“With my carriage, horses, books on driving a carriage and my tier one ability. With all of these it shouldn’t be an issue to teach someone to drive a carriage. I can have them take over for Url. And hopefully I can use Url in a more meaningful way.”

So far within Chaos theory, the cost of living has been very low. This is because Chaos theory allows everyone to easily learn to farm unranked plants, vegetables and fruits.

With the chaos theory system increasing crop yields it is easy to sustain oneself without even a single copper coin. Not to mention local government sells cheap food because of Chaos theory’s requirements.

With very mild climate a surprisingly high number of people will be content with living with just the bare necessities. What changes this is usually being exposed to the greater world.

Perhaps it's a taste of something delicious that makes mundane vegetables or small critter meat feel like ashes in their mouths. Or it may be a display of fantastical abilities evokes their imagination and a thirst for more.

Whatever the case may be, it isn’t a difficult task to convince a commoner to improve their life. Only question is, who would have incentive to convince them?

“I should go check in on Url, see if we can set up some plans. It might be difficult to convince him to rear and tame beasts for me. Even if it's what he enjoys doing that doesn’t mean he needs me to do it.”

On the way to Url Rak takes the chance to summon his Manipulator abilities, even if it's only a few minutes of travel time.

“I need to consider Url’s weaknesses. First of all, he needs to feed his animals. Not all of his animals are only unranked. Tier one animals need more specialized food, and that is more expensive.”

Having been feeding his two unranked horses for these past months, Rak understood they ate a good deal. But what they ate is rather cheap. It's only expensive if you have tens of them. And Url certainly has many animals running around his land.

“Secondly, Url has an obsession for capturing and taming animals. Perhaps he only holds back because he knows he can’t afford to feed an endless number of animals. How else would he take up low paying carriage jobs?”

The more Rak thought about it the more confident he got. Url and him should have some degree of friendship as well. Though the carriage fees paid were not cheap relative to other jobs only Rak considered it low.

“I don’t even need him to specifically train horses. There should be value in anything he trains and especially if I can get him to teach someone else. That would be best as I ́m not sure how attached he gets.”

Url is not a weak individual but his strength is in capturing beasts and taming them. A herd of trained animals should be a powerful force. But in a one on one combat he can’t handle someone that focuses on their own strength.

“I should just keep to the original plan.”

Upon arriving at Url’s lands on the outer rim of town Rak followed the same actions as before and shouted out for Url.

“Do I need to set up a postal service or something? No, it would be too complex and I’d need to charge exorbitant fees for it to be worthwhile.”

After living in Chaos theory for many months most people have smoothly adjusted. One of the hardest things to get used to is the lack of methods of communications. Not only is there no internet but not even a letter service.

After calling out to Url the animals on the land gave Rak a glance. Only the horses nearby took a better look, especially at Rak’s two horses. A moment passed and the boys neighed loudly at the horses staring them down, as if acknowledging that they do indeed know each other.

When Url came out he was welcomed by the sight of a few horses rushing to the edge of the property, where Rak and his horses stood patiently.

“Url!”

Rak felt genuine fright upon seen a herd of horses rush him, he hadn’t noticed Url step out of the house but he still called for him again.

“I’m coming!”

Url felt a bit worried as well, it is not normal for any of his animals to act like this. A loud whistle broke through the rampaging noise of ten horses. Immediately they slowed down and came to a stop.

“What are you guys doing!?”

The eight horses looked at Url and a few of them neighed loudly.

“Alright, alright. Just calm down.”

“Uh.”

“Sorry Abstinence, they were excited to see these two fellows and rushed over.”

Seeing Url’s genuinely apologetic expression Rak just waved his hand and shook his head slightly.

“Don’t worry about it, it makes sense they miss each other.”

Over the past months, Rak’s only long term companions have been these boys. Though he could not understand them he did recognize their intelligence was not low. Rak still treated them like pets rather than animals of burden.

“So you’ve finally returned? Ung told me you were missing in action. I knew you were alive since the contract quests kept coming.”

Rak was a bit blown away by how much Url was speaking. Perhaps Url had gotten a shot of adrenaline from seeing his usually tame animals turn rabid. Of course that wasn ́t the truth but it was Url’s perception at the time. Or perhaps he changed over the past few months.

“It’s a long story, I can tell you later.”

“No, no. We all have our stories.”

“That’s more like it.”

Rak felt this was more like Url, dismissive of any invitation to speak. Even not responding would have been expected.

“I’ll get to the point then. I’m planning a rather ambitious plan and I need to capture and tame a lot of animals.”

Url’s expression is still as dull as always aside from his eyes who seem to have watered a bit.

“Hmm? Is he not interested in this?”

“And I was hoping I could hire you to do some of that capture or taming. And perhaps some training in the future. And. Ah, that’s about it.”

“I’ll convince him to teach later if I can’t find any person that’s naturally talented tamer.”

Url still remained unmoved. Of course that was only on the outside, but nonetheless from Rak’s point of view Url was entirely unmoved.

“Was I mistaken about him?”

“The job comes with great perks. I plan on buying and setting up facilities to create food for animals among other products. If everything goes right I ́ll have alchemists, chefs and more for tier one animals.”

Rak felt he couldn't fail before he arrived but now everything was crumbling before him.

“Damnit. Without Url things will take a lot more effort. Even if I can get an unranked tamer within a couple of months It won’t compare at all.”

“I’ll do it.”

Rak’s thoughts were working fast but everything came to a stop suddenly.

“You will?”

“Show me the contract.”

“I haven’t drafted one. I’ll get it to you sometime this week. By that time I should have a place to work from as well.”

Url nodded and looked at horses before moving onto the unranked horses he sold to Rak. The memory still pained him. But looking at physical state he instantly saw how far they had come, from his estimates it wouldn’t be long until they reached tier one.

“Do you know how to feed tier one horses?”

“I already have plans for it, but if you have any instructions please say.”

“There are many ways to enrich food for tier one animals, I learned a bit of alchemy just for this reason.”

“If it takes an alchemist I have some things in place, with you around I’m relieved.”

Url nodded again and stood there quietly. Rak said everything he had wanted to and knowing Url wouldn’t even be flustered if he just walked away without saying a word Rak just let out a slight cough.

“Then I’ll be in touch”

“You know where to find me.”

Url’s thoughts were on the two horses he had sold to Rak. After some time he finally came to the conclusion that Rak could be a person worthy enough to deem as a friend. He came to this conclusion not only because the horses growth but their intimate action of rubbing their heads against Rak said more than any words could.

“With this I just have to find a way to advertise the library and perhaps think of some additional incentives. And I also need to promise to hire people to work for me if they can learn something useful.”

It might sound off as the world’s low cost of living might provide low incentives to work but this is flawed thinking. In reality people with wealth will find things to work towards. Instead of wealth people will seek power, fulfilment and in Chaos theory they can seek strength or pursue higher levels of of their craft.

“Spreading fliers around should be good enough. Should I have some sent to local villages as well? What about other towns? I might need to talk to Ung again.”

Thousand thoughts swirl around Rak’s mind. With no immediate tasks at hand Rak plans on heading out to his newly bought land. There is no road so Rak cannot take his carriage, so he leaves his carriage at home and takes his two horses with him.

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“This isn’t half bad.”

Rak has spent almost the entirety of his travelling on the carriage so riding the horse is a relatively new experience.

“Is this the power of abilities?”

Despite lacking proper training in horse riding Rak has a tier one horse riding ability. This ability makes Rak a natural horse rider, only lacking in proficiency.

“Let’s pick up a little speed boys.”

Alp town’s outskirts are entirely unbuilt and can only be considered as a part of the town because Chaos theory says it does.

“It’s already so far along.”

It took a good while to get to the deserted outskirts of town, the town at Rak’s back is already blurred due to the distance and light fog. A small house appears to be completed already but the larger building a few tens meters away from the house is still only one fortieth of the way there.

“Looks like it won’t be ready until tomorrow or the day after that at the latest.”

“Alright, you two go explore a bit, I’ll be staying here for now.”

The two horses immediately take off without as much as cursory neigh.

“I still haven’t sorted through the consumables today. After that I should draft up a contract and solidify my plans.”

After looking at his two horses rush out Rak walks towards his second house in Alp town. This house is supposed to double up as an office and later Rak plans to use it as a house for a potential manager. These are rough plans and may not pan out.

“I’ve already memorized every piece so I'm not sure this is actually effective.”

If Rak wasn’t convinced that there is an ability to identify items. Like other abilities mentioned, they do not come with an instruction manual. Fortunately their names are a rather big clue. Basic stamina for example or Basic strength. Both of which are gained through repeated exercise.

As to why Chaos theory chooses to be cryptic is beyond anyone's guess. Even the people with a job like Rak’s Manipulator, Url’s Hunter and Tamer, these people have mostly stumbled into it. Though over the past months a lot of people have sought out jobs after the information becomes more common in the real world’s internet.

“I wonder what Url’s stance on capturing and taming animals to test consumables on.”

The last piece of consumable item is placed into its own group and Rak sits back. The inside of the house has a lot more room, but in Rak’s view it is not even fitting to house his servants in real life.

“I can’t really know how long it takes to gain an ability but if I can estimate how long Basic stamina and Basic reading took I can probably make an informed guess.”

Rak habitually taps his fingers on the table, each tap causes the consumables to shake slightly, the ones close enough together make a rattling sound. He hasn’t redrawn the consumables for a long time so his notebooks are still in his inventory.

“I read daily for how long? From what I read in wisdom books people need to ‘live it’ to gain an ability but that probably just translates to regular exercise or practice.”

Soon the consumable items are returned to the inventory and Rak is left alone with his thoughts. Some things require time to accomplish and currently Rak has to wait for the building to complete and then wait even longer for other plans to come together.

“I’ll have to discuss Url’s compensation with the man himself but the general work will have to be ambiguous as my knowledge about wildlife in general isn’t too solid. Getting a few horses is obvious but depending on efficiency, loyal animals that can fight with people should be a lucrative business.”

Setting up a business for Rak isn’t really about profit but success, profit is only the end result. Success is about it thriving by itself. This is why Rak has a few budding businesses in real life that are only doing alright but he still considers them a success.

“From what the family has reported, weapons and armours are a worthwhile business. Then there is the food consumer market. Surprisingly dad hasn’t set up anything himself and claims to be ‘enjoying youth’ whatever that means.”

Rak’s exhaustion is catching up with him, he has yet to properly rest since he began his journey back to Alp from Kalloway. He has been barely hitting fifty percent fatigue, meaning rested state only retains for a few hours.

“How is surviving on nature in the forest ‘enjoying youth’? I guess old age spares no one. There is also no word about what mom has been doing. But I do know that some of my siblings have cracked the key to buying property in towns. Those that set up in cities have almost all chosen to move to a town as well.”

Rhythmic tapping reverberated through the room as Rak delves deeper into his thoughts.

“Majority of my siblings have already sent messages, invitations and even people over to my house. If I report my actual income I’m sure they’ll take the time to come visit me in person. According to family etiquette I won’t be able to ignore them.”

Not only does Rak have a large mansion with servents, so does everyone of the Devion family members. They all also have at least a two guest mansions on their property. Lastly, they all have to follow family rules, Rak is no exception.

It might seem like Rak is disconnected from the family affairs but the truth is he never walked away from the family. This can be seen when Rak reported honestly his actions within Chaos theory, before that he had always kept his father and mother up to date with his companies.

“If father chooses to advertise my deeds they will definitely swarm me. At least I don’t have to tell them my plans for now.”

Even though Rak has his obligations, he can choose not to report his plans but if he doesn’t disclose his recent land purchase and the family gets wind of it Rak will have to suffer family punishment. These punishments are of course light but no one wants to spend six months attending etiquette courses, which is one of the punishments.

Furthermore, most of Rak ́s siblings and close relatives have good reason to brag about their achievements if at all possible, to impress their parents and show off to their rivals. This is Rak’s biggest motivator to report his progress as well. This is also why Rak can easily read up on his relatives recent actions.

“In the end I have to focus on my own plans, there is isn’t much value in worrying about my brothers and sisters.”

In general, the Devion siblings are in rivalry with each other and some exemplary cousins as well. But younger generations are usually not considered a part of the older generations conflicts. At times the generation gap is blurry and at others it is distinct. Rak has nieces and nephews but they are still too young to even enter Chaos theory.

“Tomorrow I’ll go see Ung about finalizing the library and commission some fliers to spread around town.”

Rak’s most lacking field is people. There simply are not many learned people around, in a city it isn’t too difficult to poach a member of a workshop but in towns there are none. Poaching a workshop member from a city when your operation is in a town is difficult.

“Hold on. How could I forget Arlina’s son? He just took up an alchemist job. I’ll have to check in on Laughter’s medicine tomorrow.”

As Rak racked his brain to fit things together he heard a knock at his door.

“What? Why is someone here?”

Even though it felt strange Rak had no fear within Chaos theory so he directly went and opened the door without hesitation. Not too naive when still within a safe area like a town.

“You return but don’t come visit your lover?”

Rak felt something shrink within him.

“Alley?”

“Oh. So you do remember.”

Alley walked inside the house, sniffing the air before taking a seat in a comfortable couch in the living room.

“So.”

It has to be said, ever since Rak entered Chaos theory he has been meeting a lot of fierce women. Rak’s thoughts were not on this issue but on the beautiful woman staring him down.

“So?”

“So tell me what you have been doing for the last six months. I see you have become a lot stronger. You seem more dignified.”

One of the side effects of Basic reading is a more scholarly air around a person. Just as Basic strength will give one the impression of a strong man. The feeling of a lion’s strength, you can’t exactly speak to what the feeling is but you feel it. Curiously Alley seems like a normal person without any demeanor of a peak tier one person.

Despite feeling a bit irritated Rak diligently retold his grand travelling story, even showing off for some reason. When he spoke about books he took out tens, when he spoke about consumables he took out his entire stash. Outside perspective would tell you that he’s trying to impress Alley.

“Let’s see your abilities then. Come outside.”

Unsurprisingly, the only thing that Alley was interested in was Rak’s Manipulator job.

“Throw them up.”

It is common knowledge among those that enter Strange zones that Manipulators, especially low tier ones, that they specialize in their shields. And it would seem Alley is one of the people who know this.

Soon ten shields materialize almost simultaneously. Rak has a solemn look but his eyes can’t hide the pride in his ability.

“Can you maintain these ten shields?”

“Yes my energy recovery is higher than the consumption rate.”

“Okay, now attack me.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t be so surprised, what use are you if you can’t attack and defend at the same time?”

A slight tinge of red crept up on Rak’s face but he dispelled two shields and began throwing Basic energy projectiles at Alley. She stood there entirely still and seemed to casually swat them away.

“What the hell.”

Two more shields vanished, leaving just six all of which are covering Rak from every direction. With four shields gone he begins throwing out more attacks and even making some swing behind Alley. Sadly Alley still casually swats them down. Each time the refined stones used to anchor the energy is destroyed.

“Okay that’s enough. Surprisingly you have advanced this fast. You should already be above a novice.”

Even though Alley is speaking to Rak there is a feeling that she is speaking to herself. Her thoughtful expression and compliment at least leave Rak feeling like he accomplished something.

“It’s nothing. I try to train a bit everyday.”

If any of Rak’s servants, low character ‘friends’, siblings or anyone that knows Rak in general would see him right now they’d be shocked. Perhaps Rak only acts in this way around his parents and his father especially.

“Let’s get back inside.”

“What are we doing?”

“A different kind of exercise.”

Before where Rak was taken a bit by surprise, this time he understood immediately but he didn’t flush red with excitement. Instead Rak felt a deep competitive spirit, last time he felt he was only along for the ride.

“This time will be different.”

No matter what, Rak has some pride of a man. Unfortunately he has been living in an environment where he’s very much catered to. Whatever techniques he thinks he has mastered, they might only be superficial. After all, his servants play along with his wishes.

Rak felt strong right now. Sure he hasn’t gone out on a grand adventure or face life and death situations but constant training has given him confidence. Alley however, was never attracted to his strength.

True to his thoughts Rak fought Alley in the bed with fervor he has never shown before. By the end of the night he was drained of fatigue. His clarity dramatically low making it hard to gather his thoughts.

“I still lost?”

Alley stood up and put on her clothes, she was a lot more flustered than their previous encounter and yet only seemed like she had a light exercise.

“I’m going into the Endless mountain range.”

Rak focused his gaze on Alley but he didn’t speak.

“You’ll understand why when you receive your promotion quest to tier two.”

“Is our guess about the Endless mountain range right?”

Previously Rak and his father had agreed that Chaos theory would advance the world into the Endless mountain range. It wasn’t entirely an empty guess but it also wasn’t very reliable.

“Are strange zones not enough to advance?”

Alley had already turned away when she heard Rak’s question.

“They can be.”

She gave Rak a glance before turning back around.

“Maybe we’ll meet each other there. If you get bored of your brewery.”

From Alley’s perspective Rak was never going to go out and explore the Endless mountain range. He might have the discipline to train his abilities and a way to accumulate wealth. But she felt his personality wasn’t suited for it. She had thought this months ago and she still felt it to be true.

After testing Rak she had understood Rak hadn’t been in real combat scenarios yet and that it was most likely because he didn’t actively seek them out. Six months of travelling from city to city and he only visited one Strange zone. It said a lot about who he is..

“I don’t understand.”

Alley left the room and Rak was still in his thoughts. It's not known whether he was thinking about Alley or the Endless mountain range.

“I need to reach tier two. At tier two I can gain access to tier two books in libraries.”

It is possible to buy tier two books from private collectors or even find them in miscellaneous shops but they are extremely rare. The best method is to reach tier two and directly browse city libraries. The cost will be many factors higher than tier one books.

“Alley is completing a quest to reach tier two. I’m not sure how strong a peak tier one person is. I’m also not how long it will take to be qualified. Do I need to go beyond just training?“

Comparatively speaking, A strange zone has limited difficulty. There are differences in difficulty between each one. If a person buys information about the zone before entering it, Chaos theory considers the difficulty lowered as well.

If a person repeatedly challenges a Strange zone, eventually the challenge lowers as well. And it is due to these Chaos theory made limitations that Strange zones are not optimal to advance to tier two.

As to why the Endless mountain range is better, currently the majority of people don’t know. Those that do won’t be in much contact with weaker people. Alley can be considered an anomaly. Perhaps because of her lonely lifestyle as a Hunter.

In the end, Chaos theory has a lot of secretive aspects to it. It might be the case that even Alley herself doesn’t know.

Early next morning, Rak inspects the house next door. From the outside it is becoming clear this is a large farm house and there is a fenced in area that stretches a good distance behind the house and beyond. The area is large enough that Rak can’t see the end of it.

“When this building is done I need to prepare for the next one. If I can get Arlina’s son to work for me, I should be able to begin building a Refinery. Either way I’ll seen an Alchemist to refine tier one food at some point.”

Rak’s current goal is to become independent from Town hall in all the ways he can. Most of his horses food is bought in bulk from Chaos theory government as it distributes cheap food to the people. It is good enough for the horses but there is little benefit gained from this type of food.

“With my own carriages and horses I can invest in them properly. Initial cost will be dramatic but my profit margins will benefit. If I include future business it is even greater.”

Aside from setting up a taming, breeding and training area for animals. Rak has been gathering information on what people need to explore the Endless mountain range. Incidentally most of Rak’s information has come from his father. His father has variant Hunter job, a Survivalist and has been spending his time in the Endless mountain range.

The information the Devion patriarch hasn’t disclosed is that he has died three times. If he didn’t complete a few quests and sold some valuables items he found, he would have been crippled with the death penalty until he scraped together the fee to cure it.

What Rak ́s father has begun doing is honing is offensive Hunter skills. Previously he had been hunting small critters and even eating random flora to advance his Survivalist ability. One of his death is directly related to this dangerous practice.

“A person that can grow crops and herbs is as important if not more important than an alchemist. I have to ask Url about different ways to create tier one food. Right now an alchemist or a chef should be sufficient with materials I have access to, but later on I can’t be sure tier one wheat, vegetables or fruit will be available.”

From reading numerous books Rak has come to the understanding that unranked and tier one things are considered common tiers. Anyone is supposedly capable of reaching tier one but beyond that stage everything becomes harder and more expensive.

Everything from daily food consumption to items consumed while training aren’t found naturally around the town and only in Strange zones or the Endless mountain range can they be found. The best choice is to have someone craft the required supplies for you. Or better yet, doing it yourself.

Wandering around the Endless mountain range people can find materials that can be used to craft tier one items. This isn’t too difficult but the supply cannot keep up with the demand, hence there is a need to secure a steady supply. Especially for things like large businesses.

“Without enough resources I won't be able to cultivate a businesses beyond low grade tier one products like Olric’s beer. Even his new recipes are not too difficult to mass produce. But if he discovers a recipe reaching the peak of tier one, perhaps the product can only be sold as a luxury.”

The more he thought about the more Rak felt it was necessary to set up strong foundations. Everything from harvesting to putting up on shelves had to be accounted for.

“If it can’t be farmed then I might need to set up gathering group. If I borrow the Strange zone harvesting formation I might be able to secure a steady supply of peak tier one materials or even tier two materials later on.”

Rak has read a lot but there are too many things he can’t know at this stage. He can only guess that tier two items won’t be easily farmed like common wheat. As to what the reality is, this is something he can only discover slowly.

“I still need to find a capable manager to deal with these things for me. Until then I ́ll have manage things myself.”

Most of Rak’s companies in real life were created through Rak’s assistants. He never met his employees. But now in Chaos theory he has to step down to a personal level and convince people to join his cause.

The biggest problem Rak is facing in current times is a lack of people to hire. People are for lack of a better word, uneducated. This is the issue the comes up again and again. Who knows what Rak would have done if he hadn’t met Olric who happened to have a brewery as a hobby.

“I’ll go deal with advertising the new open library. There is also a need to build a Refinery workshop. If I can get a chef I'd still need to build a cookhouse as well. Ung should already be down at Town hall.”