"Aren't you going to lose money due to it?" Javier asked, visibly surprised.
"If it is only for two weeks, it will be fine. While I make sure that you two will study, I will expand my business a bit," Raiden explained. "Also, I am planning to hire some people to help. Are you two interested? You won't have to do much but make sure that the conditions of the plants will be perfect and harvest them when the time comes. I can give you half a silver coin per day of work. One silver coin per day If you two become skilled enough to help me make the medicine."
"I really want to buy some things, but I don't want to bother my family… Can we start after the tests?" Javier asked, and then Raiden nodded.
"I guess we will have a job if we fail to graduate from the tower of mastery then," Ruth said while forcing a smile.
"Having a backup plan isn't a bad idea, but whatever you do, you'd better try your very best," Raiden warned them. "You might regret it later. Besides, you have already experienced the results of being weak. Do you want to risk letting something like that happen again?"
They didn't say a thing… The idea of becoming slaves again had never crossed their minds, but that had been a wake-up call for them. They could tell now the reason why Raiden was going all out. He didn't want to be weak again because he despised weakness.
During those two weeks, Raiden used half of the money he had to upgrade his vases and buy new ones. Since soon he was going to have the help of his two friends, it would be fine if he at least tripled the number of herbs that he had.
At the same time, Raiden did some other tests. He used some of the fortune saved to level up, and then he used the points to increase his Wisdom. Just as he had expected, he began to learn things faster. Memorizing was even easier than before; recalling his knowledge with accuracy was also pretty easy.
"I should use my power on all sorts of things… let's see what I can do with it," Raiden thought.
While he had to use the money to test that, it was a necessary sacrifice. He tried to level up a book, but it didn't work… he tried to level up his clothes, and it worked.
Cotton Shirt Lv 02
Durability: 05/05
Free Points: 05
"I guess it would be weird if a shirt had any other parameter aside from durability," Raiden thought while rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
Now that Raiden thought about it, his power could improve things through money. A book couldn't be improved… it could become more durable, but it wasn't like it could be used defensively and effectively.
"If I level up a set of armor, shield, and a weapon, I should become strong really fast… they should have other parameters aside from just durability," Raiden thought.
Raiden wanted to check the wooden spear that he had, but since it belonged to the tower of mastery, it was too dangerous. He could buy and improve one later; Raiden just has to save money.
"It should be nice if I could improve items that have magic effects and properties and level them up as well, but I guess it would be too much," Raiden thought.
Items can break and be stolen, so for now, unless he finds something of really high quality, Raiden will focus on leveling up himself.
Raiden - Lv 09 (0/900)
HP: 35/35
MP: 35/35
STA: 35/35
Strength: 21
Vitality: 06
Endurance: 01
Magic: 01
Spirit: 06
Wisdom: 06
Dexterity: 01
Quickness: 01
Perception: 06
Fortune: 4.600
Skills: Money is Power (MAX)
Magic:
Passive: Pickpocketing Lv 01, Sword Mastery Lv 01, Spear Mastery Lv 01, Alchemy Lv 01
"Wow, I really feel a lot better than before… like I can't remember how it is to feel sick," Raiden blinked in surprise when he decided to increase his health, mana, and stamina. "I can barely believe that I just became three times more resilient and durable… I can't use magic now, but maybe I should try to use mana."
Raiden sat in concentration, attempting to access his inner mana. But he struggled, unable to fully feel its presence within his body.
He closed his eyes, focusing on the energy that should be within him. However, it slipped through his grasp, like trying to catch a fleeting breeze. Raiden felt frustrated as his attempts to connect with his mana fell short.
"I guess learning by myself was supposed to be like this…" Raiden said and then sighed while scratching the back of his head. "I didn't find any book or scroll mentioning abilities that make one's body tougher like Iri did. It is truly a secret well kept."
At least Raiden was able to train for longer and without getting tired that fast. He probably could do some heavy lifting or even use real weapons to make things more real; their weight should be fine now. He grew a few centimeters in the last few months, but real spears still were too long for him; the short ones would do the trick.
After making mental notes to do those things, Raiden decided to rest for the next three days in preparation for the test. He deserved that much, and he also needed to be in his top condition. Those three days passed very slowly thanks to it… it seemed that he became a workaholic at some point. Maybe a training freak would be more accurate.
Once the preparations had been made and Raiden confirmed that his friends were ready as well, he went to talk with the instructor about it. Still, much to his surprise, he didn't have to say anything. When he approached the instructor after the end of the lesson, he stopped him,
"... I got it; you three wanted to do the test, right?" The black-headed instructor said.
"Was it obvious?" Raiden asked.
"I can tell that you got stronger recently and that you have been practicing together daily; your growth is surprising," The instructor said. "Tomorrow, each of you will face twenty students. If you defeat all of them without breaking your weapons, then you can reach the next level."
Those three nodded and then left greeted the instructor before leaving the tower of the mastery; some of the other kids heard that, and the rumor quickly spread. Javier noticed that and gulped before hurrying to tell the others. They didn't make any friends at that level either, so they could tell that the kids would try hard to stop them… Raiden really liked to imagine that.
Raiden woke up feeling full of energy; he was in excellent condition. He didn't feel like there were any chances of failing in the test…
Still, when he found the other two, he saw their expressions and faces. It didn't look like they had the chance to sleep a lot. Raiden just shrugged and then began to walk toward the tower of mastery.
"I heard that only around half of the students that reach the tower of mastery manage to reach the next level, and only sixty percent of them graduate," Raiden suddenly said. "There is no shame in failing now."
"What a way to motivate us…" Javier said and then sighed.
"You don't expect a lot from us, do you?" Ruth asked.
"It would be better if I hoped a lot and you all failed anyway? I think that it is better if you feel like I was right in not expecting that," Raiden explained.
"That is so wrong in so many ways…" Ruth sighed.
"I will go first and then try to deal with the most troublesome students," Raiden said. "Everyone will have the chance to fight, so the instructor won't have to choose."
When they reached the tower of mastery, even though they still had twenty minutes before the lessons started, the other kids were already there warning them… they also wanted to duel at the peak of their performance.
"I guess children born and raised here would feel better than us, and they also would feel ashamed of being left behind us," Raiden thought.