CHAPTER 16: EFFECT OF TOMATOS

After stepping out of the shop, the woman glanced back once, eyes lingering on the door as it shut behind her.

She didn’t say anything.

Just pulled her cloak a little tighter and started walking.

The streets of lower town felt familiar. She’d grown up here—long before her awakening.

When she awakened as a mage and passed the entrance exam, she’d managed to get into a mid-tier university. Her potential was rated at the adept level, decent but limited. She knew she’d never reach the higher ranks, no matter how much effort she put in.

After graduating, she returned home.

The academy in Everset City’s border town didn’t have strict requirements. It wasn’t well-funded, and most of the top instructors didn’t want to work out here. But they needed teachers—especially ones who had gone through the system.

So she joined.

Now, she taught at the border town’s school, guiding newly awakened students. Helping them figure out their paths, explaining the basics of mana flow, spellcasting, and career options.

It wasn’t exciting, but it mattered.

Still... those tomatoes.

She couldn’t stop thinking about them. The focus boost. The mana trace. The mage who confirmed it.

It wasn’t normal.

And it wasn’t something she could ignore.

She climbed the narrow stairs back to her apartment in the lower-town district, her thoughts lingering on the tomatoes.

It was a day off from teaching—a rare holiday—but she wasn’t out to relax.

She had one goal today: to find something that could help her focus better while learning new spells.

As a fire mage stuck at the Adept level, she knew her potential had limits. She couldn’t level up anymore, but she could still expand her spell list. Lately, she’d been working on a mid-range fire spell, something to reinforce her basics and stay useful as a teacher.

But her concentration had been slipping more than usual. Every time she sat down to practice, her mind would wander halfway through the casting pattern.

What she needed was something to help her stay sharp.

Focus-boosting potions existed, of course—but they were expensive. The cheapest ones cost around 40 to 50 low-grade mana stones per vial. More than half her monthly salary at Mirefield Academy.

She couldn’t afford that.

Not if she wanted to keep saving. Not if she wanted to stay independent.

So she spent the morning going from one shop to another, looking for anything that might help—affordable tools, herbs, even old mage manuals.

But there was nothing.

By noon, her legs were tired, and she was getting frustrated.

That’s when she noticed a small shop at the end of the street. People were walking in and out, muttering to each other on the way out.

"That place is a scam," someone said. "Three tomatoes for one mana stone? He even wrote ’mana recovery’ and ’focus boost’ on tags like they’re real things. With food."

She paused.

Food? Boosting focus?

She didn’t believe it.

But... she couldn’t ignore it, either.

What if it was real? Even a mild effect could help. And if it worked, she’d be spending a fraction of what a potion costs.

She hesitated for another moment—then walked toward the shop.

Inside, she found a small, clean space. A boy stood behind the counter—probably around sixteen, at most. The shelves were simple. In the front display were baskets of tomatoes and potatoes, neatly arranged.

And just like they said... there were tags.

One read:

Tomatoes – Focus Boost (10–15 min), Minor Mana RestorationPotatoes – Passive Mana Recovery

She stared at them, unsure what to think.

It looked too clean. Too organized. Like someone trying too hard to make it look legitimate.

But the mana glow coming from the vegetables wasn’t fake. She could feel it. Faint, but there.

Still, she didn’t move. Just stood there, confused and cautious.

That’s when the door opened again.

She turned her head—and froze.

Darian Velastra walked in, along with his team. Their presence immediately shifted the room’s energy. They weren’t acting like customers at all. They looked comfortable, familiar with the place.

She recognized the crest on Darian’s coat. A known mage with high potential, enrolled in the Westlight Academy, the top academy in Evesest City. and heir of the Velastra family who awakens as a mage with the potential of a master.

And when he saw the tomatoes?

He picked one up, read the tag, and without hesitation said,"I’ll take them all."

Her eyes widened.

Darian’s group confirmed it—out loud. No doubt. No skepticism.

They believed the effects were real.

That tomato from the shop earlier... It might actually help.

She looked at her open spellbook on the desk—still marked up from last night’s failed attempt.

Maybe she’d go back to that shop today afternoon.

Just once more.

Buy one.

See for herself.

In the meantime.

After leaving Rowen’s shop, Darian and his group didn’t head straight for the wilderness or rush off on their next mission.

Instead, they made their way toward the garrison rest area near the eastern gate—close to the border, but still well within town limits. The place was quiet at this hour. A few benches lined the walkway, and the shaded pavilion offered a view of the checkpoint ahead, where mana barriers marked the edge of the secured zone.

They sat down to rest, setting their gear aside.

Darian reached into his bag and pulled out one of the tomatoes he’d just bought.

He turned it over in his hand for a moment, thoughtful.

"I’m going to test the focus effect," he said quietly.

No one argued. After yesterday’s fight in the wilderness—when they’d barely survived an encounter with a master-level goblin—Darian had been quieter. More focused. He wasn’t angry. Just tired of the feeling that he hadn’t done enough.

He wasn’t advancing to trainee level yet. That would take time.

But he could start preparing.

Learning a new spell was part of that.

He already knew basic fire control, but he needed more—something faster, more refined. So he was going to train today, nothing dramatic. Just solid practice.

He took a bite of the tomato.

It was fresh and warm, the faint trace of mana leaving a slight buzz on his tongue.

After a few seconds, he closed his eyes and breathed out.

It wasn’t overwhelming, but it was there—his mind felt clearer, sharper. Like his thoughts had lined up properly.

"This’ll help," he murmured.

He stood, stepped a few paces away from the group, and began forming the first symbols of the fire spell he’d been studying.

After some time, Darian finished his practice with a slow exhale.

The spell’s structure had finally settled into place.

He raised his hand and cast it one more time—this time without hesitation.

A curved wall of flame surged up from the ground in front of him, steady and well-shaped. Controlled.

Firewall.

It held form for several seconds before fading.

Darian lowered his hand, satisfied.

It wasn’t a high-level spell, but it was clean. Reliable.

He walked back toward the bench, pulled out the rest of the tomatoes, and handed them out to the group.

"Try them," he said simply.

The knight took one with a raised brow, then shrugged and bit into it. "Huh. Tastes better than I thought."

The mage, quieter, simply nodded after a bite. "There’s a trace of it. Focus sharpens a bit. I can feel it."

Even the butler-like attendant in their group, who rarely said much, gave a small nod of approval.

"This could help during sword drills," he said, glancing at the knight. "Better focus during muscle memory work."

The knight chuckled. "If food helps me get through footwork routines without falling asleep, I’m in."

Darian didn’t say anything else. He just sat back down, resting his arms across his knees, watching the path ahead.

That tomato was more than just a snack.

It was useful.

And that made the boy who grew it... worth remembering.

After the short break, Darian stood and slung his bag over his shoulder.

"We’re going in," he said.

The rest of the group followed without question. They gathered their gear, checked their weapons, and made sure their mana reserves were stable.

Once they were ready, they headed toward the eastern checkpoint, where a pair of guards were stationed at the edge of the town’s mana barrier.

Darian showed his registered pass. The guards barely glanced at it—they knew his group by now.

The gate shimmered with faint light as it opened, parting just enough to let them through.

They stepped beyond the barrier.

Into the wilderness.