Chapter 6 Awakening 2

The morning after the awakening ceremony

Nicholas woke up and opened his eyes to the similar ceiling he had settled on after his awakening. But unlike yesterday, where his body felt like shit, today he felt his body surge with energy, like he was possessing a different body from yesterday.

Nicholas: *This must be the effect of awakening; I can't wait to try my strength later.* he thought while looking around the room.

The room he was currently in has the scent of herbs and antiseptics. The room itself looks like an ordinary room, with only a desk and a chair nearby without any decorations. 

Nicholas: "This must be a room in the newly built staff rehabilitation center." he concluded after some thought.

*grumble* *grumble*

Nicholas felt his hunger suddenly; it might be due to him not eating enough the previous day while consuming a lot of energy.

Nicholas: "I should get something to eat; I hope they made my favorite dish." He decided to get out of the room and explore the building, maybe finding the head doctor or any staff to get help from.

But even before Nicholas could even make his way to the door, a person dressed in maid attire entered the room, along with a waft of the smell of drinks and freshly made foods.

It was Maria, the maid, who accompanied Nicholas during the awakening ceremony. As she entered, she gently placed the tray of food on the desk and gestured for Nicholas to come sit on the chair nearby.

Maria: "Good morning, Master! I didn't think you'd be awake now; I heard from head maid Edela that you were quite tired from yesterday." She greeted him with a cheery face and a bit of concern.

Maria: "Young master, this maid has brought you breakfast. It was freshly made by the kitchen staff; please have some. The head maid said you didn't eat much yesterday, so I requested one of them make one of your favorite meals."

Nicholas didn't have time to reply since he was distracted by the tantalizing aroma of the foods. His mind urges him to immediately take a seat in the chair to satisfy his hunger. In which his body obediently complied, taking him behind to the chair in front of the desk.

Nicholas: "Thank you for this, Maria. I was quite famished and about to leave the room to grab something to eat," he finally said after he took his seat in the only chair in the room.

Then and there he began to munch down on the breakfast served by the maid, which consisted of freshly made bread, a bowl of creamy soup that contained chunks of meat, wild mushrooms, and vegetables.

Nicholas: "This is delicious! Complements to the chef; he really made something great." He started chatting.

In his life in this game world, Nicholas suffered a lot of inconveniences since this world is behind in technology and culture, but one thing he was thankful for was the culinary advancement in this world, just a few steps behind the modern world. But oddly enough, he learned that most of the dishes they served in the Daedric Empire were greatly influenced by European cooking styles.

Nicholas: "By the way, how was your awakening, Maria? It was quite tiring for me, so I was surprised to see you here this early and already working. I hoped you rested more since its bad to overexert yourself." 

Nicholas, who started to slow down eating after finishing half of his meal, began to initiate small talk.

Maria: "Things went great, young master, though I was a bit tired like you yesterday but I felt fine after I woke up this morning." she replied

Maria: "Well, to be honest, I didn't expect that awakening would be that hard. I guess that person is right that rigorous preparation is necessary before awakening." 

She began to prattle on about her experience during the awakening celebration. Though half attentively listening, Nicholas began to use his scanning skills to compare his and Maria's.

Maria

Level: 1

Age:10

Stage: 1

Element: [Wind LV1]

STR: 70

DEX: 60

INT:58

VIT: 52

AGI: 85

Power Level: 9739

Equipment: None

Skills: None

Nicholas Alexander Curtana

Level: 1

Age:10

Stage: 1

Element: [Earth LV1]

STR: 60 (+3)

DEX: 65 (+8)

INT: 72 (+20)

VIT: 50 (+7)

AGI: 50 (+7)

Power Level: 10450

Equipment: None

Skills: [Scan LV2]

Nicholas: *Woah* He was slightly surprised. Maria's awakening really did boost her power level; she even overtook him in terms of raw power level which he didn't expect.

In the past, his stats were leagues above hers before she started her training, but she gradually caught up but never surpassing him. He thought it would be like that for a long time.

Nicholas: *Sigh* *Having great innate talents really triumphs hard work; the world really is an unfair world. The blessed gain all the glory, while the incompetent perishes and forgets in the annals of time. * He began to monologue inside his head about the gaps between an individual's talents and potential.

Maria: "How about you, Master? How was your awakening? I bet you're even stronger now that you have awakened." she praised her young master.

Maria finished her accounts of yesterday's awakening, so she asked how Nicholas awakening went in return.

Maria: "Young master... young master." She nudged him again since she noticed that his master was in a daze.

Nicholas: "Uh, yeah, sorry about that. I was just thinking about something."

Maria: "So, young master, how about it?"

Nicholas: "Same as you, it was exhausting and painful. But it was not to the degree I was expecting. Overall, it was not bad, plus the rush of strength I felt right after I woke up this morning just affirmed to me that it was worth it."

Maria: "Yes!! I felt that when I woke up this morning. I thought I would still be sore this morning, but contrary to my expectations, I really felt energized."

Maria: "So I decided to find you, but I didn't see you in your room. So I asked about you to the head maid, and after I heard that you were staying at the rehabilitation center, I immediately went, but I went too early and found you still sleeping."

Nicholas: "Ahh, yes, I also felt terrible yesterday. Thank god I woke up really fine earlier."

Nicholas: "So, what is my schedule for today?"

Feeling energetic, he decided to ask what his training and classes for the day were.

Maria: "Ahh, the madam cancelled all your study sessions for today. She said that Master just focus on resting for the day."

Nicholas: "Oh, is that so? I'll just do some light stretching and workout then to familiarize myself with my new strength."

After feeling upset that his mother had cancelled all of his appointments for his classes, he remembered about his other companion.

Nicholas: "Any news about Clarice?"

Maria: "I heard she was also fine, but knight Maxwell, her father, also didn't let her come for today."

Nicholas: "So, it will be just the two of us then?"

Maria: "Yes, young master."

Maria lightly smiled as he answered and as she saw her young master finish the food on his plate. Immediately after, he got up on his feet and urged Maria to go with him to the field at the back of the mansion.

Maria was a little bit hesitant since Madam Iris told her to let Nicholas rest for the day. 

Maria: "Just a little bit okay, young master? If we get caught by the countess, I'll get scolded."

Nicholas: "Yes, just a little bit of stretching and exercise. I'm just excited to test my improvements!"

Nicholas: "You feel it too, right?"

Maria nodded quietly in response to Nicholas, still a little bit hesitant to accompany him. But her curiosity about her own improvement got the better of her.

Nicholas: "Let's meet at the field, okay? We'll meet after changing attire."

Maria: "Yes, young master. I'll meet you there."

Then they decided to separate after deciding to change into their training clothes. Maria went to the staff quarters to change, while Nicholas went to his room in the mansion.

After a few minutes, they met in the field behind the mansion to test their raw power for 30 minutes. Checking their improvement only in terms of speed and strength since they don't want to tire themselves out. Still, Maria and Nicholas were both ecstatic since their performances were night and day, according to their previous records.

After sweating from the quick exercise, both of them left the field to avoid his mother's maid from finding him and reporting back about his insistence on training. They left immediately and found a bench nearby before sitting on it side by side.

Maria: "This is nice! But am I wrong for expecting more power, Master?"

Nicholas: "Well, from what I know, the increase in power after overenchanting will bear fruit overtime. Teacher Fredrick told me that leveling up would really make a difference overtime due to the difference in accumulated stats during each level up. So it's way more important to prioritize foundation building than anything else," he explained.

Nicholas: "Well, now that my mother has cancelled all of my lessons and tutoring appointments, maybe I could rest and roam around the city tomorrow."

Maria: "Actually, Master, we will have to report to the church tomorrow. They said that all successful awakeners will have a simple congratulatory ceremony and banquet tomorrow morning." She relayed the news to him about the event tomorrow.

Nicholas: "Is that required?" He grumbled a little bit because he didn't want to attend such a tedious event.

Maria: "Madame Iris insists that you go since you will also act as the representative of the Curtana household," she relays Nicholas's mother's instruction.

Nicholas: "Fine. You should wake me up tomorrow, I guess, so I don't oversleep."

(You can check out Maria's appearance here.)