CHAPTER 37: PLANTING APPLE’S SEEDS

Rowen stepped out of the Mage guidance room, the weight of the crystal assessments still lingering in his mind. He glanced down at his pouch—24 low-grade mana stones left. Looking at the wall clock, it was around 2:30 PM.

Even so, his thoughts weren’t on money. They were on what he had learned: fully awakened as a farmer, with rare potential as a mage, and somehow able to connect with all five elemental affinities.

As he passed through the gates separating the districts, he felt it immediately—the shift in the air. The upper district was rich with mana, thick and nourishing, but the moment he stepped beyond, the mana was thin here.

It was a difference he had grown up with, but after spending hours in the upper district’s dense atmosphere, the contrast weighed heavier than before. He adjusted the strap of his bag and quickened his pace, the familiar streets of the border town pulling him back to his small shop.

When Rowen opened the shop door, Shade leapt toward him. He staggered back a step, caught by surprise. The little shadow creature circled his shoulders, making restless meows as if complaining about being left alone all day.

Rowen said nothing. He just stroked her small head with his hand, calming her down, before gently setting her back on the ground.

He prepared a simple meal and ate quickly, hunger dulling his thoughts for a while.

The air inside felt different—fuller, richer. Looking around, he noticed the tomato and potato crops he had planted earlier had grown even more, their leaves bright and firm. Neatly beside them, new stock had piled up in the wooden shed, waiting for him to check later.

Curious, Rowen reached into his pouch and took out an apple seed he had purchased.

Rowen crouched down, brushing his hand over the dark soil. It felt slightly warm, pulsing faintly with mana.

"This should work..." he muttered under his breath.

He pressed the apple seed into the ground, then poured a trickle of water from the nearby wooden bucket. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, faint lines of light spread across the soil where the seed had sunk, vanishing as quickly as they appeared.

Shade, who had followed him inside the farm space, pawed at the ground beside him and tilted her head with a soft meow.

Rowen didn’t stop at just one seed. He pulled the small bag open wider and planted them all, one by one, pressing each apple seed carefully into the rich soil.

Instead of planting them near the crops, Rowen had placed them along the border of the farm space.

By the time he emptied the bag, a tidy line of apple seeds lay hidden beneath the soil. Rowen wiped the dirt from his palms, then sat back, waiting—half-expecting them to burst into sprouts like the others, half-wondering if this time would be different.

Trees would take space, and he didn’t want them crowding out the vegetables later. It was better this way—organized and neat.

Shade followed behind him, pawing at the soil where the last seed was buried. Rowen brushed the dirt off his hands and stood, glancing over the line of freshly planted spots.

"Now... let’s see how long you take," he muttered.

One by one, small blue screens shimmered into existence above the freshly planted spots.

Rowen froze, eyes narrowing.

[Apple Tree Seed—Maturity: 12 hours]

[Fruit Cycle: 6 hours after full harvest]

He blinked, reading it twice to be sure. Twelve hours for a tree to grow. Then, once he plucked the apples, the tree would bear fruit again in just six hours.

"...Twelve hours for a tree?" he muttered, stunned.

The glow flickered once more before fading away, leaving the soil looking ordinary again.

Rowen shook his head, pushing the thoughts aside for now.

He made his way to the wooden shed at the corner of the farm space. Inside, new bundles of produce had already stacked themselves neatly: fresh tomatoes and potatoes.

Carrying them out, he left the farm space through the shimmering portal and stepped back into his room. The air of the real world felt thinner again, less alive compared to what he had just left behind.

One by one, Rowen carried the crates down into the shop. He set the tomatoes on one shelf, the potatoes on another, and stacked the grain sacks along the bottom.

The empty shelves from the morning looked fuller now. Shade trailed behind him as he worked, hopping onto the counter and watching curiously while he arranged the vegetables in straight rows.

He opened the shop, and then he returned behind the counter.

Rowen leaned against the counter, letting his eyes drift shut. The words from the farm space still echoed in his mind: the breathing method, a way to guide mana into his body.

He sat down cross-legged behind the counter and tried it. Slowly, he followed the rhythm: inhale, draw in the faint threads of mana around him, exhale, let them settle. At first, it felt clumsy, like grasping at smoke, but after a few minutes, he sensed a faint warmth gather inside his chest.

The thought wouldn’t leave him: Could I really become a mage?

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his old mobile. With a flick, the faint glow lit up the screen, and he connected to the mana net. His fingers typed quickly. How does someone become a mage? How do they gather mana?

Lines of information filled the screen. Some posts explained that mages used specific breathing techniques to absorb and refine mana into their cores. Others wrote about pathways, meditation, and how talent determined speed. A few discussions warned about the dangers of imbalanced mana flow, damaged cores, or wasting years for little progress.

Rowen scrolled through silently, eyes sharp. Every word mattered. He was awakened as a farmer, but if the space had given him this breathing technique, maybe... just maybe, there would have been a path for him as well.

Shade meowed softly from the counter, breaking his focus for a moment, but Rowen only rubbed her head absentmindedly before returning to the screen, thoughts racing.