Ali stood in front of the store, wondering if he was still dreaming. When he got up in the morning, Aok told him that he would learn wood carving from the master in the slums and his lessons would end once the order was completed. After that, he had free will as to whether or not he wished to continue. When the teenager asked about the list of tasks he was given on the first day, Aook told him that the others can split the tasks between themselves. Thus, he was standing outside a store he had been inside once.

When does this store open? I hope I don’t have to stand for another hour.

“Ah good! You’re here!”

The teenager turned to see the store owner there. The man introduced himself as Ryu and led him to the back of the store where there was a building easily double the size of the store.

“This is where we will do our wood carving. I will pass to you an ability you have to master if you want to get this order completed in time. Don't throw away this opportunity to learn something useful.”

Before he left for the store, Ali was told by Aok to study professional abilities from one of the books on Aok's bookshelf. Professional abilities, as opposed to combat abilities, could be freely transferred between individuals with no penalties to either side. In addition, there was no limit to how many professional abilities one possessed. Unlike combat abilities, the levels of professional abilities could decrease if the individual didn’t use it. In other words, the ability could vanish altogether if the individual left it idle long enough.

“Once you get the skill, be sure to practice with the failed wood carvings to get a feel for it. Let me know when you reach level 3.”

Ryu walked over with his palm up. Few seconds later, a gray light appeared and the man told Ali to touch the light. The teenager did as he was told.

<

Congratulations! You just acquired a new ability!

[

Ability: Wood Carving

Level: 1

Level Up Requirements: Achieve mastery of wood carving with each mastery leveling up the ability by 1.

Type: Professional

Description:

Using a metal blade, the user can start making wood carvings. Higher the level, the better the end result. Any metal blade can be used but there are recommended ones for wood carvers.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Cost: None

Cooldown: None

]

>

Ali stared at the prompt, unimpressed with the ability. He learned from the prompt that professional abilities leveled up differently depending on the actual skill. He had to actually try the skill to see how it worked. Therefore, he sought out the failed wood carvings first in the building. Next, he found a tool with a sharp blade that seemed suitable for the task. He sat down and began to work. Unsure what he should do, he simply started carving away. An hour later, he made twelve spoons. The first couple looked awful but even he could see the progress by comparing the later ones. By the twelfth one, he could proudly claim he made an acceptable spoon. Apparently, the prompt agreed with him.

<

Your wood carving ability has leveled up to level 2.

( 43 / 68 XP to Level Up)

>

Ali was surprised to see him leveling up. Then, he realized that it was foolish for him to believe otherwise. Some of the best artisans and craftspeople were strong individuals due to their stats. Their high level of mastery helped them gain the necessary stats to continue working their trade and, if needed, made them acceptable in combat. High stats made those people stronger than ordinary people but they still couldn't make up for the absence of high level combat skills. For him, this was a useful approach to help him level up without needing to expose himself to danger.

Now I’m pumped! Better reach level 3 and see what Ryu has in store for me!

Now that he got an idea of how the ability worked, Ali simply allowed his hands to guide him. They seemed to know what they wanted to create, unlike his brain. Once another hour passed, he stared down at his latest creation. The initial few carvings looked like incomplete spheres but the later ones eventually resembled an apple. Feeling that he could do better, he kept at it until he finally got one that could be mistaken for the actual fruit.

<

Your wood carving ability has leveled up to level 3.

( 45 / 68 XP to Level Up)

>

Ali then sought out Ryu who was busy in the yard. Seeing the store owner hauling the wooden blocks into the storehouse, the teenager went and helped. When they were done, the storeroom was so full that they could barely close the door to it. The two of them had to push hard against the door to force it closed.

“By the end of the month, we will go through most of those wooden blocks.”

“Those are for the orders?”

“Yes,” said Ryu. “Let me see your hands.”

While he studied Ali’s hands, Ryu said that the hands of an artisan revealed a lot about the person. In the few hours that the teenager worked on wood carving, he would have calluses to show for his work. Satisfied with what he was seeing, Ryu told Ali to clean up the workplace in the building. Due to how well organized everything was, the teenager didn’t have to ask where things went. He cleaned off the workbench first before he did a general sweep. Everything was returned to where they belonged and, by the end, the building’s interior looked clean. The teenager then reported to Ryu for his next task.

“Go to Aok’s shop to pick up some portraits. He should be done by now!”

Despite being confused why he was picking up portraits, Ali went to retrieve what he was told to do. When he arrived, the others had already left for their tasks and only Aok was at the shop counter.

“I’m here for the portraits,” he said upon entering.