The first thing he started with was building knowledge.
Since he was the one who created the game’s setting, he had a general understanding, but he knew nothing about the finer details. Such as the cultures of various countries, the traits of their people, or basic common knowledge.
Of course, he could naturally learn these things as he lived and experienced them firsthand by traveling to other regions, but with a child’s body, long-distance travel was too taxing, which left him no choice but to rely on books.
Fortunately, Serenia Castle had a library open to all residents, so getting books was quite easy. Lord Piercen had stocked it with low-value books acquired from adventurers and mercenaries who found them in ruins, often buying them at bargain prices. Many others had been donated by the Mage Tower and the Merchant Guild.
Reading wasn’t a problem, since the languages in this world were mostly based on Korean. He occasionally came across English or Chinese characters, but he could understand them without much effort. That was probably another gift from Sian. Thanks to that, reading never gave him any trouble.
Most of his days revolved around time at the library. Each morning, he jogged a lap around the inner castle walls, went home to wash up and eat, then headed straight to the library, where he stayed until it closed in the evening.
A week passed, then a month, and eventually a year. It really did seem like effort paid off in the end. His stats had improved quite a bit.
[Due to consistent physical training, Strength has increased by 1, Agility by 2, and Stamina by 4.]
[By reading ancient texts difficult for a child to understand, the Knowledge stat has been unlocked. Knowledge has increased by 2.]
[Reading a low-tier ancient grimoire has increased your understanding of mana. Mana has increased by 1.]
[You’ve read 30% of all the books in the Serenia Library. Due to your staggering reading volume, Knowledge has increased by 3.]
Some might say, “After a year of effort, this is all you got?” but Yuda considered it a very satisfying outcome. For an eight-year-old kid, going out to hunt and level up was out of the question. Naturally, his level remained fixed, so gaining bonus stats here was the best he could do.
He even forced himself to read boring poetry collections. Novels and magic books were easier since they were interesting, but the dry and dull topics were hard to get through. Still, he kept reading, hoping to improve his stats. Eventually, people in the castle started calling him a bookworm.
Even spending all day reading, he had no worries about making a living. Kaseun, who had promised to support him until adulthood kept his word.
No kids tried sneaking into Yuda’s house for fun, and whether it was pity for a child living alone after losing his parents (though he doubted it), no thieves broke in despite him leaving the house empty all day. Time passed in remarkable peace.
Another year went by like that.
[Through relentless physical training, your total Strength has increased by 5, Stamina by 6, Agility by 8, and Luck by 1.]
[By tirelessly and greedily acquiring knowledge at the library, your total Knowledge has increased by 7.]
Two years in total. It had been rougly two full years since he arrived in this world, spending all his time secluded in the library. As time went on, the growth of his stats began to slow, and it seemed that simple physical training and reading alone had reached their limit.
Now, aside from the book in his hands, there was nothing left to read. Flipping the page, he reached the final one. At last, he had read every book in the Serenia Library.
[You’ve fully read every book in the Serenia Library. Some were skimmed, but just seeing them all holds meaning. All stats have increased by 1.]
[You’ve achieved the accomplishment 〈Lover of Books.〉]
〈Lover of Books〉
-You’ve read every book in the Serenia Castle Library. Be proud of that. Even if you skimmed a few, the fact remains that you finished them all.
-When you read, you’re able to speed-read, and more of it stays in your mind.
Those were truly grueling days. If he had studied this hard in the real world, he would surely have been accepted into a good university. Even more, if he could bring back just the linguistic comprehension he had gained here, he would have no trouble making a living.
Reading countless books had confirmed that he could not only read Chinese and English but interpret them flawlessly as well. Feeling an odd sense of regret, he stretched long and hard, his joints cracking as a shiver ran through his body. Sinking into the chair, Yuda began to think slowly.
He had gathered enough knowledge. Now it was time to begin seriously mastering 〈Black Claw Vision: Shadow Swordsmanship/Sorcery〉. It was not that he had never practiced alone at home, but he had always been too exhausted after returning each day, so he had continued to put it off. With five years remaining until his coming-of-age ceremony, there was still plenty of time.
“Time to head out, I guess.”
Feeling a pleasant freshness, he stood up and returned the book to its place. Looking up at the packed shelves, he felt a swell of pride.
As he headed toward the exit to leave the library, the old librarian approached with a smile.
Though two years had passed, Yuda was still a child, so the librarian had to stand and look down at him.
“Heading out already? You’re leaving early today.”
“Yeah, I probably won’t be back for a while.”
“Oh? Does that mean you have read all the books here?” Yuda simply smiled in response.
“Impressive! You’ve kept the promise you made two years ago.” “
You remembered that?”
The librarian looked at him fondly.
“Of course. How could I forget such a sassy little kid?”
Two years ago, when Yuda first came to the library, the librarian had said there were no books for children, and Yuda replied he was there to read them all. The librarian had scoffed, thinking it childish bravado, but after a month, he realized the boy was serious and started offering snacks and friendly chats.
When he did not understand something or encountered unfamiliar words, he had relied on the librarian’s help. Without it, reading those tough books would have been a real struggle. ”
Thank you. I will drop by sometimes.”
“You better. Come by anytime you’re struggling or bored. The library’s always open.”
“Sure.”
Smiling, he chatted with the librarian a bit longer before parting ways.
Unlike his usual routine of arriving at the library in the morning and leaving at sunset, stepping out in the afternoon with the sun high overhead felt refreshing. The sunlight was intense, but he enjoyed its warmth as he walked.
The streets were still packed with adventurers. No one had yet found Fernlern’s Heart, which was said to have fallen in the Serenia region. Far from decreasing over time, the number of people seeking it continued to grow steadily. Countless nations were dispatching knights or hiring adventurers to search for the fragments, which explained why Serenia Castle, despite its size, housed a Mercenary Guild, Adventurer’s Guild, Merchant Guild, Mage Tower, and Temple.
It was only natural for the streets to be filled with all sorts of people. Weaving through the bustling crowd to reach home, Yuda inserted the key and turned the doorknob, tilting his head.
“It’s locked?”
He distinctly heard a click. Recalling the morning, he was certain he had locked the door before leaving.
“Does that mean someone has been inside?”
He turned the knob again.
“Ahh!”
Then, a startled, youthful voice came from inside. Twitching his brow, Yuda flung the door open and saw four kids huddled near the entrance.
“Who are these guys?”
Should he consider kids like this thieves too? He hadn’t even imagined strangers would be in his house. The kids were also staring back at him with panicked expressions.
“Y-Yuda…!”
Yuda was practically a celebrity among the residents of Serenia Castle. If it had been simply that his parents had been killed by mercenaries one night, leaving him an orphan, he might have been forgotten. However, Kaseun Sabnak had stepped up as his guardian, and that alone ensured no one could treat him harshly. In addition to that, Yuda was polite and managed his life with remarkable competence, which was hardly believable for a child raised without parents.
Being well-mannered, staying out of trouble, and reading at the library every day made adults see him as admirable and offer him help. Kids, however, didn’t treat him so kindly. The phrase parents most often threw at their children was, “Be more like Yuda.” Naturally, few kids his age liked him.
But even so, to think to come into the house like this. Yuda closed the door and stepped into the foyer. It seemed that they had walked around the house wearing shoes. Shoe prints were scattered all over the place. After doing this, are they planning to leave?
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Uh… h-home.”
“You think you can just walk out after sneaking into my house without permission?”
At Yuda’s chuckle, the four kids hesitated while glancing at each other nervously.
Looking closer, these were the kids he had seen before. He could not remember their names, but they were the ones who had immediately insulted him with, “Poor kid with no mom or dad.” Of course, he had seen them get scolded by nearby adults right after speaking. But judging by this, they did not seem to have learned their lesson.
“What’re you gonna do if I don’t move?”
“Yeah, move! We’re leaving!”
A bigger kid tried to grab his shoulder and push him aside. but Yuda only twitched an eyebrow, standing firm. The difference in stats was enormous from the start. With strength far beyond that of ordinary children. He grabbed the hand on his shoulder and twisted it back.
“Ow! W-Wait! It hurts! It hurts!”
No one was around to see. Someone might come running at the noise, but Yuda had no intention of going easy. With the kid bent into a humiliating pose from the twisted arm, Yuda kicked him in the stomach with his toes.
“One down.”
Stepping forward, he grabbed the face of another kid standing there dazed, his whole palm covering it. Smiling, he stretched out his hand, seized the next kid’s face, and pushed while placing his right foot behind the kid’s left heel.
The kid naturally lost balance and fell backward, his head hitting the floor with a thud. Yuda had been gentle, so he probably wasn’t seriously hurt, but the sudden shock and pain made the child sniffle before bursting into tears. When Yuda raised a fist as if to hit another, the kid dropped to the ground instantly.
“I’m sorry! Don’t hit me!”
“I’m sorry!”
The last two didn’t even need touching. He had already asserted dominance. Yuda locked the door. The two who had been struck were crying loudly, while the other two children seemed terrified, nervously glancing at Yuda as they stood frozen in place. Yuda patted their clothes, checking to make sure they hadn’t stolen anything. Each time his hand touched them, they flinched noticeably. It seemed they hadn’t taken anything. However, the sound of the crying children was annoying. Yuda nudged them with the tip of his foot and spoke.
‘Hey, stop whining unless you want more. It’s annoying.
The effect was instant. Satisfied as the two kids hiccupped and tried to stop crying, Yuda went to the bathroom, grabbed four rags, and tossed them in front of them.
“Take off your shoes and clean everywhere you walked. You can at least wipe a floor, right? If you don’t, you’ll just get hit.”
“If… if we clean it all, can we go?”
Yuda smirked.
“Of course, but you’d better do it right. Two of you wet the rags and scrub, the other two follow and dry it off.”
The scared kids obeyed perfectly. Yuda followed them around, supervising to make sure they didn’t run away. He made them scrub hard, and though they teared up from the effort, he didn’t let up. A system message blinked, showing a new log.
[You fought and defeated kids who snuck into your house! Agility has increased by 1.]
They didn’t need to give me anything for this, he thought. The stat boost didn’t exactly thrill him.
* * *
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Tip 5. Bonus stats rise randomly up to the limit your potential allows when you perform special actions or achieve something. However, repeating the same actions or exceeding a certain stat threshold makes further gains rare.
Of course, if luck’s on your side, even trivial actions might earn you stats.
Why? Because, like most games, this one’s a luck-based mess. Good luck!
Tip 6. Sometimes, a beating is the best medicine.
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「Status Window」
[Name: Yuda Arshe]
[Title: None]
[Level: 4]
[Class: Black Claw _ Shadow Magic Swordsman (Hidden_A)]
[Revival Count: 1]
[Strength: 27(D) / Potential A]
[Stamina: 26(D) / Potential S]
[Agility: 27(D) / Potential SS]
[Mana: 31(D) / Potential B]
[Mana Resistance: 51(C) / Potential S]
[Knowledge: 13(F) / Potential B] ◀ Special
[Luck: 79(B) / Potential A] ◀ Special
[Remaining Points: 3]
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