After cleaning up the store, Thunder led Kei and Kim Sora into the workroom at the back of the shop. Fortunately, this room hadn’t been affected too much. The towering bookshelves were still standing, with only a few items on the desk knocked to the floor by the tremors.
Thunder walked to a corner of the room, pulled out a large dust-covered box, and set it down heavily on the table. Apparently, he rarely paid attention to its existence. If Kei hadn’t come looking to borrow books, they would have continued gathering dust.
"Come take a look. You two helped me out quite a bit this time, so I’ll give you everything I’ve got, these are all books I’ve collected over the past few decades."
Kei and Sora stepped forward, staring at the box of books.
Thunder opened the lid, revealing many neatly arranged books inside.
Kei picked up each one to inspect, his eyes growing brighter by the moment.
There were introductory books on item construction, guides on classifying materials in Dungeons, research on energy stones, books on crafting recovery and stat-boosting potions, and even advanced materials related to crafting hunter equipment and spatial items.
Kei flipped through a few pages quickly, then suddenly looked at Thunder with a bewildered expression.
"These books..."
"They’re all my research books."
Thunder crossed his arms, his face full of pride.
"They cover everything from basic to advanced levels. If you take the time to read them all, this knowledge will be enough to last you until you become a B-rank Craftsman."
Kei silently stared at the box of books.
A B-rank Craftsman, for others, that might just be a goal that takes time to achieve. But for Kei, it was an incredibly important milestone. He didn’t know how long it would take to recover his mana, nor whether he could ever become a mage like before.
However, at least now he had another path to move forward, as long as he had enough time to figure out a solution to his problem.
Thunder tapped his fingers on the lid of the box.
"But by then, you’ll have to find your own resources. Materials, books, information on high-level items... those aren’t things I can keep helping you with forever."
"I understand."
Kei bowed his head deeply.
"Thank you, Thunder-nim."
Thunder paused slightly, seemingly unaccustomed to being thanked so sincerely. He turned his face away and let out a grunt.
"They’re just some old books. Don’t make that face like I just saved your life."
Sora watched Thunder’s annoyed expression, though his ears had already turned red, and couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.
"Thunder-nim really is a good person."
"What did you say? I can’t hear you! Don’t think just because you’re Kim Hye Ji’s granddaughter I won’t get angry at you!"
"I didn’t say anything."
Sora immediately turned her face elsewhere.
Kei looked at the two of them, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. He bent down and carefully packed the books back into the box.
For the first time in a long while, Kei felt like he was truly starting something new. Not fighting a Demon King or carrying the fate of an entire world on his shoulders.
Just learning how to craft each item, step by step recovering the power he had lost, and living an ordinary life he once thought he would never have.
After saying goodbye to Thunder, Kei and Sora left the store together with the large box of books.
Sora set the box down by the curb, then took out her phone to call a taxi. Kei stood nearby, hands in his pockets, quietly looking at the street ahead.
This was the first time he had stepped outside in many weeks.
The city was still as noisy as ever. Cars passed by, pedestrians hurried past, and the sounds of honking and chatter blended into a chaotic mix.
Kei had thought he would feel uncomfortable, but for some reason, nothing today seemed as unpleasant as he had imagined.
Perhaps it was because Sora was by his side.You know very well how terrifying loneliness feels when you have no family left by your side.
Mrs. Kim truly understood Kei’s loneliness within just a few short weeks of them living together, and then arranged for Kim Sora to come, becoming Kei’s next family member in her place.
"The taxi is almost here, just need to wait a little longer."
Sora looked at her phone screen, about to say something more when the light on the street suddenly darkened.
A massive shadow glided across the sky.
Kei looked up.
In a few brief seconds, he only saw a huge pitch-black figure fly past the high-rise buildings. Its wings were so wide they covered the light on the ground, casting a cold shadow that slid across the street.
Strong wind immediately swept through, messing up Sora’s hair.
"What the heck is that, why did the sky suddenly get covered up and go dark like this?"
She looked up in surprise, following the shadow that had already disappeared behind the buildings.
"What kind of plane is that big? It must be about half the size of Dong-San City!"
Kei looked toward the horizon, his expression gradually turning serious, also looking quite excited, a stark contrast to his usual listlessness.
He shook his head and answered in a low voice:
"It’s not a plane, Sora."
Sora turned to look at him, waiting for an answer. Kei stayed silent for a few seconds, then spoke:
"It’s a dragon."
"Dragon!?"
Kim Sora shouted, her eyes wide as she stared at Kei.
A few seconds later, she doubled over laughing.
"Kei, you must have seen something wrong, right? A dragon? Dragons only exist in fairy tales. Do you really think a giant lizard just flew over the city?"
Kei didn’t argue. He just smiled, quietly gazing at the sky that had returned to normal.
Sora wasn’t wrong. In this world, dragons were probably just creatures that appeared in ancient stories. An ordinary person seeing that giant shadow would surely think of an airplane, not a dragon.
But Kei knew exactly what he had just seen.