“Share the stats and skills!” he grinned.
Strength: 55 → 56
Spectral Claw (Level 1 → Level 2): Damage increased to 150%.
He willed for the system to show only the aspects that improved and it complied.
While he was checking the stats, he noticed his Constitution had increased another 2 after hours of farm work, reaching a total of 69.
Isaac slept, and he was jolted awake soon after.
He reached for his phone, and noticed it was 4 a.m.
He rubbed his eyes, confused.
His internal clock usually kept him solid until 6, giving him a full night’s rest after long days.
So why was he up now?
He sat up, stretching his neck, and felt a strange tug deep inside.
It was as if something was calling him, telling him it was ready.
“Maybe it’s my skill?” he joked, and peered out of the window.
His smile froze.
The new 0.5-hectare plot—the one he’d doused with mana potions—was bursting with fully grown Vitality Grains.
The original plot beside it looked close, but not quite there.
He frowned, thinking it over.
Yesterday, the first batch took eight hours to mature.
This one? Only six hours.
It was two hours faster.
He pulled on his boots and headed for the door.
As he opened it, Leora stepped out of her room next door, rubbing sleep from her eyes but already alert.
Her hair was slightly mussed, a rare crack in her usual discipline.
“Sorry,” Isaac said, pausing. “Did I wake you?”
“It’s fine,” she replied. “Wait for me. I’ll change, and we’ll go out together.”
She turned back into her room, leaving the door ajar.
Isaac leaned against the wall.
Her dedication hit him then. Vice Principal or not, she took the bodyguard role seriously.
There were no complaints, even with her sleep interrupted, and even with Tyr and the Deathwood Guardian patrolling outside, she wanted to stay with him to make sure he was protected.
She was back in minutes, dressed in her usual practical gear, sword at her side.
They headed downstairs and stepped into the cool morning air.
The Deathwood Guardian stood rooted in its pot, exactly where he’d left it.
Tyr, though, was on the move.
He patrolled the field with a massive slab of jagged metal in its hands, probably scavenged from some wreckage nearby.
The Treant turned as they approached.
He raised a hand in a slow wave, and a faint cheery smile appeared on its wooden face.
Isaac waved back, and Tyr resumed its rounds, guarding the crops and house.
“He seems to like you.”
“Is that so?”
Isaac walked to the new plot, and inspected the Vitality Grains.
The plants were tall and sturdy, each bearing twelve fruits.
’Twenty percent more than the standard ten, just like yesterday’s first batch.’
He plucked one, rolling it in his hand before taking a bite.
Sweetness flooded his mouth, crisp and rich, far better than the bland ration crops they were supposed to be.
“Leora, you said mana speeds up the growth time of these crops, right?”
“Yes.”
“That means they grew two hours early thanks to the mana potion.”
He looked at the field, then mumbled to himself.
“Might as well harvest now.”
He lifted the hoe and two swings later, mana rippled across the second plot.
Six hundred fruits from the mana-enhanced land were piled neatly to the side.
120 Tier 0 Vitality Grain Crops harvested. Mana +10. Constitution + 10.
You have obtained 600 Tier 0 Vitality Grains.
Constitution: 69 → 79
Mana: 100 [9 → 19]
His brows creased. While it was good that the Mana was not being wasted, it did not help if it was just stored.
He needed to find a way to remove his stat limit.
Leora helped him carry the grains inside, stacking them with the others.
They burned the stalks in the field, and scattered the ash over the original plot as fertilizer.
Two hours passed in the meantime. The sky lightened to a soft gray, and when he checked again, the first plot had matured too.
Isaac stopped, staring.
These plants bore fourteen fruits each, not twelve.
“Quality improved again,” he said, plucking one to taste. Still sweet, maybe even richer.
Leora stepped closer, her brow furrowing slightly.
“That’s twice now. The genetic mods on Vitality Grains were maxed out with the best strain we had. Improving them once was surprising. Twice? And it might keep going?” She shook her head, genuinely puzzled. “How far can this stretch?”
“No clue,” Isaac said, grinning. “But I’m not complaining.”
He swung the hoe again, harvesting the first plot—another 700 fruits, thanks to the boosted yield.
140 Tier 0 Vitality Grain Crops harvested. Mana +12. Constitution + 12.
You have obtained 700 Tier 0 Vitality Grains.
Constitution: 79 → 91
Mana: 100 [19 → 31]
He noticed he gained 12 Mana and Constitution, instead of just 10.
“Looks like harvesting better crops give higher stats.”
They hauled the new batch inside, then burned the stalks and spread the ash across both plots.
He held off on adding more mana potions to the first one, though.
“Let’s test the mana-enhanced fruits in the labs first,” he said to Leora. “We need to make sure they’re safe before I juice up the first plot.”
She nodded.
The field lay empty now, and Isaac glanced at it, feeling a twinge of restlessness.
“Seems a waste to wait till night to plant again,” he said. “I’ll do it now.”
Keeping the land empty was no different from wasting the extra stat points he could’ve gotten if he planted crops.
He grabbed more Vitality Grain seeds and set to work, planting both plots with steady hands.
When he finished, the sun was just peeking over the horizon.
He headed to the basement gym, and after an hour, he showered and joined Leora upstairs.
Breakfast was waiting.
He saw a plate of scrambled eggs with herbs, crispy bacon, and warm bread, one of his favorites.
He smiled as he sat down.
“This smells great.”
“Catherine mentioned you liked it,” Leora said, setting a glass of water beside him. “Since you have been working hard, let’s say I made this to praise you.”
“Thanks for spoiling me.” Isaac laughed, digging in.
He had to agree her cooking his favorites to encourage him was quite sweet of her.
That reminded him of her handing out free land to him yesterday. It felt like something a sugar mommy might do.
The thought made him chuckle again, though he kept it to himself.
Morning class followed, same as yesterday.
Isaac trained Reaper’s Bounty in the study, this time extracting from two Silverbloom plants at once.
It was twice the work, but it was worth it.
Several hours later, he received a notification.
[Reaper’s Bounty has reached Level 3.]
He tested the skill, pulling a thicker green liquid into a flask.
Leora drank it.
“14 mana per minute, 22 minutes.”
“That skill of yours, it’d make alchemists and potion makers green with envy. Instant, top-quality potions? They’d hate you,” Professor Catherine smirked.
Isaac shrugged.
Lunch came next.
It was simple sandwiches with mana-rich beast meat and fresh greens.
Afterward, they headed outside.
The crops in both plots were fully grown again, ripe under the midday sun.
Isaac harvested them with two swings, earning another 12 Mana and 12 Constitution from second plot and 14 Mana and 14 Constitution from the first plot.
140 Tier 0 Vitality Grain Crops harvested. Mana +12. Constitution + 12.
You have obtained 700 Tier 0 Vitality Grains.
160 Tier 0 Vitality Grain Crops harvested. Mana +14. Constitution + 14.
You have obtained 800 Tier 0 Vitality Grains.
Constitution: 91 → 100 [17]
Mana: 100 [31 → 57]
Constitution stat has reached the limit. You have gained title Formlock.
A strange force covered Isaac’s body. He felt as if his body was held together more cohesively, if that made sense.
While wondering how that would benefit him, he burned the stalks, and spread the ash across the fields.
He realised the fertilizer—made from his own improved crops—was part of the growth cycle now.
Better plants made better ash, which made better plants.
It was a loop he could ride higher.
While he worked, Professor Catherine approached.
“I got the grains from the mana enhanced field tested. They are edible and do not have any unwanted mutations.
“Also, equipment’s here to measure Tyr’s stats,” she said, pointing to a large crate nearby. “It came while you were at it.”
Isaac nodded, brushing off his hands.