NOVEL SIMPLE B3—Chapter 8: Milestones and Monsters
Looking at the message, I did a full-body shimmy. It deserved more than a butt wiggle, but it wasn’t quite enough for a full Gangnam Style celebration. That I reserved for the complete Loot Spell—when it would be ready. And now, I was stuck on the name. Loot Monster? Harvest Monster? Convert Monster?
What the hell should I call this thing?
Create Mana Crystal was a strong contender, but it felt wrong—I didn’t create it; I harvested it. So, finally, I settled on Harvest Mana Crystal—the initial name the system assigned to it. The screen disappeared after filling in the name, but the red light was still blinking. Before checking the rest of the messages, I checked my profile, and under Wizard Spells, I had Harvest Mana Crystal without the [In Progress] tag.
Yes!
I tapped the red light and read the new message:
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Level Up +3 to All Stats Wizard Battle Master Level 8 |
That was always nice. The red light was still blinking, so I tapped it again.
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Milestone Reached Creativity 20 or Above Reaching a Creativity level of 20 or above marks a significant milestone in your journey. At this level, you can now actively engage your Creativity to find the most inspiring direction for innovative solutions. This means more than just coming up with ideas; it means sensing the direction in which your creative energy will be most fruitful, leading you to breakthroughs and inventive outcomes. Creativity over 20 gives you an intuitive sense of where to direct your efforts for the most creative results. Whether seeking the perfect materials, discovering new techniques, or finding the ideal environment to foster your ingenuity, this heightened sense guides you through the paths of possibility, ensuring your creative projects reach their fullest potential. Engaging your Creativity in this way transforms it from a passive trait to an active tool in your arsenal. It enhances your journey and helps you navigate challenges with innovation and originality. This directional sense ensures that you are always in the right place to draw upon your creative strengths, making your journey successful and truly extraordinary. |
Woo Hoo!
The part about finding a direction for solutions was amazing. I was stuck on so many things, and this would help solve some of them, or at least I hoped so. That was the last message.
I opened the Archive to share my achievement with Lis, and saw Mahya’s message about the dungeon core—she used my idea. Yay me! He hadn’t responded yet, but there were quite a few comments from Travelers with some wild ideas about what they would feed the house in such circumstances or telling her it was a fantasy story and not a good one since it can’t happen in real life. I snickered to myself—keep thinking that, boys and girls, keep thinking that.
Lis had responded to the long report I sent him while we were on our way to Canada.
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Tr. LM “Inventor, Versailles, Hungry, Clueless.” My dearest friend, It fills me with joy to hear that you’re enjoying yourself, and I’m glad the extraction went off without a hitch. I have to say, that mana wave you created—truly remarkable. I’m not sure I would have thought of such a solution myself. Your stories had me laughing out loud, so much so that I couldn’t resist sharing them with a few dragons. They particularly loved hearing about the time you parked a house on the ocean during your cruise, and Mahya was in the hot-air balloon. Shimeramix, one of my new friends, was quite impressed by your journey to Vegas on the balloon and sends his congratulations on bonding with your first element. He assured me it’s no small feat. And your clever handling of the soldiers after Sonak’s injury? Absolute genius—a true display of your Creativity trait. The dragons also found your casino escapades hilarious, especially how you milked it for a large sum, and the tale of you emptying out that enormous warehouse had them roaring with laughter. I must say, I agree—Sonak really does sound like quite the fool. As you head into a new world, let me offer heartfelt advice, my friend. A world on the verge of integration is not just a fleeting opportunity—it’s an extraordinary rarity in the multiverse. These moments are like precious gems, hidden away, waiting for those who are truly prepared to seize them. You could travel across countless worlds and not encounter another like this. So, stay a while. Don’t rush through it. Take the time to immerse yourself in what it has to offer—enough time to fill your ability points and class slots properly. There’s no need to hurry through this; in fact, it would be a mistake to do so. Squandering such a rare gift would be a regret that lingers, a missed chance that few are ever granted. And when you’re filling those slots, I urge you: don’t settle for anything that doesn’t stir something inside you. Don’t let practicality alone dictate your choices, because these abilities and classes will shape the person you are for years to come. Choose things that resonate with you—truly resonate. You want to look back and know that every decision you made was one that spoke to your heart and intellect, one that will keep you engaged and excited far down the road. Your skills, your classes—they’re not just tools for today, they’re investments in your future, in who you’re becoming. So pick the ones that will still fascinate and challenge you years from now, not just the ones that seem convenient now. Believe me when I say this is a chance to define your path in ways few can. Don’t let it pass by without making the most of it. You’ve come so far already—don’t stop short of reaching for what’s truly meaningful. As for me, I’m doing well here. The dragons have made significant progress in their English, thanks to the dictionaries I brought along. They’re now able to work through most of the books on their own, which has given me the freedom to travel and explore this incredible world. I haven’t learned anything new just yet, but for now, I’m content being a tourist. I’ve made three dragon friends, and they’ve been showing me some of the most fascinating places. Everything here is enormous—bushes, mountains, you name it. Imagine everything twice the size, or sometimes five or ten times larger than anywhere else. It’s taken some getting used to, but once you do, the beauty of this place is unmatched. Mana shapes every aspect of their world, and they’ve taken me to some of the most striking examples of this phenomenon. The first place we visited was an ancient forest. I felt like an ant in a world of giants. The trees reached so high their branches seemed to brush the sky, their trunks like towering sentinels. The air was thick with the scent of life, and unseen creatures filled the air with their calls. Even the flowers were impossibly large, each bloom as big as a wagon wheel, bursting with vibrant color. Walking beneath the canopy, I felt a sense of wonder that I hadn’t experienced in ages. Then, as if guided by mana itself, the forest abruptly gave way to a rugged mountain range. Peaks tall enough to pierce the clouds surrounded us, their snow-capped summits lost between them. The air was crisp, filled with the clean scent of stone and ice. Each vista we encountered was breathtaking, almost divine. I can’t personally distinguish mana types, but Silerioux assured me you will manage it with ease. From the mountains, we descended into a vast desert. One moment, we were surrounded by towering cliffs covered in ice, and the next, we stood on golden sands stretching as far as the eye could see, with the blazing sun overhead. Despite the harshness, the desert holds a quiet, timeless beauty. My dragon friends were unfazed by the heat, their scales providing natural protection from the sun’s relentless glare, but I had more difficulty adjusting. Even my high constitution, which has served me well in other worlds, was put to the test here. Everything in this world is bigger, stronger, harsher. At one point, I even flew above the dunes on one of the dragons—an exhilarating experience, to say the least. Our final destination was a frozen tundra. The change was immediate and striking, as if we had crossed an invisible line into another realm. The temperature plummeted, the wind grew biting, and the ground beneath us turned into a blanket of snow and ice. Everything sparkled with an ethereal glow, the air crisp, and the horizon stretched endlessly. It was a fitting end to our journey, a place of stark, pure beauty. Every step through this world has deepened my appreciation for its unique magic. The high mana here doesn’t just enhance the environment—it transforms it, bending the very laws of nature to create these awe-inspiring landscapes. It’s a realm of wonders, where I’m gathering memories that will last a lifetime. I’ll continue writing as my travels unfold, but in the meantime, keep learning, keep growing—both as a wizard and as a person. And do share more of your adventures. Your stories brighten my days and fill me with joy. Oh, and don’t forget to write to me about all the loot you’ve acquired—legally or not. My dragon friends enjoy those stories the most. With deep affection and unwavering friendship, |
It was amazing to read his descriptions. I could almost imagine walking through those places and seeing the sudden environmental change. It sounded like he was having fun, and I was glad. While I read, a new monster formed, and instead of stomping it, I cast my new spell.
Nothing happened. Annoying.
I stomped on it, cast my new spell, and in less than a minute, I had a crystal lying on the ground. Unfortunately, I still had to kill the monster first.
Oh, well. That will be a future project—a spell to eliminate and harvest the monster.
I checked the Spell list, and the spell wasn’t there. That was odd. I opened my Profile, poked the Gate Traveler class, and opened the abilities list. Looking down, I found the description of the ability. It stated, “A Traveler can learn any Spell or Skill in the connected worlds.” So how come my spell wasn’t there? I directed the question to the “rebuking” entity but didn’t get a reaction.
What else is new?
I wrote to Lis and told him about the spell I created, asking if he knew why it wasn’t on the spell list. After completing this task, I went looking for Mahya. I found her on the enormous deck of the house with the motorcycle blueprint, fiddling with some parts.
“Hey, Mahya, I cracked the loot spell!”
Her eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands together. “That’s fantastic! Congratulations!”
“Thanks. But do you know why the spell wasn’t added to the spell list of our class?”
She tilted her head, a puzzled expression crossing her face. “I have no idea,” she said. We both shrugged in unison.
Mahya’s face brightened with enthusiasm. “You should join me in working on the bike!”
I shook my head, laughing. “I appreciate the offer but want some time off to enjoy my achievement.”
She pouted, but nodded. “Alright, but you owe me tomorrow.”
“Deal,” I said, smiling. “I’ll help you tomorrow.”
With that settled, I set off to find Rue. Walking away, I realized how much I had neglected him while busy with the spell. It was time to make up for that.
Rue and I raced on our E-foils on the big lake, pissing off some big fish in the process. Suddenly, a massive fish appeared below me, flicked my E-foil with its tail, and sent me flying. Falling into the water was not an option—I didn’t want to swim with that giant fish. Instinctively, I connected to the wind, hovered, stored my E-foil with my mana sense field, and took out my crossbow.
“You’re tonight’s dinner,” I informed the fish, then shouted to Rue, “Stay away from here, or it will throw you off too.”
I aimed at the fish and shot it, but my hit wasn’t fatal. The fish dove, forcing me to descend toward the water. I stood back on my E-foil and zoomed on the lake with my mana sense spread as wide as possible. The moment I felt the fish approaching again, I stored the E-foil, hovered, and shot it again. This sequence repeated several times until I finally hit the fish in the eye, ending the struggle.
Approaching the fish on my E-foil, I grabbed its tail and dragged it to the water’s surface. It was even bigger than I thought initially—easily the size of two, maybe three, dolphins.
“You’re not just tonight’s dinner. You’re this week’s meals,” I said to the fish with a smirk.
Rue and I continued racing on our E-foils for a few more hours before heading back to cook a feast. The following week, this fish would be the basis for many interesting dishes.