The assessment finished at exactly noon. Ran packed his bag and immediately headed for the exit.
Ken and Leo hurried to catch up with him at the gate.
"Hey, Ran, wait up!" Ken called out. "Leo and I are going to check out the apprenticeship stalls before they pack up. You should come with us. It's the best way to secure a spot before graduation."
Ran shook his head. "I can't. I need to head home."
Ken and Leo exchanged a look. They didn't say another word, but the disappointment was clear on their faces. They thought Ran was giving up because of his Basic Orb. Still, as they watched him walk away, they silently agreed that they wouldn't give up on him. They would keep looking for opportunities for their friend.
When Ran opened the front door of his house, he froze. The place was a total mess, but in the best way possible.
Mia was jumping all around the living room, looking incredibly excited while loudly munching on chunks of food. Aurora was sitting at the table, eating non-stop. It was the first time Ran had ever seen his mother look so happy and healthy while eating.
Randolf was right next to her. He pulled out a huge piece of cooked meat, stuffed it into his mouth, and grinned when he saw Ran at the door.
"Son!" Randolf said with a full mouth. "I already sold the Blade Grass we got yesterday! I bought real food and some supplies for the house. Now hurry up and eat before we go back into the Private World!"
Ran stood at the door and couldn't help but smile. Seeing how lively and full of energy they all were made his chest feel warm. *This is what a happy family looks like,* he thought.
He didn't waste any more time. He threw his bag in the corner, sat down with them, and ate as hard as he could.
A moment later, the family transferred into the Private World.
Once they were settled, Ran decided it was time to share a secret. He gathered his parents and sister. "There's something you need to know," he said. "My martial innate soul... it isn't actually fully awakened yet."
Randolf and Aurora looked completely surprised, but then their faces lit up with delight. This meant Ran's future immeasurable.
Ran quickly opened the system's game store to look for a solution. It didn't take long to find an **Awakening Stone**. It was surprisingly cheap. The book explained that it was just a simple catalyst, similar to a spirit stone, used to trigger a martial soul.
There was just one problem: **Credits**.
Ran still owed a 100-credit loan to the system from earlier, and he needed to earn more to clear his debt and buy the stone. He opened the *Advanced Beginner Book* to search for ways to make money quickly. He found two main options:
* Sell gathered materials directly to the system store.
* Sell materials to a **Beast Merchant** on the island.
The mention of beasts gave Ran a rough idea of how this world worked. Back on Earth, in the game he used to play, beasts were highly intelligent. Depending on their species, they created their own bases, units, or even entire cities, and players could trade with their merchants.
Ran shook his head, brushing the idea away. Finding a Beast Merchant would be a good plan for the future, but it was too dangerous and time-consuming for right now.
Eager to level up and help Ran, the family got straight to work.
Their task for the afternoon was to continue building their base. Yesterday, they had finished their first workbench. Today, they could finally craft basic tools. Thankfully, the system provided the blueprints for an **Axe** and a **Knife** completely for free.
Ran's primary goal was simple: farm enough materials to sell to the system, pay off his debt, buy the Awakening Stone, and finally discover what his true soul was.
For hours, the family chopped wood, gathered resources, and crafted relentlessly.
By evening, just before dawn set in, they stood back and looked at their work with immense satisfaction. Their small base had transformed:
* **4 Workbenches** were set up in a neat row.
* A self-made wooden **Table and Chairs** sat in the center.
* Their armory now held **10 Axes, 10 Shields, and 10 Spears**.
* A wooden **Fence** now encircled their entire base. It was small, but it was a great starting point. Their next goal would be making it taller to strengthen their defense.
Ran opened the system interface and sold a large batch of their gathered resources. He finally accumulated enough credits to pay off his 100-credit debt and purchase the **Awakening Stone**.
Since the debt was cleared, the rest of the family could finally access the store interface on their own. Everybody started actively browsing, pointing out different items. Mia, being the most curious, was bombarding Ran with a hundred questions a minute.
"Buy the **Basic Knowledge Book**," Ran suggested with a laugh. "Everyone has some credits now. If you consume that book, it will answer most of your questions."
They all agreed and purchased the books.
After a hard day of work, the system updated their statuses:
* **Ran:** Reached Level 10. (This meant he should have two skills unlocked, but he wouldn't know what they were until he used his Awakening Stone).
* **Mia:** Reached Level 10. (Normally, kids had to wait until they turned 14 to awaken, as was the practice in the real world. But seeing her great stats and attributes, Ran secretly thought she might be able to awaken early).
* **Randolf:** Reached Level 15.
* **Aurora:** Reached Level 15.
The family gathered in the center of their base, taking a seat at their newly built large table. The table was piled high with red cherry fruits they had gathered from the edge of the forest. It was the only food they knew of right now that was safe to eat and replenished their stamina.
As they snacked on the cherries, they discussed what they had learned from the knowledge books.
"The guide book says we don't just have to forage," Randolf said, examining a cherry. "Since we are right at the edge of the forest and near the coast, the soil here is perfect. We can actually cultivate our own food."
Aurora smiled, looking at Mia. "That sounds wonderful. Mia and I can take care of that. We'll handle planting the seeds and cultivating the fruits so we always have a food supply."
"I'll help you, Mom!" Mia cheered.
"Good," Randolf nodded, his expression turning serious. "While you two handle the farming, I am going to focus entirely on building our defenses. We need to make this fence taller and thicker. We don't know what kind of beasts are out there."
Ran leaned back in his chair, feeling the weight of the Awakening Stone in his pocket. "And I'll focus on building our weapons," he said. "If anything tries to get through Dad's walls, we're going to need more than just basic spears to fight them off."
The assessment finished at exactly noon. Ran packed his bag and immediately headed for the exit.
Ken and Leo hurried to catch up with him at the gate.
"Hey, Ran, wait up!" Ken called out. "Leo and I are going to check out the apprenticeship stalls before they pack up. You should come with us. It's the best way to secure a spot before graduation."
Ran shook his head. "I can't. I need to head home."
Ken and Leo exchanged a look. They didn't say another word, but the disappointment was clear on their faces. They thought Ran was giving up because of his Basic Orb. Still, as they watched him walk away, they silently agreed that they wouldn't give up on him. They would keep looking for opportunities for their friend.
When Ran opened the front door of his house, he froze. The place was a total mess, but in the best way possible.
Mia was jumping all around the living room, looking incredibly excited while loudly munching on chunks of food. Aurora was sitting at the table, eating non-stop. It was the first time Ran had ever seen his mother look so happy and healthy while eating.
Randolf was right next to her. He pulled out a huge piece of cooked meat, stuffed it into his mouth, and grinned when he saw Ran at the door.
"Son!" Randolf said with a full mouth. "I already sold the Blade Grass we got yesterday! I bought real food and some supplies for the house. Now hurry up and eat before we go back into the Private World!"
Ran stood at the door and couldn't help but smile. Seeing how lively and full of energy they all were made his chest feel warm. *This is what a happy family looks like,* he thought.
He didn't waste any more time. He threw his bag in the corner, sat down with them, and ate as hard as he could.
A moment later, the family transferred into the Private World.
Once they were settled, Ran decided it was time to share a secret. He gathered his parents and sister. "There's something you need to know," he said. "My martial innate soul... it isn't actually fully awakened yet."
Randolf and Aurora looked completely surprised, but then their faces lit up with delight.
Ran quickly opened the system's game store to look for a solution. It didn't take long to find an **Awakening Stone**. It was surprisingly cheap. The book explained that it was just a simple catalyst, similar to a spirit stone, used to trigger a martial soul.
There was just one problem: **Credits**.
Ran still owed a 100-credit loan to the system from earlier, and he needed to earn more to clear his debt and buy the stone. He opened the *Advanced Beginner Book* to search for ways to make money quickly. He found two main options:
* Sell gathered materials directly to the system store.
* Sell materials to a **Beast Merchant** on the island.
The mention of beasts gave Ran a rough idea of how this world worked. Back on Earth, in the game he used to play, beasts were highly intelligent. Depending on their species, they created their own bases, units, or even entire cities, and players could trade with their merchants.
Ran shook his head, brushing the idea away. Finding a Beast Merchant would be a good plan for the future, but it was too dangerous and time-consuming for right now.
Eager to level up and help Ran, the family got straight to work.
Their task for the afternoon was to continue building their base. Yesterday, they had finished their first workbench. Today, they could finally craft basic tools. Thankfully, the system provided the blueprints for an **Axe** and a **Knife** completely for free.
Ran's primary goal was simple: farm enough materials to sell to the system, pay off his debt, buy the Awakening Stone, and finally discover what his true soul was.
For hours, the family chopped wood, gathered resources, and crafted relentlessly.
By evening, just before dawn set in, they stood back and looked at their work with immense satisfaction. Their small base had transformed:
* **4 Workbenches** were set up in a neat row.
* A self-made wooden **Table and Chairs** sat in the center.
* Their armory now held **10 Axes, 10 Shields, and 10 Spears**.
* A wooden **Fence** now encircled their entire base. It was small, but it was a great starting point. Their next goal would be making it taller to strengthen their defense.
Ran opened the system interface and sold a large batch of their gathered resources. He finally accumulated enough credits to pay off his 100-credit debt and purchase the **Awakening Stone**.
Since the debt was cleared, the rest of the family could finally access the store interface on their own. Everybody started actively browsing, pointing out different items. Mia, being the most curious, was bombarding Ran with a hundred questions a minute.
"Buy the **Basic Knowledge Book**," Ran suggested with a laugh. "Everyone has some credits now. If you consume that book, it will answer most of your questions."
They all agreed and purchased the books.
After a hard day of work, the system updated their statuses:
* **Ran:** Reached Level 10. (This meant he should have two skills unlocked, but he wouldn't know what they were until he used his Awakening Stone).
* **Mia:** Reached Level 10. (Normally, kids had to wait until they turned 14 to awaken, as was the practice in the real world. But seeing her great stats and attributes, Ran secretly thought she might be able to awaken early).
* **Randolf:** Reached Level 15.
* **Aurora:** Reached Level 15.
The family gathered in the center of their base, taking a seat at their newly built large table. The table was piled high with red cherry fruits they had gathered from the edge of the forest. It was the only food they knew of right now that was safe to eat and replenished their stamina.
As they snacked on the cherries, they discussed what they had learned from the knowledge books.
"The guide book says we don't just have to forage," Randolf said, examining a cherry. "Since we are right at the edge of the forest and near the coast, the soil here is perfect. We can actually cultivate our own food."
Aurora smiled, looking at Mia. "That sounds wonderful. Mia and I can take care of that. We'll handle planting the seeds and cultivating the fruits so we always have a food supply."
"I'll help you, Mom!" Mia cheered.
"Good," Randolf nodded, his expression turning serious. "While you two handle the farming, I am going to focus entirely on building our defenses. We need to make this fence taller and thicker. We don't know what kind of beasts are out there."
Ran leaned back in his chair, feeling the weight of the Awakening Stone in his pocket. "And I'll focus on building our weapons," he said. "If anything tries to get through Dad's walls, we're going to need more than just basic spears to fight them off."