The next morning, every muscle in my body screamed in protest. The wolf fight had left me bruised and drained, but alive. Before my first training session with Sir Kane, I needed context. I needed to understand the chessboard I was trapped on.
From my pack, I pulled out a worn, leather-bound book I'd purchased at the market alongside my supplies: "A Primer on the Kingdoms of Amazia - Third Edition." It was a common text, the kind given to noble children or aspiring merchants. For me, it was a lifeline.
Sitting on the cottage's dusty step in the dawn light, I began to read, cross-referencing everything with the novel-knowledge in my head.
The Three Empires controlled over half the continent's landmass.
1. The Holy Empire: Where I now lived. Vast and powerful, blessed by the Goddess of Light. The birthplace of the First Hero, who founded it a millennium ago. Its strength was its faith, its history, and its human-centric might.
2. The Red Dragon Empire: Founded by a man blessed by the Red Dragon King, the First Hero's companion. Its defining feature was the Dragon Academy, located in the neutral Holy Dragon Lands between the two empires. The Academy was the key to everything—the crucible of the future.
3. The Elven Empire: To the south, a realm where vast forests merged with elegant cities. Home to the World Tree, masters of natural magic, and backed by spirits and even dragons. They possessed five SS-rank powerhouses, making them the undisputed superpower. Yet, they were isolationist and peaceful. A dormant giant.
The Three Kingdoms held sway over another thirty percent.
1. The Animal Kingdom: Ruled by the Dumans (beast-humans). Physically formidable but magically weak. One SS-rank guardian.
2. The Dwarven Kingdom: Masters of smithing and golem-craft, controlling the world's weapon supply. Stalwart allies with one SS-rank defender.
3. The Northern Kingdom: A human realm on the front line. Its northern border was the Dark Forest—the prison of the demonic hordes, sealed by the First Hero's sacrifice. It was the world's shield… and would be the first to break.
The Dark Forest. The book only mentioned it as a forbidden, monster-infested blight. My novel-knowledge supplied the terrifying details: the sealed Demon King, the vampire and werewolf generals, the corrupting dark mana that twisted beasts into monsters. It was the source of the apocalypse.
Finally, the last SS-rank powerhouse: the Principal of Dragon Academy, a half-elf who had shattered centuries of prejudice two hundred years ago by reaching the pinnacle of power. He was a living symbol that bloodline did not determine destiny.
I closed the book as the first rays of the sun cleared the hills. Twelve SS-rank beings held the world in a fragile balance. And somewhere, an SSS-rank Necromancer was stirring, ready to shatter it all.
My C-rank Potential, my G-rank stats, my tiny cottage… it all felt absurdly insignificant. The scale was crushing.
But then I thought of the wolf. Of the root and the grass snare. Of using a G-rank skill in a way no one expected.
I wasn't meant to fight giants. Not yet. I was meant to survive. To learn. To grow. And this book, this basic knowledge, was the first map of the labyrinth I had to navigate.
A shadow fell across the page. I looked up.
Sir Kane stood at my gate, practice swords under his arm, a skeptical but curious look on his face. "Ready for your first lesson, mage?"
I stood, ignoring the ache in my limbs, and met his gaze. "I was born ready."
The world's history was vast. But my history started today.