"Good afternoon!" A cheerful voice greets me as the door opens, and I look over to see a regular customer entering.

Lana is a warrior-type Rank 1 who's been coming here for about three months now, so I've been expecting her to stop showing up any day now. She's fifteen years old, and has jet-black hair that she's tied up in a ponytail and yellow eyes that are as full of energy as usual.

While she's wearing jeans and a pink t-shirt, she also has leather armor over it and her sword fixed onto her left hip. Judging by the blood, dirt, and other grime on her gear, she recently left a Dungeon and hasn't changed yet.

"Hello, Lana," I place a bookmark in my book and close it. "How are you this afternoon?"

"Not bad!" She answers. "Just wanted to let you know that while your shop's helped me out a lot the last few months, I reached another Level today and need some better potions than what you offer."

While she probably doesn't know about the new mana potions I began selling yesterday, telling her won't change this much. As a warrior, she needs health potions more than mana potions and I don't have a higher quality of those yet.

"Congratulations," I tell her. "Would you like a list of potion shops I recommend for warriors?"

"No, thanks," she flashes me a cheerful smile. "I was given several recruitment offers today, so I'm going to check out guilds tomorrow!"

"Good luck," I tell her. "Make sure to inquire about the potions allotments for Dungeons, as well as their policies on how much you can purchase per day and week. Some guilds restrict those heavily and you can get a feel for how good they'll be to you with Dungeons from their answers."

"Thanks!" She responds. "I'll keep that in mind! Have a good day, Evan!"

"You as well," I tell her. "And happy hunting."

Lana leaves, and I return to reading, up until my phone pings. That's my personal phone rather than my professional one, so I can make a guess as to who it is even before I grab it and unlock the screen so I can view the notification properly. I have it set to hide notification contents outside of what it's from, just in case.

With my phone unlocked, I'm able to confirm that it's a chat notification from Ryan, who's attached an image along with some text. This has become the norm ever since we swapped personal numbers yesterday, him sending me texts and pictures.

As has the image he's set for me changing. We're able to see what image is set for us by the other person in the actual chat itself, as it shows up beside our messages. It seems he's switched mine again, this time to one I uploaded last summer, which has me sitting cross-legged on the ground with a towel spread out in front of me, a variety of loot pieces on it. It was after a scavenger run where I'd come across some lucky finds and wanted to share it with my friends, and is in the album only accessible by those I've listed as friends on the app.

Though Ryan's snipped it down so it's only showing me from the torso-up, concealing most of the loot in the image. In the shot, I'm wearing my usual outfit style with a brown inner shirt and light green outer shirt.

The message Ryan sent is before the image, and I chuckle a little after reading it.

[Ryan]: Might've hit it a little too hard

The image shows him posing beside the corpse of what looks like a mixture between a bull, a scorpion, and a bear. Its dark grey skin is littered with smaller wounds, and its head is completely smashed in.

He was called to do a Rank 1-1 Dungeon run with some fresh Awakened today, and I'm guessing that's the boss of the Dungeon. I've seen them a few times, though I've let other scavengers harvest from them as. Their hides are good for beginner armor and meat tastes alright, but I can usually fill my pack with reagents good for alchemy, materials for making scrolls, and metals I find in either scrap items or ore stones.

Since Ryan attacked, the fresh Awakened were probably struggling. They were likely the source of the other wounds on the beast while he probably punched its head or something.

The outfit he's wearing right now looks good on him, and is neither his usual outfit when I see him nor the outfit he wore yesterday, which I've learned is his training outfit.

Brown leather armor over a black, long-sleeved shirt, brown leather gloves on his hands, black pants, brown leather armor over his knees and waist area, and brown leather boots. A belt is fixed around his waist, though it only has a sword and a knife attached to it. Peeking out from under his right sleeve is a bracelet I suspect is a storage item, and a buckler rests on the ground beside him.

Looking good as always, though he also seems a bit sweaty despite being significantly overpowered in comparison to the Dungeon he was in.

After examining the picture for a few moments, I type up and send a reply.

[Evan]: Done for the day or got more?

Hunter phones have some functionality in Dungeons, including short-distance communication, but they can't contact outside in any form. Ryan's out of the Dungeon now, but he might still have some stuff to do before he's properly done with the run, such as receiving compensation.

A reply comes almost immediately after I respond.

[Ryan]: Just exited a minute ago still gotta get paid for the run and loot

[Evan]: Cool.

[Evan]: Enjoy the rest of the day!

[Ryan]: I plan on it!

[Ryan]: Going to go home and take a good long hot shower that one was really humid

Ah. It was a humid Dungeon. That monster isn't typically in a humid one, or I would've realized it from his damp appearance.

I wish him luck, then return to reading. A few minutes later, the door to my shop open, a soft tone sounding out.

When I look over, I see another long-time customer entering the shop. All of my long-time customers must know each other or something as she's the ninth in two days and all of them after Adam has mentioned being told by someone that I sell mana potions up to 500 MP per ounce now. Considering that each of the other eight all confirmed they're Rank 4 or Rank 5, she probably is as well.

Jenna, the twenty-one-year-old customer, has been coming here for about two and a half years now, though she never wears her hunting gear anymore even if she still carries her staff with a greenish-blue crystal at the top of it. Her blond hair has been left down how it usually is when she's here, her green eyes energetic.

"Hello, Evan!" Jenna greets me as she approaches. "How are you this afternoon?"

"I'm doing good," I answer. "How are you?"

"Fantastic!" She answers. "Is the Dungeon drought still affecting you?"

"A little," I answer. "But I Awakened recently and have Daily Dungeons that are helping out. As you can see up on the board, I've expanded my stock to include potions which restore up to 500 MP per ounce. I'm not sure yet how long that will be in stock."

"Might get some of those," she says.

"Do you use the potions you buy here as a reward for newbie hunters who do well in Dungeons?"

"How did you know?" Her eyes widen in surprise.

"Because nearly every Rank 4 and Rank 5 who comes here and buys the same thing each time does that," I answer. "Just as a way to support a traditional alchemist they like."

"Damn," she smiles. "You've been asking people, huh?"

"You're the ninth long-time customer to show up in two days," I chuckle. "I rarely see more than three or four in a week, including the one who usually shows up later on in the week. It seems you all know each other."

"I did hear that you were carrying stock of mana potions up to 500 per ounce," she admits. "Wanted to see if it was real or a prank."

"Another who heard it from Adam, huh?" I ask, causing her to laugh. "You're a long-time customer who's earned my trust, so I wanted to let you know that I have additional stock as well. It's only for long-time customers I like, though, so I do ask that you tell no one."

"My lips are sealed," she makes a sealing motion over her mouth. "What's the extra stock?"

Jenna purchases a little bit of everything in the special stock I'm carrying, including three gallons of the mana potion with 3,500 MP per ounce. It's probably a good thing I was able to make nearly fifty gallons of that by itself.

They're all purchasing one to five gallons of it, and I need some for my Daily Dungeons as well, just in case they take more MP than I can hold. At this rate, I might actually run out of it before the week ends.

"In case you were wondering," Jenna says after making her purchases. "I'm Rank 5, too. Level 14, nearly 15."

"Good luck," I tell her. "I've also somewhat relaxed one of my rules and don't mind being friends or having non-professional contact with customers who've earned access to this special stock, either."

"Non-professional?" She asks.

"Yes," I respond. "Things like being friends, or just chatting about things, or whatever. Some of them have been sending me pictures of monsters they took down in Dungeons."

Ryan isn't the only one who's done that. Adam has, two other men have, and a woman has. That makes five of the nine Rank 4 and Rank 5 customers who've visited my shop yesterday and today who've begun doing that.

Stolen story; please report.

"Okay!" She pulls out her phone. "I take it this means personal contact number?"

"It does," I pull out my phone.

We exchange contacts, then Jenna thanks me for the day and leaves. As she exits my shop, my phone pings with a notification alert. It's another message from Adam.

[Ryan]: Or not

[Ryan]: Rank 3-1 Dungeon just appeared so gotta go do that

[Evan]: Good luck!

[Ryan]: Thanks

I continue reading my book until it's time to close up my shop. Right after I've made sure the after-hours security enchantments are active, my phone ring.

"Rare for you to call me right after I close up for the day," I say. "Did you get something rare in?"

"No," Cassidy responds. "Remember that customer throwing a fit when you came in the other day?"

"The one unhappy about the pricing?"

"Yeah," she answers. "It turns out that he has the Dark Infection."

"The Dark Infection?" I ask. "Are you sure?"

The Dark Infection is something which can affect the Awakened from time to time. No one is entirely sure of what causes it, but cases of it have risen in recent years. Those affected start to turn irrational, their anger spikes over even the smallest thing, and they can grow violent toward themselves and toward others.

While there is a cure for it, it's difficult to produce due to needing rare reagents. Most who become affected by it are isolated until a cure can be produced if they don't progress to a stage where they need to be put down.

"Positive," she answers. "His girlfriend was just in here, and she told me while apologizing for what happened the other day. She thought something was wrong when she saw him Saturday evening and convinced him to get checked out. He's been placed in isolation until a cure can be brewed up, but it might be some time before reagents for it can be located."

"Let's hope it can happen soon," I say. "The amount of cases are rising."

"And the Dungeons are decreasing," she says. "The report just came out a little bit ago, but spawns and loot were seven percent lower last week than the previous."

It's still decreasing?

"We can only hope things improve," I say. "Hey, something just came up, so I should let you go. Have a good day, Cassidy."

"Have a good one, Evan!"

I hang up and pocket my phone as I head to my workshop area, reading the notification floating in my vision.

A Special Quest is available! Slay all of the goblins in the special zone. Reward: 5,000 EXP

Special Quests are relatively rare, occurring maybe once every seven or eight years for an individual. I'm receiving one within a week of becoming an Awakened, and while Dungeon spawn rates are dropping. Even the rate of Special Quests have been, as they were around once every two or three years just a few centuries ago.

While the EXP reward is rather high, Special Quests are known for having disproportionately high rewards for the difficulty of the task assigned. This probably won't be any more difficult than anything I've done so far.

I check my hunting pack to make sure it's prepared, then accept the Quest. Both of my phones are Tier 7 hunters' phones now, so there's no reason for me to pull them out and I might even have something to take a picture of in the…

This is the Mythic Forest I have a gate to, except it has goblins in it again, just like for my Awakening Quest.

Slay all of the goblins within the special zone. Slay all goblins: 0/200 Time Limit: None

Where did all of these goblins come from? As much as I'd like to know that, I doubt I'll receive answers so I get to work on clearing the goblins. They're all just as easy as they were for my Awakening Quest, and I make sure to collect their essence crystals after downing them. With the storage bracelet I purchased on Saturday, there's no reason for me to not collect the loot.

The moment I complete the Quest, I find myself back in my workshop, a new notification in my vision.

Special Quest completed! +5,000 EXP

It didn't let me collect the final essence crystal. I suppose it's not really necessary since I'm earning more money now than before even with the increased costs I have now. My earnings from the extras are more than plenty.

I pull off my pack and access my Gate to the Mythic Forest. When I appear in it, I appear in the same spot I finished the Special Quest in… and find myself face-to-face with a giant worm.

The worm is about three feet in diameter with a body which is mostly beneath the soil, a silver-blue in color rather than pink or a shade of brown. Near its head are a pair of silver markings which resemble eyes, and ithas no teeth, meaning it's not a monster, just some sort of magic beast.

One which tilts its head for a moment as I stare at it, wondering what it is and what's going on. As I do that, an item information window pops up in my vision, despite the worm being a living creature.

Lifeseed Worm Category: Mythical A mythical-class creature with the ability to quickly process monsters and purify anything which it consumes, the magic within its body produces extraordinarily fertile soil.

With how dead the soil has been, he might be the only non-monster around. Even the normal creatures that would take care of decomposition might have died off long ago. This guy uses magic to do it, so the soil probably comes out more fertile than most would make. It probably even produces it more quickly, too.

"You're doing a good job," I reach out and touch the lifeseed worm's head. "Did you take care of the goblins last time?"

It lifts and lowers its head a few times, in a nod.

"Thank you," I look around.

He's already consumed most of the goblin corpses, which further supports the idea that time is different here. Less time passed between my exit and reentry this time than for the last one, even though I spent a little bit longer between the two this time.

Which means that there might not be an actual passage equivalent. How long passes here between my visits might not be consistent.

I let the lifeseed worm return to its job as I kneel down and examine a mound created by it eating a goblin. The soil is dark and rich, filled with nutrients. Completely unlike the rest of the soil, including the mounds last time I was here. Enough time must have passed that the nutrients in the new soil… I guess disappeared somehow.

Before, the soil wasn't fertile enough so planting something here would have been pointless. Now, though, there's fertile soil. It's possible I can start to revitalize this place, even if just a little. Even a small amount of plants might make a big difference over time as they grow, die, and decompose.

If they can decompose.

"Hey, Mrow?" I look over at the lifeseed worm, which turns its head to face me. "Would you be willing to deposit your soil at the hill?" I point at the hill. "I want to try something, but it would probably be best if most of the fertile soil is in the same area. Spread out, not piled up."

The mythical beast nods again, then begins depositing its newly-formed soil at the hill. As I think about if I should try and leave to grab a shovel and return in the hopes not much time passes, I realize something.

The worm responded when I called it "Mrow", and I have no idea why I called it that. I suppose it doesn't matter, either, even if it does have me curious. It's probably from [Animal Communication], one of my Skills. Level 1 doesn't give me much communication ability, but I probably picked up on the name from the worm itself.

Once all of the remaining goblins are processed by the lifeseed worm and the new soil deposited on and around the hill, I walk over to it and examine the space.

"Is your name 'Mrow'?" I ask, and the mythical beast nods. "Mine's Evan. Are you able to process plants as well?" It nods. "Okay. I'm going to try and plant some stuff here. Try to take care of it for me in my absence, okay?"

Mrow nods, then I walk to the peak of the hill and kneel as I hold out my right hand, activating one of my Skills.

[Grow Plant] Level: 1 Grow a plant using your magical power. Cost: 1,000 MP Casting Time: 30 seconds Range: 3.5"

Magic provides everything the plant needs to grow, including the seed itself and all of the nutrients, so no other preparations were needed. The reason I want fertile soil for this is because it gives the plants something for after they grow.

A gold-and-green light flows out of my hand once the Skill finishes activating, and it sinks into the fertile soil. From it sprouts… a single blade of grass. It seems that it can only grow a single plant per cast.

That doesn't make me stop, though, and I drink some of the mana potion from the bottle on my hip. After taking on the goblins, I didn't have much MP left and could only afford one cast. Repeatedly replenishing my reserves will be necessary for me to try this.

The bottle holds 32oz of potion, or ninety-six casts of [Grow Plant], and the spell's effect is based on what can grow in that location and the Magic of the caster. There's a possibility for flowers as well in this spot, I think. Based on my research into the magic, the spell grows things that are native to the area when it's health, but only nonmagical plants.

I use up half of the bottle on growing blades of grass in a small patch. There was hope for more but it seems there's not with my current Magic. It's still a start, however, so I refresh my MP again and use a different Skill.

[Boost Plant Growth] Level: 1 Boost the growth of a plant using your magic. Cost: 1,000 MP Casting Time: 30 seconds Duration: 3 seconds Range: 4'8"

Much like [Growth Plant], [Boost Plant Growth] supplies the necessary nutrients via magic so what's in the soil now doesn't matter for it.

The goal for this is to grow some of the grass tall enough for them to seed so that they can spread more quickly. What surprises me for this is that it doesn't affect just one plant like [Grow Plant] did. Instead, it affects all of the grass within its range – which is all of the grass that's here.

Three seconds of growth brings the 2" blades of grass up to 5". A second cast brings them up to 8", and there are seeds on them now. I tear off the top 5" of the grass and bury them in the fertile soil, then repeat the process, again and again until I run out of mana.

This might not be the proper process, but magic makes it work.

Now, there's a decent-sized patch of grass here. As I worked on this, additional grass sprouted up on its own, and I'm not entirely sure why. I didn't grow up with a yard so all of this work was based just on what I could conclude from grass and seeds.

"Mrow," I say once I can't use [Boost Plant Growth] anymore, and the giant worm looks at me. "I'm heading out now. I'll be back again."

Mrow wiggles its head in what seems to be happiness, then burrows back into the ground.

I access my Gate and return to my workshop, then clean my hands off before checking my phone, having been sent messages by Ryan while I was working on the grass. They consist of an image, a message, an image, and then several messages.

The first image is of him sitting on fallen log, a bunch of dead chest-high cat monsters scattered around him, with another that was probably thirty feet to the shoulders right behind him. Ryan himself looks a little bit ruffled, but there's no new damage to his armor.

[Ryan]: Finally done shower time!

The image that follows that is blurred with a system message right above it.

[Notice]: Ryan Sekirts has sent you a nude image. You will need to confirm if you wish to view it.

Since I don't have my phone set up to allow nudes from just anyone, anyone I haven't granted permission to send them to me will have that message pop up and the image be blurred. The series of messages which follows that makes clear it was an accidental send.

[Ryan]: OMG I'M SO SORRY

[Ryan]: THAT WASN'T FOR YOU

[Ryan]: THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO GO TO SOMEONE ELSE I'M SO SORRY

[Ryan]: THAT WASN'T MEANT FOR YOU I'M SORRY

[Ryan]: I put your icon above the icon for a woman I hook up with regularly and that moved her down a spot so you're in the same spot and I tapped that spot out of habit and sent before realizing I'm so sorry that wasn't meant for you

[Ryan]: I really don't send that stuff to people I don't know are cool with it

[Ryan]: You and I don't have that sort of relationship anyway

[Ryan]: It really wasn't meant for you I'm sorry!

[Evan]: It's cool. Accident happen. Going to get dinner and then do my Daily Dungeon. Good luck.

I knew he was a little socially awkward, but he really panicked over that. It seems he doesn't swing this way, which is a little disappointing, though I'm fine with that.

Though maybe once I do my Daily Dungeon, I'll contact one of my regular hookups. Just the thought that Ryan sent me such a pic has me a little excited down there.