Ashen couldn't bring himself to say no to Mr Eric's offer. It was far too tempting to refuse.
Besides, he had been thinking the same thing for a while, how he wanted some time to simply walk around.
It had already been more than a week since he arrived in this world, and an extra day on top of that.
During all that time, he hadn't done anything other than stay in the store, working behind the counter and handling customers.
Sure, the job was enjoyable in its own way. It was calm, simple, and free of stress. But even then, Ashen needed to stretch his legs and breathe fresh air for a while.
So when Mr Eric made the offer, he didn't hesitate even for a second.
Ashen left the store in Mr Eric's care and stepped out into the cool night air. As for where he was going, he had no particular destination in mind.
He simply walked.
He moved along the street at a slow, easy pace, letting his eyes wander as he observed his surroundings. The entire street was brightly lit by tall lamp posts arranged neatly on both sides of the road. The soft glow of the lights gave the area a peaceful, almost dreamlike feel.
Shops lined the sidewalks, cafés, bars, restaurants, small eateries, and all kinds of little stores that made up this modest district.
It wasn't a rich or fancy neighbourhood. In fact, it looked more like the kind of place where ordinary, hardworking people lived.
To Ashen, it felt peaceful. Safe. The kind of place where someone could escape from the chaos of the bigger city beyond.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
He could almost picture himself owning a little shop here one day, something small and quiet like Mr Eric's store. Living a calm life, far away from conflict or danger.
It wouldn't be as thrilling as battling a twenty-foot monster, but it would be fulfilling. A slow, peaceful life… that didn't sound too bad at all.
He chuckled to himself and shook his head. "Come on, Ashen. Enough of those thoughts."
He didn't want to keep daydreaming, at least not about that. Right now, he had other things to think about.
For instance, the issue of Elemental Magic.
Even the idea of using magic thrilled him. The thought that he could possibly control elements like fire, water, wind, or earth gave him a feeling of excitement he couldn't explain.
But then again, he sighed softly. "On second thought… this life isn't so bad either."
It wasn't exactly the peaceful life he had once wished for, but it was still manageable.
His new job as a Dimensional Crusader hadn't caused him any real problems so far. He knew that someday the challenges would come, but for now… he had no complaints.
Still, the issue of learning how to use Elemental Magic remained.
Ashen had already read the requirements in the book. Sadly, they were things he couldn't achieve right now. Because of that, he had no choice but to look for an alternative method.
The real problem was how to even begin.
"For starters," he said to himself, "maybe if I start by understanding the four basic elements, I can somehow unlock my affinity for one of them?"
It was nothing more than a guess, a thought that hadn't been tested or proven in any way.
But at the moment, it was all he had. And since he had no better options, why not try?
He believed that if he could deepen his knowledge and understanding of the four basic elements, then perhaps he would naturally come to sense which element he was closest to.
That was what his intuition told him.
So then, which of the four elements did he represent as a person?
Was he as firm and steady as Earth? Or maybe he was as smooth and adaptable as Water? Could it be that he was like the Wind, free, restless, and unbound by rules? Or was he more like Fire, hotheaded, passionate, and fierce?
Ashen thought deeply about it but found no answer.
If he had to describe himself, he wouldn't even know where to start.
From the little he could tell, he had always been the type of person who gave his all, someone who kept going no matter what. His goal was simple: to survive and live to see the next sunrise.
You could say he was stubborn, maybe even relentless when it came to surviving. But violent? No, he wouldn't call himself that.
Being violent required a kind of confidence, a solid safety net to fall back on when things went wrong. And Ashen didn't have that luxury.
He couldn't afford to start fights or cause trouble, because if things turned bad… he would always end up as the one who lost.
That was why, for most of his life, people had taken advantage of him.
His bosses would fire him without paying the full wages he deserved. His coworkers treated him like a fool, someone too naive to fight back, no matter how unfairly he was treated.
Ashen stopped walking and looked up at the night sky. It was dark yet bright, painted with countless twinkling stars.
"This is harder than I thought," he whispered.
Defining himself turned out to be more difficult and demanding than he ever imagined.
Come to think of it, lately, everything in his life felt demanding.
From taking on the role of a Dimensional Crusader, which required him to move between worlds, to trying to understand and control his energy through the study of magic, it all felt like a mountain of challenges stacked one after another.
And now, even finding out his elemental affinity was a problem. Both methods the book mentioned, the guidance of a magician or the use of magical items were completely out of his reach.
Truly, it felt like one impossible task after another.
"Can't it ever just… be easy?" he muttered, though he already knew the answer.
Such a wish was nothing more than a fantasy.
With another sigh, he resumed walking down the street.
After a few minutes, something caught his attention. His ears picked up the sound of someone striking the ground, hard.
Thud! Thud!
The noise echoed faintly but carried a kind of weight, a deep vibration that he could almost feel beneath his feet.
Ashen stopped in his tracks. Whoever was hitting the ground that hard must be either very strong, or very angry.
He looked across the street and saw a narrow alleyway. The sounds were coming from there.
Curiosity got the better of him, and he crossed the road.
The strikes were too powerful for an ordinary person. He wanted to see for himself what was going on.
But when he finally reached the alley, the scene surprised him.
Instead of some violent adult, he found a group of five children hanging out together. They were all standing near a wall, watching something with bright eyes.
"Huh…" Ashen murmured quietly. He almost turned back but decided to stay and observe for a bit longer.
"Do it again," one of the kids said eagerly.
The other boy smiled and nodded. "Gladly."
He raised his foot and slammed it hard against the ground.
BAM!
A shockwave burst out from the impact, making the ground tremble beneath Ashen's feet, even from where he stood several meters away.
Ashen froze, his eyes widening slightly.
Whatever that kid just did… wasn't normal at all.