[Contribution points paid. You received 1,000 spirit coins. You have 1 point left to pay for each apprentice. Total number of spirit coins: 13,351.]
One thousand for each contribution added up, but recalling the prompt, I figured the system would scale up the amount for better accomplishments. I was getting paid for teaching! This wouldn’t mean much, though, since I actually gave a damn about the brats’ progression. My confidence as the appropriate teacher still faltered slightly, because imposter syndrome was a bitch, but that was why Milia stepped in.
People are going to ask me one day, where did you learn to fight? And I’ll be that guy to respond, “My wife taught me.”
Milia set down her ale, eyes seeming to reveal her appreciation of the drink’s quality. “You certainly can buy alchemy books in the big city. But if you’re not up for the journey, you could try Wingston.”
Mandi shook her head. “I kind of doubt we have any. We could try if you wish. Wingston is kind of like… potion maker territory, I suppose. We’ve never had any alchemists take up residence this far east.”
I thought for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of making the trips and really saw nothing wrong with it. Kyushu needed to rank up to E, I needed alchemy books to learn how to form a diagram, and maybe Milia would find a lucky break with her sewing machine. Also, making a trip like this now instead of waiting until the winter set in seemed like a better idea. I’d add a sophisticated heating system to the list of things needed to be built. Or not. I didn’t build the fireplace, Tom and one of the guys did, but its construction should do the trick to get us through any winter.
It also helped that we were secretly magicians. Mana flowing through our bodies somewhat protected us from the cold, though if the temperature dropped low enough, magicians in the lower realms would be in trouble.
In the end, only one decision made sense for my unique situation. “We’ll try Wingston first. If they don’t have what I’m looking for, then we’ll travel to the big city a couple days after the Wingston trip.” I sighed. “This trip is optional, of course. If you don’t feel like going—”
“I’m in!” Harmony and Mandi cheered.
“I don’t mind seeing the big city for the first time,” Lucas said, timidly scratching his chin. I noticed a slight stubble there and couldn’t help but wish him luck with the journey of growing a formidable beard.
Alexander simply shrugged. “I see no issues with this.”
Despite his indifference, I could tell the kid looked forward to the trip.
“I guess it’s time to address the elephant in the room,” I said. “More out of curiosity.”
“Elephant in the room?” Harmony asked.
“Mandi’s sister, the one who was supposed to marry Gaston,” I answered. “Wouldn’t that make her like the primary suspect?”
“It could,” Mandi said, “but that wouldn’t exactly explain the motive. As a magician, she could easily have things her way. That includes fleeing. I doubt Mother would send a letter if they detained the accused already, right?”
“There’s only one way to find out,” Chenzu said.
I nodded. “That’s true.”
That evening, before calling it for the day, I upgraded the shed from rank F to E.
[E-ranked Shed. It is possible to store magical items in here and grant access to specific people. Anyone without permission will be attacked until they’ve left the entirety of the premise. Upgrade for more storage space and features. To upgrade from E to D for free, use it for at least two weeks. No mana offering is needed. Otherwise, fill it with highly pure mana and pay 2,000 spirit coins.]
[This upgrade increased storage space, offensive and defensive capabilities, and its protection bubble will spread across some of the farm. Permissions will automatically be detected and administrated.]
Ominous, but as long as no one attempted to steal from me while I was away, they wouldn’t be discombobulated by whatever the system had waiting for them. Not that I’d leave behind too many valuables, thanks to the storage ring.
After the shower, making out for a good bit, and meditating, we were about to call it a day. Suddenly, I felt a tremendous spike in mana and power. Cheetara, currently on my shoulder, and I turned to look at the dryad who had achieved yet another milestone in her mana cultivation journey.
“Well now, congratulations,” I said to the smiling dryad. Cheetara meowed her own congrats. Yes, I could tell. Wolverine appeared in the room moments later, snuggling into the dryad, tail wagging at a hundred miles an hour, expressing his happiness for her. Hey, family meant pumping each other up even with the smallest gains. A bit of encouragement could go a long way.
Milia stood and stretched. “It won’t be long before I’m at least somewhat ready to join you in the S-ranked dungeon.”
I gave her a somewhat helpless look. “Now that you mentioned it, I wonder if I’m actually ready to tackle this thing. I think as a test, a practice round, we should traverse one more A-ranked before taking it on.”
“A rematch with the fallen angel, perhaps?” Milia suggested.
I nodded, standing up and also stretching. “That’s not a bad idea, actually. We’ll be more than ready for her this time.”
Before I called it a night, I checked for any gains. Plans to make my next Dao-infused potion were coming up and I wanted to be as optimized as possible. However, I truly didn’t want to obsess over this shit either.
Nate Sullivan
Class: Potion Maker. Secondary class: **Divine Master Magician**. Third class: Unknown.
Magician rank: 1st realm of the Saint.
Class rank: Established.
Ability: Can make up to SSS, divine-grade potions, and blighted potions.
Power: Low World-breaking Strong.
Defense: Low Absolute Titanium.
Dao of Creation. Rank: Divine. Stage: Awakened. This is a middle stage.
Physique rank: C.
Primary quest: Purpose. Progression: 19%.
Shop Rank: D.
Heavenly attunement rank: E.
The only thing that changed as far as I could see was the progress percent, a victory in my eyes. I didn’t understand the full implications of what it meant and the potential rewards of getting the quest to one hundred percent, but I looked forward to it.
“I… won’t let this become an obsession,” I told Milia. “I’m still aiming to have a good and peaceful life. Just with a bit of extra steps.”
Milia grinned. “A bit of extra steps? Try a tower’s worth. Not that it’s a bad thing.” She leaned into me. “Meditation and understanding the Dao isn’t about being obsessed with power. It’s not something meant to take over your life.” She kissed me. “It’s a spiritual journey, and you’re doing a good job of traveling so far. Besides, if it became an obsession, I wouldn’t just sit around and allow you to be consumed.”
My eyes widened before I chuckled. “Good point. You wouldn’t allow this ordeal to consume me.”
In the depths of my dreams that night, I found myself, for the first time in a long time, hovering over an endless ocean of gold energy. Staring down at the majestic sight while floating beneath the sky, the feeling of peace pulsed from it, matching my heartbeat and somehow, I could tell things would just be alright.
Being warped to another world often broke even some of the most hardened, mightiest people. Yet not only was I currently unscathed, the desire to learn more raged within me like the roar of a storm. Why wouldn’t I want to know more? Why whine upon discovering that everything I believed to be fantasy on Earth actually existed?
My only pair of Earth clothes that I threw on to answer the door lay folded neatly in the closet, along with the shoes.
Still, why couldn’t I remember the face of the scammer? Something about him… Every time my mind returned to his mystery person, it came accompanied with the feeling of dread. Or perhaps uncertainty.
Abruptly, the ocean began to ripple as if someone tossed a stone inside. The ripples blurred until it became an image. There, I saw a tower so black, it might as well have been made of tar. No windows, either, and it had to be multiple times the size of the Empire State building.
A person stood at the top. But… when the image zoomed in, that person turned out to be… me. My new look, of course, a white-haired man with red eyes that kind of looked pretty badass in an edgy sort of way, if you know what I mean. Like if the world knew how to take real life and combine it with anime. That or I was Dante from Devil May Cry made real.
I even had on the outfit Milia made for me. In fact, she joined me moments later, followed by the apprentices. They were significantly stronger, I could feel it. Even Alexander had eyes of what could only be described as hardened or somewhat ruthless.
So this was the place Milia spoke of, and we were either exiting or made it to the top. No… this wasn’t the tower she mentioned. I don’t know how, but I got the feeling this represented something far more complicated, and it used our conversation from last night as a basis. That is, I brought up the tower again when we went to bed, wondering if Milia wanted to stop by her friend’s home to speak with her. We’d do that after visiting Wingston.
The reason I knew this wasn’t that particular event was due to Cheetara being there as a cat, and Wolverine at my side, much bigger, a fully adult sunlight wolf. There were other animals in the background as shadows, one even in the shape of a bull or steer.
I wasn’t one hundred percent sure what the vision tried to tell me, but I guessed that it had something to do with my goals, perhaps the result of not giving in to despair. Naturally, this only increased my motivation further. Milia looked even more beautiful in the vision, the feeling of accomplishing something great shining in her eyes.
The vision blinked, and I found myself walking alone in endless mist. Waiting for me was a grinning shadow.
I tried to stop but got closer and closer until I was about a foot from the form. Instead of the jump scare I prepared for, it melted into a table. On it rested a red gemstone the size of a melon. Surrounding it were silver and gold flowers, each resting on a point of a black star. A glowing white magic circle appeared beneath it.
And I just knew this was the complete version of the Philosopher’s Stone.
“Claim what’s yours,” a woman’s voice said from the stone, causing me to somehow break whatever restriction I had on me and immediately back away.
“No,” I said, my voice far colder than I intended.
“Oh? You’re the first worthy one in over a dozen millennia, perhaps longer, and you dare reject what even the most powerful prodigies sought after for centuries. No… it is not your fault, but that of ignorance. You have no master to guide you, but that is fine. Fate will guide you instead.”
“I said no,” I snapped. The world began to crack as my anger stirred. “What is it with you people and dragging me into shit?”
“Fate cannot be deterred, reluctant hero,” said the voice, then laughed.
Suddenly a shadowy hand grabbed me by the throat, hoisting me into the air until I found myself in space, surrounded by galaxies. Rather than choke me to death or toss me into the void, it placed me on top of a grassy platform. I was even allowed to breathe again.
“You may be unable to be manipulated, but fate has you in an embrace which it refuses to let go. Your defiance is so strong, it echoes throughout the cosmos like a never-ending storm, an endless mist. Have you encountered this mist?”
The scene blinked and we were back into the endless mist forest again. “Your rhetorical question from before means nothing, because you are simply not at fault. You cannot be challenged as a child.” A motherly and unsettling laugh echoed throughout the mist. “But… you cannot remain a child forever. Eventually the responsibility you placed to the side will come for you, attacking like a thief in the night. But what am I saying? Even if you do not want the ultimate prize, it wants you. It craves you like an addict begging for a fix. You will never escape as you are. Unless you hand over the responsibility, of course. Say his name. Call upon he who shares—”
“Enough,” I said, though my voice suddenly boomed through the mist so strongly, it cleared, leaving me in a nice and sunny, rose-covered grassland. Golden mana rained from the sky as energy vibrated through me. All in all, I was quite pissed that someone who couldn’t so much as show themselves dared talk down to me. “Get the fuck out of my dreams and don’t come back.”
The shadow person gagged, as if being choked. “How…? This pressure… You. You cannot ignore destiny. But you can pass it to—”
“I’m not stupid,” I said. “Listen, I don’t know how the hell you found my dream, but I’m not interested in being tricked into summoning the goddamn Peace Spawner. What are you, desperate for attention? What is the point of this, other than wasting my time?”
“I… I… You…”
The shadow shattered into pieces and finally, I was allowed to wake up. The rays of the morning sun greeted me. Somehow, everything seemed fine. I caused no real-world outburst, Milia slept peacefully next to me, and even the pets were still in dreamland.
I knew exactly how that thing found my dreams. The goddamn Philosopher’s Stone fragment. As if to confirm things, a prompt greeted my vision.
[Congratulations, you have done the impossible. You have purified a fragment of the Philosopher’s Stone. Reward: 30,000 spirit coins, and 1 heavenly spirit coin. Lucky breaks do not happen often, but if they do, even the heavens will reward you. Total spirit coins: 43,351. Total heavenly spirit coins: 1.]
I didn’t know what to think of this little ordeal. Did the system bribe me in order to keep my mouth shut, or did I truly discover something that no one believed was possible? There were so many questions now.
One, why the hell was that thing so adamant on me obtaining the Philosopher’s Stone? Call me crazy or paranoid, but if that didn’t seem like a trap that turned into desperation, then I’d march my dumb ass off the side of a cliff.
Two, why the sudden tune change, from begging me to accept the stone to surrendering it to the Peace Spawner? Why not just tell the Peace Spawner to collect the pieces, if he isn’t already at it? Why even bother with me? Where the hell did I fit into this equation?
Perhaps that was the most worrisome question. By now, I knew my abilities were abnormal. The system even claimed they were dormant inside of me.
But the real reason had to be far simpler. It did not expect me to reject the preselected supreme hero option in favor of a class that had no initial compatibility with me. In fact, it knew nothing about me and assumed I’d select a class that would essentially allow me to hit things hard and carry out its bidding. The system and its administrators did not calculate a deviance from whatever grand plan they had arranged.
Sitting up, I stared out the window, wondering for the first time in a while if I made a mistake selecting my class. A smile curled across my face. To be honest, I rather enjoyed being a pain in the ass to the heavens. They would never control me, and it probably sucked ass for their bottom line. As if to rub salt on a wound, I wouldn’t even train the existing hero, not that he deserved it. I hadn’t forgotten how much of an asshole he was, and if I were anyone else, he’d still be that same asshole.
Caressing Milia’s hair, I crawled out of bed, deciding to make a few potions in the morning before the teenagers arrived.
However, hearing Chenzu working, or rather sensing it, I chose to brush my teeth first and head out there to help. At this point, I resigned myself to this routine. He was a farmhand, but no one could handle all of that work alone. Not that he worked alone. Wolverine followed me out as usual. I found the beastkin collecting eggs from the chicken coop and joined him. Some cows were already milked and placed in a large, cooled storage container to be bottled and sold to the local stores. Milia mostly handled that.
“Ah, Nate, top of the morning,” Chenzu said.
I nodded. “Top of the morning, indeed. How’d things go last night?”
Chenzu chuckled. “Great. Got her home safely and stumbled my way back to the tavern for another round, before heading back myself. Yesterday was perhaps double fun, your river dinner idea and some delicious cold ale while relaxing and making plans. When your shop reaches the legendary A-rank, don’t forget about me.”
“First off, you’re virtually unforgettable,” I said. “As for shop rankings, I think you meant legendary S-rank.”
“There is no S-ranked shop,” Chenzu said.
“Yet,” I told him. “I’m not sure what kind of crazy requirements we’re looking at, but I’m going for it.”
“Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if you somehow pulled it off, you crazy man of nature,” Chenzu said, shaking his head. “If you’re reaching for the stars, so should I. You’re incredibly powerful to the point of slaying the Black Knight, almost effortlessly. Yet you’re aiming for a life of peace. I still find it baffling that you don’t simply found your own kingdom or just walk into the Lord Ruler’s palace and demand it. He’d have to surrender or die. But I understand your intentions. I also do not wish to be involved with politics. After all, they were the reason why I lost the love of my life.”
All four apprentices arrived an hour later, ready to go.
“Keep the place guarded, alright Best Buddy?” I said to Wolverine. “You’re coming with us to the city, though. I’ll be damned if you think I’ll be separated from you for more than a day.”
Wolverine leapt into my arms, licking my face, tail wagging. He barked excitedly. “You too, Cheetara.”
Cheetara meowed as if saying, “Of course.”
The cheerful kitten nestled into me, before hopping down to follow Wolverine on what appeared to be a patrol.
“I fucking love them,” I said, staring after my pets.
“Me too, with all of my heart,” Milia said, standing at my side. She squeezed my hand.
“Welp, to Wingston we go,” I announced.
“May we find that blasted book of yours,” Chenzu said. “Hopefully without attracting any troublesome folks.”
“Don’t jinx it,” Mandi said, pouting.
