Chapter 31: Reading

She returned to the inn with slow, steady steps, the air around her feeling a little heavier than usual. Inside, there weren’t many people. There was just the receptionist polishing something behind the counter and a few adults already deep into their drinks.

She greeted the receptionist with a peaceful, soft “good evening,” her tone polite as always but noticeably quieter. The receptionist greeted her back.

When asked how long she planned to stay, she simply took out a silver coin and placed it on the counter with both hands, saying that "However many nights it covered would be fine".

The receptionist counted it and said, "That will be for ten nights."

She nodded. “Sure,” she said, and that was that.

The next moment, she was already sitting at a small wooden table.

Her dinner was simple. It was a warm vegetable stew with soft potatoes, a slice of bread, and a small piece of roasted chicken. Something light but still filling, perfect for an evening like this.

She took her first bite. She had no reaction, no sparkle in her eyes, nothing dramatic. She just… ate. Calmly. Quietly. Spoon, chew, swallow. Repeat. Her expression didn’t change even once. It wasn’t that the food was bad, she just didn’t have the energy to appreciate anything too deeply right now.

Once she finished, she stood up and headed toward her room, passing by the counter again. She told the receptionist, “The food was really great. Thank you.”

The receptionist smiled. “It’s no problem at all.”

“I’d like to give my thanks to the chef too,” the girl added. Then she paused. “By the way… has Slade come back yet?”

The receptionist thought for a moment, glancing at the door as if expecting him to walk in right then. “No, I haven’t seen him,” she said.

Lylia nodded. “I see… he probably hasn’t come back from his quest yet.”

Then she went upstairs.

Her room looked exactly the same as yesterday. There is the same bed, same candle on the table, same faint wooden smell. She stood there, staring for a few seconds, then sighed lightly.

She promised herself she wouldn’t fall asleep early tonight. She had done that once and regretted wasting perfectly good hours of awareness. She tried to guess the time. Maybe around 21:00? Or 22:00? Somewhere around there.

But then she realized she had nothing to do.

No phone.

No internet.

No social media.

No manga or manhwa or anything to scroll mindlessly.

No games.

Thinking about all that made her chest feel strangely empty. Homesick. She would really miss those things. But with how this world was shaped, she doubted any of it existed. She knew dwelling on it would only make her miss it even more.

And besides, this world offered something her old one didn’t.

Magic. Real magic. Actual superpowers.

That thought alone softened her mood again.

Speaking of magic, she remembered the book. And she remembered something else too. The examination at the Adventurer’s Guild was tomorrow. Another reason to study… though calling it “studying” made her uncomfortable. She preferred to call it “reading.” That word simply hurt less.

She pulled out the book and set it on the table. 

She sat down. Slowly. She stretched her arms up, relaxing her shoulders, preparing herself for a long reading session.

Then, with calm movements and a quiet breath, she opened the book.

She skimmed first through the beginner and daily magic sections. Most of it was familiar territory by now, just the spells she’d already used or read about, like the cleansing spell. Easy enough. The flow of mana, the aiming the staff, the words needed to be uttered, they were all straightforward, almost mundane in comparison to what she had just glimpsed in the world itself. Begginner combat magic was similar. The beginner spells were simple, practical, nothing that would catch her off guard... except doing the process. 

After that, she moved on to intermediate combat spells. The first one caught her eye immediately was 'Great Explosion' as it was the first one on the list and it sounded great. The name alone promised chaos. She read the chant aloud quietly, her voice soft:

“O flames that hunger without mercy, gather at my call and swell beyond all reason. Let the air tremble under your rising fury, and let the earth bow to your awakening...”

She stopped halfway. Her brow furrowed. Was she seriously expected to recite the whole thing? One sentence alone felt like a marathon. She counted. One… two… three… and there were five sentences in total. Five! How could anyone keep this straight under stress, much less in real combat?

She glanced further and noticed the note scribbled at the bottom:

'Hey, kid. Just a heads-up from your favorite deity: this thing will barbecue your lungs if you’re not careful. You'll still live, but don’t come crying to me if you cough fire for a week. And seriously, don’t spam it unless you want your ribs to fold like wet paper. Use responsibly… or at least try.'

Her eyes widened. 'What did he mean by that? Seriously? This should have been under forbidden magic.' she thought.

The next intermediate spells were the same. There were long chants, severe warnings, some even worse. Her motivation drooped slightly. How was she supposed to memorize all this? There was no way she could keep referring to the book during a real fight.

Sighing, she thought about her limitations. Maybe someday she could find a way to reduce the chants… maybe even chantless if possible. but she wasn’t that clever, not yet. For now, she moved on.

Defensive magic was next. Most of it involved barriers. Elemental, personal, large-scale protections. The larger ones often required multiple mages to cast or included long, elaborate chants. She didn’t delve too deeply. She just wanted familiarity with the basic forms. A glance, a gesture, a sense of flow. Enough to understand what was possible. Also, she thought to not practice them as she is afraid to cause property damage.

Then came the advanced magic theory section. One look and her head spun. Complicated equations, diagrams, arcane formulas sprawling across the pages like a chaotic math book. She quickly decided to skip it for now. Clearly, she would need a teacher to make sense of this mess.

Finally, she reached... the forbidden spells section.