"Cooooold," Lucas moans, then he groans. "Ooooh, sooooore."
"It got colder as night went on," I tell him. "Didn't get up to check anything since it's warmer here, though."
Warm enough that our bodies are still decently warmed up, though I did have to bundle the blanket around our feet a bit to keep those warmer. That used up enough of the blanket that our heads are exposed now, which is why Lucas woke to being cold. At least me doing that didn't wake him and he still slept another hour.
He really needed the extra sleep.
"Yeah," he says. "You were right about being sore when I wake. Oooh, jeez."
"And that's why I stopped after once," I chuckle. "I did use some water magic to clean us up a bit, then some fire magic to warm us back up. Dumped the dirty water in the trash by the bed."
There's a small trash can under the nightstand and I figured it as fine to dump the dirty water there, since everything else is dissolving. Even the can will eventually but that won't matter in the end.
"Didn't set anything on fire, don't worry," I tell him. "It was a very careful use of fire magic."
Despite the careful use of fire magic, it wasn't enough to boost my [Fire Mastery] Skill a Level. I guess it's just not the same as figuring out a spell like I did with [Water Mastery].
"Okay," he shivers. "Though my face is really cold. Why's the blanket off our faces? Our bodies are still warm. Sort of."
"Yeah," I hug him tight. "We'll be colder once we get out from under the blanket. And there wasn't enough at the heads one I bundled up our feet earlier. They were pretty cold when I woke up. Been thinking about some plans since waking up."
"What kind of plans?" He asks. "I-is that okay to ask?"
"Yeah," I kiss him on the cheek. "This house, the bed, the blanket, and nearly everything in it is going to disappear within the next two weeks. There's no proper way for us to stay warm in here and it's become clear things are getting colder. I think the temperature's twenty degrees colder than it normally is right now. That means we might have another month of colder temperatures, maybe even two.
"So first," I say. "I'm going to go to the System Shop if you're okay with that. Pick up a few things and sell and trade in a few more. Come back and make breakfast after that. Then, I'm going to try and use earth magics to make a house."
"Earth magics?" He asks. "Won't it just be a refrigerator, then?"
That thought is probably because it would just hold the cold in, like a car does, making it even colder than things are outside. An understandable concern, and that's one of the reasons I want to go to the System Shop first.
"Not if I do it right," I say. "I want to grab a book on magical construction and at least use the basics for it. I'm also going to make sure there's a fireplace, so we can have that as well. If this goes well, we should have a temporary house to live in until we can set up a better one. I also want to buy some blankets and pillows, I think the System Shop had those. No mattresses, but a couple of blankets should do for that."
Lucas agree that this sounds like a good plan, so we snuggle for another minute, then get out of bed and quickly pull on into the clothes we'd left on the floor. They're still pretty clean, even if they're now cold. That'll change soon, though.
Dressed, we head outside and I start a fire just to warm Lucas up while I start organizing things for our trip to the System Shop.
The original plan was to go to the System Shop after breakfast, but Lucas woke earlier than I expected him to. Him waking up earlier means that leaving earlier might be a better idea. The sun has barely begun to rise now so I'm sure most of the nocturnal monsters are heading to bed and most of the diurnal ones are either still asleep or only just waking up. This should be the best time to travel.
Especially when considering that Lucas is still a bit scared. While he didn't wake once he fell asleep, he fidgeted a lot and even started panicking in his sleep. Definitely reliving the attacks from yesterday, though I was able to calm him down some.
That's why I initially thought he'd wake sooner than he did but then figured he'd sleep in longer once I realized he wasn't going to wake from that.
"Are we getting more potions while there?" Lucas asks. "With both of us drinking healing potions to try and get that Perk, we might go through them fairly fast."
We started drinking them to try for the Perk after I told him about the requirements for it yesterday. If we followed the suggestion of the golem, it would take me about two and a half bottles to acquire it. I'm not sure about for Lucas since our stats are a little bit different, but it probably wouldn't take that much more for him than it would for me.
With us doing it every hour we're awake now, I'm expecting it to take significantly less than five days, but possibly more than the originally-expected amount of healing potion.
"It shouldn't take us that many," I tell him. "Maybe five or six in total between us. But yeah, I'm going to see about buying more at the shop. They're a bit expensive but I have the funds and it's better to be prepared as we experiment with alchemy."
With everything that happened yesterday, I haven't properly looked at my garden yet to see what's mutated. Despite the cold that came over the area, everything still looks healthy rather than damaged. In fact, the crops look to be even more bountiful than they did last night.
The magical energy in the soil is no doubt feeding them still. I'm certain the trees around us are even bigger than they were yesterday morning, too. The growth of the area isn't complete yet, it's just slowed down from the speed it went through during the Mana Flood.
"Alright," I say as I finish preparing for the trip to the shop. "Are you warmed up?"
"Not enough," he accepts the backpack I hold out to him. "How are you not shivering?"
"I am, I'm just not showing it."
"That's… not how shivering works."
"I know," I say. "But my ass is cold, believe me. Come on, let's go."
On our way to the System Shop, we come across the dead monsters I killed yesterday but didn't collect while leaving to look for Lucas and then returning with him. Some of them have been eaten by other monsters while others were left untouched. There are a few more human bodies as well, though only a few. Most of them have been eaten a little as well.
Lucas sticks close to me and I'm sure he wants to hold onto me out of fear, except he can't. I've assigned him to pushing a wheelbarrow while I pull my wagon, each of us with a cooler to be converted. The cooler I have contains monster meat from beasts I killed before finding out about him going missing. After finding out, collecting their remains wasn't that important.
We reach the System Shop without a single monster attacking us, proving my theory right. Monster activity is extremely low right now so it was the perfect time to go.
"Hello, Carter Elm, Lucas Nash," the golem we approach greets us. "How can I be of service today?"
"I'd like to sell the monster parts and crystals I have," I tell him. "Then trade in the coolers, wagon, and the backpacks we're wearing, along with the supplies inside of them."
The fee for the trades exceed the money I earn from the monster meat and parts, but I expected that. When I checked the shops the last time yesterday, nothing new had been added beyond my own stuff and none of what I'd sold here had been bought by anyone. As a result, they're currently registering a large supply but low demand.
Though I suspect it's partially based on how many people are in the area as well. If they can tell that there aren't that many people here, they probably buy more common items for less because they know it won't sell for much. It also makes me wonder if the System Shop will close if it ends up with just Lucas and me here.
There's always the chance that the gods have sent Quests like mine to others as well, but something tells me I'm a unique case. Grandma received one for escorting others out of here and said that the Quests are rare in the first place. That's already two of them in one area so unless her information was wrong and things have changed, it probably will end up with just Lucas and me.
Since I expected to be spending money, I brought plenty with me so paying the conversion fee isn't a problem for us. After that, we pull the backpacks back on and I check the Quests and accept the same ones as yesterday, along with the one for killing the stonefang snakes. Those attack me in my own yard and it only takes five kills to complete the Quest.
Lucas checks the Quests while I'm doing this and it seems he finds some that interest him. I wasn't listening to his conversation with the golem but I did catch something about a time limit. That's something I hadn't mentioned to him so I'm glad he asked since it was implied during my inquiries yesterday that the time limit for default System Quests can vary from one to another.
"Potion-making ones?" I ask once he finishes.
"Not yet," he says. "I didn't take any on, but it looks like I can do Quests just for healing others. One of them was to spend 500 Mana on healing combat injuries. There's no current time limit for it but the Mana has to be spent in a period of three days. Same with the one for spending 500 Mana on buffs."
That is definitely to help encourage people to go the path of a support mage. I don't remember seeing those in my list so either it's new or it pops up for people who have a healing or buff spell. Those Quests will also help provide funds to healers so they don't have to rely on hunters at the start when the hunters are going to be low on funds as well.
In theory, at least. There will probably be scumbags who charge exorbitant fees anyway, but I'm sure there will be plenty of healers who are decent people as well.
"Go ahead and browse the shops," I tell Lucas. "Let me know if there's anything you want."
"It's your money," Lucas shakes his head. "I'll earn some on my own and-"
"Yeah, no," I say. "How long would that take, Lucas? I've got plenty right now and would rather use it on stuff that's going to be used to make us more comfortable or survive more easily than let it sit and collect dust. Just browse and let me know what you want."
"Um… food stuff first," he says. "Staples."
"Hold on," I pull off my backpack and turn to walk over to the benches. "Let me… that's a bear with a box."
"Huh?" Lucas looks in the direction I'm looking.
Walking toward the System Shop from the direction of downtown is a bear that's carrying a box. Lucas hides behind me a little as we watch the bear's approach. It reaches the System Shop and enters, then approaches me and holds out the box. It's tied with twine and has two letters attached to the top. I don't need to see the handwriting on the letters to know who sent the bear.
"There are apparently bear monsters in the area despite the fact that we shouldn't have had bears before," I say. "And Grandma has tamed one. What the fuck is she up to?"
"Y-yeah," Lucas is hiding behind me.
I accept the box from the bear, which then moves to one of the benches and sits down. Lucas and I sit on another bench and I set my backpack down beside me and pull both of the letters out from under the twine. One is addressed to me in my grandma's handwriting and the other is addressed to Lucas in unfamiliar handwriting.
"You've got mail," I hand Lucas his letter, then open mine.
Carter,
I would have sent Fea, but the box is too big and heavy for him so I sent Gri instead. He's faster than he looks and I'm sure you'll meet him at the System Shop. The box has some stuff Lucas's parents bought for him. There's another System Shop at the church directly across from the high school so they were able to pop over and sell some of the stuff they harvested after I let them know he was found and safe. Mostly maginiite they took from monsters on their way back last nightbut a few other things as well. They decided this morning they were going to send him a care package in case he does stay like he said he'd ask about, so that's what that is.
They're worried for Lucas since he's said he's going to ask you to stay. If he does leave, make sure he comes back with Gri. The bear will protect him on the way. Also, thank you for the advice about the Perk. I didn't know how to earn it though I did know about some. That one should prove most useful to us, especially as I'm receiving a one-week [Level-Block Potion] as an incentive for a Quest for escorting these people to safety.
Yes, I received a Quest for this… even though I was going to already. Not exactly sure why the god decided to do that but it works out for me and this group. I'll see about getting everyone here the [Mana-Infused Body] Perk if they're interested.
Stolen novel; please report.
If he does stay, please take good care of him. His parents have accepted that he'll be safe with you even if they're concerned about him, as any proper parent would be. Kyle also said he's pretty sure you two will end up a couple before they see him next.
My incentive gave me a Perk as well and I chose [Dungeon Pioneer]. There are multiple tiers to it and it awards its bonus retroactively. You earn it by being a part of the first team to completely clear that specific Dungeon and the Perk has the same Tier as the Dungeon.
You also don't have to upgrade it in order, so if the first one you completely clear as part of the first team to do so is a Rank 3 Dungeon, you get the Tier 3 version of the Perk. Doing a weaker Dungeon after that won't affect but if you then do it for a Rank 4 or higher Dungeon, the Perk will upgrade to match that and increase your stats retroactively.
One thing to know about this Perk, however, is that you must complete the Dungeon in one go on your very first attempt to earn it. So if you give it a try and then leave without clearing it, then return and clear it and are part of the first team to do so, you won't receive the Perk.
If you didn't meet up with Gri at the System Shop, know that most monsters will be least active during the transition from day to night and from night to day. It's the safest time to travel if you want to go to the shop. At least, for now.
We'll be leaving here once Gri returns to us so tell him if he needs to wait so Lucas can grab some stuff. Otherwise, just send him back and we'll be on our way.
Be safe and strong, Carter.
Lots of love,
Grandma
I glance over to Lucas, who's still reading his letter. It's probably from one of his parents and I'm not going to take a peek. Even if it weren't from his parents, it's rude to look at someone else's mail without them offering.
Instead, I set the box between us, then pull out stuff to write with and begin working on a response to Grandma. Once I finish, I check it over.
Grandma,
Lucas asked me about staying last night and I agreed. We were already at the System Shop when Gri showed up, and why are you playing the same game as the System when it comes to naming things? Fea = Feather and Gri = Grizzly.
Make sure Koda, Tessa, and the twins are safe.
Lots of love,
Carter
When I finish writing, Lucas writes his own letter back, then I hand both of them to Gri, who leaves the System Shop after I let him know we're done. I look over at Lucas, who's watching the bear with wary eyes.
"Parents okay with you staying?"
"Not really but they've accepted it," he says. "I'm eighteen so I am an adult, even if a baby one in some eyes. And it seems Dad knew a little bit of magic before the Mana Flood, though he hadn't had to use it until we got attacked by the deer yesterday. I was already separated by the time he started using it so I didn't see it. He says he knew your grandma was basically the strongest mage in the area and you've clearly inherited that from her if you took down a breezestep deer on your own on the first day without having learned about magic until the Mana Flood. He said to thank you for the information about that Perk, too. Your grandma's already told him, it seems."
If Kyle already knew about Grandma and that she was the strongest mage in the area, then I can assume that there was some sort of magical society in the area. At the very least, some of the people descended of immigrants from another world knew each other and talked with each other.
Chances are pretty good that most of them probably grouped up together for safety, either all with Grandma or in various other groups to travel to somewhere safer. I really doubt they're all going to stay here with how strong the effect of the ambient Mana is.
"Cool," I say. "Let's get shopping. First, let me write something up."
I sit back down and grab the writing stuff again, then write up a list. After checking it over to make sure it's okay, I hand it to Lucas.
"This is the food stuff I already have that's been converted or which came with the cooking kits I was given in the incentive," I tell him. "So if there's something you think is important to have, let me know and I'll buy it. I'm going to the back to buy the supplies I came here for."
Or at least, the ones I can remember. I should have written up a list for this but didn't think about doing so for some reason. That's something I'll make sure to do in the future. When taking a trip to the store involves risking attacks by monsters, forgetting to buy things is less acceptable.
As it is, I'm sure I'm going to forget about something.
"Okay," Lucas says.
While he looks over the list, I head to the back of the shop and approach one of the golems, then call up its lists. There are simple blankets and comforters, but it seems I misremembered about pillows as there aren't any of those. I'm also limited in how many blankets I'm allowed to buy, capped at only three between both normal blankets and comforters combined, though I can still pick them in whatever colors, sizes, and patterns I want.
The golem doesn't answer when I ask about the reason behind the restriction, but I can make an assumption. This is a basic thing meant to help replace supplies destroyed by the Mana Flood, not be something we can just keep buying over and over. The gods want to help us, not carry us.
If I'm right, then it's also possible that some items might disappear from the System Shops entirely after a time. Based on what the golems told me yesterday, however, the shops themselves will be around for quite awhile.
"If two people are together, do they each have that limit?" I ask the golem I'm talking with.
"Yes," he answers. "A parent with their child may also buy in place of their child, provided that their child is under the appropriate age."
"Okay," I say. "So Lucas will need to buy some as well, then."
"Buy some what?" I hear Lucas ask from around the corner.
"Blankets," I answer. "Would you mind buying some comforters? They apparently cap each person at three at a maximum."
"That's stupid."
"They probably aren't seen as important for restarting our lives as other things," I tell him. "And are probably counted as more easily crafted as well."
"Blankets are only available for sale in areas where the temperatures reach below forty-five degrees at night," the golem I'm speaking with helpfully says. "And only in the first three months. The majority of supplies purchased on this side of the shop have limitations on how many can be purchased per person, how long they can be purchased for, where they can be purchased, and/or how often they can be purchased."
That confirms my assumption and adds more information for us to use. Just as I expected, they don't want to carry us, they want to help us restart things. While we won't have crafting workshops set up sometime in the next few months, most places where people gather will. I just hope we won't need to replace our blankets before we're reconnected with others and can buy more.
"Alright," I say. "Three comforters, dark green with brown undersides. The ones with the leafy vine designs in other shades of green."
"Each of those will cost 150 syscre," the golem tells me. "For a total of 450 syscre."
I pay for that, then load the comforters – which are folded up and tied to stay packed so using bands resembling ribbons but made of a thicker cloth – onto the wheelbarrow that Lucas used. He buys a set of comforters that are dark blue with medium-grey undersides, plain.
Towels are another thing I want to buy but find that there's a limit to doing so. The towels come in sets of two each of bath towels, hand towels, and wash cloths, and we can only buy two sets of them. I buy dark green ones while Lucas buys brown ones.
They don't have clothes here so we can't buy extras, so it looks like Lucas will be mostly using mine or the two sets he got from his [Starter Pack]. I have plenty of extra and am two inches taller than him, so he'll sort of fit in them.
Once all of those are loaded into the wagon and partially into the cooler in it due to space constraints, I buy more jars, as well as bottles and vials for potions. Those are loaded up into the wagon and strapped down using twine I brought with us while some is loaded into the cooler in the wagon as well. That's filled up, so the wagon's goods are also tied down.
With those supplies purchased, I start browsing the tomes and scrolls. The last Skill Scroll I have left from the [Starter Pack]s from the incentive is for the [Enchanting] Skill, to at least give me the immediate basics of the art of enchanting objects. If I'm staying here for six months, then I may need that.
However, there are other things which I need. Two of the [Class Starter Pack]s I picked were for the [Alchemist] and [Enchanter] Classes so I have the tomes for the basics of those. Rather than teaching a specific thing through lessons or directly granting me the Skill, they give me the general stuff needed to cover all of the basics. This provides me more knowledge than the Skills themselves do so I'll have more things I'll be able to make and the ability to learn more about their respective arts.
Those versions of the tomes are a more expensive version of them as opposed to one which does something like focusing solely on teaching about how to make healing potions. They're just as expensive as some Skill Scrolls are, if not more. That's why I went with them rather than tomes that focused on a specific item.
The fact that they cover so much more than a Skill Scroll does makes it worth it, in my opinion. There's not many I can afford with my current funds but more basic ones will work. The [Light Magic] tome is only 5,000 syscre and that's a big one I want now. We'll definitely need it. Another magic I want to learn is nature magics, to help me take care of my plants. Fortunately, [Plant Magic] is the tome I picked for the third [Class Starter Kit] because holy fuck is its tome expensive.
If I were to buy the [Plant Magic] tome, it would cost me 50,000 syscre. The elemental magic tomes are only a tenth of that so I'm willing to bet that it's both a lot more difficult to learn but also a lot more powerful in the hands of someone well-trained in it.
Having almost forgotten to do so, I make sure to purchase the tome to learn how to do magical construction as well. That costs 5,000 syscre, too, but I hope the investment is worth it.
"Dang it," Lucas says from my left, having stayed to look at things here after the other purchases. "Skill Scrolls are hella expensive."
"Some of them are in-budget," I say. "What were you looking at?"
"Buffs," he answers. "There are only basic buffs, but they cost 75,000 syscre each. A tome for learning a specific one of them is 15,000 syscre."
"Yeah," I say. "Most of the scrolls are five times the price of the tome for learning that specific one. You were looking at buffs?"
"Want to go full supporter," he tells me. "Boost your Constitution to help you out while you're fighting so you don't have to worry as much about getting hurt."
"Oh," I say. "Thanks. Yeah. After all of the other purchases, plus whatever food stuff you were looking at, we're not going to be able to buy that just yet. The monsters here are fairly easy, though, so we have time to save up more funds."
"I know," Lucas says. "Just disappointed about the price and all. There was some stuff at the food side I wanted, if you were cool with that."
"Not the meat I've sold to them, I hope?"
The golems have already confirmed that the stuff we sell to them is stored in a stasis, so it doesn't go bad while awaiting purchase. However, I can easily acquire more of that meat on my own and variety in food is always a good thing.
"No," Lucas snorts. "A few meal crates, if that's fine. And some other basics. Ones not on your list."
"Yeah, that's fine," I say.
We move back over to the other golem and Lucas tells me what he wants.
"We can put the milk and meat into the cooler on the wheelbarrow," I say. "But the meal crates are too big. They only came in the boxes for the special packs."
"If you purchase ten or more meal kits," the golem says. "They will come in a token form contained within boxes using the same storage rules as given prior. This will hold true for a variety of items purchased here, including meal bars and meal bags. This also holds true for food items in certain container types, but not for produce which comes individual. They can be combined as well."
"So if we wanted five meal kits and five meal pouches, we'd get the box?" I ask.
"That is correct."
"Does milk come in this?"
"It does not."
"Okay," I say. "How much milk, Lucas? I was thinking of buying two already."
"I was going to say two," he says. "But maybe we should get an extra, just in case?"
"Alright," I say. "Should we mix together meal kits, meal pouches, and meal bars? Damn, we could have eaten those as a quick snack on the road. I'm actually getting hungry."
"Meal kits," Lucas answers. "Though… uh… I was just thinking, like, two or three of them. Not ten. Uh… I hadn't thought about the storage thing."
"Which ones were you looking at?" I ask.
"They have breakfast options," he tells me. "Cinnamon rolls, hash meal, and pancakes were the ones I was looking at."
I only skimmed the selections yesterday so I go back through to look for the breakfast options. I hadn't seen those so I didn't know we could buy them.
Lucas lets me know while I'm looking that I can sort by meal type, which makes looking at the breakfast options significantly easier. Those are my main focus for what to look at right now, and it seems that they do come with some variation on sides for even the same entree.
Even when not factoring in the food I have growing in my yard, stored in my shed, and taken from monsters that attacked me, we already have plenty of meal options just from the [Starter Pack]s I received from the incentive. What I have for breakfast is much more limited even when factoring in all of the other food things I have.
"Let's do two of each of those," I tell Lucas once I review the breakfast meal kits. "And one each of biscuits and gravy and of the french toast. For the last two, let's do sandwich kits for lunches, so that we're not only eating leftovers or pasta."
Since I had things for baking and making some other foods for scratch at home already, we don't really need some of this stuff. I have the things to make pancakes from scratch, but I don't have sides to go with it. The shop does sell the stuff separately, but I guess Lucas just wanted the kits instead of dealing with that.
Maybe so he can get their recipes for cooking, both so he can learn more and so that we have more accurate ones for our currently-available cooking methods.
In addition to those, I buy three gallons of whole milk, two dozen eggs, twenty pounds of ground beef, two packages of sausages, two packages of breakfast sausages, a roll of breakfast sausage meat, two packages of steak (they come in four-packs), two packages of stew meat, a twenty-piece package of chicken tenders, and a few seasonings that I don't have.
All of this stuff is on the more basic side in terms of quality since it's coming from the System Shop, but it'll do for now. I suspect Lucas also doesn't want to rely on meat from monsters and so just wanted to stock up.
Everything gets loaded up into the wagon and wheelbarrow where it fits and once I make sure things are strapped down, we start to leave the System Shop. Before we make it halfway to the exit, a notification pops up in my vision.
You have received a Quest. [Quest Type]: Special. [Requirement]: Complete the Rank 0 Standard Dungeon [Ezrelnim Island Grove] [Reward]: Varies. Dungeons come in all shapes, sizes, types, and difficulties. They are formed by the gods using excess magical energy from a world's awakening or natural fluctuations and are designed to be challenges and trials for those undertaking them, but also provide resources. The [Ezrelnim Island Grove] is a basic and easy Standard Dungeon for one of your abilities and can provide resources you are otherwise unable to acquire. Enter it, and you may be surprised at what you find within.
I don't know where this Dungeon is located and barely have time to register that the "Varies" is the same as the other gods-given Quest in that I can tell it'll be tailored to the me of the completion time before another message pops up.
You have received a special Quest incentive. 25,000 syscre; 1 [Health and Magic Pack]; 5 [Elemental Crystal Pack]s Complete the Quest for clearing the Rank 0 Standard Dungeon [Ezrelnim Island Grove] within the next 6 days to receive your incentive, which can be received at any System Shop along with your reward.
If the Quest information can be trusted, it's given information about why Dungeons exist – they're like the System Shops, created through the excess Mana that was pulled away from Earth. While I don't know where this Dungeon is, I'm going to assume it's nearby since the god thinks I'll be able to take it on within the next six days.
That also tells me something. The god went straight to 25,000 syscre as well as what I'm assuming is a package of potions… but also what may be five sets of maginiite crystals. It's as if they're trying to scream at me that I should do it for some reason and that does make me a bit suspicious.
I was already wanting to try out a Dungeon once I felt comfortable enough for it, though I'm not sure if I'll take up the incentive or not. That will be decided on if Lucas and I feel comfortable enough trying out a Dungeon – even a Rank 0 one – within the next six days or not. The reward for doing so would be so good, though… but it's acceptable to not receive it.
"Everything okay?" Lucas asks.
"Yeah," I answer. "Just a god being annoying. Let's head home."