wake you today!"
"And wow, you're so…" Jenny searched for the right word. "…energetic!"
"True, true," she agreed, laughing.
Twig scratched the back of his neck, feeling a bit embarrassed."Ah, guys, you're making me feel shy. As I said, this is the result of my training. See, Aron? I told you! If you do it the way I showed, you'll get stronger too. More energetic, smarter… and faster!"
Aron crossed his arms, skeptical."Normally I'd say you're going crazy. But at first glance, it seems you might be right. Let's see if you keep waking up early, or if today is just an exception."
The children hurried to get ready and leave the room. Twig was happy — today, he wouldn't get scolded by Saul.
Since they woke up early, they had time to go to the hideout and eat some of their reserves.
"Phew… today we managed to eat. Now I'll have the strength to chop wood. Very good, very good," Twig thought, satisfied.
He immediately called his friend."Let's go, Aron! Let's go! We need to chop the wood. We have to hurry!"
"Whoa, Twig! Calm down!" replied Aron, laughing. "What got into you? Why are you so excited to chop wood? It's just wood! We have to do it anyway, no need to rush!"
"Ah, I'm excited today! The faster we chop the wood and finish, the faster I can go back, organize the inn, and… later play again with the wooden swords!"
When they heard "wooden swords," Aron and Jenny exchanged a knowing glance. Their eyebrows raised, and their eyes sparkled.
"True!" said Aron, excited. "The faster we do it, the more time we'll have to play later!"
Jenny just nodded, silently planning: I'll wash the dishes, prepare the food, organize everything… that way Dad won't bother me, and I can still play with them in the afternoon.
And off the boys went toward the corner of the inn where the wood was stacked, while Jenny went inside to take care of her chores.
TAC… TAC… TAC.TAC! TAC! TAC! TAC! TAC! TAC!
The difference between Aron's work and Twig's could be heard clearly. One maintained a steady, rhythmic pace — typical of someone working calmly. The other struck at an accelerated rhythm, full of strength and energy.
"Wow, Twig… you're working really fast today!" said Aron, impressed. "I'd even say take it easy, or you'll tire yourself out. But at this rate, I don't think you even know what it means to sweat. What changed? And wow… you're cutting the wood so easily. Is the axe sharper?"
"Ah, it's not the axe!" replied Twig, with a confident smile. "I told you, this is the result of my hard training. I'm going to get much stronger, you'll see! Come with me, trust me. I'm not lying — if you follow my training, you'll get stronger too!"
Aron shook his head, somewhat doubtful."Okay, okay… let's see. I want to see if all this energy lasts later when we swing the wooden swords. I bet you'll be exhausted!"
"Come on, Aron," Twig replied, laughing. "Have faith in me. I'll prove I'm not lying!"
The sound of chopped wood mixed with the heavy breathing of the two. It didn't take long before they finished the work. Then, as usual, they carried the bundle of wood together to the designated spot.
As he walked back, Aron thought to himself,"Could he really be right? Because… today I'm carrying much less weight with the wood."
Meanwhile, Twig reflected."Well… I noticed I got stronger. Status really makes a difference," he thought, scratching his chin. "And that ability I got… how does it work?"
"System, explain how my ability works."
[Ding!]— Host, to use the Appraisal skill, you must direct your sight toward what you want to assess and think the skill's name, just like with any other system skill or option. You should already be familiar with the procedure.
"That's true, that's true… sorry." Twig gave a nervous smile. "Go easy on me. I'm still a newbie. Not everyone is born knowing how to use a system like this. Help me at the start, and soon you won't be bothered by my silly questions, I promise."
He looked around, thoughtful."Hmm… what should I evaluate first?"
His eyes landed on Aron, who was working nearby."Let's see what shows up if I look at Aron…"
"Appraisal."
[Ding!]Name: AronAge: 11Strength: 3Vitality: 3Agility: 2Dexterity: 3Intelligence: 4Luck: 1
"Wow! I can see other people's attributes! This is amazing!" exclaimed Twig. "System, why are his stats better than mine were yesterday, before I leveled up?"
[Ding!]— Host, the reason his stats are higher than your previous ones is that he ate better than you, probably exercised more, and genetics also play a role. People have different dispositions to be stronger, faster, smarter, etc.— Furthermore, it's important to consider that the standard stats for an adult human are 5 in all attributes: Strength, Agility, Intelligence, and Vitality. The exception is Luck, which is not based on training but can be increased through points earned in Level Up. Take a look at your current Luck.
"Calm down, calm down… let me see if I got this," said Twig, frowning. "His stats are better than mine were before the level up because of better genetics and eating, right? Okay, I get that. And you also said the standard stats of an adult are 5. But I'm almost at 5 in some attributes. Does that mean I'll be really strong, like a true warrior, when I reach 5 in Strength?"
[Ding!]— Not necessarily, host.— Five attribute points represent the standard for a normal common human, without intense training, maintaining a constant daily activity, just like a farmer. Five points don't reflect the strength of a great warrior who has trained his whole life wielding swords or strengthening his body.— An experienced knight, following precise analysis, would have more than 10 points in Strength.
"Hmm… let me see if I understand," said Twig, frowning. "A strong warrior… let's take The Mountain, who is very famous, for example. I remember him. How much Strength would he have?"
[Ding!]— Answer to the host's question: Based on the analysis of his memory history, The Mountain should have Strength equivalent to a character with stats above 15 but below 20.
"But why would he have stats above 15 but below 20? What does that mean? He's a monster in human flesh. Shouldn't it be more than 20?" asked Twig, confused.
[Ding!]— That would be true if we were following a standard RPG attribute calculation.— However, in the Ragnarok Online system, there is a hidden mechanic that even good players may not know. You might not remember because you are one of them.— For every 10 points in a specific attribute, the effect of that attribute gains an additional bonus that is not visible in the standard formula.— That is, every 10 points of Strength does not reflect a normal RPG character. Instead of 10, the effective value could be 12 or 13. There's a limit that "breaks" every time a sum of 10 points is reached in an attribute.
"Calm down, calm down," said Twig, scratching his head. "What's this about 10 points? I don't remember that. Explain it better!"
[Ding!]— Host, I'll try to explain it more simply.— In Ragnarok Online, the attribute system had a special mechanic: every 10 points added to a specific attribute granted an additional bonus related to that attribute's effect.— For example, Strength provides physical damage. When you added 10 points of Strength, the damage wasn't just the equivalent of 10 points, but included an extra bonus.— And this repeated every 10 points: 10, 20, 30, and so on.— Therefore, if The Mountain had more than 20 Strength, his damage would be much higher than just the sum of the points. He would be a much bigger monster on the battlefield.
"Hmm… I think I understand," said Twig, scratching his head. "So that means I should always try to reach multiples of 10 in the attribute I want to improve, so they have more effect and the cost-benefit is worth it, right?"
[Ding!]— Exactly, host.— Focusing on multiples of 10 maximizes the hidden bonuses applied by the system. Each 10 points in an attribute provides additional advantages beyond the base value.— Therefore, if you want to increase your physical damage, focus on reaching 10 points of Strength before investing in smaller attributes. The same applies for Agility, Intelligence, and other attributes.
[Ding!]— Host, it is important to note that you should not focus on a single attribute.— In the game, ideally, depending on the class, you focus on one attribute to make your build work, as the term is used.— However, in this world, you cannot do that. Imagine adding points only to Strength and ignoring the other attributes: your body would be like a paper flamethrower, self-destructing the moment you try any attack.
"That makes sense," said Twig, frowning, thoughtful. "A bit of each, everything balanced. This isn't a game, so focusing only on strength would harm me."
"If I don't have enough Vitality to withstand a fight, Agility to move, or Dexterity to handle weapons… each attribute has value. I can't waste points recklessly."
"Hey, Twig, hello, are you there?" called Aron, sighing. "Help me put the wood there. You're spacing out, man, pay attention!"
"Where did all that motivation and energy from earlier go?" he continued, laughing and shaking his head.
Twig blinked, snapping out of his thoughts, and looked at the pile of wood ahead."Let's finish this quickly," said Twig, picking up a bundle of wood. "That way I can take care of organizing the inn, as always."
Aron looked at him, a little surprised, but ended up smiling."Alright then. Let's do it."