The warmth of sunlight crept across the bed, inch by inch, until it reached the sleeping figure of a woman, who was lying against her back on the bed. At first, it was a soft glow, which then soon turned into a hard-pressing hand over her face. Her eyelids trembled sightly before opening, and taking in her surroundings.
The woman had a silver-coloured hair, and her eyes were light black. She slightly rubbed her arms before standing up. Her eyes coursed through every corner of the room. The walls were of emerald colour. Black-coloured leaves were curled across the emerald-coloured walls; each designed with care and precision.
Her eyes moved down to the floor. It was specifically made up of white marble.
There were a few tables and sofas present in the room. A big almirah was also there.
The woman whispered, "Toto, where are you?"
"I am here," replied the white cat, Toto. It was extremely delightful that Willa didn't show any sign of panicking.
The woman, Willa asked, "Where am I? This room looks luxurious. Am I princess of some kingdom?" It definitely looked better than her room, which had noddle marks on the floor.
For Toto, it was just a sightly 'passable' room. There was no sign of luxury in this room. It said, "No, you are not a princess. For clarification, you should see your status. Just say the word and you will see a screen in front of you. 'Status' is the word."
"Status," Willa whispered to herself. A holographic screen opened in front of her containing a lot of information in it.
[Name: Lynette Alecburghm (Previously named- 'Willa Goodman')
Race: Human
Sex: Female (Grade- Ofec)
Current Position: Baroness
Rank: 1
Attack: 12/1000
Defence: 8/1000
Mana Level: 112/1000
Intelligence: 621/1000
Dexterity: 5/1000
Charisma: 33/1000
Eyesight: 313/1000
Skills:
Archery (Intermediate Level)
Stealth (Intermediate Level)
Eye of Unveiling
Abilities:
Night Vision
Mana Breathing
Poison Resistance (Stage 1)
Nullifying Magic (Stage 1)
Monster Tamer (Stage 1)
A Farmer's Touch (Stage 1)
Water Magic (Stage 1)
Wind Magic (Stage 1)
Fire Magic (Stage 1)
Enchantments (Stage 1)
Lovers:
No Lover/Lovers]
"Wow, are you mocking me? Remove the last section, will you? It looks... sad," said Willa, now called, 'Lynette.'
Toto's tail flickered guilty. With a quiet voice, he said, "It can't be removed. Also, you can think of this as some sort of motivation." It was an excuse but what could the little cat do other than lying to its master.
Lynette sighed, "Fine, we will talk about this later. As for now, tell me more about these attributes of mine. Apart from 'Eyesight,' 'Intelligence,' and 'Mana Level,' the rest don't look so good."
"Your archery and stealth are good too, though they both can be developed over time. Not just them, everything on your status screen would be improved over time. All you need is to improve your rank, and everything else would be a piece of cake," said Toto.
Lynette nodded and sat on the bed. She asked, "What about this world? Where am I?"
"You can think this world as some sort of a parallel world. Although, I would say this world is a different from yours. A lot different, that is."
"A new world. Hmmm... I am interested, especially I feel a bit energized. If I am correct, mana should be equivalent to a currency. The screen shows that I have skill called 'Mana Breathing.' So, am I breathing mana? No, don't answer. I know for the fact that I am breathing mana." Lynette closed her eyes and tried to familiarize herself with that feeling.
*Ding* A sound was heard.
[New Ability: Mana Sense (Stage 1)]
[Name: Lynette Alecburghm (Previously named- 'Willa Goodman')
Race: Human
Sex: Female (Grade- Ofec)
Current Position: Baroness
Rank: 1
Attack: 12/1000
Defence: 8/1000
Mana Level: 112/1000
Intelligence: 621/1000
Dexterity: 5/1000
Charisma: 33/1000
Eyesight: 313/1000
Skills:
Archery (Intermediate Level)
Stealth (Intermediate Level)
Eye of Unveiling
Abilities:
Night Vision
Mana Breathing
Poison Resistance (Stage 1)
Nullifying Magic (Stage 1)
Monster Tamer (Stage 1)
A Farmer's Touch (Stage 1)
Water Magic (Stage 1)
Wind Magic (Stage 1)
Fire Magic (Stage 1)
Enchantments (Stage 1)
Mana Sense (Stage 1)
Lovers:
No Lover/Lovers]
Toto exclaimed, "Way to go Willa! I mean, 'Lynette!' You are awesome! It hasn't been even five minutes and you have gained an ability." It was really happy. This solidified the fact that it made the right decision to have her as its master.
"Thanks, I guess. This ability is allowing me to feel my surroundings. It is as if I can detect the heat signature of the people and things around me. I am like a thermal camera now," commented Lynette. She opened her eyes and looked at her hands. They were milky-white and lacked callouses.
"Toto, you haven't yet answered my question."
Toto scratched its head with its two paws. It said, "I am sorry. Due to all the excitement, I kind of forgot to tell you. Willa... er, Lynette, you are a Baroness, and yesterday was the day when you took the title."
"You mean, 'OG' Lynette took the title. Did her father die or something?" And why did they hand over the title to a woman? Not that she complained, but still... it was weird.
Toto replied, "He died. Apparently, he was a drunken bastard who was thought to be impotent until his remaining vassals found you. You are his only living child."
Lynette asked, "So, am I rich? I know it very well that I belong to the lowest noble rank, though I am outright excited to know if I am opulent or not." She lacked money in her last life. It was due to this reason she accepted Toto's offer.
"No," replied Toto. It fidgeted a bit and adverted its gaze.
"What did you say?" asked Lynette. Her ears heard the wrong words, didn't they?
Toto gulped audibly. It stuttered, "Y-you... a-aren't in... d-debt... b-but you aren't r-r-rich either."
"I am not rich... I see. Oh, fine. At least I am not in any kind of debt, am I?"
"You are not angry?"
"No," denied Lynette. She wasn't angry. Neutral position was better than negative position, and certainly 'neutral' means less work.
Toto took a breath of relief. It was worried that its master would be angry at it. With some confidence, it said, "You can grow your area and power."
"You mean, I can build my own 'empire.' You are not kidding me, are you?"
"No, I am not! You can! But it solely depends on you," replied Toto.
Lynette crossed her arms over chest, thinking intently about her wish's plausibility. Her feet constantly hitting the ground, while her hands were clenched. Suddenly, she stopped all her movements.
She sat still for a moment before jumping out of the bed. Her eyes burned with desire.
There was a chance Lynette could really build her empire.
"Toto, if there is a chance... then I will take it. It's not like I have anything to fear for. I am a woman with nothing. If I die trying, so be it. I am willing to take the risk," said Lynette.
Seeing her excited, Toto jumped up and down in excitement. It yelled, "That's the spirit!"
At that moment, the door opened up with a bang, causing both of them to freeze up.