Ron stepped out of his shop and looked left and right.
On either side of his storefront were a barbecue restaurant and a clothing store—his new neighbors.
It was already evening, and the delicious aroma wafting from the barbecue shop instantly made his stomach rumble.
So, Ron decided to head inside for dinner—and to meet the neighbor while he was at it.
The shop was doing decent business. About half the seats were filled, and the smell of grilled meat was even stronger inside.
The owner was a dwarf, currently sitting behind the counter doing some bookkeeping.
Ron walked up and greeted him, "Hello, I'm Ron André, the new owner of the shop next door. Nice to meet you."
The dwarf, sitting in furniture obviously built for shorter folks, looked up sharply when he heard Ron's voice. A broad, hearty grin spread across his face.
"A new neighbor, huh? I'm Lyle, the owner here. Pleased to meet you!"
"I was hoping to get dinner here. Got any recommendations?"
"Leave it to me. Just sit down—I'm treating you tonight!" Lyle said warmly.
Ron wasn't about to turn down free food, so he thanked him politely and found a seat.
Dinner was decent. The meat was well-grilled, though the flavor was a little plain—salt seemed to be the only seasoning used. After a while, the taste grew a bit dry on the tongue.
Still, the meat itself was solid.
After finishing, Ron thanked Lyle and asked for directions to the nearest bookstore.
And then he hit the streets.
Nightfall in the City of Chaos was just as lively—especially on Aikley Street.
People of every race bustled through the streets: humans, elves, goblins, dwarves, beastkin… all mixed in this melting pot of a city.
System Notification:
[Daily Quest Triggered]
[Daily Quest] – Touch a Passing Elf's Pointy Ear
Objective: Approach a nearby elf and politely ask to touch their ear.
Reward: The joy of satisfying your curiosity is the best reward!
The system's voice startled Ron so badly he instantly retracted his gaze from the elf ears he'd been sneakily eyeing.
"Can you please stop giving me these kinds of quests?!" Ron groaned.
System: "This task aligns with the host's internal desires. The system deems it highly appropriate."
Ron grit his teeth. "What part of this matches my so-called desires?!"
System: "You've triggered two elf-related daily quests. This clearly indicates a subconscious preference. It is the system's duty to help fulfill your... needs."
Bull. Absolute nonsense!
Do I look like that kind of person?!
[Shop]
"Mental Disruption – Makes an elf think ear-touching is perfectly normal for 30 seconds."
Cost: 20 Wealth Points (Temporary Item – Expires in 1 minute)
Tch... Kinda tempting...
Ron shook his head, trying to snap out of it, and quickly closed the system panel.
He headed straight for the bookstore.
Inside, he bought:
A Brief History of Magic
Magic for Beginners
Battle Aura Basics
Chronicles of the Continent
Histories of all major races
A Concise Analysis of Continental Flora
Rare Plants Compendium
Extinct and Endangered Magical Plants
The shopkeeper, clearly unused to customers buying this many books at once, even threw in two bonus gifts:
Uncensored Elf Illustration Books (Volume I & II)
Ron tried to decline, but the owner was insistent, so he accepted them with an awkward smile.
Back at his shop, Ron returned to the second floor, neatly arranging all the books on the shelves in his study. He then pulled out 'Rare Plants Compendium' and began reading—it was time to understand the botanical world of this continent.
That night, after a relaxing bath, he lay in bed and resumed absorbing the original Ron's memory fragments.
Up to now, most of what he'd gained were day-to-day memories from the palace—useful for context, but not particularly helpful for his current life.
But tonight… he finally got something valuable:
"The Sword Canon of Light"
One of the human empire's official battle aura cultivation manuals. It teaches warriors to channel light-based energy and become Knights of Light—a powerful and noble path.
Rumor had it that the technique was created by Emperor André the Great, founder of the empire himself. Though ordinary people could cultivate it, only those with the André bloodline could unlock its full potential.
Unfortunately, Ron had only inherited the first two volumes of the 'The Sword Canon of Light'—enough to train up to Mid-Rank Warrior, or Tier 4. Anything beyond that wasn't part of the original host's memory.
Still, Ron was satisfied.
Both warriors and mages were divided into seven tiers, each with four stages.
Low-rank Warrior: Tier 1–2
Mid-rank Warrior: Tier 3–4
High-rank Warrior: Tier 5–6
Legendary Warrior: Tier 7
Commander Webster of the Radiant Mercenary Corps was a Tier 7 Legendary Warrior.
The mage hierarchy followed the same structure.
Since Ron wasn't even a Tier 1 warrior yet, these first two volumes were more than enough for now.
With the memory integration complete, he finally drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Ron got up, admired his dazzling reflection in the mirror as usual, and then headed down to the backyard to begin cultivating 'the Sword Canon of Light'.
After an hour of training, soaked in sweat, he returned to the shop and took a shower.
Just as he dried off, the system chimed in:
System: "First-floor transformation complete. Host may now begin business operations at any time."
"It's finally done?" Ron's eyes lit up. Then he added dryly, "Open up shop for what, though? I've got nothing to sell."
At that moment, a new system notification popped up:
[Mission Update] – [Upgrade Mission]
Objective: Successfully cultivate a Nether Orchid using the cultivation space.
Reward: Natural Meditation Technique, Vol. 1 + System Level +1
"Natural Meditation?" Ron asked. "The kind that refines the soul and gathers magical energy?"
System: "Natural Meditation is a high-level method within the field of Wood Magic. It offers strong compatibility with Water and Earth elements, and gradually improves the user's affinity with both."
Ron had skimmed through Magic for Beginners last night and had already absorbed relevant memories from the original host, giving him a basic grasp of this world's magic system.
There were three major categories:
White Magic
Green Magic
Black Magic
Green Magic, also known as Nature Magic, focused on manipulating elemental forces.
The four basic elements—Water, Fire, Wind, Earth—formed the foundation of all elemental magic.
Wood Magic was a hybrid school, combining Water and Earth. As an advanced branch of elemental magic, it was harder to master than single-element disciplines.
The meditation method provided by the system was clearly designed to enhance Wood Element Affinity—and by extension, make him even better at growing plants.
"So you really are pushing me down the path of a flower maniac, huh…"