True calling... But you too?

Yay! The start of a new Volume!

.

.

.

----------

/Creak…/

Dale slowly opened the door to his apartment, he was finally home…

'Home sweet home...'

/Step step.../

"Dale? Are you okay?" His father asked as he approached him

He looked slightly worried, unlike his normal behavior.

"Yes? Why wouldn't I be?"

"Didn't you hear it? The gas explosion nearby?"

"Huh?"

'Gas explosion?... Ohhh.'

'Is that the coverup? A bit uncreative.'

"I did hear something by the time I got in the elevator, so I left to check what was going on."

"But the police were prohibiting anyone from leaving, so after a little while, asking what happened, I gave up and came back."

"I didn't even know it was a gas explosion, is it on the news already?"

"I see, yes, it is on the news, be sure to be more careful next time, unless you want your mother to run her mouth again."

"I understand…"

'Anything but that.'

Following this, Dale left the groceries in the kitchen and talked with his mother for a little while before going back to the pod.

He checked the time and let out a small sigh.

"I'm a little late, but it's okay, I have about an hour before Dinner is ready, so I might as well do something in the meantime."

Dale changed his clothes and got inside the pod, and once everything was in place, he closed his eyes as the blue liquid slowly filled his surroundings.

"Hum… Looks like I finally got used to this feeling…" Dale said inside his helmet

'Or perhaps, I grew so strong my body doesn't get uncomfortable about this anymore since I could burst this pod open if something bad were to happen.'

…

[... Check]

[Starting systems… Logging in]

/FLASH!/

"!"

/Gasp/

Inside his humble home in the secluded village of Resko, Dale suddenly opened his eyes.

"Phew…"

'Hum… I don't feel any different. Did it fail?'

He slowly moved out of the bed in order to stretch his body and start his day…

[Confluence 0-Star has deactivated]

[You have meditated for over 7 hours]

[Your Mana sensitivity and control have increased slightly]

"Oh? I take back what I said."

'It worked, just that in a way I didn't expect.'

'An increase in both Sensitivity and Control?'

Dale was taken aback by the sudden notification from the system, but as soon as he read it, a look of enlightenment filled his face.

"So this is how this Skill works."

'Confluence is a Skill that automatically moves Mana within my body, while also increasing the recovery speed for both my health and energy while it's in effect.'

'It came with my Class change, and from what I read, Confluence is the method used by the Cult in order to progress further down in their own path... Or something of the like.'

'When I activated it, nothing much changes apart from as I said, the Mana will start to move on its own, albeit at a very reduced speed as compared to what I can do.'

'It's similar to meditation, although here, we aren't doing it for the sake of cultivating power, but more as a way to train… Hum... That may be wrong as well.'

'The problem with this Skill is that the moment I use it if I move even a single step, it deactivates and becomes unavailable for at least 3 minutes, the precise time will have to be pinned down after further testing.'

'Because of this, it becomes clear this isn't a combat Skill, but more of an intermediary one, to be used in between events for a speedy recovery.'

'Its low cooldown time also means that I can constantly use it every time I have some time to catch a breath.'

'I tried to capitalize on passive effects and see if it would work while I'm sleeping and away from the game… And I was right.'

'This means that from now on, even if I stay logged out for long periods of time, I'll at least gain something from it.'

'I'll have to test if there is a difference between me being here while the Skill is on effect, and when I'm logged out.'

'I'll also have to test the effects of prolonged use and try to see if there is an optimal time to have this Skill activated for maximum profits.'

As he thought of that, Dale got up from bed and started to prepare.

He put on his clothes and left his room.

What about David you ask? He left him with one of the Elders, Jyter to be precise, so he could make a new Altar for the poor guy, including something to fix his problem with money...

As for his big ass sword, he left it with Barme yesterday after the poor old man cried to him in both shock and despair.

He was distressed to see the condition the sword was in, unclean, with its edge slightly dull, dirt and other things were all around the blade, encrusted like rust...

Dale cleaned the sword with water from time to time, but according to Barme, it was the poorest work he had ever seen...

Although he felt slightly offended, he knew close to nothing about maintaining a sword.

With that, Dale had freed himself from 2 troublesome things that he kept carrying around the place… Although the sword was necessary for his weight training, so he was bound to visit the old blacksmith sooner or later.

Still, it felt great to wake up to silence and to carry nothing else apart from his clothes for once, he felt oddly light.

…

He went down the stairs, meeting with the young children of Resko as per usual, and he soon found out that they seemed more eager and enthusiastic than normal.

After a little bit of asking and he learned that they were very happy that their parents were in the Village.

That was understandable since until yesterday, from morning to dawn, the adults would be working on the fields, a place little kids like them can't step under any circumstances.

And that is why they were left with Illia in the first place, she was the caretaker of the village.

Dale didn't know how to feel, in a sense, the kids were happy, their parents and family were nearby, and after eating, they would probably go play around the village and seek them out…

But on another note, since they were here, there was no one on the crops, and that was a bit problematic.

The kids may be happy now, but that wouldn't be the case if they were to starve.

This was a problem Dale was set on resolving soon…

But for now, he simply sat at the table and joined them for a meal…

…

"Oh? This is new." Dale said as he stared at the multiple sets of pies on the table

'Looks tasty.'

"Oh Dale, you're up!" Illia said with a smile as she walked out of the kitchen, holding a large plate with another good-looking pie

"Good morning miss Illia… Let me help you with that."

"Ah, thank you, Dale… Hey! Don't touch that!" She exclaimed towards the children who were trying to have a bite from one of the pies

"AHHH!"

The kids scattered like flies, some laughing, others in fear…

"Sign… It's tiring to take care of these little beasts all day, hopefully, with everyone now in the village, my work will decrease a little." Illia said a little tired

"I can only imagine…" Dale said with a nod

'She sounds tired, but I can see she enjoys this.'

Dale helped Illia set the table, and they were almost ready to eat when Illia said:

"Phew… I hope these taste well."

"Is this a new recipe?"

"Yes, it's a meat pie, one of the many written in the cookbook you gave me, I was quite shocked to learn some of those methods, I never even heard of half of them…"

"Some of them require tools and kitchenware I don't have, and some are simply too hard for me to do, like processing the meat of some Forest creatures..."

"With my flaccid arms, I wouldn't even be able to cut it even if I was given a sharp knife." She said as she pinched her arms

"Still, it gave me enough insight to improve my cooking, now I can safely say my food is 'nutritious' and not simply meant to fill your tummy."

She smiled gently.

"Thank you, although I'm still a bit bad at it, I can now make more of each ingredient, in the future, expect better and more delicious plates from me." Illia replied with a large smile

[DING]

[Your actions have resulted in someone else's growth]

[Illia's Class has changed from Caretaker to Cook]

[You have helped someone achieve their true calling!]

[Illia's growth speed has increased slightly]

[Illia's proficiency as a Cook has increased]

[Your actions have caused Illia's intimacy to increase greatly!]

Atop Illia's head, a beautiful blue heart formed, it shone in a gentle blue light, making Dale feel slightly warm, like when he sat under the sun on a cold day.

"..."

Dale opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out, instead, he simply sat at the table and ate a few bites of the meat pie.

It was delicious…

When he looked at his status, he saw a new effect pop up.

[Meat Pie! -> Strength +15 Constitution +10]

And he couldn't help but smile.

'Wow… The quality of the buff has increased significantly…'

'It could be just this time, but if this consists… It could even be sold for other players…'

'Although I'll never do that, Illia's cooking is something that should remain exclusive for the people of the village…'

'Alright, I'm being selfish, who cares?...'

Dale thanked her for the meal and left the Inn filling slightly conflicted, but the appreciation of an older woman was the least of his worries…

Although to be honest, Illia was a girl that remained single for all of her life, and although she is in her mid to late 30s, she looks to be in her mid-20s…

She is nice, gentle, and a great cook, and she's also good with kids and has a good personality.

At least with those she likes... Dale had seen her turn down a guy the other day pretty brutally...

Her hobbies are also pretty simple, she seems to love cooking and gardening, although Dale also heard that she used to practice martial arts when she was younger.

Although he wonders what made her quit that...

Some may see her as a perfect partner, but his requirements for one were never clear, to begin with.

If he were to say, he simply feels weird...

After all, it's not confirmed that she likes him, as it may very well be a case where she simply cares for him.

Personally, Dale wasn't that much into older women, especially Milfs, he never found them attractive if not for some very unique scenarios...

Illia isn't like that though, as she gives him… An older sister vibe more than anything else.

In any case, he had other places to be, so with a satisfied gaze after eating an entire pie, he left the inn, leaving the eager kids to eat their meat pies and cause a mess.

…

.

.

.

Notes