“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 stood and smoothed his clothes unsuccessfully. He glanced at his tools and wondered if the Overseer would mention it.

I would be surprised if he didn’t. The Common Shovel can be somewhat explained, but the Uncommon Sledgehammer is only available for purchase in Lumina.

Cal exited the shed and saw a small pile of items on the ground beside the Overseer. It was his personal effects.

I forgot how pampered I was. I received a personalized pillow, sheets, and top-of-the-line clothes. Knowing the situation here, the Overseer included a cot. I’ll live in a run-down shed with bedding luxurious enough to make some Apprentices stew in their own jealousy.

“Thank you for bringing my things yourself, Overseer,” Cal spoke when it looked like the Overseer wouldn’t.

“What are you doing here, Initiate Cal?” He wasn’t interested in exchanging pleasantries.

“… Er, I’m training?” Cal saw that the Overseer was looking at the piles of rocks around his field.

“Hm, training to be a farmer,” He turned to him with an intense glare. “What are you hoping to achieve by clearing this field? Actually grow something in this wasteland? Do you think the guild hasn’t tried?”

“It has nothing to do with that,” Cal returned to his original excuse. “This is done to clear my mind. I already feel that it is helping me greatly. And as you said, this is a wasteland, so nothing I do here will matter. I can be without worry about causing damage.”

The Overseer wasn’t convinced in the slightest. He wordlessly took out a small crystal and offered it to him. “This is imprecise, but it will have to do. If you can make this glow any color, I will allow your… method of training to continue.”

I’ve never seen this before.

Cal took the crystal with a genuinely confused expression. “I just push mana into this?”

“Pretend that this is the activation pillar.”

“… Alright.”

I have to show an improvement, but if I show that I have the capability to be a [Mage], the Overseer might decide I spent more than enough time in this station.

… I’ll push a little more mana than I used with the activation pillar. I’ll try to match what I think a [Caster] would display.

Cal let his mana flow into the crystal, carefully observing the amount in preparation to cut it off abruptly. Only a few seconds had passed when the crystal started to glow a bright red in his hands.

It took him by surprise. He quickly tried to cut off the mana flow. He couldn’t react fast enough.

CRACK!

Cal stared as the shattered crystal fell in pieces before looking at the Overseer.

He looks just as surprised as I am.

“I see,” the Overseer cleared his throat. “You may carry on, Initiate Cal. Is there anything else you wish to have? I see that the outpost here is in severe disrepair. I can call on some workers to build something fitting for an Initiate.”

… So I’m safe for now, but I might have just made it much harder to convince the guild that we are better off with me as a [Farmer]. This might necessitate a move out of the Celestial Order’s territory as initially planned.

I was hoping to build up a small post here while I increased my [Tier] in relative peace after the interface gave me a surprise [Class].

“I was intending to rebuild the outpost. Could you point me to who would be good for the task?” Cal wasn’t about to decline to get a proper place to sleep—no matter how temporary.

He half hoped that the little beast wouldn’t be able to dig into the outpost when it wasn’t a shed with the ground as a floor. However, the little beast could dig through the hard-as-rock ground. Actual flooring would likely do little to stop it.

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Runes would do the job, but they are prohibitively expensive. I have never heard of a runemaster inside the guild territory, so everything available must be imported.

“Good, I’ll send some people by the end of the day. The guild will cover the costs, so choose any design you like. I don’t want you to be thinking of anything but your training.”

… This is a drastic change of mindset.

“I appreciate the guild’s generosity, but I prefer to pay for it out of pocket. The guild has done more than enough for me.” This wasn’t due to altruism.

Cal wanted to negotiate with the workers to train [Master Negotiator]. He was well aware that whoever arrived would be told to charge him the least amount possible, but it wouldn't matter since it would still contribute to the growth of the skill.

Plus, he was working on the assumption that he would have to barely pay anything. His funds were dwindling, and the next allowance wouldn’t be due for well over four months—far too late to be useful.

“I see, I see,” the Overseer muttered twice. “Very well. Is there anything else?”

Cal thought about asking about the little beast that had been haunting him for the past few days, but with its attraction to the rock in his inner pocket, it would be safer to keep quiet for now.

It seems harmless overall. I didn’t see any sign of it wanting to attack me.

“I can’t think of anything else,” Cal said with a shake of his head.

“Excellent,” the Overseer smiled, looking like he was about to leave before stopping. “Ah, I forgot. This is your guild entrance reward.”

Cal blinked at him in confusion.

“Here you are,” the Overseer pulled five purple coins from his inner coat and offered it to him. “Five guildmarks for every new Initiate. Use it well.”

This is not a thing.

Cal took the offered guildmarks numbly and gave the Overseer a vacant smile. “Oh, this is unexpected.”

“This is simply a supplementary reward, unimportant in the grand scheme. We don’t see a need to make it known.”

This is a year’s allowance for a core guild Initiate. There is nothing simple about this.

“That should be it. I’ll give you the original time you requested and return after five days, Initiate Cal. I hope to see further progress then.”

“I’ll do my best,” Cal nodded, his mind elsewhere.

The crystal breaking obviously means something significant. If there wasn’t already, someone far higher in the hierarchy than the Overseer will be keeping an eye on me.

“Then I’ll be on my way,” the Overseer made to leave but paused again. “Ah, I almost forgot. I would like to know how you got an Uncommon tool. Take your time, but have an answer in five days.”

... At least he didn’t ask questions about how the hole in the field came to be. I possess no tools or skills to do what the little beast did.

“Oh!” Cal’s heart sank when the Overseer paused again. “There’s a girl that calls you boss waiting at the fork. I’ll send her in. Train well, Initiate Cal.”

He held his breath until the Overseer’s figure finally left his sight. He let out a sigh and scratched his chin. He would need to operate under different assumptions.

[Perfect Match] is too obvious of a skill. It’s impossible to hide. As far as I know, looking at another’s interface is unheard of, so I’ll have to use that to my advantage. The Overseer deliberately gave me five days to come up with a good lie.

Cal shook his head and picked up his personal effects before moving them into the shed. He set up the cot in the best possible position to cover every part of the shed’s floor so he would be alerted early if the little beast made another attempt.

“Wow, boss! You made yourself busy after you left town!” Seris's voice was heard from afar.

Ah. Right. It passed my mind that I didn’t want Seris to meet the Overseer. It seems so unimportant after the crystal broke.

He shifted the cot to make room for the tools before exiting the shed. He froze when he saw that Seris had brought multiple surprises and gifts.

“Boss! Look!” Seris sounded upbeat despite her sweaty, mussed-up appearance. “Orrin finished all the stuff you asked him to make! And the leather guy, too!”

She was pushing a wheelbarrow with a pickaxe and plow poking over the brim.

Cal sped toward her in excitement. He had expected all this to arrive in a few days, fully accepting that he needed to waste precious hours of boosted [Tier] growth in the town while he waited.

“That was quick,” Cal said while reaching for the pickaxe. The interface appeared the moment he touched it.

Your equipment [Basic Pickaxe] has been upgraded to [Common Pickaxe].

Your equipment [Common Pickaxe] has been restored to Excellent Quality.

“Orrin worked on it all night,” Seris said proudly. “You better give him a tip, boss.”

“We’ll see about that.” Cal tried on the straps he ordered. Both the shoulder and waist straps were seamless fits. He put the pickaxe in one of the slots on the shoulder strap and was surprised at how firmly it grabbed onto the tool.

The pickaxe hung diagonally across his back, the metal head pointing toward the ground. It stayed put until he tried to pull it out himself, at which point it was released smoothly.

“I was doubtful about the leather worker, but this is some good work,” Cal admitted to Seris. “It’s well worth the two silver.”

“Yes, yes,” Seris pointed at the tools, “but look at these. All of them are Common-ranked tools! Even the wheelbarrow!”

… Jackpot.

Cal’s lips formed a slow smile. “How much did he say the wheelbarrow will cost me?”

“Orrin says two silver for everything.”

So, one silver for the wheelbarrow. I would have refused to give a tip, but the guild decided to splurge on me. I’ll give Orrin a little more.

“How much does this blacksmith test cost, Seris?” Cal asked as he rummaged in his coin pocket.

“One gold for the application,” Seris replied angrily. “That’s just the start, though. You also need the town blacksmith to approve your application, or it’s useless. That guy will never do it. The other way is to make an Uncommon-ranked item.” She suddenly smiled. “And you might have made that possible, boss!”

Cal paused before pulling out six silver. “There’s an extra for Orrin. And the week’s pay for you.”

“Thanks, boss,” Seris gave him a sloppy salute. “Are you coming to the town today?”

“No,” Cal denied quickly. “I have too much work to do. Remember to bring Drex here before it's too late. Don't travel near sunset.”

“Got it,” Seris nodded, hesitating before asking. “Who was the scary-looking man that stopped me on the path?”

Cal winced. “You know how you call me boss?” Seris nodded. “I call that man my boss.”

“Ohh,” Seris’s eyes grew wide. “Good thing I listened to him, then.”

“Yes, I would say so,” Cal chuckled dryly. "Continue doing that, and you'll be fine."

Seris nodded rapidly. “Alright, I’ll head back. See you later today, boss!” She waved as she walked back to the path leading her out of the Northern Wastes.

Cal waited till she was gone before grabbing the wheelbarrow's handles.

I can gather the rocks into one giant pile off the field. Then, I will use the pickaxe to break up the ground.