The guild hall was already buzzing with activity when JP arrived, determination in his step. He strode up to the quest board, scanning the rows of parchment until one caught his eye:
Quest: Repair irrigation system for local farmer. Reward: 8 copper. Low risk.
"Perfect," he muttered, plucking it free.
Lyra leaned against the wall nearby, watching. "Irrigation? Not the usual choice for adventurers."
JP smirked. "Let the others swing swords at monsters. Fixing things is my kind of fight."
The farm lay just beyond the village, fields dry and crops drooping. A burly farmer with weather-beaten skin met them at the edge of the property.
"You're from the guild? About time. The channels are clogged. If the water doesn't flow, I'll lose everything."
JP crouched by the irrigation trench, inspecting it. Mud and silt had choked the water, and one of the wooden pipes was split.
It's like a broken wire, he thought, tracing the flow with his fingers. Blockage here, leaks there. Just a different kind of circuit.
With practiced hands, he cleared the mud, sealed the cracks with hardened clay, and used alchemy to fuse the wood fibers together. Soon the water trickled, then gushed smoothly down the channel.
The farmer clapped his hands. "Back in business! You'll get your coin, lad."
But JP wasn't finished. As he dug through the muck, something caught his eye—a faint glimmer in the soil. He pulled it free, curious, and whispered:
[Appraisal].
Material: Mana Sediment Crystals
Property: Absorbs ambient mana; used in potion-making, enchantments, and alchemy.
Value: 3–5 silver per handful.
JP's heart skipped. Silver? For what looks like dirt?
He dug deeper, pocketing small clusters of pale-blue crystals. Lyra crouched beside him, her sharp eyes narrowing.
"You see something others don't," she murmured.
JP grinned, holding up another find: a chunk of stone veined with faint red streaks, warm to the touch.
[Appraisal].
Item: Emberstone Fragment
Property: Stores heat; used in forges, heating, and alchemy.
Value: 1–2 silver each.
His grin widened. A hot stone battery. Just what I need.
By the time they left the farm, JP had earned his promised eight copper from the farmer—and quietly stashed away far more in rare reagents.
Back at the guild counter, he sold only part of his haul. The clerk's eyes widened at the glowing crystals.
"These are high-grade reagents! Four silver, six copper."
JP tried to hide his excitement as the coins clinked into his hand. More than ten times the quest reward.
That evening, as they stepped out of the guild hall, Lyra glanced at him. "One quest, and already you've made more than most novices in a month."
JP tapped his satchel, where the rest of the crystals glimmered faintly. "This world… it's full of hidden value. You just need the right eyes to see it."
For the first time since awakening here, JP felt it—not just survival, but opportunity. A reason to keep moving forward.