It's been about 3 days.
The morning ca earlier than expected, but Kenji was already awake. His system training had started to take effect—he felt more rested ntaly, and his body adapted quicker to the physical demands he was putting on it. The next step in his plan was clear: consistency. His family had been burned too many tis by the old Kenji, and words alone wouldn't fix anything. He needed to show them through action.
---
[System Alert!]
Self-discipline has leveled up! (LV 3)
Kenji smirked as he glanced at the notification. Even his persistence was being rewarded.
Downstairs, he set about making breakfast again, this ti adding a few extra touches. He wasn't a master chef, but he could tell his skills were improving. Aoi walked in first, rubbing her eyes as she looked at him working.
"You're making breakfast again?" she asked, sounding surprised.
Kenji nodded. "Of course. It's important to start the day right."
She hesitated before sitting down at the table. A small win.
One by one, the rest of the family trickled in, each of them looking slightly less skeptical than the day before.
---
[System Alert!]
Basic Cooking has leveled up! (LV 5)
---
After breakfast, Kenji turned his attention to Ren. Today was his first chance to walk his son to school. The little boy had been cautious around him, but there was also a flicker of curiosity.
"Ren, mind if I walk you to school today?" Kenji asked, kneeling to his level.
Ren hesitated, then gave a small nod. "Okay."
The walk was quiet at first, but Kenji let the silence be. There was no need to force conversation; instead, he let Ren decide when he wanted to speak. By the ti they reached the school gates, the boy finally spoke up.
"You're different now," Ren mumbled.
Kenji smiled. "I'm trying to be better."
Ren thought for a mont before nodding. "I think I like this you better."
It wasn't much, but it was progress.
---
[System Alert!]
New Quest Progress: Strengthening Family Bonds (8% Completed)
---
Later in the day, Kenji found himself in the living room, sitting across from Anastasia. He had been avoiding pressing her trying to give her just enough space, but if he was serious about fixing things, he needed to start sowhere.
"Would you like so tea?" he offered, keeping his voice calm.
Anastasia looked at him, suspicion flickering in her eyes before she nodded. "Alright."
They sat in silence, sipping their tea. It wasn't much, but it was the longest they had sat together in years without arguing. That alone was sothing worth holding onto.
---
[System Alert!]
New Quest Progress: nding a Broken Family (5% Completed)
---
Despite his steady progress in winning back his family, Kenji had yet to fully test the capabilities of his system. It wasn't that he wasn't curious—he was—but there were reasons for his hesitation.
First, his body was still too weak. Even if the system could enhance him over ti, he knew that relying on stats alone would be foolish. He wanted to save his stats for when it truly mattered and wanted his foundation to be strong before attempting anything extre. If he didn't condition himself properly, he'd be no better than soone who relied solely on power without skill.
Second, and more importantly, he lacked a safe place to test anything truly supernatural.
Until he had a secure environnt—sowhere private where he wouldn't accidentally expose himself—he wouldn't take any risks.
That didn't an he wasn't preparing, though. Each night, after everyone had gone to sleep, he ticulously studied his system interface, reviewing nus, tracking subtle changes, and testing minor commands to see how it responded. He had discovered he could manually assign experience to skills with effort-based training, which only reinforced his need to develop a disciplined foundation first.
One night, as he experinted further, he received a new alert.
---
[System Alert!]
New Skill Acquired: ditation (LV 1)
Effect: Enhances ntal clarity, focus, and assists in stamina recovery.
---
Kenji's lips curled into a small smile. This would be useful. If he couldn't practice magic yet, then he could at least train his mind. He resolved to make ditation a nightly habit.
While the kids were at school and Anastasia was at work, Kenji decided to take advantage of the quiet house. He grabbed his wooden bat and headed to the isolated clearing in the woods near their ho. It was the perfect place to practice without being disturbed.
He started with magic, focusing on the Mana Ball and Mana Rope skills he had acquired the day before. He practiced controlling the Mana Ball, making it brighter and dimr, and even tossing it into the air and catching it. Then, he worked on his Mana Rope, wrapping it around a tree branch and pulling himself up slightly.
---
[System Alert!]
Mana Ball has leveled up! (LV 2)
Mana Rope has leveled up! (LV 2)
---
Next, he turned his attention to physical training. He practiced his strikes and blocks with the wooden stick, focusing on precision and control. The Blunt Weapon Mastery skill made his movents more fluid, and he could feel himself improving with each swing.
---
[System Alert!]
Blunt Weapon Mastery has leveled up! (LV 2)
---
By the ti he finished, the sun was high in the sky. Kenji sat down on a nearby log, wiping the sweat from his brow. He opened his system interface to check his progress.
---
[Status Update]
Na: Kenji Takahashi
Level: 5
Free Stat Points: 15
Attributes:
- Strength: 50 (Tier-10)
- Speed: 50 (Tier-10)
- Endurance: 50 (Tier-10)
- Intelligence: 58 (Tier-10)
- Wisdom: 53 (Tier-10)
- Charisma: 45 (Tier-10)
- Luck: 95 (Tier-2)
Skills:
- Observation (LV 3)
- Basic Cooking (LV 5)
- Self-Discipline (LV 3)
- Household Managent (LV 2)
- Mana Manipulation (LV 1)
- Mana Ball (LV 2)
- Mana Rope (LV 2)
- Blunt Weapon Mastery (LV 2)
- ditation (LV 1)
Perks:
- Gar's Body (Passive): Grants immunity to physical exhaustion, enhances recovery rate, and prevents permanent injury from non-fatal wounds.
- Gar's Mind (Passive): Grants immunity to psychological effects such as fear, stress, and ntal manipulation, while allowing calm, logical decision-making.
---
Kenji exhaled, feeling a sense of accomplishnt. He was making progress, both physically and magically. The Gar System was truly a ga-changer(Dad pun intended), and he was determined to make the most of it.
As Kenji walked back ho, his mind wandered to the possibilities of his Gar System. He rembered how Jihan Han, the protagonist of The Gar Manhwa, had acquired skills by reading books and studying. If he could do the sa, it would open up a whole new world of opportunities.
One of the biggest advantages of being a Gar, Kenji realized, was the potential for crafting and production skills. If he could learn to create items, potions, or even weapons, it would give him a significant edge in this world. Not only would it help him protect his family, but it could also provide a way to earn money and improve their lives.
He decided that the next day, he would visit the local library to see if he could pick up new skills. Even if it didn't work, it was worth a try. After all, knowledge was power, and he needed every advantage he could get.
---
[System Alert!]
New Quest Progress: nding a Broken Family (10% Completed)
---
For now, he was content to let his passive growth continue. There was no rush. His priority remained the people in front of him.
Kenji exhaled slowly.
Step by step, he was making a difference. And he wasn't stopping now.
_________________________________________
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