After a short silence, she took out her coin pouch and dropped it onto the counter.
"I'll take all three volumes. Now."
Raeshan looked at her. A faint smile appeared on his face.
He accepted the money and handed over the first, second, and third volumes of Element Mage Ascension.
Holding the books in her hands, she walked toward the reading area, wanting to see what was so extraordinary about them.
She sat down on a chair, looked at the manga in her hands, and opened the first volume.
"Battles and magic that could be learned just by reading."
Remembering the store owner's words, a look of grievance appeared on her face.
"Damn scammer. Learning skills just by reading a book? He made it sound as easy as eating and drinking."
"If it were really that simple, why would the Human Kingdom spend so much money and manpower maintaining the Royal Academy?"
She wanted to say all of that to the store owner's face.
But she did not.
A trace of fear lingered in her heart.
That mysterious aura made her feel as if the store owner was some old monster pretending to be young.
It was only natural for her to think that way.
Across the entire Western Continent, talents like her were rare. Someone under twenty who had already reached near high grade strength was almost unheard of.
There was no way someone like him could be normal.
Damn narcissist.
She started reading from the first page.
The story opened with a young mage standing inside what looked like a magical library, holding a book in his hands.
He was reading about the journey of an Archmage.
She turned the pages one after another. If someone looked closely, they would notice a faint light of excitement and curiosity in her eyes as she followed the story, eager to see what would happen next.
Elean read the records of an Archmage who had traveled across the entire continent, exploring unknown lands and meeting many different races.
Moved by the story, he made his decision.
He would travel across the world, just like the Archmage in the book.
He would become stronger.
Page after page, she continued reading. The story began to feel strangely familiar, as if it were written for her.
She had also run away from home to see the world and grow stronger.
Now, watching Elean walk the same path she once chose, she felt as if they shared the same fate.
Without realizing it, she began to like the protagonist of Element Mage Ascension.
When the story reached the point where strange disturbances spread through the Samagra Mountain Range and villagers began to disappear, Elean went there to investigate.
He never expected what awaited him.
A Devil General.
Her breathing quickened as she waited to see what would happen next.
Then the first volume ended.
"…What?"
Who ends a story like this?
Annoyance flashed across her face, but she quickly calmed herself and grabbed the next volume.
What the store owner had said might have sounded like nonsense, but there was no denying it.
The story was good.
Using art in such a unique way to tell a story was a brilliant idea.
That store owner was a genius.
She started reading the next volume.
The story resumed exactly where the previous volume had ended.
Elean stood facing Devil General Ruhu, the butcher of humans.
Ruhu's presence alone was suffocating. Anyone could tell he was far stronger than Elean, yet Elean did not retreat.
He attacked first.
Blades of fire rained down from the sky, tearing toward Ruhu in a blazing storm. Ruhu calmly raised his sword and met the attack head on. Fire shattered against steel as their powers collided.
The battle dragged on.
Spells clashed. Shockwaves tore through the land. With every exchange, the gap between them became clearer. Elean's breathing grew heavy, his movements slower.
Ruhu, on the other hand, smiled.
He was enjoying this, like a predator playing with wounded prey.
Cornered, Elean made his decision.
He stretched out his hand and gripped his wand so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He poured out every last drop of mana as he roared his final spell.
"DRAGON BLUSTER X1!"
A torrent of dragon shaped flames surged forward.
Ruhu's eyes widened. The attack was too fast, too sudden.
Boom.
The sky exploded in fire. The blast lit up the horizon and could be seen from more than ten kilometers away.
As she read this intense fight, excitement rose in her heart.
But the next scene made her heart tighten.
As Elean's vision blurred and his consciousness slipped away, he forced himself to look one last time.
Ruhu was still alive.
From the smoke and blood, the devil emerged. One arm was gone, torn clean off. His body was scorched, his face rotten and twisted like something dragged out of hell.
Ruhu stepped forward.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
He intended to kill Elean with his own hands.
Seeing this, her heart clenched. She had already started to like the main character. Watching him face death like this made her chest feel heavy.
Was he really going to die here?
But the next scene made her smile.
Just as Ruhu raised his sword for the final strike, a blinding white light flashed.
Ruhu's upper body fell to the ground.
Before Elean completely lost consciousness, he saw a red haired woman forcing a blue potion between his lips.
"How can the protagonist die before the story even ends?"
She looked closely at the female character who had appeared. For some reason, she felt like she had seen her somewhere before.
Then it hit her.
"Oh. Damn it."
"It's that bitch from the Human Kingdom."
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Author's Note
If you're enjoying 'Manga Store Owner System' so far, please consider leaving an honest five-star review and adding it to your collection.
Before the end of this month , I hope to reach at least 10 reviews.
Thank you very much for your support