Spring in Rivervale begins in March, bringing with it a season of endless rain.
For days, the sky is either a clear, vast blue or stuck in a gloomy drizzle. It creates a dampness that sticks to your skin, making everyone feel sticky and uncomfortable.
In a stone gazebo next to a small lake, a young man lay on a cushioned chair. He was munching on a golden pear and holding a book, his brow furrowed as he muttered to himself.
Outside, the rain hit the roof and dripped onto the stone path—drip, drip, splash—shattering into tiny droplets.
"Ignorant! Useless! You don't even know your ABCs... are you a pig?"
Kaelen clutched his forehead. His head was pounding. He sounded more like an angry thug than a noble lord.
It had been three days since he arrived in this world. He was slowly getting used to his new identity.
He was now Kaelen Vane, the fifteen-year-old "Young Lord" of the Vane Family. He even had a fiancée arranged by his parents before he was born—though she looked like she was only ten years old.
The Vane family was wealthy and powerful. The head of the house, Lord Vane, had Kaelen very late in life. Because Kaelen was his only son, Lord Vane spoiled him rotten.
Kaelen had been pampered since birth. Servants dressed him, fed him, and made sure he never lifted a finger.
Schooling?
Kaelen (Original): "Too hard. Boring. I don't want to."
Lord Vane: "Fine, fine. Go play."
Spending money like water?
Kaelen (Original): "I want to have fun, but I need gold."
Lord Vane: "Fine, fine. Here is a bag of coins."
And so, the original Kaelen lived to the age of fifteen without learning a single word. He was completely illiterate.
This was a massive headache for the new Kaelen. The writing in this world was totally different from Earth's. He couldn't read a thing.
For three days, he had been trying to learn from a children's book called The Alphabet Primer. But how much can you learn in just three days? That was why he was sitting in the rain, cursing himself.
"It's almost time. I hope this thing actually helps me."
Putting the book down, Kaelen stared at the air in front of him. Glowing white text floated in his vision.
[ ♦ Tip: Activation Countdown: 00:01:09 ]
He had found this text on his first day. Now, only one minute remained.
As the final second ticked away, the text changed.
[ SUPER ASSISTANT SYSTEM ]
[ Attributes ] [ Skills ] [ Deconstruct ] [ Fuse ]
... Personal Attributes:
• Strength: 0.4 (Weak)
• Agility: 0.3 (Slow)
• Constitution: 0.3 (Poor)
• Spirit: 0.9 (Average)
• Charm: 0.8 (Plain)
• Divine Essence: 0
... Personal Skills:
• Stealth (0/10): Beginner
• Dagger Throwing (0/10): Beginner
It took Kaelen about ten minutes to understand the System.
He understood the stats like Strength and Agility. But he had no idea what "Divine Essence" was.
What surprised him most were the skills. Stealth? Dagger Throwing? He thought this body was useless. Who knew the spoiled rich kid had hidden talents?
Suddenly, a memory popped into his head, explaining everything.
A few years ago, the old Kaelen went to a tavern to drink. A fight broke out, and guards were beating up a burly man. The man was a thief.
Drunk and feeling generous, Kaelen threw a bag of silver at the guards and told them to let the man go. The thief was so grateful that he gave Kaelen two training manuals as a thank-you gift.
Kaelen couldn't read, so he didn't want them. But the thief said, "These books have pictures! You can learn the moves just by looking at the drawings."
So, Kaelen took them home, practiced lazily for a few days, and then got bored. The books were probably collecting dust under a table somewhere.
That explained the skills.
He looked at the System again and selected the [ Deconstruct ] function.
[ YES / NO — Deconstruct target: 'The Alphabet Primer'? ]
Kaelen clicked "YES."
The book in his hand vanished instantly.
[ Deconstruct Successful. Obtained: 'Universal Reading' ]
A ball of light appeared in his hand. He crushed it, and the light flowed into his body.
He checked his skills again.
... New Skill:
• Universal Reading (Mastered)
• Passive 1: Reduces difficulty in learning new languages.
• Passive 2: Increases reading speed drastically.
Suddenly, his mind cleared. Every letter and word in The Alphabet Primer... he knew them. He could read!
"Yes!" Kaelen cheered. "This is amazing! I don't need a tutor!"
He tossed his half-eaten pear into the lake, where colorful fish fought over it.
Kaelen jumped up and ran toward the family library. Now he could finally understand this world.
As a powerful family in Whitewater City, the Vane library was huge. It had books on everything.
Kaelen wasn't interested in poetry. He wanted facts. He grabbed a blue book titled Chronicles of the Empire.
Whitewater City. A town in the Southern Province. Territory of The Grand Empire.
He read about the world. To the North were barbarian tribes. To the West and South were dangerous jungles.
And beyond the maps were the "Dark Lands"—forbidden zones where even great knights would die instantly.
"Hmm?"
Kaelen turned a page and found some disturbing reports.
• Year 36 of the Empire: Sixteen fishing boats vanished in the Eastern Sea. They returned 40 years later. The fishermen hadn't aged a day, but their families were all dead.
• Year 72 of the Empire: Three travelers stayed in an abandoned chapel. The next morning, two were dead. The survivor claimed a stone statue came to life and ate them.
• Year 21 of the Empire: A family of four hanged themselves. An autopsy showed their internal organs were missing. Later, the doctor was found dead the same way.
• Year 30 of the Empire: People in the Capital saw a woman in white walking inside their mirrors. Days later, those people died in front of their mirrors, their heads missing.
The book was full of these horror stories. Kaelen shivered.
This world is... a little creepy.
He read one last entry:
• Year 45 of the Empire: On the Northern Border, giant shadowy figures—over thirty yards tall—were seen walking through a sandstorm. They vanished as quickly as they appeared.
Kaelen closed the book and took a deep breath.
"Is this world really that dangerous? Even an idiot like the original Kaelen survived for fifteen years. I just hope nothing weird happens to me."
He sat down on a wooden chair. At least he had the Super Assistant System. If he was smart, he could survive.
Just then, a chubby little maid ran into the library.
"Young Lord! Young Lord! Your father is calling you to the Reception Hall. We have guests."
Kaelen frowned. "Guests? So what? I don't need to greet them."
"No, Young Lord," the maid insisted. "It's your fiancée! Lady Elara is here."
Kaelen felt a knot in his stomach. He made a weird face.
"Wait... don't tell me she's here to cancel the engagement?"
The maid looked confused. "Cancel it? Why would she do that? Lady Elara brought you some medicinal soup."
"Oh," Kaelen relaxed. "Well, that's fine then."