To survive, I shall bloody my hands.
To survive, I will take, take and take.
Everything.
Born Into a world where I am bound by strings, I will one day finally receive a chance to sever those strings by ending those that are holding them. I will sin to live.

A girl who knows many different languages. She works as a translator. During a routine event, she is killed.

Then she transmigrates into a man's body. Not only is she a woman in a man's body, the body is also deaf.

During the story she will find a family and friendship. Living a peaceful life instead of the war torn world she was in.

---

Hello! 

I wrote a story, previous to this one. If you read the other story, I beg you not to kill me. I was learning and I wrote everything raw. Just unfiltered ramblings.

In a way this story is connected to the other one, but you do not need to read that other one to understand this. I also suggest you don't, unless you want to bleed out of your eyes.

This is just a standalone story for me to write in the meantime like the other one. I learned a lot and I plan to put it into practice. I'm not sure how long this story will be, but I'll put more thought into and it will be short.

---

"I hope you enjoy and I hope I can give you a somewhat original story."

*breaths a huge sigh and walks off stage*

"Gee, my little heart can't take this. Showing my work to the public is scary."

*smacks cheeks*

"Its fine. You will do better this time self!"

"Thank you self!"

*gives self a thumbs up*

For a second, Klein's act of casually sweeping his gaze paused on that familiar person's figure.
He immediately sensed the abnormality in his reaction since a demigod's spiritual perception wouldn't fail to notice it.
His back muscles tensed up as his mind raced, producing figurative sparks.
He didn't immediately move his gaze away as he continued looking at the demigod suspected to be from the Black Emperor pathway. He smiled at Macht and said, "This place really isn't just for veteran officers."
This sounded like a result of careful observation, but it was nothing but meaningless chatter.
Macht chuckled.
"Any club will exceed its original restrictions when it further develops itself."
His answer didn't seem to offer anything, but on careful consideration, it did seem to imply something or perhaps something that was the complete opposite.
At this moment, the broad-shouldered and long-armed gentleman in a black suit had also naturally turned his head. He looked at the two men, and he noticed that the tycoon who had donated 15,000 pounds was looking at him and his companions while engaging Member of Parliament Macht with a whisper.
This made him feel that his look of surprise was more of a natural reaction towards learning of his occupation.
Then, he retracted his gaze and continued his topic of conversation.
And at this moment, Klein's back was covered in a layer of cold sweat, and his legs were going limp.
Although he had, in a way, faced the demigod before and had even fought with him, to have such a close encounter in such a small place, with danger happening in a split second, this was a first. And more importantly, he was far from prepared to face a demigod. Not only did he lack a marionette, all he had on him was Death Knell, Azik's copper whistle, and the adventurer's harmonica.
The Sea God Scepter was impossible to bring on his person. Furthermore, the usage of it had strict environmental limitations; otherwise, it would result in massive damage. If he kept Groselle's Travels on him for too long, he might be pulled into the book world. When that happens, it would become troublesome trying to exit it. Creeping Hunger was still lacking a seal, so it needed to feed every day. Unless necessary, it was impossible to take it out ahead of time. The Fate Siphon charm was made from a Worm of Time, so it was an unknown if it would attract Amon. Unless he could use it very quickly, Klein obviously lacked the courage to bring it on him.
If the demigod who was suspected to be from the Black Emperor pathway had discovered something wrong with him, there was only one optimal solution he could think of.
It was to blow the harmonica and summon Miss Messenger to get her to help him escape Backlund via the spirit world!
He had never thought of letting Reinette Tinekerr engage in a direct battle while he held Death Knell from the side to find an opportunity to fire. This was Backlund, the home ground of the official Beyonders. With Miss Messenger's unique appearance, that man could easily pin a crime on her, and what awaited Klein would be a joint attack on him. There was bound to be increasing numbers of demigods and powerful Sealed Artifacts.
How harrowing… Klein moved his gaze away in a manner that adhered to logic. Using the Clown's ability to control his legs, he walked to the door in a completely normal manner.
He didn't ask Macht who those people were, to appear uninterested as a way to prove that it was all just a casual glance.
However, that person turning to look at him had exposed his appearance to Klein.
He had thick but unmessy black brows with a short and hard crew-cut of the same color. He had dark blue eyes and a high nose-bridge with a bushy mustache spreading out from his mouth. He had a long face with accentuated outlines as well as callous curves.
He had strong masculine vibes and was probably in his thirties or forties. It was difficult to determine.
Just on his appearance alone, Klein felt that he looked more like an Arbiter pathway's demigod rather than one of the Black Emperor pathway.
Of course, this demigod's bearing was closer to that of a Warrior's, but he was too short.
Having had a clear look at him, Klein didn't need to inquire further. He could directly get Arrodes to answer him. Even if he was still wary of the magic mirror, he could always commission Miss Xio, Miss Sharron, and company to do a simple background check.
He believed that no matter how well-hidden this demigod was, it was unlikely for him to have a low-ranking position. It would be easy to figure out who he was.
One step. Two steps. Three steps. Klein left the East Balam Military Veterans Mess in a normal manner.
When he boarded the carriage, he leaned on the wall, closed his eyes, and kept silent for a few seconds. Inwardly, he let out a long sigh.
The disconnected trail of clues leading to the truth of the Great Smog of Backlund has finally been connected again…
He didn't open his eyes or say a word, as though he was recounting the business problems he had previously discussed. But in fact, it was to quell his emotions that had been left in an upheaval.
During this process, Klein realized that Richardson had tried to speak a few times, only to shut his mouth again, doing so as though he was stumped.
Ultimately, he didn't say a word, focused on preparing marquis black tea for his employer.
Due to his previous encounter, Klein momentarily didn't have the capacity to be bothered about him and had pretended to not notice it.
Amidst the silent atmosphere and grinding wheels, they returned to 160 Böklund Street.
When he reached the third floor, Klein was just about to head for the bathtub that had been prepared by the lady's maid when Richardson, who was holding his hat and cane, took two steps forward and respectfully said, "Sir, are you heading to the Southern Continent soon?"
"Yes," Klein replied frankly. He had even prepared 500 pounds in cash to hand to Housekeeper Taneja for daily expenses needed for the Dwayne Dantès residence during his time in the Southern Continent.
Meanwhile, he had a deeper understanding of the importance of having a butler and valet in high society.
There were many things that a master couldn't keep from them; therefore, any conflict in faith and political inclinations necessitated a change.
Richardson hesitated and said, "Sir, I was born in the Southern Continent and am fluent in Dutanese. I'm also very familiar with the various local traditions. I should be of help to you."
Dutanese was a common language of the ancient Balam Empire. In present-day East and West Balam, the citizens still used this language. Only people of the middle- and upper-class knew foreign languages like ancient Feysac, Loenese, and Intis.
Klein felt lucky with regards to this because ancient Balam was once a unified empire with a true god existing in it. Therefore, although the different states had different accents, they all used Dutanese. The written language was likewise the same. This saved him plenty of trouble.
If I were to encounter dozens or more than a hundred dialects and languages, that would be a headache… However, Dutanese and ancient Feysac doesn't belong to the same system. I'm unable to easily grasp the various branches by learning the latter. Finding an interpreter is necessary. Oh, Anderson seems to be fluent in Dutanese. He never seemed to mention having any problems with communication in West Balam… Klein finished listening to Richardson when he suddenly realized what was stumping him.
As a valet, he needed to follow whenever his employer headed out. There was no need for a butler to do so.
This also meant that a valet was like a secretary for the master's daily life. In certain cases, they would also play a role as a business secretary.
Clearly, Richardson enjoyed his life in Backlund and everything it had to offer. He didn't wish to return to the Southern Continent to see scenery or matters that would make him recall his past; therefore, when he got into the carriage, he had tried to mention his traits but was unable to voice it out. He wished that Dwayne Dantès could find a better candidate.
Klein thought for a moment before saying, "I can tell that you don't like the Southern Continent. Why are you telling me this?"
Richardson slowly bowed his head and looked at his toes.
"You gave me a chance to gain experience to mature. I-I believe I can help you."
Very simple feelings of gratitude… If you hadn't said so, no one would know that you knew Dutanese. After all, you were born and raised in an East Balam colony manor… Klein carefully sized up Richardson, chuckled inwardly, and made some silent poignant comments.
However, he didn't plan on letting this valet of his follow him to the Southern Continent. Firstly, it would make it inconvenient for him to carry out certain operations. Secondly, if he was recognized by some Nation Reestablishment Society member of the Numinous Episcopate, it might end up affecting the rest of his life.
Klein laughed and replied, "I have plenty of friends there. They're all fluent in Dutanese and are aware of the traditions there.
"Hmm, you have more important things to do. Stay in Backlund. Help me deliver some gifts to my friends at fixed periods of time. I'll be giving you a name list when the time comes. Also, read more papers and take note of investment opportunities and also perform on-the-ground checks. Finally, give me a corresponding report. I will get Ma'am Taneja to specially prepare some funds for this."
Richardson was somewhat surprised before saying in pleasant surprise, "Yes, sir. I-I will work hard!"
At that instant, he felt that he was being put in an important position as his eyes blurred up.
From the moment he was born, this was the first time he felt hope for his future. It was something to look forward to.
After dismissing Richardson, Klein took a comfortable bath to soothe his tense nerves. Then, he wore his pajamas and returned to the bedroom. Taking a pen and paper, he drew a symbol that was a mixture of concealment and mystery prying.
The full-body mirror's surface ripples with aqueous light as silver light formed Loenese text:
"Exalted Great Master, your puny, loyal and humble servant, Arrodes, is here to answer your summoning!
"Are you about to leave Backlund again?"
Klein nodded and said, "Yes."
Without waiting for Arrodes to mention that he could question it, he asked, "Can I still contact you in the Southern Continent?"
"Of course! As long as you take out that magical radio transceiver." On the surface of the mirror, silver words quickly formed. "However, you cannot leave it out in the real world for too long or use it too frequently. There are plenty of beneficiaries of the Mother Tree of Desire. 'She' can use it to detect you."
Klein nodded gently and asked, "What do you know about the Mother Tree of Desire?"
Arrodes suddenly fell into silence. It was only after a very long time that its silver luster formed a complete sentence:
"I don't dare to mention it, nor do I dare to show it."


With the rising tide of steam power and machinery, who can come close to being a Beyonder? Shrouded in the fog of history and darkness, who or what is the lurking evil that murmurs into our ears?

Waking up to be faced with a string of mysteries, Zhou Mingrui finds himself reincarnated as Klein Moretti in an alternate Victorian era world where he sees a world filled with machinery, cannons, dreadnoughts, airships, difference machines, as well as Potions, Divination, Hexes, Tarot Cards, Sealed Artifacts… 

The Light continues to shine but mystery has never gone far. Follow Klein as he finds himself entangled with the Churches of the world—both orthodox and unorthodox—while he slowly develops newfound powers thanks to the Beyonder potions.

Like the corresponding tarot card, The Fool, which is numbered 0—a number of unlimited potential—this is the legend of "The Fool."

Hello, NewUser064. The system scanned Rio's device on her wrist and allowed her into the restaurant. It wasn't the same one she had come a few days ago. Rather it was on a tiny complex deep in street five. The receptionist noticed her. 

"Hello. How can I help you?" said the receptionist. 
"Umm, there's a task here that I've to do," said Rio showing her wrist to him to read. 
"Newly appointed?" 
"Yes," said Rio hesitatingly. She didn't have any proof that she has been doing these things for a couple of years, would anyone believe without that? 
"The power source is in the backyard. Here's the way." the receptionist showed her the way from where he stood. Remembering the directions, she headed towards the backyard. 

The first work after getting the device was at a restaurant. The device showed her the direction with maximum time she can spend doing that. There were many more steps to complete her first work. She would have to check the speed of the machine that was working before fixing, then do whatever was needed and then record the new speed after fixing. 

She had only half an hour doing that. Looking at that, she couldn't understand why one would need such a long time. Even if one doesn't have that spray, one shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to clean that. 'It's only dust. Not your typical glue' wondered aloud. 

She used only her trusty screwdriver to get rid of stubborn dust. It normally takes a brush to remove those, but it looked like someone sprayed water on it. It was stuck so hard with the surface. 

Her mind was on her task only. But how much would they pay me for this? A question struck her mind. She brought her wrist nearer to have a look at it. 85 COH. They wanna pay that much just because they can't clean it themselves. Will they get their hands bloodied the way she saw in her dreams? 

After finishing with the locking mechanism of the power backup, she opened the door to have a look at that. She looked around to make sure it was disconnected. She went ahead and moved her hands as fast as she could. 

After a while, the receptionist appeared from behind. He intently saw her working. 

"All done?" asked the receptionist. 
"Just a minute. Could you please turn it back on? I need to check the speed." said Rio hurriedly closing the compartment and dusting away her hands. Glittery dust flew in the air as she dusted her tools. 

"You don't look like a newbie." said the receptionist. 
"Yes. Cause I've been doing the same thing for the last three years," said Rio, noting the readings and confirming in her task sheet. 
"Then your device showed…." 
"It showed because I lost my card this morning," said Rio looking at the apologetic face of the receptionist. "To be honest, I accidentally burnt it." 
"Have you been working with the card all these years?" 
"Yes. Do we get anything else during our internship?" said Rio. She doubted there was anything else other than the work card. 
"No, I mean didn't you get the device on your…." his inquiries went off as Rio interrupted, "No. I don't know why I didn't get it after I turned eighteen. But that doesn't matter now." she prepared to leave the location. "I've got a lot to do." 

She reached the reception desk to scan her device that confirmed her work and it blinked as it received her first 85 coins of health. Was her first day of work looked like this? It was cheerful but she still has to do a lot. At least to have enough to give to her mother, if she didn't want her to know anything about this mishap. 

The first day had places that were quite high profile. Hospitals, cafes, shopping centers, and even banks. Isn't the chairman worried about this? So many places are lacking work speed and this person doesn't seem to worry about anything. Of course, Mr. Maning is worried about his family drama instead of this. 

Not every place had such an understanding of receptionist or even an employee. Many were lost on the TV screen with the repetitive headlines of Mrs. Maning. They were too busy to care about 'who the new silver dust cleaning girl' or even 'isn't it the girl who is on the screen'. They looked at Kner sympathetically which burned Rio's heart. 

Some even had time to question her new identity. Funny thing was that no one asked her name. Was she lucky today? Or they didn't mind? Who cares when you have to have money to handover to your mother else she would swoon and upon waking her would run off to the scary swirl? 

Another thing that struck her mind was what if her dreams have become a reality? What if Kner had left her in the figurative swirl in the city and runoff, laughing? What if her mother would push her off the ground? What if she gets her hand bloodied just when she touches the glittered dust? Her screwdriver fell right on her foot, making her alert. She was on the top of the tower that controlled traffic. It worked on its own. The view of the city looked a step away from being perfect. What was the mess, she couldn't tell it right away. But it looked as if a storm had just passed by, destroying everything in its way. 

Her palm-reader on her wrist vibrated, showing her a notification. Clicking on it her jaw dropped. 

'The future chairman' s ex-girlfriend speaks the evil language of Zolzeim. ' 
Rio didn't feel like its anything about her. She was sure it must be someone else. Reading more about that, her mind whirled seeing it to be the claim made by Mrs. Maning. Does she know anything else other than this? Her eyes didn't believe as she read further that it was indeed written about her. 
'Rionora Tarnilier, the intern who looks innocent but is not.' She sighed reading the sentence. That doesn't explain anything. 
'The one who should focus on her work wandered around with my son. Despite my objections, she never listened to us. Everyone is aware of the cheap tricks of the workers but sadly my son didn't know any of it. 
Forgetting her limits, she coaxed him to give her higher posts before she completed her projects. Instead, my son had to give her something else. He even had to pay her from our treasury just because she didn't get what she wanted. The workers, don't even know that's how it doesn't work. But sadly they stay where they are, don't even know the basic knowledge of the work thingy works. 
When he decided to give her a nice post in our company, he asked something from her in return. But she dared not to obey him and along with it, she even threatened him the evil language of Zolzeim. I fear she has secret trades with them and conspires against our country. 
I want immediate the police to arrest her for her crimes. It's not my word, it's my son's demand. If the city wants its next chairman to be healthy, do him justice. Get rid of the girl. 
Our next chairman would be the next Gliustav Maning if everyone supports him now. He needs your help in this darkest time. 'she finished reading the article in one breath. 

Her head felt heavy going through the article. She slid on the floor of the traffic control room, trying to catch her breath. When was she warned before? The only warning she ever got was on Kysop' s birthday. And what was the evil language she is talking about? Rio doesn't know anything other than her Katokein tongue. It was him who wanted the password and he threatened most of the time, even bullied her and her mother. She couldn't remember a thing said to him, let alone words of threat. He indeed took her outside or even treated her with nice things. Wait, it was mostly nice restaurants for dinner. 'I want to get away from home for a while', that were his words when he took her along with him. So the dinner at those places cost him a million? She couldn't think of what she should do now. The news that was between a few people is out now. Everyone would get rid of her. She even ordered an arrest. Did the matter reach that extreme and she didn't even realize any of it? Had he told her to stay away one single time, she would have stopped working there. She just wanted her certificate after a few days of working. Oh, occasionally she did ask him for any stable job in a nice place. 'I can even give you the companies in my hand', indeed were his words. The scenes ran in a loop in her head, making her close her eyes. Gladly there was no one in the control room, else it would have been embarrassing to cry in public. How can he just lie like that to his mom? Doesn't he know what was going on between them? Rio even stopped asking him for work since the last week, let alone the stable job after the internship. 

This news must have gone to her mom. She would finish her for sure. Her heart twisted thinking about what she would do at home. She decided not to go home early. But where should she go if not home? The whole city must be looking for her. Will her mom hand her over to the police? Was her nightmare becoming a reality?

The academy library was only a short walk away and was quite close to the Elder's Building. The library building from the outside was only a small single storied building and no one will be able to guess that the building holds one of Asia's largest libraries. On the inside, the buildings show its true colours. Instead of a single floor, there were 10 different floors with each floor having a size similar to a football field. It could be said that this library was more than 10 times larger than the Hogwarts library.

This fact is not too surprising. Unlike Britain in which only a single language is used for all purposes, Magical India had more than 15 different official languages due to different tribe's having their very own language. Books written in all these languages were present inside this library. 

One thing I was thankful for in India was that despite there being so many languages, all the spells were in one language, Sanskrit. If every tribe used and taught their own version of spells in their native language, then having an academy will have no meaning. Each elder will teach in his/her language and due to this, the only people who will sign up for their classes will be their own tribe members since no one will be interested in learning a different language just to learn from the elder. If this was going to be the case, then the Elder could have conducted the class in his tribe itself.

Of the more than 15 languages here, I knew only English and Hindi. So I could read only the books in these two languages. The first two floors had only Hindi books while the English book filled a small part of the 10 floor. English was not a common used language here. I had only some average fluency in Hindi so I will have to improve my proficiency in it if I want to make good use of all these books. 

The third and fourth floors had books written in Sanskrit language and I will have to learn the language sometime soon in the future to make my learning process here faster. The language was not commonly spoken in the present era but most of the old and informative books were written in the Sanskrit  language and if I wanted to read and learn from them, I will have to learn language.

Much to my disappointment there was no easy way to solve this problem since there were no magical translators or spells that I could use to translate these books into English. People in India had tried very hard to make this possible over the years but they had failed miserably. I too felt that such a thing was impossible since different languages did not follow a pattern that could be used to magically translate it. Languages did not follow rules and were made by old people on a whim according to their needs.

The people here did invent a spell to make learning language easier though which I am going to make good use of. The spell will make it possible for me to completely learn a language in a month. All I had to do was memorise some books that came recommended with the spell and it will allow me to learn the language quickly. I am planning to use it to perfect my Hindi first and then learn Sanskrit. I did not plan to learn any other Indian language.

The library was huge and I already had a list of books that were recommended to me today that I had to read. I did not have time to waste since I had a deadline which I had to keep. I did not have too much time to waste.

Before going to the Healer section, I decided to visit the English section first since I wanted to see what was available in there. Also it was the language I was most comfortable with in this library. 

To get to the 10th floor, the people here had invented a magical variant of lift. It was a levitating disk on a platform which would follow my command in a way similar to that of a broom and take me to my floor. I liked the idea so much that I wanted to replicate this type of lift in my black castle. I planned on completely renovating the Black castle and this lift was added to the list of changes I wanted to make.

On the 10th floor, the English section was easy to find. The section consisted of 15 large bookshelves filled to the brim with books. This was a small number when compared to the even the Hogwarts library except that the books here were priceless. On glancing through the books, I found that the collection did not have any new books but instead every one of the books was an antique and were more than a 100 years old. Some were even more than 700 years old. Even my black library did not have these book and I wondered where the academy got them from.

The books were calling for me to read them but I controlled myself and went towards the Healer section of the library. I badly wanted to start reading the books but I knew that I had no time for them currently. I could come back here after 3 days and start reading them.

The Healer section on the second was huge with more than 30 bookshelves. I quickly found the books on my list and went towards the Duelling section which was on the same floor. It was not too big just 7 book shelves and I easily found the books recommended to me by Elder Akash. I also checked out the book which will allow me to improve my fluency in Hindi.

The checkout system here was quite unique. First of all, all the books in the library were warded to protect from damage and making copies. At the checkout counter I had to specify the number of days I needed a book. The books had another set of runes that were then programmed in such a way that when the rental period ended, the book will be automatically returned to its original location in the library. The books will also return to the library of I take it outside the academy boundary. I was very impressed by this system.

After checking out the books for 3 days, I left the library as it was time for my next class. The mage sight tutoring with Elder Nainesh. 

When I entered his room he was very excited to start teaching me. I learn the reason for it later during the class. It was due to the fact that my mage sight was different from his and he wanted to compare both and conduct experiments. The main difference was that my mage sight only showed a slight glow in my eyes when activated which his not noticeable while his and his tribes mage sight had tell tale sign when activated. His eyes started twinkling like Dumbledore's glasses when mage sight was activated so he couldn't discreetly use the sight like I always did.

The class was very productive. The method to toggle between different modes was controlling the amount of magic that I sent into my eyes. For the seeing through walls effect I had to rotate my the magic around my eyes. The amount of magic in the eyes and my control in rotating it perfect decided the distance I could see and what I could see.

It was difficult to do since I had not practiced controlling the amount of magic that I could send to my eyes ever in my life. For the first class I did just that. Controlling the magic. By the end of the class I had gotten a slight hang of the method and I could toggle between the modes just for a short few seconds before I lost control. I was sure I could perfect this in a weeks time.

After that productive one hour class, I went back to my room. It was time for me to start reading those books since time was tight. After conjuring a table and a chair, I started reading, beginning with the language book so that my later reading will be quicker.

Disclaimer - I do not own the characters and the plot of the Harry Potter Universe.

A guy from our universe gets reborn into the Harry Potter universe. Read to find out how he takes advantage of his prophetic knowledge and lives his new life.

Alternate Universe so avoid reading if you like your canon characters and don't want to see theit evil side.

P.S. This is my first time writing a novel/fanfic.

Support me on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/zajedm

"It is here, so I guess all monsters can drop the puzzle pieces for language bloodline skill," said Cade as he was happy with his discovery. 

The language skill needed 20 puzzle pieces just like the language skill from the toad. Cade smiled because it won't take long for him to get twenty of them. 

When Cade looked at the leader skill, he wondered about what it can do. He saw the same one from the big blue tongue toad but that leader skill was for the big blue tongue toad and the one he can get from the slime was for the slime. 

By the name of the skill, Cade wondered if he can be a leader of a group of slime if he were to learn the skill? 

Looking at more of the list of the puzzle, Cade found another familiar puzzle. The slime essence, slime key and slime core. The essence and key needed 100 puzzle pieces while the core needed 1000 puzzle pieces. 

"They must be something really big. Since slime is easy to defeat, should I collect them all and see what I can do with them?" thought Cade. As he had finished looking at the list of drops, Cade chose to get the first part of the figure puzzle to increase his stat. 

With all of that done, it was time for Cade to continue hunting the slime and he suddenly realized how stupid he was. He opened the system and chose the map function. He completely forgot about it. 

When the map opened, Cade can see everything lurking around him. Apparently, just like he thought, no one was around him. He can see a few red dots around though and when he touched the dot, the system said it was slime. 

"So, red mean they are hostile," said Cade as this was his first time seeing the red dot. Actually, that was his second time using the mapping function. He had totally forgot about it. 

With the mapping function, it made it easier for Cade to know the direction and then came to his realization about the reason the level limit increased that fast. 

Maybe the explorers were using the mapping function to locate the slime and find the right way to the floor boss room. 

Cade went to the slime he detected through the map and when he arrived at the location, he appraised the slime and to his surprise, the appraisal showed more information about the slime. 

Name: Slime
Grade: E
Level: 1
Max Stat: 10 per stat
Total Stat Points: 10

"Whoa~ what with this sudden information about the slime? Is it because I kill one? That's right, this happen to the iron ore too. Before I dug the ore, the system only showed me the name of the ore but after I dug the ore, more information can be seen," said Cade.

Cade deduced that it was because Cade obtained the ore and killed the slime that more information about them were available. 

Looking at the slime information, it was a bit different from the past. When the system appraised the monsters before the update, all it shown were the name, grade and level but now, Cade can see the maximum amount of stat it can have as well as the total stat they had. 

Cade got curious of other monsters' stat. Once he had enough looking at the data, Cade went and attack the slime. Just like before, one hit to the core and the slime was killed. Cade chose the second part of the puzzle and complete a figure of the slime. 

Cade absorbed the puzzle and he was a bit disappointed at the amount of stat he got. He only got 10 stat points. Compared to the 35 stat points he got from the toad, that was too low. 

He used all ten stat points on his endurance stat increasing it to 33 points. Cade wanted to raise his vitality and endurance stat first before he considered raising other stat. 

His reason was because he wanted to last longer in a fight. He felt really soured when he lost the fight against the humanoid toad that quickly. He did not contribute anything to the fight and he even needed the help from others to save him. 

He was too useless and he hated that feeling. He was abandoned because he was deemed useless and at his current stat, his family proved to be right. 

As for other stats, he can rely on his equipment especially strength because his weapon was far stronger and more than enough to deal with monsters up to level 20 if they were grade D or below.

Cade had completed one of his objectives and it was time for Cade to continue to complete what he came there for. The slime language bloodline skill. 

With the mapping function, Cade breezed through the dungeon towards the slime he found and killed them. Since they were hostile, he did not feel guilty killing them.

All the killed he made; Cade choose the language skill puzzle piece as his drop. Thanks to the mapping function, it was easy for Cade to locate the slime and his hunting had become faster than when he was in the big tongue toad dungeon. 

He just needed to walked a bit and the map will locate the slime, he headed to them, killed them and got himself his chosen drop. 

It only took Cade about half an hour to kill 20 slimes and collected all 20 pieces of puzzle for the slime language bloodline skill. 

Cade was elated as that was his first time completing a 20 pieces puzzle or maybe he was the first in the universe. From his knowledge, the highest amount of puzzle that was completed was 12 pieces and that puzzle needed 15 years to complete. 

However, Cade knew that that was untrue because the normal bloodline skill needed 10 puzzle pieces and many founders of the big family had the full bloodline skill that Cade cannot found once in any of the monsters he killed. 

Imagine if the normal skill needed 10 puzzle pieces, the full skill will surely need more than that. It just that they never publicize it. Normal human won't even know about the amount of puzzle pieces need and the same goes for explorers too. 

Cade was lucky to get his link growth skill and was able to increase his luck and by chance knew more about the puzzle pieces. If not, he will be as clueless as everyone else. 

Now that he had all the puzzle pieces for the slime language bloodline skill book, the system asked him if he wanted to combine them and Cade said yes. 

Bright light shone but it did not last long. Only a few seconds. Completely different compared to the complete figure puzzle. 

He remembered that time when he was with Jonathan and he cannot absorb the complete puzzle and it kept shone without stopping until Jonathan absorbed the complete puzzle. 

The skill book for the slime language bloodline skill was on his hand. The skill book was thicker than normal skill book. 

[Learn the slime bloodline skill – slime language?] asked the system. Cade said yes.

[Are you sure?] asked the system again. Cade said yes again. 

[Really?] asked the system one more time. 

"??? Yes… Why is the system asking me three times?" said Cade one more time and the skill book disintegrated into lights and it entered Cade's body. Cade felt like something was happening to his body. He can feel it. 

Usually, when learning a skill from the skill book, nothing will happen. The system asked if they wanted to learn the skill and boom, the skill will be in the list of skill. That was it. 

However, Cade can feel something changing in his body and he did not know why. "Is this because this is a bloodline skill?" Cade wondered. The changes happened for 10 minutes when it suddenly stopped. 

After that, Cade felt like usual like nothing had changed. Cade checked his body and nothing was changing. He actually felt a bit scared that he will turn into a slime or something because the skill name was bloodline though everyone knew that the skill was named like that because of its ability to be passed down to the next generation.

Once he confirmed that nothing was changing in his body, he sighed in relieved. When he felt something was changing inside himself, he was scared shitless but he tried to maintain his calm demeanor. 

Cade wanted to try checking his skill when suddenly the system let out another notification. 

[Your body now contain the gene of the slime. Due to this, your body is unsuitable to learn another monster skill as well as getting another monster bloodline skill. Fret not, you will be fine]

Cade stared blankly at the notifications. Once he came to his senses, instead of talking or thinking, he immediately went to his skill list and saw the slime language skill. Cade immediately touched the skill and wanted to delete it, however…

[The skill is permanent] said the system.

"…" 

"…" 

"…"

In an age of magic, space travel and explorations, humans had far surpassed what they were capable of in the past. 

In a small planet located in a small star sector, a young man name Cade was living his life peacefully. 

One day, Cade was playing around with cardboard and he suddenly awakened his system. However, an accident happened and the cardboard he played with became part of his power. 

Followed Cade's journey in making his name as an explorer in the universe.

"There are wounds that never show on the body that are more deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds."

-Laurell K. Hamilton

"So you're the brat that Sensei said would join us?"

He carefully drew up the little muscles that composed the entirety of his lips. Just enough to qualify as a smile, but too little to be 'actual' happiness. He directed his eyebrow to twitch and fall just a slight bit lower. In the end, it formed the expression of irritation and calm. He preferred oxymorons, in contrast with the rest of the figurative language spectrum. The beauty of controlled chaos... The irony of a deliberate mistake...

It was a kind of rotten purity all by itself.

It seemed like he took a little too long to answer, as the white haired man started to itch his neck of all things.

"Yes, I would be the brat you are speaking of," He looked at Kurogiri's relative position and came to a understanding. "I assume that you are the leader around here, then? Sensei's protege that he spoke of? It's a pleasure to meet you." He finished off his performance with a fake smile that looked true and genuine.

Despite the very small gaps that existed in his ensemble of hands, it was actually quite clear to see when his eye widened in anger.

"...Why are you calling him, Sensei? Why does your scrawny little weak ass think that you can call him Sensei?!"

He seemed to feed off the anger in his own words, as he slowly inched closer, with his many hands primed and ready. Like a little cub intimidating a big lion- most likely Sensei- he strode forward with a deliberate clang in his step. He projected his killing intent into the world, but the thing about killing intent was this; it leaned heavily on comparison. If you were able to withstand the murderous intentions of a beast, then it was natural that you would be able to withstand the intent of a cub. Only in the case of a change in quality or quantity would the other beast be able to frighten him.  But no matter how much the cub tried to be the lion, it hadn't grown up enough yet. Mentally or physically.

"As to why I can call him Sensei, there is a reason to that."

"Spit it out."

"Like I was saying, Sensei implicitly spoke to me on that very subject. More specifically, he said I could call him Sensei."

The words seemed to have diffused most of the man-child's anger, but a sliver of anger still existed. A fraction of madness that lay stabbed deep within the heart itself. It was evidenced by the slightest crease of a brow, and the faint indecipherable glean in his wine-like eyes.

'It seems that I've managed to piss off the boss of this whole operation so easily. How quaint. Why does All for One put him in charge? Perhaps it could be his quirk... How any one person can affect the number 1 hero is doubtful though. I need to reevaluate All for One if white-hair was put in place for strategic purposes... I'm still missing something. Something big.'

"If I may ask, what are the organization's current goals?"

The answer came back immediately.

"Kill the useless piece of trash that is All Might!"

'He definitely doesn't seem like the strategic type... It sounds like a personal grudge, which could provide some interesting twists.'

"How are we going to achieve that? Do you have any plans?"

Kurogiri who was staying silent up until now, opened his mouth and answered instead of the white haired man.

"We are currently in the process of recruiting. With more manpower-"

'Could they be planning what I think they're planning.. No, it couldn't be. All for One would get competent subordinates. I can only probe.'

Deku simply looked Kurogiri dead in the eye and asked a simple question.

"You want to kill the world's greatest hero relying simply on human wave tactics? I simply cannot see the possibility of that working out."

"You're saying that getting more people on board is wrong?"

'He's not wrong but... There's more to it than that.'

Deku let his gaze wonder, until he found a rather nice (ripped up) poster of All Might.

"Of course not, the deciding factor of wars is never the tactics," He took a step forward. "It's not the strategies, either," He was right in front of the poster now. "It's always the numbers that get the win in the end. One man will drown if ten thousand others spit. But, you are forgetting one thing."

Kurogiri's 'eyes' were barely visible slits of light, and the white haired man looked like he wanted t0 kill him immediately, but Deku simply continued to talk. His face was as placid as a stone, his eyes were as still as a frozen lake, his entire being radiated calmness. Perhaps that was what made them stay their hand. A lion grazing out in the prairie was not to be despaired: they were predictable, out in the open, and could be avoided. A viper on the other hand... They hide in the grass, in the shadows. They struck out when their target was least aware, and it was always lethal.

"You are forgetting that All Might isn't the only hero that exists. Even if you gathered a big army the likes of which the world has ever seen, All Might isn't without his either. A single call from the World's beloved Symbol of Peace will gather heroes from all over the world like moths to a flame. And what do you need when armies are of similar size? You need tactics. Strategies."

"You need long-term plans," He strode to the side to grab a dart off the table.

"You need me."

The dart hit the middle of All Might's forehead.

(Villain Deku; My Hero Academia Fanfic)

Think to yourself, just this one little question-
"What if the Sludge Villain never got away?"

Warnings: Gore, Brainwashing, Murder, Suicide, Bullying, Depression, Self-harm.
I don't own the cover, and if the artist wants it taken down I will do so immediately.

Both Arash and Hana were asleep at the same time; although they were separated by time and space. These soulmates not just synced in their likes and dislikes; even their consciousness turned off at the same moment.

However, both have different experience through the night; Arash's sleep was disturbed by their little baby daughter's intermittent sobbing while Hana's sleep was so smooth; she was smiling in her sleep.

She dreamt that all her experiences were a dream and she was laughingly retelling the story to Arash and their eldest daughter while she was feeding their baby at breakfast. Everyone was having a good time.

However, all good things must come to end. As morning came by, she suddenly opened her eyes and she was greeted with the inky darkness mixed with the earthy smell of her cave dwelling. When she realizes that all was nothing but a dream, her eyes misted as a few tears streaked down from the corner of her eyes.

Kuro, the ever loyal little pet was by her side looking at her worriedly. It slithered to her face and rubbed his cheek at Hana's cheek, carefully avoiding his horn, lest he might hurt his mommy.

"I'm okay. Don't worry." Hana breathed in a few times to steady herself and rubbed Kuro's head dotingly. She wiped away the tears streaking down her face while switching on the torchlight function on her smartphone.

Kuro slithered off to the side and started its daily training with its electricity diligently. Hana focused on her pet's training for a short while and exclaimed admiringly in her heart. The little one had improved a lot. It was not long until it could display its prowess as Hana's personal charger.

Hana moved her sight towards her second pet and found it lying lazily at the usual place. She shook her head and wonder when this fluffy one would stop resisting her advances.

She stretched her stiff body a little. Ah..it's already morning again...is it the fourth day already?

Hana finally remembered what was wrong from yesterday. She had forgotten to contact her hubby before she went to sleep!

She panicked and quickly opened the chatting app to load for Arash's messages. As she left her smartphone on the special spot, she went about making a small fire as soon as possible. She can't always depend on her smartphone for a light source. 

Hana contemplated for a moment on a solution for this as her deft hands busily rubbing a piece of dried wood to light her tinders. 

[When I have time, I need to find some beeswax to make some candles.] Candle making wasn't that complicated as long as she had the main ingredients at hand.

But the real issue was how to obtain beeswax without angering its inhabitants?

Well, the naive aunty had not thought about it yet. It was super easy to purchase some from the craft store before, so it didn't occur to her it was going to be the nightmare of her life if she attempted her idea later.

A short while later, Hana's small fire was lighted at its usual spot. Hana went over to her vertically standing filters and observed for a while. They looked stable. The water accumulated also looked crystal clear.

Hana took some water to gargle away the unpleasant feel in her mouth and went over the cave door/window to spit the water out. She rubbed Shiro's head as she moved past her second aloof pet.

The disgusted water splashed a little into Shiro's eye. It unhappily rubbed its eye using its white furry paw. It flexed its claws out unintentionally from annoyance but keep it back after being stared down threateningly by the black snake, as if daring it to make a move.

As usual, oblivious to the internal strife between her two pets, Hana gingerly took the rest of the water collected from the filters and filled them into a closed bamboo canister. She placed it diagonally beside the fire to let the water inside boiled before she had the courage to drink it.

While she waited for her filtered water to boil, she grabbed two bananas and a pack of 3 in 1 instant teh tarik(1). She chomped them down while checking her smartphone for Arash's messages.

Surprisingly, after the initial loving greetings, he had not spammed the chatbox. Hana knew Arash must've known she forgot again and patiently waited for her response.

Hana adjusted her face's angle, centralized her irises and made a puffy monkey cheek to make a funny face. She called for Kuro to pose together with her and snapped an interesting comedic wefie for Arash. She habitually sent over the picture, knowing it would fail. 

It uploaded sluggishly like a snail, pausing intermittently for a long time. Hana just ignored the uploading process as usual and continued messaging her hubby about her day yesterday after she apologized.

She shared her plan on the rack she was going to build today for the three filters and Arash's opinion on it.  

Today she needed to complete the filter rack, ferry back those extra bamboo canisters and check on her fish trap. She truly hoped to get some fish. It wasn't easy eating the same thing day in day out.

After she finished pouring out her heart into the chatting app, she waited and waited, but Arash's reply wasn't coming in.

[Is he taking revenge for yesterday?] Hana was sure her hubby was not a petty person. 

[Maybe he was busy with the kids and all.] Hana convinced herself cheerily.

She decided to return early today and messaged Arash again before she started on the permanent filter rack building.

She left her smartphone on the Internet spot and when over to her stash of things. While flipping through her notepad, she went through her objectives as usual and updated her inventory list. She needed to prepare well today before going out. She can't afford to make the same mistake again.

She didn't realize the goofy wefie of her and Kuro was successfully uploaded!

....

Arash's were awake quite late today. When he woke up, he saw their first daughter cooing her agitated baby sister.

"It's okay. It's okay. Shhhh...shhh.." She patted her baby sister's butt in a rhythmic motion gently like how Hana used to do. The agitated little one drifted back to sleep after a few minutes of whimpering. She was still sleepy.

"Pity Papa. He is very tired. You're a good girl right? Right? Mama's not here, but I'm here." She caressed her little sister's head affectionately.

"Mama said, if one day mama is gone, I must take care of Papa and you." She planted a light kiss on her little sister's forehead.

Arash was touched by his five year old daughter's sensibility. 

[Our daughter had grown up so fast ayang...]

When his girl realized her papa was awake, she excitedly jumped on him and urged him up.

"Come on papa! I got something to show you! We got a message from mama!" His daughter whispered audibly beside his ears. Both of them tiptoed together to the living room. Last night, when Arash was awake a couple of times, he had move to sleep beside his daughters.

Once there, the excited girl took her papa's smartphone on the coffee table and leaped on his lap. In front of Arash's unbelievable eyes, his daughter expertly typed in his smartphone's password and navigated towards the chatting app.

[Kids these days are amazing!] He lamented. When he was at this age, he was just a snotty brat who loved to climb trees. There're no such things as gadgets. He enjoyed video games when he was slightly older; it was in his primary years (2).

"How did you know how to open Papa's phone?" Arash was curious. He never taught his daughter his password.

"Mommy teach one (3). She said if got migincy (4) can use phone one. See Papa, I even know how to call you." She answered proudly.

[I knew it.] Arash chuckled. He usually helped his daughter open the kid's educational game app all this while. He never knew his help was not needed.

"Papa, papa! Lookie here! Mama funny face with cute little thing. What is this Papa?" His girl showed Arash his smartphone.

Arash was astonished!

A picture was delivered from the other side!

As he observed the not-so-nice looking face his wife made for him, his gaze drifted to the menacing black entity beside Hana.

His hair stood up and goosebumps appeared. The sleek black reptile was circling its body around Hana's neck while a foot of its upper body lingered very near to Hana's cheek. The silver horn was like a unicorn's, but sharp and threatening. The eyes look evil. The forked tongue was even touching Hana's cheek! Sharp teeth were seen from the half opened mouth. The snake looked really dangerous! Not at all adorable as what Hana used to tell him every single day!

Arash didn't know that was Kuro's attempt at making a goofy smile to accommodate his mommy's urging.

"Papa, papa, papa! You okay? What animal is that?" His daughter's urging broke Arash's reverie.

Arash cleared his throat, "Ehem, it's a snake sweetie."

"Really? Why did it have a horn then?" His daughter asked confusedly.

"It's a special breed one."

"Ah!" As if was struck by an epiphany, his cheeky little daughter showed a comprehending look.

"It was so cute! Papa, I want one!"

Arash sweated with his daughter's twisted understanding of cute.

[Like mother, like daughter.]

Unbeknownst to Arash, his daughter had accidentally forwarded the picture to his wife's family chat group on a different chatting apps while she was fiddling with the phone.

....

A shocking picture was sent to 'Family Ribena' (5) group by Mem Shaza's son-in-law, Arash. 

It was the picture of Hana dying as she was being attacked by an exotic never-been-seen dangerous-looking black snake. 

The chat group burst into a frenzy of messages by Hana's mother, brothers and sisters. She had come from a big family.

A lot of them were worried about Hana as they realized that they had not seen her reply in their chatgroup a single time in the past four days. While others believed she was pranking them. Before, they had assumed she might have used her hubby's phone to reply for both of them (she did that a lot of time). The replies were short and perfunctory; as if Hana and Arash were super busy with something.

When the chat group finally calmed down, the participants realized Arash nor Hana didn't reply a single time to their questions. This elevated their worry to an unprecedented level. Mem Shaza (6) tried to phone her daughter, but only receiving an out-of-service notification. She then tried calling her son-in-law. However, because everyone was trying to do the same thing, the calls clashed with each other and none came through.

Another reason was, the cheeky daughter of theirs had unassumingly muted Arash's smartphone while she was playing with it before. With the incoming of multiple calls and Arash's forgetfulness to charge his phone, the already low battery smartphone on the coffee table finally switched off without any of them knowing.

At that exact time, Arash was busy cooking a simple chicken porridge for both of his girls. After an awkward moment of mutilating the poor bird into pieces, he transferred all of the meat pieces into a boiling pot of water. 

He remembered, Hana said to put in a slice of ginger and a few cloves of garlic to remove the chickeny smell(7). Some carrots and cauliflower were a must to make it a balanced meal. When everything was boiling nicely, then add some washed uncooked rice.

He was thinking, how much rice should he put in? Feeling confused, he just added one small cup of washed rice into the simple chicken soup. 

After everything was done, he let the porridge simmered under the lowest fire and washed his hands. 

"Who wants to bathe raise up your hands!" Arash jokingly asked her daughter while hanging the apron at its intended place. 

Raising up her hands enthusiastically, she elatedly said, "Me! Me! Me!" while jumping up and down.

A crying sound came from the bedroom.

[Just in time.]

Both of them held hands and went to the bedroom together to fetch the little one before going to the bathroom.

As the porridge simmered gently, Arash was monitoring the kids playing with bubbles in their respective tubs while remaining oblivious to the storm brewing in the chat group.


Author's note:
(1) 3 in 1 instant teh tarik = a popular pulled milk tea in Malaysia. There's instant ones now. We loved the Lipton brand.
(2) primary years = Malaysian basic education system was divided by two; primary level (7 - 12 years), and secondary level (13 - 17)
(3) Mommy teach one = (....one) is a local slang when Malaysian used English. It doesn't have a meaning.
(4) migincy = since the daughter is 5, we made her words filled with errors intentionally. It's from the word 'emergency'
(5) Family Ribena = "Ribena" is actually not a real family name. Attaching 'Ribena' to a name brought the meaning 'childish' as it is named after a kiddy drink by the same name (its a berry grape-y flavor drink very popular with kids).
(6) Mem Shaza = "Mem" is a shortform of 'Madam' used generally when shown respect to an elder (woman) who's usually very imposing. "Shaza" is an arabic name. The Malay ethnic in Malaysia used Arabic names to name their kids, very rarely they would use Malaysian language.
(7) chikeny smell = this one was self invented by us haha. There's a raw chicken smell that's not so nice lingering in porridge if one didn't cancel it out with ginger. That's also the reason why most cooking use ginger in many kinds of dishes.

Oh yes, let us write down the meaning of the names according to appearance;
(1) Hana = (Arabic: boundless rezki/sustenance), (Japanese: flower), (Korean: No.1)
(2) Arash = (Arabic: a figurative 'throne' where God stood while observing His subjects)
(3) Shaza = (Arabic: fragrant)

Meet Hana, a not-so young clumsy housewife, who got lost in a different world when she stepped out for a short grocery shopping session. How can this aunty survive without skills or even a 'golden finger'? What actually can a housewife do besides cooking and cleaning? There's nobody around at all, so she can't even scheme. Is she destined to die in a foreign place full of trees as a side character? Or will she step up and find her own 'edge' in order to survive? Follow her colorful journey and her struggles to carve up a humble abode (sojourn) which she could call her own while awaiting for the beloved of her life to rescue her from her nightmarish predicament.

Will her beloved even be able to rescue her?

Will she obtain benefits and unimaginable wonders as she struggles day to day to survive?

Will she one day obtain super powers as a transmigrator should?

Let us wait and see while rooting for this bumbling yet lovable housewife

Note: golden finger refers to special powers/systems provided as a rule of thumb to all transcenders to other worlds in webnovels

ASTHW map:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/asthw-asthw-map-23601459

ASTHW cover by Rolandthe4th

Release rate: 1 chapter/week. Monday 0900 GMT +8
===================
Hi! Mr and Mrs MoonCat here :) We would like to introduce a new world for you guys to explore. This story is based on Malaysian style, a small country in southeast Asia, of course, since its our hometown. It has a lot of local slangs, but won't affect the main story as a whole. It'll be lighthearted, funny and simple, with a splash of reality mixed with fantasy. Come and enjoy the ride with us! Give a try for at least 10 chapters before you judge :)

There are three routes to increase the number of chapters;

Route 1 - 1 free chapter the following week when achieving top 100

Route 2 - sponsored chapters. 10 cumulative cups for each additional chapter

Route 3 - become our patrons
Cumulative goals:
10 patrons - +1 permanent increase in 1 month
30 patrons - +2 permanent increase in 1 month
50 patrons - +4 or 5 permanent increase in 1 month

Route 4 (one time only) - rate and write review until a formal rating is established for ASTHW. We will post extra 1 chapter the following week.

Anyway, Mrs Mooncat could only write around 1-3 chapters in a week depending on how our kids behave. Mr Mooncat was so busy, he could only proofread and edit/suggest a certain chapter 1-2 times in the middle of the night in a week. Hence, we're actually quite low on the stockpile. So, there you have it..our reality :) Please bear with us *kowtows*

Please vote ASTHW if you like the novel so that it can reach more audience (and made both of us happy) (^_^)~ It will really motivate us to continue writing.

Do reach out to us through our email to send fanarts, questions, suggestions, requests etcs. We will come back to as soon as we can (wink!) 

Mr n Mrs Mooncat
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========================
ANNOUNCEMENT (31 MAY 2020):

Something is wrong with webnovel. Mrs Mooncat can't paste the chapter. If it is not resolved, just go to scrib blehub to read. Type ASTHW and you'd see the update (Chapter 125). Am getting quite frustrated with this inkstone platform hmmm..

Once the issue is resolved, we'd place the proper chapter within

Take care.

Mr and Mrs Mooncat.

Min-Hyeok's father-in-law was a good painter. His paintings were more beautiful and skillfully done than Gun-Ho had expected. His paintings were traditional landscapes painting with mountains, clouds, lake, and a small boat.
"Hey, Min-Hyeok. Your father-in-law is a real artist."
"I was told that he has been painting his entire life. So I'm not surprised."
President Shin, who had profound knowledge in paintings, nodded her head from time to time while looking at the paintings displayed in the exhibition.
"I like them."
There were not many paintings displayed. There were about 20 of them. Gun-Ho felt the pressure that he should buy at least one painting since he was there in person. He asked the staff there,
"Are these paintings for sale as well?"
"Yes, they are."
"How much is the painting over there with a mountain and a lake? The sixth one from the left."
"Do you like that one?"
The staff gave a broad smile and showed Gun-Ho the price of the painting from the price list. The price list showed the name, size, and price of each painting.
The name of the painting that Gun-Ho picked was Drunken in the Mountains. It cost 3,000 Yuan (about 550,000 Korean won).
Min-Hyeok made a comment while looking at the painting that Gun-Ho was about to buy.
"Drunken in the Mountains? So the painting is about a hermit who is living in a mountain and who happens to be drunk. I can't really see the hermit in the painting though. It's too small. Moreover, the mountain looks rough."
 
When Gun-Ho filled in the purchasing application with his name and address, the staff's eyes widened.
"Oh, you are Korean? I thought you were from Taiwan since your Chinese was so good."
Gun-Ho gave cash to the staff, and the staff put it in the drawer of the desk while smiling.
"The painting will be available to pick up or be mailed after the art exhibition is over."
"Can you get rid of the picture mounting and mail me only the painting to the address shown in my purchasing application?"
While giving the staff an instruction to mail the painting, Gun-Ho handed an additional 200 Yuan to the staff.
"Please send me by EMS."
"Oh. Umm, of course. Thank you, sir."
The staff then walked to the painting which Gun-Ho just purchased and marked the painting's name tag red. It was a notification to other visitors saying that the painting was already sold.
When Gun-Ho was about to walk out of the exhibition, the staff called him urgently.
"Sir, just a moment, please."
"I'm sorry?"
"Why don't you take a picture with the painter since you purchased one of his paintings? You can take a picture with him in front of the painting that you just bought."
"Oh, really?"
"Mr. Painter is on the third floor right now. He will come down soon."
"Hmm. It's interesting that they allow the buyer to take a picture with the painter in front of the painting he or she purchased."
The staff made a call to the third floor, and after a while, the artist, who was Min-Hyeok's father-in-law, showed up. He looked like he was in his 60s. He had his grey hair pulled back and tied to make a ponytail, and he had a beard. He did look like an artist.
"Sir, this gentleman purchased one of the paintings."
Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok's father-in-law greeted each other.
When the painter noticed his son-in-law was standing there, he said,
"Oh, you came too."
"Father, the buyer is actually a friend of mine."
"Oh, really? Are you from Korea?"
"Yes, I am, sir."
Gun-Ho and Min-Hyeok's father-in-law then took a picture in front of the no.6 painting.
 
President Shin suddenly approached Min-Hyeok's father-in-law and said,
"Hello, sir. I came with this gentleman from Korea. I really like your paintings, sir."
"Thank you."
"I am in the publishing business in Korea."
President Shin gave her business card to the painter—Mr. Ding Feng—as she introduced herself to him.
When he received President Shin's business card, he looked at the other side of the card since he couldn't read Korean and checked if there was an English version on the back of the business card.
"You probably came here for the international book exhibition."
"Yes. Sir, have you had your painting exhibition in Korea before?"
"No, I haven't had a chance to do so yet. I had it in Japan and Hong Kong though."
"I do love your paintings. Can I have your business card, sir?"
"Of course."
Mr. Ding Feng pulled out his business card from his white pants' pocket and handed it to President Jeong-Sook Shin. He also gave one to Gun-Ho.
 
Once the three people walked out of the exhibition, they headed to Hongqiao International Airport to take a flight back to Korea.
At the airport, Gun-Ho extended his hand to Min-Hyeok for a handshake, who came along to see Gun-Ho and President Shin off.
"I wanted to visit our factory in Suzhou City, but I guess I had to do that on another day. The building dedication ceremony of the factory in Asan City is around the corner, and I'd better go back quickly."
"No problem. Next time you visit China, let's visit Dandong as well."
"Sounds good."
Min-Hyeok Kim went back to Suzhou City after having a handshake with Gun-Ho and President Jeong-Sook Shin.
While waiting to board at the gate, Gun-Ho asked President Shin,
"Why did you ask to have Mr. Ding Feng's business card at his art exhibition?"
"Oh, I surprisingly like his paintings a lot. So I was thinking maybe I might see him again later."
"Those paintings of actual landscapes are not popular in Korea anymore, aren't they?"
"You are right. Western paintings are more popular these days, and non-figurative paintings are the current trend. But, Mr. Ding Feng's northern school literati paintings are so refreshing to me."
Gun-Ho wanted to ask what northern school literati painting mean, and then he decided not to ask. He didn't want President Shin to think he was so ignorant of arts that he didn't even have the basic knowledge.
 
Flight attendants were busy moving around in the flight while serving the passengers.
While Gun-Ho was looking at the female flight attendants who were walking around, the actress—Seol-Bing—crossed his mind, who he met in Director Li's office the other day. He couldn't stop thinking of her after laying down on his seat.
"Seol-Bing? It sounds like some kind of PatBingsu (Korean shaved ice), but her name is easy to call for Chinese people. The Chinese pronunciation of her name is Xue Bing. It is indeed easy to call and easy to remember. It's a good name for an actress."
Gun-Ho thought of Mori Aikko, and he compared her with Seol-Bing. Mori Aikko was a cute type. She was like a cute rabbit while Seol-Bing was more like a grown-up who was beautiful and sophisticated.
Gun-Ho turned his head to look at President Song, and asked her,
"President Song. Do you by any chance know of the actress—Seol-Bing?"
"Did you say Seol-Bing, sir? You must be a fan of Seol-Bing."
President Shin said while smiling.
"No. I 'm not a fan of Seol-Bing. I just met her yesterday when I went to see Director Li. She was in his office."
"Oh, what? Seol-Bing was in Shanghai? I heard that the soap opera that Seol-Bing is on is gaining popularity more and more in China. She is also a singer and a member of a girl group. She sings very well too."
"Is she famous? I don't really watch TV."
"There is a soap opera called Shade of Desire. It's very popular right now in Korea. She is the main character in that TV series. Seol-Bing is a top star in Korea. You can see her on tons of commercials like soju and cosmetics."
"Really?"
Gun-Ho closed his eyes pretending he fell asleep, but he couldn't sleep because he couldn't stop thinking of Seol-Bing.

This is the story of a poor young man whose poverty even shreds apart their family willing to climb his way through society and into the top. A very realistic novel that moves away from fantasy and sci-fi and focuses solely on the issues of society and life.

figurative language list

LANGUAGE OF LOVE

Language Of Sinners

Language Of Happiness

Lord of the Mysteries

The Rise of the Consortium

Rise of House Falken - Harry Potter Fan Fiction

The Cardboard Explorer

Rotten Purity

A Sojourn of a Transmigrated Housewife

Story of a Big Player from Gangnam

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