3 Chapter 3: The Path to the Goal Is Not So Simple

The train arrived rather quickly, and I headed towards it.

To my surprise, there were quite a few people wanting to get to Magnolia, which wasn't the case just five minutes ago. As soon as the train reached its spot, a crowd of people swarmed around a few doors. Now I needed to figure out how to get inside. "Entering through the doors and dealing with the conductors is not an option - that's just foolish. So, maybe through a window while no one's looking... but how?" As I walked along the train, I came across an empty carriage with only one passenger inside, but the windows on my side were closed, and opening them from the outside seemed impossible. "What should I do? Ask the passenger to open them for me? That would be too suspicious."

"Is there something you need, young man?" A voice suddenly sounded behind me, causing my eyes to widen and my heart to beat rapidly. It felt like it was about to leap out of its rightful place.

"N-No, nothing. I'm just seeing off some friends. They just entered that carriage, so I'm looking for them inside to say goodbye," I stammered, coming up with the first excuse that popped into my head. Saying that I wanted to board the train and had a ticket was silly; he'd either ask to see the ticket or direct me to another colleague at the door. I'd get caught, and that would be the end of it. I don't know how to use magic, so there's no doubt about my defeat.

"I understand! Which door did your friends enter through? I can help you," the station worker asked in a friendly manner, showing no intention of backing down.

"Those over there!" I pointed to the slightly thinner line to my left, hoping he'd finally leave me alone.

"Got it! Let me help you. That entrance leads to a completely different carriage. Follow me; I'll guide you." He smiled with the same friendliness.

"Please, this is the right carriage. You can say your goodbyes. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"

I was no longer there. I had slipped away and observed from a distance until the train began to move.

"Now what should I do? Going through this a second time will be strange and raise unnecessary questions. Maybe there's a regular road to Magnolia? Then I can ask some friendly travelers for help. It's riskier, but I think there are some advantages to that. I should ask around."

After some more inquiries and information obtained, I decided to enter the restroom at the same station. Restrooms usually had mirrors, which would finally satisfy my curiosity because I had absolutely no idea what I looked like. Maybe I was some kind of monster, and I didn't even know it. But it's hard to believe; if you look really bad, people's reactions immediately make it clear, and I hadn't experienced that so far. But I was still terribly curious. I couldn't help it.

Entering a rather large building, I finally found the restroom thanks to some helpful directions from people. As I entered, I quickly began to search for what I needed and finally found it. As I passed by, I caught sight of myself in the reflection and was stunned.

Once again, a sense of surrealism washed over me for the day. A weightless yet simultaneously heavy feeling in my chest caught my breath as I approached to inspect myself more closely. I had literally forgotten how to breathe. "You know, when you've been looking at yourself for many years, you get used to it. You understand that everything should be as it is. In the mirror, all movements and emotions seem natural, but right now... it's as if I'm asleep, watching a series, or playing a game... yes, a game! The movements and emotions feel alien, yet at the same time, they're mine, as strange as that may sound. An indescribable, incredible feeling. And oh, how handsome I am! My previous body was perfectly fine, but this... it's a completely different world. But the most attractive part of this whole package are the eyes. Like the brightest bluish diamonds, reflecting the very sky. I've never seen eyes like these."

I gazed at my own reflection for quite some time, touching my face with my hands, stretching the skin, and even sticking my fingers up my nose until I was interrupted during the last activity.

"Um, excuse me... can I also use the mirror?" A young woman with green hair asked somewhat hesitantly. Her hair, too, looked unusual but entirely normal for someone accustomed to dyed hair in the modern world. But in this case, I knew for sure that her hair color was natural. I'd seen even stranger hair colors on the street that day, so simple green didn't impress me, but it suited her well.

"I'm sorry, I got lost in thought," I said, making room and smiling, feeling like I'd done something wrong, but not feeling embarrassed about it. "By the way, green suits you," I complimented her briefly, then moved toward the exit.

"I walked into the women's restroom by mistake because I forgot to check the sign on the door. I should theoretically be embarrassed, but I don't feel anything of the sort."

In this new body and entirely different world, I felt like an entirely different person. If in the past, I would have felt awkward, even if only briefly, now the feeling of "shame" had vanished from my life.

I felt like I could do cheeky things in the middle of the road, and I wouldn't feel guilty. Or no... no-no-no, I've gone too far here. It's one thing when shame is caused by a simple mistake, another when you behave like a pig. Here, it's not the absence of conscience but the absence of common sense.

I won't engage in anything like that!

Now that I've done everything I wanted, it's time to hit the road. The path is not far from the station where I stopped along the way. I have a fairly long journey of thirty kilometers ahead of me. If I hurry, I think I can make it in half a day. Considering the average walking speed of a person is about four kilometers per hour, the continuous journey there will take around eight hours. "It's quite possible that I'll be there by night."

"And damn, was I wrong to think I'd complete this journey without any major problems!"

---

"What an uncomfortable outfit! I can't understand how the Japanese wear these," I cursed these garments while walking along the road, in which I happened to find myself in this magnificent world.

Well, to be fair, the world is beautiful, at least that's what I think, but these clothes... "Ahh!" You can't even take them off. On a sunny day, I'll burn my skin, and at night, I'll freeze. Two of my least favorite conditions: cold and heat. Who on earth came up with them? May they be cursed!

They say the Japanese are perverts for wearing these. Who in their right mind would wear such things? A valid question.

But if we set aside the cumbersome yukata, the strange underwear that's chafing my rear end like some sort of cord (damned Japanese thongs), the blisters on my feet from the footwear designed by a BDSM enthusiast, it's not so bad after all. It's better to divert my thoughts from my clothes and focus on something else.

For instance, I've been walking for about four hours. It's around nine o'clock now, and the sun is scorching like it's noon, but I'm doing relatively fine. My previous body, though it was trained, and I was used to long walks, wouldn't have been able to complete such a marathon without stopping and without getting tired.

It's amazing how enduring this small organism is. It's frightening to think about how strong I'll become in the future. The prospect of it made my heart race, and my mood lifted.

Instead of worrying about the light clothes, my mind couldn't stop thinking about what kind of magic to study. The fact that I'm a wizard leaves no room for doubt.

To feel the mana within me, I just examined my body with my eyes until I found the source. After that, it wasn't so difficult. A couple of hours spent trying to coax the magical energy, and I could somewhat control it within myself, strengthening my body.

A couple of hours of effort, and I can now call myself a wizard, which is quite satisfying to realize not just mentally but physically. Mana spreads a gentle warmth through the cells of my body, offering an invigorating effect. It's like drinking an energizing energy drink on an empty stomach in the morning, making the world suddenly brighter, and my mood soars. The only exception is that the effect is stronger and lasts longer. It continues until you choose to stop the flow of power, or until the magic within your body depletes.

"Tsk," as I walked, my eyes began to hurt. Some slight irritation seemed to have arisen, probably from straining my vision for hours trying to discern the energy within my body. I needed to leave them alone for a while. There's always time to study magic, and for now, I can relax and explore the beauty of the surrounding nature. For instance, that's also a good option.

There's plenty to see here, and the wildlife in these places is unique, something you won't find on Earth. I'm just excited to learn all that I can until it becomes boring. Reading many encyclopedias about this world's animals, insects, fish, and plants, it's like revisiting my childhood, so to speak.

But for now, I can settle for a superficial examination of what's around me. "For example, that tree over there. What is it? It's like a cross between a palm tree and a bamboo, with a touch of a drugged-up fir tree, all in yellow-green and blue colors – like a leprechaun had a mishap."

A strange combination... I wonder if it has the same nauseating color inside?

"Oh, that's cool!" I exclaimed, momentarily distracted from the tree when I noticed a bald rabbit emerging from the bushes, with incredibly cute eyes covering half its face. They were impossibly deep black, but with a glossy shine that made them look like they'd been polished by the world's best craftsmen, showcasing them as their greatest work. Like an actual mirror, only in black.

In general, this little creature is nothing short of adorable. The soft squeak it made further triggered my inexplicably acquired parental instinct to protect this poor thing from any danger.

I gave in to this feeling, approaching this beauty who was nibbling on a white flower. "Oh, what a cutie we have here!" I began to approach, praising it as if it were my own child, but I refrained from reaching out to pet it. I'm not that foolish to believe that it won't bite me out of fear, and who knows what kind of diseases those tiny teeth might carry.

As I got close enough, the sparse hairs on the cute creature stood on end. Suddenly, a shockingly terrifying roar burst from this adorable little thing, as if an Amur tiger decided not to fight a tiny bug but to simply demonstrate its danger through a deafening growl.

I was momentarily stunned, losing touch with reality. I couldn't even make a sound to release the tension from my body. Quickly regaining my senses, I cast a quick look at the monstrosity in a rabbit's fur. "Monstrosity" is the best word to describe this spawn of hell. Not long ago, its little neat mouth stretched all the way to its spine. Its head had literally transformed into a crane shovel with a bunch of white-brown stalactites (calling them fangs wouldn't do them justice), just like the deepest sea creatures.

The predatory roar disappeared, replaced by a horrifying screech that wouldn't be out of place in a horror movie, but by then, I was long gone.

I fled like an antelope from a pack of wolves, or rather, I sprinted like a cheetah across the savannah until I finally stopped due to a lack of air and extreme exhaustion. "YES! That's right! I definitely didn't wimp out!" I tried to justify myself to myself, but... "Alright... who am I kidding? I was scared out of my wits! What in the world is that creature?"

I need to remember in my head - avoid animals in this world! Forget about them.

"Yeah... This is not my world; carelessness could cost me my life... But it's worth noting - I run very fast. It feels like riding a bike at full speed. I can only hope that the law "fast legs don't get stung" applies in this world. Otherwise, I'll meet my end before I reach Magnolia.

Thank goodness the belt stretched, giving room for my legs, or I would have been in real trouble. But I won't be able to untie it just like that; that's a problem for later.

I kept going for another three hours by my estimation. It was already dark outside. The journey was anything but straightforward, and danger seemed to lurk at every corner.

Sometimes, it was a massive snake with a bizarre color pattern deciding to slither across the road, forcing me to wait and hide behind a boulder. Other times, it was a hornet's nest, each hornet the size of an adult's palm, that I had to sprint through at top speed, along with many other obstacles. Or strange creatures that I avoided as far away as possible.

Learned from bitter experience, I'm not here to pick fights; I simply avoid them.

The most important question that nagged me throughout the journey was, "How do people get through here?" Do they hire wizards from Fairy Tail every time they want to travel to another city? It wouldn't make sense. Wizards won't go on such a journey for a low fee, and spending so much just to have an escort doesn't seem reasonable. It's much cheaper and faster to take the train.

In that case, there's only one option - this road isn't for civilians. Most likely, wizards use it to reach certain places the train doesn't go. The frequent side paths leading into the woods are evidence of that.

This also means that I'm a complete fool, and the person who suggested this road to me is a total idiot. I'm probably the only one here. I haven't encountered a single person during the entire journey. But I can relax now; I've covered most of the distance, and I doubt there are as many wild creatures near Magnolia as there were before."

By the way, regarding the one who gave me this advice... I didn't understand it earlier, but now it dawned on me. This world's graphics, let's call it that, aren't all that different from my own. It's like I'm watching a movie, not an anime, as I initially pictured this world.

However, the inhabitants here are a little different. They're not like the people I'm used to seeing on my phone screen, and they're not like the ones who walk the streets of my world. It's more like a mixture. Their faces are more expressive. Their skin is flawless, as if they have subtle real-life filters.

It's not that it stands out too much, but it's the feeling that something's not quite right that was nagging at me in the background. And it's only now that I've realized the problem.

Who would've thought that taking a walk through such a dangerous place could answer the question that's been subtly popping up in my mind? They say stress allows you to see the world with fresh eyes.

Finally, my suffering came to an end. Magnolia appeared beyond the hill, illuminated by a solitary moon. Even the dim light of our satellite was enough for me to see most of the buildings in the city. My eyes are really something.

Surprisingly, the city is quite large, at least much bigger than I thought. I can't pinpoint the exact size, as my eyes aren't accustomed to measuring kilometers. Or rather, they're not accustomed to it at all. But I think it's at least five kilometers in length, if not more.

At the very end of this city, literally the furthest point from where I stood, there was the tallest building. I can't quite make out the inscription engraved on the wall, but I think the content of that sign is quite clear – "Fairy Tail." That's where I was headed, right across the entire city, fortunately on a straight road starting from the farthest end from the guild.

Marching down these streets and examining the houses, an unpleasant flashback briefly crossed my mind. These buildings were a bit too similar to the ones inside the walls in the anime "Attack on Titan." Occasionally, they only faintly resembled them, but more often than not, they were almost identical, just a bit more colorful here, which didn't exactly relax me.

Luckily for me, this architectural style was only present in the first half of the city. After I passed the church, the surroundings became more mellow.

More flags, ribbons, and empty shop windows. This was a good sign – it meant that the city was popular and that there was money flowing here, at least on the coastal side of Magnolia. Well, it's understandable. There are too few reasons why there shouldn't be.

And now, the moment had arrived. The journey through the city passed unnoticed, and I finally reached the coveted building. But there was a catch – it's nighttime. I wondered if there would be someone there to receive me, and if the guild would even be open. Let's find out! I grabbed the door handle, shaped like a tree leaf, and pulled it in one direction, and it opened easily.