Chapter 3
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 003
Chapter Title: Rune Letters
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Andy stared blankly at the strings of characters inside the book as they began to move.
Enigmatic letters intertwined with complex lines and shapes shifted and merged.
Like a maze, the characters repeatedly combined and separated, tracing out rhythmic patterns.
Then, the true characters hidden within the book emerged.
From the extraordinarily convoluted script he'd seen moments ago, they transformed into something resembling actual letters.
He muttered softly to himself.
"No matter how I look at it, this doesn't seem like continental script."
Andy couldn't read letters. However, he had a rough idea of what continental script looked like from the occasional proclamations posted in the village square.
Harmonious curves and straight lines formed characters suited perfectly for writing on paper.
But the ones in the book were entirely different.
Every single character consisted solely of straight lines, as if designed for easy carving into stone or wood.
If Andy had ever mingled with mages, he would have quickly realized these were rune letters.
But Andy was merely an orphan with no such connections.
Thus, he had no idea that the script he was reading was precisely that—rune letters.
But their true nature wasn't what mattered.
'Why... can I read the words?!'
He couldn't read, yet somehow, he could decipher the text in the book.
Of course, it wasn't fluent reading.
It was like a child learning to walk, taking one hesitant step at a time.
He had to scrutinize each character carefully to infer its meaning and pronunciation.
As if something buried deep in his soul was surfacing.
Gazing at the letters and pondering them naturally revealed their sense and sound.
It was astonishing.
He'd received no education and was utterly illiterate, yet here he was, reading and interpreting a book.
"This book... it's no ordinary tome."
Thinking back, it had been strange from the start.
He was just a timid, cowardly boy.
Always cowed by the bullying and abuse around him—a worthless orphan.
Yet that same boy had stolen a mage's book.
The moment he picked up the book that had fallen from the bag, an overwhelming impulse seized him.
'It was like I was possessed by something.'
It was a first in his life.
Even when starving to the point of death, fear of punishment had kept him from stealing food.
To covet a mage's possession, of all things.
It was as if his very soul yearned for that book. The compulsion had been that intense.
Andy let out a soft breath and murmured quietly.
"Shall I... try reading it?"
The way to uncover the secrets of this extraordinary book was simple: read it.
Andy focused his eyes and began deciphering the characters on the page.
That night, the boy in the cramped room beneath the inn's stairs didn't sleep until late.
A faint glow emanating from the book illuminated the dim chamber.
The next morning, early.
"Mage sir, did you have any discomfort overnight?"
"All good. Time for me to head out."
"Safe travels!"
The three mages departed the inn under the send-off from the innkeeper, Gavory Aunt.
Mounted on their horses, they set off on the return journey.
As they rode out of the village, Mage Zito sneered.
"Volonte, that's not like you. Losing an item."
"...I never imagined the bag would tear. My oversight."
The night before, Volonte had noticed one item missing from his bag: a book retrieved from the dungeon.
Only then did he check the bag's condition.
An inconspicuous tear in the side.
Likely, the contents had slipped out unnoticed through that spot.
No fool would dare touch a mage's belongings, after all.
"At least it was just a dungeon book we lost. If it had been a magic artifact... I don't even want to think about it."
The silver lining was that the lost item was a dungeon book, not a magic artifact.
Dungeon books were the least valued among dungeon finds.
They served no practical purpose, and no one could decipher their contents anyway.
Plus, they weren't rare, given how many turned up.
Despite originating from dungeons, they were essentially treated as junk.
"Enough, Zito. It's a pleasant return trip—why be stingy over a single book? Besides, it's just one volume. It won't affect our merits."
"I'll be more careful next time, Senior Mage."
"Mm. Take this as a lesson and bring a sturdier bag from now on. You can't repeat the same mistake twice."
"Understood."
That was why his comrades weren't harshly rebuking him despite losing part of the dungeon haul.
Since the lost item held little value, it wouldn't impact their merits.
With that, they left the village behind.
They headed slowly south toward the capital. The humble village scenery faded, replaced by mountains and fields.
As they rode leisurely onward,
"That boy..."
They spotted a commoner lad.
Black hair, black eyes. A somewhat pale and grubby-looking boy.
He looked familiar—the boy who worked at the inn where they'd stayed.
Out gathering firewood this early in the morning, perhaps? His arms were laden with branches.
"You there!"
Volonte called out to the boy.
At the mage's summons, Andy froze, his face tense with fear.
"D-Did you call me, Mage sir?"
"..."
Volonte eyed the boy steadily.
He hadn't noticed in his dirty state before, but up close, the boy had quite a handsome face.
With a proper bath and fine clothes, he'd pass for a noble's young master without question.
Volonte examined him thoroughly, then shook his head.
"No. My mistake. Be on your way."
"Y-Yes!"
The boy bowed hastily and scurried back toward the village.
His movements brimmed with tension, but the mages paid it no mind. Commoners always tensed up around mages—it was nothing new.
They were merely curious.
"Volonte, what was that? Calling out to a random commoner."
"Just my error."
"Thought he was someone you knew, huh?"
His fellow mages brushed off the explanation nonchalantly.
Volonte mused inwardly.
'I thought I sensed a trace of mana from that boy.'
From afar, he'd caught a faint whiff of mana residue.
Suspicious, he'd called him over—but up close, it was gone.
Must have been a sensory glitch.
A mere apprentice from the sticks, an orphan no less—not from a mage tower or nobility. The idea of him harboring mana was absurd.
The mages sent the boy off and spurred their horses southward once more.
The three hastened their return to the capital.
'I thought I'd been caught stealing the book—got scared for nothing.'
Andy wiped cold sweat from his brow as he hurried back to the inn.
He'd headed out of the village at dawn to gather firewood—his first chore of the day at the inn.
The boy rubbed his eyes with his hand.
'I'm exhausted.'
Andy hadn't slept the previous night.
The mysterious book now in his possession—he'd pored over it intently, pulling an all-nighter.
Fatigue weighed heavily on his body.
His mind was foggy, his frame limp and shaky from exhaustion. Poor nutrition plus sleep deprivation left him in the worst shape imaginable—no energy at all.
Yet his eyes remained clear and bright.
Because he'd glimpsed a ray of hope recently.
'I can learn magic!'
The book he'd stolen from the mage.
Its characters had shifted, and despite his illiteracy, he'd somehow been able to read it—a mystical artifact.
As he'd hoped, it was a grimoire.
Detailed instructions on learning magic filled its pages.
Andy closed his eyes, imagining his future.
Not clad in these rags, but in splendid robes.
Not clutching a bundle of firewood branches, but wielding a jeweled staff...
'A mage.'
Picturing his future self lifted his spirits.
A faint smile crept onto the boy's lips unbidden.
He, who usually exuded gloom from constant abuse and toil, rarely smiled.
This wasn't the fake grin for inn guests—it was genuine, perhaps the first real one ever.
But the smile didn't last.
"Andy! Firewood's here—now clean! No slacking!"
"...Yes!"
The venomous innkeeper couldn't stand seeing him idle.
Andy quickly schooled his expression and dove into his tasks.
Gathering firewood, fetching water, laundering bedding...
Jobs that would take a sturdy youth half a day. For a 12-year-old like Andy, it consumed the entire day.
He didn't return to his tiny room until late evening.
"So tired..."
Worn out from grueling labor and gnawing hunger, Andy sighed softly.
The old him would have collapsed into bed immediately.
No point staying awake—just more hunger. Exhaustion would have claimed him like a knockout blow.
But not this time.
Something vital remained, worth pushing through the bone-deep fatigue.
'The book's... safe, thank goodness.'
Andy checked for sounds outside, then cautiously retrieved his hidden book.
His room was a corner under the inn's stairs.
Originally a storage shed for odds and ends, they'd cleared a bit for him.
Naturally, it still held various tools.
Cleaning supplies, rarely used dishes, that sort of thing.
Andy had stashed the book amid the clutter.
Leaving it out meant Gavory Aunt or Tom might spot and snatch it anytime.
Pulling it out, he carefully flipped open the cover.
"To those who walk the path of magic, eternal blessings."
Mana Sensing
"Resonate with mana and commune with the world."
Last night, Andy had stayed up deciphering the first page, character by character.
It detailed mana sensing.