Eighteen years have slipped by since I first drew breath in this world, a place where the rules of Earth no longer apply and the logic of magic and cold steel has replaced the mundane.
For a long time, the memories of my previous life as Roxanne Albatross felt like a fading dream, a collection of mistakes that have finally been laid to rest. I often find myself wondering what became of Marcel, a ghost from a past I can barely touch anymore.
Here, I am Eirene Rynd, a name my father chose for reasons I still haven't uncovered.
Eighteen years since I reincarnated in this fantasy world, but my mental age is around thirty five, meaning I had lived longer than my siblings.
In this world, I only knew three languages from Earth, English, Japanese and a touch of Tagalog because my life is one-third, American, Japanese and Filipino. But knowing the new languages in a fantasy world is straight up bullshit.
I been always a straight F student, but learning Alatist, Dalon and Carianese was not even a joke to think about.
In Town Allure, there were three languages that were speaking about, Alatist for the Northern Regions, Dalon for the Southern Regions and Carianese for Caria City, it was such a pain in the ass, Like, why do you want to add languages?
Mastering this life required more than just surviving, it required learning the complex, twisting tongue of Alatist. The dialect of Dalon and the rough text of Carianese, I spent eighteen years to perfect it all because I was an appraiser.
My new parents forced me as an appraiser, all because I possess two human skills, Blood Curse and Inspect, the Blood Curse is only sole reason to drink blood, that's it, it's dead weight. While the inspect skill will reveal any person's stats and skills. Which is a game changer for my new life in this fantasy world.
The downside is that, the inspect will randomize and show different languages such as Alatist, Dalon and Carianese. Meaning I need to learn them in order to not being a burned from the Rynd Family.
After nearly two decades of study, I can read, write, and speak it with a perfection that belies my foreign soul. While my siblings were training to become soldiers, I just sat there, reading books like a nerd. But, part of my kendo training is still out there.
I now reside on the continent of Andromeda, a name that once represented a distant galaxy to me, but now defines the borders of the land I call home. I was born in the Town of Allure, a place that has seen the rise and fall of my family.
My parents are gone now. My father, Richard, a man defined by his strength and his bald head, fell in battle against the monsters that plague these lands. My mother met a more mysterious end, lost to an unexplained accident within the depths of the mines.
Of my siblings, only two remains.
My older brother, Elias, left us when I was ten to enlist in one of Andromeda's high-ranking guilds, taking his brown hair with green eyes and his annoying antics with him.
My sister, Elicia, is the anchor I have left, she is a cheerful soul with silver hair and red eyes, a striking resemblance from my new mother, currently spending her days managing the butcher shop attached to our family home.
My appearance has shifted drastically from the girl who used to hide behind layers of makeup and fashion on Earth.
In Andromeda, there are no beauty standards to chase and no cosmetics to buy. My hair is an inheritance of both parents, transitioning from a deep, dark brown at the roots to silver-white at the tips. But it is my eyes that truly set me apart.
On Earth, they would call it heterochromia, but here, it feels like a mark of destiny. My right eye is a vivid red, a gift from my mother, while my left is a steady green, inherited from my father.
Beyond my looks, I carry the burden of two distinct human skills.
The first, Inspect, allows me to peer into the hidden depths of the world, revealing the secret statistics of every person and tool I encounter.
Blood Curse... It is a skill that serves no noble purpose, manifesting only as a wretched, hollowing craving for blood, a constant, disgusting reminder that I am no longer the person I used to be.
Because of this skill, I became an appraiser, I opened my stall recently at the town's merchant district.. there several customers awaited in line
" Miss Eirene, can you check the durability of my sword"
"Sure!"
Then I used inspect in the man sword.. seeing the outcomes
One-handed sword
Durability 300/1200
Damage: 20
" Sir, your sword will be worn down.. Reforge this gear immediately to recover it's durability"
" Yes... Thank you"
Then the man gave me 10 copper coins as checking the swords durability, I measely paid 10 copper coins everytime I use my inspect... " I knew that this is come in handy"
Then another customer appeared...
" Ma'am, can you check my stats just now, I was worried that I was drugged
Then, Eirene used Inspect at the man... Seeing it's stats clearly
Reggie Moe ( affected by snake poison)
Vitality: 1000
Strength:200
Defense:300
Agility:200
Mana:1000
" Sir.. it seems that you have been poisoned.. Consult an doctor immediately"
Then, the man handed his payment through me... Then the man hurriedly ran through the town hospital
Leveraging my Inspect skill, I opened a modest appraisal stall in the town's bustling merchant district. The demand was immediate.
Whether it was a warrior asking me to check the crumbling durability of a worn-out sword or a panicked traveler like Reggie Moe, whose stats revealed he was suffering from snake poison, my eyes saw the truth that others couldn't.
Charging a flat rate of ten copper coins per person, I quickly realized that while my Blood Curse was a burden, my second skill was a gold mine.
By late afternoon, I had pocketed 230 copper coins, more than enough to sustain us.
I closed my stall and walked the short distance through the merchant district to our home, which doubles as my sister's butcher shop. Elicia was there, silver hair catching the light as she finished her work.
"Big sis... I'm here."
At home, i saw my older sister, a.k.a the middle child of the Rynd Family, Elicia, was butchering the remaining meat at her meat stall.. Since our house and the meat shop were close to each other... Our house was still in the town merchant district,
" Oh.. Hello Eirene.. how your day?"
" Good as always.. I earned 230 copper coins"
"Wow... I think your skill has some great use"
And yet, Elicia lend out a joyful smile as always..
" Big sis.. it's almost night.. Hurry close the meat shop..."
Then, Elicia hurriedly closed the meat shop.. Arranged all the tools and placed it inside the small box... Then both the sisters went inside of their household
I called Elicia " Big Sis" to remind myself that I have my eldest sister by my side... Ever since I was reincarnated.. my sister is always close to me
Then, I was sitting at the dining room of our household... Elicia was cooking at the kitchen.. I smelled the aroma clearly
" Eirene... Dinner is ready"
Elicia lend out a vengeful scream... She picked up the hot pot with the use of her mittens and placed it in the table...
The dish was... Beef stew
Then, I grabbed a handful of meat and vegetables from the stew... Knowing that Elicia cooking was delicious
" Eirene... How is my cooking, Is it salty... Sweet or both?"
" I say it is okay"
I lend out a calm voice, tasting the hot beef stew reminded her time in her previous life on Earth... Where her mom served the same dish... Beef stew.
The evening air in our dining room was heavy with the rich, savory scent of beef stew, a smell that momentarily transported me back to a kitchen on Earth where my mother once served the same comforting meal.
Elicia carefully placed the steaming pot onto the table, her hands protected by thick mittens, her expression uncharacteristically strained.
As I tasted the tender meat and broth, I tried to offer a calm "It's okay," but the way she picked at her food told me a different story. Her usual radiant energy was muted, replaced by a lingering hesitation that she couldn't hide from me.
"Big sis, what's really going on? You've been acting strange since you brought the pot over."
She sighed, her silver hair shimmering in the lamplight as she finally looked up.
"The truth is, Eirene... I've been drafted earlier this morning. I've officially joined a bureau in Caria City. I need to make use of my human skill for more than just a butcher shop."
I nearly choked on my stew, the broth spraying as I leaned forward in shock.
"A bureau? In Caria City? When do you leave?"
"Tomorrow morning," she replied softly.
I looked at her, truly seeing her potential. Elicia didn't just possess standard healing, her human skill was Divine Regeneration.
While ordinary magic could slowly knit a surface wound, her power could close a life-threatening gash in less than a second. It was a rare, god-like ability that could regrow entire limbs, something unheard of even among the most elite healers in Andromeda.
I still remembered the day she had healed my shattered femur when we were children, the bone snapping back and the skin sealing as if the injury had never existed.
"A bureau won't let a talent like yours go to waste, is this why you've been so quiet? You're worried about leaving me alone with the family business?"
She nodded, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand.
"Eirene, can you handle the meat shop while I'm gone? I know you have your appraisal stall, but I don't want to lose our home's legacy."
I looked into her eyes, one red, one green and felt the weight of my own secret burdens, the Blood Curse and the Inspect skill that defined my new life. If she was brave enough to head to a city bureau to save lives, I could certainly manage a butcher shop.
"I'll handle everything, big sis, just make sure you come back in one piece, though I suppose with your skill, you'll always be in one piece."
***
Then since that day, My Eldest sister, Elicia... Left the town and went to the largest city of Andromeda, Caria City... Where massive guilds and adventurers located in that area
Because of that, I was forced to abandon my business as an appraiser and only focusing in handling the meat shop that Elicia was carried about.
And after that, I immediately went to my appraisal stall hoping to close my business for good...
Then suddenly, a cloaked woman figure suddenly arrived at Eirene Appraisal stall, holding a black card, seeing that the woman was approaching closer... I spoke
" Sorry, Ma'am but this stall is out of business, I will not use my appraisal skill ever again... You hear me"
Then, the cloaked woman handed Eirene an black card.. Telling what does it do... She doesn't spoke a single word on Eirene
After handing the black card... The cloaked woman vanished in an instant... Using teleportation magic as her human skill
Upon reading the black card that the woman gave me... An Alatist letter was written at the card... Eirene read it silently
" Go to the Eastern District of Town Allure, meet me at 9:00 pm midnight"
Then she read the card carefully.. but the letters were seen easily... It is more like a invitation letter from an unknown organization... And soon enough, I saw a clearer letter that says
" Yellow Flower Guild "