Chapter 38

The morning awoke with a touch of specialness.

It was one of those days when hard work paid off.

A gentle warmth.

The solid shaking of my brain as it absorbed knowledge.

Fragmented experience tempered and heated my mind.

My mining skill has reached Intermediate Level 7. Just three more upgrades and I’ll hit Advanced. Though unlikely to happen soon, if I do end up at the mines again, I’ll need to upgrade this to Advanced.

I’ve mined enough mithril. Fortunately, the amount I gathered all day is sufficient to craft 5-6 mithril sprinklers.

After drinking water, I stepped outside my house, intending to water the fields and bang-bang make sprinklers at the crafting table.

“Peeep!”

Were screech owls always this cute? Is it because it’s still a baby, or is this one just special? Not sure yet.

The unnamed baby screech owl blinked its clear eyes and waddled toward me in an adorable manner. Its little wings not fully developed, it shuffled along the ground cutely. Watching this puffball stagger made me smile naturally.

“Hello there, little one.”

Instinctively, I picked it up. A bit of dirt on it, but who cares? Perched on my shoulder, I rummaged through my bag for something to eat for breakfast. Luckily, I’d stocked up on owl treats from the system shop.

It’s delightful watching it chomp away at the meat. After feeding the little one, I grabbed the watering can and tended to the fields. It’s gratifying seeing the vibrant life growing in them.

After finishing watering, I shook my hands off absent-mindedly. At the crafting table, I made mithril sprinklers and strategically placed them at the edge of the field for maximum efficiency. Each sprinkler filled with water worked beautifully, drenching all crops evenly. All thanks to my hard mining efforts.

With leftover materials, I decided to craft some equipment. Even though I opened four additional equipment slots recently, there hasn’t been much need for combat gear. Since no fishing treasure boxes provided new items, I figured I should at least fill these slots before heading out on an expedition.

Currently equipped: 4 slots – shoes, armor, ring (accessory), weapon.

New slots added: 4 – gloves, pants, accessory, helmet.

So, my plan was to roughly craft four pieces of equipment.

Standing at the crafting table, pondering what to make while the baby owl perched on my shoulder rubbed its fluffy feathers against my cheek. Tired from eating and enjoying the good weather, it started dozing off.

When I tried putting it in the cage for comfort, it protested and came back to me. With half-closed sleepy eyes, it tottered over to me. Unable to resist, I let it perch on my shoulder again, where it teetered precariously but managed to stay balanced.

At the crafting table, I began making gloves first. Pure mithril would require far too many resources, so I opted for an alloy—mithril and gold combined.

The required materials were mithril ingots, gold ingots, and two gems. Hammer in hand, I started pounding away.

This process isn’t much different from construction, requiring only slightly more precision. The smelting furnace roared to life, spewing flames and producing various ingots. Carefully selecting the right materials, I focused on crafting the equipment.

Human greed is a curious thing. Especially when it comes to equipment, it drives you a bit mad. With levels involved, the desire to create the best possible within your means becomes overwhelming.

Initially thinking about crafting 30-level alloy gear, my fingers ended up pressing for a 55-level orichalcum ring. My eyes were already scanning 60 and 70-level gear requirements.

Materials intended for warp devices had long been invested in equipment, originally meant only for mithril sprinklers. In that sense, my original goal was achieved.

For safety and romance, equipping better gear seemed like the way to go. No one could look at the shiny finished equipment and its stats without nodding in approval. Good gear also plays a crucial role in protecting your one precious life.

Rationalizing my choices, I nodded approvingly at myself.

Level 33 Gold-Mithril Alloy Gloves.

Level 55 Orichalcum Ring.

Level 31 Gold-Mithril Alloy Helmet.

Level 34 Gold-Mithril Alloy Armor Pants.

Due to using most of the mithril for sprinklers, I couldn’t make pure mithril gear. Still, creating the orichalcum ring consumed quite a bit of mithril, gems, and orichalcum.

Even so, I felt proud having crafted such fine equipment.

Compared to the old ring that emitted a faint glow and offered weak protection, this new ring was impressive.

Speed +1.

Happiness +1

Health +1

Speed seemed to include movement speed, action speed, and likely reaction speed. I noticed faster steps and sharper senses. Happiness directly affected luck, and health, though harder to perceive, probably boosted physical resilience.

These modest effects were nonetheless highly effective.

By the time I finished crafting everything, it was nearing lunchtime. Eating a late breakfast cum lunch, I also fed the now-permanent resident on my shoulder.

Preparations were complete. Ready for adventure.

But leaving immediately wasn’t an option. My crops awaited attention.

Traveling would take about 2-3 weeks, around 15-20 days. Departing now would mean transitioning from spring to summer.

In gaming terms, this meant starting Summer Day 1 unprepared.

Since switching seasons usually killed spring crops, caution was necessary.

Commonly referred to as the “Newbie Crusher,” blindly entering Summer Day 1 was amateurish. Despite being ready, immediate departure wouldn’t be wise. Departure was set for Summer Day 1, after planting seeds, finishing tasks, and saying farewells in the village.

Though missing magic lessons during this period was disappointing, refusing a princess’s invitation as a mere farmer seemed improper.

Not wanting to go despite summer’s busyness, declining a royal invitation would look odd. Having received the royal letter, perhaps a visit was in order. Curiosity grew about the medieval capital, palace, and royals. Who were they, and why did they invite me?

Given the relaxed medieval time concept, receiving a letter didn’t necessitate immediate departure. Spring’s end was busy enough. Sending sweet musk melons or kingsberries as gifts might earn understanding even if I arrived late.

Smiling at this loose thought, I chuckled.

Medieval times weren’t a gathering of fools, and expecting everything to run smoothly based solely on gifts was naive. Considering the positive effects of good crops, things might not turn out well otherwise.

“Peeep!”

“There you go. Awake?”

“Chirp chirp chirp.”

“What? What do you want to do?”

“Chirp chirp.”

Like parents pretending to understand their baby’s babbling, somehow I connected with the sounds this baby screech owl made.

Feeding it finely chopped meat finally silenced it as it gulped down hungrily. Maintaining eye contact between bites was adorable. Its starry night-like sparkling eyes left a lasting impression. Wondering how magnificent it would become when fully grown, anticipation grew.

Though cuteness might fade, maturity brings its own charm. Looking forward to the day this fluff ball transforms into a majestic screech owl. For now, it was content resting on my shoulder.

With spare time, I headed to the Tower of the Mage to learn magic. Occasional rainy-day fishing trips aside, adventuring would leave no time for magic lessons, so I chose efficiently.

Baby owl perched on my shoulder accompanied me into the forest. Its wide-eyed vigilance at the surroundings amused me. Instincts of a wild animal alive and well.

Gently stroking it twice with my finger caused its head to retract, eyes forming a crescent. It extended its neck, asking for more strokes on its forehead, which I happily obliged.

Arriving at the Tower of the Mage, I entered freely, no longer needing formal invitations.

“Greetings.”

“Welcome. Oh? And who’s this on your shoulder?”

“It’s a screech owl I found.”

“A screech owl?”

Gilbert crept closer, examining the tiny fluff ball thoroughly. He then conjured some magic, releasing a ‘Poof!’ sound, before muttering to himself and nodding oddly.

“This owl possesses mana.”

“What?”

“Where did you find it? It seems… unusual.”

“In a rather rare location.”

“It appears to regard you as its parent. Hmm…”

“Is there a problem? Is it sick?”

“Hmm…”

Gilbert smirked at my question, making my heart race nervously.

“Your concern shows it will grow up happy.”

“I found it, so yes.”

“Not all parents are like that. Well, that’s enough. Yes, it’s a screech owl. Nothing amiss.”

“But you said it has mana?”

“Well, such owls exist. It’ll likely be smarter. That’s all, right?”

“If it’s healthy, that’s all that matters.”

“Yes, it’ll grow strong and healthy. So, did you come here today to show off your baby screech owl?”

“No, I’m here to study magic as well.”

“Ho ho. Seems you’ve become a parent. Parents boasting about their children is unstoppable. Very well.”

Ignoring Gilbert’s meaningful chuckle, I proceeded to learn magic. Mostly routine stuff.

Answering questions based on books read.

Expanding imagination from those answers.

Studying new content.

“You’re somewhat strange.”

“Huh?”

“Learning magic doesn’t seem like learning. More like…”

Midway through class, Gilbert randomly made this observation.

“Like… hmm, what’s a good comparison?”

“…”

“Ah, yes. Like reawakening forgotten knowledge. As if you lived forgetting it and are now remembering. Not really learning.”

Skill influence maybe. I knew my learning wasn’t exactly normal.

“Well, I’m not criticizing. Just sharing my feelings. Don’t worry about it.”

“Am I learning well?”

“Ho ho. Yes, very well. You’re already a mage capable of casting spells. Case closed, right?”

Gilbert’s lesson stretched on. Wondering if the owl might develop interest in magic due to its mana, it just kept dozing off.

After the lesson, mentioning my upcoming travel hiatus, Gilbert casually waved his hand saying it was fine. Eccentric in parts, he didn’t seem malicious.

On the way back, the fluff ball chirped again, so I fed it some meat.

“Huh?”

It hopped off my shoulder, stopping at a corner of the forest and exerting effort. Curious, I observed—it was discretely relieving itself.

Touched, I covered my mouth.

Only two days old and already mindful of hygiene.

Rather than thinking it dirty, I realized how exceptionally intelligent it was. Prepared to wash clothes diligently since offering my shoulder, I understood something was indeed different.

They say parents assume their child is a genius. But no,

My child was undoubtedly a real genius.

Later, when it begged to be lifted back onto my shoulder, I indulged it endlessly, stroking it with my fingers.