To test his theory, Winnie changed his route. Instead of heading home, he made a beeline for the toy store, spent eight copper coins on a doll and some candy, and arrived at an orphanage on the outskirts of the city.
“You are?” The old director, leaning on a cane, looked at the visitor with confusion. But upon seeing his noble attire and appearance, she assumed he must be a noble.
It was rare to see a noble here.
Winnie didn’t waste words on explanations. He simply handed the doll to one of the little girls at the orphanage.
“Here, this is for you. Take it.” The little girl, hugging the doll in a daze, looked at Winnie, who immediately glanced at his Virtue panel.
As expected!
Virtue increased by 1.
Ha, haha!
“Hahaha! I did it, hahaha!” Seeing the Virtue total now at 3, Winnie couldn’t contain his sense of accomplishment and jumped up in excitement.
He got so carried away that he forgot that the old director and all the children were staring at him.
By the time he realized, the orphanage had gone completely silent. Even the old director was looking at him with a strange expression.
“Sis, this big brother looks like a fool,” a boy said innocently.
This little brat?!
Winnie’s temper flared in an instant. He walked up to the boy who had spoken ill of him, using his height advantage to loom over him.
The boy shrank back, probably intimidated by Winnie’s villainous aura, tears immediately starting to form.
“Stop crying, little brat.” Winnie shoved a piece of candy into the boy’s hand.
“Now you know your lesson, huh? Still calling me a fool?”
He casually popped a candy into his own mouth and handed the rest to the other kids.
During all this, he kept an eye on his Virtue progress. As expected, giving out candy increased his Virtue, but when he gave a second piece, there was no further increase.
So it’s like that—no stacking for the same thing.
“Ah!” Before Winnie could think much more, a ball smacked him right in the face.
He picked up the ball, glaring angrily at the mischievous boy who had thrown it.
“You little brat! You dare throw that at me?!”
“Hehe, big brother, you’re so clumsy. Can you even kick a ball?”
“Do you think something so simple would be hard for me? Underestimate me, and you’ll see what it means to mess with the God of War, the Diamond King!” With that, Winnie kicked the ball back with all his might.
The director shook her head and stopped wondering about Winnie’s identity, watching the noble young man who was now playing with the children, a smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
“Thank you for bringing gifts to these poor children who aren’t favored by fate, and for playing with them for so long.” As evening approached, the orphanage kids headed to bed, and the director took Winnie’s hand, thanking him.
“It’s nothing. No need to thank me.” This was the truth. Winnie’s only goal was to gather Virtue, and his intentions weren’t pure. Of course, there was no need for thanks.
He had earned some Virtue from playing football with the kids earlier, and now his total was 5.
It was all for the Virtue, of course.
“I can tell you get along with these children very well. May I know your name, honored sir?”
“No need. I don’t come here often.” With that, Winnie waved his hand and left.
Watching Winnie’s back, the old director stroked his beard.
He quickly returned to his dilapidated, cold home and locked himself in his room, where he began fiddling with his panel.
This was the reward for a day of effort.
Virtue: 5 points. Still far from the 30 points needed for the bloodline awakening, but the guide for the best Soul Art selection, which only required 3 points, could now be purchased.
After hesitating for a moment, Winnie decided to make the purchase. Even though this thing sounded completely useless, it was one of the only two available options the damn system offered.
Winnie could only trust the system's integrity, hoping it wouldn't make him waste three Virtue points on something completely useless.
With a nervous heart, Winnie chose to buy the Best Soul Art Selection Guide.
He heard a ding, and his three Virtue points were deducted. The option to purchase the guide grayed out on the panel.
A line of text appeared on the screen.
‘How much do you know about Soul Arts?’
“Ha?” Winnie was confused. What does this mean? Is the damn system trying to talk to me now??
“How much do I know? Once a Soul Art is bound, it’s hard to change. The magic you can learn in the future can only be related to it. I guess it’s like a ‘job class choice’ in a game?” Winnie said, summarizing his entire understanding of Soul Arts.
‘Correct. Different Soul Arts require different levels of magical aptitude. Soul Arts with lower magical aptitude require fewer magical abilities in their techniques. Among them, Soul Arts with one- or two-star magical aptitude barely have any magic at all. Conversely, Soul Arts with higher magical aptitude requirements have more magic included in their techniques...’
“Sounds like one of those vague explanations I could get from anyone,” Winnie grumbled. “Hey, don’t tell me I spent these three Virtue points just to hear you babble nonsense like ‘This one’s offensive, that one’s defensive,’ right?”
“If you keep going around in circles like this, I swear I’ll snap.”
‘Of course not. You should be thankful you didn’t ignore the option to purchase the Best Soul Art Selection Guide,’ the panel continued, showing more text.
“Oh?”
‘I’ll ask you another question. Does a Soul Art with low magical aptitude always mean it’s weak?’
“Isn’t that obvious? Why else would there be a hierarchy of magical aptitude if there wasn’t some kind of discrimination?” As the lowest on this food chain, Winnie had often felt the disdain and scorn from other noble children.
‘It may seem like that, but in reality...’
“In reality, it’s just like that,” Winnie’s mouth twitched. “If you keep dragging this out, I’m really going to snap.”
‘It seems your understanding of Soul Arts is quite limited.’
‘Are you familiar with something called "Soul Art Compatibility"?’ The panel displayed the text again. For some reason, even though the panel had no face, Winnie felt that the damn panel spoke with an air of superiority.
“So what’s that? Stop teasing me and just tell me already.”
‘Soul Art Compatibility refers to how well an individual adapts to a certain Soul Art. To put it simply, it’s how well a person fits with a particular Soul Art.’
‘The higher the compatibility, the greater the potential activated by the Soul Art. Generally speaking, if a person’s compatibility with a certain Soul Art exceeds 40%, they can absorb it; 50% means it's a good match, 60% is considered excellent...’
“What about 100%?” Winnie asked.
‘A once-in-a-thousand-years occurrence, incredibly rare.’
‘If someone were truly fortunate enough to absorb a Soul Art with 100% compatibility, leaving their name in history would just be the beginning.’
“That amazing? Even if it’s just a one-star trash Soul Art?”
‘Of course.’
“Then here’s the question: If it’s really as magical as you say, how can I know which Soul Art has the highest compatibility for me?? According to you, each person’s compatibility with each Soul Art is different, so why don’t people go out of their way to find the Soul Art that’s most compatible with them?” Winnie asked.
‘The answer is simple—they can’t, because they can’t see their compatibility with Soul Arts. And that’s the very reason the Soul Art Selection Guide exists,’ the panel replied.
“Oh? So what you’re saying is that you can help me find the Soul Art that’s most compatible with me?” Winnie’s eyes lit up.
‘Of course.’ The panel gave a confirming response.