Tavia stared at the passing pedestrians as the carriage took her to Miren’s unmarked building. It was where the younger girl conducted her business.
There were times—too many times, in truth—when she thought of what it would be like to be someone with a typical mortal life, someone without an interface.
I would not survive in the core guild. If it wasn’t for Cal opening his house to me, I don't want to think of what my situation would have been.
Tavia had to...
2024-07-05 19:36:40 +0000 UTC
View Post
He pulled another sack of mulch off the stack—the last one needed—and ripped it open as he returned to the dirt patch.
It only took six of these to cover the dirt patch. I’m getting the sinking feeling that I will need to redo these steps. It’s possible to overestimate the necessary supplies. Still, I highly doubt someone like Drex could miss the mark to this extent.
Cal emptied the last bit of mulch onto the dirt patch before throwing the empty sack along with th...
2024-07-03 18:48:14 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Woah! What are you!” Seris said before Cal was able to take a step.
It made him sprint. He covered the distance in a second at most. If Seris had seen how fast he moved, she would have had another thing to be amazed about.
Cal expected that the powdered crystal had attracted some beast, but what he saw was far more surprising. The little beast was standing before Seris, staring up at her with an annoyed expression.
Why did it reveal itself?
His confusion ...
2024-06-30 16:10:12 +0000 UTC
View Post
Cal could faintly hear Seris’s stuttered answers to Tavia’s equally faint questioning. Still, he was more interested in figuring out how to fill the tub with the required amount of water.
Drex told him he needed to make a slurry composed of two parts water and one part powdered crystal.
That’s all well and good, but the issue Cal was having was forming a rain cloud small enough to have it work. He had tried multiple times to cast the spell while trying to concentrate it over...
2024-06-28 17:32:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
There were several ways the following confrontation could go. Tavia could laugh it off and not think much about it, be slightly miffed, or be angry enough to storm off in a rage.
… I know almost nothing of Tavia to actually rule anything out.
He didn’t count observations from afar as actually ‘knowing’ someone. It was far too easy to hide one’s true personality in that way. The realization made Cal seriously consider his impulsive decision to let her board at hi...
2024-06-26 20:36:58 +0000 UTC
View Post
AN: I am still not feeling that great, but I will be able to go back to normal posting.
He gave the living room a last, disgusted look before reversing course. There was no chance he could sleep peacefully, knowing what was just outside his room.
I was too passive. In my defense, I never knew it was possible to feel such visceral hatred for color combinations.
Cal reentered the storage room, picked out one of the four spare shovels on the rack, and ...
2024-06-24 01:16:33 +0000 UTC
View Post
Cal watched in amusement as the little beast woke with a loud squeak and jumped well over ten feet in the air. It landed on all fours and stared at him with eyes the size of dinner plates.
Clearly, it did not mean to sleep in the storage room.
I wonder if it spends the time it hides in here.
“So?” Cal raised an eyebrow when it stayed frozen for a few seconds.
The little beast went into action. It hopped off the stacked powdered crystals and pointed at the ...
2024-06-18 20:28:34 +0000 UTC
View Post
Cal had the rake in hand as he practically floated with excitement into his field. He was entirely focused on the dirt patch that would finally go through the first step of the repair process.
Drex didn’t say anything specific about how much loam I should use. It will be better to use more rather than less. It is fairly cheap, so if I use too much, it won’t be a burden… even in my poverty-stricken state—
He noticed something in the corner of his eye.
Cal tur...
2024-06-15 19:02:17 +0000 UTC
View Post
The strange, smooth-skinned creatures scurried around near the treasure trove. She didn’t like it.
At all.
The only thing that stopped her from taking care of these creatures was their unmistakable avoidance of where the treasure was stored. They ventured close—really close—but never actually trespassed into the sacred chamber.
She took a dip under the large lake and took a long drink, surfacing only when her appetite was sated. She blinked her eyes to cl...
2024-06-12 14:47:12 +0000 UTC
View Post
He watched with vague interest as Tavia took command of the arrived carts. The items she ordered looked adequate to his eyes, but he had little interest in the aesthetics of where he lived.
That was obvious when Cal adapted quickly to the little shed when he arrived in the Northern Wastes.
As long as the bed he slept in was comfortable, he could care less about the rest.
No, that’s not true. I need to add a storage room to the very short list. A good bed and a large st...
2024-06-11 16:13:31 +0000 UTC
View Post
Cal’s boots crunched dirt with every step. He had just passed the fork that had the marker for the Northern Wastes.
The trip back from Lumina took longer than it should have, but he didn’t consider it wasted time. Not when he had been reading the booklet for [Rainfall].
Cal had already read the entire thing multiple times. As was typical with spells at this level, it was primarily based on understanding natural processes. The better he could understand how and...
2024-06-10 01:39:18 +0000 UTC
View Post
The interface disappeared when Cal’s finger touched [Lightning Aura].
It was the riskier—perhaps unwise—trait to pick, but he felt it was justified. He knowingly sacrificed a better, longer-term trait for one that could help him immediately.
The interface offered him a reward that focused on protection. Then, the wolves almost immediately threatened his storage room, necessitating that he get some type of defense.
I have the sledgehammer, but overu...
2024-06-08 10:38:48 +0000 UTC
View Post
AN: Sorry about the delay. I had to help someone move apartments, and I forgot how exhausting that was. Went to sleep right after I got back home. There will be another chapter posted today to make up for the missed day.
He placed his palm on the lightning symbol until it flashed yellow. The cutout in the wall gained an opaque barrier over it, and he waited patiently for what was to come next.
I have to give the guild credit here. They might be stingy about th...
2024-06-07 10:03:47 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Why the rush? I bet I can get you much better spells than what’s offered on the tenth floor,” Fintan commented as he followed Cal up the stairs. “The best are usually found in the stores on the Main Street. They only come here when they can’t be sold at higher prices.”
That’s precisely why I came here.
“Price is the most important factor for me,” Cal replied as they approached the tenth floor. The stairs abruptly ended even though there were floors high...
2024-06-03 18:00:07 +0000 UTC
View Post
Cal intended to follow his plan to the best of his abilities. He really did. But this… person made it hard.
I have been standing here for over fifteen minutes.
He was in the Registry Office with only one other person inside.
He glared at the pudgy man leisurely eating some type of dessert. The aroma that annoyingly wafted in his direction let him know this was not a mere mortal treat. This made his stomach growl.
I should eat my fill before...
2024-06-01 18:40:37 +0000 UTC
View Post
Cal stretched as he admired the new feature of the landscape. He had created it last night, finishing when it was near midnight.
“Is this your new resting place?” Cal asked with amusement. The little beast was at the top of the small hill of rocks, lying on its back and enjoying the early morning shine.
He wasn’t even irritated by the lazy way it nodded its head to reply to his question. He had begun to shift the little beast’s status from a ‘suspicious burden he needed ...
2024-05-31 10:14:53 +0000 UTC
View Post
CRACK!
Cal lifted the sledgehammer when he saw what he had been expecting far too many swings ago. As always, the stones were easy to break, but just because he barely used any strength didn’t mean he expected the sledgehammer to keep its ‘Excellent’ quality the entire time.
Still, this is far less than the degradation I expected.
Instead of a reduction of quality, all that appeared were minor cosmetic scratches and slight imperfections that would do ...
2024-05-30 17:29:25 +0000 UTC
View Post
Drex turned around and clapped his hands to get the attention of the people he had hired.
“There’s been a change of plans!” The hired hands froze, stopping their unloading of the carts. Drex hesitated to continue and looked at Cal as if to ask if he was sure.
Cal knew he wouldn’t change his mind on this. He answered with a confident nod.
Drex didn’t doubt him a second time. “After you finish unloading the carts, you can return to town. Initiate Cal will not requi...
2024-05-28 01:24:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
Cal looked toward the dirt path and frowned as he shoveled the rubble into the wheelbarrow. He had gotten a late start today.
Seris still hasn’t arrived, and it’s almost midday. I’ll give her an hour before I head to town to check on her.
He filled the wheelbarrow’s bucket and stuck the shovel in the dirt. He pushed the wheelbarrow to the new pile he had created today and tipped it over.
That’s the last of it.
Cal gazed at his cleaned-up fie...
2024-05-26 02:54:31 +0000 UTC
View Post
Tavia was busy flipping through a good-sized booklet. Even from tens of feet away, he could see the illustrations on the pages of various furniture. She looked lost in the choices given to her.
Another good thing about letting Tavia stay here. I have a free decorator.
“Initiate Cal,” Torin greeted him with a nod. “Is everything to your liking?”
I wonder if this means they would fix whatever I say I dislike. I could use a slightly larger storage room. How...
2024-05-24 09:27:16 +0000 UTC
View Post
He tapped the pickaxe’s metal head on the ground to knock the gunk off before putting it on his back.
I’ll store this until it’s repaired back to ‘excellent’ condition. After I went overboard today, there’s no need to use it for the foreseeable future.
Cal saw Tavia hurriedly waving him over as if afraid he would return to pickaxing the ground like a maniac.
“Relax!” He shouted when she didn’t stop. “I’m done for the day.”
Tavia raised ...
2024-05-23 10:35:43 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Excuse me,” Cal weaved through the workers and the stacks of materials as he got to his shed. He lifted the plow beside the door and dropped it in the wheelbarrow before entering the shed.
He ignored the bedding and snapped the shovel onto his back. He followed that by doing the same with the pickaxe and sledgehammer, carrying all three at once for the first time.
Not bad. I can barely feel the weight.
Cal rolled his shoulders and moved his arms around to see i...
2024-05-21 13:59:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Cal, this is Miren,” Tavia looked between them. “I saw some of the things she drew up for you, and I have to say I’m jealous.”
Looks like Miren is the talented sort. Good.
“I’m excited to see the designs, Miren,” Cal smiled at the nervous-looking girl.
She gave him a jerky nod but kept her mouth slammed shut. Her mousy appearance was further exaggerated by the way her clothes seemed to drown her when she moved her head.
Cal didn’t react to h...
2024-05-21 09:25:51 +0000 UTC
View Post
Cal had his arms reaching for the sky as he stretched as much as possible. He let out a sigh of pleasure when he felt a few pops.
That was a great night’s sleep. The only way it could have been better is if plans for a new outpost had been started yesterday. The Overseer should contact me today if it’s been canceled… though I doubt that’s the reason for the no-show.
The man was practically salivating at me after the crystal broke.
He picked up the p...
2024-05-21 01:40:52 +0000 UTC
View Post
Cal turned to lead them to where he dug up the ground. “I have a few questions about—”
“Where did you get that?”
He turned in surprise at the abrupt question. “What?”
Drex was staring over his shoulder. “Did the guild give you… never mind.” He shook his head, reconsidering his need to know. “I suppose I can see why you have such confidence.”
I didn’t expect a mortal to have knowledge of Advanced-rank items. Even if said mortal might have s...
2024-05-20 09:22:21 +0000 UTC
View Post
Your equip [Common Pickaxe] has been upgraded to [Uncommon Pickaxe].
Cal glanced at the interface before dismissing it. It wasn’t that big of an achievement since it only needed a hundred swings to get. He was more concerned about the condition of the pickaxe.
It has some visible marks, but the interface hasn’t declared it as degraded in quality. My hope is that the upgrade in rank will give it more durability. I need a thousand more swings to get the pick...
2024-05-19 08:52:39 +0000 UTC
View Post
Cal picked up the shovel and set down the plow in its place. He left the shed and pushed the wheelbarrow to the nearest pile of rocks.
He used the shovel to scoop up a large portion of the rocks easily and dumped them into the wheelbarrow. He noted that the shovel's reduced quality didn’t reduce its scooping capabilities—at least, not that he could tell.
Also, the interface didn’t show itself.
I might need to complete a task like I did with the other tools for the ...
2024-05-17 21:56:18 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Looks like you settled in quite well, Initiate Cal.”
He sat up in shock, squinting his eyes at the sun shining from behind the man standing at the shed's entrance.
“Gather yourself. We need to have a talk.” The Overseer backed up and shut the door.
Cal immediately patted his hands over his coat’s inner pocket and sighed in relief.
That little beast could have stolen the rock if it came back. I didn’t wake until the Overseer spoke to me.
He s...
2024-05-17 10:19:43 +0000 UTC
View Post
Due to the extended hiatus, all the Transcending Dreams tier prices will be temporarily changed to $1. I will continue the story soon, but in the meantime, this is the best I can do to avoid charging you.
I will also review the past month and refund those who were charged. This might take up to a month, so don't worry if you haven't received a refund yet.
The members of the All-Access Tier will be charged $10 instead of $15.
Again, this is temporary until I start posting aga...
2024-05-17 04:55:42 +0000 UTC
View Post
Cal quickly learned that what interested Seris did not interest him at all. She spent well over an hour telling him too much about ships. It was in so much detail that he feared this would influence the next skill choice.
Now that I know her parents are sailors, it makes sense why she is attracted to the port. I gave her enough time to have her fun. Orrin will have to deal with only having a few hours to study the sledgehammer.
“—ship needs a fifty-man crew just to—...
2024-05-17 02:52:53 +0000 UTC
View Post
