I don't have any butter to use for cooking the potatoes I found, so they're being eaten cooked over the fire without really anything to help with flavors or making them more palatable. I did have some wild greens I found to cook with them… but this is honestly the worst meal I've had in years. There's only so much I can do with as few ingredients I have and just a plain potato with some greens isn't much.
This is partially just a problem of my situation and has nothing to do with my actual cooking skills. I know how to cook with foraged ingredients as it's something I've done for years. This forest is just dense enough that it's hard to find ingredients in it right now, and I was actually surprised to find the potatoes. That, and I usually had at least butter or some oil to cook with as well, and that opens things up for more meals I could prepare.
Without the ingredients I'm used to having on-hand, the things I know how to cook aren't much. Even just catching something meaty would open up a lot more possibilities for me.
While I would prefer to avoid letting the locals know I'm here for at little while, I might reveal myself to one or two and hope they keep the secret for a little bit. That way, I can acquire some butter to cook with, and maybe cheese and milk as well. Sugar might not be a bad idea, either, as there are plenty of fruits and berries that I came across.
Even if I don't have bread to eat right now, I can make jams and just eat them plain.
Once my potato and greens are finished, I clean my dishes with water from the stream and set them to dry, then relax. Just finding the few ingredients I foraged took me all afternoon and I'm absolutely exhausted. The berries and apple I had for lunch didn't fill me at all.
At least I'll have more MP and Magic in the morning. That will make it easier for me to hunt something with meat to eat, even if I should be saving my mana as much as possible in case of an attack.
My entire body aches from the physical work I did today and while I should be saving mana due to how slowly it recovers… I don't really like this feeling. With a gesture toward myself, I cast [Lesser Heal]. All of the aches and soreness within my body fade away as a golden light envelops me.
[Holy Magic] is now Level 1! +100 MP +1 Magic
Right, even basic holy magics are enough for me to reach the early Skill Levels quickly. Most mages generally have to build up skill with other magics before even branching into holy magics if they ever do, but I already have all the skill necessary for it since I've been using them for years. It also normally takes a few casts of even the most basic of holy magics to gain a Skill Level… but I'm a bit special.
It's not just a matter of how difficult to use the spell is increasing the amount of Skill Experience they gain enabling my quicker growth – I require half the amount of Skill Experience and gain twice as much. That comes from two separate blessings I was granted over the course of my life, the former effect from the gods and the latter from spirits.
I hadn't thought about the blessings earlier as both of the spells used then would have earned me a Level regardless. They award a ton of Skill Experience on their own, far more than [Lesser Heal] does.
With my body soothed, I set up an actual place for me to sleep. I probably should have waited until after I did this to soothe my body, but I'll deal with the lighter soreness I'll get from it.
No canvas was given to me so I have to make do with branches from around the camp zone, but there are plenty of sturdy ones around here, even if I have to cut them off of a few trees.
A thicker, longer branch with a forked end is propped against a slimmer tree, then smaller-but-still thick branches are leaned against it on both sides, forming a triangular shelter. The entrance is by the trunk of the tree and will be a little bit of a squeeze, but it's suitable for me. Sheets of bark are placed to fill in gaps and provide protection against the wind. Some of the branches I used still have leaves on them – it's still cold out, but the mana in the soil enabled the trees to grow leaves early. Those leaves, combined with the bark, create a pretty good shield against the weather on the tent.
The main reason for the shelter is just to have a shelter, not out of a need. It probably won't deal with rain or snow that well, but it'll trap most of my heat in as I sleep while blocking out most of whatever wind manages to blow within the forest. Those two factors combined means it'll keep me warm as I sleep even without a fire or other items.
With a shelter set up, I locate a good, straight stick three feet in length and shave off all of its bark. Both ends are cut flat and smooth to finish it off, then I slash it down toward the ground a few times.
This seems good.
I channel mana into the stick and begin drawing runes on the ground at the center of the camp. Even if I want to conserve mana, this is an essential when I don't have a proper shelter, only a makeshift one. One set of runes is a vermin ward to keep small animals and bugs away. The second set of runes is a monster ward and keeps monsters away. Just in case there are monsters which can ignore the effects of the ward, a third set of runes creates a perimeter which will sound an alarm if something crosses it.
The trio of rune sets glow light blue with no pulse or shift. Good, becoming weaker didn't affect my warding ability too much. I do know that the wards will be weaker than they were before the reset, but nothing here should be a problem for that.
Each one of those costs 10 MP to set down and channeling them through the stick ruined it. I examine the makeshift tool, which has formed cracks all along it. A fourth spell would have broken it partway through, forcing me to start over on that one after preparing a new tool.
At least I'll recover a significant portion of my reserves while I sleep.
And speaking of sleep, I crawl into my makeshift shelter and close my eyes, quickly drifting off into my dreams.
----------------------------------------
I stand in a vast, grassy field with flowers and herbs growing throughout, the occasional bush, tree, or boulder dotting the landscape. A creek flows past where I stand, fish swimming down it with scales glittering lightly. Only the dark grey storm clouds in the sky hint at something less than serene, but I'm not bothered by that.
If I'm within my dreamworld after a pleasant dream regarding my ex-boyfriend, then that means-
"Hello, Aluci," I turn to face the wolf with pitch-black fur and golden eyes approaching from behind.
"Hello, Rowan," the dream beast's voice enters my mind directly.
Rare is the time he speaks when not within dreams and when he does, it's nearly always "directly into my mind", probably because we are in a dream. It's a bit odd he's not in his real form, but I don't question it. He doesn't show his real form to just anyone and he may just have felt like being in his shadow wolf form right now. I know he partially identifies with it due to how often he takes it on.
"How were things without me?" I ask.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"Chaotic," he answers. "But I feel you don't truly wish to know."
"I don't," I admit. "I left for a new life, away from it all. Something calmer, more peaceful."
"And ended up in Mistwood," the dream beast chuckles. "Not a bad place for what you want. How are the villagers?"
"Haven't met them yet," I tell them. "Zolbiatz sent me to an overgrown farm with a rotting cabin that's about four, five miles away from the nearest inhabited farm. He also reset my Status, so I'm a fair bit weaker. Setting up camp was not that fun."
"I can imagine," he says. "You're about to wake up naturally, so I'll leave now. See you when you wake."
"See you," I say, and the dream ends.
Upon waking, I notice both notifications in my vision and that a furry form is stretched out against me. Aluci didn't need to appear beside me but I guess he decided to for whatever reasons he has.
I stroke his fur a little as I check the notification.
As you slept, you have grown a little more… [Time Magic] is now Level 2! [Elemental Magic] is now Level 2! [Holy Magic] is now Level 2! +300 MP +3 Magic
I check my Status to confirm the stat increases even though I know they'll have occurred. It's really more to remind myself of my current strength than anything.
Rowan Zovanzik HP: 100/100 HP Regen: 0.001/second MP: 197/700 MP Regen: 0.007/second Strength: 10 Constitution: 10 Dexterity: 10 Magic: 16 Mind: 10
That's more mana and magical power, but still quite a bit less than I'm comfortable with even if I were at the maximum amount I can currently hold. I'll try to avoid going below 100 MP today now that I'm above it.
"Alright," I tap Aluci. "Up and out."
Aluci crawls out of my shelter, then I do the same and restart the fire from yesterday. The sun hasn't begun to rise yet, which makes things even darker under the cover of the trees. Colder, too.
Once the fire is going and I'm warming up a little, I eat an apple and some berries and Aluci disappears off into the forest. He'll probably return once he's eaten or explored a little. I could probably ask him to find me something more suitable for a meal than what I have, but the odds of him actually doing it are low.
I might be his favorite human, but that doesn't mean he'll interfere with things. Mostly, he's just a companion or a mount.
Once the sun rises some more, I clear out more of the area around my small camp. Just a day has passed but there's enough mana in the soil that the underbrush already encroached a full foot back into where I'd cleared yesterday. I extend the boundary out another five feet in all directions this time even if it's more work than the initial camp.
With my experience from doing it yesterday, however, I'm a little bit faster today. Cut the stems like this rather than that, make sure to dig up the roots when I can, and don't rush myself. Small changes which speeds things up a little bit more, and I figure out a few new ones.
Near the end of this clearing session, I find something both interesting and useful. A small cluster of herbs which might seem to be weeds to someone who either doesn't know their properties or can't read.
The leaves of the herb have a wedge-shaped base and are ovate for the rest, with slightly-jagged edges similar to spikes. While primarily green, there's a blue fade near around the edges starting about halfway down, growing more bold the closer to the tip it is. The typical ones I've seen have a more faint blue touch than these ones do, but this area is rich enough in mana for them to be stronger.
[Mana Mint] An herb with a minty taste, which draws in mana through its roots and stores them in its leaves.
The number of times I've seen people think they're just weeds or a rare variant of mint is rather absurd. They can be used like mints, though they don't spread the same way mint does and so don't need as much containment.
Ignorance comes from lack of experience and lack of ability to read. Commoners generally aren't taught how to read, so it's mainly royals, nobles, clergy, merchants, and some adventurers and mercenaries. Knowing how to read isn't necessary for commoners to live their lives so they aren't taught it unless they need to learn. That limits who can read what's presented by System messages and windows, even if it doesn't affect their ability to gain Skills.
Which is why most people don't realize just how useful plants like this herb can be.
Their real value is in alchemy. If one knows what they're doing, they can draw out the mana within them and use them as a reagent for brewing up mana potion. It's difficult to grow them on one's own, however, as they need mana-rich soil. That can be made artificially with magic crystals, but areas naturally rich in mana require less work.
Most areas where these grow only have enough ambient mana for the mana mints to have about a fifth to a quarter as much mana as these ones do. I knew I'd find some stronger ones with how close I am to the Mistwood but I didn't expect to find them so close to camp.
That's a good sign. Other reagents useful for brewing up mana potion might not be too far away.
I leave the small patch of mana mint in the soil – there are only three of the plants – and clear everything within five feet of them. Brewing my own potions will increase how much mana I can use if I can find the reagents to do so. With how isolated the Mistwood area is, the price for me to buy them would be pretty high as well.
Especially the ones suitable for me after I've built back up some of my previous strength. I doubt I'll really return to what I had before Zolbiatz reset my status, but even a quarter of that is an immense amount of mana, which I used regularly.
Once I finish clearing what I'm working on right now, I look at Aluci, who's lazing about by the dead fire. He's probably pretending it's warming him a little even though he doesn't need to.
"I can light it for you again if you want," I tell Aluci, who just looks at me for a moment before resting his head on his paws once again. He can do it himself, but it doesn't hurt to offer. "Alright, then. I'm going to go hunt me something to eat. I need something a bit more… filling than just some stuff I foraged."
While I'd prefer to conserve my mana, I've also never been so hungry in my life. Nothing has attacked me yet so I'm sure I'm fine to use a little bit more than necessary.
I exit the camp and look for signs of an animal passing through. Something small, preferably, so I don't have to worry about preserving the meat.
It doesn't take me very long to spot the tracks of a rabbit. Small depressions in the soil. Recent but probably not in this morning. That's not too old, however.
Gesturing over the tracks, I cast [Track]. The spell costs 1 MP per second while it's active so I can't have it on for too long, but its range stretches 25 feet per 1 Magic, giving it a current range of 400 feet. What it does is highlights within my vision all tracks of the same type, creating a sort of trail I can follow.
It's also much more complex than [Telekinesis] despite having the same mana cost, and this one use of it is enough to finish giving me the Skill Experience needed for another Level as I follow it.
[Arcane Magic] is now Level 1! +100 MP +1 Magic
I dismiss the notification as I focus on my task. Rabbits generally stick close to their homes so I should be able to find it rather quickly.
A thought which proves true, as I manage to find the rabbit within a minute by following the trails. Whether it's the same one which created the tracks I first spotted or another, it doesn't matter. A gesture with my right hand and a [Magic Missile] soars forward, slamming into the rabbit's right eye before it even realizes it's under threat.
The shimmering bolt of blue force delivers concussive force upon impact and would normally blow such a weak animal's head off. Or at least, it should at my strength. It not doing so this time could be a case of the rabbit simply being stronger than a normal one due to the area, but it's more than likely it's because I struck the animal through the eye. I have enough control and precision with my casting that I can shrink the size of a [Magic Missile] and strike a precise spot.
My spell might normally deliver a noticeable amount of damage to a creature, but this one delivered it all straight into the rabbit's brain.
Today's lunch will be quite nice.