"Hahahaha, stop dwelling on pointless thoughts, you idiot!"
He suddenly smiled and yawned.
He was James Chaser. How could he be influenced by the absurd stories in cheap online novels?
"So you're telling me I died and transmigrated into some strange body while dying? Hahahah…"
These were the ridiculous things in stories—not worth thinking about.
"Hmm, still, I haven't woken up yet. I guess I should first learn the language here and figure out why people react to me like this."
He liked living in the moment and enjoying it.
"I should look for a library around here. Maybe I can find an elementary school dictionary and learn a few words. Oh, but I need to learn the alphabet first, then words, and then grammar."
That was the rule of language learning: Either immerse yourself in the language and force your brain to learn, or sit at a desk and memorize words and grammar! Any other method was usually a scam, or at least that's what James thought.
Everyone was looking at James like he was a monster. He couldn't communicate with them. So his only option was to learn the alphabet and memorize words from dictionaries.
He wandered around the village a bit. He stopped in front of a statue of an old man holding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. The statue was about 20 meters tall, with a fountain at its base.
He went to the middle-aged man nearby, who had a palette and paint around him.
"Hey, hello, can you look?"
Middle-aged man: "…"
James: "Hmph…"
James mimed a book with one hand and flipping pages with the other. He was asking where he could find books.
Middle-aged man: "…"
James did the same thing a few times. When he got no response, he didn't waste time. He entered a shop. It was clearly a glassware store.
"Hello." He bowed slightly in a polite greeting.
The shop owner was speechless. He hadn't expected to see this kid again.
James mimed the book again. This time it worked. The shop owner, not wanting trouble, pointed out the library's location with hand gestures. Though he didn't understand why he was using signs instead of speaking—the kid in front of him was clearly Weldan Bloodbreaker.
James left the shop and headed toward the library. This village was quite interesting. It resembled a 16th-century English town.
He arrived at the library. He entered this single-story, rundown building. It was clear the people didn't value books much.
The librarian was surprised to see him but didn't find it strange. It was known that Weldan Bloodbreaker liked reading books. He had seen him a few times.
"You can't take a new book. You've already been expelled from this village—you're no longer a citizen. Even if you were, you'd have to return the old books you took." He spoke calmly.
James: "…"
"Shut your damn mouth!" he thought to himself.
James ignored him. He gave him a hard look and went about his business.
The librarian didn't dare say anything else.
James started looking at the books. The shelves were lined up one after another. Even though he couldn't understand the classification labels, by glancing at the books on a shelf, he could figure out what kind they were.
Books on biology, chemistry, physics, literature, history, even music and other arts…
"Interesting, very interesting." James was shaken. He began questioning the reality of his existence again. But he quickly suppressed those thoughts.
James looked around a bit more. In the corner, he saw a small and colorful shelf. It was obviously for children.
He approached the shelf. These were stories, fairy tales, comics, and other childish things. Useless for him.
He looked at an old and dusty book. This was the last one.
"Hahahaha, this is it!"
This book started with the alphabet and explained the pronunciation of basic words with pictures.
He took this book and went to the counter. He pointed at the book and outside. "I want to take this book."
Librarian: "Don't be ridiculous. I told you, you can't take it. You're officially a foreigner, and most importantly, you're a criminal!"
James's face darkened. There was another man yelling at him, looking at him like an animal. He was tired of this!
He took the book and left without saying a word.
Librarian: "…"
What could he say? He wasn't suicidal.
People aren't stupid in most cases—they just act like it. They play smart or dumb depending on what suits them.
Just as James was about to leave the village, two burly men in uniforms approached him: The law enforcement.
Officer: "Sigh, kid, I told you if you entered the village again, I'd break your bones. I guess you have no self-respect left. You want to get beaten in front of everyone again, huh?"
Other officer: "Hahaha, you're right, buddy. This scum loves making things harder for himself—just like his whore mother and murderer father!"
The officers were rubbing their fists. After patrolling all day, they had finally found some entertainment. Beating Weldan Bloodbreaker was the most fun! Heheheh.
James frowned. What was wrong with everyone today?
While he was thinking that, one of the officers punched him in the face.
The other officer kicked James in the stomach before he could even react.
James: "!?!?"
Kick, kick, kick, kick…
James couldn't get up. Every time he tried to stand, he took another kick.
He started crying. Sobbing uncontrollably.
When the officers heard his cries, they laughed and started hitting even harder! Punches and kicks flew through the air.
They were at the village entrance. When word spread that Weldan Bloodbreaker was getting beaten, the whole village gathered: The baker, shepherds, shoeshine boy, librarian, and of course, other villagers.
Baker: "Hit him harder! He threatened me and stole 12 loaves today. Kill this devil!"
Librarian: "He stole a book from the library! Will this devilish bandit enter this village again!?"
A young girl joined in from there: "Last day, he was peeping at me through my house window. I warned him, but he dared to invite me to his cabin in the forest! This guy's a pervert and deserves to die!"
An old man, a grandma, a child, a woman, beggars, farmers…
Everyone was listing his crimes and demanding his execution. Enough was enough.
James kept crying.
Not because of the beating, not because of those demanding his execution.
Because of himself!
"I've been fooling myself all this time…"
"How can a dream be this realistic? So many things… Oh God, these books, these people, these creatures, this endless barrage of kicks and punches and the pain they cause!"
He was questioning his existence. Now he was sure.
Everything he was experiencing was real!
At that exact moment, a figure descended from the sky.