Hazuki arrived at the first floor and approached the receptionist there.
"Umm… hello."
The receptionist, a young man flipping through a book, glanced up.
"Yes?"
"I'm new here, and I want to read a book about skills."
The receptionist raised an eyebrow.
"Okay… so you already know how to control mana?"
Hazuki blinked.
"Err… what?"
The receptionist paused.
Then, his eyes slowly scanned Hazuki from head to toe.
Finally, he smirked.
"Heh…"
Hazuki felt an incoming headache.
"Oh great. Another one."
The receptionist picked up a book from the shelf, barely holding back his grin, and placed it on the table in front of Hazuki.
"Here. Book of How to Control Mana."
Then, with an exaggerated smile, he added,
"Don't worry… 'it's on me.'"
Inside Hazuki's Mind:
"Damn this guy… he's really looking down on me!!"
Still, Hazuki forced a smile, holding back his frustration.
"Well… thank you. So, does that mean I can take this book?"
The receptionist leaned on the table, smirking.
"Well, of course!"
Then, with a mocking grin, he raised his fingers and made air quotes.
"It's 'free' for… 'New Bies.'"
Hazuki's eye twitched.
"This bastard…"
Hazuki sat down, placing the Book of How to Control Mana on the table.
With a deep breath, he opened it.
And then—
"The fuck is this?"
His eyes widened.
The entire page was covered in strange symbols—letters and markings he couldn't even begin to understand.
He flipped to another page.
Still the same.
Not a single word made sense.
His brows twitched.
"I CAN'T READ THIS!!"
He slammed the book shut, gripping his head.
"Damn it!"
Of course.
It wasn't Japanese.
It wasn't English.
It wasn't even in the alphabet system he knew.
It was just a bunch of weird fantasy letters!
"HOW THE HELL DOES EVERYONE ELSE READ THIS!?"
Hazuki sighed, slumping back in his chair.
Just then, his order arrived, brought over by a receptionist girl.
She placed the steaming cup of coffee and a small plate of food in front of him.
"Here you go, newbie. This is your order."
Hazuki twitch-smiled at the nickname but chose to ignore it.
"Thanks." He took a sip of his strong coffee, feeling a bit more awake.
Then, a thought hit him.
"Err… by the way…"
The receptionist raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"
Hazuki hesitated, then held up the book.
"Can you read this?"
The girl blinked. Then, without hesitation, she leaned over the table and glanced at the open pages.
"Of course." She pointed at the text.
"This first part is the introduction to mana."
Then, her finger moved further down the page.
"And this part here explains how mana flows in the body."
Hazuki stared blankly.
Hazuki nodded quickly, pretending to be unbothered.
"Oh, okay. Thanks."
But before he could move on—
The receptionist girl smirked, tilting her head.
"You're weird."
Hazuki froze.
She crossed her arms, her smile widening.
"Don't tell me… you can't read this?"
Then, with the smugness of a noble looking down on a peasant, she added,
"What? Were you raised in the forest or something?"
"…THIS DAMN GUILD… WHY IS EVERYONE SO SARCASTIC!?"
He gripped his coffee cup tightly, resisting the urge to pour it on himself just to escape reality.
He clicked his tongue, refusing to answer.
The receptionist just chuckled, satisfied with his suffering.
Hazuki sighed, grabbed the book, and stuffed it into his bag.
No point in struggling with it now.
He dug into his meal, eating at a steady pace, occasionally taking slow sips of coffee.
The warmth of the drink soothed his frustration, but it couldn't erase the new problem weighing on his mind.
After finishing, he stood up, stretched, and walked out of the guild.
The moment he stepped outside, he let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"Haa… this is shit."
He rubbed his forehead.
"Just when things were starting to get better… a new problem shows up."
He gritted his teeth.
"Damn it."
How the hell was he supposed to learn to read and write in this world?
With no clear solution, he wandered through town, his mind racing.
"Who the hell am I even gonna ask to teach me…?"
After a while, he stopped by a small stream.
Bending down, he splashed cold water on his face, letting out a deep breath.
Then, he sat nearby, gazing at the scenery.
The gentle breeze, the sound of flowing water, the sight of lush greenery stretching into the horizon…
For a moment, he just sat there, taking it all in.
"…Well, at least this place is good," he muttered.
Even without phones or modern technology…
Even without his previous life's comforts…
At least, the view was beautiful.
Hazuki sat near the stream, gazing at the scenery, his mind completely blank.
He wasn't thinking about his struggles.
He wasn't worrying about money, skills, or reading.
He was just staring into the distance, lost in nothingness.
A rare moment of silence and peace.
Until—
"Uncle?"
Hazuki blinked.
He snapped out of his daze. "Huh? Who?"
Turning his head, he saw—
Ellyn stood there, her tail swaying lazily, looking at him with curious eyes.
"Oh… hello."
"Uncle?"
"Hmm?"
"What are you doing?"
Hazuki sighed.
"Ugh… we just met yesterday, and now she's already starting with the questions."
"So, Uncle?"
"What?"
"What are you doing? You don't have a job?"
Hazuki rubbed his temple.
"I just finished my quest."
"So why are you sitting here?"
Hazuki's eye twitched.
"Damn this girl. We're not even married yet, and she's already bombarding me with questions."
He let out a long sigh.
"Nothing. Just relaxing."
Ellyn tilted her head.
"Oh… already eaten?"
"Umm… yeah."
"Already rested?"
Hazuki squinted at her.
"What do you think I'm doing?"
Ellyn just smiled and casually sat down beside him.
Her ears twitched slightly as she looked at him.
"Looks like you have a problem."
Hazuki glanced away.
"Ah… it's nothing."
Hazuki sighed, side-eyeing Ellyn as she comfortably sat beside him.
"Why are you sitting next to me? You know people will think I'm weird."
Ellyn tilted her head. "Hmm? Why?"
"You know… an adult sitting with a girl your age?"
Ellyn blinked innocently.
"Hmm? But we're engaged, and we'll be married when I turn into an adult, right?"
Hazuki's eye twitched.
"Why do you keep bringing that up!?"
Ellyn smiled sweetly.
"Hmm? Nothing… just to make sure you remember."
Hazuki gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.
"Ugh… do you think I COULD forget!? This damn ring won't LET me forget!"
He lifted his hand, showing the silver-pink ring that constantly reminded him of his fate.
Ellyn nodded approvingly.
"That's good."
"Haaaa…" Hazuki exhaled all his frustration into the air.
Then—
"Uncle?"
"What now?"
"I'm hungry…"
Hazuki froze.
Then slowly, he turned to look at her.
Ellyn's ears twitched as she stared at him expectantly.
"Ugh… fine. Let's go eat."
Ellyn beamed, grabbing his hand.
Hazuki sighed again.
"Damn it… I'm already getting dragged around like a husband."
( End of Chapter )