“This is reality, kid.”
Kera's words sounded casual.
But for some reason...
Hearing them sent a slight chill through Zeldryn.
“...”
Not because he was afraid.
It was more like he'd just been reminded that everything he was learning right now wasn't some game system.
Nor was it just a bunch of numbers written by an author.
If he made the wrong decision...
He could actually die.
Kera looked at him.
“Understand now?”
Zeldryn actually still had plenty of questions.
About the Mana Hole.
About Manholer levels.
About how someone determined the limit of their development.
Even about what had actually happened to his body the night before.
But...
!!??
Zeldryn suddenly realized something.
The light throughout the forest had changed.
He raised his head.
The sky that had previously been bright blue was now beginning to fill with shades of orange.
The sunlight also felt much dimmer compared to when they had first arrived.
‘It's already afternoon?’
Zeldryn was slightly surprised.
‘Damn, that was fast.’
It felt like they'd only left the mansion a short while ago.
But considering how long he'd spent discussing things, trying mana, failing, refilling his Mana Hole, and then practicing again...
Maybe quite a lot of time really had passed.
Zeldryn looked at the sky again.
‘But I guess that makes sense.’
He remembered Hera's explanation about this world's calendar.
‘It's Dusk Month right now.’
If he remembered Hera's words from last night correctly...
This month was indeed the period when daylight began to feel shorter and night came earlier.
Zeldryn finally looked back at Kera.
“Yeah.”
He gave a small nod.
“At least I understand what you mean.”
Hearing that, Kera immediately sighed.
“Hufft...”
Then his expression became extremely pleased with himself.
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“Good thing someone as smart as me is here.”
“...”
Kera raised his chin slightly.
“Otherwise, who knows what would've become of you in the future.”
Zeldryn simply stared at him.
“...”
‘Narcissistic bastard.’
But this time, he chose to stay quiet.
He'd already wasted enough energy arguing with Kera all day.
Kera looked back toward the tree they'd been using as a training target.
“Well...”
“Even though that was all you could manage earlier...”
He pointed at the tree.
“At least you've made some progress.”
Kera smiled.
“Now you're strong enough to leave a tiny scratch.”
!!!??
Zeldryn immediately blinked.
‘Oh, right.’
He only just realized it.
‘I completely forgot to check the result of the explosion because I started asking questions.’
Zeldryn immediately turned toward the tree.
The smoke had completely disappeared.
The mark from the last explosion was clearly visible.
And...
!!??
Zeldryn's eyes widened slightly.
This time, it wasn't just a black stain.
On the part of the trunk struck by the explosion...
There was a small indentation.
More precisely...
A hole.
It wasn't big.
It didn't penetrate through the trunk.
Even compared to the size of the tree itself, the damage still looked extremely small.
But it was clearly different from his previous two attempts.
The first explosion had only blackened the surface.
The next one left a larger mark.
And now...
The wood had actually been damaged.
“...”
The corner of Zeldryn's lips lifted slightly.
‘I actually did it.’
Even if only a little...
He really had made progress.
It still wasn't enough to blow up the tree like Kera had ordered.
Not even close.
But at the very least, his explosion was now capable of damaging the trunk.
Zeldryn was still staring at the result when suddenly...
!!??
Kera started walking away.
Without saying anything.
Zeldryn stared at his back.
‘Huh?’
Kera continued walking toward the path they'd used when coming here.
After a few steps, the man finally said,
“You planning to stay here, brat?”
“...”
Zeldryn immediately followed him from behind.
‘If we're going home, say something first, damn it.’
They walked through the forest again.
This time, Zeldryn wasn't too busy thinking about how to control mana.
Because of that...
He could finally pay more attention to his surroundings.
The scent of the trees became clear again.
The smell of slightly damp soil.
Green leaves moving in the wind.
The sound of small branches cracking beneath their feet.
The atmosphere was completely different from a city in the modern world.
No sound of vehicles.
No smell of exhaust.
No distant hum of machinery.
Only the forest.
‘I was so focused earlier that I barely noticed any of this.’
Zeldryn took a slightly deeper breath.
But in the middle of the journey...
He remembered something.
The invitation letter Hera had read aloud.
Zeldryn looked at Kera, who was walking several steps ahead of him.
“Hey, Kera.”
“What now?”
“Twenty-five days from now...”
Kera glanced back slightly.
Zeldryn continued,
“Are you going to my father's birthday party too?”
“...”
Kera stopped.
Then slowly turned around.
!!??
“Huh?”
Zeldryn frowned.
“What?”
Kera stared at him like he'd just heard something incredibly stupid.
“Twenty-five days?”
“Yeah.”
Kera fell silent for several seconds.
Then...
“Have you gone past the limit of how stupid a person can be?”
“...”
Zeldryn immediately became irritated.
“What now, damn it?”
He glared at Kera.
“I asked you nicely, didn't I?”
Kera sighed.
“Hey, idiot.”
“What?”
“Do you know what today's date is?”
Zeldryn immediately answered,
“10 Dusk Month 245 LHK, right?”
“...”
Kera stared at him.
Then pointed at Zeldryn with an expression of disbelief.
“Today is 11 Dusk Month 245 LHK, idiot!”
“...”
!!??
Zeldryn froze.
‘Huh?’
He almost immediately argued back.
But...
‘Wait.’
Zeldryn began remembering his conversation with Hera.
Hera had indeed told him the current date was 10 Dusk Month 245 LHK.
But...
That conversation had happened...
“...”
Last night.
Zeldryn fell silent.
‘Ah.’
A few seconds.
Then...
‘Fuck.’
Right.
He'd asked Hera about the date last night.
Which meant the day had already changed.
11 Dusk Month.
Zeldryn rubbed his face.
‘So it's not twenty-five days away.’
If Zorin's birthday party was being held on 5 Starfall Month...
That meant there were only twenty-four days left.
“...”
Zeldryn slowly lowered his hand.
‘You've got to be kidding me.’
He glanced at Kera.
The man was still looking at him.
Zeldryn immediately felt even more embarrassed.
‘I really look like an idiot, damn it.’
It was just a matter of the date.
But too many things had happened since he'd arrived in this world.
In just a little over one day...
He already had to understand his new family.
The old Zeldryn's terrible reputation.
Mana.
The Mana Hole.
Language.
Writing.
Kera.
The party invitation.
The rumors in the mansion.
And who knew how many other things he still didn't understand.
‘My head is way too full, damn it.’
Zeldryn turned his face slightly away.
‘Fuck...’
‘This is so damn embarrassing.’