New Lessons

Early the next morning, Linsey got up on time.

Because his room's window faced south, the dawn light slipped in through it and fell right across his face, pleasantly warm.

Today is the first day.

Linsey opened his eyes and happily climbed out of bed.

This was the first time he had awakened as the owner of this room after confirming his life ahead of him. Along with the novelty came inevitable excitement.

And compared with yesterday—

There was a wooden washbasin on the cabinet in the room, with a grayish-white towel draped over its edge. Looking down, he saw a rug he had bought himself, tanned from animal hide, soft enough that stepping on it barefoot did not feel uncomfortable.

Everything was perfect!

Linsey got dressed, rose, and washed up.

When he stepped out into the church's backyard, he found that Red Moon had risen even earlier than he had.

The chapel doors stood open, welcoming the townsfolk inside. Red Moon herself, as she had day after day and year after year, was praying in the cemetery, regardless of heat or cold.

"The food is in the kitchen. We'll begin class in five minutes."

Red Moon continued praying in the cemetery and told Linsey to eat first.

In the kitchen, a piece of toasted bread, a boiled egg, and a cup of bean-ground drink had already been set on the table.

After Linsey finished eating, his Godmother returned right on time.

As before, she took documents from Red Moon's room to use as teaching material, and today's language lesson began.

Having learned of Linsey's gift yesterday,

Red Moon immediately increased the difficulty of his studies today.

In addition to the necessary Common Language lessons, she also added the Woodland Language she knew, as well as the School of Death Cipher.

The former was the language of Tree Sea World, the world Red Moon came from. Its letters resembled branching twigs;

the latter was the cipher used by the School of Death. Many of its internal texts and secret scrolls were written in it. Its symbols were chaotic and numerous, yet all had rounded outlines, mixed with some Common Language writing.

Thus, Linsey's suffering began.

Yesterday's Common Language had only involved learning how to write a language he already knew how to speak.

Today, he was faced with two languages he knew nothing about—listening, speaking, reading, and writing alike.

At the start of the lesson,

Linsey could not even "install" Experience Bars for them.

Fortunately, Red Moon tirelessly taught him over and over without complaint, while Linsey worked hard not to disappoint her careful instruction. It took a full two hours before he successfully added both languages to his skill list.

After that, things became simple.

Even though his learning speed was not as fast as it had been with Common Language,

with the cheat-like effect of the Experience Bar, Linsey practiced listening, speaking, reading, and writing all at once. After only an hour of mechanical drills, he filled the Experience Bars for both Woodland Language and the School of Death Cipher, reaching beginner level in both.

Then the Game Player gift took effect.

He was immediately able to perform simple reading in both languages, while also gaining basic ability to listen, speak, and write them.

"..."

Right before Red Moon's eyes, Linsey had gone from knowing nothing to gaining a foothold in two languages.

And altogether, the entire process had taken only three hours.

Even a School of Death cultivator with a temperament as calm as hers could not help sighing again at such an inconceivable learning speed. "What an incredible ability!"

"Among the gifts I know of, only the learned Myriad Image Wizards or messengers who travel between many worlds might be able to accomplish something similar."

Linsey scratched his head awkwardly.

If he had been a native of this universe, he could have modestly said a few things about his gift at a time like this.

But his Game Player...

He could hardly say that he had gotten this ability from playing games, could he?

Red Moon was not in the habit of prying into other people's secrets, especially not those of her godson.

So she ended the day's lesson, gathered up the documents on the table, and began arranging Linsey's schedule.

"Linsey, Anrui's manor is north of town. You'll recognize it the moment you get there."

"If you truly cannot find it, ask the other townsfolk. They will point you in the right direction."

"You can trust Anrui. He will not harm you. If you follow a master of the War School and study earnestly, you will certainly gain something."

Red Moon spoke at length and with great sincerity, and Linsey carefully remembered it all.

Before Linsey left, Red Moon added one last thing:

"Once you finish learning from Anrui, there is no need to hurry back. You may arrange your time as you please."

"But if you plan to have dinner, remember to return before dark."

"Tonight, I will prepare some reading material suitable for you at your current level."

Linsey nodded farewell and set off for Borderlands Town for the third time.

Though he had only been here a short while, he unexpectedly felt a faint sense of parting.

With the experience of yesterday's shopping trip and stroll,

Linsey arrived at the town square and headed north from there. Passing through a market where quite a few people had set up stalls, he quickly found the Lord's Manor.

Linsey also noticed something interesting.

Having been cut off from the outside world for ten years, the residents of Borderlands Town preferred bartering. Most old coins were only used for small transactions or to make up differences in value during exchanges.

When he arrived at the manor,

the sun, nearing noon, cast its light over the limestone walls, reflecting a faint golden hue.

The manor gates were made of sturdy oak.

At their center, intricate ironwork depicted a hero carrying a lion's head. Its imposing gaze seemed to warn off any potential threat.

Standing outside, Linsey could see nothing but the manor's main building and an apple tree rising above the wall.

"Is anyone there?"

Linsey called out. The manor gates opened, and a young man shouted as he ran toward the main building.

"My Lord, the guest you mentioned has arrived!"

Only a minute later, Linsey met the Lord of the Hidden Borderlands.

He was an energetic middle-aged man. Even in winter, he wore only a white shirt, and his powerful muscles made his robust physique obvious through the fabric.

Combined with his height of nearly two meters,

anyone small and slight standing before him would feel as though they were looking up at a giant! "..."

So this was a master of the War School?

Linsey recalled the magical beast that had chased him a few days ago.

If that thing stood before this Lord, it would probably be smashed into pulp with a single punch!

Meanwhile, Lord Anrui came over to Linsey and grinned as he patted him on the shoulder.

"Haha, you're finally here. You're Linsey, right?"

The pat nearly made Linsey stumble, but he still answered politely:

"I am Linsey, My Lord. I bring you greetings from my Godmother!"

Anrui waved his hand generously.

"You're being too polite."

"Just call me Uncle Anrui. There's no need for us to be so formal."

Linsey readily went along with it.

"Uncle Anrui."

"Good, very good!" Anrui was quite pleased by Linsey's straightforwardness. He grabbed Linsey's hand and dragged him toward the manor. "Young people should be this open and generous, not timid and hesitant."

"Before you came, Red Moon must have already told you everything you needed to know. I will teach you combat techniques seriously. But whether you achieve anything or not, your future remains in your own hands."

Upon entering the manor's main building, the first thing Linsey saw was a spacious hall. Its walls were built from rough stone, while the floor was paved with smooth gray flagstones.

A huge stone fireplace occupied one side of the hall.

The fire crackled, bringing warmth to the cold stone chamber. On either side of the hall were several small private rooms for daily life and work.

The plain yet spacious interior made Linsey curious, and he took the initiative to ask:

"Can combat training be done indoors as well?"

"Hahaha!"

Anrui was immediately amused, laughing with obvious delight.

"Of course it cannot be done indoors."

"But, child, combat is not something you can learn casually. Before we begin, we need to get you a change of clothes."