Late in the evening, as the soft hum of the repaired laptops filled the room, the familiar chime rang in Sadd's mind.
Prompt: Proficiency in Nurturer, Academics, and Technology has increased significantly.
"Wow," Sadd whispered. He felt his mind sharpening even further. "UIA, can I check my status?"
UIA: Yes, Master.
STATUS WINDOW
Name: Sadd Venan
Age: 15
Class: Helper
Overall Ability: F
Strength: H | Speed: H | Stamina: H
Intelligence: E
Innate Skill: Universal Intelligence Assistant (UIA)
Paths Unlocked: Nurturer, Medicine, Academic, Technology
Sadd sighed, looking at the low ranks. "So, I don't have combat skills yet. I can only unlock Paths. But it isn't as bad as it seems. My intelligence is already rising." He paused, his heart racing. "UIA, can I check on the others? Check on Tersa and Doah for me."
UIA: Scanning subjects... displaying hidden potential.
SUBJECT STATUS: TERSA CALLIM
Age: 12
Class: One With Sword (Sword Goddess, Demi-God Tier) – Unawakened
Overall Ability: H
Innate Skill: Three Unity of Sword (Unawakened)
Heaven's Edge: The ability to cut through any physical defense.
Earth's Guard: An unbreakable stance that mirrors all damage back to the foe.
Spirit Flow: A movement technique that makes her as fast as a whisper.
Description: She is cursed by the demon sword Neffli. All her family members were put to death by Neffli's thirst for blood.
SUBJECT STATUS: DOAH DOTHAN
Age: 15
Class: Death, Life, and Reincarnation (God Tier) – Unawakened
Overall Ability: F
Innate Skill: Three Authority (Life, Death, and Reincarnation)
Description: An orphan since birth. She is experiencing care for the first time. To awaken, she needs the Blood of a God-tier being of the same level or beyond.
Sadd stared at the screens in his mind, his mouth hanging open. "So... these two are the God and Demi-God that favor me? Wow. I have got two overpowered sisters for free!"
His excitement turned to worry. "But Doah needs God blood to awaken. Do they even sell that? Even if they do, it will be monstrously expensive."
UIA: Master, do not worry. Simply add them to the Nurturer category. With time, they will awaken on their own through your influence.
"Is the Nurturer path that powerful?" Sadd asked, amazed. "Well, it won't hurt to try. Let's add them."
As soon as he made the choice, the Status Window shifted. His Nurturer path expanded, showing that he could now add 12 more people to his circle of protection.
Suddenly, a warm, golden light—invisible to the girls but clear to Sadd—began to flow from him toward Doah and Tersa.
Rapid Growth: The girls' bodies began to heal from years of hunger and cold. Their muscles became stronger, and their minds became clearer.
Potential Unlock: The "lock" on their God-tier powers began to crack. Even without the blood, their spirits started to grow to match their destinies.
The Shield of the Helper: As long as they stay near Sadd, their bad luck starts to vanish. The curse of the demon sword Neffli became quiet, afraid of Sadd's presence.
Sadd stared at the sleeping girls, then back at his glowing screen. "I'm just a lowly helper," he whispered, a smirk playing on his lips, "and yet I'm living with beings who will one day be unreachable. I guess I'll just have to ride their waves."
He turned his focus to the laptop. It was time to put his brain to work. "UIA, let's find some high-paying tasks. Translation, decoding, or programming. Anything that pays well."
He began browsing the web, his fingers flying across the keys. He quickly found a post asking for the translation of two ancient, foreign documents. The pay was 4,000 creds each.
Sadd felt puzzled. "Is it really this easy? With my assistant, this is only a few minutes of work."
UIA: Master, these languages are dead to most people, but to me, they are simple patterns. I have already finished the translation.
Sadd took the job instantly. He uploaded the finished work to their website. Within minutes, the clients messaged him back. They were more than satisfied—they were shocked by the speed and accuracy.
A notification popped up: 10,000 Creds Received.
"They gave me 10,000?" Sadd's eyes widened. "They said the extra 2,000 was a bonus for future cooperation. I'll gladly take that goodwill."
Since Sadd didn't have a bank account yet, the money was sent as a digital token. He could take this token to any financial center and withdraw the cash. He saw many more jobs listed—some paying even more for complex coding—but he decided to stop for now.
"I don't have a real account yet," he thought. "If I pile up too much money as tokens, it will be a hassle to carry it all around. I need to get my papers in order."
He looked at the dark room, then at the pile of broken tech he had collected.
"Tomorrow, everything changes," Sadd decided. "I'll tell the Boss I'm quitting his manual labor. But I won't leave him empty-handed. I'll discuss a business deal to buy all his broken and unwanted tech. I'll turn his trash into my empire."
He closed the laptop and leaned back against the wall. For the first time since leaving his village, Sadd felt like the world was finally at his fingertips.