https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-21-A-Good-Reputation-is-a-Good-Start/12809321/
Chapter 20: What Kind of Pet Doesn't Do Chores?
Chapter 20: What Kind of Pet Doesn't Do Chores?
“Ahh... another busy day.” Rod returned home and quickly took a cold shower.
Fortunately, it was summer, and ever since he gained magical power, his body felt stronger. Otherwise, he might not have adapted so quickly.
He didn’t take hot showers because there was no solar water heater, and heating water with firewood was too much trouble.
Rod had considered getting a magical device to heat water, but after checking the price, he decided to hold off for now. He’d wait until winter when he couldn’t stand the cold anymore.
After giving Worm a quick bath, Rod found himself missing the school’s coin-operated washing machine.
Hand-washing clothes was slow and tedious, and without his phone to watch videos, it was even more boring.
The most he could do was play some music on an old hand-crank phonograph.
At first, it was a bit of an adjustment, but as he listened, Rod felt a sense of sophistication, as if he were a character from a high-society film from the early 20th century.
The only downside was the variety of music on the records—pop, rock, classical, you name it.
Swish, swish, swish...
The washboard leaned against the basin, and Rod scrubbed the wet clothes, leaving trails of white foam.
He wasn’t very skilled with the washboard, but the rhythmic sound of scrubbing was oddly soothing.
Worm stared curiously at the laundry detergent bag, and after a while, it couldn’t resist giving it a lick.
Its face immediately contorted, and it spat out the white powder.
“Are you an idiot?” Rod tapped Worm’s head and tossed it toward the sink. “Rinse your mouth out.”
After hanging the washed clothes on the balcony, Rod noticed a few potted plants.
One looked like a succulent, and two resembled orchids. The soil was dry and cracked from lack of water.
“It seems there are a few more lives I need to take care of... I guess.”
Rod grabbed the nearby watering can, filled it with water, and gave the plants a much-needed drink.
The spray of water droplets from the showerhead moistened the leaves and seeped into the soil.
Rod felt a sense of renewal and playfully said, “From now on, you’ll be called Darya, you’ll be Renming, and you... well, in this new world, I guess I’ll have to look after you three.”
Worm watched its owner, sensing that his smile wasn’t entirely genuine.
“What’s that look for?” Rod set down the watering can and picked up Worm. “Go clean the floor you dirtied!”
Worm stared at him in shock. Wasn’t it supposed to be a pet? Why did it have to clean the floor?
“Don’t look at me like that. What kind of pet doesn’t do chores?” Rod tossed Worm into the laundry room. “You made the mess, so you clean it up.”
Worm sat on the floor, looking at its small paws. How was it supposed to clean the floor?
How Worm would clean the floor wasn’t Rod’s problem. The little creature understood human language and was quite intelligent, so it would figure something out.
Thinking about this made Rod angry. Why could Worm, a creature from the Abyss of Wailing, understand the language here right away, while he had to learn it?
Did Mr. Zhipiji’s language pack come with a sharing feature?
Rod sat at his desk in the bedroom, fuming, and opened the book he had brought back from the guild.
It was a history book. Although he wasn’t particularly interested in history, he felt it was necessary to learn more.
To help him read, Levy had lent him a pair of glasses.
A magical item, the Wind Chanting Glasses, allowing him to read at 32 times the normal speed.
In other words, one minute of focused reading was equivalent to 30 minutes!
Rod felt his luck had turned. Even if he didn’t like reading history books, a few minutes would be manageable, right?
However, a minute later...
Smack!
The sound of the book slamming onto the table jolted Rod from his drowsy state.
He had underestimated one thing: even though the time he spent reading had shortened, the amount of content hadn't changed. No matter how uninterested he was, the mere sight of a history book still made him sleepy. Even with magical tools to assist him, he wasn't going to become a top student.
Rod, being who he was, would be better off having Hibiki use magic to directly infuse knowledge into his mind. Or, he could listen to Levy, the beautiful young mage, tell historical stories.
Stories like the legendary hunter Belbalasso and the hero Rubenkaludo left a deep impression on him.
"Let's start with fifty push-ups to wake myself up."
Rod got down on the floor and started pushing himself up and down, managing to do thirty in one go before his arms began to tremble.
'If I want to increase my magic power quickly, I need to meditate and also exercise a bit. Otherwise, I'll end up at a disadvantage.'
That's what the Guild Master had told him.
But Rod always felt that the "disadvantage" the Guild Master was referring to wasn't about going out to battle, but rather getting into fights within the guild.
Although he didn't like fighting, the way things were going, he might get caught up in one sooner or later. Just thinking about the sheer strength of the girls in the guild, let alone Natsu and Gray, made him shudder at the thought of their punches.
Rod gritted his teeth, "For the sake of increasing my magic power!"
One.
"To avoid getting beaten up!"
Another.
"To be able to hit back when I get beaten up!"
Another.
Rod's reasons for working hard were becoming increasingly bizarre.
Exercising to build his physique, meditating to enhance his magic power, and reading to expand his knowledge—these were the three most important things for Rod at the moment.
The biggest challenge was reading, especially books on history and geography. Magic-related books were manageable, but the others were a real hassle.
Rod decided to ask around the next day if there were any newspapers or magazines to get a bit of news.
...
The next day, the sky was overcast, but it didn't look like it was going to rain.
Rod chose a flashy way to go to work, riding the Rift Scuttler Crab.
The appearance of the massive dark green crab immediately drew the attention of the neighbors, and many were startled by its bizarre form.
But as it carried Rod along, moving smoothly and even avoiding pedestrians, the initial panic faded away.
"Looks like a mount. It's a bit strange, but it's quite impressive."
"Hey, isn't that a crab? Why isn't it walking sideways?"
"The person on the crab's back seems to be a mage from Fairy Tail."
"Must be a new member. Looks like another restless one."
Some people with keen eyes noticed the blue guild emblem on Rod's arm when the wind blew his short sleeves.
Riding a monster down the street was quite a novelty. But since it was someone from Fairy Tail, it wasn't that surprising.
The guild emblem on Rod's arm was subtly providing him with some 'convenience' in a strange way, though he was unaware of it.
Rod held onto the two antennae of the Scuttler Crab, feeling like he was driving a heavy motorcycle.
Before he knew it, the wind in his ears had brought him to the guild entrance—less than a kilometer was too short a distance.
Rod smoothed out his wind-tousled hair, grateful that it was on autopilot, or he might have crashed into a few people.
This 'Crabmobile' didn't feel very safe at full speed.
(End of Chapter)
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