Over the course of a week, Silvia finally managed to get pass the fog in Lloyd's meridians. Every night, she would push her mana through him and bit by bit, the darkness would fade, replacing with a pure, white light.
She wiped the sweat of her forehead.
Sooner or later, he'll awaken.
…
Lloyd felt a warmth taking hold of every organ in his body. A comfortable and strong ray that covered him completely. He felt so heated and light, like a weight was taken off of him.
He opened his eyes slowly, blinking a few times. Immediately after he closed them. Then reopened.
What the fuck?
A soft, blue light hovered in the air, a glowing holographic screen.
Lloyd blinked, his breath catching. He sat up slowly, careful not to wake up his sleeping girlfriend, staring at the strange words floating before him.
[Talent Unlocked: Farming Class][SSS Skill: Crops Grown Become Mythical Edibles]
Did I awaken?! Holy shit!
From his memories, Lloyd recalled that only ten percent of humanity awakened. A long, long time ago, more than a millennium ago, a meteorite with unimaginable amounts of power and aura crashed down onto earth. The whole planet was practically decimated. Seas were split, mountains crushed to debris, volcanoes erupting just from the sheer power. One would think that humanity would be destroyed, any source of life gone. But from the rubble, humans emerged, stronger than ever. Once the earth settled, the world remade itself. The air was cleaner, the water was pure, the grass grew back firmer and more secured.
That was because the very air had changed because of the meteorite. Invisible particles drifted unseen, present in every breath: mana.
Some humans were lucky; they inhaled the mana and absorbed the power that radiated off the rock unknowingly and survived. It was the same case for animals, albeit there were way less animals than humans who survived. Eventually, people realized that they could pass on their mana to their offsprings, but it was rare. Most bodies weren't suitable to carry the mana, resulting in deaths through mana poisoning and other symptoms. As the years passed by, the air would get polluted and the power of the rock faded away, resulting in less and less awakeners.
When enough mana is absorbed into a suitable vessel that could refine it, the core would overflow, resulting in what's now know as an awakening.
Some gained control of the elements, be it fire, ice, ground, etc. Others acquired abilities so unique they changed the world. The greatest blacksmith alive had once been an ordinary person, until he awakened with an S class forging ability that let him craft weapons capable of slaying dragons.
Lloyd had given up hope long ago. He was already twenty-one, far past the usual age of sixteen, he had resigned himself to being ordinary.
And yet…here he was.
SSS Rank
Higher than anything ever recorded. Higher than the SS+ talent wielded by the strongest hunter alive.
His breath shook as he whispered, "SSS-Rank? Holy hell."
The words felt unreal.
A gentle squeeze at his waist snapped him back to reality.
"Hm… be quiet~ I need my beauty sleep," Silvia mumbled, her voice drowsy, heavy with lingering sleepiness.
Lloyd jolted. "S-Sorry."
He tried to move, but the warmth of her body pressed against him, her arm clutching him tighter.
"It's still early," she murmured, almost purring, "Stay. Sleep a little more."
I'll deal with it later, sleeping with my girlfriend is more important.
With that, Lloyd closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
…
Obviously, the first thing he did when he woke up was to kiss the still sleeping Silvia on the cheek and then to rush off to the fields.
For once, he was actually excited to be out in the cold, harsh, weather.
Lloyd pulled on his plain jacket, stepped outside, and grabbed his shovel to clear the slush and snow as he usually does.
As he finally reached dirt, he stiffened.
The seeds he had planted days ago… had sprouted! Not only sprouted, but fully grown, vibrant crops stood where barren soil had been.
"What?!" he shouted, his breath fogging in the air.
The outer leaves of Red Russian kale he had planted had grown a full 12 inches!
He carefully plucked out the outer leaf.
It didn't look special in anyway. Same shade of green, stems being reddish-purple.
It didn't look special, but nothing was wrong either. It was perfect in every way shape and structure wise.
However, when he held it up, a glowing holographic panel materialized in front of his eyes.
SSS-Rank Kale Leaf
+5 Health
Were those stat points?!
He plucked another leaf and the same thing popped up. His hands trembled slightly as he harvested the rest, replanting what seeds he had left. Seeds were running low. He'd have to buy more soon. But right now, he had something far more valuable than money.
Since the crops on his field had grown, despite the soil ruined, would the crops in the greenhouse also have grown?
Lloyd pondered on going but figured that he would do so later after checking what he had on hand.
He trudged back inside with snow clung to every place of his body, but he didn't mind that.
Silvia stood in the middle of the room, broom in hand, sweeping the floor with an almost regal air. She looked up, her face brightening instantly. "Welcome home"
Lloyd took off his shoes. "Thanks for cleaning up the place."
"Eh, just keeping up my end of the work." The goddess replied.
He stretched and went to the kitchen. He washed the kale leaves he plucked out and chewed on one. The mild flavor was definitely more potent compared to the ones he ate before. Refreshing with a faint, pleasant bitterness slowly turning sweeter as he chewed. As he swallowed and finished eating it, a screen popped up.
[Lloyd Driack: Farming Class][SSS Skill: Crops Grown Become Mythical Edibles]
Stats
Health: 100 (+5)
Strength: 0
Precision: 0
Agility: 0
Dexterity: 0
Stamina: 0
Rank: G-