We told everyone a… CliffsNotes version of the story. Not a lie, but not everything verbatim.
“We’re fortunate that he simply gave up,” Big Ham said. “Bull men are quite strong and have killed even unprepared, but skilled magicians in the past.” He gave Milia a short bow. “Thank you again for the protection.”
“Oh, I really didn’t do anything,” Milia said with a giggle. The townspeople took that for modesty, having no idea those words were pure truth. The mayor’s daughter, I now knew as Harmony, simply watched us with a knowing gaze. She knew the secret, but said nothing, only smiled. For some reason, Tom seemed surprised by her attitude. She didn’t give off that spoiled noble’s daughter vibe, thank fuck, but something did feel… weird. Ah well, not my circus, not my monkeys, I was just glad everyone was good to go. There was a new business in town, baby!
Now, as much as I’d like to be an optimist, I expected the shoe to fall off the other foot at some point, forcing me to shove that sucker back on.
“What’s that in your arms?” Harmony asked.
“Ah, this little guy? Meet Wolverine,” I said, still proud of my name. Call it stupid if you want, it was funny and I was keeping it. I can hear the edge lords now, REEE. Sorry for not naming him Slashthroat or Gutclaw or some other psychotic, vampire with a dark cape name. “We rescued him from the bull man. Honestly, I’m surprised he slept through everything.”
Harmony seemed to be taken aback after having a closer look at the little guy. Then she looked at me and Milia, her eyes wondering, questioning. Finally, she let out a sigh.
“Do you have any idea what’s in your arms?”
“A cute baby wolf,” I said. “What else could it be? If you’re talking specific breeds, well, I hadn’t gotten around to asking anyone yet.”
“First of all, that’s not just any baby wolf,” Harmony said. “That’s a spirit beast. I think it’s a sunlight wolf, which aren’t native to this area. I’ll have to ask Shera about it.”
“Shera?” I asked.
“Oh, she’s the librarian,” Harmony said. “I think sunlight wolves sleep through the night like humans but are up and ready to feed in the morning.” She shook her head. “How did it get here and what happened to its mother?”
“The bull man was holding it when he found him,” Milia replied. “By the way, bull men aren’t native to this area either, so it’s possible that this was going to be a preserved lunch.”
“You’d think bull people would be… grass-eaters, right?” I asked.
“Minotaurs are,” Milia said. “However, they’re not cowardly and can be far more reasonable than the bull men.”
“Good to know,” I said. “Anyway, it’s getting a little late. I want to doublecheck the camp before heading back to the inn for the night.”
Tom nodded. “See you at sunrise tomorrow, then?”
“Damn right,” I said, clasping hands with the man. I also clasped hands with Big Ham. Then Milia and I were off. The town had streetlamps and a few patrolling guards with torches, though I may have spotted a few drunks. Underfunded, high inflation, and just the place I hoped to turn around without making too much a commotion.
Sure, I had kind of gathered attention already, even the suspicion of the mayor’s daughter, but that was beside the point.
The grasslands darkened as the sun went down and all we had was a torchlight lent to us by Big Ham.
“I wonder if I could invent the flashlight or something,” I mused allowed.
“Flashlight?” Milia asked.
“A portable light source,” I explained. “Wherever I point it, it beams a lot of light.”
“I see,” Milia said.
“Wait a minute. Where do you live again?” I asked, getting nervous.
“The forest, of course,” Milia said cheerfully.
“You know, perhaps tomorrow in the day, you can show me your house. You wouldn’t want a guy you barely know intruding on your humble dwelling at night.”
Milia laughed. “As I said earlier, I judged your character, analyzed your warm heart. You are welcome in my home.” She smirked. “If it’s light you’re looking for, have no worries. I will command the shrooms of the forest to provide lighting. Unless you’re worried about following a strange woman you’ve just met into a dark forest.”
“Perhaps if you were a meat-eater,” I joked.
Milia sighed, shaking her head. “Perhaps. Perhaps not. Honestly, I will never comprehend the tastes of humans, but I shall not oppose it. We’re all important to the cycle of life and mana.”
I stopped, truly looking at her. “Why would someone as wise as you want to be the assistant of… a human? A mortal.”
“First off, you’re no mortal,” she said. “Second, my answer remains unchanged. I’m a curious girl. I’d like to be a part of whatever you plan to accomplish. Call it selfishness. Call it insight. Besides, I’m still a very young dryad, so don’t make it sound as if I’m old.” She placed her hands on her hips, turning to me, pouting. “I trust you know of the saying about what happens to a man who speaks of a woman’s age, no?”
I raised my hands in playful surrender, laughing. “Alright, alright. Take me to your home, oh Mistress of the Land.”
Milia narrowed her eyes and watched me a bit longer, before allowing a sigh to slip. “Never lay it on too thick like that again. Even in jest.”
I chuckled. “So that saying’s a thing in this land too, eh?”
“Perhaps,” Milia said, her smile mischievous.
The forest path was surprisingly clear and well-maintained, despite no human ever entering it. True to her word, it lit up like a magical fairy land. Many colors from bright blues, purples, whites, and oranges. The mushrooms and even some roses were like bulbs of light.
However, if this place was just inhabited by plants, I wouldn’t have been uneasy. There were many… things and creatures moving about. Not clustered, but you’d catch them every now and then, minding their own businesses, roaming about. Deer with glowing blue fur and intelligent shining eyes, shimmering birds of many kinds, and even what I could only describe as a fairy. A tiny, winged woman, perhaps no taller than five or six inches, flying fast, beaming with a flurry of colors. Glowing dragonflies the size of skateboards, and massive beetles. Perhaps the strangest thing I witnessed was a panda surfing through the air on a fucking bamboo stick. It even looked badass while doing it.
“Welcome to the Twilight-Kyushu, Nate, our Domain Ruler,” Milia said.
“I… probably shouldn’t be—”
“No need to be modest, we welcome you,” Milia said. “If I weren’t eager to meet you, I wouldn’t have waited in the garden all night for you to return.”
Once again, I was reminded that I in fact spent the entire day with a real dryad. Sure enough, the creatures of this place bowed as I passed by, many of them expressing greetings. They also greeted Milia. Guardian Milia, huh.
After what felt like ten minutes of walking, we approached another clearing. The first thing that caught my eyes was a silent waterfall and its lake. A small river ran from it, providing water to who knew how many inhabitants of this place. The second was an enormous tree. Stairs led up to a door.
“Welcome to my residence,” Milia said. “Perhaps some time in the future, I’ll invite you to bathe with me in the lake, experience its healing waters.”
I decided not to take the bait. Milia made a couple of jokes, but having just met aside, even an idiot would know with a glance this wasn’t a dryad that let her guard down. She could probably sense any intent with mystical abilities I didn’t understand.
I followed her up the stairs. She opened the door and revealed the modest house inside. It wasn’t very large, just one bedroom, a kitchen, something like a living room, and outside was a line where one would hang clothing.
It almost made me question the difference between a human and dryad, but I didn’t need to bother. She sank into the tree at will, emerging moments later in a different room. Sometimes she’d flow from the ceiling.
“Is it true that you’re bonded to this tree?” I asked, curious.
“No, but it is the tree I made my home,” Milia said. “We’re free to go anywhere, but our true power will always be connected to any forest we choose to live in. The forest comes to life, births us friends and servants if we agree to take good care of it.”
I see. If magic existed in my old world, what would’ve happened to them as mankind industrialized? Questions for later.
[Visiting the forest of a guardian dryad has given you insight. New special potion listing added.]
[Current potion listings: Health Potion, Energy Potion, Night Vision.]
I almost fell off the chair, which was oddly comfortable despite being made of weird soft wood. Night vision! Sure, health and energy had their uses, always did, but the ability to see in the dark would open up so many possibilities. There were ingredients that appeared only at night, after all. Or maybe I’d need it during an emergency. Wait… special potion?
[This potion can only be made by you or any magician or magical being you give the recipe.]
After chatting with Milia, I decided to call it a night and take the pup home.
“Are you sure you don’t want to sleep here?” Milia asked. “Your domain is the safest place in the land. Is… my home not to your liking?”
“That’s not it,” I said. “If you knew how much I paid for the inn room, you’d want to put every day to use as well.”
Milia’s eyes widened, before she erupted into a fit of laughter. “That’s too rich. You really are turning into a merchant, Nate.”
I grinned. “Perhaps in the future. After all, you’ll be at my place and the shop a lot, right?”
“As long as you don’t cancel my employment, sure will,” Milia said.
As I started for the door, the dryad gave me some parting words. “Please have a pleasant night, Domain Ruler Nate. May you wake up filled with mana and more strange humor. Except the bad names.”
“Wolverine is a great name,” I protested.
Milia frowned. “I’m calling him Woofy.”
I sighed. “Call him what you please, but Wolverine will always be the best.”
The moment I left the forest, the lights dimmed, but didn’t go out. I wasn’t sure if this was some kind of magical effect or Milia waving again through the lights. That night, I dreamed of fruits, meat pies, and a great white wolf eating dinner with me.
The next morning, I woke up to the feeling of being watched and a weight on my chest. Did my paralysis demon follow me into this world? I opened my eyes to see a small wolf cub staring at me.
“Ah, good morning, Wolverine,” I said. The cub said nothing, only continued staring at me, as if waiting for an explanation. Somewhere deep within those eyes rested a form of intelligence. “I rescued you from a nasty bull man.” No response. “I bet you’re hungry, aren’t you? Do you want food?”
For some goddamn reason, those words did the trick, and soon the wolf’s tail wagged. Or it could’ve been coincidence. At least he didn’t hate me. I wouldn’t know where to begin looking if the pup wanted to go home. “Alrighty then. I’m Nate.” I figured introducing myself wouldn’t hurt just in case. A spirit beast was a spirit beast, baby or not. “Before we eat, I need to clean up for the morning.”
Thank fuck this inn didn’t have a specific No Pet policy. Not that I went out of my way to show off Wolverine to the innkeeper. The wolf followed me to the washroom and then the outhouse. After that, we found a stand roasting early meats and vegetables for a hearty early-morning breakfast. Wolverine and I ate gleefully then met Tom, Big Ham, and others in the grasslands.
“Ah, I see the little guy’s up and running,” Tom said. Wolverine barked cheerfully as he scampered about. I expected him to tear up some of the garden, but he went around it, strangely respectful. Or maybe he preferred meat over anything growing in there.
“I seriously can’t believe you grew all of this,” Big Ham said.
“Don’t give me the credit, give it to Milia,” I said. “She even criticized my planting. Pretty much called it out for being half-assed.”
The men laughed.
“In that case, we’ll have to build a house and win her over,” Tom said. “I hope you don’t mind the wood and brick pile up here. It’s going to be a long day.”
“Not at all,” I told them. “Listen, I appreciate you guys for doing this for me.”
“It’s not a problem,” Tom said.
“And let’s be honest, we need you,” Big Ham said. “Without a potion maker, if someone contracts a sickness that our doctor can’t handle at the clinic, we’ll need your potion.”
“We have a doctor?” one of the men they brought asked with a laugh. They joined in. The system took that fine opportunity to flash the stat page right into my brain. It almost gave me a little whiplash.
Nate
Class: Potion Maker. Secondary class: **Divine Master Magician**.
Magician rank: 7th realm of the Adjusting.
Ability: Can make up to SSS and divine-grade potions.
Power: Ruthless Strong.
Defense: Ruthless Strong.
I almost dropped my water flask at what I saw. Nope, I wasn’t just a master magician, but someone of the divine sort? And sheesh, how many magician ranks were there?
[There are 12 ranks per realm. Meditating and pulling in the world’s surrounding mana until you fill up your core will bring you to the wall of evolution. It may not be easy for most, but through persistence and patience, you can break through the wall and enter the next realm.]
[Realms consist of: Mortal, Beginnings, Novice, Initiates, Adjusting, Midcore, Highcore, Lesser Dragon, Saint, Higher Dragon, King, Emperor, Master Magician.]
I almost rubbed my face in frustration. Why so many ranks? Why not keep things simple? Second, why the hell did I have a class of Master Magician? Was it a rank or a class? It couldn’t be both. That felt obsessive. I think. Shit, what the hell did I know?
Perhaps one of the biggest mysteries of this ordeal was my rapid power increase despite never meditating.
I don’t have time for that boring bullshit anyway. Ever tried to concentrate while the back of your brain is screaming, “You’re in another world. You’ll never get home. No more technology, no more burgers, no more ice-cold drinks, beer included!”? Thought so.
Okay, so, being a divine master magician wasn’t just for show. First of all, magicians in this world were super strong, instead of being book nerds or Harry Potterish. Well, I actually hadn’t confirmed that yet and hopefully never would see another magician. Being in buttfuck nowhere helped that, right? So yeah, the guys were baffled at how I never grew tired, carried many boards at a time, made jumps that were a little too athletic, perhaps too close to the anime protag side, and by the time Milia showed up later that morning, a good portion of the foundation was already done. I did ninety percent of the work, moving so fast.
Harmony showed up that afternoon with a few servants and three people I assumed were her friends, as they appeared to be around her age. Two guys and a girl. The servants brought us lunch and even water and wine to wash it down.
“Thanks, we appreciate it, Ms. Mayor,” I said.
“Harmony,” the blue-haired woman corrected.
“Harmony,” I relented. Wolverine barked, almost snickered. I stared at the little pup. “Don’t get all sniffy with me.”
Milia laughed. “Woofy. Come, come.”
The damn pup actually responded to the painful name, hopping into the dryad’s lap, tail wagging.
“Abandoned,” Harmony said, laughing.
As we stood, ready to get back to work, I made the mistake of stretching. Nobody seemed to have caught it, but just for a brief moment, some kind of blue light outlined me. The wind increased, out of nowhere, but luckily not enough to draw any suspicions.
The blue-haired girl did look at me for a bit, but that was pretty much it. I pretended not to notice her brief gaze, potential glare.
“Sir Potion Maker,” Harmony said.
“Nate,” I deadpanned. That made her laugh and give me the ‘how do you like it?’ look, despite being the one that started it. “Just Nate.”
“Nate, are you planning to create a new batch of potions soon?” she asked.
That was a reasonable question and despite needing to build, I still preferred to have a few potions sitting around or at least increase stock.
“You could alternate jobs,” Tom said. “We’ll handle things while you brew, have your lovely assistant watch over the mix, and then return when the timer’s up.”
Milia returned from tending the garden, Wolverine at her side. He ran over to me, barking and licking my leg. I grinned and gave him a pat.
“That’s no problem,” Milia said.
“I’ll help too,” Harmony said. “If you don’t mind.”
“You… don’t have mayor stuff to do?” I asked, ignoring Milia’s ‘I told you so’ face. The dryad woman’s mischievous and knowing smile only made me sigh, perhaps in defeat. “Anyway, I’m holding off on any brewing today. I can’t have people around to get choked up on fumes. Maybe tomorrow, if I set up the cauldron. Not that I can show off my secrets.”
Harmony fixed me with a flat stare. “Boiling herbs isn’t that much of a secret. Everyone can find a basic—”
“I’m only joking,” I interrupted. They could mix and stir, but what made the potion tick was the mana insertion. “I don’t mind if anyone watches, as long as I’m not brewing anything special or a little dangerous. That’s why I’m setting up shop far outside the town, see? No fumes, fires, or the smell of a failure. Trial and error’s a pain.”
“I see,” Harmony said.
Just then, commotion from the west caught my attention. We looked over to see two wagons, pulled by strong horses, rolling into town.
“I’d better get going,” Harmony said. “That may be kingdom officials here to collect taxes.”
The blue-haired girl and her entourage left. I watched two men dressed in fancy robes step out of the wagon, after the driver opened the door. They gave a look of distaste. One of his own guards glared at a town guard and shook his head.
Deciding it was best to just ignore the uppity types, I motioned at the men, and we dove back into work.
I relished my level of concentration. Milia still offered assistance and played with Wolverine.
