Cal wasn’t sure what he was trying to achieve here, but the image of what he assumed it would be like was pretty ‘awesome,’ as Seris would say.
He took one of the spare pickaxes from the storage room and stood outside the bounds of his field. He needed the specialty of the Northern Wastes—the hard surface layer—to test this out.
Cal held the pickaxes with a fully extended arm before activating the [Trait].
[Lightning Aura] activated.
2024-09-12 17:23:32 +0000 UTC
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He stared at the waist-high water he was standing in. The pond had gained even more depth than the last time he tested it.
Cal held one of the large tubs Orrin made for him over the water as he walked around in the pond to see if there was a deeper area. There wasn’t.
Wading into the pool wasn’t in the plans, but it was hard not to do so when he noticed that the pond had contracted slightly. He would have thought some water had evaporated if not for the minutely greater depth ...
2024-09-10 15:08:00 +0000 UTC
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He was smiling as they approached his field. Nibbles was not.
She had been in a foul mood ever since he had come to an agreement with the wolf.
“You know this is a good thing. That wolf taking control of the pack means we can focus on improving the field instead of worrying about any attacks.” Nibbles turned her nose up at the explanation, confusing Cal about her dislike.
“… Do you feel the wolf is untrustworthy?” He hadn’t considered it before since Nibbles had ...
2024-09-06 17:08:16 +0000 UTC
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Cal had been feeding the hearthstone his mana for nearly three hours, enough for his mana to recover to full capacity six times over before it emptied it. This still wasn’t close to filling the hearthstone, but at least it was nearly a quarter full.
It wouldn’t be a struggle to sense the mana stored inside, unlike when he had first started.
It’s a good thing I didn’t accept Tavia’s help.
The hearthstone was meant to be used as a way to quickly refill any l...
2024-09-04 22:49:15 +0000 UTC
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Cal should have returned to his field as quickly as possible, but he spent the trip back trying to turn his earth-sensing gimmick into an actual spell.
What he had done to initially detect the mana residue was a very crude modification of an early, single step to cast [Earth Barrier].
He would need something more efficient and purposeful to consider it an entire spell. At least, for him to consider it a spell worthy enough to name.
There were Initiates that ...
2024-09-03 05:27:40 +0000 UTC
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Cal smiled so widely that he was surprised. He didn’t think he had been so concerned about Seris’s whereabouts until he felt this much relief.
“Woah! Boss, you look weird when you fake smile… but why are you fake smiling?”
The smile on Cal’s face died a quick death. Seris brutally popped the little bubble of happiness, calling his concern ‘fake.’
I suppose it’s good that she’s fine… at least I get to play the mean boss without guilt for skipping on ...
2024-08-31 23:09:07 +0000 UTC
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AN: Added this to the end of Chapter 65
Cal didn’t choose to try and cast [Earth Barrier] in the remaining daylight, only study it carefully and memorize the fundamentals of the earth element.
There was more to be gained from the fundamentals than the actual spell. His [Primary Class] gave him the gift of having a high affinity for the water and earth elements. Modifying spells and creating his own would benefit his
2024-08-29 23:51:28 +0000 UTC
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They left the pit as soon as the Overseer commanded the golems to restart their mining. And that had been minutes ago.
Cal found it hard not to notice how nervous the Overseer was. The man’s personality had changed drastically from the time he was overlooking the Trainees only a few weeks ago, but that could easily be excused as a result of the change in position.
But even with that drastic personality change, the Overseer had never looked nervous. If anything, ove...
2024-08-27 16:22:57 +0000 UTC
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“Not that I’m in a rush, but when will the carriage arrive?”
Cal expected some sort of transportation to be waiting for them, but there was nothing of the sort. He couldn’t see the Overseer running around to travel through the territory, hence the assumption about the carriage.
“Who said anything about a carriage?” The Overseer apparently enjoyed being unnecessarily cryptic.
I should have learned by now that my assumptions are too often wrong.
Cal ...
2024-08-26 09:31:09 +0000 UTC
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So much for not making a mess, at least I have two more pickaxes ready to hand over to the Overseer for next month.
Cal tried equipment other than the pickaxe, but it wasn’t nearly as effective. His field had no necessary work left, so anything he tried there would be purely to experiment with his trance state.
The simple fact that the work was unnecessary made it nearly impossible to enter the trance state. Every action he took was accompanied by a thought about how po...
2024-08-24 04:44:16 +0000 UTC
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“You better take the blame! Cal told me to visit every day, and I missed yesterday because of you!”
Nibbles kept her eyes closed and enjoyed the relaxing ride. The god’s underling was noisy, but she had her uses. Specifically, the top of her head was a comfortable place to nap.
“Are you listening to me, Nibbles?!”
Nibbles ignored the underling’s yapping and let her exhaust herself. She wished she hadn’t left the god’s land a few days ago, but she was forced t...
2024-08-21 02:26:54 +0000 UTC
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His eyes snapped open. The intense emotions he could feel from the dreams woke him up. His mind still replayed the newly returned memories of what he had done to Tarn.
Every action that he had taken against Tarn wasn’t done under blind rage as he had assumed. It was calculated.
He had been happier when the memories were lost, and he was blissfully unaware of his thoughts during the incident.
I knew Tarn was no threat to me, so I didn’t kill him instantly. I chose to ...
2024-08-20 15:21:57 +0000 UTC
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“Wait, before that, how much of the powdered crystals have you used?”
“I used some tubs, but almost all are still in my storage room.” Cal wondered what Drex would say if he knew Nibbles ate more powdered crystals than was used for the soil.
Drex’s eyes flashed with recognition. “I forgot I already asked you that. I still don't know how you’re getting so lucky, but at least I won’t need to order more. You’ll need to reapply the powdered crystals after each harves...
2024-08-18 02:09:47 +0000 UTC
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Cal grimaced when his mana core was depleted. Again.
This was the tenth time it had happened, and he could feel that the hearthstone was barely at capacity. He estimated that he could do this well over a hundred and fifty times before it was finally filled with mana.
He took a few seconds to gather his strength before standing up. It was well past midnight, and Tavia had turned in hours ago for the night.
Cal’s original plan was to spend a few hours supplying the hearthsto...
2024-08-16 17:28:09 +0000 UTC
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He was about to disregard [Secondary Title] entirely when he felt the urge to recheck the wording of the answer given by the Laws of the World. It had been on his mind since he read it, and it felt like he was missing something obvious.
He pulled it up on the interface.
There will be no retroactive effects on [Farmer] (Special) for accepting a second [Class]. However, all future growth contributions will be balanced as close to 50% as possible. Some a...
2024-08-14 07:24:56 +0000 UTC
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“Nibbles! Come back!”
Cal watched Seris chase after Nibbles across his field. She had no hope of catching the little creature, but it would keep her occupied until Tavia returned.
I hope Nibbles tires her out. She deserves that for looking so unimpressed with [Liquid Core].
He knew that his spell wasn’t as flashy or impressive as Tavia’s wall of fire, but the dull look on Seris’s face was a bit too much, in his opinion. S...
2024-08-13 07:14:46 +0000 UTC
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“What happened to her?” The pity in Tavia’s voice couldn’t be mistaken.
Seris slumped against the house’s wall, bemoaning her life and trying her best to keep the many, many cakes she had eaten inside her stomach. Cal felt a pang of regret at having to speed back to the Northern Wastes. However, thinking about the possible damage to his crops made it mandatory.
With that fear in mind, he managed to reduce the trip to less than thirty minutes, but looking at...
2024-08-08 00:10:07 +0000 UTC
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I had to go to the ER and stayed for a few nights at the hospital. It was pancreatitis, which hurts like a bitch, but it's something I had before a few times. I'll need to be on painkillers and rest for a few more days. Chapters will restart next week.
2024-08-03 14:17:22 +0000 UTC
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Cal frowned when he read that he needed to pick an option immediately. He had chosen not to wait for the Overseer based on the expectation that the day-long exception would still apply. He had intended to take his time to consider the earth trait options.
If he had known that wasn’t possible, he would have studied the material the Overseer gave him and picked his reward before absorbing the earth simulacrum.
Thankfully, the options for the earth trait weren’t too difficult to ...
2024-07-30 02:53:51 +0000 UTC
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Cal exited the tower and immediately ran into one of the many, many city guards who were packing the area. He could see a few guild members dotting through the crowd to further keep the peace if necessary.
This distraction is a great idea for hiding my exit, but it’s not exactly helpful for finding Seris.
“Sir, please move out of the area.”
Cal glanced at the guard who spoke to him and almost felt sorry that he did. The poor man was sweating furi...
2024-07-27 05:35:30 +0000 UTC
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Cal was thankful that they didn’t leave the tower. He was led to the tenth floor, and instead of a dead end like he had seen before, there were stairs to get to the eleventh floor. There was a dead end to the twelfth floor.
He would have asked how that happened, but with the Masters’ expression, asking frivolous questions was not in his interest.
Cal expected to see the rarely seen Apprentices on the eleventh floor, but it was just as barren as the ninth floor now was. It made...
2024-07-26 00:05:18 +0000 UTC
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He looks annoyed. Maybe I should go with him?
Seris glanced between Cal’s retreating back and the half-eaten cake before her. She let out a sigh and made a decision.
Cal told me to stay at the table. Who am I to argue with the boss when he wants me to keep eating?
She made sure Cal was out of the restaurant before dropping the fork. He told her that a fork was the correct way to eat a cake, but she thought that was stupid. What was the point of doing that...
2024-07-24 03:12:50 +0000 UTC
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There were many things he questioned after making a binding decision. Most of these were skill or trait choices, but this was the first time it involved something as simple as food.
I should have specified that ‘some food’ didn’t mean ‘stuff yourself until you explode.’
“You still have space in your stomach,” Cal commented as he looked on in fascination as Seris ordered more tart, this time in another flavor that he didn’t pay attention to.
“I coul...
2024-07-23 03:51:48 +0000 UTC
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Cal could see how hard Seris tried to keep herself from asking to stop on every floor. The first few floors were meant for mortals, while the floors directly after were mostly for ones with access to the interface.
The higher the floors, the more specialized they became. Some runes could be used by mortals on the lower floors, but anything higher was of little to no utility to them.
In fact, the food on the ninth floor would mostly be a waste of Seris. Everything there focused on ...
2024-07-20 23:09:14 +0000 UTC
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Cal stared blankly at the enlarged pond. He was sitting on top of the pile of rubble, relaxing, doing nothing as he had planned in the early morning.
Of course, he finished all his work before making himself a nice, flat sitting area on the rubble to observe his field.
Cal had covered the loam-covered patch with a slurry of powdered crystals and water, which also caused the pond to grow larger when he filled the tubs multiple times. When he saw the patch with the planted Sunfire G...
2024-07-20 03:25:30 +0000 UTC
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Cal didn’t change pace when he saw the Overseer, but he did change direction and approached the man.
The Overseer’s presence brought up another reason he decided to pick [Green Thumb]. The information on the skill options was all there for him to think over. That was not the case for the reward the laws of the world gave him.
His initial attraction to [Pocket Dimension] could still be the correct choice. It was a versatile reward that wou...
2024-07-18 22:50:02 +0000 UTC
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“Some of my friends told me about the number of deliveries they had to make to the Northern Wastes. Imagine my surprise when I heard this included five barrels of Sunfire Grain seeds!”
Cal simply stared at Nismus. Instead of being direct, the man went on a spiel he didn’t care for. Still, he grew more curious about someone who seemed to dismiss the difference in their status.
Even though Nismus gave him tea that no mortal should even think of buying due to cost...
2024-07-16 17:43:00 +0000 UTC
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Cal yawned as he scratched the back of his head. It was still dark outside, with the sun just peeking over the horizon.
I slept for a little over five hours.
He watched the rain stop and the clouds disappear. The first thing he did was cast [Rainfall] over the patch, and he did so just in time. The soil had been horribly dry since the Sunfire Grains sucked the moisture away.
Cal intended to wake up far earlier than he actually did, but yesterda...
2024-07-15 14:09:00 +0000 UTC
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Cal had a growing smile as he read the interface. It died immediately when he read the warning.
He quickly scanned the skill options again, hoping he had missed something that would make picking an option obvious. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
If there’s a choice I need to make hastily, it can’t be something that will help with my farming. I would rather make a mistake picking a water element trait. I should skim the options again.
Trait choices...
2024-07-10 23:37:16 +0000 UTC
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AN: Hurricane hit my city and I was without power and internet for the better part of the day. I have a feeling it might go again. If it doesn't, I'll have the nect chapter up in 15ish mins.
Second alternate [Advanced Pickaxe] has degraded to Average Quality.
Cal tossed the pickaxe aside with sweat covering his body. He didn’t think he could get this tired after increasing his [Tier] rank, but he should have expected this to be the case.
2024-07-09 02:11:43 +0000 UTC
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