Benjamin had to admit, he was a total skill junkie.Just like when he used to game back in his old world, he couldn't care less about graphics or story - all that mattered was the skills. As long as a game had a wild, wacky, endlessly inventive set of abilities to play with, he was hooked. Leveling up barely registered as a blip on his radar, existing solely as a means to score more skill points. Every time he unlocked some shiny new technique, his sense of achievement went through the roof.And yet…Here he was, finally spirited away to a realm of magic, only to be told he could only have THREE measly skill points to his name?And one of them had already been wasted on freakin' Aqua Sphere?"This build is borked, I wanna reroll," he groaned, glancing skyward as if pleading with the cosmos."You do realize talking to yourself like that just makes you seem chuuni as all get-out, right?" the AI chimed in, its tone bone-dry. "It's not li

Around the middle-aged man, a group of young recruits turned their heads in unison, staring at Benjamin with less than friendly eyes.Benjamin immediately sensed trouble brewing.Those scenes from the novels weren't really about to play out, were they?Taking a deep breath, Benjamin had no choice but to steel himself and walk over."What's your name?" the middle-aged man asked.Benjamin pondered for a moment, deliberately omitting his surname, and answered, "I'm Benjamin."The middle-aged man, however, had no tact. He curled his lip and said, "You're the Lither family's kid, the useless one, right?"A burst of laughter instantly erupted from the crowd.Benjamin could feel that when the word "Lither" was uttered, the eyes of those around him changed again, becoming a mix of envy and disdain.He could only sigh inwardly.The military held a unique position in the Kingdom of Horia. They didn't fear the nobles, not even the royals. Although they claimed to be loyal to the nation, in reali

Unlike the inner city, Havenlet's outer city remained bustling even as night fell.Although this world had yet to invent electric lights, the glow of oil lamps still illuminated the streets, with plenty of residents out and about. Most shops were still open for business, with a steady stream of customers coming and going, showing no signs of closing up. And that was to say nothing of the taverns, where the raucous din of patrons could be heard from a dozen meters away.But that was to be expected. The Church's curfew only applied to the inner city. The outer city was simply too vast, and enforcing a curfew would require a staggering amount of manpower. The Church couldn't be bothered, so they simply let it develop as it would.The Fur family, for instance, derived most of their income from the outer city's entertainment industry. With such intricate ties binding them, the outer city's nights were even less pious. Devout folks who enjoyed their peace and quiet either became priests and

The elder mage had been stashed by his two students in a sack, shoved into a corner of the warehouse.When Benjamin watched Stumpy brusquely hauling their teacher out of the burlap, the first thought that popped into his head was that if this mage knew what his disciples had done, he'd be pissed enough to rise from the grave - even if he was already six feet under.But he wasn't dead yet, so he probably wouldn't find out what had transpired.At least, not dead yet."What cosmic crime did your teacher commit to deserve students like you…"Benjamin couldn't help but marvel."Teacher's said stuff like that too!" There was a bizarre note of glee in Stumpy's voice. "He's always saying if we didn't have crazy good elemental affinity, enough to cast spells even when we botch the chant, he wouldn't have taken us on in a million years!""…"Benjamin had decidedly mixed feelings about Stumpy's little speech. He opted not to comment.Better to focus on saving a life. Right, saving a life, that was

Hearing this, Benjamin hesitated for a moment before replying, "But I haven't bought a gun yet."He wasn't planning on heading home just like that.The other knight immediately tried to persuade him: "Lord Lither, you've seen the chaos of the outer city for yourself. What if the heretic who abducted you shows up again? Please, it's best if you return home for now."Benjamin thought for a moment, and suddenly hatched a plan.Whether or not he bought a gun was beside the point now. He could milk a bit more out of these knights.Putting on a stubborn, resolute air, he declared firmly, "No can do! These heretics are so powerful, without the means to fight back, what's the difference between the inner and outer city? You saw it yourselves - if I hadn't opened fire, today's heretic wouldn't have even fled. Soon enough, my father will take this pistol back, and then if the heretics slip past your watch and come for me, what am I to do?""This is…"The knights weren't as silver-tongued as the