In a quiet alleyway, a sly-looking man stood grinning as he watched a nearby house, barely able to contain his excitement.
"Hahaha! Clayton, what can you possibly do now after all that?!" he muttered under his breath.
That man was none other than Bravus. Ever since he'd thrown the branch that triggered the chaos, he had remained hidden, observing to make sure his plan unfolded perfectly.
Now that the commotion had died down and a crowd had gathered near the house, Bravus felt it was the perfect time to make his move. Dropping his caution, he casually strolled toward the scene, blending in with the others.
He was certain Clayton was dead. After all that destruction, there was no way someone like him could've survived. The only thing that surprised Bravus was how long Clayton had lasted against such a ferocious beast. Still, he quickly brushed the thought aside—what mattered now was that Clayton was gone.
With confident strides, Bravus approached the house.
But as he got closer, the smug grin on his face froze—stiff as a poorly pressed shirt.
From a distance, he saw not Clayton's lifeless body, but the wild boar lying dead. Worse still, Clayton stood nearby, perfectly fine and casually chatting with others as if nothing had happened.
Bravus was stunned. He blinked. He rubbed his eyes, hoping it was some kind of illusion. But no matter how many times he looked, the scene didn't change.
Clenching his teeth, Bravus glanced between the boar and Clayton, trying to make sense of it. That's when his gaze accidentally locked with Arthur, who was watching him curiously.
Bravus quickly looked away, cursing under his breath. How is that guy still alive?! Furious and humiliated, he turned and slipped away into the crowd.
...
On the other side, Arthur stood still, lost in thought after briefly locking eyes with Bravus. It felt like something important had just clicked in his mind, though he couldn't quite put it into words.
"Hey, Arthur! What's with the daydreaming? You were saying something about the magic scrolls?" a companion asked, snapping him back to reality.
Arthur blinked and nodded. "Right... we wanted to thank you for the magic scrolls. Thanks to them, we survived yesterday's disaster."
Clayton shook his head. "No need to thank me. What matters is that you're all safe. Besides, we already made a trade for those scrolls—they weren't mine anymore. Consider them yours."
Arthur nodded. "Yeah, I know. But still, without them, we might not have made it. So, we'd like to give you a small token of our appreciation."
Clayton tried to decline, but Arthur insisted. After some back-and-forth, Clayton finally relented.
As a thank-you, Arthur handed him two kilograms of monster meat.
"Oh right, Clayton. Do you still have any Pollution Scrolls? If you do, could we buy a few? They were incredibly useful yesterday," Arthur asked sincerely.
Clayton quickly realized that this was likely their real reason for visiting. In the past, he might've sold them without a second thought. But after yesterday's attack, he had a new appreciation for just how vulnerable he was. Every scroll could mean the difference between life and death.
Some of those scrolls were essential.
He was about to refuse, but considering the gift Arthur had just given him, he didn't want to seem stingy. Living in a community meant knowing when to give and take.
"All right," he said. "I've got a few left. No need to pay—just take them as a gift."
Arthur tried to protest, but Clayton held firm. He also clarified that his supply was low, so there wasn't enough to sell.
Eventually, Arthur accepted. After chatting a bit more, the group reluctantly left.
Once the crowd had dispersed, Clayton tidied up his home and got some much-needed rest.
The Next Day
Clayton began cleaning up the damage from the wild boar attack. Everything went smoothly—until he reached the shattered back wall.
"Ugh... is this even real?" he muttered, staring at the wreckage in disbelief.
He moved closer to inspect the mess beneath the wall.
There, among the rubble, he found several broken pots soaked in blood. But that wasn't what shocked him—it was the strange seeds inside them, which had started to sprout!
His eyes widened. He leaned in and activated his Observation and Farmer's Intuition skills.
As it turned out, the seeds required a very specific catalyst to germinate—and the blood-soaked soil had triggered their growth!
Excited, Clayton quickly cleaned the area. After a while, he stepped back and admired his work. He had managed to grow a rare plant—one even veteran magic farmers struggled with!
Satisfied with his farming success, Clayton moved on to training his shooting skills.
Snap! Snap!
He kept practicing until his Water Pistol skill reached Level 3.
Status
Name: Clayton Fisherman
Age: 16
Rank: One-Star Mage Apprentice
Skills:
Farming (Lv 2) (157/200): Observation, Farmer's Intuition Water Pistol (Lv 3) (1/400): Density, Viscosity Holy Skeleton (Lv 2) (181/200): Runes, Sharing
Clayton could feel his control over water magic improving. He was thrilled—today had brought him two victories!
However, he also realized that his offensive magic was still limited. The Water Pistol was useful, but not versatile enough. Against the wild boar's thick, pine-sap-coated hide, it had been nearly useless.
It was time to learn stronger water spells. Thankfully, the attributes from Water Pistol could carry over into other water-based magic.
Without wasting time, Clayton headed to the market with his four mini skeletons.
Along the way, he stayed alert, hand near his scrolls in case of another ambush. Fortunately, the journey was uneventful.
At the market, he browsed for a bit, but found nothing worthwhile. So he headed straight to his regular shop.
"Good afternoon, sir! Can I help you with something?" the shopkeeper greeted him.
"Do you process monster corpses here?" Clayton asked.
"Of course! What kind of monster?"
Clayton pulled out the intact wild boar carcass. The female shopkeeper didn't even flinch—she handled it like a pro.
"Just a moment, sir."
A few minutes later, she returned with a burly man. After a brief discussion, the man got to work.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
With swift, practiced motions, he sliced through the boar's flesh like a hot knife through butter.
When he finished, the organs were neatly separated and arranged. Clayton nodded in satisfaction. He received 47 lower-tier magic crystals and a share of meat in return. The shop kept the hide, tusks, and other parts.
Before leaving, Clayton asked, "Miss, do you sell water-element spells here?"
"Yes, we do," she replied.
She pointed out several options. Clayton skimmed through them with mild interest, but none stood out.
"I'm looking for Water Cannon and Tidal Wave spells," he said.
"Anything else, sir?"
Clayton frowned slightly. "Actually… none of these really impress me. Do you have anything powerful—something with a wide area of effect?"
The shopkeeper seemed to understand but hesitated.
Noticing her expression, Clayton asked curiously, "Is something wrong, miss?"