CHAPTER 5: TRASH TALENT?

Arnold was teaching about the world to Aegon in a very calm, relaxed voice, similar to how he always did when storytelling. But even then, Aegon understood that the world wasn’t nearly as relaxed as his grandpa was making it sound.

He had read many dark fantasies in his previous life, so if there was any truth to them, then he knew this world wasn’t going to be much different.

’Well, the novels did show human nature well. If there is power, then things would probably be like this too. But who cares? As long as they don’t bother me, I won’t bother them either, because I just want to explore the world. But... I’ll probably help if I find someone in need, I guess.’

Meanwhile, Arnold continued speaking.

"There are four main races on our continent: Demons, Humans, Elves, and Beasts. There are other smaller races under them, but these are the main ones. Let me show you the map."

He pulled out a big map from nowhere and spread it across the desk. On it, Aegon could see a detailed illustration of the Triana Continent. It not only included the names of cities and towns, but also small notes about their cultures and even details about their climates and weather.

’Woah! If I didn’t have Perfect Memory, I’d forget most of this quickly.’ Aegon thought as his eyes scanned every part of the map.

If he wanted to explore the world in the future, this would come in very handy.

Arnold pointed at the western patch and said, "That’s the Mobius Alliance, the home of Demons. Beside that, you can see the Great Solar Empire. It’s the biggest Human Empire, and also the first and last defense against the Demons. If we go further south, then we’ll find Sylvana, the home of the Elves. And if we go north, we’ll find the Frost Mountains and the vast lands that are home to countless Beast Tribes."

Arnold continued to explain everything as he pointed at each one of them, but he also made sure he wasn’t revealing too much at once. The only reason he even explained this much was because he knew his grandson would remember everything.

"Where do we live?" Aegon asked curiously. "The Great Solar Empire?"

Arnold shook his head with a complicated look on his face and said, "No, we live in the Moonrise Kingdom, south of the Great Solar Empire. This one here." He tapped the map gently. "It’s one of the smaller kingdoms, but it is peaceful here. It’s the best place we thought of for raising you."

Aegon hummed in understanding and then pointed further south, just below the Moonrise Kingdom. "So, if we pass this Moon River, we’ll be able to meet the Elves?"

"Yes. Across the Moon River is Sylvana," Arnold nodded.

’Woah! So I can meet Elves so quickly. Wait! Are they friendly?’ Aegon thought and then asked aloud, "Opa, can I meet Elves? Or are they also our enemies?"

"They can be both, depending on the situation," Arnold replied, clearly not interested in diving into the details just yet. "But I can assure you that you’ll be able to meet them without any problems."

A small smile played on his lips, making Aegon wonder what exactly his grandpa was thinking.

"The world is so interesting," Aegon said, staring at the map. His desire to explore it grew stronger with every passing moment.

"Do you want to explore it?" Arnold asked, as if he could see through his grandson’s thoughts.

"Yes!!"

Seeing his excitement, Arnold smiled warmly and said, "You certainly can do that once you are big enough. But you will need to fulfill some criteria first."

"What are they?" Aegon asked, his curiosity burning.

"You need to become at least a 4-Star Mage or a Rank 5 Knight before I allow you to go out and explore the world," Arnold said.

Obviously, Aegon was confused since he didn’t know anything about the power system yet, so he turned to look at his grandpa and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Haha, I’ll give you a rough explanation of Magic for now, but you’ll learn about it properly when you turn five. That’s when we’ll have your Awakening," Arnold chuckled at Aegon’s cute, puzzled expression and then explained.

"Magic... to summarize, it’s simply a way to become stronger. You can walk on three main pathways. The first is Body, the second is Mana, and the third is Soul. Each pathway has its own advantages and disadvantages, but we can’t always freely choose our path. Our body’s constitution decides which pathway we can follow."

’So basically like talent awakening in those novels,’ Aegon thought.

"When you reach the age of five, we will hold an Awakening Ceremony. Through that, we’ll know which pathway is best suited for you."

"Why not earlier or later?" Aegon asked.

"It’s because one’s body undergoes a natural transformation at the age of five," Arnold replied patiently. "You can also awaken Talents during that time, and they will greatly help you in your journey. Talents can vary greatly, and not everyone awakens one."

’Ah, this brings back bad memories. It’s the classic cliché of awakening trash talent,’ Aegon wondered if he would end up going through that too and asked, "Opa, what if I don’t awaken anything good?"

"Nothing changes," Arnold chuckled and said firmly. "We will allow you to live however you want, as long as you don’t walk the wrong path. As for good or bad talents, they matter for ordinary people. Not for us. I have accumulated enough for my grandson to live a lavish life without worries."

As he said that, there was sadness in his eyes.

’Everyone in our family tried that path, but none of them survived long enough to actually enjoy it. You even have everything left behind by your Grandma. You can live however you want, Little Sun,’ Arnold thought with a heavy heart.

For a moment, Arnold really wondered if it might actually be better if Aegon didn’t awaken anything exceptional. At least then, he would stay away from the dangers that had already taken too much from their family.

But that thought only lasted for a brief instant.

’What am I thinking? It doesn’t matter what he awakens. I won’t let anyone else decide his future,’ Arnold swore to himself.

On the other hand, Aegon was very happy with his grandfather’s response. Even though he knew deep down it wouldn’t happen to him, considering how much his family loved him, he still wanted to ask.

The novels had been his entire world in the hospital, so they had affected his mind a lot. Though honestly, it was a miracle he didn’t end up growing into a complete chuunibyou.

"By the way, Grandpa, what pathway do you follow?" Aegon asked, truly curious about his family. "And these stars and ranks... what exactly are they, and where are you in all of this?"