"This is not me."
I am currently staring into the water, which I think is my reflection.
"Who the hell is this handsome man??"
This stranger's appearance is clearly equal to that of most male supermodels: well-trimmed black hair, dark blue irises like the aurora, and a sculpture-like face.
"Excuse me, would you mind stepping away from my fish pond?"
"Ah, right. Sorry."
Well, I've spent a few minutes looking at my(?) face in a stranger's pond. It's only normal for everyone to give me weird looks.
By everyone, I mean not just humans. Elves, Dwarves, Beastmen, etc.
Multiple races you would only see in fantasy worlds are currently walking the streets like it's an everyday occurrence.
"Besides, is that place what I think it is?"
A shop decorated with magical trinkets that looks very shady, with a huge sign that reads, "Ravencrow."
One of the shops that appears in Fatebound. I remember when the protagonist brought in an extremely rare magical item and gained the shop owner's favor.
"This is really bad."
Clearly, this is one of those phenomena.
As a high-schooler myself, I've read about this countless times, but to think it would actually happen...
"I have to find a way home..."
There's no way I'll spend the rest of my life here. What about my family?
Yes, survive and then run away—the perfect plan!
Do not disturb the storyline. I'll just pretend I never existed, and it should be fine. Surely!
Now that I've decided on my grand final goal, on to doing what's important at the moment.
"Food."
---
"Thankfully, this person brought some money with him, or I'd starve and sleep outside tonight."
I rented a room for one night. Good thing an inn was close by.
The interior itself is pretty medieval: brick walls, wooden furniture, and an oil lamp attached to the wall.
The bed was surprisingly decent, though it's a shame they don't have a bath.
"I suppose this is all you get for the price. It was pretty cheap."
Next, I spent the next few hours trying things out.
If there's one thing that could help me survive and return to my world, it's magic.
Arcane forces are the pillar of power in Fatebound.
If this body didn't have the talent for it, I was thinking of branching into the Forbidden Arts, but it looks like there's no need for that.
"2nd tier magic, Mana Ward."
A spell that engulfs the user's body with a thin Arcane Barrier, giving them a toughness close to steel.
It looks like this body was used for casting magic. Since he's also carrying a sword, perhaps he's a Spellblade?
I can cast 2nd-tier spells with ease as if I have the muscle memory for it, but 3rd-tier spells seem currently impossible.
But that's good enough. As long as I know magic isn't impossible for me, I can use my knowledge from what I've read to back up my efforts.
I can do this. I will work hard!
...
Starting tomorrow!
This is definitely not procrastination.
"I need sleep."
Maybe this is all indeed just a dream, and I'll wake up in front of my computer.
Who knows.
---
Tomorrow
"Aagghh-!!!"
It hurts. So much.
"Ghh, someone help..."
If any of you are wondering what exactly I'm doing, let me enlighten you.
Training!
I know reality can't be so kind to you. As if there's a scenario where everything suddenly goes back to normal after you wake up!
So here I am, screaming in pain while lying on the floor.
Arcane Deficiency.
It's a state where one casts too many spells, exceeding their limit capacity. Headache, nausea, fast heartbeat, trouble breathing, and pain all over are the effects.
Why am I in such a state?
The reason is to forcibly expand the very Arcane limit I have.
No one in this world yet knows about this method, for until now, Arcane Deficiency was seen as a mere demerit for mages and spellcasters.
In reality, by repeating the process over and over again, the vessel will realize the body needs more capacity for Arcane and will adapt to survive.
The side effect is, well... the pain.
The damn pain.
This method was only legally allowed after the Kingdom found out that the common purple grass that grows near the streets has an effect that reduces the specific pain caused by Arcane Deficiency.
If not for that, I'd be dying.
It was worth collecting that grass, even though people looked at me like I was some kind of weirdo.
Hopefully, the walls are soundproof enough. I'm planning to scream in pain for the entire day.
My next plan is to apply to the Arcane Academy.
I'm pretty sure you still remember the prologue, so I'll skip the explanation.
Basically, it's the best place for me to get stronger and learn the mystery of magic.
There's not a single spell I've read in the book that can travel through dimensions or worlds, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Even if it doesn't, then I'll have to try to create it myself. For that, I need to be skilled and knowledgeable enough in the expertise.
And that's where the problem lies... the requirements to be accepted into the Academy are ridiculously high, and so is the competition.
If it weren't for that, I wouldn't be doing this kind of Spartan training.
I'll keep spamming Protection while holding on to these damn grass, at least for now.
---
The sun set as the sky slowly turned dark. Gerrard, the Captain of the Guards in Rosemount, still clad in his armor, made his way to the guard quarters with a weary gait.
The candles flickered as more guards entered the room, sighing in relief that they could finally go home.
"Good work today too, Captain," the young guard, Cedric, greeted him, followed by everyone in the room.
"Good work today, everyone," Gerrard replied with a nod.
As everyone prepared to depart, Gerrard stood up and cleared his throat.
"Alright, folks, before we wrap things up, there's something important I need to address." The room immediately fell silent.
He continued, "I'm sure you're all aware of the thief prowling the shopping district. Merchants and shopkeepers have reported missing goods, and there are rumors of a shadowy figure slipping into the alleyways at night."
"The Swift Finger Robin?" Cedric asked.
Gerrard approached his desk and picked up a piece of paper while the others waited expectantly for him to speak.
"Gentlemen, starting tomorrow night, we have received direct orders from Lady Viscountess Leticia Rosemount to initiate an operation to pursue and capture the thief. The thief has managed to steal a valuable possession from a neighboring Baron, Thaddeus Duskwood. Once the night-shift guards arrive, I will brief them on this operation. Any questions so far?"
The room erupted into loud chatter after the guards realized it was a direct order from their very lord.
"The Viscountess herself?"
"The same Lady Leticia?"
The panic lasted a few more seconds before Gerrard had to step in and raise his voice.
"Silence!"
...
"Lady Leticia has ordered us to make it happen. Rosemount's security shall not be questioned or doubted by its people. Is that understood?"
The guards looked at their captain with confused expressions, some of them gulping nervously.
"The Baron has confirmed that the stolen goods were a treasured magical ring. We have been given a deadline of three nights to capture the thief alive and retrieve the stolen goods before the Baron himself sends out his army to search the city."
As a city centered on trade and its shopping district, any doubt in security would cause many merchants to be reluctant to continue their business, potentially relocating elsewhere. This would cause the city's economy and primary income to crash, taking years to stabilize again.
For Rosemount, reputation is important.
"That is all. Dismissed!"