As Milia watched her betrothed instruct his apprentices in the art of potion creation, she meditated and reflected on her own goals, some of which she kept secret from everyone. As the journey between her and Nate progressed, everything they kept to themselves would eventually manifest in a way for the other to notice. Her biggest secret was going to be exposed during the spring.
In fact, she couldn’t help but wonder if Nate felt suspicious of her. Had he considered why the forest inhabitants containing even powerful fairies and creatures rarely seen by humanity obeyed her? Did he consider the reason why the Axem avoided attacking her or the inhabitants, opting to make the dungeon its home, releasing a convenient protective field of powerful aura?
Nate was odd, a man who appeared from nothing, but a fool? Not him. His sharpness sometimes made the dryad nervous and so much more curious, to the point she ended up finding herself interested in him.
Milia did her best to keep the anxiety hidden. Dryads lived lonely lives, after all, but the woman was not just any dryad. In the spring, her royal blood would be exposed. Her shame too. Running away from duties, pretending to be an adventurer for a short while, and then adapting to standard dryad roles, bringing further shame to the royal family.
However, if she was afraid of them, then she wouldn’t have agreed to live with Nate, beginning a courtship that spiraled into something she wanted hungrily. They would judge her for sure, but they couldn’t make her leave.
She’d protect Nate, his interests, and her own interests. And even if Nate felt like giving up, she’d kick him in the rear and encourage the man forward. He’d certainly do the same for her.
Nate’s compatibility with Milia drastically mended their relationship, almost bonding them. Milia wasn’t a subservient person and she’d be damned if any man tried to command her. However, Nate didn’t follow these unwieldly values. Perhaps it could be because he wasn’t nobility. However, even some common families gave into arranged marriages. Some of them turned out okay, while others, not so much.
Milia was once blindsided with a sudden arranged marriage to a fairy prince as arrogant as the Lord Ruler himself. The green-haired woman wasted no time rejecting such an awful proposal by her family and under the cover of the night and their anger, she left.
Her warnings for Nate to be careful were not for show, nor fun and games. Her mother and her sisters really were good people, but she knew for a fact they’d scrutinize him. Not that Milia was worried.
She felt proud of his path, which inspired the woman to push for her own. At first, Milia only wanted to get into dressmaking as a passing curiosity, something to quench the developing boredom of a long life. She made almost all of her dresses and even some for her mother and sisters. Seeing Nate push to improve upon his difficult occupation sparked an idea in the dryad. What if she could develop magical dresses, robes, and an assortment of other things? She normally cared little about human currencies, but it’d be a while before she took Nate to visit the hidden dryad kingdom, so accumulating gold was a must. Or else risk him running into the fairy prince. Not even Nate would easily be able to shrug off the powerful noble and could risk death should the two do battle.
She doubted she had authority left in the kingdom, so commanding guards to toss the fairy prince into a jail cell or out of the kingdom would no longer be an option for her.
Milia wouldn’t just be a shopkeeper’s wife, not just an ordinary housewife, but an equal contributor. His shop’s rank should increase by selling more magical goods, right?
She felt a little bad not being able to confess that she saw his shop’s rank on the left-hand side of the red cube’s magical projection.
Milia didn’t want him to feel discouraged; however, judging by his actions in Wingston, Nate found out about his shop’s E-rank. Rather than fall into despair, that only made the man more determined and, by extension, increased the dryad’s determination. She’d do whatever it took to help her betrothed achieve an S-ranking, even if it meant defying the very heavens that made her.
Her order of materials would be arriving soon, perhaps this day. Her first, somewhat embarrassing, hobby would be revealed, along with her plan to include a magical wardrobe section to the shop.
The dryad couldn’t help but be a little jealous of the goddess, giving her betrothed S-ranked phoenix feather-infused clothing. She wouldn’t let a dungeon outpace her!
Suddenly, Milia felt the mana within burst, bringing forth the feeling of a breakthrough to the next realm. Dim light—impurities—left her body, replaced by clean, new mana.
She opened her eyes to see the others staring at her. She was unaware of the brief glow of her golden eyes. Nor did she know of the angel-like translucent wings that appeared on her back before they too disappeared.
“That show of advancement was amazing,” Nate said. “Congratulations for breaking through!”
Milia couldn’t help but smile, her heart fluttering a little. What? She could let him spoil her some.
She stood and performed a few basic poses and attacks, moving like the wind. Each motion contained a purpose. Milia really wished she could thank her old master at that moment. Well, she’d likely get her chance during the scolding.
“You’re amazing, Milia,” Harmony said, her eyes starry. “Unlike a certain brute.” She glared at Nate, pouting.
Nate shrugged. “I told you the path to potion making and simultaneously being a magician wasn’t going to be an easy one. Slow down when adding mana to the mixture or you’ll end up blowing it up again. Or burning the ingredients.”
Milia smiled, watching him as he walked over to check over Lucas’s cauldron. “Good job, man, keep it up.” He walked over to Mandi’s mixture and nodded. “We won’t know for sure until we find a more efficient way for you to add mana to things. You’ll invent it, right?”
Mandi smiled brightly, nodding. “Right!”
“I’m heading into town for a bit,” Milia said to Nate. “Do you need anything?”
“No, but… I think today’s a good day to pick more blueberries,” Nate said. “Before the summer fades.”
Milia’s mouth began to water just at the thought of blueberry pie. The delectable dessert was a form of life itself, and anyone who said otherwise couldn’t see Mount—
Milia pushed away such thoughts, retreating into the shop and starting toward the washing room. “Nate’s shower parts should be arriving later,” she said softly. She couldn’t wait to see it for herself.
After the bath and changing into fresh clothes, trousers and a cute shirt that she felt went well with her hair, Milia went outside and gently climbed onto Wingy’s back. Cutie hopped into her lap, meowing questioningly.
“Sure, you can come along, Cutie,” she said to the irresistibly adorable kitten.
When Milia and Cheetara left, I went to my own cauldron, intending to try out something new. I wasn’t sure if it’d actually work, but the only stupid questions were the ones never asked. That was what my old boss used to say to the newbies. Whether true or not, well, it depended on the results.
“Before we move into other training, like your specialties or magic, I’m going to show you something interesting,” I said. “Using the energy potion as a base.”
The teenagers and Wolverine gathered around. The wolf didn’t have his own cauldron, but he didn’t want to be left out. At this point, I was beyond sure my pet could truly understand my words.
With the energy potion ingredients boiling, I infused mana into my right hand, mentally asking the Dao of Creation to help me. I wasn’t expecting much at first, after all, practice makes perfect, but the tattoo lit up so bright, it was difficult to look at directly.
“What’s happening?” Harmony asked. “Is it a new spell? Can you teach it to me?”
“It’s not really a spell and no, I can’t teach it. You’ll have to discover one on your own,” I said. “That’s another lesson, as I’m basically winging it. Just don’t go around one day telling everyone my wife is my master.”
Mana oozed from my hand into the energy potion mixture in a strange light-blue liquid-like state.
[Warning. You were not specific within your lines of thought. A rift opens. Defend yourself.]
Suddenly, a growl erupted from the cauldron.
“Run!” I yelled to my students. “I fucked up!”
The green energy potion lurched into the air, but to my relief, it didn’t chase after them. Only formed into something that focused on me.
“Keep going! Wolverine, protect them,” I yelled. “Get as far away as possible.”
[The Dao of Creation is the most powerful Dao in existence. You cannot possibly be arrogant enough to think you can control it. You must know what you want before attempting to create it.]
“System, this is incredibly dickish,” I said. “It’s not like there’s any instruction manuals teaching me how to utilize my Dao. I thought it was something I simply had to practice and meditate on.”
The green energy shaped into a dragon that had to be at least twenty-five meters, maybe thirty meters tall. It was a creature one would see from Chinese mythology, a serpent-type dragon. Wingless, six legs, but it floated in the air.
It looked like a smaller version of fucking Shenron from Dragon Ball. Yes, I went there. If its ridiculous pressure didn’t have me nervous, I’d consider asking it to grant my wish.
“You have summoned me, human,” it said, getting my hopes up, until it finished its sentence. “Now defend yourself. For I will crush every bone in your body and then destroy everything you know and love.”
[Enemy analysis.]
[Incomplete Dao Dragon. S-ranked semi-divine dragon. Danger!]
“Is that so?” I asked calmly as I looked at it, keeping my expression neutral. Or perhaps it was cold. I did not take kindly to anyone or anything that threatened to destroy the shit I worked hard to build.
At that moment, I stopped holding back, for the first time allowing my aura to erupt at two hundred percent capacity, regardless of the strain it put on my body.
“It’s time I teach you some manners, snake,” I said, my voice monotone. The red haze of power appeared around me, and I jumped into the air, meeting the snarling creature. It had already finished an inhale, preparing to abuse its divinity by setting everything aflame. I stomped down on its maw, hurling it to the ground incredibly fast, no normal person would be able to follow that.
“I am the owner of this Dao,” I said softly. “Dickish as it is, I’ll figure it out. If you want to send hellions every time I fuck up, then so be it. But this is what will happen to them.”
I allowed myself to fall down next to the creature, widening its eyes. It gaped at the giant hole.
“Wait, don’t hurt me, I was only testing you, Master,” the dragon said, its voice nearly a whine. “I’m here to serve you. Please believe me.”
I thought about adding another pet, but this one rubbed me the wrong way. Somehow he sensed my displeasure and began to whimper. It trembled, eyes so shot with fear that I almost expected it to cry.
Goddammit.
“You can’t stay in this world,” I said, my voice final.
“I won’t. I’m here to help you with the Dao,” the dragon said. “In fact, as a part of your Dao, you may create the Potion of Summoning. And for you, with any ingredient! Please don’t hurt me.”
Realizing I was glaring at it, I forced my expression neutral again.
“What’s your name?” I asked. For some reason, mist poured from my mouth, and I realized I still hadn’t calmed down. Sheesh! Was mana getting to my psyche? I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. My apprentices were safe, Milia was in town, and my house, still here.
The mist vanished.
“I… do not have a name,” the dragon said.
“Then I’ll call you… Bubba,” I said with a straight face. “No, that’s stupid. Let’s call you…” I discarded Mushu and Shenron. Too easy. “Let’s call you Aku.”
I felt a little sad no one in this world would get that reference, but I loved my childhood cartoons.
“Aku…” the dragon whispered. “I feel so unworthy of such a name.”
[You have bonded a dragon from the Dao of Creation.]
[New special potion listing added, Potion of Summoning. With any ingredients and the will of your Dao, you may summon Aku by simply pouring the liquid onto the earth. You may also consume the liquid instead to gain the strength of a dragon for a short time, but it will come at a great cost. Dragon Magician State.]
“Will my power be of use to you, great potion maker?” Aku asked.
[Your class rank increased to Established.]
“Absolutely,” I said.
“Meditate on your Dao at least once a day, Master,” Aku continued. “Its power cannot be increased automatically. It won’t kill you, but… you know, if you gain insight, even your shop will benefit from it.”
My eyes widened, adding meditation to my to do list at least once a week. Hell, maybe daily.
“I must return to your essence, as I tire out.”
Before I could ask it a question, it shrunk into a tiny version of itself that was about six inches tall. Suddenly, Aku burst into thick sparkles of light that reminded me of snowflakes. The sparkles seeped into the tattoo on my hand.
For some reason, the Dao symbol felt… more life-like. A dim purple aura emitted from it for another minute before snuffing out.
I checked my stats just to verify the changes.
Nate
Class: Potion Maker. Secondary class: **Divine Master Magician**
Magician rank: 3rd realm of the Lesser Dragon.
Class rank: Established.
Ability: Can make up to SSS and divine-grade potions.
Power: Crushing Strong.
Defense: Emboldened Steel.
Dao of Creation. Rank: Divine. Stage: Awakening. This is an early stage.
Potions Unlocked:
[Current self-use potions: Health, Energy, General Medicine, Speed Booster, Sleeping.]
[Special potions: Night Vision, Mana Core, Water Breathing, Masking, Eagle Sight, Shadow, God Flame, Summoning.]
[Utility potions: Lighting.]
[Misc potions: Flavors.]
Nodding, I closed the prompt and waved at my returning apprentices. I assumed they were likely going to grab Milia, only to find themselves staring at a giant dragon. If anyone was looking in this direction, they would’ve spotted it too. But with it gone, I’d easily just play dumb to avoid any interrogation. With my students however, they needed to know my relationship with Aku. Leaving out the exact name of my Dao so Milia wouldn’t get spoiled, of course.
“Nate are… you okay?” Mandi asked, her eyes watery. Lucas and Harmony looked as if they were inspecting me for wounds. I couldn’t help but be a little moved.
“Yeah, I’m fine, calm down,” I said. “Gather around, let me explain to you what you’ve just witnessed.”
