Chương 450: B7—Chapter 30: Strategic Laziness with Tactical Intent

We made our way back to the inn, each of us lost in thought. I had no idea what was running through Mahya's or Al's minds, but my focus stayed on one question: how to speed up my progress. First things first, I checked my profile to see where to put my attention.

PERSONAL INFORMATION Name: John Rue Age: 20 Familiar: Rue Level 19 Display Class: Healer Level 20 Healer Spells: Heal Muscle - 24 Diagnose - 24 Stop Bleeding - 12 Heal Bone - 22 Control Blood - 20 Healing Touch - 25 / Ranged 1 Neutralize Poison - 9 Purify - 23 Clean - 24 Anesthesia - 22 Regrow Flesh - 18 Fortify Life Force - 20 Cleanse - 3 Neutralize Curse - 3 Regrow Bone - 12 Regrow Enamel - 2 Ranged Heal - 3 Emotional Healing - 1 Explosive Diarrhea - 2 / Ranged 1 Hidden Class: Gate Traveler Level 6 Gates to next level: 14/23 Class Abilities: Conversion Travelers' Archive Identify - 5 Storage - x18 (373, 248 m3) Local Adaptation: -Spoken language -Written language -Runes/Magic Script Map One of the Crowd Profession: Merchant Level 10 Merchant Skills: Bargain - 23 Sense Honesty - 18 Appraisal - 15 A Nose for Business - 23 Inventory - 1 Sub-Class 2: Wizard Battle Master Level 14 Wizard Abilities: Mind Split x 6 Mana Sense [Adept] Mana Saturation [Apprentice] Mana Control [Medior] Mana Regeneration x 5 Mana Oneness [Novice] Wind [Medior] Lightning [Medior] Mist Nature Fire [Novice] Ice [Novice] Water [Master] Earth Spell Weaver [Novice] Spell Creation [Medior] Mana Siphon [Novice] Wizard Spells: Telekinesis - 18 Harvest Mana Crystal Aggressive Clean Harvest Herbivore [Upgraded] Harvest Snake [Upgraded] Protective Shield Harvest Crops Harvest Predator [Upgraded] Harvest Bugs [Upgraded] Battle Master Skills: Unarmed Combat [Junior] Ranged Weapons [Medior] Mana Combat [Apprentice] Blunt weapons [Medior] Bladed weapons [Senior] Polearm Mastery [Junior] Hafted Weapons [Junior] Firearms [Apprentice] Battle Sage Sub-Class 3: Bard Level 7 Bard Spells and Skills: Arcane Lullaby - 12 Harmonic Illusion - 7 Rhythmic Resonance - 1 Musical Memory - 1 Guitar Playing - 17 Flute Playing Violin Playing - 5 Piano Saxophone Playing Harmonica Playing Lute Playing Cello Playing - 5 Poetry - 5 General Spells: Mana Dart - 15 Mana shield - 16 Spellbinding - 3 Invisibility - 23 Mend - 2 Adaptable Light Ball - 10 Restore - 24 Heat - 5 Absorb Mana - 9 Exude Mana - 13 Copy Magical Text - 20 Telepathy - 15 Privacy Sphere - 3 Copy Text - 9 Verdant Grasp - 2 Flourish - 6 Nature's Path - 1 Wind Blade - 13 Blazing Orb - 8 Bramble Shield Fuse Stone - 2 Lift Block- 2 Stone Shard - 7 Thornbind Barrier Translate Text- 1 Print Thoughts - 1 Final Reinforcement - 4 Bind Timber - 2 Swift Joinery - 1 Rapid Framework - 1 Stacking Aid - 3 Mass Lift - 1 Auto Alignment - 2 General Skills: Mining - 12 Develop Negative - 10 Print Photograph - 10 Photography - 17 Sailing - 10 Engraving - 12 LTA Flight Jump - 2 Stealth - 5 Riding - 1 Motorcycle Mechanic - 3 Car Mechanic - 1 Glassblowing - 1 Woodworking - 1 Leather Crafting - 1 Metalworking - 1 Bookbinding - 1 Health: 10, 750/10, 750 Mana: 14, 000/14, 000 Strength: 90 Agility: 89 Constitution: 93 Vitality: 122 Intelligence: 146 Wisdom: 146 Perception: 107 Luck: 83 Creativity: 53 Tenacity: 6 Free Points: 17 Ability points: 215 Looking at my profile, I shook my head and chuckled.

It had been four or five years since I last checked it, but lately, I'd done so more times than I could count. Yeah, even my subconscious was trying to tell me to get back to work. My Healer class didn't really need attention, not only because it was the highest one but because I healed at every opportunity, not for stats but for my beliefs. I put that one aside. Merchant made me wince, and for a moment I regretted letting the sales master sell our stuff in Saa.

After another minute of consideration, I concluded it had actually been a good idea. Maybe I lost a level I could have earned in Merchant, but I had the chance to observe a real professional at work and learn from him. It wasn't just about offering things to sell, but knowing what to offer to whom, and how to present them so they'd sell for more than my perceived value. It reminded me of the article I read yesterday in the Archive. Selling isn't just offering things and collecting money.

It's an art I needed to learn. My profession gave me the tools, but I had to bring the knowledge and drive. My Healer and Wizard classes taught me that in no uncertain terms. We arrived at the inn and went to our rooms, still in total silence. Rue jumped at me with licks and tail wags, so I put my gloomy thoughts aside for a while.

"Let's go for a walk," I said, scratching his ear. His ears perked up, but he spread his front legs, adopting a "serious" stance.

"Lunch first." I laughed and fed him. Lunch was sacred, after all. When he was done, we took a long walk around the city, looking at shops, strange houses, and the amazing gardens. Rue growled every time we passed a cat on a windowsill or a snake in the trees, but he did it quietly enough not to startle them. I was glad about that. The witches would probably have gutted us for spooking their pets. A quaint charm shop caught my attention.

It was small, with a pleasant smell of flowers and honey wafting through the door, and a lively flow of people going in and out. Rue stuck his nose through the doorway, sneezed, and informed me,"Rue wait outside." This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work. Inside, the shop was a chaotic, charming mess.

Pots of blooming herbs sat by the windows, their leaves brushing against hanging vines that framed shelves overflowing with jars of dried herbs and shimmering powders. Books filled the gaps between them. Trinkets and charms glittered everywhere: copper bracelets etched with runes, glass pendants swirling with mist, and small silver bells that rang softly whenever someone brushed past. The air was warm and thick with the scent of sage, honey, and something floral I couldn't place.

A few witches moved around quietly, comparing charms that pulsed faintly in their palms. Behind the counter, an older witch with silver braids sorted tiny bottles of glowing liquid. The whole place felt like someone had crossed a garden, a library, and a jewelry stand—and somehow made it work. I inspected the shelves, reading the little handwritten tags beneath each charm.

Whisper Knot promised to keep gossip from reaching the wrong ears, while Traveler's Thread claimed to guide the wearer safely home, no matter how far they wandered. Honeylight Pendant glimmered faintly and was said to sweeten words during negotiations. Most of them sounded half practical, half poetic, but that was the charm of it. The whole place screamed "witch" in the most clichéd sense, yet it was impossible not to be captivated. It also got me thinking. Working with magic script was always a lot of fun.

Maybe I should work toward getting an Enchanter class? Well, I didn't have a free class slot, so maybe an Enchanter profession instead? The only fly in the ointment was that to get a profession, I actually had to sell my creations. The same went for the Chef class. I agreed with Mahya's urging that it would suit me and my love for cooking, but the fact that I only had subprofession slots open stopped me every time. Doing something for fun was not the same as doing it for profit, to sell, or even for stats.

I put the idea aside for a while and joined Rue outside. We walked around for another hour, but my mind was too preoccupied to enjoy the stroll. At least Rue had fun growling at all the critters he couldn't chase, catch, or eat. Life was much simpler as a dog. I did try to bring our plan to eavesdrop to fruition, but I heard only unrelated things. Yeah, eavesdropping was fine and dandy, but not always practical if you didn't know who to eavesdrop on.

Back at the inn, I opened my profile again and thought about my options. Merchant was quite easy to level up if I put in the work. I took out my notebook and added a note to find a tech world with a development level similar to Earth's, to stock up on merchandise. It wouldn't be easy, since with all the Gates we had checked, we hadn't found even one like that, but writing it down ensured I would remember the intention once we did reach such a Gate.

To level up Bard, I had to perform, but this world didn't spark the right frame of mind in me. Yeah, I shelved that one too. Wizard needed the most work but also had the most avenues for advancement. My connection to Water was effortless and seamless, setting a bar I needed to reach with all my affinities. Wind was the closest, since I'd reached a point where I didn't need to make nice with it in every new world. Earth needed a lot of work, but the book I'd read on the subject had given me plenty of ideas.

The only issue now was finding a quiet place to actually practice. Definitely not in the middle of a witch city with witches talking about "their domain." Fire was still a ways away. Our relationship had improved, but it was far from warm and fuzzy. Pen tapping against the notebook, I tried to think of what else to work on to progress as a Wizard. 1. Progress all the elements. 2. Crack the progression conundrum in my spell marbles. 3. Start creating spells with aspects.

When I wrote that part, I scrunched my nose in disgust, remembering how I'd chased the fire spell around my spell room back on Earth. Working with mana aspects and flavors was a nightmare, but needs must and all that jazz. It was time to give it another go. 4. Figure out how to build the regeneration spirals in others. 5. The stuff the dragon recommended? It took me a while to find the notebook with those notes. It was five notebooks ago and stuck on a shelf in my house on the mezzanine level.

By the time I found it, I had a headache. Looking for stuff in my Storage was easy, but not when things were stored somewhere in my house, and I wasn't aware of the location. Then it was much more complicated. Finally, with notebook in hand, I went over the text Lis wrote. I copied it as is and changed nothing from the message. Exercise 1: Always have your mana sense active. Initially, it will make you tired and give you headaches, but don't give up.

Continue until it becomes second nature, and you don't have to think about it. Next, learn to keep it active even in your sleep. Again, it will take practice, but she promised me it would be very beneficial, and an enemy will never surprise you. Exercise 2: She told me you should learn to immerse yourself in the surrounding mana. I told her you already do that and have Mana Oneness as a skill. She found it to be very impressive. Apparently, there is another step before oneness—mana immersion—that you skipped.

I told you that you're talented—now even a dragon says so. Anyway. Keep practicing and learning about mana. Exercise 3: Practice moving small things all over your mana-sensing field. The emphasis is on the entire field, not just the border you can easily reach. They promised it would be easier when you have your mana sense active. Start with small things like a leaf, then move to a small piece of wood, and finally a pebble, working your way up until you can move things all over the field.

Exercise 4: This one is more active and more complicated. 1. Start with a stone you created and gradually increase to five stones. 2. Fill the stone with mana until it vibrates. 3. Pick it up with your mana and spin it around your head—not with telekinesis, but with free mana. 4. At first, it will require a lot of concentration, but quickly, it will become easier and more manageable. Get to where the stone is spinning around you all the time, with no special attention on your part.

I mentioned the term "muscle memory" to her, and she said it was precisely that—only mana memory. 5. Once you reach this point, keep adding stones until you reach a total of five. 6. Now, it gets more complicated. Return to practicing with one stone, but do it with mana only from the Mind power center, not all your mana. Again, with just your Mind Mana, reach five stones spinning around your head. 7. Now, switch to your Spirit Mana and repeat the exercise. 8.

After achieving total control, incorporate Mind Mana and perform both. 9. After achieving complete mastery in both, you can begin using Body Mana by starting with a single stone and gradually incorporating more. 10. Once you become an expert, you'll have the ability to spin fifteen balls: five balls around the head with Mind Mana, five balls around the center of the body with Spirit Mana, and five balls around the lower body with Body Mana. 11. In the next step, you start all over, but the rotation is different.

She showed it to me, and the best way to describe it is an "atomic pattern." Again, go through the whole process until you get to where you control fifteen balls in an atomic pattern around your body with none of the balls colliding with each other—she assured me it's going to be complicated for you, but will raise your mana control to levels you can't even imagine. 12. When you reach that stage, combine exercises 3 and 4: move the stones around you, and then shoot them all over your mana-sensing field. 13.

Next, ask somebody to throw the stones at you, and you will practice grabbing them in motion, completing the pattern around your body, and shooting them at the "enemy." 14. In the last step, do the same as no. 13, but with different objects that you didn't infuse with your mana. Going over the text, I had my own thoughts about the subject. I had practiced rotating three stones around me back in the monster gorge in Lumis and stopped at that. Thinking about it now, I didn't want to go back to it.

The number of times I'd been attacked with projectiles I needed to control was rare, and with my ability to store things without touching them, that point was moot. It was easier to store something thrown or shot at me than to keep practicing with those damn stones. For now, I put it aside. I did understand that it would improve my mana control, and that defense wasn't the only goal, but for now, it was less important. Practicing my mana sense was a much better idea.

For the last few years, I walked around with my mana sense active all the time, but I'd completely forgotten about the advice to learn how to keep it active while sleeping. That one was a good idea. So, for now, my battle plan was ready: 1. Spirals in others. 2. Aspected (classical) spells. 3. Sleeping mana sense. 4. Practice the Earth element when the circumstances allow it. Other ideas came to mind, but I stopped there. If I had too many things to work on, I ended up doing nothing.

It was better for me to limit myself. Someone knocked on my door.

"Yes?" I called.

"Come down for dinner," Mahya said. Rue perked up immediately, and his tail went into overdrive. The minute my butt touched the chair, Al opened his mouth to speak, and Mahya said, "We should move on." Al pointed at her.

"I was about to voice the same sentiment."

"I'm with you on that one," I said.

"Let's eat and make plans."