The mushrooms in Ren’s hair pulsed with renewed energy as he walked toward the exchange area with his friends.
Lin’s pill, combined with last night’s brutal training session, this morning’s workout, and some meditative circulation had effectively cleansed the excess mana from his system.
“I can’t believe how well it went today!” Taro practically bounced as they walked, his beetle’s markings shimmering with excitement. “I thought I’d struggle again, but the circulation was so much smoother. I could almost feel the patterns!”
A smile tugged at Ren’s lips as he recalled their morning session.
Watching Taro’s progress was satisfying, like seeing a complex puzzle slowly come together.
“You’ve improved tremendously. Soon you won’t need my guidance.”
‘And the sooner he masters it,’ Ren thought, ‘the sooner I can focus on my own advancement.’
The exchange area buzzed with life, a hive of activity where students from all years crowded around the counters.
The air hummed with haggling voices and the subtle resonance of magical items changing hands. Crystals clinked against scales, while preserved beast parts gleamed in their glass containers.
“How much did you get with the duplication?” Min’s water snake coiled lazily around his shoulders as he asked.
“They gave me 2500 crystals,” Ren replied as they approached the beast parts counter.
Glass containers lined the shelves, their contents casting prismatic shadows on the worn wood.
“I have almost 4000 usable, the rest are materials. Though I doubt it’s enough for much cultivation, I hope it’s sufficient to begin cultivation…”
♢♢♢♢
His heart sank when he inquired about the prices of what he needed.
Bronze-rank beast parts, meticulously preserved in crystal containers, glowed tantalizingly. Each piece cost a fortune, 1000 crystals apiece.
Thankfully, he didn’t need those pristine specimens.
But even the discarded parts, the ones slowly rotting that he actually required…
“100 crystals for a daily portion’s worth for my crystals,” he muttered, examining a fragment of common crocodile skin that had begun to decompose. Its scales still held a faint iridescence despite the decay. “And I need a hundred portions…”
They were cheap by comparison, but far from free. His spore wasn’t the only creature that could utilize materials in that state for cultivation.
Liu whistled low and long. “Wow, 10,000 crystals just for that garbage. And you still need other materials, right? That spore really is a pain in your side. Sure the investment’s worth it?”
It was undoubtedly worth it, but the timeline…
Ren nodded grimly and made his way to the poisonous fungi section. The vendor, an older woman with burn scars crisscrossing her hands like a roadmap of past mistakes, gave him a sympathetic look.
“3000 per piece,” she said before he could ask, gesturing to the glowing specimens. “And yes, it’s expensive. We have to import them from Yino City, and relations aren’t exactly friendly with our Yano City right now.”
‘Each one will process 10 crystals. Another 30,000 crystals…’ Ren felt a headache building behind his eyes.
“And the intelligence rune?” He pointed toward the artifacts section with a trembling finger, hoping against hope.
The intelligence rune pulsed with a soft blue glow. It was among the most basic, but still…
“That’s one of the cheap ones, like vitality runes it costs 10,000,” the vendor sighed.
‘I need 50,000 crystals total.’
Min scribbled quick calculations in his notebook, his water snake peering curiously at the numbers. “Based on what you say you need… Assuming luck keeps striking, you maintain your current gathering pace, and factoring in the school’s duplication…”
“Ten months minimum,” Ren completed the thought, shoulders slumping slightly. “And that’s if I maintain this level of production.”
‘If I could go deeper… but mana poisoning is already a problem at this depth.’ The mushrooms in his hair pulsed weakly at the thought.
“Hey, it’s not so bad!” Taro tried to lift the mood, his beetle’s markings brightening with his optimism. “Ten months will fly by! Besides, meanwhile I can keep improving my control and…”
“Ren!”
The group turned to see Master Lin approaching, her crane’s feathers shimmering with each stride. Her expression was unreadable, but there was a dangerous glint in her eyes.
“I hope you’re not thinking of skipping tonight’s training again.”
Ren swallowed hard. “No, of course not. I was just…”
Lin studied him for a moment, her gaze piercing. “The path to Bronze rank is never easy. But you got many crystals this month so keep at it… and remember: sometimes the longest path is the safest.”
‘If she knew how I really get the crystals… Not the safest.’
“Now,” Lin continued, a predatory smile forming on her lips, “since you have so much energy for calculations, I’m sure you can handle some extra exercise sets tonight.”
Ren groaned while his friends tried to hide their laughter. Evolution would have to wait, for now, he had another session of torture, er, training, to face.
♢♢♢♢
Days fell back into routine for Ren.
Walking toward the deep mines, he reflected on his situation. Each step echoed his thoughts down the empty corridor.
‘One worm exploding near the “lucky fungus” and finding a rich vein? Believable,’ he thought, skillfully dodging a group of students.
Their whispers followed him, the latest rumors about his impossible luck.
‘Two worms exploding in a week… they’d start asking uncomfortable questions.’
The “lucky fungus” reputation was useful, but it had limits. He could already imagine the guards’ suspicious looks if “accidents” with worms became too frequent.
Jin’s group watched from afar, shooting threatening glances but keeping their distance. The tunnel incident had left a lasting impression, a whole week of peace.
Though they’d returned to their old habits, something had shifted.
“There goes the rotting boy!” one whispered, but they moved with newfound caution.
‘At least they don’t chase me like madmen anymore,’ Ren smiled while taking an unnecessarily complex detour. ‘And when they do…’
Losing them had become almost entertaining.
A month of Lin’s training had worked wonders for his endurance, and he knew every corner of the upper tunnels like the back of his hand.
The new secret tunnel had been a success. Using the lesser worms’ mating call, he’d managed to get another worm to dig a small hidden passage. It was more discreet than the previous one, which the guards had quickly sealed after the “incident.”
‘Five bronze crystals, fifty iron, a quarter kilo of deep earth…’ he mentally tallied his daily gathering. ‘A “lucky” amount but not suspicious.’
The mushrooms pulsed as he descended through the hidden passage.
The routine had become precise: enter, gather for 30 minutes, exit.
No explosions, no drama.
Just a persistent student with a consistently “lucky” streak.
‘But it’s not enough,’ he calculated while carefully extracting a bronze crystal. At this rate, reaching 50,000 crystals would take far too long. ‘I need another way…’
His thoughts were interrupted by distant student conversations. Fragments about the upcoming gathering expedition reached his ears, making his heart race with possibility.
The mushrooms in his hair pulsed stronger, responding to his sudden interest. The expedition… an opportunity to gather beyond the school’s usual boundaries.
‘New territories,’ he reflected while storing the day’s crystals. ‘New beasts, new resources…’
A smile formed on his face as he ascended. The risks would be greater outside school grounds, but so would the rewards. More importantly, nobody would question a “lucky” gathering during an official expedition.
‘I’ll need to prepare well,’ he thought while heading toward the exit.
The mushrooms pulsed softly, as if approving his plan. The daily routine would continue for now, but the expedition promised to be an opportunity to significantly accelerate his progress.