The following morning I left Lylia in the care of my parents and went back to the village. I needed to tie things up there and prepare to move to the farm. When I told Lylia the news, she was ecstatic. She always preferred it here. I did tell her that staying here did not stop her from going to school so she grumbled a little bit at that.
The walk back to the village took about two hours on a good day. The farm was on the side of a hill and it was the last farm before the edge of the forest. Along the way you had to pass through two other farms, one belonging to Farmer Alridge and the other to Old Man Cooper.
The farming community was fairly tight-knit so I waved and had a small chat with them as I went back.
It was slightly before late morning that I arrived back in the village proper. I tidied the shop up, separated what needed to be kept and put the rest up for sale. This caused ripples in the community as I had been here for the last five years. Two wealthy landowners came and because of my [Mercantilism] skill, I managed to get quite a little sum for the shop.
I then hired a cart and donkey to transport my meager possession back to the farm.
One thing I did purchase before I went back was a few different weapons - a longsword, a battleaxe, a spear and a shield.
I did a few other housekeeping things but in essence, when I got back to the farm it was well into late afternoon. I spent some time with Lylia but then went straight to meditation when I could. I informed my parents to give me some space and not bother me for a while. They just nodded and went about their day.
When the golden core hit 10% capacity, my innate ability [Enhance] lit up!
Time to use it…or not.
I felt the pulse of mana within me. It seemed quite a lot actually although for some reason there was no quantification on my status page. In my past timeline, I could see my mana and lifepool quantified making it easy to make decisions on casting or healing.
Nevermind.
I willed some mana out of the Golden core and into my fingertips. I infused each finger with a little bit of mana. Very gently, I traced a shape in the air with my fingers. As I drew in the air in front of me, I was also moving another wisp of mana inside of me, mirroring the exact movements.
I poured all my attention into this exercise. There can be no mistakes. A mistake would cause mental backlash that would leave someone with a mild headache for a few hours.
[You have learned the spell, Inspect]
[You have gained the skill, Mana Manipulation]
Success! I had a contented smile on my face.
In my previous timeline, I was pretty much a Jack-of-all-trades. I learned nearly a library worth of spells, even some that were oddly specific like [Weave Cloth]. Not all spells came with a SpellSheet but instead with a little tome. The difference was that a SpellSheet not only contained the instructions of the spell but also magic to help the receiver learn it. Once used, the magic dissipates and the sheet crumbles to duse. This allowed Inscriptionists and Arcanist to earn their trade. Tomes however are just like books but most contain a simple lock spell to only allow the receiver to open it.
Due to my fascination with spells, I became quite adept at learning them. My talent was poor so it only allowed me to utilize spells up to the third depth. But that did not mean I didn't know stronger, deeper spells; I just couldn't cast it.
In any case, [Inspect] was one of my favorites. It was a spell that magically gave me information on the object I cast it on. I think I was the only one to empower it up to the point where the history of the object could be gleaned. Most just left it at a level where it allowed for identification of duplicates or contraband.
Should I try to [Enhance] my [Inspect]? Yea why not.
All 10% of the mana contained in the Golden core rapidly drained. The skill pulsed a few times and then something new was added in.
—------------
Name: Thorwin Delcia
Mana core: Destiny (0.00%)
Level: 0
Exp: -/-
Stats:
Strength: 3
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Dexterity: 3
Vitality: 3
Perception: 4
Cognition: 5
Inflection: 5
Innate Ability: Enhance (Level 1)
Abilities: Iron Will (Level 1), Marksmanship (Level 1), Archery (Level 1)
Misc Abilities: Mercantilism (Level 1), Mana Manipulation (Level 1)
Spells: Greater Inspect (Level 1)
Techniques: Yin-Yang Universal Equilibrium (3% to Level 1)
—----------- -
Wow, I was pleasantly surprised. [Greater Inspect] was at least a couple of tiers above regular [Inspect]. It actually took quite a bit of time and mana to actually get it up that level.
But that was not all. Another popup showed up.
[Greater Inspect has improved stats: Perception improved by 1, Cognition improved by 1]
I paused for a moment. This had never happened once before in my past life. We gained stats by leveling up, exercise or practice. I had never heard of gaining stats by gaining skills. In my past life, I had hundreds of skills under my belt and it had never happened to me once.
—-------
Name: Thorwin Delcia
Mana core: Destiny (0.00%)
Level: 0
Exp: -/-
Stats:
Strength: 3
Dexterity: 3
Vitality: 3
Perception: 5
Cognition: 6
Inflection: 5
Innate Ability: Enhance (Level 1)
Abilities: Iron Will (Level 1), Marksmanship (Level 1), Archery (Level 1)
Misc Abilities: Mercantilism (Level 1), Mana Manipulation (Level 1)
Spells: Greater Inspect (Level 1)
Techniques: Yin-Yang Universal Equilibrium (3% to Level 1)
—---------
With an increase in Perception, I felt my senses sharpen just slightly and with an increase in Cognition, it felt easier to think and recall information.
I meditated for a little bit to get some mana and then went out of my room. Lylia was fast asleep in her room all snuggled up in her pillows and blankets.
WIlling the mana out of me, I casted [Greater Inspect] on my daughter. The mana took shape and settled onto her and information blossomed in my mind.
—-
Name: Lylia Delcia
Mana core: ??
Level: 1-2
Exp: ??
Status: Healthy…Asleep
Stats:
Strength: Feeble
Dexterity: Clumsy
Vitality: Healthy
Perception: Normal
Cognition: Bright
Inflection: Feeble
Innate Ability: ??
Abilities: ??
Misc Abilities: Eater (Level 2), Quick Learner (Level 1),
—---
An easy smile crept onto my face as I read the details of my daughter's stats. It was fairly vague, but it was still better than [Inspect] or even [Advanced Inspect]. I ruffled her hair and moved away.
I then cast the spell on my parents. My mother was fine but upon seeing the screen for my father I furrowed my brows in frustration.
—----------
Name: August Delcia
Mana core: ??
Level: 1-2
Exp: ??
Status: Weakening…Lung pathology
Stats:
Strength: Muscular
Dexterity: Normal
Vitality: Vibrant
Perception: Normal
Cognition: Normal
Inflection: Deep
Innate Ability: ??
Abilities: Farming (Level ??), Animal husbandry (Level ??), Carpentry (Level ??)
Misc Abilities: multiple
—----
Seems like there was something wrong with his lungs. It made sense then. His incessant coughing was a sign that we all easily missed. Guess this was something to do in the coming months.
After having something to eat, I thought about what I wanted to do for the next few months. The apocalypse would start in the next year and it was already nearing the end of summer. I didn't have much time left with so much to do. Getting my family ready, preparing the farm, getting stronger…the list felt endless.
But instead of getting worried or anxious, I felt a tinge of excitement. I knew what was going to happen, I knew how to fight and most of all I have my family to protect. This time I will wipe away the pain of losing my family and kill the Demon Emperor myself if I had to!