I headed to the classroom completely exhausted.
My knees trembled with every step, but I forced myself forward. I'd just be sitting anyway. I could rest once I got there. Class was about to start, so I quickened my pace despite my aching legs.
When I entered the classroom, I greeted the teacher. She looked at me with a puzzled expression.
(Hah! You must be wondering why I'm this exhausted so early in the morning. Secret training, if you must know.)
I kept the thought to myself.
I walked toward the back and took my seat. The children were unusually lively today, laughing and chatting like they had endless energy.
It's really great to be a kid.
You play, you learn, you eat, and you enjoy life, like the world exists only for happiness.
Cherish those moments while you can.
Once you grow up, you won't even have time to think about playing anymore.
I sat down and opened my book. Class hadn't started yet, so I skimmed through the pages, rereading parts I might've missed.
Oh. Right.
This must be why I felt so drained after casting spells.
According to the book, everything, living or not, emits energy. When casting magic, you draw from the mana within your own body.
Thinking about it that way, the body really is like a massive battery. The more you use it, the emptier it becomes. With rest, mana slowly replenishes on its own.
Of course, there were potions that could temporarily increase mana capacity or speed up regeneration, but those were expensive. Far beyond what I could afford right now.
As I continued reading, I noticed the teacher glancing at me repeatedly. Class was starting. It would be rude to read something unrelated during her lesson.
I closed the book and looked up, offering her a small smile.
Her eyes widened. She immediately looked down.
…Did I startle her?
"I must've looked creepy," I muttered under my breath, turning my gaze toward the window.
The lesson began. As expected, there was nothing new, just a review of things I already knew. I'd hit a bottleneck. There wasn't much more I could learn through normal lessons here.
Still, I had two weeks left.
Rather than wasting my tuition, I should ask the teacher directly about reading incantations and the basic knowledge she hadn't covered in class.
Yeah. That sounds practical. Wise, even.
Maybe next week, I could visit the Adventurers' Guild and take on a job.
I still had one gold coin left, but it wouldn't last forever. At this rate, it might not even get me through a month.
I needed to speed things up.
Then the bell rang.
It didn't come from the classroom, but from the church nearby. Every day at noon, the bell rang to signal the end of class.
The children began to leave, one after another. I stayed behind on purpose. I had questions.
When the last child left, I stood and walked toward the teacher.
She seemed startled by my movement.
Alright. Smile first. Then ask.
"Hello, Teacher Erica. May I trouble you with a few questions?" I asked politely.
She still looked anxious.
Am I really that creepy?
…Well, when you think about it, a grown man attending a class full of children probably does look strange. I honestly don't know how women think.
I pointed to the basic incantations for fire, earth, and wind. She read them aloud for me.
There was still a lot in this book that I didn't understand, but I'd ask about that later. For now, I needed to focus on these chants.
I asked her to repeat them several times until I fully grasped the pronunciation and rhythm. Once broken down, the words weren't as difficult as I'd expected.
After class, I felt recharged enough to practice again behind the school.
I decided to test fire magic first, to compare its destructive power with water.
"O Lady of Eternal Flame, Goddess who dances in hearth and sun, Grant me a spark of your blessing. Gather, burn, and take form. By your grace, Fire Ball."
I extended my hand and aimed at a boulder. Trees and bushes were too risky; I didn't want to start a wildfire and end up arrested.
A fist-sized fireball shot from my palm. It wasn't as fast as the water ball, but it still moved quickly enough.
When it struck the boulder, the flames splashed outward, like a tomato smashing against stone. The impact was forceful, but the boulder didn't change color; only a faint trail of smoke rose from it.
I touched the stone carefully.
Hot.
Hot enough to boil water.
It wasn't flashy, but this was lethal.
If I kept hitting the same spot, I was sure the stone would eventually glow red like iron in a blacksmith's furnace.
Next, I tested Earth Magic.
"O Lady of Steadfast Ground, Goddess who bears mountains and soil, Grant me a grain of your strength. Gather, harden, and take form. By your blessing, Earth Bullet."
A small rock formed in my palm, about the size of a bottle cap. I quickly aimed at the same tree I'd used for water practice.
The projectile flew at impressive speed.
"Thud."
The tree shook slightly. The stone bounced away, leaving behind a small dent in the bark.
That's… powerful.
If used properly, this could be lethal, especially if it hit someone in the head.
That is, assuming I could land the hit.
Lastly, I tested wind magic.
"O Lady of Wandering Skies, Goddess who breathes life into the world, Grant me a whisper of your wind. Gather, surge, and take form. By your blessing, Wind Blast."
Pressure built in my palm. I aimed and released.
"Shove."
The wind rushed forward, but the tree barely moved. Just a faint tremble, hardly noticeable unless you were watching closely.
…That's it?
Did I mess something up?
Suddenly, my body felt heavy. My legs wobbled.
I'd hit my limit again.
Still, it was good that I'd practiced more than just water magic today.
Time to head back to the inn.
I wondered what the innkeeper would make for dinner. I'd grown used to eating once a day. Sometimes the hunger came early, but that was normal.
Once I fully mastered the basic spells, I'd be ready for the Adventurers' Guild.
Thinking about it, I still had two weeks left in class. I could stop attending once I reached the one-month mark or even earlier.
I should register at the guild by next week.
As I walked through town, vendors were still lively, calling out to passersby. I looked up at the sky, no longer bright, but painted in shades of scarlet and orange. The colors reflected off the waterways, turning the town into a quiet, beautiful scene.
I pushed open the inn's door. It was lively tonight. Customers filled the dining area, eating and drinking.
The inn had a diner on the first floor and five rooms upstairs.
I didn't know my neighbors yet, but they seemed like adventurers.
The innkeeper smiled and handed me my portion. Her name was Karen.
Her late husband had been an A-rank adventurer. He died during a monster invasion quest. She'd been part of the same party back then.
Apparently, once a year, monsters became unusually active. They rampaged through forests, and some even invaded nearby towns and cities.
especially toward the sea were extremely dangerous. Town guards patrolled the outskirts, killing monsters before they could reach the walls.
Despite being a border town, it wasn't large. In fact, compared to the cities I'd read about, it was almost modest in size.
But what it lacked in scale, it more than made up for in defense.
The walls surrounding the town were enormously thick stone layered with reinforced watchtowers at regular intervals. Even from inside, you could feel their presence, like a constant reminder that the outside world was being held at bay. Ballista platforms were built into the upper sections, and patrol paths ran along the top, where guards could respond to threats long before monsters reached the gates.
It didn't feel like a town meant to grow.
It felt like a town meant to endure.
I realized then that, despite living here for weeks, I had never once stepped beyond those walls. Every road I walked, every building I entered, existed safely within that stone barrier. The outside forests, monsters, and everything unknown remained something I'd only heard about in stories and rumors.
Maybe that was intentional.
As long as I stayed inside the walls, I was protected.
But the moment I crossed them, that protection would be gone.
Setting those thoughts aside, I focused on the food.
Fish and vegetables. No bread this time.
After eating, I went straight to my room.
Today had been exhausting. And I needed to wake up early again tomorrow for another round of training.
I placed the book on the table and collapsed onto the bed.