Next Day And Planning

I woke up in the morning only to see it was still 4 AM on my watch. I was going to sleep some more but for some reason, the sun rays had already crept inside and in the distance, cocks were going coo-ka-doodle-do! at their full force.

What the hell? Did I perhaps sleep till the afternoon? Agh... Even though I slept so early last night...

I re-checked the time but it was definitely showing AM in the bar and not PM. At least I hadn't overslept.

That's strange. Why is the sun out when it's only 4 AM in the freaking morning? Does the sun come out earlier in this world or am I just oblivious of this phenomenon since I never woke up before 8 in the morning?

I stood up and went outside to find the old man sitting on his charpai chewing tobacco.

…Was it okay for him to chew tobacco so early in the morning?

When he noticed me he asked if I had any problems sleeping last night and I told him I slept very well. Since I was tired I didn't have to wait long to fall asleep and only opened a few minutes ago. Then I received some soft branches to clean my mouth near water well.

I guess I can't expect them to have toothbrushes and paste.

I chewed on one side of the stem and started rubbing from the shredded part as was instructed by the chief who was surprised to hear I didn't know how to use it and called me a city brat.

It couldn't be helped okay?! I was raised with a bloody toothbrush and toothpaste ever since I was a child. Nobody uses a fricking plant to clean their teeth nowadays.

It tasted a bit sour but I guess it was also refreshing. I washed my face with the well water I fetched and went slightly to the back of the house to relieve myself. There were no toilets either. I didn't want to know how they did their main business here. Probably something I wouldn't find comfortable.

At least I was lucky enough that my stomach wasn't rumbling for action.

After all my morning business was done, I went back and sat on the charpai I brought from my assigned room.

"Does it always become daytime so early here? It's barely past 4 in the morning."

"Mm? Are you still asleep, boy? It's past 6 AM. Didn't you hear the roosters? They go off at exactly 6 in the morning."

"Is that so...?"

So it was already 6 in the morning but my watch showed 4.

Has this piece of junk already broken?! It hasn't even been 4 months since I bought this. Bloody shopkeeper. He sold me junk!

With my doubt regarding time solved I moved on to the next important thing. I needed to gather things for the journey. I had already planned to leave this village and go to the nearest town or city to get a better perspective on things, research the geography and look for a job since it didn't seem like I could go back home any time soon and the lack of money was constantly in my mind. I was penniless in this world.

The old chief listened to my request and showed me various houses that also sold things. I bartered a few utensils and some bag packs for a magic stone from the wolf. It seemed they didn't really use money much around here. Though money did exist and was used widely with the merchants or when a deal can't be made using simple barter.

He then asked another young boy strolling around to take me to a nearby village to buy other stuff I needed.

The boy was probably 15 years of age.

"You're the meat guy, right?"

The boy seemed to have recognized me with a strange title.

"Meat guy?"

I asked in confusion.

"Yeah. You brought a lot of meat last night. The entire village was very happy.

Everyone started liking you after that, you know. Ask me if you need anything in this locality. I know this neighborhood like the back of my palm!"

"I see… I'll do so then."

It seemed my act last night made my popularity rise sky high in this village. That was a good thing. I would rather be viewed as a popular person in a good light rather than viewed as a weird stranger strolling around their village.

The boy led me on a walk down the path from the gate at the back of the village to about 20 minutes away where I saw a similar village settlement as Balha Village. This one was a bit bigger as compared to Balha Village though. We entered through the gates without any inspections since it seemed the boy was well acquainted with the guards. After I entered inside, I was led to a bunch of shops I wanted to visit. I had planned to buy food, cooking utensils, basic cutlery, some extra pairs of clothes, insect repellents, and some standard medicines for stomach aches or bruises which I might get while traveling. This was the most I could think of. I would have liked a map of the region as well but there was no way I was going to find such a precious commodity here in the boonies.

Using my wolf mana stones, I managed to barter utensils made up of brass, repellants, and a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits I could find. There were some strange ones among them but one of the strange fruits I tasted, Locona was its appraisal name as well as the local name called by the fruit vendor, was pretty sweet and juicy so I bought it in dozens since it was quite cheap. The cloth Store didn't accept my mana stones but after I showed them the wolf fur, he gave me 5 sets of his best clothing in exchange for 5 wolf pelts. He also gave me 2 pairs of sandals along with the clothes to match my attire.

I thought that that was quite thoughtful of him. But perhaps he noticed my sports shoes that I was wearing at that time with the local attire and found them strange so he gave them something more normal as a consideration. My sports shoes did seem strange in those village attires if I were, to be honest.

I had no idea of the exchange rate but I wasn't going to haggle prices unnecessarily. I assumed they wouldn't charge exorbitant prices for the everyday stuff just because I wasn't a local, but who knows if he did charge me more than normal? Either way, it didn't matter.

I placed all the stuff inside my inventory and bought from a street stall lady selling some sort of grilled meat, one for me and one for the boy who accompanied me. He was delighted with the treat so I guessed it was fair payment for his hard work. He did take me to all the shops where I found useful stuff.

We walked back to our village and after some rest, I once again went out of the village towards an open field that was a bit separated from the village. I was even further away from the farmlands where I could see some villagers doing their farm work.

My reason was that I wanted to try using magic. I still hadn't tried using it and now was the time.

Today, the whole day if needed, I'll try and use real magic.

That was my plan for the day.

I sat on a big boulder lying on the ground and after making sure that no person or monster was around, I closed my eyes and started to sense my surroundings.

My idea was that mana was something that was probably everywhere, like air or aether if you will, and to use it one has to feel it inside and outside. It came completely from the novels but I just went along with it for the heck of it. It was better than doing nothing.

After about 5 minutes of concentrating, I started to notice a strange flow of warm air that was whirling around me and entering my body not just through my mouth or nose but even through my skin. My own body felt a bit warm as that air was spreading through my whole body from my core (my heart). Except, it wasn't air but mana.

[Magic Assimilation completed!]

[New ability "Magic Manipulation" acquired!]

[Space-time Magic I Acquired!]

[Lifestyle Magic I Acquired!]

Oh?

I unlocked a bunch of things. Other than two new types of Magic, I now had Magic Manipulation ability.

If the name was correct, I can manipulate my mana right?

I stood up, excited, and stretched my right hand in front, and tried imagining that warm feeling accumulating in front of my hand. I felt something moving and in

just a few seconds there was a wave of energy accumulating in front of my hand.

I checked my status and sure enough, my MP(mana) had decreased a little. About 10 points.

Next, I tried to fire that magic but it disintegrated soon after leaving my hands.

Eh?... That didn't go as planned...? Did I do something wrong?

I thought for a moment and then tried it again. This time I decided to use an attribute to make the image more narrow.

"<Fire Ball>!"

I shouted and launched the magic once again.

This time the launched magic didn't disintegrate but changed form into a ball of fire and was shot in front. Its size was about 5 times the size of my fist and it flew a considerable distance with a speed that wasn't particularly that great.

Holy shit! I just used MAGIC!!! Woohoo!!

I was overjoyed. Though anybody in my place would have been. This was the long-awaited power of fantasy that every weeb wished for in his or her wildest dreams. And here I was doing exactly that. I had cast magic in real life. Not some illusion or CGI but actual magic.

I felt powerful. I felt happy. I felt that I could anything. Magic was amazing!

After recovering from my happiness, I tried similar spells from other elements. I tried <Water Ball> from Water, <Wind Arrow> from Wind, <Rock Bullet> from Earth, <Light Ball> from Light and <Dark Ball> from Darkness. The first 3 went quite as expected. There was considerable power in the water, wind, and earth element spells. They even broke some nearby stones so their strength was no joke. I wasn't going to carelessly use it on others for no reason. The <Light Ball> spell created a small ball of illumination the size of my fist, it just floated in the air and I could move it according to my will.

It would come in handy when I don't have any other light sources.

Now, the problem was Darkness. No reaction from <Dark Ball> came after casting the spell. The mana released just dissipated after being released from my hand.

I guess Darkness Magic is a bit different from the rest. I will need to study magic properly to be more proficient but the current progress is not bad. I have a way to attack from a distance now.

I then practiced the 4 elemental spells from fire, water, wind, and earth to get used to them and tried some other spells I could think of such as <Fire Arrow>, <Fire Ball Barrage>, <Firewall>, <Water Whip>, <Ice Arrow>, <Ice Arrow Barrage>, <Water wall>, <Earth Bullet Barrage>, <Earth Wall>, <Wind Bullet Barrage>, <Wind Cutter>, <Wind Wall>, etc.

They were all a success and I had attained a basic Mastery of how to handle magic. The area around me had been damaged quite a bit from all the spell practice so I felt a little bad but I had specifically chosen this faraway area so I don't get into trouble.

At last, I gave Barrier Magic a try. I muttered <Barrier> and a plain semitransparent wall was erected in front of me. I touched it and found it tangible, unlike the screens from my system. I shot a <Fireball> but it just passed through. I tried moving the barrier around and changing its shape; it had flexibility in that respect at least. The barrier did prevent the magic from passing when I threw the spell on it from the other side.

Hmm. I would have to test it out to see how sturdy it is but it is definitely a useful defensive ability to have. I can block all attacks using barrier magic.

Next from Lifestyle Magic, I could only figure out <Clean> which, at first puzzled me since it didn't work on non-targeted things, but later I found cleaned a person or thing of all impurities and dirt once you defined a target after several tests. When I cast it on my Katana, it cleaned off all the signs of dirt and even a hint of bloodstains. When used on me, I was enveloped by a fresh and bubbly feeling and my whole body seemed to have become fresh as if I had out of the shower. There was no sign of sweat or anything. Even the clothes I was wearing were cleaned off of the little dirt they had accumulated during my practice.

Man, this magic will be hella useful in everyday life. I won't have to take baths every day.

As I was nearing the end of magic learning/training, I suddenly felt very hungry.

I checked my MP to see how much I had spent in the whole session.

MP: 3360/3800

Barely any MP was used. And I did use a considerable amount of spells.

Guess the MP usage is cost-efficient. Sweet!

I won't have to worry about running out of mana in between fights if it's like this.

After that, I went back to the village gates and was greeted by the same old duo whom I saw when I first came to this village.

I nodded to them and entered inside, then walked on the central road. My destination was the big house in the front.

There I saw the old chief lying in his usual spot, smoking tobacco in a wooden pipe. When he saw me, he asked me if I was hungry. And honestly, I was. He signaled me to go inside. When I entered the house the old lady was doing house chores. The young girl was also helping but when she saw me, she hid behind the old lady.

"Oh dear, how long are you planning to stay shy like this? You've reached marriageable age now. Be more accommodating or you won't be able to live with your hubby."

The old lady was saying such things to her who still looked reluctant but still did her best to stay hidden in my presence.

Honestly, if I hadn't heard the old lady say those words, I would have ended up thinking my face was scary or something and lose all morale. It really hurt when young girls looked at you like you were the most fiendish and lecherous monster in the whole world.

The old lady then focused her attention on me and asked.

"Are you hungry, boy?"

I nodded and then was taken to the same living room and served boiled vegetable broth, some hard bread, and a pickle. It seemed like a staple food around here so I ate it without saying anything. All in all, it was plain but decent with its light and easy-to-digest quality. The young girl came up in between my meal and offered me a glass of water. I thanked her and she quickly ran away.

I never really got to know her name. Maybe I'll ask her next time I see her?… Nah, she'll just run away. I'll just appraise her from afar.

***

After I was done with my meal, it had already been past noon. The bright sun was up there doing its job in the clear sky. I decided to take a stroll around the village to check it out and also get some exercise. Not that I actually ever did after-meal exercises in my world. It was just an excuse to walk around and see the village scenery. To be honest, living in a place with no modern conveniences was very boring if one didn't have anything to do. But you got used to it once you stayed there for a long time maybe.

I left the village chief's house and started walking around, looking at people doing their usual thing. Some looked back at me while others paid no heed as they indulged in their daily jobs. The children were carelessly playing around with their wooden made toys. One of them was even holding a dull wooden sword and acting like a hero saving the cutest girl from other supposedly fiendish villains, or boys if you removed the filter. The rascal was being too touchy-feely with the girl though.

The dude's being too much of a playboy for his young age. What are his parents teaching him?

Not that it made me feel jealous. Who would feel jealousy out of children's stupid games? Not me. Definitely not me.

I came back to the guard post and decided to have a conversation with Jack and Hawk sitting there.

They offered a wooden stool for me to sit on. Jack's spear was still lying beside him and Hawk seemed to have no weapons other than the wooden stick he was carrying on his side. I asked Jack out of curiosity if he had learned how to use a spear after which he laughed and said he did some self-training.

"This spear belonged to my father. He retired and gave it to me and now I use it. … Well, I say use it but apart from some light practice, there has never really been any chance to use it in a serious battle. The stray wolves that come out of the forest are normally low-leveled and get scared just by me pointing this thing at them."

I decided to try Appraisal on Jack to see his stats.

***Character Profile***

Name: Jack

Age: 26

Gender: Male

Race: Human

---

Level: 11

HP: 270/270

MP: 10/10

---

Job:

Primary: Apprentice Spearman

Secondary: None

---

Titles acquired:

None

---

Stats:

STR: 48

DEX: 34

DEF: 40

AGI:28

VIT: 19

INT:12

Luck: 40

---

Special Abilities:

None

Abilities:

Spear Technique I

***

… He's weak.

His stats were too low compared to mine. Or rather I was the abnormality. With this, I guessed he could fight with no more than low-level 1 or 2 grey wolves or goblins at best.

I also appraised Hawk while I was at it and the results were pretty similar.

***Character Profile***

Name: Hawk

Age: 23

Gender: Male

Race: Human

---

Level: 9

HP: 150/150

MP: 10/10

---

Job:

Primary: None

Secondary: None

---

Titles acquired:

None

---

Stats:

STR: 25

DEX: 23

DEF: 25

AGI:35

VIT: 20

INT:14

Luck: 35

---

Special Abilities:

None

Abilities:

None

***

He was even weaker than Jack. And he didn't have any skills or job.

Eh? No Job either? I mean, I get the skills and titles but are jobs also something not everyone has?

If this was the standard of the world, I would be considered a monster. I couldn't let others find out about my stats now.

I wondered if other people could use the Appraisal. I decided to interrogate these two for some information.

"Hey, Mr. Jack, can you see your status?"

"My status?"

"Yeah."

"What's that?"

"Eh, um, you know, the thing which shows your abilities and stat values."

"Oh, you mean the divine slate. I remember seeing mine when I went to church for my coming-of-age ceremony. The priest told me I didn't receive any gifts and was told my stats were normal. So that's that. I can see it but it's nothing special. Haha."

"Oh, I see. Incidentally, do you have any job and abilities?"

"I think I received the Apprentice Spearman job after training for a year or so so I have the spear-related skill. I do feel comfortable using it and I suppose if I train hard I could show results. But it's hard to increase its rank with just training."

Ohh, so that's how people get their jobs and skills. By hard work and training.

Makes me, who has all these jobs and skills, look like a fraud.

"What about Mr. Hawk?"

"Me? Nah. I was a dud. Didn't receive anything. I was never good at anything

so I kinda expected it. Hahaha. Well, it's fine since I didn't have any plans in life. I'll just spend my days in calm here. Even this guard duty, I just do to accompany my buddy Jack here. And it's not like I need to have those fancy things to survive. As you can see, I'm doing rather well even without it."

I was told a lot of common folks had similar states where they didn't have any special abilities or jobs. And it didn't affect their lives as they lived just normally.

I was now starting to understand how rare my status was.

But I was glad that there wasn't an easy way to see other people's statuses so easily.

I'll avoid getting my status getting checked in the churches. Apparently, the priests in this world can see other people's status. Wonder who else has this ability.

In a state where I ran into a person capable of seeing my status, I could get into trouble. I had to be sure to stay at least a little bit cautious.

With this, I had pretty much gathered all information I could in this village. Next, I moved to a house that had a stable and an animal pen behind it. The old man living here was the one the village chief said will take off tomorrow to sell his animals in the Belstra town's bazaar. I had come here to confirm the time of departure.

He told me he'll leave with his son and another member of the village in the first quarter of the eastern sky. The reason was that if we didn't leave early, we wouldn't be able to reach the town in the morning and the bazaar will close off.

I left his house and lay on the assigned charpai, taking an afternoon nap. The rest of my afternoon was nothing worth mentioning.

***