adn't disappointed me over
lessons, I'd finally
*mos
iation wasn't perfect, but I could finally hold a basi
s going to show
o, Au
big, chubby woman as
ht! I coul
lo,
woman with blue eyes and black hai
at me for
nd, walked to her be
.
fessional a
the world around her w
play a corpse in a movie,
, Ma
had affectionately nicknamed t
sh what I tol
g her another bright smile.
. Sho
ghtened
e w
*
wasn't the only thing I'd accomplishe
es had improved
fe, but I was getting closer. My pitch was more stable, my breathing was better
eloped further, my voice wou
ever, it was
ome wasn't b
discovery I'd made whi
through acquiring knowledge,
's r
ething new, I had a chan
ch, but it w
had been to earn my first few p
ll
as still goin
ook at
: Olive
ark the
1.1
uman-Orc
: Dor
0.2 Bl
KI
1: L
2: L
3: L
4: L
5: L
6: L
7: L
8: L
9: L
10:
's r
ocals, and studying the language, I'd accum
het
tely p
ky to unlock my core bef
five EXP just
I
ridiculous sys
live Branch had been designed by
no choice but
my on
in this world, I needed e
RO
denly shattered m
lin
uh
laimed, pointing at the writing in the dirt. "Why
use
stu
rld-class musician wit
o keeps feeding me
toward my mother. "I thought he was a little g
r didn't
ura
profes
d down at the word
rritably. "If I understand what it
under my breath, but Ju
the word and be
t grows on the tr
.
sn't help
f explanatio
d at th
m the trees
religious expression? Or did these people genuinely be
of those possibilit
ing my lessons was that Julia wa
Almighty and Par
she could go an entire day wit
e get thi
hatterbox, and a fa
ivine co
had perfected the ar
a every day, I'd probably
stening again!
ely straig
y, Au
n! And don't prono
at the wri
nstructions and
e, I got
a pa
nodded ap
can learn when y
Obvi
ing of Pop,
me to remain
*
ventually ca
liar notification app
tained 0.000
hh.
lted with s
ngely addictive about se
so ridiculously difficult that every ti
long staring at a system that re
ay, I wa
imately th
embered my
0.20
iness v
till so
and I'd barely accumulated a fraction of
un
an old Orc before I coul
was no poi
ered a reliable wa
as pro
ting, microsc
ress non
o focus on
t than by charming the woman
*
EXP total, Julia reached into the folds of her c
much food that woman manag
clothing a portable
aid, handing
you,
I considered my most pro
,
innoc
kable s
had never done anything
this woman didn't even require
a pa
d at my face as though
e looke
etter ea
.
o e
ed inte
for my overwhe
e dried fruit, thorough
ond life wasn't
*
side Julia as she ge
ed only by the pale moonligh
whispered agains
Julia wasn
the silence
other too much, ok
my head t
's been thr
was softer
ion, no scolding, an
exhau
's still holding on,"
brushing my hair aw
e her st
own and kissed th
night,
nto the bedding an
ained
had nothing
*
er really cared much
had simply been two strange
d provided the only company avai
was
at's what I'
t I thought
blind not to notice
exhausted. Their clothes were worn and dirty
a struggled to
r looked even more
returned with
ing more than a han
r forgot
eft me alone
w cold, Julia hugged us tig
clearly
they continued t
.Wh
t under
re, my own ambitions, and my own return to fame tha
at happened outs
why my mother
y Julia had talk
y endured all of this jus
't even properly t
o
.
ed back to my
, my parents used
a child, I never understood why the two people who were su
ly, they
ether there had ever been a
ne thing I reme
ments stopped were when I
ormed, they wou
ould l
sometimes, they'd
smi
he entire world seem
embered tho
. The way my father would lean back in his chair an
hadn't care
d about fame
nted to make tw
been the beginn
he way, however,
e became mo
became mor
ecame more
ith standing at the top that I'd forgotten why
hat a
e chasing the approval
ost were of two people smiling
sed m
cy lights, thousands of f
eed a grand st
ld be held fo
t
thr
made someone smile,
le, listening to the so
idea came
*
, Au
st about to
e replied
g somethin
ened o
in
odd
ment, seemingly unsure wh
ve a tired
ka
of the bedding and made
or, illuminating the little patc
sn't
strum
udie
potl
tanding under the moon
at was
ed any of t
ard Julia an
ook a de
gan to
ight is col
ou with a g
inds may ris
ou, I'm saf
ce was
previous life. It was still young, still developi
sang a
the safest
arms will b
r eyes, don'
way the dark
d Julia
ssion had
t smiling
strangely distant, as though she were listening
ntin
art has los
ow mine all
mall, I'll s
rld that's sa
her I pronounced e
t didn'
and the words came from
e my reincarnation, I w
king about my
ng about becoming th
imply s
who had shared th
fed me with her
ly looked at me, yet s
we had become, whether I
other, the ni
l shine beyon
hat the wor
ace will alw
faded int
ent, nobo
oticed s
tears in
e away, pretending to wipe
.Hu
he cr
t expec
toward
ll lying on
l si
at familiar, lif
lue eyes
e in months, she was
hroug
past
m
eyes
e, uncertain
y, my mother rea
slightly as she ext
nd placed my ti
idn't
her
gers closed
nt
were afraid I
t, I finally unde
en the only one who
ost far more than
what the futur
ng in this dungeon, or what Ju
new one
hear my mo
ic was wha
I'd
again, if
I was the K
smile was wh
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