A year has passed since Ram began his hunt for wild game. Since then he brought down a few Bull Elks, a Whitetail deer, and a large Bison with his spear alone. He came across a pond during one of his hunts that were home to all manner of waterfowls. Ram managed ro capture a dozen Ducks to bring back to the farm for producing eggs and meat of course.
We kept them from flying away by clipping their wings. I taught the brat how to make a net using the fibers of plants that grew all over the place like a weed. He used that skill to create a huge canopy for the Ducks to live under. The lake was nearby so the ducks could still swim.
I also helped him to build a stone-walled pigpen that can house at least forty hogs. The first group of piglets Ram caught had grown into adults but haven’t reached the reproduction stage. One more year and the farm will have a steady supply of homegrown pork.
Meanwhile, all my crops had filled up the storage room with sacks of Corn, Wheat, Onions, Tomatoes, Carrots, Potatoes, Peas, and Chilli.
I discovered over a dozen varieties of fruit-bearing trees and berry plants that made excellent material to make some fine alcoholic brews. I didn’t give a single drop to the brat but I did teach him how to turn the fruits and berries into a fine juice.
Along with the fresh fish and wild beast meat, the brat hauled in every day, the diversity of our daily meals skyrocketed.
This morning the brat and I sat at the dining table eating roasted sausages, boiled salted corn, caramelized onions, scrambled duck eggs, sweet apple juice, and sour bread for breakfast. According to the kid, this assortment reminded him of the food he used to eat in his original home.
His homesickness was cured whenever he went about cooking dishes to imitate those he ate before falling into Cormund. I didn’t mind his choices as they all tasted great compared to what I usually ate. I knew how to cook but I didn’t have the same level of passion the brat had when it came to the variety and complexity of the dishes.
I noticed the boy had been eyeing my old chest and admiring the War Ax that I use to chop firewood. For a while, I ignored this behavior but last night I caught him trying to swing the War Ax which was meant to be a two-hander weapon to be wielded by men twice his size. For a twelve-year-old, he managed to bring it up high enough to chop a single piece of wood before he collapsed from exhaustion.
I wanted to teach the brat a lesson about not playing with my weapon but I decided to let him sleep and deal with it later. Now after having a hearty breakfast and noticing the boy was feeling down from the experience last night I called him out of the house today to begin his training.
“Listen up brat! From today onwards we are going to focus on making you a warrior.”
“About time old man! For a while, I thought you were training me to become a hunter or a cook.”
I let out a tired sigh and shook my head.
“For the last two years, Fishing has made you patient while hunting made you skilled in tracking. Both are essential skills even in combat. Farming has developed the necessary muscle mass needed to begin the next step of training.”
“Really? I thought you just wanted me to work the land and hunt food while you daydreamed about the army life.”
I covered my mouth to let out an embarrassed cough.
“There is that too but my overall goal was to prepare you for today’s lesson.”
“So I get to learn to wield a weapon? I wonder which one will it be? Maybe your War Ax?” Ram asked as he grinned with excitement.
I held up an open palm in front of his face to make him stop.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, I need to see your base Attack, Defence, Speed, Stamina, and Perception. Once that is done I will choose a weapon best suited to compliment your stats and combat style.”
“Huh? How will you test them all? I thought that we were going to start training.”
“Don’t worry it won’t take more than a minute.”
I pull a transparent crystal plate out of the bag slung around my waist and gave it to the boy.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a status mirror. If you look into your reflection for a few seconds the surface will display your current stats.”
Ram looked skeptical as he took the Stat mirror from me and stared at his reflection.
Shock appeared across his face as it listed out his stats.
——————————
Name: Ram
Age: 12
HP: 80/80
MP: 0
ATK: 10
DEF: 5
SPD: 10
STA: 20
PER: 8
Combat Skills:
Thrust (Intermediate)
Non Combat Skills:
Chef Sense
Hidden Ability Detected
Meat Glutton: Healing Factor is 30% of Total HP per minute
No Equipped Cores detected
No Abnormalities detected
——————————
“Woah! Is this a computer?”
Computer? What the hell is he talking about?
“No, It’s a creation of an old friend of mine. He studied a hidden worlder artifact from an ancient ruin in the continent where the Children of Cormund Empire lies.”
“But it reminds me of the games I used to play. Old man, show me your stats!”
“Hand it over boy, this thing isn’t a toy to be played with. Stats aren’t something you just share with everyone. It’s like you asking what’s the size of my dong.”
“But then it means you’re looking at my dong!” Ram tries to grab back the stat mirror in vain.
I ignore him as I read through his stats. My eyes bulge as they focus on the Hidden Ability.
“What’s wrong?”
“I would never have guessed you had a hidden ability. At your age and with limited training. Tell me, did you notice anything different about your body since you arrived in Cormund?”
“I did notice I don’t get that many cuts or bruises while hunting a few months ago.”
“When did it begin?”
“Right after I ate that Bison meat which tasted funny.”
Suddenly my mind raced back to the night he ate the Bison. I let the kid have the whole thing since it was a miracle he could bring it down all on his own. I didn’t expect the little demon to cook and eat the entire carcass in one night.
He mentioned the meat tasted sweet and spicy at the same time but I ignored it because I was still in denial that he ate the whole thing in a few hours. How could all that meat fit into a tiny body? But now it all makes sense, the beast triggered a hidden condition within the brat’s body.
“Is it a problem?”
“It’s just I didn’t expect that Bison meat would create a hidden ability.”
“What’s a hidden ability anyway?”
“It’s very rare for people to acquire one as a lot of conditions have to be met to gain it. Some seek blessings at temples, others experiment with drugs, and some drink the raw blood of powerful beasts. Very few manage to gain a hidden ability this way but they are the only known methods.”
“I still don’t get what my hidden ability does?”
“Well there is something called the Healing Factor, Not everyone has it but those who do possess the ability usually recover only ten percent of their HP every minute. The higher HP means you recover by a wider margin. In your case, if you lose 50 HP from a critical hit, you will regain 34 HP within a minute with the 80 HP you have right now. If your HP keeps growing then you will be a monster to take down in the future.”
“That’s so awesome! Is there a way to increase my HP?”
What a greedy little demon! Does he not understand this ability is terrifying?
“If you run till you are exhausted then it should increase the HP stat by two points. It won’t be easy, but it also has the side effect of increasing your SPD and STA stats by one point.”
“Run? Like top speed or a light jog?”
“I mean you run at top speed until you collapse from exhaustion. If you don’t sweat or push your limits then it may not even increase any of the three stats so take this seriously. Do it once a day at the very least.”
“I get it old man! I won’t slack off.”
“Let’s see if you can keep that promise.”
I said before checking the rest of the stats.
“It seems spearfishing and wild game hunting with a spear has already created the Thrust skill. Would you look at that! It’s an Intermediate already. I have no idea about this Chef Sense. A shame about your abysmal defense but we can work around that. The only problem is your Perception stat.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“It is decent enough for an amateur fisherman and hunter but you will have to hone it to match your SPD stat to be able to dodge attacks in battle. But for now, we focus on your HP, SPD, and STA stats.”
“But why don’t I have any MP?”
“Don’t you remember what I taught you last year? Hidden worlders can’t use Cormund’s energy because your body is incapable of absorbing the essence of the planet. MP is directly linked with the ability to pull in that same energy. It is also used to activate Weapon and Armor cores. The more MP you possess results in being able to use elemental attacks with those weapons or raise elemental resistance of the armors.”
“Ah, that sucks! Well, since I have the thrust skill do I train with a spear or a trident?”
“Wielding weapons in battle is different from using them for hunting and fishing. Your weapon choice must compliment your HP, SPD, and STA stat. I think dual short swords are the best weapons for you.”
“Dual Short Swords? Hold on! Didn’t you say weapons made from Beast Cores are the best? Since I can’t use them will normal weapons work?”
“Not everyone is wealthy enough to afford a processed Weapon or Armor core. There aren’t any factories pumping them out and selling them to just anyone. Bringing down elemental beasts is time-consuming, and requires the skills of Captains who lead a hundred-man army at the very least.
Because of that, the cost of obtaining a Raw Beast Core alone is expensive. Vast sums of gold have to be invested in getting the core and converting it into a usable item.
Royalty, Nobles, Generals, Captains, and Wealthy families are the only ones who can afford the Core Smiths products and services.
On the other hand, most Peasants, Bandits, Guards, and Foot Soldiers use regular blacksmith-made items. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t blacksmiths who haven’t made high-quality weapons and armor that are capable of matching the lowest grade processed cores.”
“Do they have grades like cores?”
“There is the Standard, Flawless, Unique, and Masterpiece. Abandon any thoughts of obtaining a Masterpiece, the smiths capable of making them don’t live on this continent.
But it should be possible to acquire two Unique short swords and a Unique Leather armor set in a big city. You will need them to be able to survive an encounter with anyone who uses the lowest grade Weapon and armor core.”
“How much does that cost exactly?”
“Around twenty gold for each Unique Short Sword and at least a hundred gold for a complete Unique Armor set. But that is the lowest estimate, Blacksmiths tend to sell their best works to the highest bidders so you will have to at least to pay double the actual value to be able to claim them.”
“So how much do you have on you? I haven’t seen any gold coins in our house.”
“I spent my last gold coin the day I saved you from drowning.”
“Then how will I get the gear if you don’t have any gold.”
“Brat, I think you are misunderstanding something. You will have to earn the gold on your own.”
“Are you serious old man! That’s like…three hundred gold! How do I earn gold in the wilderness?”
“You know how to fish and hunt. Why don’t you sell the excess preserved meats to the villages that surround this place? I already taught you how to speak the local language so there shouldn’t be any problem.”
“But the nearest one takes a whole day to go there and come back.”
“If you are serious about raising your stats then you should pick up the pace and be back here before nightfall. Since you will be carrying a lot of weight your strength stat should increase along with the others. It will be striking two birds with one stone right? Gain stats and coin at the same time. This way you can skip the whole running till you drop exercise for a while.”
“Old man… you can’t be serious. How many coins would I even earn?”
“One bucket of preserved meat is about fifty silver. I think you are capable of carrying two buckets so that means a hundred silver a day if you sell it to the Inns. You should be able to earn three hundred gold within a year. But since you need a few days in between to hunt, fish, and preserve their meat it will double the time estimate. So you are looking at two years at the very least.”
Ram’s legs wobbled as he took a few steps back. He couldn’t digest the hardship he was about to face for the next two years.
“Is there no other way?”
The brat got onto his knees and pleaded at my feet.
“You told me you used to collect gold from mountain bandits. What if I do the same?”
He looked up at me with hope in his eyes.
“Brat, Don’t delude yourself! Bandits rarely raid solo, they attack in the dozens and overwhelm you from all sides. If you do come across them then I suggest you drop everything and run back here for safety.”
“What about finding work in the villages?”
“Yes, you could try selling yourself as hired help at the villages. But they would only pay you a couple of silver since your only twelve years old. Whereas delivering goods to them in my name will make them think twice before trying to swindle you from the actual value of the food.”
It slowly dawned on the boy how difficult it is to make money in this world. But then he suggested something I didn’t think off.
“What if I open a food stall? I can cook the meat, eggs, fruits along with our vegetables we grow here for a higher price with my chef sense skill right?”
“You still have to run back and forth to restock on ingredients. That means more trips and more weight. Plus the highest a villager in these parts would pay for cooked food is about thirty silver a bowl at best. I don’t know why you want to increase your workload seeing as how you would be too exhausted to cook after a trip. Trust me when I say that cooking should be a hobby, not a profession you want to delve into when your main goal is to become a warrior.”
The brat looked at me as if I murdered a puppy.
“Do you think those villagers can’t cook for themselves? They aren’t walking with sacks of gold to throw money at something they could do themselves. Anyways most of the villages have inns to serve travelers so they won’t look kindly on you if you steal their hungry customers.”
“What about the bones, Antlers, Tusks, and the Horns I gathered from my hunts. How much are they worth?”
“That depends on the size and their rarity. What you have collected can be sold to a village crafter who needs them for making wares. Talk to old Smogon at Oda’s village if you want to explore this option but if you do go ahead with it. Then you will constantly be hunting Bucks and Bulls which you know isn’t an easy thing to do.”
Ram nodded before heading to the shed where he stored all the preserved meat. He soon emerged from the shed holding two buckets filled with a variety of cured meats that were dried, smoked, or salted. The tops of the buckets were sealed to prevent any of the contents from falling out during the journey.
He then went to the well and filled several water-skins to the brim before tying them to his waist. They would come in handy whenever he needed to rehydrate. He then equipped a bag on his back that was filled with cooked food meant for him to eat on the journey.
“Can you run with all that?”
“I will start slow and pick up speed once I get used to it.”
“Good, but don’t neglect your other duties on the farm when you return. Remember the pain will directly affect the growth of those precious stats. Remind yourself of that when you want to give up by looking into the stat mirror.”
I hand him the stat mirror which he stores in his backpack.
“I get it, old man! I will see you later then.”
I nodded before patting his back to send him off.
As Ram disappeared into the forest I wondered if I should follow him in secret but then I decided against it. I will not be able to protect him forever, from this moment on I have to let him discover the world and make his own decisions whether good or bad.
At the back of my mind, I remember the face of my son who I couldn’t protect all those years ago. I wonder if I should ever tell him about that episode of my life.
To be continued…
