There were also very few instances of someone’s Stats dramatically increasing with the gain of a single Level. Only in cases of concentrated study in a sphere in which they had natural ability could a person even hope to gain 2 Stat points with a single increase in Level. Increases of 3 points were almost unheard of.
While both Stats and Levels were granted by the spirits at birth, it was customarily through a process of Judgment on a person’s fifth birthday that they were measured, as it was understood that a premature grasp on the presence or absence of prodigious ability could have a negative impact on a child’s development. As a result, efforts to raise one’s Level necessarily began only after that point, although as previously noted, this was extremely difficult to do. While reaching Level 1 required at least one year, it took about five years on average. Reaching Level 2 took ten. A child who, upon coming of age at ten years old, had reached Level 3 was considered a genius, and a child who had reached Level 4 was a prodigy. It also merits mention that any single stat being greater than 5 at the time of Judgment was considered genius-level.
As for Allen, his Stat Judgment at five years of age showed that he was already Level 1, and all his Stats were 5. Needless to say, this was incredible. Allen was called a child prodigy and was the focus of a great deal of extravagant praise.
“Still, I guess I should be thankful that I managed to make it another five years.”
Indeed, Allen had reached the age of ten, all the while being praised as a genius. But on his tenth birthday, it was found that he had not gained a single additional Level. Meanwhile, his brother, one year his junior, had already climbed to Level 2. Thus, Allen—in some sense mercifully—ceased to be known as a child prodigy, was labeled a “good-for-nothing” by his father, and earned the contempt of his brother.
It would have been no surprise if Allen had been banished at that point, and in fact he had eagerly anticipated it. The only reason he hadn’t been was the matter of his Gift.
A Gift was a blessing granted by the gods, a mighty power that at times could outstrip any disadvantages implied by Stats alone. A Gift could even result in upsets that should have been impossible given two people’s differences in Stats. An endless variety of Gifts existed, each having enormous potential. As a rule, the blessing provided by a Gift was extremely limited in a sense. For example, the Swordmaster Gift bestowed the skills of a first-class swordsman to those who received it, even if they had never picked up a sword. A person granted the Heracles Gift could effortlessly lift boulders with one arm, even if their Strength Stat was 0. Someone with the Monster Master Gift could communicate with monsters, and one with the Analyze Gift could recognize the Levels, Stats, and Gifts of others. With all this variety, the one certainty was that the recipient would be conferred a blessing befitting a gift from the gods.
Unlike Stats, Gifts were not granted at birth. An event known as the Blessing Ceremony had to be held. This was done to celebrate the maturity of a child who had come of age. While, as a rule, all children received such a ceremony upon coming of age, slight differences might exist based on the nation in which the ceremony took place. As one would expect of a ceremony in which divine blessings were conferred, the Church ran the proceedings free of charge. Still, it was said that in some nations, the Church required payment to conduct the proceedings, though they preferred the term “contributions.” As a result, there purportedly existed people who had not undergone the Blessing Ceremony due to a failure to make these contributions.
Fortunately, perhaps, no such system existed in this nation, and even the children of the poorest villages were able to have their ceremony, presumably due to the presence of the archbishops, who favored their citizens. Still, the real reason was unclear.
Of course, any organization run by people required money to operate. The mystery was not why the Church collected this money in the form of contributions, but why this particular nation was exempt. They were not small enough that the presence of the archbishops could explain their decision to offer the ceremony to all people for free, so there had to be a better reason.
It was nothing for Allen to be concerned about, though. He had already had his Blessing Ceremony a few days prior...and look how that had turned out.
“Hmm. Considering I’ve already been worthless and been cast out, I guess my future prospects aren’t looking great.”
But that assumption would prove wrong today. Of course, this outcome was what Allen had wished for all along. That was why he hadn’t bothered to put up a fight. In fact, the reason he had been trembling with his downturned gaze wasn’t that he could barely stand the humiliation—it was to avoid uncontrollably breaking into a smile.
It had already been fifteen years since he was born into the duchy. He couldn’t have cared less if they called him a good-for-nothing; in fact, every time he’d heard it, he had hoped that it meant he would soon be cast out. And now he was finally free to pursue a peaceful life. He was feeling happy, utterly without worry, and his destination was clear in his mind.
“The Frontier... I wonder what it’s really like?”
That was where Allen was heading. He had to admit that he didn’t know all that much about the area, but just from the name, it sounded like a place free from strife and turbulence. Surely he would finally be delivered from his restless life.
With his heart full of hope, he headed eastward.