Chapter 22 (2/2)

Even without a class, the addition of Green Spear Mastery giving him bonuses every 5 PP used had begun to add up in terms of stats. And with all his skills…

Still feeling the fire in his blood from battle, Randidly settled back, moving slowly through the spear forms taught to him by Shal. The point he reached now was good, but it wasn’t enough. He needed strength. Strength to find Sydney and Ace out here, in this huge area. And that would only come by squeezing as much benefit out of the down time as possible.

Roots began to wiggle underneath his feet, pleased to feel the flow of his mana.

Randidly made a mental note to ask about glass containers for potions later.

****

The greatest pleasure of the morning was that moment when he got a notification that his farming had increased to 18. Grinning, he looked over at his farming area to see that several sprouts had come up.

The rest of the people who were staying in the area were also up and awake, and Tera, Donny, and Chubbs were looking with open mouths at the piles of bodies. The old man just folded his arms, his reaction to be even more inscrutable.

Randidly nodded in satisfaction. “I’m going to go find the goblin boss.”

“Uh, before you go,” Donny said, his voice rather high pitched, “Can you give us some pointers on Skill Levels…? I know you said practice but…. To get that strong…”

“Simply practice. Raise Skill Levels.” Randidly answered reflexively.

But Donny kept pushing. “Well what sort of skills are there?”

After a bit of hesitation, Randidly answered. “...I believe they can be anything. I have skills for using the spear and for casting spells, but also strange things. Farming. Running. Physical Fitness.”

“Woodcutting, Cooking, Cleaning, anything.” The old man said noncommittally, spitting over to the side.

Then he nodded towards Randidly. “I’d like to speak with you when you return.”

He turned and walked away, and Randidly left the three teens with their thoughts.

****

Covered in gore, in possession of several more items than he had departed with, and very pleased about the whole trip, Randidly returned to the valley to find some very dramatic changes had happened in a short amount of time.

Someone had constructed a short wooden fence around most of the area that Randidly had planted his seeds in, which were now visibly sprouting and growing, leaving small openings to enter the tiny fields. There was also a raised platform made from cut wood in the center of the field area, which would provide a good view of the surroundings. The surrounding area was now strew with large logs and piles of firewood. Someone had dug out a fire pit and lined it with stones, and now a wolverine was spitted over it, roasting slowly.

Most interest was that a second, smaller dwelling, or at least the bones of one, had gone up next to the cabin. Tera, Chubs, and Donny were furiously dragging smaller, cut saplings over to stack, serving as the walls.

Their constant bickering could be heard from far away, but Randidly ignored it, heading to the fire pit, where the old man stood.

The old man grunted in acknowledgement as Randidly arrived. “Wood Cutting Lvl 4, Wood Working Lvl 5, Construction Level 3, Animal Skinning Level 4, Hunting Lvl 2, Axe Mastery Lvl 4. I currently have 16 PP, I haven’t spent any of them. Any recommendations?”

Randidly frowned casting his memory back. “...you have the Newbie path available?”

The old man nodded. “As well as Woodsman and something with question marks.”

Nodding, Randidly said. “Finish off the Newbie path, it should only take 7 pp. Then you will get mana bolt and heavy blow, two active skills that you can use while you raise your passive skills. From there you will just need to continue to practice.”

“And for the stats?” The old man asked.

Randidly briefly explained his understanding on what the stats affected. Then he asked. “Is this what you wanted to talk about?”

“No, but…” The old man removed the skinned wolverine and checked it. “Perhaps it won’t matter. Did you find whatever you were looking for.”

Randidly smiled and produced a glowing golden coin.

You have 1 Gold Nexus coin! Use? Y/N

Without thinking about it too much, Randidly selected yes.