SWNOVELXO Chapter 2: To know oneself.
Percy's eyes widened as a soft chime echoed in his mind.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
[Level Up!]
[+1 to all stats]
He blinked at the glowing numbers next to each attribute.
[STR]: 6
[AGI]: 6
[VIT]: 6
[INT]: 6
[CHA]: 6
[LUC]: 6
"No way… I actually got stronger?" Percy grinned, punching the air with excitement. "All my stats went up by one? That's awesome!"
He bounced on his bed, full of energy. "I wonder what else just unlocked…"
His vision shifted as a new window appeared.
[Skills List]
Gamer's Mind (EX) | Gamer's Body (EX) | English Language (E) | Drawing (E) | Writing (E) | Observe (D)
Percy squinted at the new skill, tapping it carefully.
"Observe?" he muttered. "Sounds like some kind of spy power or detective stuff."
[Skill]: Observe
[Rank]: D
[Skill Type]: Passive / Active
[Description]:
• Passive: Enhances the user's ability to notice hidden details, subtle environmental changes, and detect concealed threats or clues.
• Active: Allows the user to scan and view the [Stats Sheet] of an opponent within sight. The scan reveals their basic stats, level, and class information. However, the scan will fail or provide limited info if the target is significantly stronger or the user lacks sufficient mastery of the skill.
[Cost]:
• Passive: None
• Active: 10 MP per use
A small smile crept across his face. "Okay, this leveling up thing isn't so bad after all."
Suddenly, a new notification blinked before him:
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
[New Quest Unlocked: "Discover Your Heritage"]
[Quest Description]: Find out who your father is and reach Level 10 to unlock your Class.
[Quest Requirements]:
• Identify your father's identity.
• Reach Level 10.
[Quest Rewards]:
• Unlock Class Selection.
• Receive a powerful skill.
Percy blinked, startled. "Huh? A quest? Already? What now?" His heart pounded as he processed the words.
Just then, his mom called from the kitchen, "Percy, why don't you take a bath? It'll help you feel better."
He stood up, stretching his stiff limbs. "Okay, Mom," he said, still thinking about the quest flashing in his mind. Find out who my dad is? What does that even mean?
He padded over to his dresser, pulling out his fresh pajamas and a fluffy towel.
"Gotta be ready for whatever happens next," he muttered, pulling off his shirt and shorts.
He headed toward the bathroom, wondering if the quest would give him answers—or just more questions.
He scratched his head and sat on the edge of the tub, the water seemingly waiting for him to dip in. His mind drifted back a little.
When I was four, he thought, Mom used to tell me stories about my dad.
He remembered sitting on her lap, the soft light of the living room wrapping around them. Her voice was gentle but sad.
"Your father was a great man," she said. "He was lost at sea, caught in a terrible storm. The waves swallowed him up, and ever since, he's been gone. But he watches over you, Percy. That's why you're special."
The memory made his chest tighten a bit.
Back in the present, Percy shook his head, trying to clear the fog. "Okay, so this game wants me to play detective now? Like, figure out some family secret? That's kinda heavy for a six-year-old."
He frowned, then grinned a little. "But hey, if that's what I gotta do to level up and get cool powers, I'm game."
Percy bounced on his toes. "Alright! Time to find out who my dad is and get stronger. This quest's got my full attention."
[You are now in contact with a water source.]
[Passive Trait Detected: Water Affinity C+]
[Temporary Buff Gained: Blessing of the Tides]
Effect:
• While touching water:
• +100% MP Regeneration
• +100% SP Regeneration
• +25% Cooldown Reduction
• +30% Water Spell Power
• While submerged in water:
• +50% Movement Speed
• +35% Attack Speed
Percy blinked.
"Wait, what the—?"
A faint shimmer spread across the surface of the water, and his vision lit up again.
His [Stamina] bar, which had dipped earlier from all the running around, suddenly jumped. The number ticked up at double speed.
"Woah… woah," he whispered, splashing the water a little with his hand. "I'm not doing anything and it's just… going up?"
He pulled up his stat screen and stared at the green bar shooting upward like a rocket.
"This is crazy. Just sitting in water makes me stronger?" He leaned back, sinking deeper into the tub. "Does this mean I get superpowers from bubble baths now? 'Cause I could get used to this."
SYSTEM COMMENTARY:
[You are in an ideal elemental environment. Synergy: HIGH.]
His arms and legs felt lighter, and there was a strange clarity in his chest—a pulse of energy like he could run five laps around the house and not feel tired.
Percy grinned and raised his hand. "If I had spells, would they cast faster now? This is totally something out of a video game. Actually… it is."
Then, after a pause, his eyes narrowed with curiosity.
"Water Affinity," he murmured, repeating the phrase. "So I'm good with water stuff?"
He looked down at the surface again and gave it a swirl with his fingers. For a second, the water seemed to follow his motion more than it should've—like it was listening to him.
His grin widened.
"I think I'm onto something."
He tossed his towel onto the floor and stepped in carefully, the heat wrapping around his legs like a warm hug.
But the moment his body fully settled into the tub, something strange happened.
Percy sat up in the tub, eyes still locked on the fading notifications. The warmth of the water was comforting, but it couldn't distract him now. Not with everything rushing through his head.
"Water Affinity… while touching water…" he muttered. "It's not just healing or stamina. It's like I'm… made for this."
He looked down at the surface again, letting his fingers glide through it gently. It felt almost alive to him now.
Then something clicked.
Not from the system. Not from The Voice. But from his own memory.
A softer one.
He was four again. Curled up on the couch with his mom. She was reading from a worn old book, one hand stroking his hair as she smiled sadly.
He was four, tucked under a blanket on the living room couch. Rain tapped against the windows as his mom sat beside him, her fingers carding gently through his hair.
"Tell me a story," he'd said, voice small and sleepy.
Sally had smiled sadly, flipping through a thick old book she kept on the shelf. One with golden letters Percy couldn't read yet.
"Alright, Seaweed Brain," she'd said fondly. "How about one of the old Greek myths?"
He'd perked up immediately. "The one with the storm god!"
"Ah," she chuckled. "That would be Poseidon. He was the god of the sea. Strong, proud, and a little wild. They said he could shake the earth with his trident, summon waves tall as mountains, and command sea creatures with a whisper."
Young Percy had stared wide-eyed. "Was he a hero?"
"Not exactly," Sally murmured. Her eyes went distant. "But he… did love people. Even if he wasn't supposed to. Sometimes he'd fall in love with a mortal, even though he knew he couldn't stay."
There was a silence then. Just the rain, and her fingers in his hair.
"What happened to him?" Percy had asked.
Sally hesitated.
"Some say he vanished into the sea. Others say he's still out there, watching. Maybe even protecting someone."
She pulled him closer, kissing his forehead.
"Just remember this, Percy," she whispered. "The sea isn't always kind. But it's always listening."
Percy snapped back to the present, heart pounding.
"Poseidon," he whispered.
It made too much sense now.
The water powers. The stamina regeneration. His mom's strange stories about gods. Her sadness when he asked about his dad. The way she always said the ocean was special.
"She always said I belonged near the sea," he muttered. "Told me stories about gods like they were bedtime tales…"
His throat felt dry, which was funny, considering he was submerged in water.
"I think… my dad wasn't just lost at sea."
He clenched his fists, water sloshing around his arms.
"He was the sea."
It all fit. He knew it. Even if it sounded ridiculous, even if it felt impossible… there was only one answer.
"My dad's a god. A Greek god. One of the Big Three…" Percy swallowed. "Poseidon."
And in that moment—
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
[Divine Recognition Achieved.]
[Lineage Confirmed.]
[You are the son of Poseidon, God of the Sea, Earthquakes, and Storms.]
[Title Unlocked: Son of Poseidon]
[Initializing Divine Bloodline Synchronization…]
[New Skills Unlocked.]
Percy staggered as a flood of power rushed through his body. It wasn't like getting stronger after leveling up — it was different. Deeper. He could feel the ocean in his blood. He could hear the bathwater singing to him, like a voice just under the surface.
He stared at his shaking hands, electricity crawling beneath his skin. His breathing was sharp, ragged. Something deep inside him had woken up.
TITLE GAINED: [Son of Poseidon]
• You are the child of Poseidon, Olympian God of the Sea, Earthquakes, and Storms. The ocean answers to your call. The skies fear your wrath. All sea life will know you.
Skills obtained:
• [Hydrokinesis: C+]
• [Summon Storm: C]
• [Earthquake Creation C]
• [Beast Tongue: Equine & Sea Life: B-]
• [Water Affinity: C+]
• [Sea's Favor: B-]
• [Thermal Immunity: B+]
• [Elemental Immunity: C]
• [Instinct: E]
• [Divinity: D+]
SYSTEM NOTICE:
[Bloodline synchronization complete.]
[Class Selection will unlock at Level 10.]
Percy whispered under his breath. "So it's true… I really am his son…"
He wasn't sure how to feel — proud? Terrified? Confused? All three mixed in his chest like a stormcloud, brewing behind his ribs.
But as the bathwater rippled without him moving, he realized one thing for certain:
He wasn't normal. Not anymore.
But was anything ever truly normal?
SYSTEM COMMENTARY:
[Welcome, Scion of the Sea.]