He had spent quite a fortune to purchase that F-rank Dash skill—more than most people in the village could ever dream of having.
He had done it quietly, through a traveling merchant who occasionally passed through from the outer towns.
The price had been absurd for something of such low rank, but even an F-rank skill was valuable for commoners who couldn't easily afford them.
He had hoped that by acquiring it for Brad before the official class awakening, it might give his son a better chance of receiving something above the ordinary.
He hadn't told anyone the full truth about this, not even the other elders of the village.
The skill book had cost him several months of savings, and he had justified the expense as a necessary investment in his son's future.
He had believed, truly believed, that the Dash skill would strengthen Brad's mana circulation just enough to influence the awakening process—perhaps nudging the crystal toward blue light instead of green.
