Months passed without anyone being able to prevent it. During this time, things were improving for Zack. Thanks to the help of his new workers, he was able to make progress in his studies at a good pace. Due to the concentration of mana in the village dungeon, the plants Rea collected had better quality than those found in the forest.
As the first plants in the dungeon were always full of adventurers entering and exiting its depths, there were no monsters to worry about. In the rare cases he had to face them, they were individual monsters, so he suffered no injuries. One could consider it taking walks in the dungeon.
Sally's job was not difficult either. Thanks to the help of the orphanage children, who communicated with other children, they could find out if their parents were sick or if any of them were not well. Once they told Sally what they had done that day, she would visit the sick people with a gift and discreetly mention it to the doctor. This not only made the people in the village view her more favorably but also increased donations to the orphanage. In comparison, all Zack got was a couple of new patients who seemed to come here to die.
The person who had a tough time was Max. Once his wounds healed, Max stopped staying at the orphanage taking care of the children, and started replacing Zack on his walks to the forest. Max's task was to gather herbs necessary for the potions. Unlike the dungeon herbs, which had magical properties due to the terrain they grew in, not all forest herbs were useful for Zack. To address this, Zack had him memorize the local herbs during the recovery period.
Max, like many other young adults, couldn't read. In fact, most people in this world can't read. Considering that most skills are learned orally from parents to children, no one finds it necessary to learn such a thing. Max was no exception. Like most orphans, Max learned his skills from whoever he could. Learning to read is a luxury that only nobles, merchants, and classes with a lot of necessary information, like mages or doctors, need to acquire.
There wasn't enough time to teach Max to read, so he could only memorize the appearance of the plants. This gave Zack free time to focus on learning magic. His progress in these months was not the same. One should not underestimate his study speed. Thanks to his abnormal speed in class-related matters, coupled with his title, his progress in a day equaled that of almost two weeks for a common mage apprentice.
The reason he suspects he hasn't reached the maximum level for his class is due to one thing. His growth is purely theoretical. Normally, mages, like most combat-applicable classes, delve into dungeons to level up more quickly. Zack, on the other hand, dedicates himself to studying magical theories, spells, and practical applications of magic, without killing monsters to level up. This could be considered the purest way to level up, instead of using the universal method that is dungeons.
Of course, this is not without benefits. In fact, he is sure that his knowledge and mastery of tier 1 magical arts are superior to many tier 2 mages. A more solid knowledge base will allow him to ascend to the next tier more easily and have more class options. Also, seeing the level number slowly rising gives him a tremendous sense of satisfaction. If anyone knew what he was thinking, they would go to his house to teach him what it means to level up slowly. Compared to anyone else, his level increase is astronomical. Soon he won't be able to level up anymore.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"Woof Woof." The bark woke him from his fantasies. A small dog was pulling at his leg, urging him to keep walking. He was currently at the market with Titan. Supplies at home were running out, and it was time to restock. These days, he had been so focused on learning new spells that he had neglected Titan a bit. That's why lately, every time they went for a walk, Zack gave him a small reward.
Money was no longer a problem. As long as he didn't squander, there was nothing wrong with having some luxury. The longer they took on the walk, the later he would receive his reward. That was unacceptable for their furry companion.
"Woof" "I'm coming. I'm coming. Let me go," he responded to the small dog's harassment. Watching this scene, it was difficult to say who was the owner and who was the domesticated animal.
"Doctor Matthew." Just as he was finishing shopping for provisions, a voice sounded behind him. All the hairs on his body stood on end, and a chill ran down his spine. Zack recognized that voice. He turned around slowly, hoping his fears were unfounded, but they were real.
In front of him, a middle-aged woman with curly hair looked at him with a smile that sent shivers down his spine. Behind her, two or three women of the same age looked at him the same way.
"Good morning, Doctor Matthew. What a coincidence. Are you also shopping?" the woman said, approaching him without waiting for him to answer her question.
With each step she took, Zack's desire to run away increased, but somehow he stood firm in place. "Hello, Greta," he finally replied with an uncomfortable smile.
"Oh, Doctor Matthew, don't be so formal. You can call me Aunt Greta if you like," she said, still smiling.
"By the way, the last time we met, I told you that you could come to my house to talk whenever you wanted, but sadly, you didn't show up. A slight tremor ran through his body, and small beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He had the premonition that if he didn't answer correctly, things could go very wrong.
Why haven't you come to visit me? Those words echoed in his mind every second, like a countdown explosive about to reach zero. "I-I would have liked to, but I've been very busy with my patients," he finally said. "With so many people preparing for the festival, it's inevitable that there are injuries. Because of that, I haven't been able to come to your house. I'm very sorry."
"The festival," Greta murmured to herself. "It's true that there has been a lot of commotion lately, and people have been very busy."
Greta turned her head and began to observe the festival decorations. Due to the proximity of the festival, everyone was busy. Merchants prepared unique and exotic things to sell, and mercenaries walked more often through the village streets instead of spending all day in the dungeon.
Taking a last look, Greta looked at him and smiled kindly. "If that's the case, it can't be helped. I'll forgive you this time but don't forget to visit me. My niece is looking forward to seeing you again."
Before he could calm down, voices sounded that made him tense.
"Greta, that's not fair. It's not fair to monopolize him. Doctor, I have a daughter who is very interested in meeting someone as attractive as you."
"Your daughter has two suitors. It's not appropriate. I know a single young lady who would be very interested in being invited for a walk someday."
"Doctor..."
Zack spent the next half-hour trying to convince a group of middle-aged ladies that he was still too young to get married. Questions and invitations were constantly thrown in his direction. They talked about anything humanly possible. His life, what he had done these days, his relationship with the orphanage, his three workers. They even talked about his business with the merchant to whom he sold ointments. Basically, anything he had done since he arrived in the village was discussed in depth.
By the time they finished, his legs were trembling, and he could barely stand. The traumas of his last encounter had come back to stay. If possible, he would like to avoid her as much as possible.
"By the way, Doctor Matthew," Greta said with a satisfied smile. Obviously, she hadn't had so much fun in a long time. "Uh?" Zack said, almost instinctively. "Have you heard the latest rumors about the festival?"