Chapter 40: Milestone for a ten year old
Michael walked up to his parent's master bedroom to ask them where he could buy a gallon of petroleum oil. He needed a lot of them for his electricity project to succeed.
Knock knock!
Excitedly, he opened the door without waiting for a response. And when he walked in, he noticed that Bart and Lylia were in the middle of discussing something serious.
It seemed that this wasn't the right time to ask for a favor.
"Sorry," Michael said. "I should have waited."
Bart shook his head. "It's alright son. Come on in. We were just about to call for you."
Michael observed the serious look on their faces.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
His mother motioned for him to sit on the bed with her, which he complied. Then, she started to rub his hair, just like she used to when he was smaller.
"Dear Michael, you know that you are about to turn ten years old, correct?"
Michael was aware of his birthday, but he didn't think it was anything special. After all, he already convinced them to forgo a lavish party a few birthdays ago.
"Son, you don't know this, but ten years old is an important milestone for a child. I am not exaggerating when I say that it will change your future," Bart said, crossing his arms.
Michael frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"At ten years old, a child will have the opportunity to have what's called a 'Talent Awakening'," his mother explained.
"What's that?" Michael asked, completely clueless.
"Talent is inherent in every person. It is the thing that they most excel at, even if they know it or not. And with a Talent Awakening, they can find out that inherent aptitude they had all their life."
Michael had ChatJK2 search the records in the Magic Library about a Talent Awakening, but there was not a single book that detailed what it was.
"What will I get if I awaken a Talent?" Michael asked.
"Someone who awakens a Talent will gain new spells that only they can learn. Those spells will have something to do with the talent they awakened."
"For example, someone I know gained the Talent called Magma Technician. One of the spells they gained was called Magma Swim, giving them the ability to live in a volcano and remain unharmed."
A glint of recognition flashed through Michael's eyes. Her explanation was very similar to what he heard five years ago.
"The unique spells that people learn because of their talent is called a Skill."
Michael's eyes widened. This was the exact explanation ChatJK2 gave him when describing the difference between a spell and a skill.
He didn't know that people gained a skill through their Talent. He even thought that it was something that ChatJK2 made up on its own.
Meanwhile, Lylia saw Michael's stern face. Her heart ached, thinking that her son was worrying about the Talent he was going to get.
"Don't worry, my dear son. I'm sure that with your aptitude in magic, you will get a Talent related to your quadruple mastery cores. I'll predict it now: you'll have a talent that will allow you to harness all four elements and combine them into one!"
"I'm sure you'll get a Supreme Skill!" Lylia declared.
Michael's jaw dropped.
"Honey, don't get the boy's hopes up. You do know that a Supreme Skill hasn't shown up in our country in more than a hundred years, right?" Bart remained the realist.
"Hmph, you don't believe in your son? With how smart he is, I'm sure he'll gain one!" Lylia insisted.
"Of course, I believe in Michael. I just think it's best if we don't have any expectations for his Talent Awakening."
Bart then approached his son and ruffled his head. "Michael, we love you no matter what talent you awaken. You know that, right?"
But the ten-year-old Michael still couldn't believe it.
Even though he hadn't undergone the Talent Awakening yet, he already had a Skill of his own—a Supreme Skill at that!
He didn't even know that was possible.
"A Supreme…Supreme Skill? What's that?" Michael asked awkwardly.
"A Supreme Skill is an extremely broken power that can rewrite reality itself. From what I know, there are only about ten of them in the entire world, and each of their wielders are beings of immense strength and power.
The current King of the Seas controls the oceans because of his Supreme Skill.
The Monstrous Demon King commands the respect of all monsters because of her Supreme Skill.
The Draconic Empress reigns supreme over her entire race because of her Supreme Skill.
Michael, do not be let down when you don't get a Supreme Skill. They are too powerful to be left in too many hands, so God only bestows them upon a very select few."
Bart's explanation made Michael sober up. He would have never thought that the skill he obtained from ChatJK2's software update would turn out to be so special.
He knew it was strong, but he didn't know it was 'rule the world' strong.
"There's no use arguing about it here. We should head over to Kingsbridge right now and visit the Church," Lylia said, already packing for the trip.
Michael didn't know what would happen to him in his Talent Awakening.
What do you think, ChatJK2?
[I do not have enough knowledge about the subject. However, I can assure you that if you receive a talent, acquiring another Supreme Skill is more than possible.]
ChatJK2…according to my parents, Supreme Skills aren't that easy to get. And I already have one of my own, thanks to you. I doubt I'll get lucky again, right?
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