I woke to the morning sun streaming through the window beside my bed, its warm light spilling over the room.
Opening my eyes, I stared at the ceiling, clutching the soft blanket that cocooned me. Beneath me, the plush mattress tempted me to stay—it was almost too comfortable to leave.
A delightful aroma wafted into the room: freshly cooked eggs and bacon, warm baked bread, and the subtle bitterness of brewing tea.
I sat up on the edge of the bed, taking in the softly lit room bathed in the morning glow. Stretching my arms high above my head, I let out a deep yawn, the sun's warmth seeping into my skin.
I'm still here. I'm still in this world…
A sigh of relief escaped me as I fell back onto the mattress, letting myself sink into its comforting embrace. "I'm still here… in this world…" I murmured to no one in particular.
After a few moments of savoring the quiet and comfort, I summoned the willpower to get up. The thought of a warm breakfast was motivation enough.
Part 2
"Good morning, Miss Yumiko," I greeted as I passed her, noting her just-woken expression.
Rubbing one eye and stifling a yawn, she replied, "Good morning."
We sat together in the cozy dining room, where the food was every bit as delicious as it smelled. The eggs were fluffy, the bacon crisp, and the bread still warm from the oven. We didn't speak much, both too absorbed in enjoying the meal, but the silence felt natural and unhurried.
With full stomachs, we left the dining room, following Yumiko to the mansion's backyard.
Part 3
The morning sun shone brightly over the training yard as I introduced myself. "Nice to meet you. My name is Kaito Nakamura," I said, my voice steady despite my nerves. Slowly, I raised my gaze to the towering woman before me.
She was a monster—muscles larger than most men's and taller than any woman I'd ever seen. Strapped to her waist was a long sword resembling a katana. Damn, that's badass!
"I'm Rina Hayashi," she said with a kind smile, her voice a unique mix of gentleness and strength. "Nice to meet you."
Part 4
The sparring began shortly after, both women wielding wooden swords.
"Faster on your feet, Yumiko!" Rina barked, her movements swift and precise.
Yumiko, noticing the sudden shift in Rina's stance, reacted instantly. With three rapid steps back, she narrowly avoided Rina's blade as it sliced through the air where she'd stood just moments before.
"Ghuuuuu!" Yumiko grunted, steadying herself before charging back into the fray.
"Good job!" Rina praised, seamlessly shifting her stance to block Yumiko's next strike.
Undeterred, Yumiko leapt into the air, aiming a downward strike at Rina. With fluid ease, Rina deflected the attack, countering with a sideways slash.
Reacting quickly, Yumiko angled her sword downward, deflecting the blow. The force threw her back, and she slid across the ground, regaining her balance in a crouched stance.
Their sparring intensified, the clash of wooden swords ringing through the yard. Each strike came with calculated precision, their movements like a deadly dance. They attacked and countered, leapt and dodged, neither yielding an inch.
The sheer energy and skill on display were mesmerizing. It was more than training—it was a battle of wills, pushing each other to their limits.
I sat on a bench at the side, watching the two spar, but honestly, it was hard to keep up. They flowed around the battleground with such speed and grace—leaping through the air, wooden swords clashing in rapid succession. The intensity was overwhelming.
It was obvious that Rina was on a completely different level compared to Yumiko. Though the two shared a similar fighting style, it was clear that Rina's skill and strength were unmatched.
It would be amazing to learn how to fight like them—so cool, but I'd probably need to pack on some muscle first. From what I could see, Rina was built like a powerhouse, and Yumiko, though not as bulky, definitely had more muscle than me.
"Okay, we're done, Yumiko," Rina called out, both of them standing, breathing heavily. Yumiko collapsed flat on the ground, trying to catch her breath.
"Hey! Kaito, can you bring us our water skins?" Rina shouted from the sparring ground.
"Yes, of course!" I quickly grabbed the water skins and jogged over to them.
I extended my hand toward Rina with the first water skins.
She nodded as she accepted it. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," I replied with a smile.
I turned to Yumiko, holding out the second water skin. She was still lying on the ground, arms spread wide, sweat covering her face.
"Mhhhh!" She snatched the water from my hand without a word of thanks, sitting up and immediately gulping down the water.
I couldn't help but mutter under my breath, "Oh well, no problem, my lady." Luckily, she didn't hear me.
"You two were amazing," I said, turning back to Yumiko. "Especially you, Yumiko. I could never keep up with Rina."
"Thanks. Mmm!" she replied, a bit of attitude in her voice as she turned away, water still dripping from her mouth.
I glanced at Rina, half-smiling at Yumiko's response. Rina didn't say anything but raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by the exchange.
Part 5
After they finished up, I decided to explore the mansion a bit. Wandering through the grand hallways, I eventually found myself standing in front of a library. Curious, I stepped inside.
The room was filled with towering bookshelves, packed with volumes on history, languages, and even books about magic. The atmosphere was quiet, and the scent of old pages filled the air—a perfect place to gather my thoughts.
I grabbed two books that piqued my interest and sat down at a table near the window:
Magic and Mana GuideLanguage Guide: Human Tongue
I started with the Human Tongue book, but I felt a bit uncertain. How could I even read this? I had arrived here already knowing the language, so maybe I could understand it. Still, not knowing the language structure made writing difficult. To be safe, I decided to go through the book to learn the language more smoothly.
However, my brain somehow makes out words of the symboles, it's weird, how? On one hand I don't understand, on the other I do.
I wondered if there were other languages in this world, but for now, it seemed better to focus on one.
The Magic and Mana Guide book seemed interesting as well. I would try to read that when I had time. It would be amazing to learn magic.
But then again, I also wanted to learn sword fighting. Maybe Miss Rina could teach me someday.
As I read, I found that the alphabet structure wasn't too complicated, though some of the symbols were a bit challenging. There weren't many minor details to remember beyond the grammar. It was different from Japanese, but still relatively straightforward. With some practice, understanding it became easier.
I learned a few key points: the subject of a sentence is marked with "o," and the size of the symbols affects the tone. For example, instead of writing "I am here!" it would be written as "I AM HERE," with larger symbols indicating stronger emphasis.
It didn't take long for me to grasp the basics of the language. Although there was still much to learn, I decided to take a break and explore the Magic and Mana Guide to keep my studies interesting.
Flipping through the book, I encountered topics like incantations, spells, and different types of magic. The guide categorized magic into four main types: attack, healing, support, and defense.
There were six elemental categories: water, fire, earth, lightning, wind, and shadow. Water, fire, and earth were primarily used for attack magic. Lightning and wind were mainly used for support but could also be employed in offensive spells. Shadow magic, while generally used for support, could be useful in battle, especially when combined with other elements. However, it was less effective on its own.
Interestingly, shadow magic drained the opponent's mana. The stronger the spell, the more mana it drained. It could also work as a smokescreen. If combined with fire, for example, your fire spell would not only do significant damage but also drain the enemy's mana.
Combining elements allowed you to advance their properties. For instance, mastering the control of water could let you manipulate it to become ice by adjusting the temperature within your spell.
Only water and earth could transform into new elements. Water could become ice, while earth could be converted into materials like iron or steel. However, creating these new elements required immense practice and skill.
In contrast, the other elements couldn't change into new substances but could be strengthened to unlock a wider range of spells and abilities.
There were also classes that ranked your magical strength: Novice, Advanced novice, Adept, Expert, Master, and God. Spells also had these rankings. For example, a Novice water mage couldn't cast spells ranked higher than Advanced novice. This rule applied to all spell classes and ranks.
You could expand your mana pool by regularly using mana.
I wondered if I even had any mana. Since I had arrived here in my regular body and wasn't born into this world, I wasn't sure. I'd try checking tomorrow at the training ground.
But the whole magic thing was fascinating. I wanted to learn more about this world—maybe even go on an adventure, slaying monsters and dragons… if they even existed.
I wondered if there were any books on dragons. Well, I'd have to search for one.
Rising from my chair, I began searching for more books to satisfy my growing curiosity.