Dawn Traveler

Hereseh’s Growth

Part 1

Yeonwoo’s view of the world became deeper and  more profound as he became 11 years old.

“It’s already been 4 years since I entered elementary school. Time sure goes fast, it feel like it was just yesterday. So fast.”

His relationship with girls also maintained fairly well as he got older.

“I better nurture them well. Though I did live much more longer than them mentally……. it isn’t like I can marry aunties over 40 years just to match my mental age. I should be able to fish one of these girls later on.” (Zix: Glory to Yeonwoo the Wise.)

When he told exciting stories of Jiss’s adventure or of knights of the Marka continent, elementary students loved the stories crazily.

“Hey Yeonwoo. You know.”

“What.”

“So I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

He also sometimes received confessions from girls with finely braided hair when he was alone.

“I like you. Wanna go out with me?”

Yeonwoo thought this was too early so he persuaded them with a straight face.

“I can understand your feelings. However things we like now can rapidly change as we grow older.”

“No! I am different.”

“Emotions are not so simple like that. So like when you walk into a convenience store you want to eat Dukbokki right.” (Zix: Dukbokki is a popular Korean snack food. It is spicy rice cake covered in sweet red chili sauce.)

“Uh-huh. I want to eat it. I even ate it yesterday because it’s so yummy.”

“But while you eat it you can get tired of it too. Wasn’t there a time you left the store, leaving leftovers?”

“Ye..yeaa… I stop eating when I am full.”

“Yup. It is like that. We are still young. As we grow older we will have different values and different aspects of life. There will be times you will pull in efforts to reach your goals and there will be times you might even meet someone you really like. You will easily end up forgetting someone you barely knew from elementary school in a short time.”

“Oh. It’s like that?”

It was not hard to guide elementary school girls towards the right way.

He had high expectation for the future but for now, he couldn’t even imagine dating with these tiny little children.

He also watched the news on the television to have a deeper understanding of this world, uncharacteristic of an elementary student.

“It is worrisome how I am going to survive in this world when I am old. They are saying social security is unstable and….. Will there any left by the time I become old?”

Since he was still not of age to be worrying about the elderly life, his concern was still only at a level of minor interest.

Other than that, he attended elementary school without a single worry.

No one bothered him since he was Han-Cheuljae’s friend and the school subjects were still manageable.

If by chance a question he did not know appeared on the test, bookworm Kim-Hanjin was in his class.

-Studying is so easy. Kukukukeut. I want to become a scientist in the future. I want to release many journals from research and claim patents then become successful. Then when I get hired by a company, my salary should also be unbelievably high.

Kim-Hanjin, even though only a elementary school student, focused on his studies burning in fiery passion.

‘Ruthless, inhuman….. seriously it’s those kind of kids that really make it big.’

Kim-Hanjin was at a level where he would never get a question wrong on a test, and for early education he was already learning English and Japanese on the side.

“Here, at least drink some strawberry juice while you study.”

“Thanks. Friend.”

“Nha. It is also good that I can have a good friend like you.”

Yeonwoo always placed Kim-Hanjin on the pedestal while saying embarrassing things. It was also fair to say Yeonwoo was pretty much Hanjin’s only friend.

Yeonwoo also played with him during break time and ate together during lunch time.

He also used Han-Cheuljae’s network of friends so that no one would dare to bother him.

– Yeonwoo is really a kid you can look-up to in many ways.

The thought of an innocent child who couldn’t see the darkness in Yeonwoo’s heart.

Books do not contain all of life’s teachings. Kids who studied well surprising had many naive parts to them.
Anytime there were questions Yeonwoo didn’t know on the test, he has been easily raising his grades by reading Kim-Hanjin’s mind.

Burning with passion but not knowing he was being exploited by the kid he considered his best friend!

Yeonwoo spent his elementary school life snacking when he was bored and taking naps.

Since he amassed considerable mental stress on the other world, he had to take plenty of rest here.

He also craved meat the more time he spent in the Elves’ Forest.

“Porkbelly, hamburger, sweet and sour pork, pizza, hotdog……… Em. Fried chicken, it is fair to say it is the world’s best discovery. This world is amazing too.”

You are done at a restaurant once you finish eating.

However, fried chicken stores not only delivered food anytime you wanted them but also offered coupons!

Due to his parents worrying about his nutrition and his siblings turning into voracious eaters near fried chicken, he couldn’t eat fried chicken easily. He told himself when he gains independence he shall become a regular at a delicious chicken house.

This was one of Yeonwoo’s greatest goals in this side of the world. (Zix: Yup, some of you guys may not know but us South Koreans LOVE fried chicken.)

Part 2

The year he had spent as Jiss in the Elves’ Forest was filled with nothing but education and discipline.

This was because there was nothing else much to do in the Elves’ Forest and the group found pleasure and a sense of accomplishment teaching Jiss.

“It is important for a magician to know how to utilize mana quickly. This is because there are often times your life depends on the completion of your spell. If you were to approach magic only on paper this wouldn’t matter, however it is very important when you traveling the world and fighting enemies.”

By Hereseh’s teachings, Jiss succeeded casting a 1st circle spell.

“Fire Bolt!”

Strands of fire fell upon the rock Jiss was pointing at.

“Oooooh. It’s working.”

The magic effect that left after leaving a pitch black mark on the rock!

It was possible to melt the rock altogether if the magic proficiency were to be higher however that level was beyond reach at this time.

“There are many dangerous beings outside the forest. You can say the sword is something that can protect you at any moment. Let us drill the foundation of the Hehant empire’s swordsmanship today.”

“Yessir!”

As Jiss’s physique grew larger from his growth and training, he also became more used to handling the light wooden sword.

Rendall knew the foundations of various swordsmanship because he had traveled many parts of the continent, and also worked as a mercenary before.

Usually one would focus on a subject they are more talented towards, rather it be swordsmanship or magic.

However nobles often took up the sword because they had to manage the knights under them, and regular folks often chose swordsmanship as well since it was easier to pick up.

This was because magical studies was a subject that required endless amount of investment.

For Jiss, he showed promise in both magic and swordsmanship and the level of promise between the two were nearly indistinguishable.

“This brat is a magician. His understanding of mana is exceptional and his house of mana is also very sturdy. It is still not definite since he is still a beginner but he definitely has the innate talent to grow into a high level magician in the future.”

“Swordsmanship is all around the better choice. He hasn’t shown full potential yet, however he should be talented in swordsmanship from birth since he has my genes. Also he wouldn’t want to live trapped in the magic tower forever either.”

“How can you compare that to being trapped. It is every magician’s dream to be able to research within the magic tower. There is nothing boring about digging through the enigmatic laws of the world and realizing the rules of nature.”

Whenever Hereseh and Rendall met, they argued about what Jiss should specialize in like housewives.

If Jiss were to show more promise in one area, it would be easy to choose his specialization.

However since he showed reasonable promise in both fields, both sides were reluctant to concede.

Both of them wanted to show each other how Jiss had more potential in their field, so Jiss’s training intensity kept growing higher.

“I want to make some things out of the materials I have brought from outside, so let us push back the lessons for now. Since you also became very proficient in finding traps, it should be fine to delay the lessons for about a year. By the way, if there is some beer the elves crafted, can you get me some?”

It was still fortunate Jiss did not have to receive blacksmithing lessons from dwarf Nedhand often.

“You can say accuracy is the essence of the bow. No matter what the movement, you have to accurately hit the target.”

Lishiansus’s education continued as well.

Neither Rendall or Hereseh were the epitome of magic or swordsmanship.

They were steadily teaching Jiss by setting themselves as benchmark and the extent of their expectations reflected on their own talent.

If you were to just compare Jiss and Hereseh’s understanding of mana, their skill level were similar. Jiss also gained plenty of resourcefulness and experience from minding reading Rendall during combat.

You could say they were like home tutors who did not realize just how clever their student was.

However Lishiansus was different.

He was a high elf.

Part 3

With superior athleticism and wisdom, high elves usually easily learned any skill. They also seldom forgot anything after only hearing it once.

Even amongst them, Lishiansus stood as the historic genius of archery.

“It is cumbersome to keep explaining so I will just demonstrate. This is the method of making the arrow change its direction to hit the target. This much is very simple right?”

The lessons that were way beyond Jiss’s level was not only difficult for him, but would have been difficult for an elf as well.

As Jiss learned archery, Lishiansus also assigned him difficult assignments as he reached new levels.

“This is nothing for the great potential that lies within human beings right? Since you should be able to do everything, it must be your efforts that is lacking.”

Even though Jiss could read minds, that did not mean he was free from feeling embarrassed.

– Humans I observed throughout my long life never did manage to be skillful in archery. The human limit cannot even be compared to that of an elf. The limit of human archery is just shooting far and fast, so it isn’t even comparable to a elvish child’s. Still, this brat is managing to climb up somewhat.

Lishiansus felt satisfied as Jiss’s skills matured.

– Humans don’t have superior physique like barbarians or have great fighting spirits like the orcs. They also cannot live in harmony with power like elves………. Just exactly why did I decide to teach him again? Hm. There is one thing humans are greater at than any other races. They are good at accepting others and easily get along with other races.

After meeting and encountering countless humans, Lishiansus also met couple individuals that could have been considered geniuses.

– You shouldn’t associate the word ‘impossible’ with humans. If someone were to achieve something new, chances are he or she is probably a human. From the moment when he drank from the forest’s breath which humans usually fail to do……….. It was then I was able to see a bit of potential squirming within this human boy.

Lishiansus’s thoughts were fine but the problems lied in the other elves’ minds.

– Human doing archery. Hm. He sucks.
– It’s going to be bad. He will probably fail.
– You cannot teach a fish how to fly. If an elf has to practice once, a human would probably have to practice a hundred times.

To not be pushed over by the elves who looked down on him, Jiss spent countless hours training vigorously.

Lishiansus’s arrows were shocking but they were still not miraculous.

First he would claim a large surrounding area as his territory.

Instead of only limiting himself to only his body, he ruled the mana of the surrounding area.

As the arrow left the bow strings it absorbed all the surrounding energy and mana, such as the mana of the land, the mana of the wind, the mana of the sun and the mana of the forest.

Adding penetration, fire, water, illumination, and such elements to the arrow was done through this process, and in reality the arrow’s prowess increased the longer the distance it traveled.

But of course that wasn’t to say the arrow could travel an infinite amount of distance.

The principles of the bow were similar to of magic, however the difference came from speed and the pin-point destruction the arrow possessed.

This is how the Pleyisen race lost their lives from a mere bounce of bow string.

Only reason a mere arrow was able to make the magic armors collapse was because the arrow was enchanted with mana!

Jiss searched endlessly just what level of archery Lishiansus really possessed.

Rendall’s swordsmanship and Hereseh’s magic were impressive too but they were nowhere the level of Lishiansus.

The kind of a gap where if they were to be enemies on the battlefield, they would be slaughtered before even being able to see the face of their enemy!

Jiss somewhat understood the core of Lishiansus’s archery but his body couldn’t follow it at all.

“I have to to explode the flow of mana in an instant and force it out accurately. It’s simple in words but it’s totally not working. Ugh.”

The world wasn’t so easy.

Part 4

Aseulian and Monty arrived at the Marquis Tebode’s territory with the protection of the knights.

“Do you think we will be fine, Princess?”

“I am not so sure. However just as that kid said, I think the possibility of this place being safe is high.”

The party with only 11 members behind, in tattered appearance, painted just what kind of struggle they have been going through.

It was difficult to completely believe in Jiss’s advice, but she still decided to gather background information on Duke Anchulen.

She paid honest looking merchants to go gather rumors within Anchulen’s territory.

Even though the duke’s territory was not a part of the Gratess empire, it was a well closed off area.

“There is a rumor if girls over 6 but less than 16 would disappear then reappear as corpses after a few days. It is not possible to completely verify this information in such a short amount of time, however it seems this is Anchulen’s hobby and it is heard his wife enjoys bathing in the girls’ blood.”

“He is widely recruiting soldiers and also expanding his military forces. According to the residents, he is planning to invade a nearby territory soon.”

There is a limit to how much information merchants can gather while trading. However if the rumors were like waves, it was fairly difficult to find it false.

Also if it wasn’t true, why would anyone spit of such horrible rumors on his territory.

Out of his territory, the rumors of him being a great knight and a honest noble was terribly falsely spread.

If he was gathering troops even before Aseulian and Monty had arrived, this meant he was already planning to take advantage of the Gratess empire’s civil war and increase his territory.

Aseulian was late to realize if she and Monty were to arrive at the duke’s territory now, it was highly likely they would have been used as tools of negotiation with the third prince.

“This place is unsafe. Let us seek refuge elsewhere sir.”

“Princess. Most nobles are already standing with the other side.

No nobles were free from the civil war.

Though she had no one else to trust, one name came to her mind.

“What kind of person is Marquis Tebode?”

“There is not much known about him milady.”

“We cannot afford to stay here for long so please gather information about him as we head towards that direction.”

So then they made it all the way to Marquis Tebode’s territory.

It was known within the palace that even though Marquis Tebode’s territory was vast, the territory was struggle due to high density of monsters.

However when they arrived they saw nothing but citizens working on the well organized field with bright expression on their faces.

This was a scene you wouldn’t be able to see if they were indeed being invaded by monsters night and day.

“This is completely different from what was known to us. Princess. What is your decision?”

“We have to maintain etiquette as guests so please go let the Marquis know of our arrival.”

“But ma’am we have yet to find out of the Marquis’s intentions.”

“Sir, look at the condition of the land and the faces of the citizens. An evil person would not maintain his territory such a way. Also isn’t there no more place we have left to run to?”

“…..I understand ma’am. Reto. Go to the castle and announce them of our arrival. We will also soon head towards the castle.”

“Yessir!”

Gilshiun, Aseulian, Monty and the three surviving knights began to head towards the castle slowly.

If the Marquis’s soldiers and the knights decided to set up traps after the messenger announced them of their arrival, Aseulian’s party was surely doomed.

All their money have been depleted and the knights were full of old injuries. Their magic armors were severely damaged from various skirmishes so they were no use either.

Even though the Gratess empire was vast, they had no place to go since everyone wanted their lives.

“Welcome. You have suffered much coming all this way. Princess Aseulian. Prince Monty.”

Luckily Marquis Tebode warmly welcomed the party after receiving information from the knight.

“Thank you so much for welcoming us, Sir Marquis.”

Aseulian was in tattered cloths from the trip however she dusted off herself a bit then lighted greeted the Marquis.

‘It has been long time.’

There was warmth in Tebode’s eyes as he looked at Aseulian.

There was actually a deep relationship between Tebode and her mother Alsharete.

Though she was married off elsewhere due to her family’s decision, the duo’s feelings never left their hearts.

With his outgoing personality and abilities he managed his territory with vigor and stepped into the stage that is the central government.

Even though it wasn’t often, he was able to secretly meet with Alsharete.

“Since there are many onlookers here, let us go in side. We have prepared supper for your party.”

“Thank you we have been a bit hungry. Thank you sir Marquis for your hospitality.”

Tebode’s sights were mostly focused on Aseulian. Though he did look at Monty every once in a while, his expression towards him was nothing but indifferent.

Part 5

11 year old Jiss.

Through difficult training he raised his inner mana and learned to use first circle spells proficiently.

Proportional to his age and rate of growth, first circle was the highest a person of that condition would be able to accomplish.

His growth was comparable to how much a top student of his age at a magic tower would accomplish.

Jiss being able to pick up on magic theory ever since in an infant, and being surrounded by mana of the Elves’ Forest also contributed to his growth.

“Even though I should be playing right now, all I am doing is training to death!”

The days went by fast as he trained various swordsmanship with Rendall.

The feeling of training until drenched in sweat and then bathing in the clear pond. This dedication still felt blissful.

He was also able to dry himself using simple wind spells.

As he got to play with first circle magic, his curiosity for high level magic grew as well.

‘Just what is the limit of how far a magician could accomplish? Is an archmage really an existence, who can even change the laws of the world? Though I am taking magical studies, I cannot see the limits.’

People in this world were completely different from the people from the ‘real’ world, who just studies topics like math and english to receive better remuneration.

Power!

Since there were many undeveloped placed left in the continent, many strived for power to take advantage of the vast land.

Even regular citizens in this world lived with a fiery sense of competition and constant fear of death in their heart.

Their love was more fierce and they battled with passion.

People fell in love in a single fiery night, and also put their lives on the line for that same love.

Jiss also liked the way mercenaries lived roughly in this world, as he learned from Nedhand’s stories.

There were many more emotions one can experience in this world compared to the peaceful reality.

The world was a dangerous path if one was too weak to survive alone. On the other hand, power gave great opportunities to thrive and earn respect.

Thus unlike reality, being humble or showing kindness to the weak were all unimportant in this world.

Power was Law!

Since he also lived 11 years in this world, the time spent in this world became quite a big portion of his lifetime.

“Understanding the distortion of space of mana is really important. Since understanding the magnitude and space of mana is key to reaching the 6th circle from the 5th. Hm hm. It is also necessary for short-range teleportation and warp circle spells.”

Hereseh’s magic abilities was in stand-still in the 5th circle.

After reaching the 3rd circle in the magic tower, he left to travel the continent and reached 5th circle through self-study.

Jiss was still fatigued from sword training until dawn, so he asked dryly.

“What is space?”

“The Elves’ Forest we are in now, or the city Terace you used to live in, and the Gratess empires. This entire world, where flowers bloom and animals run around, is space.”

“Then space is ground?”

“No. It isn’t such a small meaning such as that. Not just the ground we are stepping on, you also have to include the sky where the birds are flying and the clouds are flowing. You can even consider the distance between you and me a part of space.”

Jiss stealthily yawned.

When magicians meet they do not drink alcohol. They have heated discussion for four straight days then magicians fall asleep one by one.

Of course the disposition of the elvish magicians were also very different.

Since they accepted all of the law of nature as they were, they didn’t really enjoy discussing magic theories.

As Jiss lived in two separate worlds, he also possessed much more knowledge he would have compared to his physical age, so he did not hunger for knowledge.

He would have plenty of opportunity to learn more as he would continue to live two lives.

Jiss asked with an uninterested expression.

“Why does distortion of space happen?”

“The land and the sky. And everything that can exist in this world. When mana overflows a completely empty space, the state of that space begins to warp. Through intricate equations, stern willpower and mana control, one can grasp and control distance and space. This is why magicians also refer this to as ‘Overflowing the space’.”

“But why does the space have to be empty?”

“That is, try to grab the space in front of you. As you can see nothing is being grabbed.”

“Is it empty just because I can’t grab it?”

“Huh? That is…… there is mana everywhere. Since everything in this world requires mana to exist.”

Hereseh was attempting to explain his best but Jiss was half-heartedly listening.

“Then space just has mana then.”

“That isn’t necessarily true either. There is light where it is bright, and you can smell flowers and trees in a forest like we are now. You see, we can also breathe because there is air around.”

“But you said before this space was empty.”

“You’re right. Why did I say that? A truly empty space is extremely difficult to create even with magic……”

– Why is space empty? I always thought subconsciously, if I wanted control over space I just had to fill it with mana…… Mana flows everywhere. And if even the space I am in right now is filled by something….. It seems I will have to reevaluate my understanding of the world.

Then in a few moment, mana began to vacuum into him like a storm.

Through his new found realization, his rise from the 5th to the 6th began.

A person can be considered a high-mage from the 6th circle. Of course to be called an arch-mage, one would have to at least reach the 7th circle. One could also develop a new magic but that was difficult to do even during an entire lifetime.

However becoming a 6th circle magician was nonetheless extremely impressive.

This was an event rarely occurred amongst the mercenaries.

“Eh-hueee~. But I am only the 1st circle…..”

Jiss decided to seek sleep, not wanting to bother Hereseh.

Part 6

Jiss grew up a bit in his time in the forest. However he was still a little kid compared to Allium.

The face and the slender body of a young elvish woman was more beautiful and awe inspiring than any scenery.

“Eh~hueee~. Though I got some rare free-time today since uncle Hereseh had some other research to do……. It sucks Allium can’t come out to play because she is busy.”

His magic lessons have been reduced lately so Jiss had been walking in the forest alone.

How enjoyable would it be if he was walking through this tranquil path where the birds are singing with Allium.

He also realized the significance of the golden strings as he lived two lives.

Destiny forms between two people when they first meet or learn about each other. Then it slowly dissipates as thoughts of each other begin to leave consciousness.

However the golden strings also sometimes disappeared quickly.

The strings of Aseulian, Monty, and the knights also began to turn invisible after a month and disappeared.

For people who experience big events often or people who held great power, their strings cut quickly.

“I feel like there should be a complicated fundamental reasoning behind all this…. If their destiny has been changed considerably or they hold great power to change the fate of others, do the strings last shorter? Or is it because my existence is completely insignificant within their destiny?”

Jiss decided to not think too much about it.

Realizing the laws of nature was something only you can attempt once you at least become an arch-mage.

It wasn’t like he had time to read minds of everyone he had encountered anyways.

It was more important to read minds of people he knew well or at the least encounter regularly.

Jiss noticed a 3 tailed fox as he was walking towards a small fountain.

It wasn’t rare to find an animal with a special trait in the Elves’ Forest which was full of life-force.

Fox was walking while shaking his fluffy tails as if something good just had happened to it.

Jiss, who was bored, decided to read the fox’s mind.

-Kukukuk. Everyone is so stupid. They sure are foolish. No one knows there are inexhaustible amount of the forest’s most nutritious herbs growing near this valley.

‘Herbs you say……’

– Roots that make my body strong and help my tails grow when I chew it and eat it whole. It works so well when I am hurt and even makes my fur shine silky when I eat it….. Kukukuuk.

The fox who only knew the secret himself, began to leave the area satisfied.

Jiss headed towards where the fox was originally with quiet feet and some distance between himself and the fox.

“The fox said it was here somewhere……”

There were nothing but rocks scattered around the fountain.

“Do I have to go more up?”

Jiss followed the upstream of the fountain and went more up. He even had to do some rock climbing.

After about 30 minutes, he noticed a peculiar area covered by leaves and branches.

“Seeing how there are fox hair on the ground, this should be the right place.”

When Jiss cleared the shrubbery, he found a cave too small to enter while standing.

Usually small dark caves such as these were dangerous because a small monster could pop out from it.

“So this is when this spell is useful. Light!”

Jiss used magic to illuminate the cave then entered it. Then he discovered a field of yellowish white flowers.

“This is it.”

He saw this herb once before in Hereseh’s encyclopedia.

Below the flower laid the Locklenah root which grew while producing mana and lifeforce.

These roots valued 300 gold pieces each and they were hard to come by unless the person was of noble birth.

“One, two……. Just how many are there. It looks like there are at least 40.”

A satisfied grin cut through Jiss’s face.

One can sometimes find rare herbs within the Elves’ Forest.

Jiss was able to eat at least 100 different kinds of medicinal herbs following Allium around in the the forest.

Rendall had a headstrong part of him so he only valued self-training over nutritional consumables, but Jiss different.

It wasn’t bad at all to get some help from food, when they helped him strengthen focus and willpower.

He gladly ate anything no matter how bitter it was if it was good for his body.

“Growing boy like me have to eat especially well. Training is important but good nutrition is priority. It is hard to even see meat in the forest so it is up to me to take care of my body.”

Jiss uprooted the herbs with an experienced manner and chewed them well for easy digestion.

The roots were bitter enough to paralyze inside his mouth, but he gladly tolerated the bitterness for the sake of his body.

“It feels like I became a little stronger? This herb’s effectiveness is quite good, looking at how it must have aged quite a bit. These herbs lose effectiveness if uprooted for too long. I better eat them before they lose nutrition.”

After eating the herbs even without dusting the dirt off the roots, there were just 3 roots left to gift Rendall, Hereseh and Laurelle.

He excluded Nedhand and Grona, since their races have many opportunities to eat herbs such as these.

“There is barely enough for growing boy like me to eat………”

Jiss spotlessly searched the cave to confirm no more herbs were left then went outside.

Jiss momentarily encountered the same fox near the fountain, but he acted like he didn’t know anything.

“Burrrrrrrp!”

Part 7

12 year old Yeonwoo. Time flew by and he became a 5th grader, a senior in elementary school.

He grew older like clockwork but without anything special to do, he spent his days laid-back.

School was still at a level where he just had to do homework and this lifestyle was as easy as eating cooled rice porridge for Yeonwoo who had a mental age of 20.

‘You really have to lay-back and enjoy your time when you are young. It is so good to not have any responsibilities as a child. I guess you can say this is the blessing of teenage years.’

He ate delicious food until he was full then went to sleep. Even though his mental age was older, like his young physical age, he still liked foods like dukbokki and hamburger better.

He was a little more plump than other elementary school kids but he didn’t worry too much.

He would need to train only the tenth of how much he trains as Jiss, and his body would still turn lean and muscular.

Still it was about time when he would need to start planning for the future in this world.

‘What kind of job should I get later. A scholar maybe?’

Yeonwoo shook his head sideways.

‘I don’t really care about setting any foundations in this world. It’s just not as interesting as what you learn as a magician in the other world.’

But he didn’t want to become an athlete either.

‘If I train a bit and strengthen my muscles and senses I will should be able to become a baseball, soccer or a basketball player. Or I can lay back a bit and play golf. But I already do plenty of physical activity in the other world.’

As he lived two lives, he had two life experiences.

He did not want to live both lives in such a similar fashion.

‘Is there something else? Something new?’

Yeonwoo thought calmly.

There were many things he was able to do in this developed world, solely utilizing his mind reading powers.

It wasn’t like understanding someone’s feelings like a psychologist but being able to read the person’s honest inner thoughts, which was extremely advantageous.

‘I should be able to become a cop and capture criminals right? But it will probably be impossible since working conditions are usually bad for the police and I am not much for patriotism.’

It was easy to live somewhat well in the modern world just by studying moderately.

It may be difficult to live a stable elderly life in the future or a wealthy life, but if you were healthy, average life wasn’t so bad.

Compared to the other world where people starve to death and were sold as slaves, at the least there was a welfare system here.

‘Though freedom and happiness in people might not be comparable…….’

Yeonwoo decided he will plan as he lives than to set grand ambitious goals from the beginning.

He figured he will find things he will want to do as he attends junior-high school, high school, and college.

He thought it wasn’t so bad to just live an ordinary life like the others until then.

‘If robbers ever break in, I will just have to break a few limbs. If gangsters ever hit my younger siblings….. Hm, I can just make a bow and wipe the floor with them. Life is simple.’

Of course his way of thinking was already beyond the of realm of ordinary in this world.

‘I feel like Cheuljae will own the streets even when he grows older. Hanjin recently changed his goal to become a chief judge in the future.’

He had been already making a list of talented friends.

Life becomes easier if you have many well-off friends.

Yeonwoo already realized from elementary school, South Korea was a network outsourcing society.

‘Jinsang has a good personality and fun to be with. His looks are also not bad so he might become an actor. Sungman is ordinary in every way but his family owns conglomerate real estates. There is nothing definite like land and since he is an only child…….. huhuhu. Now Doyle is a little problematic.’

Amongst the kids Yeonwoo was most friendly with, Doyle was the most difficult to predict.

His father was known to be engaged in a very special business, but when Yeonwoo used the strings of destiny, he learned that he was actually an assassin. (Zix: Lmao.)

He wasn’t some simple thug who operated in the back alley. He was a specialist who served in the western army as a mercenary and even received special training from special forces.

‘No matter what happens I must never fight with him. Children quarrel can turn into fight amongst the parents, so even he hits me I will just withstand it.’

Of course Doyle was a quiet kid anyways and he never caused trouble or acted out.

Doyle was a little similar to Yeonwoo as well.

He was also a boy who lived in a different world from a normal elementary kid.

‘If I didn’t know how to read minds, I would have just dismissed Doyle as some regular kid. I probably would have not remember him as well.’

As school was still relaxing, it was actually his home that was hectic.

“Sir Brother. Please grant me your assistance with my art homework.” (Zix: In South Korea, older siblings or older people sometimes make younger people speak very respectful. In this case it is like a semi-joke.)

“Denied.”

“Brother. You know Sungmi right? So I am going to write her a confession letter. Can you teach me what to write a little bit?”

“No. Way.”

Yeon-Yool, Yeon-Taejin. (Zix: Yool is the girl asking for art homework and Taejin is the boy.)

His younger siblings constantly came to him and bothered him.

“Teacher told me to draw a painting of mom and dad! But I don’t know how I should start at all. Can master brother teach me a bit? Em?”

“Just draw two stick figures.”

“Wuuuueeeeehhhhnggg.”

“I am planning to confess by this week and go out with Sungmi. Please help me brother.”

“She goes to the bathroom too.”

“Keuuuk. That is impossible! I’ve never seen her go even once!”

“Haah. That means she might have severe constipation. And what makes you think girls are so special. She will probably tell you to buy her a new bookbag first. Nowadays girls don’t even meet with you if you don’t have money for Dukbokki.”

“Huuk!”

Yeonwoo,  an older brother who mercilessly stomped on his younger siblings’ innocence.

His older brother Hyunin, who was already in middle school, was fast becoming a delinquent while chewing on gum greedily.

Looking at how he often comes home late after playing with friends and missing after school lessons, Yeonwoo could clearly see the way his brother was going.

“This is a tragedy that happens when a working couple has four children and they don’t have time to monitor all of them. His progress isn’t that bad yet so I should keep my eye on him and see if he will come to a self-realization.”

Yeonwoo didn’t feel any sense of urgency concerning life in this world.

Compared to the training and the fear of death he experienced as Jiss, this world wasn’t dangerous at all.

Kids also rarely died in this world unless they caught some extreme illness.

So Yeonwoo decided to leave his older brother alone for now, and interfere when he really needed to.

“It’s so peaceful. I can’t get beat up and get my bones broken here, unless I encounter a kidnapper or something.”

Doyle was a special case with his dad as well but, Yeonwoo was the true rare existence who was living two lives.

As he was only 12 years old, he was excited for what the future has in store for him.

It was same for his life as Jiss as well. That world was filled with dreams, adventures, dangers and challenges, so that place was even more heart throbbing.

As he lived without care in this world, whenever he entered the other world as Jiss, even the sound of the wind was clear and full of life.