The mushrooms in Ren's hair pulsed softly as he counted the day's crystals. One hundred and twenty in total value, that was his "lucky" but not suspicious amount.
'Not quite the thousand-plus crystals counting materials from that first day,' he reflected while carefully storing his gathering, 'but it's safer this way for now.'
The numbers were consistent: between one hundred and one hundred fifty crystals daily. By month's end, it would amount to roughly 4,000, which the school would double to 8,000.
Progress toward the needed 50,000 was slow, but at least it was steady.
'Two days until the expedition,' he thought while climbing through the hidden tunnel.
The prospect of gathering beyond school boundaries offered new possibilities.
Life had fallen into a rhythm.
Taro practiced mana circulation daily, his control improving remarkably. He no longer needed as much guidance to distribute energy correctly.
