Nyx Shadowbrook sat at his small desk, looking at the papers in front of him. His purple eyes were full of worry as he counted up some numbers. He had been learning from Aria Nightwhisper, and it was time to figure out how much he owed her.

"Three thousand gold pieces," he whispered, his voice very quiet.

Nyx felt scared. Aria had never asked for money, and he had never offered to pay. But he felt bad because she had told him the cost at the start. Nyx looked at his money bag – he only had 1,130 gold pieces. That’s not nearly enough. Nyx felt sick to his stomach he wasn't sure if it was from a recovery potion, but knot in his heart was real.

That night, feeling nervous, Nyx went to Aria's shop. When he went inside, he could smell all the fragrances of herbs.

"Master Nightwhisper," he said, his voice shaking a little, "I need to talk to you about something important."

Aria looked up from her work table, her silver eyes narrowing. "What is it, Nyx?"

Nyx took a deep breath and explained everything how he hadn’t been paying, and how he didn't have enough money, and how he couldn't keep learning from her. As he talked, Aria looked surprised and shocked.

"I had no idea," she said, her nice voice sounding surprised. "I thought you were from a rich family, since you spent so much time here."

Aria cleared her throat and said, "Let's just make it 500 gold. It's partly my fault too for not being clear about our deal." She paused, then added with hope in her voice, "Would you like to be my apprentice?"

"No."

Nyx's quick answer hung in the air, heavy and unexpected. Aria looked sad, and her eyes got wet with tears.

"Why?" she asked, her voice sad and desperate.

Nyx felt bad when he heard how sad she sounded. He explained about his family how they had given up so much for his school, how he felt he owed them, and now he needed to start sending money home soon to help with their situation.

As he finished, Aria nodded slowly, understanding in her eyes. "I see," she said softly. "Your love for your family is very good, Nyx. I wish you the best in what you do."

With a heavy heart, Nyx left Aria's shop. His money bag now had 630 gold pieces a lot for some people, but just a start for what he wanted to do.

The next morning, Nyx went to the Arcanum City Bank. He had plans for a farm and an alchemist shop in his mind. He was happy when they said he could take out a loan 1,500 gold pieces, but they would keep 600 as a promissory note. He had to pay back 200 gold a month for a year, or 600 gold after the first three months, which would be a first harvest his crops. Basically he would have to pay back 2,400 gold for his 1,500 gold loan.

"Even a lesser noble family is still a noble family," the banker had said with a small smile.

With his money ready, Nyx went to find some land. Knowing people at both the Mage Guild and Adventurers Guild they helped him get a sense of prices, and too find out about land for sale.

After looking for days, Nyx found a piece of land that others didn't want it was on the edge of Arcanum City, a small village next to the Whispering Woods. The soil was bad making it hard to farm there. But to Nyx, it was perfect.

For 1,800 gold pieces all of his borrowed money plus most of his savings Nyx bought five acres of this hard land. It wasn't much land , but it was a start.

After buying the land, Nyx was eager to see it up close. He went to the city's teleportation circle, a big round stone platform with glowing blue lines. For just one gold piece, the mage there could send him right to the small village near his new farm.

In a flash of blue light, Nyx appeared in the village square. It was so different from the big city! The air smelled fresh and clean, with a hint of pine from the nearby Whispering Woods. Small wooden houses lined the dirt roads, and chickens pecked at the ground near a well in the center of the square.

Nyx looked around, trying to find the village elder to show his land deed. An old woman with long gray hair, sitting on a porch, waved him over.

"You look lost, young man," she said with a kind smile. "I'm Granny Hazel. What brings you to our little village?"

Nyx explained about his new land. Granny Hazel's eyes lit up.

"Oh, you bought old Farmer Giles' plot! It's been empty for years. Come on, I'll take you to meet Elder Oak."

As they walked, a young girl with bright red hair ran up to them. "Granny Hazel! Who's this?" she asked, looking at Nyx with big, curious eyes.

"This is our new neighbor, little Rose," Granny Hazel said. "He bought the land by the Whispering Woods."

Rose's eyes got even bigger. "Really? But that place is haunted!"

Nyx laughed. "I don't think it's haunted."

They arrived at a big tree in the center of the village. Sitting under it was a very old man with a long white beard. This was Elder Oak.

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"Elder Oak," Granny Hazel said, "This young man has bought Farmer Giles' old land."

Elder Oak looked at Nyx with wise, twinkling eyes. "Is that so? Well, young man, you've got your work cut out for you. That land hasn't been farmed in years."

Nyx showed Elder Oak his deed. The old man nodded and wrote Nyx's name in a big book. Then, Nyx pulled out his family seal and pressed it next to his name, leaving a fancy mark.

Elder Oak's eyebrows went up when he saw the seal. He looked at Nyx closely, then took out his own seal and marked Nyx's deed.

"We're simple folk here, and we don't like trouble," Elder Oak said slowly. "If you're running from something, best you keep running, son."

Nyx's eyes got big as he realized what Elder Oak was thinking. "Oh no, it's not like that at all!" he said quickly. "My family is from a small noble house, but we don't have much money. I'm trying to make a farm here so I can send money home to help them."

Elder Oak's face softened as he listened. "Ah, I see," he said, nodding. "That's a good thing you're doing for your family."

Nyx felt relieved that Elder Oak understood. The old man smiled and said, "Welcome to our village, Nyx Shadowbrook. May your crops grow tall and your harvest be plentiful."

As Nyx left to look at his new land, he felt happy and excited. The village was small, but the people seemed nice. He couldn't wait to start his new life here, working hard to make his farm a success.

"Time to use all that knowledge," Nyx said to himself, his eyes shining with determination. He looked around at his new farm, taking in every detail.

The land was wild and overgrown. Tall grass and weeds covered most of the five acres, reaching up to Nyx's knees in some places. Here and there, old tree stumps poked out of the grass, reminders of the work done long ago to clear the land.

In the middle of the property stood an old, run-down house. Its wooden walls were gray and weathered, with some boards missing. The roof sagged in the middle, and a few shingles had fallen off. The windows were dirty and cracked, making the house look sad and empty.

Off to one side, Nyx saw a small, tilting building – the outhouse. It leaned to the left, looking like it might fall over in a strong wind. The door hung crooked on rusty hinges.

Near the house, Nyx spotted what used to be a vegetable garden. Now it was just a tangle of vines and weeds, with a broken fence around it. An old, rusty plow lay on its side nearby, half-buried in the tall grass.

At the north end of his land, a line of dark pine trees that stood tall and thick. This was the edge of the Whispering Woods. The trees looked old and mysterious, their branches reaching out like fingers over Nyx's property. Even from here, Nyx could feel the strange, wild magic coming from the woods.

The whole place looked forgotten and unloved. But to Nyx, it was full of possibility. He could already imagine how it would look once he fixed it up neat rows of magical herbs growing in the fields, the house repaired and cozy, and the wild magic of the woods helping his crops grow strong.

It would take a lot of hard work, but Nyx was ready for the challenge. This messy, overgrown farm was the start of his dream, and he couldn't wait to begin.

As the sun started to set, making long shadows across his new farm, Nyx took a moment to think about how far he had come in the last two weeks. He sat down on an old tree stump, feeling tired but happy.

Nyx thought about all the hard work he had done. With his two clones helping him, he had been able to do so much more than before. They had studied together, practiced magic, and even exercised to make their bodies stronger.

All that work was paying off. Now, when Nyx learned new things from his clones, he didn't feel as sick or tired as he used to. His body and mind were getting used to taking in so much knowledge so quickly.

As he looked at his overgrown farm, Nyx remembered the sad look on Aria's face when he said he couldn't be her apprentice. He felt a little bad about that, but he knew he had to focus on his own dreams right now.

"I hope

she understands," Nyx said softly to himself.

Taking a deep breath, Nyx decided it was time to see how much he had grown. He closed his eyes, focusing inside himself, and called up his status sheet. With a mix of excitement and nervousness, he prepared to see his progress.

Level: 9

HP: 230

MP: 2,100

Strength: 15

Vitality: 19

Agility: 18

Intelligence: 45

Ability: Mental Clone (Level 6)

- Create up to six mental clones during meditation

- Increases mana regeneration rate by 25% per active clone

Ability: Physical Clone (Level 2)

- Create up to two physical clones

- Divides current mana pool when active

Skill: Mana Meditation (Level 6)

- Increases mana regeneration rate by 30% while meditating

Skill: Enhanced Magical Sensitivity (Level 5)

- Greatly increases ability to detect and analyze magical energies

Skill: Intermediate → Advanced Herbalism (Level 4)

- Expert knowledge of herb identification, gathering, and cultivation techniques

Skill: Basic → Intermediate Alchemy (Level 3)

- Comprehensive understanding of alchemical principles and advanced potion brewing

Skill: Basic Farming (Level 1)

- Fundamental knowledge of crop cultivation and land management

Nyx's eyes got big as he looked at the numbers. He had come so far, but he knew the real challenges were just starting. As he sat there, he began to think about how different he was now.

Before all this, Nyx had been happy just being a level 1 mage, doing small tasks. He never really had big dreams or plans. He was okay with just making enough money to get by.

"What was I doing before?" Nyx asked himself quietly.

Deep down, he knew the truth. Back then, he probably would have given up in a few years, after his brother and sister finished school. He might have just gone back to live at his parents' big house, not doing much of anything.

Nyx realized he had been like a baby bird, too scared to leave its nest. He was afraid to try and fly because he might fall. It was easier to stay where things were safe and comfortable.

But now, he had grown too big for the nest. Nyx had big plans and dreams. He wanted to make his farm grow, to become a great mage, and to help his family. It was scary, but also exciting.

"I'm not that scared little bird anymore," Nyx said to himself, smiling. "I'm ready to spread my wings and fly."

With a deep breath, Nyx turned to face his new land. His mind was already buzzing with ideas for magical crop rotations and alchemical improvements. He felt so excited that he couldn't hold it in anymore.

Suddenly, Nyx threw his arms up in the air and shouted as loud as he could, "I'M READY TO FLY!"

His voice echoed across the empty fields. A few birds flew up from a nearby tree, startled by the noise.

Nyx blinked, surprised by how loud he had been. Then he started to laugh. He had never yelled like that before. In the city, you couldn't just shout whenever you wanted. Someone would probably call the city guards!

But here, on his own land, Nyx could be as loud as he wanted. He laughed even harder, feeling free and happy.

"I guess I'm not in the city anymore," Nyx said to himself, still grinning. He looked around at his wild, overgrown farm and the dark pine trees of the Whispering Woods. "This is going to be quite an adventure."

With a big smile on his face, Nyx started walking towards the old farmhouse. He had a lot of work to do, but he was ready for it. His new life was just beginning, and he couldn't wait to see what would happen next.