Chapter 4
In the bathroom, a wooden tub was filled with warm water. Soaking in it, the perfect temperature relaxed my body.
With slightly dazed eyes, I turned to stare at the wall. Beyond the thin wall, the maid was likely resting.
Could I trust her a little?
After bathing, I sat with the maid to tally today’s sales.
Three cups sold. Revenue: 2 silver, 10 copper. Embarrassingly low for a sales report.
I adjusted prices for so coffee nus and planned the cart’s sales route: the main square, park, downtown, and market.
“From tomorrow, you’re on your own. Can you do it?”
“Yes!”
I asked again, but the answer was the sa.
“Oh, and…”
Just selling coffee wouldn’t break even, would it?
“Tell any rumors or information you hear outside. Anything. Gather as much as you can. Got it?”
As the saying goes, bad public sentint heralds disaster. Ominous rumors were precursors to calamity.
“Yes!”
The next day, the maid took the coffee cart out alone.
…I hope she’s a useful chess piece.
A sigh escaped . A maid unconditionally devoted to was hard to handle. She didn’t seem likely to betray , but to , she was soone I’d known for barely a day. I couldn’t read her intentions or know how far to trust her.
But I couldn’t leave her be, so I planned to test her by gradually entrusting tasks. I’d decide later whether to keep or discard her based on the results. While she was out, I… had to tackle the issues piling up inside.
***
“Hah, I haven’t even returned to the academy, and I’m already exhausted.”
They say a passionate life burns quickly. The sun and moon rose and fell endlessly. Two months had passed since I left the family.
The maid was far more useful than expected. Every dawn, she sourced ingredients, took the cart out, and sold coffee. She even prepared my three daily als with diligence.
I felt guilty for giving her so much work.
Sales were decent.
Word spread about the delicious southern tea, and for a mobile café, it sold well. The maid selling it herself might’ve given commoners a cathartic noble-like experience.
anwhile, I frequented orphanages, nursing hos, temples, carriage stops, and guard posts to complete my 200 hours of community service.
It was a challenge. Martin’s infamy was worse than I’d thought. I was assigned the dirtiest, most disgusting tasks.
I also brought coffee to promote it. Despite my bad reputation, the coffee received glowing reviews.
After all that hardship, the day finally ca.
On the 60th morning since leaving the Ulvhadin family, a letter arrived from the academy.
[To the esteed Academy cadet Martin von Targon Ulvhadin.]
The crux: my return to the Imperium Academy was approved.
[…However, we hope the cadet rembers past mistakes…]
A warning that one more misstep would lead to expulsion.
[…We hope you pursue harmonious relationships with other cadets, and the faculty will not interfere in cadet friendships…]
In short, they wouldn’t care if I was ostracized.
The letter’s gist: We won’t stop you from coming, but please don’t. If you do, we’ll find a way to expel you.
Just write “don’t co” outright. …I’m going anyway.
I had to restore my relationship with the protagonist’s party and cling to them until the apocalypse.
It was daunting, and I wanted to return to the academy imdiately, but…
“Hah, I need to check this first.”
The fate of Martin von Targon Ulvhadin has been altered by the Creator.
A System is provided.
The System exists to assist and support all your actions.
As soon as I finished the academy’s letter, a System appeared.
Collecting and quantifying user information.
[Barista Lv 5]
[Cooking Lv 4]
[Writing Lv 3]
This damned thing.
Telling a novelist that their cooking and barista levels were higher than writing!
Sure, I’d focused on cooking and barista skills to improve my life under the excuse of writing better novels, but still!
User’s various factors have been collected, analyzed, and quantified into skill levels.
“….”
I couldn’t get angry. Writing Lv 3 objectively reflected my skill. My novels were painfully unpopular. That’s what Lv 3 ant.
Suppressing the creeping inferiority complex was a familiar task.
“So what? Can I get stronger with the System or sothing?”
I wasn’t a genre novelist for nothing. Systems were familiar. I’d even half-expected one to appear.
Your question has been received. The answer is ‘Yes.’
If it answered questions, I knew what to ask first.
“Why am I in this world, and what do I need to do? How do I return?”
Your three questions have been received. No answers are available.
Not that it can’t answer, but there are no answers.
I knew yelling at the System wouldn’t yield information. The way back to Earth was still a mystery.
You’ve earned 1,000 points for achieving System activation and usage. You can enhance or create skills.
At least I could adapt to this world quickly.
Skills can be created or enhanced through your own learning, but points earned from achievents can also be used. Active use of points is recomnded for rapid growth.
“…I want to learn Creation Magic.”
If I could create anything, I’d be invincible.
Creation Magic is beyond the System’s authority. The System can grant all abilities except those reserved for the Creator. Please specify an example, and I’ll find it imdiately.
“Fine, you win. What can I do with 1,000 points? No, how many points for swordsmanship?”
Swordsmanship Comprehension (Lv 1) is 5 points.
“…Archery?”
Archery Comprehension (Lv 1) is 10 points.
“Magic.”
Magic Comprehension (Lv 1) is 80 points.
This… 1,000 points might be more valuable than I thought.
“What’s the max level? How many points to master swordsmanship?”
Raising Swordsmanship Comprehension to the max evolves it to Swordsmanship Proficiency. Maxing Proficiency evolves it to Swordsmanship Mastery. Maxing Mastery completes the swordsmanship skill.
“…That’s complicated. I don’t even aim for mastery. How much to max Swordsmanship Comprehension?”
If I recalled correctly, the protagonist’s party in the early story was at the peak of Comprehension.
Swordsmanship Comprehension (Lv 10) requires 5,110 points. The points double with each level for swordsmanship skills.
“….”
Too inefficient. I needed sothing broadly useful instead.
“I lack knowledge about this world.”
As novelist Kim An-hyun, my mories were clear.
But Martin von Targon Ulvhadin’s seventeen years of mories were absent. This lack of mory ant a lack of common sense.
Community service and daily life had been troubleso more than once.
I didn’t even know the maid’s na and had been dodging it!
As if reading my thoughts, the System suggested sothing.
Two exclusive skills for the possessed are available: ‘Know-It-All’ and ‘Wild Instinct,’ tailored for Martin von Targon Ulvhadin.
Weird nas. Wild Instinct was fine, but Know-It-All was just odd.
Know-It-All (Lv 1) costs 1,000 points.
“1,000 points? What kind of skill is it?”
It allows access to information on all concepts you see, hear, or think about, and assists with intellectual activities using your brain. Highly recomnded if you lack general knowledge, concepts, or common sense about the world.
“….”
Like a beginner’s package? Assuming the System was friendly, it didn’t seem bad.
But jumping at it didn’t sit right. Especially with that dubious na.
“I want to see other information-related skills.”
Skills related to information gathering, analysis, and derivation include Insight, Analysis, Third Eye, Mind’s Eye, and Great Sage.
A temporary trial is available with System authority.
A trial—nothing’s more certain. Seeing is believing.
“Alright.”
As I declared, my vision went dark. My body floated, and space shifted. Before I could panic, the dizzying sensation faded, and I landed.
This is the System’s training ground. You can practice or test skills here. Ti flows as in reality, and your body is in a light sleep state.
The environnt will be set for testing the listed skills.
A flash of light stacked books, ford a maze, and erected complex structures.
Starting with a temporary trial of Insight.
As soon as it spoke, my senses sharpened. My vision, hearing, and brain’s ability to process information. My perception of the world expanded, with far greater precision.
Continuing with trials of other skills.
Analysis didn’t enhance senses like Insight but allowed instant understanding of complex formulas and papers—an astonishing ability.
Third Eye located desired books among countless ones, revealed maze paths, and provided answers and formulas. It could even see invisible spirits. But… a third eye popping up on my forehead wasn’t exactly welco.
Mind’s Eye let perceive everything visible with my eyes closed—no, more. I could sense everything 360 degrees around .
It was less effective than Third Eye at finding truth but still impressive.
All desirable abilities.
Excited, I decided to try the skills exclusive to Martin.
Starting a temporary trial of Know-It-All.
True to its na, information about this world’s concepts and common sense flooded my mind.
“…!”
Insight and Analysis were excellent. Third Eye and Mind’s Eye were wondrous.
Know-It-All, astonishingly, encompassed all their abilities.
However, it was less precise at situational awareness than Insight, weaker at analysis than Analysis, less efficient at finding truth than Third Eye, and inferior at perception to Mind’s Eye.
Still, it was appealing. It didn’t excel in one area but was versatile. Exactly what I needed with my lack of world knowledge.
And sothing decisively spurred my decision.
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