Chapter 5: Second Evaluation [2]
"Have you called Noah?"
Mr. Ashbourne asked Alice who was behind Mrs.Ashbourne her demeanor looking like she was ready to be sent to fetch something or carry out a household task.
"Uhhh...yes Master Ashbourne, I left him to dress himself and he should be down here in a minute."
Alice said as if she had been waiting for that specific question.
"To dress himself?..."
Mrs Ashbourne peered up after sipping her tea.
"Since when does Noah dress himself?"
"The young master asked me not to dress him anymore as he would like it if he did it himself...Mistress Ashbourne."
Alice said while giving a small bow.
\'Was I wrong for accepting the young master\'s request?\'
Alice thought to herself.
"Hmmm...strange for Noah..."
Mrs Ashbourne said.
"Oh come on dear, Noah is an adult after all...if he wants to dress himself that\'s okay," Mr Ashbourne stated while flipping through the newspaper.
Mrs Ashbourne said nothing instead she kept on thinking that her son had been acting unusual for the past 3 days.
But she dimissed it as Noah just being anxious in joining Ravenwood.
Or that he was probably trying to change up a bit before moving out and going to live on his own.
*Knock knock!
There was a sudden knock on the door and immediately they all knew who were here as Mrs Ashbourne put her cup of tea on the saucer.
"Ohhhh...they\'re here..Alice dear, could you get Noah down here for me."
"And if he refuses giving silly excuses smack his head for me..."
Mrs Ashbourne said giving a gentle smile.
"Ohh..ahh okay," Alice replied smiling nervously.
Mr Ashbourne moved to open the door after folding his newspaper.
***
Noah was standing in his room, one hand on his chin thinking something deeply.
"A second evaluation isn\'t a bad idea..."
"That will just give me an edge of this body\'s capabilities."
He then remembered or it was as if he had wanted to do it but it kept being pushed at the back of his head.
"Status window..."
He said in a hushed tone.
For a brief moment there was nothing as a single sweat drop rolled down his cheek.
\'Does this character not have one?\'
Noah or rather inner Kim Hajun thought feeling embarrassed.
Then abruptly it appeared.
A floating translucent screen in yellow colour and had intricate runic designs on it.
"Thank the gods he had one...if he didn\'t all my plans would go through a different route making things harder...or worse they would go down the drain..."
He then proceeded to look at the system displaying his stats.
●|System Status Window|●
○Name: Noah Ashbourne
○Race: Human
○Age: 16
[■Class: None]
[■Skills: None]
Attributes:
○Charm: ★☆☆☆☆
○Strength: ★☆☆☆☆
○Dexterity: ★☆☆☆☆
○Intelligence: ★★☆☆☆
○Endurance: ★☆☆☆☆
○Luck: ★☆☆☆☆
[■Magic Attributes]
○Ice: ★☆☆☆☆
○Lightning: ★☆☆☆☆
[✟Constellation: The God of Elements]
[■Summary]
Noah, your stats are truly abysmal. With no class or skills to speak of, and every attribute at the bare minimum, it\'s clear that you are ill-equipped for any meaningful pursuit. In a world where strength, charm, and intelligence, you possess none of these qualities. Even with the potential of ice and lightning magic, your abilities are barely worth mentioning.
Your association with the God of Elements is almost laughable. Perhaps it\'s time to consider whether a life of mediocrity is worth pursuing. Why not save yourself the trouble and give up now? Your potential is as limited as your stats, and the path forward seems bleak.
---
[End of Status]
"What the...."
Noah stared at the ending of his status.
"Tch...is it mocking me?"
Noah had a sweat roll down his cheek as he closed his eyes and opened them again.
"How did the original Noah even pass the exams with such stats..."
"No worries, there\'s always room for improvement and the first step is taking that second evaluation to know where I stand now and what Constellation I\'ll be under."
"On top of that if I get chosen again by the god of elements and undergo the affinity process I can get that rune from the church..."
\'A rune that wasn\'t supposed to be touched and brought a curse along with it...\'
"That was the original idea of it but only I know what kind of power it holds..."
"Its not an overpowered item...though it can be considered cheating..."
While contemplating there was a gentle knock, the door swang open and Alice walked in.
"Your presence is awaited downstairs young master."
"Okay, let\'s go."
Noah replied as they left and he closed the door behind him.