Before dawn the next day, Houma habitually tossed aside his warm blankets. Even regular kids wouldn't willingly leave the warmth, especially in this in-between season, yet Houma had long since developed the habit of waking and rising immediately, thanks to Master Guy's rigorous training.
"Today's to-do list is massive!"
As he dressed and mentally organized his tasks, he thought back to last night. He'd collapsed into bed not only from exhaustion, but also because the chapel's bathing facilities were severely lacking, only two basins for many residents, and rudimentary at best. Boys and girls bathed separately, and Wednesdays were the usual bathing day. Even using a healing potion to bathe wasn't possible with such conditions.
Thus, the chapel renovation plan immediately went to the top of his list.
After all, making everyone's lives happier was one of Asta's heartfelt wishes.
But he'd been so single-minded in pursuing the title of Magic Emperor that he'd never paused to use his superior physical strength for helping others.
Today's goal: catch a dozen fish in the river to fill hungry stomachs, then gather wood and build a gender-segregated bathhouse.
"Let's do this."
Houma finished dressing. Yuno opened one eye, surprise in his dark gaze, then closed it as if nothing had happened.
"What a quietly flamboyant guy, reminds me of Sasuke a bit!"
Houma smirked, grabbed an axe, flintstone, and rope from the storage room, and sprinted toward the river outside the village.
"Morning, Asta! Off causing trouble again?"
A villager preparing breakfast greeted him.
"Don't call me a Husky, you mungbean! Watch it or I'll show you my hundred dismantling plans!"
Houma rolled his eyes, tossed back a retort about him being immature, and strutted away.
"What does that even mean?"
The villager looked baffled. The guy's growing reading vocabulary?
Houma exhaled sharply. He'd just inverted-run nearly three kilometers from the village to the creek. That's real cultivation, seizing every second!
Because the world was filled with hardworking people. If you started behind or on even ground, you had to bring 300% effort and ingenuity to overtake them!
He crouched by the creek, his arms sore and swollen. This inverted running was a type of training Asta had never attempted before, so Houma felt he was unlocking a new frontier.
Gulp,
He downed another shot of healing potion. It warmed him like milk, not only healing, but giving a slight nutritional boost. Only a thumb-nail-sized bit remained. Houma tipped the potion into the creek water, swirled it, and splashed the mixture onto both arms.
Ssshh, oh that burn!
He bared his teeth. Pain, yes, but the healing was immediate. His sore arms felt significantly better already.
"This healing potion's incredible! Even without chakra recovery, I can train twice as hard!"
Satisfied, Houma set to work crafting a fishing tool. He found a diamond-shaped stone by the creek, sharpened it, tied it to the rope, like a makeshift kunai.
"Perfect."
With his tool in hand, he approached the creek. Plump carp, fattened through winter, swam lazily, but were still quick. Villagers rarely fished here, risking cold and illness by cold water exposure.
"Here goes!"
Houma aimed at a stout carp, turned his back to the water, and hurled the stone. Plop! The point pierced exactly through his chosen target.
Whoosh!
He flicked his wrist and the carp burst from the water, the morning sun reflecting rainbows off its scales.
"Not rusty on my throwing skill."
Houma narrowed his eyes, today the fish were for food, no finesse required. In seconds, he'd snagged ten large carp.
Carrying his catch, he entered the nearby woods. He gathered firewood, struck the flintstone, and soon smoke and the aroma of roasted fish began drifting through the forest.
"Not sure if this will draw wild beasts…"
Houma thought of yesterday's weak mountain wolf and its single-point reward. Today's goal was church renovations first, creating a safe training environment. No skipping meals, no skipping drinks… couldn't start another day without basics.
"Looks like the road ahead is long... Tomorrow, I'll solve the food problem first!"