CHAPTER 17: MEETING OLD RIVAL AGAIN.

After everyone had left, the shop went quiet.

Rowen stood behind the counter, looking down at the ten low-grade mana stones sitting by the register—payment from Darian.

It wasn’t a huge amount, but it was something.

As he reached for the pouch to store them, a shimmer moved near the back wall.

Fern floated into view, still a little groggy, arms loose at his sides. His hair was messy, and his eyes were half open—but as soon as he saw the mana stones, he lit up a bit.

He looked hungry.

Rowen sighed. "You’re still burning through energy that fast?"

Fern just gave a small shrug, not bothering to answer.

Rowen didn’t count them. He picked up the whole stack and tossed it to him.

"Recharge the land. Whatever’s left—use it for the upgrade of the land."

Fern caught low-grade mana stones in one hand, eyes bright now. "Finally."

The stones dissolved into his body in a quiet, pulsing glow.

Rowen watched him for a second.

If this worked, the farm would be one step closer to the next stage.

Just when Rowen was thinking of future plans, the soft jingle of the shop’s front bell drew his attention instead.

The door swung open, letting in a breath of cool air. One female customer stepped inside, her boots tapping lightly against the floorboards as she shut the door behind her.

She stared at Rowen, surprised to see him.

Rowen looked back, recognizing her instantly.

Lyra Anwell

They’d studied together at the lower academy here in the border town. She was at a similar age and in the same class, of course. Rowen always topped the theory exams, and Lyra was second every time.

She hadn’t seen him since the awakening ceremony.

She knows that at the awakening ceremony, Rowen didn’t awaken at all.

Meanwhile, that day she had awakened as a fire mage, with Adept-tier potential.

The annual exam was coming up soon.

She planned to take the exam—like everyone else her age—with the hope of getting into at least a decent mid-tier university.

Federal University was out of reach. It only accepted the best: students with master-level potential or higher. People like Darian.

She wasn’t aiming that high.

It wasn’t that she lacked ambition—she just understood what it meant to have Adept-level potential as a mage.

With her Adept-tier potential, her goal was more realistic: a solid academy, slow but steady advancement, and maybe one day a stable position—teaching or working field support.

She was from a poor family; they live in a lower town area like Rowen. Her family had always struggled. But after her awakening, the academy had given her a small reward—a few low-grade mana stones, part of the school’s basic support program.

It was just enough.

Her parents had used it to start venturing into the wilderness. They hunted weak monsters, gathered mana cores, and sold them to keep the family going.

They couldn’t afford real potions or advanced training gear. Most of their progress came from long days, careful planning, and barely scraping by.

Still—she kept studying. Practicing. Doing what she could with what little resource she had.

She hadn’t planned to end up here.

Today was her day off from the academy, and she’d spent the morning walking through town, checking shops—looking for anything that might help with her next hunt. A recovery potion, maybe, or something to keep her mana recovered after a fight, and she could then hunt more monsters.

But even the cheapest potions were well out of her budget.

She didn’t have many mana stones left. Most of what her family earned went to essentials.

She was getting desperate.

So when she overheard a few people arguing about a strange shop that claimed to sell focus-boosting tomatoes and mana-recovery potatoes, she hadn’t believed it. Sounded like a scam.

Three tomatoes for a whole low-grade mana stone?

That was absurd. Even high-quality produce wasn’t priced like that.

But what if it wasn’t a scam?

What if the effects were real?

She needed the help—and if it worked, it would be cheaper than any potion she could buy. So she followed the small crowd and stepped inside.

That’s when she saw Rowen.

He was standing here, behind the counter of a quiet shop.

"...Rowen?" she asked softly.

And now—Rowen. The one who vanished without a word after Awakening Day. The one who never awakened at all.

He was standing here, behind the counter of a quiet shop.

"...Rowen?" she asked softly.

She opened her mouth, about to say something—but before the words came out, Rowen silently pointed toward the shelf.

She followed his gesture.

The potatoes were carefully stacked on the shelf of the store, just like people had described.

For a moment, she just stared at them.

She remembered what others in town had said—that this place was a scam. That the prices for food are ridiculous. That no food, no matter how fresh, could really have mana recovery effects.

And yet... the potatoes were right there. Labeled clearly.

She didn’t want to believe he was desperate enough to trick people.

Still... doubt lingered.

Quietly, she reached into her pouch and pulled out a single low-grade mana stone. Her hand hesitated halfway—just for a moment.

A small part of her wanted to believe in him.

Rowen gave a small nod, his expression calm. "Three potatoes for one mana stone," he said. "You can pick them yourself."

Without saying another word, she stepped forward.

No second thought.

She picked up one of the potatoes from the basket—still slightly warm from the lingering mana in the room—and took a bite, right then and there.

She finished the bite and waited.

At first, nothing happened.

Then, slowly, she felt it—a subtle warmth spreading through her chest, then outward into her limbs. It wasn’t dramatic, but it was real. Her mana, which had been running low from the last few days of training, was beginning to recover.

Her eyes widened slightly.

It was working.

The increase wasn’t massive, but it was steady. Natural. Clean. Not like expensive mana potions, but something gentler—something she could actually use without side effects.

She looked down at the half-eaten potato in her hand, then up at Rowen.

"...This really works," she said quietly, more to herself than anyone else.

Relief washed over her.

She wasn’t going to have to waste her mana stones on those ridiculously overpriced recovery potions anymore.

This—this potato—was enough.

It worked. It was affordable. And most importantly, it meant she could finally start saving.

Now, instead of spending everything just to stay afloat, she could put her mana stones toward what she really needed—better mana gathering techniques, resources for advancing to trainee level, and actual tools that could push her forward.

She looked at Rowen again, this time with a different expression—not just surprise, but genuine respect.

"...You grew this?" she asked.

Rowen just nodded. He didn’t say anything else.

But Lyra understood.

Everyone had secrets—and by the look in his eyes, he had awakened that day, just not in a way anyone expected. He hadn’t wanted to announce it. Maybe he couldn’t. Maybe he chose not to.

Either way, she wouldn’t press.

Not today.

Seeing no sign of further conversation, she gave a small nod, almost to herself, then turned and stepped out of the shop.

The moment she hit the street, her pace picked up.

She felt different now—energized, hopeful. With these potatoes, she could keep hunting without burning through her limited supply of recovery items. Her mana would last longer, her battles would go smoother, and most importantly—her income was about to go up.

She’d have more stones.

More chances to grow.

Maybe even enough to afford better techniques and start the slow push toward trainee level.

She smiled, already planning her next trip into the wilderness.