“I don’t get it. So professions are like classes based on what I want?”

“You do realize that I have a really limited time here right? That, in my time, I’m in a catatonic state supported by a small army of mages giving their magic to sustain this conversation?”

“I didn’t know about the army of mages thing but yeah you’d already made that rather clear. Just explain it to me again. I’m not quite following.”

James was walking along a forest path next to the dark-skinned (and winged) man that was his mentor. They had been talking for a little while now about the mechanics of the world he had been placed into while slowly meandering around forest paths that twisted and turned based on the whims of the two [Dreamers].

“Ok, let me explain it as such. Professions are what separate the sentient thinking species from the beasts and magical creatures. The beasts level, the beasts grow stronger through experience and conquest. But they never identify themselves as anything other than what they are.”

“That’s where you lose me. What does their identity have to do with their profession?”

“Have you ran since you awakened?”

“Yes, I exercise every day.”

“Good.” The man flatly stated, sparing a glance for James' heavy midsection. “But have you ever considered yourself a runner?” Responding to the shake of James’ head he continued. “If you had started to define who you were as a [Runner] you would have gotten the [Runner] profession. Animals aren't thinking in that way. They only see themselves as what they are. But, as you are, you are a [Student] and a [Steam Master]. [Student] is a good profession that will help with your growth, but the steam one is new to me. It’s still strange to hear of it. I’ve heard of [Fire Masters] and even a [Ground Master] but never a steam one.”

“Yeah, I guess it was just what I was doing when I was awakened. Ok, I think I understand professions a bit more, but I still want to ask what would be a good profession to take for my third? You said I can’t change it once I’ve chosen, right?”

“The only good profession is one that you are good at. Find what you enjoy and do it. As for changing your profession, a high enough leveled spell or maybe a boon from a dungeon break can change your profession. But otherwise no.”

“Ok, gonna have to ask about dungeons in a bit.”

He was interrupted by the older man. “Do not enter a dungeon alone. We can speak on them more at a later time when you’ve gathered a team.”

“Okaaay. Anyway, I was saying that all this is interesting and informative and might even help me survive. But what I really want to know is who did this whole awakening thing? How did it happen? Has it ever happened on earth before?”

Sighing, the older man ruffled his feathers as he stopped walking before looking at James directly. “I don’t know if I could answer all that in a hundred hundreds of these walks. I don’t even know if my answers are fully true but I will give you the best answer I can.”

Continuing to walk and waiting a moment for James to catch up he continued. “The answer is complicated. It is yes and no. Has it happened before? Yes, many times. On earth? In a way. Truly, there is a version of earth that is spinning away from you through a sea of fate where the awakening you experienced never happened. Some say every decision made splits the universe asunder. In one universe there is a James that said yes, another a James who said no. This is not true. But great enough changes, the great intersections of fate, the falling of empires, or the birth of new worlds, seem to carry enough power of fate that existence as we know it is split in two. However, I am no moίramancer, that is a fate magician,” he said as an aside “and as such the workings of fate are obscured to me.

Waving his hand, his mentor created a clearing filled with delicate flowers and chirping birds before gesturing towards a stone bench near the center of the clearing. They both sat and enjoyed creating small woodland creatures that chased each other around the clearing. Whenever one was caught, a puff of black smoke would billow forth as the captured creature unwove. Whoever’s creature was caught would then weave another creature and the rolls would reverse. They amused themselves with this form of training that his mentor introduced earlier this session while they continued to talk.

As for if this division has happened before. It’s never happened ON your earth but has happened from your earth. Your and my world share ancestry and a past but are no more similar than two trees grown from clippings of the same tree. As for who did this? If you believe in Him, it was God. If not, it was the world’s collective subconscious mind. The way I see it is God used our minds. But I’m no [Scholar] nor [Theologian].”

Shrugging he paused again. “I can no more prove myself sane than you can James. We both might be mad or you may not even exist. As for me, I know I am because I feel it. And as for you? I think I can feel you. Can you feel me?”

“I- Wow that’s heavy. Yeah, I think I can. You know I still don’t know your name?”

Smiling the man turned to him. “That is an answer for another night. As for tonight, I must go and you must wake up.”

James started awake. The sun was just starting to light up the quarry even if he still couldn’t see it from where he was seated in the cab of the truck. The barrier of illusory stone still held over his head and he breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to know the barrier still stood while he slept.

James began his new morning routine of working the creaks out of his joints while surveying the quarry outside the confines of his safety bubble. Gnawing on a nearly frozen protein bar, he walked the perimeter twice. He occasionally created holes in the barrier so he could see clearly, but otherwise, he simply looked for movement.

Seeing no new movement, he began to walk laps around the quarry to work the cold out of his body. The walk slowly turned into a jog as he pushed himself. He couldn’t get the old man’s glance at his gut out of his mind and somehow that pushed him to run. After almost an hour and a half of alternating between fast walking, jogging, and the occasional sprint, he nearly crashed to the ground finishing his last sprint around the outer edge of the quarry.

*Woosh*

[Quest Complete!] Daily quest: [Rigorous Exercise] has been completed.

[Strength LVL 16] +100 EXP (125 [EXP Boost]) (517,440/1,000,000)

[Dexterity LVL 9] +100 EXP (125 [EXP Boost]) (1,988/10,000)

[Constitution LVL 14] +100 EXP (125 [EXP Boost]) (5,437/10,000)

EXP +25 (31 [EXP Boost])

Bonus requirement met: [Limit Break]

[Strength LVL 16] +1,000 EXP (1,250 [EXP Boost]) (518,690/1,000,000)

[Dexterity LVL 9] +1,000 EXP (1,250 [EXP Boost]) (3,238/10,000)

[Constitution LVL 14] +1,000 EXP (1,250 [EXP Boost]) (6,687/10,000)

EXP +250 (313 [EXP Boost])

Well, that’s nice to see. I guess that this is also a matter of perspective. I've never run that far before and I didn’t think I could. That’s probably what triggered a limit break. I wonder, what other daily quests are out there?

Thinking about it, he returned to the truck. After a short debate about going up to the surface and seeing what was around, a loud snarling match between what sounded like two packs of large creatures convinced him he was better off hiding down here for a while still. And yet, two thoughts kept bouncing around his head. He needed to grow stronger, and he needed a team. Maybe people were traveling right past him on the highway that didn’t know he was here. But even if there were no more survivors, there were still beasts and monsters to fight up top. That’s what he needed to grow stronger, to test himself. He really wished he could enter the [Mine] but his mentor had warned him off it and he had already decided to trust the strange man. The man had also repeatedly emphasized to him that he needed the help of others and he wasn’t going to ignore that either.

Making a decision, he went to the truck to study for a while till he was sure whatever pack animals were up top were long gone. Then he would make his way to the highway and leave some form of message for people passing by.

With a plan decided, he settled into the rhythm of study.

*Ding*

[Student] +1 EXP (646/1000)

[Skill Transfer] - [Simple Leatherworking] (100/250)

James couldn’t have known this, but a little more than seven miles away, a man covered in hockey pads and a simple leather-lined bronze cap trudged his direction.

Liam hadn’t had a very good night. He had spent several hours crying after burying Hannah’s eyes under a large root in a beautiful ash grove. Unfortunately for him, it seemed that crying attracts predators. A small pack of wolves surrounded him and attempted to make a meal of him before he killed one and severely wounded another. They were just normal wolves after all. A single one of them would have been a major threat even two days ago. But, as he was today, even a large pack wouldn’t have had a chance unless some of its members had leveled a lot.

He took a moment to skin the animal and roll the skin up in his pack before he cooked parts of it on a stone near the glowing broken shell of the giant turtle. While cooking and eating he had spent a little while making notes in the back of the journal on the two dead species in front of him. He knew that the journal was no true bestiary and never could be till he made a book out of the proper paper, ink, and bindings. But he also knew he could copy these notes down in his bestiary using [True Copy] once he had made the proper quality of book. So he made notes and through his skill learned that the turtle was once a [Greater Flameback Tortoise] and not a turtle at all. After filling himself with a good deal of freshly cooked wolf meat, he threw the carcass far into the woods along the road.

After that, he rolled out the sleeping roll that had appeared with the rest of the equipment he was rewarded with after completing the [Survive] quest. He didn’t know how to deal with the equipment materializing in front of him. But he didn’t know how to deal with any part of his new reality so he simply accepted it with thanks.

He fell asleep quickly and managed a few hours of sleep before waking to the feeling of something crashing into his chest. He was very glad he had the foresight to sleep with his armor on as he saw a large bulbous mass with sharp teeth trying to eat its way through his armor.

Throwing his arms out, he sent the dark mass flying. For a moment it was illuminated by the glow of the flameback before it crashed into the road nearly 20 feet away. Quickly Liam got to his feet and unsheathed his knives as he saw the giant slug righting itself in the distance. And it was a giant slug. Maybe more than 200 pounds. Its long undulating slimy body was crowned by two large antennas that contracted and extended over its large circular mouth. In that mouth sat two rows of knife-like teeth that moved in sickening ways as the orifice contracted.

Suppressing a gag, Liam decided how to fight his opponent. Glancing above the creature, he saw the red scroll hovering between its stalks. Scroll? Hadn’t it been something different before? Now's not the time.

Lvl. 2 [Giant Slug]

He readied his knives as the monster moved deceptively fast towards him. As the slug lunged, he sidestepped and heavily raked the side of the creature with his knife. The effects of [Flay] were minimalized by the thick fleshy outer layer of the slug that hardly resembled skin. Even though his knife strike had been deep and sure, the creature had barely reacted and only a thin trickle of some green ichor flowed from the wound.

The creature quickly turned and lunged at him with exposed teeth as he dodged again and repeated the move. This time he didn’t even see any blood flowing from the wound. He was convinced he could do this long enough and eventually wear down the creature, but he felt that would be a tiring thing. Aligning himself carefully, the next time the creature lunged he stepped to the side again but instead of lashing out with his knife, he simply kicked the creature directly into the red-hot corpse of the flameback.

The screeching, thrashing, and putrid black smoke was almost enough to make him wish he had stuck to his original plan. But, when the creature burst like a giant zit filled with half-cooked sewage and entrails, he knew he should have stuck with the original plan.

*Ding*

You defeated Lvl. 2 [Giant Slug]

+ 300 EXP

[LEVEL 3] [Defender] Reached

You have received new skills [Beginner Sword Proficiency], [Beginner Heavy Weapon Proficiency], [Beginner Shield Proficiency], [Beginner Heavy Armor Proficiency]

Leveling will take effect upon next full rest.

“Ok, could have done without that.” He said while observing the remains of his campsite currently covered in copious amounts of steaming slug bits.

Sighing, he began the process of cleaning as much as he could off his packs and the sleeping roll. Unfortunately, due to him sleeping near the heat of the shell, his bed had received the worst of the goo. It also bore teeth marks after being chewed on by the slug when it attacked him in his sleep.

He spread what remained of the roll on the far side of the tortoise, before opting to sleep on top of it. Thankfully, he was fairly certain the smell would be enough to keep any scavengers away for the rest of the night.

He was right and had been rewarded with the putrid smell when the sun’s rays woke him the next morning. The smell had been enough to put him off breakfast so he simply packed everything away, scraping off what dried goo he could, before continuing north on the highway.

After a few hours, and one run-in with a giant toad that he had simply punted with all his might into the forest, there was a figure standing in the road ahead. He saw a very nervous looking young man with a hatchet arranging several tree branches into an arrow that was pointing towards an old dirt road.

“You know not only humans can read that right?”

His words made the man whirl and suddenly in his hand was a long wooden spear.

“Who goes there!” The man said while pointing the slightly shaking spear in his direction.

“Tis I! Liam, Defender of the Weak, the Killer of Slugs.” He had added the last part for humor’s sake, but the title [Defender of the Weak], had come out as naturally as his name.

“Oh, cool.” The man said while dropping the spear as it turned to black dust around him. “Well hi then. I’m James the Dreamer, Slayer of Dragons.”

Liam nearly had to pick his jaw up off the floor. He had been kidding about the slugs but something instinctively told him that the man in front of him had given his true title.

“Well hey back to you James.” He said back after a moment. “What are you doing out here? Is the arrow a trap or are you looking for help?”

“Well, I actually came out here looking for people, or at least hoping to leave a note to help other survivors find my base.”

At that, Liam raised an eyebrow. “Your base? Do you have a farmhouse setup or something more defensible?”

“Oh well, I guess it's not very defensible right now.” The man actually blushed while saying it. “But I’m hoping it soon will be. I’m going to learn how to be a mason then I'll build a fort. Maybe have a barrack and a smithy too. Maybe even a watchtower for the road. That’s too far out. Right now I just need to focus on what I can do today.”

Liam was flabbergasted. The man simply continued talking to himself about the specifications of the moat he planned to build around the fort before dismissing it with a wave and a “No, moats are way overrated anyway.” Before continuing the discussion he was having with himself about what kind of wood would be best for a log bunkhouse.

Liam interrupted “Hello?” James started and then looked at him like he wasn’t sure he was real.

“Yes?”

“Can you take me to your base? Is it defendable? I got attacked on the road last night and I would like a safe place to sleep.”

“Oh yeah! Ok, follow me.” He said while starting back towards the dirt road.

“James was it?” At a nod, he continued. “This sign is going to bring a lot more than humans. Goblins, gnolls, even orcs may see this and attack your camp.”

“Oh yeah. That makes sense.” He said a little sheepishly. “What would you suggest?” He asked hopefully.

“Without being able to write out a message I don’t think it's worth it. I don’t think other races can read common. It seems most can't speak it.”

“What did you say? Common? Do you mean English?”

“I- I think so. Everything from before is hazy and becoming more so. If that is the language we are speaking then yes it must be.”

“You say you’re losing your memory? Wow, that sucks. I haven’t noticed that at all. But what you said gave me an idea.”

Sweeping the branches off the road he went back to the edge and started collecting rocks. “Could you help me with this? You look like you could move a couple of boulders yourself.”

Moving hesitantly, Liam helped him pile a large number of stones in the middle of the road before James began to spread them out into a single written word and an arrow. The word said “LEFT”, the direction of the dirt road, while the arrow pointed down the road further north.

“Left. That’s pretty smart. I am worried that whoever sees this will know that it is a message to follow the only other road near here and still find your place but it will probably at least slow some down and let any humans who find it know that we’re humans.”

“Is it a we?”

“What?”

“Never mind. Follow me, my base is close.”

Walking after him, Liam answered basic questions about what he experienced since awakening, what the town was like when it happened, and what his journey here had been like. He kept out any mention of Hannah or his skills and professions but he told pretty well the rest of his experience.

Letting out a low whistle, James looked at him “You went through all of that and came out unscathed? I gotta say that’s impressive.”

“Well I was injured yesterday, but I believe the process of leveling seems to have completely healed me.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty awesome isn’t it.” James beamed. “Almost like a video game isn’t it?”

“What kind of game?”

“Oh right. Sorry. But we’re here.” he said with a flourish of his hands to a large pit in the ground. It was about 700 feet wide by 550 feet long at the top but maybe 500 by 400 at the bottom. Looking down into the quarry, the only noticeable features were a large dead hog, a pond of water in one corner, and a large boulder in the center.

“I don’t see any defenses or shelter. It seems very bare.” Liam said further questioning his new companions' sanity.

“Oh yeah sorry. Let me just.”

At another wave of his hands, the large boulder disappeared and a small metal shelter, as well as an old-world carriage, came into view.

“It’s not much, but it's home for now.”

Again surprised, Liam remarked. “Oh are you a [Mage] who can cast illusions? Was that where the spear came from earlier?”

“Something like that.” He responded evasively.

Well he seems shifty, he seems crazy, and frankly, he seems a bit of an idiot. But he is the first thing that hasn’t tried to kill me or run away from me since I’ve been here so I guess he can't be all that bad.

“Ok well, it’s still early in the day. I think we could shore up the defenses of this place and maybe even find a source of food and water before the sun sets tonight. I’d be more than willing to help you today. That is if you’ll have me?”

He said that last part to a pair of eyes poorly containing their excitement. “Oh yes, please! It has been really lonely since I got here and I really need someone to help. But don’t worry about food or water right now. I have enough for the two of us for the better part of a month. Though, it does look like you eat a lot.” He said with a friendly smile.

“It looks like you eat a lot too.” He said while returning the smile. But in doing so the smile faded off of the other man's face.

“Hey, I’m working on it. I work out every day and I’m on a diet.” He said with a hurt looking frown.

“I didn’t mean to make fun of you.” He said, confused. “I thought you chose to look like that when you evolved?”

“Oh… No, I didn’t evolve.” He said while looking uncomfortable. “Anyway, let's figure out what we have to do to get ready. I need to study my books some more so I can skin the creatures I’ve killed in the shed. What do we need to do to prepare defenses? I have the tools and the skill [Basic Carpentry] so I can make just about anything you need if you brought me some wood.”

“Oh are you a [Builder] or [Wood Worker]? And I’m an [Apprentice Leatherworker] so I should be able to take care of any of the hides you have. That hog looked pretty messed up but there looked to be a lot of good leather left on him.”

“Oh, I’m saved!” James replied rather too dramatically. “You have no idea how obnoxious it's been to try to get the [Basic Leatherworking] skill. Well, there are more creatures in the shack as well as all the tools and string you’ll need to make a lot of armor. What else do you need? Tannin right? That’s bark?”

“Yeah I’ll need that eventually but first I’m going to need a place to soak the hides as well as a tanning rack. Oh and a large amount of brains. But I don’t think that’ll be a problem. Did you say you were trying to get the leatherworking skill? I simply got it when I took the profession.”

“I think I can make you a barrel or something like it if I get some wood. And yeah anyone can learn a skill with enough time, study, and work. I just happen to have a skill that makes that much easier. The profession thing does make getting all the skills you need much easier and quicker… Or at least I heard someone say that.” He said the last bit evasively again but Liam was still too blown away by this stranger's knowledge of how the world worked to be upset at that.

“That’s incredible! And good to know. Do you have any other tips?”

“You can only ever take three professions and you should never enter a dungeon alone.”

“Wait really? I already have 2. Damn! And there are dungeons?”

“Yeah, there is one here in the quarry. You wanna check it out?”

James led him down the ramp of the quarry and to the doors and floating scroll that hovered over them like a seal.

WARNING:

[Drake Mines] lie ahead

Lvl. 1 Dungeon

This message came with another explaining the basics of dungeons to him and he read over it while James explained what he thought it meant.

“I assume if we go in there and clear out whatever monsters are in it we can either leave it alone and do it again when it regenerates, however long that takes, or we can level it up so next time it has harder monsters and maybe better loot. I think you can also destroy it and reap some kind of really cool reward but I don’t think we would want to do that. I think having a constant source of experience and loot is worth not having whatever the reward is. Plus the reward will probably be better after leveling it up a few times.”

Wow, this guy can really talk. Liam thought while looking over the carvings. “Hey, this guy kinda looks like you!”

Looking abashed, he responded “Yeh that was me. I killed a drake when I first got here.”

“You killed a drake?! Well, I guess that’s why you’re the Slayer of Dragons, right?”

“Yeah, it wasn’t a fair fight though.”

“Fair or not you slew one of dragon’s blood and that’s impressive. You must be a better fighter than you look.”

“Yeah, I guess I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Anyway, I want to go into the dungeon soon, especially with you to back me up, but for today I think we better take care of what’s out here.”

“Yeah, probably. What we need is wood. You said you knew some woodwork? Can you drop a tree?”

“Uhh... Probably. Not really trained much in that part but I guess I could figure it out.”

“Ok then, let's go together and get enough wood to last us the day then you can work on it while I work on the animals. Sounds good?”

“Good a plan as any.”

And with that, they went to work. Liam took the hatchet and James took a saw as they walked up the ramp to the grove of firs that gathered around one side of the quarry. They decided they would need quite a few smaller saplings to make a spike wall to defend the entrance to the mine and a good number of large trees to have for working and fires.

After a short time felling small trees, Liam began to take loads down to the bottom of the quarry. He first stripped the trees of branches using his [Quick Scrape] skill that apparently worked for this. His rapid movements and the growing pile of branches that it produced got a low whistle of appreciation from James as he stopped his sawing to watch.

“Is that a skill?”

“Yeah, it’s [Quick Scrape] helps a lot.”

“Well, it’s certainly fast.” James replied as he got back to work.

Carrying more than what looked to be humanly possible, Liam quickly made a couple of trips to carry the saplings down. Returning with some trail mix and the strange sweet beverages he had in his bag.

“Cool, Gatorade. It’s got what plants crave!” James said with a strange smile.

“What?”

“Oh right… Never mind.” He said dejectedly, looking back at his drink.

In short order they had all the saplings they thought they would need and moved onto the larger trees around them.

“If only I had a real axe I would make short work of these trees.” Grumbled Liam.

“Huh-doi!” Exclaimed James, smacking himself in the head. Liam had grown somewhat accustomed to his partner’s strangeness but this again startled him. But not nearly as much as what came next.

“Here, this should work a lot better.” James said while holding out a full-sized lumber axe that had not existed a moment ago.

“Um… Thanks. Is this one of your tricks?” Liam said once holding the weight of the axe in his hands. He hadn’t expected for it to have any weight when he saw it appear from thin air, expecting another illusion.

“Yeah… Kinda my only trick really. I can’t sustain it forever so please work quickly.”

Needing no further invitation, Liam went to work felling tree after tree. A little after noon they were sitting on a felled tree near the metal structure. As they sat, they had a quick meal of protein bar and jerky with bottled water.

“So you think your skill will help with removing the bark fast? Well, I’m all for that. If you quickly remove the bark from a couple of the large trees I can get to work making the barrels you need and then the barricades. Hey, if I make the barriers here can you move them up top?” James said while gnawing on a large piece of jerky.

“Yeah, I think I can move them if you don’t make them too big. I’ll get to work on scraping then I'll see what I can do with the hides you’ve collected.”

“Sounds like a plan. I don’t know how long it’ll take to make these barriers so I’ll probably just work on them till dark.”

With a plan decided, they both quickly got to work. Liam took less time than he could have imagined stripping the trees with the tool James had in the shed. He didn’t know the name but it was a curved blade with two handles that looked to be made for precisely the job he was doing.

How did he manage to come out here so prepared? This man is a mystery. He thought as he walked over to the shed to see what animals were in there. What he saw shocked him more than anything else he’d seen so far. Underneath a haphazard pile of dead animals was a stone-gray drake. The creature was larger than a draft horse and could easily fit his entire head and shoulders in its giant maw.

Well shit. I really shouldn’t get on this guy's wrong side. I guess I’ll start by taking the hides from the rats and what I can salvage from the boar then I’ll focus on the salamander and see if I can get the drake’s hide off. I may be able to get its hide off and preserve it, but I know at my current skill it's not worth trying to make something out of it. Maybe soon. But not yet.

Quick beyond reason he parted the rats and the boar of their hides before scraping them free of gore, fat, and hair. Usually one would have to soak the hides for at least a day before the hair could be separated, but somehow he knew with his skills that step could be skipped. By the time he was finished James had brought him three large square containers that seemed watertight. He half-listened as James babbled on about how he fashioned them with joints that didn’t need nails and caulked them with sap so they shouldn’t leak. He also handed Liam a smaller version of the same concept with a handle made of wood.

“It’s a bucket. So you can fill your barrels from the lake.”

“Thanks but I think I’ll just carry them.”

“Damn you’re strong.”

After filling one of the barrels, he asked James if he could pause his work on the barricades and make him a table to work on. In minutes, James had a very crude table for him made from a large split log. The flat of the split wood made up the flat surface and four saplings made the legs. The two half-logs themselves were held together with several pegs that shouldn’t come out with downwards pressure. He had to admit, it was clever and fast work. He was starting to like this James guy more and more.

He wished he had the salt he would need for the brining process, but without it, he decided to go crack open the boar's skull. After doing that he filled the bucket he had brought with a part of its brain and returned to the hides. He lathered as much of the hides as he could before going back for another bucket of brains. After coating the entirety of the hides in a thick greasy layer he packed them as close as he could in the two open barrels. Afterward, he packed the water barrel with the shaved bark to let the tannins leach into the water. The tannins shouldn't be necessary when using a brain solution but would be useful if they wanted to add color to avoid ending up with pale whitish armor.

After that, he repeated the process with the salamander skin and his wolf skin before trying his hand at the drakes. At first, the scales resisted his knife, but then he simply pried off the scales one by one in a line down its belly and cut the line before peeling its skin off in one large piece. If the skin was any weaker this wouldn’t have been possible, but with this incredibly strong hide, it didn’t pose a problem. After removing the meat and fat from the hide he coated it in what was left of the boar's brains as well as the rat's brains before putting it in a fourth barrel he had James make.

After finishing the drake’s hide for the day he received a welcome notice.

Congratulations! You have reached level 3 [Apprentice Leatherworker].

You have received new skill [Uncommon Leather Mastery]

Ability: [Uncommon Leather Mastery] This skill gives the user the ability to work with leathers up to the [Uncommon] grade without penalty.

Grades? At least I think I can work with the drake hide now. Wait did the skill come due to my need? The [Flay] skill came because of something I did. I can’t say.

Whatever the case may be, he didn’t have time to waste worrying about it. After finishing, he took the two large spiked barricades to the top of the quarry and placed them in a position so they could still get in and out but should dissuade any large dumb beasts from coming down the slope.

It was starting to get dark and there was still much left to do. He asked James to make him several large smoking racks while he split wood for a fire and he dutifully complied.

It took him till a little past dark and by that point, James had a large elongated fire roaring behind him, lined on either side with several tiers of smoking racks. In the same time, he had managed to butcher all of the animals and slice a lot of the meat into thin strips that could be hung over the racks and smoked tonight.

As he finished the last haunch of the drake he received a message for the fourth time.

Congratulations! You have met the requirements to take the [Butcher] profession. Accept? [Y/N]

Before dismissing it again he asked James. “Hey, should I take the butcher profession? It probably has some good combat skills and it would be useful.”

“No probably not. If you’re asking me then definitely no. You have only one slot left and it should go to something you are excited about that works well with your class. I’d say hold out for something better.”

“Then how do I deal with the constant suggestions?”

“Oh, it's a perspective thing. If you see yourself as a butcher it thinks you want to become one. Just see it as a chore or a non-defining action. That should do it.”

“Strange but ok. Would you help me take this meat over to the racks?”

Over the course of the evening, they managed to smoke most of their meat while James studied a small booklet on cooking and Liam journaled. It was more peaceful than either of them had felt since they had awoken.

Nothing really big changed for them, and yet their whole world shifted. They were no longer alone. And that to them was the world.

[Skill Transfer]: Skill Acquired [Basic Cooking]

[Student] +50 EXP (63 [EXP Boost]) (733/1000)

EXP + 50 (63 [EXP Boost])

Ability: [Basic Cooking] This skill will give an advantage when dealing with and basic mastery over simple food preparation. This skill won’t teach new recipes but will give a basic understanding of how food properties and interactions work as well as improve the quality and speed of the dish produced. This skill is non-specific and will instead give an overall boost to one's abilities and understanding.

Character Name: James

Character HP:13/13 | MP:48/48 | EN:39/39

Character Level: [3] EXP:(1,647/10,000)

EXP Pool: + 0

Character Title: [Dreamer] [Dragon Slayer]

Character Race: [Human]

Character Age: [22]

Character Stats: (1-20)

Strength: [15]

Dexterity: [8]

Constitution: [13]

Intellect: [16]

Wisdom: [11]

Charisma: [4]

Luck: ???

Character Class: [Dream Weaver]

Character Sub-Class: [Empty]

Character Professions:

[Student] Lvl. 2

(733/1,000)

[Steam Master] Lvl. 3 (322/10,000)

[Empty]

Character Skills:

[Weave]

[Dream Walker]

[Sleep]

[Nightmare]

[EXP Bonus] (X1.15)

[Skill Transfer]

[Study]

[Heat Resistance] (X1.3)

[Steam Release]

[Steam Powered]

[Basic Survival]

[Basic Carpentry]

[Basic Hand Combat]

[Basic First Aid]

[Basic Cooking]

Character Equipment:

[Gym Bag]

[Old Family Bible] [Skill Books] [Gym Clothes] [Bus Pass] [Beef Jerky] X1 [Protein Bar] X9 [Large Water Bottle] (empty) X2

[Old Truck]

[Bottled Water Case] X2 [Canned Meal] X40 [Bulk Rice] X2 [Bulk Beans] X2 [Carpentry Tools] [Carpentry Gear] [Mason Tools] [Masonry Gear] [Leatherworking Tools] [Leatherworking Gear] [Spade] [Pickaxe] [Hammer]

[Hiking Backpack]

[Sleeping Bag] [Tent] [Rain Coat] [Camping Stove] [Camping Pots] [Flashlight] [Flint and Steel] [Lighter] [Water Purifying Tablets] [2 Liter Water Bladder] X4 (empty) [Hatchet] [Utility Knife] [Local Map]

[Work Clothes]

[Phone]

[Heavy Blanket]

[Dire Rat] X2 (bones) (hide)

[Ice Beetle] (dead) (hide)

[King Salamander] (bones) (hide)

[Muck Toad] (dead)

[Slime Bat] (dead)

[Stone Toad] (dead)

[Lesser Earth Drake] (bones) (hide)

[King Halaboar] (bones) (damaged hide)

[Wolf] (hide)

[Raw Meat] X220 lbs

[Smoked Meat] X1280 lbs

Character Domain:

[Drake Quarry]

[Drake Mine] Lvl. 1

Character Party:

Liam the Defender of the Weak. Lvl 3 [Defender]