"I'll be going to another village tomorrow." His mom had said last night, idly stabbing her fork into a slab of meat. "I'll most likely be back in a couple days, so be a good boy and take care of yourself, okay?"
Evel was worried, but nodded in acceptance nonetheless.
This wasn't the first time his mom would leave to the neighbouring village to do some business, usually in the form of selling her weaved wares, and this certainly wouldn't be the last. She'd come back every time, a smile on her face as she dropped onto her favored chair, and he'd always pester her about what she'd done in her days away.
Evel was still worried, he always was.
It was irrational perhaps. His mom had many connections, and the area around their village was as safe as it gets, but there was always a doubt in the back of his mind, nibbling at his confidence.
But that was normal, because a son could only worry for their mother, right?
So he watched her go the next morning, waving as she disappeared from sight. He then went back to his humble little abode, quite unsure on what tor really do. He'd finished his daily commisions on the field, used up all the goblin corpses, and as tempting as it was to eat the remaining magical tomatoes to increase his [Knife Mastery], he didn't quite feel like stuffing himself with more of the magical thing.
And that was when he remembered an idea he had just the day before, of going out and trying to see if [Knife Mastery] also affected his skill in throwing knives.
He had spare time now, so why not?
He grabbed a knife from the kitchen cabinets, took one of the wood logs he'd gotten in return for a little favor, and got to work created several wooden knives.
Being hardly qualified to do the job, Evel botched most of the process, mostly cutting the log into several smaller chunks before trying his hardest to sharpen them. His [Knife Mastery] helped, it truly did, but it didn't compensate for the [Wood Working] skill he'd normally need to this kind of thing.
Still, he managed to create five wooden knives in the end. five very mishapen wooden knives, but still 5 knives nonetheless.
Somehow, the knife he used remained relatively sharp. Dulled on the end, but nothing too worrying.
With his products ready, he placed the knife back into his kitchen cabinet and carried his wooden knives to a small clearing next to his field. He didn't have a target, nor did he have anything to make one, but that was fine. He could make do with the trunk of the nearby tree.
He placed the other four down and took several steps forward, eyeing the spot he wanted to throw his knife at. He pulled his arm back, pressing his thumb onto the back of the wooden knife, and following what felt right, he threw the knife.
And it worked! The wooden knife flew through the air and stabbed onto the tree, missing his desired spot by a thumb's length.
He just didn't expect for the wooden knife to dig so deep into the trunk, nor did he expect the small following burst of wind the impact created.
Evel stared at the stabbed knife for a couple seconds, before he walked over to it and tried to pry it out. It didn't work sadly, his level 1 strength hardly enough to pry the knife out. With a sigh of regret, he gave up on that first knife, leaving it stuck into the tree's trunk.
Taking up another knife, he aimed at the ground this time, eyeing the small pebble just a distance away. He pulled his hand back, and again, he threw.
It hit the desired spot this time, surprisingly, and the pebble shattered upon impact, before stabbed into the earth. Again, a small burst of wind followed, ruffling the nearby grass and weeds and Evel could hardly contain his excitement as he walked over and dug the knife out.
Because now, now he could fight. Maybe not as well as some of the other boys in the village, and definitely not as great as mister Garnt, but enough.
And he could also show off to his mom, but that wasn't the important thing.
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Night had arrived, and Deliah could only sigh at the gathered spoils of her journey.
Which was none. Nothing at all. She hadn't been able to find a single monster to slay and bring back for her boy, and it aggravated her to no end. She knew that the knights were putting their lives on the line to make the surrounding area as safe as possible for any wayward travellers, but the woman could only curse their insistence at the moment.
So she'd settled down. She made a small fire and sat by it, silently munching on several berries she'd foraged from her hours on her travel.
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She idly played with her sleeves as she watched the flickering fire, smiling slightly as she recalled times past. The last time she'd went out like this was with her husband, just months before they finally decided to settle down. They were young back then, dreaming and hoping for what the future could hold for them both. He'd proposed to her, promised that they'd remain together until death did them apart.
She was alone now, her husband having left to the sunless sky. She didn't regret it; she'd known of his weakening body, the many years he spent fighting and protecting finally taking its toll on his aging body.
Much has passed since then.
"Isn't that right, little wolf?"
Said 'little wolf' only growled, fangs barred as it stood across the fire, grey fur turned a tinge orange from the fire's glow. Deliah smiled at it, hardly scared by it.
The wolf just growled in return, leaping forward to dig its fangs into her. It didn't get far.
The moment its legs left the ground, the sleeves of her tunic unravelled and shot outwards, anchoring themselves on the nearby trees before snapping back onto the wolf. The monster had but a moment before it was ensnared, string tying around its neck and legs.
Deliah smiled at it again. The wolf didn't respond this time.
Popping a berry into her mouth, she snapped her fingers and the strings responded. They begun to move, grating painfully against the wolf's body before the strings sliced the wolf's head right off. The head dropped onto the soil with a dull thump, and its headless body soon followed as the strings she controlled weaved back into her sleeve.
And just like that, it was over.
She relished in the encounter's afterglow, warming herself by the fire as she idly tugged on her sleeves. There were no signs of battle, and her sleeve looked far too clean for something that'd just sliced a wolf's head right off.
But that was normal. After all,
[Seamstress Lv - 4]
[10% towards next level] You have an astounding familiarity with weaving strings and cloth. Quality of all weaved products increased by 50%.
You have a great aptitude with strings. All strings used are 25% stronger.
All forms of string and cloth seem to follow you. Gives direct magical command over a large variety of strings and cloth.
Strings and cloth are your strength. +10 to all stats when wearing clothing created from strings and cloth.
She was a very skilled [Seamstress].
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As it turned out, his mom did return after a couple days, and Evel was forever grateful.
The wolf corpse she brought home was a definite surprise though.
Still, just like before, his mom brought home an early present for the boy, and he gave his mom an extra warm hug for the gift she gave him.
Which now left him in a slight conundrum.
What plant should he grow atop it? He'd already made magical tomatoes, and he'd gotten slightly sick of the taste after doing his best to eat the remaining tomatoes before they spoiled. He could maybe go with one of the few berries he had, but he wasn't sure if the magical effect would be split because of the many berries it'd inevitably grow.
After a short inner debate, and some suggestions from his mom, he decided that the multi-use carrot would be his magical vegetable of choice. It'd take slightly longer for it to fully grow, but that wasn't much of an issue. Farmers had to be patient after all, lest they dig up their plants too early.
So commenced his ritual. He dug a small hole with his shovel, droped the wolf corpse down into it, covered the hole back with the soil he dug up, and planted the chosen carrot seed. He watered it and gave it a few good pats, before he left to work on his other plants.
A month quickly passed after that, and the small carrot seed had grown into a tall and proud plant. Again, the plant looked off compared to its original. The plant's leaves were of a darker green than normal, and the carrot itself was almost a dark red. It honestly looked more like a beetroot than what it's supposed to be.
With an excited grin, he plucked the carrot from the earth and rushed back to his cabin, presenting the magical vegetable to his mom.
Taking the carrot, she chopped the thing into several smaller slices, gave them a quick roast and then gave it back to Evel, along with a side of sweet honey in case the taste happened to burn his tongue.
So he sat down, dearly hoping the carrot wouldn't taste like some of the abominations his dad made, and began eating.
And it was honestly quite tasty. The carrot, instead of its neutralality, now gave his tongue a slightly tangy bitter taste. It tasted a lot like the beer his dad liked to drink actually, and he was struck with a sense of fond nostalgia as he devoured it.
Then,
You have gained the skill [Savage Strike]!
[Cooking] bonus added! [Savage Strike] has gained 25% Exp!
The notification appeared, and Evel leapt in joy as he swiftly brought up his status and pulled out the new skill's status.
[Savage Strike - Lv 1]
[25% to next level] A wolf's essence flows with you. When activated, your next strike will deal 50% more damage. Costs 10 MP.
He was absolutely floored.
Because a 50% damage increase! That was huge! The MP cost was slightly concerning, and at his current level he'd only be able to use the skill twice, but still!
Ecstatic over it, he immediately told his mom, describing the skill word-by-word.
But his mom didn't seem happy about it. She just stopped and stared at him with an expression he couldn't quite describe. "Mom?" He asked, lips curling to a small frown. "What's wrong? Did I do something weird?"
"Evel." She began. "That skill isn't something a human can normally get."
Evel stared at his mom for a minute or two, before her words finally sunk in.
"...Oh."