During the middle of the night, Silvia awoke. She was able to save up quite a bit of mana–not nearly as much as she had before–but it would do for a mortal.
With a deep inhale, she pushed her mana through Lloyd's bother. She used up every drop before falling back asleep.
…
In the cool night, Lloyd felt an unbearable searing pain that tore through his veins and into his very core, burning so intensely it felt like molten metal was coursing inside him. He wanted to open his eyes, to fight the sensation, but his eyelids refused to move. His limbs weighed a ton, as if iron chains had bound him to the bed.
The pain clawed at him, but eventually, shifted to a pleasant warmth. It spread slowly, soothing the raw ache left behind, until the darkness over his vision changed into a soft white light. His eyes snapped open. The first thing that met his gaze was a stats screen.
[Level Up!]
[Lloyd Driack: Farming Class]
[SSS Skill: Crops Grown Become Mythical Edibles.]
[Accelerate (10 MP): Crops grow faster]
Stats
Strength: 6
Precision: 0
Agility: 0
Dexterity: 9
Stamina: 0
Mana: 250/250
Rank: G-
Level up? Was the first thing that caught his eye. How did he manage to level up? After that was the weird sensation he felt in the atmosphere.
The air around him had changed. It felt heavier, yet somehow cleaner. His eyes widened as he saw tiny blue particles drifting through the room.
Is this how awakeners saw the world?
He assumed that MP meant mana points. So 10 mana would make his crops grow faster?
How would that work?
Well, the most important thing he should do now was to figure out how to use mana. Since his phone was off commission, he couldn't just search it up unfortunately.
He remembered something about mana his dad had told him about. The core was where it was stored in and from there, the user spread the energy through their body. He closed his eyes and focused on the strange feeling in his chest. His core felt full, almost like it was overflowing with countless tiny particles swirling in every direction.
He tensed the muscles around it, controlling the sensation, and imagined the airy energy traveling to his limbs.
A rush hit him.
His five senses sharpened all at once. He caught the faint smell of disinfectant in the room. He noticed specks of dust on the windowsill that he hadn't seen before. Everything felt more alive, more vibrant.
"Woah" He awed breathlessly.
He turned to share this with the person beside him, only to find her still asleep. Silvia lay there, breathing softly, her face peaceful in the morning light.
He pinched her ear gently, a small grin tugging at his lips.
He didn't know how exactly he managed to evolve. All he knew that good things kept following him ever since he met Silvia.
"You're really…" His eyes softened as he rubbed the ear he had pinched. "My lucky charm"
She stirred slightly but didn't wake. He let her rest, slipping out of bed to get dressed. The memory of last night flashed in his mind, and his face burned crimson as he prepared breakfast.
When he sat down to eat, Nora blinked up at him curiously.
"Brother, your face is red."
"I'm just feeling a little hot," he muttered, averting his gaze.
"…In the winter?"
"…Just focus on eating, kiddo." He didn't have a counter.
He covered Silvia's plate while contemplating whether or not he should wake her.
He wanted to go outside to immediately test out his new ability, but the only crops he had left were in the greenhouse and…he didn't want to return their as of now.
Supply was running low so he would have to buy more seeds. He had kept a decent amount of his yield from yesterday to sell so the next course of action was to go to the market.
While thinking, his ears heard soft footsteps along the wooden floor.
"Morning" Silvia sat down next to Lloyd and slipped her hand into his empty hand naturally.
Lloyd sat quietly, observing the pretty lady.
"You know," He spoke slowly, catching Silvia's attention. "You barely went out of the house for like the past month we've been living together and like, you can't use my mom's hand-me-downs forever."
"That matters because?" The goddess gave him a skeptical look.
"I was wondering if you wanted to go out to the market with me later? It'll probably be pretty boring but the cold is lessening and a change of scenery would be pretty nice. But, it's just a thought"
"That's a weird way to say that we're going on a date." Silvia smirked, revealing a singular dimple from the corner of her mouth.
Lloyd-who was no longer as shy as before-openly admitted it.
"Yeah, you're right." He intertwined their fingers.
"Lets go on a date, just the two of us." He smiled brightly, melting away the false-cold of his persona.
"Let me get dressed then!" The pink-haired woman jumped out of the chair and ran towards their bedroom.
"You didn't eat breakfast yet!" Lloyd chased after her, holding the barely-eaten plate in one hand.
…
Lloyd left Nora in the care of Auntie Yang. The marketplace was a few miles away from his village. It wasn't nearby, but wasn't that far either. He carried a large basket with his goods, his boots sinking into the snow with every step.
He was used to the trek, but Silvia wasn't. He looked over with concern, but found her perfectly content. Not even a drop of sweat was on her face.
The bustling market neighbored 2 other villages, with people coming in from all directions. Even with the harsh cold, there was still dozens of people shopping. The smell of roasted meat, sugar, and produce was in the air.
Lloyd headed for the booth registration table where a familiar figure was slumped against the post like a dead man.
"Logan" Lloyd called over.
The blonde head snapped up.
Logan was similar of age to Lloyd, only being 2 years older. He was a family friend from around here. Whenever his parents went to the market, they would always play together. Lloyd used to consider him as a close friend, but they haven't talked in months as Logan only sometimes managed the registration.
"Dude, how's it going?" The blonde man smiled genuinely after seeing his old friend.
"Eh, could be better." Lloyd shrugged.
"Man, it's good to see ya again. You have no idea how boring it is to wait here for 10 fucking hours almost every day with only middle-aged men speaking to you." Logan sighed heavily.
"Yikes. At least you get paid right?" Lloyd patted his shoulder.
"Wow, the bare minimum." Logan shook his head.
"Cough, ahem" Silvia stood there awkwardly, interrupting the two men.
"Ooh, who's this beauty Lloyd?" The blondie nudged Lloyd's shoulder.
"Oh, my bad. This is Silvia, my girlfriend." He smoothly wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"Nice to meet you" She spoke cheerfully.
"You." He pointed. "You've been bedrotting for so many years now and," He gestured broadly at Silvia. "you somehow found a girl?! You know what, I don't even want to know how. I'm just going to be upset and die from hypothermia."
"My bad bro. That's honestly not my problem." Lloyd didn't spare him any condolences which ended with him getting a light-hearted glare from his pal.
"Anyways, can I get a stand?" Lloyd switched the topic.
"Yeah sure. Just take whichever's available."
"How much should I pay?"
"Don't worry about that. Think of it as a greeting gift. I missed seeing your handsome face~"
Lloyd visibly cringed.
"I was just kidding dude…mostly."
"..."
…
There was a stand available smack dab in the middle of the busy market. He carefully took out his produce and placed laid them out.
There was a singular chair in the corner of the small booth where Silvia sat down at.
"What're you doing?" She questioned.
Lloyd took out a marker.
"Just labeling prices and stuff right now." He looked around for competition. There were only a few other farmers selling fortunately. One was directly across from Lloyd. He observed the prices and marketed his at a 30% increase.
Considering the perfect quality of his crops along with the hidden benefits, it was actually a rip-off for him!
Lloyd wanted to keep a low profile and didn't want to expose the hidden traits of his crops. Once he got internet, then he would be able to bid his produce for high amounts.
Lloyd turned to Silvia. "Help me promote"
"On it!"
Lloyd cleared his throat.
"Fresh produce available! Better than anything you can buy from anyone else!" He shouted loudly.
Silvia followed his lead.
All eyes turn to them.
Seeing the two ridiculously attractive people, a crowd of people already formed.
The first customer was an old lady. She held an air of sophistication and the heavy wool jacket she was wearing was clearly made from high quality fabric.
"Hmph, too expensive. Lower the spinach to $6 a pound and I'll consider it." The woman huffed.
Lloyd put on his best customer service smile.
"Ma'am, I can assure you that the price is worth it. My partner and I are offering the best produce available. Organically grown without a hint of artificial growth or flavoring." Lloyd offered her a small sample.
With one bite, the lady widened her eyes at the freshness and sharp taste that exploded in her mouth.
"...I'll take three pounds." She said begrudgingly.
"Excellent choice." Lloyd bagged it without a hint of smugness.
There were a few others who tried to haggle him, but after a quick sample, they quickly changed their tune. Within 2 hours, Lloyd completely sold out.
He held the wad of cash securely.
With that, they could finally go shopping and on an actual date.