The eternally orange sky of Nuswantara cast its light through the window's gap, painting long shadows inside a room scented with spices and sandalwood. Ramdan stared at his two tiny hands. Too small, too weak. This wasn't a dream. This was the craziest reality audit he had ever undergone.
"Good morning, my dear Ramdan~"
That voice, as soft as silk, came from Melati. With her curly blonde hair framed by round glasses, she was the perfect manifestation of every item on Ramdan's ideal woman checklist. A beautiful anomaly in the midst of his chaotic fate.
Good morning, you unexpected variable in my life, Ramdan retorted in his mind. What came out of his mouth, of course, was just formless baby babble.
"Amaa… gugu… bubu…"
Melati giggled affectionately, hugging him tight.
"Oh, you're so cute!"
Being hugged by the object of his own fantasy, Ramdan's QC brain went into overdrive.
I can't go on like this. I need data. I need analysis.
"System," he called out internally.
Dingg!![How may I be of no assistance?!]
Its tone was as annoying as ever. This defective system.
"Never mind. I want to know how to use my abilities.."
An electronic cackle echoed from the System.
[Lololol… Finally putting that brain to use. Just focus your mana into your eyes and look at the target. Its call the audit eyes {passive skill} Simple, right? Don't you go skipping the tutorial again!]
Ramdan ignored the jibe. He focused his gaze on Melati. Instantly, the world around him transformed into a sea of transparent data.
Dingg!![Target: Melati][Race: Ancient Human][Level: 5][Status: Normal. Minor fatigue due to lack of sleep.]
Ramdan was stunned.
Ancient human?? This was the first piece of data that didn't exist in the original novel. He then shifted his gaze to Sinta, his mother, who was preparing breakfast.
Dingg!![Target: Sinta Kusuma Dewi][Race: Human][Level: 75][Class: Mage (Subclass: Water Soul Weaver)][Status: Healthy. Mana is extremely stable.][Abnormality Detected: Caution. Do not attempt to provoke. Your probability of survival: 0.01%.]
Ramdan's heart sank.
Level 75! And what the hell is with that survival probability?!
This data confirmed one thing: he was living in a world where power was everything, and he was just a level 1 baby. A bug in the system of life. However, the analysis also gave him a glimmer of hope. His status showed he had an affinity for Fire Magic.
A crazy plan began to form in his mind, ignoring all the risk management procedures he had adhered to his entire life.
I'll give her a flower, then write 'I Love You, Melati' with fire. Romantic, controlled, and effective. What could possibly go wrong?
Later that afternoon, the family was gathered on the warm back terrace. It was time. Ramdan crawled slowly, a single flower held between his teeth, toward Melati, who was laughing with Sinta.
"Dad, look! Our son looks like he's about to confess his love to Melati," Sinta said, amused by her son's antics.
Ranjana, his father, a legendary Warrior with a gaze as sharp as an eagle's, grinned.
"This kid's got guts. Go on, son!"
In front of Melati, Ramdan dropped the flower. With his high-pitched baby voice, he called out the single word that would change everything.
"Mantra!"
Silence fell instantly. The air around Ramdan vibrated. Mana particles converged, forming a grimoire wreathed in black flames. Its cover read "Quality Magic."
Everyone was stunned.
"Ranjana! Our son… he's a genius!" Sinta cried out, tears of joy welling in her eyes. "Sang Hyang Tunggal has blessed our family!"
Ranjana himself was speechless. Summoning a grimoire at the age of three was impossible, even for the descendants of gods.
Phase one successful, Ramdan thought triumphantly. Now, for execution.
He pointed his index finger at the wooden floor.
"Flames, rise," he commanded in his mind, visualizing a small, candle-sized flame.
The flame appeared. With great difficulty, he began to write.
"I… love… you…" Melati spelled out the fiery words, her breath held.
However, just as he was about to write the final letter, his concentration shattered. His overflowing emotions—nervousness, enthusiasm, and desire—became an uncontrollable catalyst. The mana flowing to his finger surged dramatically.
WUUSSHHH!!
The candle-sized flame erupted into a pillar of fire the height of a grown man. The fire licked greedily at the wooden floor, crawling up the walls, and then devoured the entire house in seconds. Thick black smoke choked the air.
"Sinta!" Ranjana yelled.
Sinta's reaction was as fast as lightning.
"Mantra! O Sang Hyang Tunggal, lend me your power! Ajian Badai Seruni Abadi!"
Her ice-wreathed grimoire erupted with blue light. From her palm, a giant vortex of water burst forth, splitting into billions of icy chrysanthemum petals. The rain of petals extinguished the raging fire with a powerful hiss.
"I'll secure the children!" Ranjana yelled. "Ajian Saipi Angin!"
His body was enveloped in a whirlwind, his feet lifting off the ground. In the blink of an eye, he snatched up the fear-frozen Ramdan and Melati, carrying them out of the ruined house.
Outside, in the middle of the damp, scorched yard, Ramdan could only cry. It wasn't the ordinary cry of a baby, but the cry of a man who realized his mistake.
Total failure… Root cause: human error. I, a QC professional, failed to control my own process.
That night, Ranjana was forced to lie to the neighbors, blaming the fire on the cooking furnace. A lie to protect a genius from a cruel world.
Several days later, as Ranjana and the neighbors began to rebuild their home with amazing magical teamwork, an unexpected delegation arrived. A line of silver-armored soldiers marched in neat formation, carrying the grand banner of the Salakanagara Kingdom. They were not here for a social call.
In the center of the formation, a boy of about seven walked with a steady gait. He had a face of mixed European and Asian descent, reddish-mahogany hair, and sharp, almond-shaped eyes. It was the novel's protagonist, Prince Rian.
He stopped directly in front of Ranjana, Sinta, and Ramdan, who was in his mother's arms. His gaze wasn't on the legendary Ranjana, but aimed straight at Ramdan's eyes.
The prince wasn't smiling. He glanced at the charred ruins of the house, then back at Ramdan with a cold, analytical stare, as if he could see the remnants of the mana that had exploded days ago.
"A mana surge of this magnitude," the prince said, his voice far more mature than his age would suggest, "did not come from an ordinary furnace. Which one of you... unleashed this disaster?"
Ramdan froze.
He was no longer a reader.He was now a suspect.
(To be continued)