Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Serenia, the Land of Adventurers
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The first thing he started with was accumulating knowledge.
Since he had created the game's setting himself, Judah had a basic understanding of it. But he knew nothing about the finer details—like the cultures of various nations, the characteristics of their people, or other common knowledge. Of course, he would pick up such things naturally as he lived his life, and the best way to learn would be to travel to those places and experience them firsthand. But with the body of a young child, long-distance journeys were out of the question. So he had no choice but to learn from books.
Fortunately, Serenia Castle had a library open for free to all residents, making it easy to obtain books. Among the tomes discovered and brought back by adventurers and mercenaries from ruins, those of little value had been bought up cheaply by Lord Piercen and collected there. There were also many donated by the mage tower or the merchant guild.
Reading posed no issues here, as every language in this world primarily used Hangul. Occasionally, English or Hanja appeared, but surprisingly, he could interpret them effortlessly. This, too, was likely a concession from the designer. Thanks to that, he faced no problems while reading.
Most of his daily routine revolved around spending time at the library.
Every day, he would jog lightly around the inner castle walls, return home to wash up and eat, then head straight to the library and stay until closing in the evening.
And so, a week passed, then a month, then a year. Was it true that effort never betrayed? His stat gains were quite impressive.
[Through consistent physical training, Strength +1, Agility +2. Vitality +4.]
[By reading difficult tomes beyond a child's comprehension, the Knowledge stat has been added. Knowledge +2.]
[By reading an ancient lesser grimoire, your understanding of mana has increased. Mana +1.]
[You have read 30% of all books in the Serenia Library. Due to your terrifying reading volume, Knowledge +3.]
One might complain that after a year of hard work, this was all he gained. But Judah considered it a highly satisfactory result. Leveling up by going hunting was unrealistic for an eight-year-old child. Naturally, his level remained fixed, so the best he could do here was earn bonus stats.
Thanks to that, he had to force himself through books so difficult they made his head ache.
Even boring poetry collections were no exception; he read them somehow. Novels or grimoires in more interesting fields were at least enjoyable and quick to get through. But rigid, dull subjects were pure torment. Still, to squeeze out even a little more stat growth, he kept at it. Before long, he became known among the castle folk as a bookworm.
Even reading books all day brought no worries about making ends meet. Kaseun Sabrak kept his promise to support him until adulthood.
No kids tried sneaking into Judah's house for fun, and whether out of pity for the orphan living alone (though unlikely) or some other reason, no thieves broke in even when he left the place empty all day. Time passed in utter peace.
Another year slipped by.
[Through relentless physical training over this time, total Strength +5, Vitality +6, Agility +8, Luck +1.]
[You ceaselessly and greedily absorbed knowledge from the library. Total Knowledge +7.]
Two years in total—two years holed up in the library since arriving in this world. As time went on, stat gains slowed. It seemed simple physical training and reading had reached their limits for growth. Besides, aside from the book in his hands, there were no more to read here. He turned the page, and the last one appeared. At last, he had read every book in the library.
[You have read every book in the Serenia Library. Some were skimmed, but seeing them all still holds meaning. All stats +1.]
[Achievement [Lover of Books] acquired.]
[Lover of Books.]
-You have read every book in the Serenia Castle Library. Be proud. Even if skimmed, the fact remains you read them all.
-When reading books, you can now speed-read. More sticks in your mind.
It had been truly grueling days. If he'd studied this hard in reality, he'd have gotten into a top university for sure. No— even just the language comprehension he'd gained here would be enough to get by anywhere. Reading countless books had convinced him: not only could he read Hanja or English, but interpret them flawlessly. Feeling an inexplicable pang of regret, he stretched languidly. His joints cracked with a crunch, and his body shivered.
Sinking into the chair, Judah pondered slowly.
He had accumulated enough knowledge. Now it was time to seriously master [Black Claw Secret Art - Shadow Swordsmanship/Heresy Arts]. He hadn't exactly neglected practice at home, but exhaustion always won out upon returning, pushing it down the priority list. Five years remained until the coming-of-age ceremony—plenty of time.
"Guess it's about time to head out."
Feeling refreshed and pleased, he rose, returned the book to its place.
Farewell for now to the musty smell of books. Looking up at the packed shelves, he felt a swell of pride.
'Really goodbye.'
As he headed for the exit, the elderly librarian called out with a smile.
Though two years had passed, he was still a child, so the librarian had to stand to look down at him.
"Heading out already? Early day for you."
"Yeah, looks like I won't be coming for a while."
"Oh ho, so you've read every book here?"
Judah's smile served as his reply.
"Impressive! You kept that bold claim from two years ago after all."
"You remembered."
The librarian gazed warmly.
"Of course. Such a cheeky little rascal."
Two years prior, when he'd first arrived, the librarian had said there were no books for kids. So he'd declared he came to read every one. The librarian had scoffed it off as childish bravado, but after a month, realized it was serious—and began offering snacks and friendly chats.
For incomprehensible passages or unknown words, he'd relied on the librarian's help.
Without it, tackling the tougher books would have been far harder.
"Thank you. I'll visit now and then."
"You'd better. Come anytime you're bored or struggling. The library's always open."
"Yeah."
They parted with smiles and chatter.
Unlike his routine of arriving at dawn and leaving at dusk, emerging in the afternoon with the sun high felt novel. The blazing sunlight was warm and pleasant as he walked.
The streets teemed with adventurers as always. No one had yet claimed the Heart of Perlnirn said to have fallen in the Serenia region. Those seeking it weren't dwindling with time—they were steadily increasing. Nations dispatched knights or hired adventurers to hunt fragments, so naturally, Serenia Castle hosted facilities out of proportion to its size: mercenary guilds, adventurer guilds, merchant guilds, mage towers, and temples.
It was only natural the roads brimmed with all sorts.
Weaving through the crowds, he reached home and inserted the key, turning the knob. Judah tilted his head.
'Locked?'
The click was unmistakable. Recalling clearly, he'd locked up before leaving that morning.
'Does that mean someone got in?'
He turned the knob again.
"Ahh!"
A startled young voice came from inside. Grimacing, he flung the door open to find four kids clustered there.
'What are these brats doing?'
Were even kids like these thieves? He hadn't expected intruders. They stared back in flustered panic.
"J-Judah…!"
To Serenia's residents, Judah was practically a celebrity. Word of his parents' death by midnight-visiting mercenaries might have faded otherwise, but Kaseun Sabrak had claimed guardianship. That alone deterred mistreatment. Plus, Judah was polite and remarkably self-sufficient for living alone. It was hard to believe he'd grown up parentless.
Well-mannered, trouble-free, and a daily library fixture—adults admired him and offered help. Kids, however, treated him poorly. Parents often snapped, "Be more like Judah." Naturally, no child liked him for it.
But to break into his house? Judah shut the door and stepped into the entryway. They'd tracked dirt everywhere in their shoes—footprints marred the floors. Planning to just leave it like that?
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Uh… H-home."
"You break in without permission and think you can just leave?"
At Judah's smile, the four hesitated, glancing at each other.
Now that he looked, these were the ones from before. Names escaped him, but they'd mocked him on sight as the "poor kid without mom and dad." Adults nearby had scolded them immediately, yet they seemed no wiser now.
"What if we don't move?!"
"Yeah, move! We're leaving!"
The biggest one grabbed his shoulder to shove. Judah's eyebrow twitched, but he didn't budge. The stat gap was immense. Far stronger than any normal kid, Judah seized and twisted the hand.
"Ow! W-wait! It hurts! Hurts!"
No one to see. Someone might hear the noise, but Judah had no mercy. He kicked the punk's gut with his toe as the twisted arm forced a humiliating pose.
'One down.'
Advancing, he clamped the next dazed kid's face in his palm. Chuckling, Judah gripped the face before him fully, hooked his right foot behind the kid's left heel, and shoved forward.
The kid toppled naturally, skull thumping the floor. Judah had gone easy—no real injury—but the sudden pain brought tears and wails. Feinting a punch at the third made him crumple instantly.
"S-sorry! Don't hit!"
"Forgive us!"
The last two surrendered without a fight. Momentum secured, Judah locked the door. The beaten pair sobbed loudly; the others cowered, eyes on him. Judah patted them down to check for theft. They flinched at each touch. Nothing taken. But the crying grated. Nudging one with his toe, he said,
"Hey, cut the blubbering unless you want more. You're annoying."
Instant effect. The two stifled sobs with gurgles, to his satisfaction. He fetched four rags from the bathroom and tossed them over.
"Take off your shoes and scrub everywhere you walked. You know how to mop a floor, right? Can't? Then take the beating."
"C-can we go after cleaning?"
Judah smirked.
"Sure. But do it right. Two wet the rags and mop; the other two follow, drying."
Terrified, they obeyed perfectly. Judah supervised to prevent escape, making them scrub ruthlessly. Exhausted tears fell, but he showed no pity. A system message blinked with a new log.
[You fought and defeated kids who sneaked into your house! Agility +1.]
'No need for bonuses like this.'
Stat gained, but no joy.
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Tip 5. Bonus stats rise randomly up to your potential's limit when you perform special actions or achieve something. But repeating the same actions or after reaching a certain stat level, they stop coming easily.
Of course, if luck favors you, even trivial deeds can yield stats.
Because this game, like all others, is a luck-based trash game.
Good luck.
Tip 6. Sometimes, the stick works better than the carrot.
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「Status Window」
[Name: Judah Arshe]
[Title: None]
[Level: 4]
[Job: Black Claw _ Shadow Magic Swordsman (Hidden A)]
[Revives: 1]
[Strength: 27 (D) / Potential A]
[Vitality: 26 (D) / Potential S]
[Agility: 27 (D) / Potential SS]
[Mana: 31 (D) / Potential B]
[Magic Resistance: 51 (C) / Potential S]
[Knowledge: 13 (F) / Potential B] ◀ Special
[Luck: 79 (B) / Potential A] ◀ Special
[Remaining Points: 3]
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========== Afterword ==========
Oh ho, lots of you want rice cakes.
Right. Our society these days is all about chicken and pizza.
Rice cakes are so delicious!
Anyway, rice cake pounding. Like the idea?
Pounding without selling rice cakes +2. That's what you mean?
Oh, and about premium—no thanks.
How could I with my skills... So give those coupons to cheer me on. Hahaha.