I stared at the building that was the village center, looking at it while the sun beating down on my head. I desperately wanted to go inside and enjoy the cooler building with the best of my ability.

I could just go to a random tree and sit under its massive shadow, but that tactic wasn't working all that much anymore. I would have to enter this structure if I were to have some kind of enjoyment in my day.

"Feliza, you still thinking about going inside the village center? I'm sure it's off limits to us children." I turned to the owner of that voice, and found Buan standing there.

I was sure that he was supposed to be out in the forest with his brothers foraging for more goods today, but I guess I was wrong. Oh well, maybe he could help me.

"Yeah, it is, but don't you wonder what's inside?" I asked him, and to my disappointment, he just shook his head.

"I just figured there's old people arguing about potatoes and carrots in there. Probably nothing fun or exciting, you know?" He had a point. Most administrative businesses often times basically contained grumpy elders that were rattling at each other about stupid stuff, and most of the time had just a bunch of papers and files.

"I'm not thinking about the bickering and the oldies, you know?" I said deviously to Buan, all the while he raised an eyebrow at me. Good, I got his attention.

"There could be some pillows we could borrow to sleep outside with, a blanket for us to lay right on top of, and there might even be some kind of dolls for us to play with!" I could see him put a finger to his chin as he started to think about my prospects. I had him ensnared! I could get him to agree with me here!

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea! We'd be more comfortable then, right Buan?" I watched as Sally came up behind the boy in question, with a smile that might be able to melt an ice cube.

However, to my dismay, he shook his head. "No. We can't just barge in and try to take things without permission. We're not allowed to go in anyways, so what's the point?"

"Man, learn to have fun once in a while..." Sally grumbled as she deflated out of resignation. I, however, wasn't ready to give up.

"Then why don't we just ask the guards?" I looked at Buan directly, making sure to never keep my eye off of him. "After all, they could possibly let us in if we ask them politely and nicely. Maybe we can be an exception to the rule?"

He hummed as he started to think about my proposal, and looked up to the sky. He was probably in some deep thought right now about this idea.

Then, he nodded simply, and looked at the two guards sitting next to the front door. "Alright. Let's all go and talk to them together. With three people asking politely and calmly, they might have a reason to say yes."

"They probably hate me so I'm going to stay out of this." I said immediately, and I watched as Sally nodded to that statement while Buan seemed a bit confused. Then, his face morphed into one of realization, and finally, understanding.

"Alright, me and Sally shall go and talk to the two guards. You just stay there Feliza, we'll handle this and prove we're the best of friends!" Not really. I mean, I only consider you guys to be acquaintances, so doing this for me would be somewhat expected.

Nevertheless, thank you for the assistance, and good luck trying to those dipshits.

I watched carefully as they headed over to the two bastards, ready to try to use diplomacy to talk to them and get entrance. They must be thinking about the blankets and pillows now.

What they haven't realized was the fact that I needed a distraction to find a way to sneak into this building. Thank you, my allies, I'll be sure to grab some pillows when I make my escape out.

I silently started to sneak over to the side of the building, where I was sure I could find a window to boost into. I kept an eye on the four talking in front of the building, making sure that I wouldn't get caught.

I also didn't bother listening in on their conversation. Why should I be interested in what they were saying or even going to argue on? The outcome was inevitable, and I had no plans to get involved with any of that mess.

I looked at the side, and sure enough, there were some windows I could climb into. The problem was the fact that I had zero supports or ledges I could grab onto, and with my current capabilities...

Wait a second. I hadn't checked my level in five days, and I've been training constantly every night. What if... what if I could make the jump?

First things first, I needed to check my stats to ensure I wasn't going to fail. With a single word, all the information flew to my head, and I couldn't help but grin like a madman.

[Level 1]

[HP 13/14]

[MP 0/0]

[Strength 8]

[Endurance 9]

[Intelligence 10]

[Wisdom 9]

[Agility 11]

[Dexterity 4]

[EXP Points: 70]

Yes! Yes! My abilities were increasing! That kind of boost was something I was incredibly glad to see, it was amazing!

Right, time to test out my upgraded abilities. Maybe... just maybe, I could reach this window now.

I took a few steps back, and rushed towards the wall. I jumped with all my might, and found myself just barely reaching the window's edge.

I couldn't let something like this falter my chances! With all my strength and my power, I began to force my body upwards, using the meager support I had under my hands as support.

I began to kick with my legs, trying to find some kind of hold that I could use to try to help myself up. Then, I found a bit of a loose stone, and I used that with all my power to get up.

That was when I looked down from my position, and quickly looked around the room I was about to land in, realizing my mistake too late. Shit! If there was a person inside, I was screwed!

The space didn't seem to be a place where a person normally would be, thankfully enough. All around me were random objects, boxes, and sacks. Seems like the first place I was about to jump into was a storage room. Lucky me!

I smiled as I realized that I was in the safe. I would have been incredibly embarrassed if all this work had been done, and I got caught immediately.

I quietly leaped over and landed on the ground softly, using all four of my limbs to help offset the shock. I looked around in my cat form, before quietly moving towards the door. Once I got in front of it, I placed my ear right on the ground, listening for any kind of footsteps that was coming near.

I heard nothing, which meant that the coast was most likely clear. I opened the door cautiously, and looked around.

I was in a hallway, with a door across from me, and what appeared to be a large room that was at the end of this corridor, with a door opposite of that corridor. Judging from the muffled voices I could hear from the door to my right, I could deduce easily that was where the front door was.

Right, time to ignore that place, and time to find the pseudo-library, if they had one at least. I went towards the first door, tip-toeing and trying my utter best to not get caught, before I put an ear to the door.

Complete silence. However, before I could try to open the door, I crouched down and looked in the gap between the door and the floor. The plan was to see if there were any legs there or dangling feet to signify that someone was inside.

There was nothing for me to see that would belong to a human. I carefully swung the door open, enough that I could peek my head inside and see what was inside. I couldn't help but feel relieved when I had hit the jackpot.

Inside was a comfy little place, with one single window on the side wall that happened to be sun-shaped showing the sky. There were some soft and fluffy cushions laying around, with a desk and a chair to sit at.

There were also some shelves that had books in them, though they were exactly like the ones I had seen in the marketplace earlier.

Nevertheless, this was great! No, this was a step up! I found a sanctuary to stay in and one I could possibly sneak into constantly if I felt like it!

I could learn how to read and write, and become that much more valuable in the light of my family and others. That meant that I could...

I stopped, silently closed the door, then proceeded to sit right down on the floor to figure out my future.

I can learn how to read and write... and then what? What kind of benefits do I get from being able to do those two things in this word? It appeared like the normal people, like me and my family, could just live comfortably. I didn't need to know how to do those two things at all-

I prevented that thought process from going any further by face-palming. I nearly stopped myself from committing self-sabotage on the highest order. How could I be so stupid?

Being able to read can help with so many things! First off, being able to read important documents, treatises on magic, and just being able to figure out what fighting tutorials made sense for me.

There were so much more factors, and that was just the tip of the iceberg! Writing? Please! I could write requests, letters, and so on! There was just so much I could do being literate, why was I acting like an idiot and trying to get rid of my possibilities!

It's a step up from my current position, so having that information in my head was a must. Therefore, I would have to do as much studying as possible, and ensure that I can mingle in with certain crowds to get some advantages in life.

"Retrieve." I said softly, and the book that the mysterious stranger had bought for me yesterday appeared in my hands.

This book was definitely aged, and I could feel the effects of time from simply rubbing my finger on the wooden cover. I made some dirt and grit fall off by a simple swipe with my finger, and I could only hope that the pages weren't moldy or dusty.

The fact that the book was this bad made me worry a lot about its condition. What if it just turned into dust right in my hands? What if something bad happened, and the entire thing snapped completely in half?

... No. I can't think such negative thoughts, otherwise they may just happen. I needed to be strong-willed, and go through this without any kinds of doubts. Otherwise, I may falter, and that could be the end of everything!

Right. Let's begin the lesson. Hopefully I don't fail horribly, or get caught in the middle of it, because that would be downright humiliating.