The next morning brought rain, turning the dirt paths of Millhaven into muddy streams. Kael stood at his bedroom window, watching the water cascade off the farmhouse roof while reading his new daily quest.
[DAILY QUEST: BUILDING MOMENTUM][Work in fields 0/6 hours, Physical training 0/1, Study 0/1, Magic practice 0/0.5]
Magic practice. Half an hour didn't sound like much, but Kael had spent years failing to produce even the simplest magical effects. Still, his Intelligence and Wisdom were higher now—maybe that would make a difference.
"Breakfast!" his mother called from downstairs.
Kael found his family gathered around the kitchen table, all looking somewhat glum about the weather. Marcus was studying the rain through the window with the expression of a man calculating lost productivity.
"South field's going to be a mud pit," Tam observed, stirring his porridge with unnecessary vigor. "Probably can't work it for two days, maybe three."
"We'll find other things to do," Marcus replied, though his tone suggested limited enthusiasm for indoor tasks. "Barn needs cleaning, tools need maintenance. Always something."
Kael nodded along, but privately he was relieved. Six hours of barn work sounded far more manageable than field labor, especially with his new Basic Labor skill reducing fatigue.
After breakfast, the family trudged through the rain to the barn. Marcus assigned tasks with the efficiency of long practice: Tam would organize the tool storage, Elena would tend to their aging milk cow, and Kael would muck out the stalls and replace the straw.
It was messy, unglamorous work, but Kael found he didn't mind as much as usual. His improved Strength made the pitchfork feel lighter, and the Basic Labor skill meant he could work steadily without the usual burning fatigue.
[Field Work Progress: 2/6 hours]
"You're moving well today," Marcus commented during their mid-morning break. "Feeling better?"
"A bit, yes." Kael wiped sweat from his forehead. "I think the exercise is helping."
It wasn't entirely a lie. The system-granted improvements felt like the natural result of better self-care, even if the mechanism was anything but natural.
They worked through lunch, taking brief breaks when the rain intensified. By mid-afternoon, Kael had completed his required hours and unlocked another skill improvement.
[Basic Labor: Level 2 - Reduces fatigue by 15% and increases work efficiency by 5%]
The skill progression felt oddly satisfying, like watching numbers grow in a ledger. Small improvements, but improvements nonetheless.
"I'm going inside to study," Kael announced as they finished cleaning the last stall.
Tam snorted. "Study what? You planning to become a scholar now?"
"Magic theory," Kael replied simply. "Never hurts to understand the principles, even if I can't cast anything."
His father's expression softened slightly. "That's... actually not a bad idea, son. Understanding theory might help you find ways to work around your limitations."
Kael spent the next hour hunched over the magic textbook, parsing through explanations of mana flow and elemental manipulation. The text was still challenging, but his improved mental stats made it manageable where it had once been incomprehensible.
[Magic Theory Knowledge: +8%][Study Complete: +10 XP bonus for sustained concentration]
Now came the part he was dreading: actual magic practice.
Kael retreated to his room and closed the door, hoping for privacy. The textbook had outlined several basic exercises for beginners—simple mana circulation techniques that supposedly anyone could perform with enough practice.
He sat cross-legged on his bed and followed the instructions: close your eyes, breathe deeply, feel for the mana flowing through your body. The book made it sound simple, but Kael had tried these exercises hundreds of times over the years with no success.
Minutes passed. His breathing slowed, his mind focused, but he felt nothing. No warmth, no energy, no sense of mystical power flowing through his veins. Just the same hollow emptiness that had defined his magical attempts since childhood.
[Magic Practice Progress: 15/30 minutes]
Halfway through. Kael tried a different approach, focusing on his hands instead of his chest. The book mentioned that some people found mana easier to sense in their extremities. He concentrated on his palms, imagining energy flowing through his fingers.
Still nothing.
Frustration began to build. Here he was with a magical system that had already granted him two level-ups, and he still couldn't perform the most basic magical exercise that children learned as toddlers.
[Magic Practice Progress: 28/30 minutes]
Two minutes left. Kael was about to give up when something shifted. Not in his body, but in his perception. For just an instant, he thought he felt something—a tiny spark of warmth in his chest, like a candle flame flickering in a vast darkness.
[Magic Practice Complete][New Skill Discovered: Mana Sensitivity (Beginner)][Warning: Skill is extremely unstable due to bloodline curse]
A skill! Kael's eyes snapped open, hope surging through him. It was listed as "extremely unstable," but it was something. After sixteen years of complete magical failure, he'd finally managed to sense mana, even if only barely.
[DAILY QUEST COMPLETE: BUILDING MOMENTUM][Total Rewards: 80 XP + bonuses][Physical Training Incomplete: -15 XP penalty]
The reminder hit him like a slap. In his excitement about the barn work and magic practice, he'd completely forgotten about physical exercise. The quest timer showed less than an hour remaining.
Kael quickly changed into his work clothes and headed back outside. The rain had softened to a drizzle, but the yard was still a muddy mess. He found a relatively dry spot under the barn's overhang and began his exercise routine.
Push-ups in the mud. Squats while raindrops dripped on his head. It was miserable, undignified, and exactly the kind of thing that would have defeated him a week ago.
But now he had a quest to complete.
[Physical Training Complete: +5 XP for determination][Final Quest Reward: 70 XP total]
The XP gain was smaller than yesterday due to the penalty, but Kael had still earned enough for progress. More importantly, he'd managed to complete the magic practice requirement, even if the results were minimal.
[XP: 175/200 to Level 4]
Close to another level-up. The progression felt addictive—each small improvement building toward something larger. But as Kael headed back inside, muddy and exhausted, he couldn't shake the memory of that tiny spark of warmth.
He'd felt mana. Actually felt it. For the first time in his life, magic had responded to his call, however briefly.
"You look like you wrestled a pig," Tam observed as Kael entered the kitchen.
"Felt like it too," Kael replied, but he was smiling.
His mother took one look at his muddy clothes and pointed toward the wash basin. "Clean up before dinner. And tell me—did you have any luck with your magic practice?"
The question caught him off guard. Had she heard him moving around upstairs? "A little, maybe. It's hard to tell."
"Well, that's more than usual," Elena said encouragingly. "Old Tom stopped by while you were in the barn. He confirmed your suspicion about the garden—there is a minor mana leak affecting the soil."
"Really?" Kael paused in his washing.
"Really. He was quite impressed that you detected it without any magical training. Said you have good instincts."
Praise from Old Tom meant something in Millhaven. The retired adventurer was respected for his knowledge and didn't give compliments lightly.
"What's his recommended fix?" Marcus asked, looking up from his evening tea.
"A few applications of earth magic to redirect the mana flow. Nothing too complicated, but it'll take someone with proper training." Elena paused. "Tom offered to do it himself, but I thought we might ask Master Gorin next time he's in the village."
Master Gorin was an itinerant earth mage who traveled between the smaller settlements, helping with agricultural problems beyond the locals' capabilities. Having him work on their garden would cost money the family could barely afford.
"I could try to learn the technique," Marcus said quietly. "Might take a while to get it right, but it could save us the fee."
Kael listened to his parents discuss the family's limited options and felt a familiar frustration. They were good people working hard for survival, but always constrained by their lack of resources and magical ability.
Someday, he thought, things would be different. Someday he'd be strong enough to solve problems like this himself, wealthy enough that hiring a master mage wouldn't be a hardship.
The system had given him a path toward that future. Now he just had to walk it, one quest at a time.