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.

    “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.