The simplest runic seal involves one rune. While possible and sometimes even functional, you will rarely use such seals. Their primitive nature and single, highly specialized effect can be achieved with proper seals, which are much easier to control and more robust to outside interference.

  — Excerpt from Comprehensive Introduction to Scribing and Seals

  Day 126, 12:05 PM

  The kids’ finals match was horrible. They were both at the second realm, but I think that even as a mortal, with all my attributes at twenty, I could’ve beaten them both, probably at the same time.

  Hardstone seemed to know only one attack sequence and moved as rigidly as his name implied.

  Newstar was bad too, but better than the last time I saw him fight in the finals. He didn’t even have to use his flashbang spell to distract Hardstone. Apparently, the members of the old Blackfist gang I sent his way had done a decent job training him.

  While I was distracted, checking whether I had handled everything I had planned, Newstar jumped on Hardstone and pummeled him with rock-coated fists.

  Said goodbye to Ruby, gave Hammer a hundred gold coins so he could retire early, arranged the soup kitchen, scheduled the meeting with Thunderbluff’s citylord. Was there anything else?

  Hardstone finally toppled to the ground, signaling the end of the match, and I stood.

  “Dear townsfolk and our distinguished guests, it is with great pleasure that I present you with the winner and champion, Newstar Salamandra!” The crowd cheered, and they were extra loud about it.

  Hardstone probably wasn’t popular in Hailstown.

  “The champion may approach to collect his reward from my brother, Blackbush, who will be taking over as the acting townlord from now on. Hopefully, Thunderbluff’s administration will make the position official in the next two moons. Leaving Hailstown and its heroic history will be a difficult thing for me, this town, and its residents have grown dear to me over the years, and I thank you for the years of loyalty.”

  I waved at the crowd, but they remained dead silent. People were exchanging glances, murmurs spreading like a tidal wave, rising in intensity. Blackfist had earned little love or faith from his subjects, and since I didn’t care about that one provincial town, I left it at that.

  The town and its residents would soon be Blackbush’s problem.

  I withdrew to the side, watching the younger Blackfist give the participants their rewards. He read their names, and the crowd cheered as he handed the sacks with manarium. I was surprised to see Blackbush was doing such a decent job at looking like a presentable public official.

  Off to the side, the thugs I sent Newstar’s way for training were rubbing their hands, ready to extort the tournament’s champion. I would have intervened, but they had earned their buck, and Newstar didn’t seem angry or dejected about it, meaning he believed they earned it, too.

  “Have you settled the bill at your lodgings?” I approached him from the back, and the jittery boy jumped.

  “No, I’ll go handle it now.” Newstar turned around, my bindle drawing his gaze, while the two large backpacks I held in my other hand went unnoticed.

  “Shall we?”

  “Yes, yes.” He nodded, and we headed for Tickle and Giggle.

  We barely crossed two streets together when a sound of running footsteps caught my attention. I glanced back, and sure enough, she was about to do the same thing she did in every loop so far.

  “Newt!” Jasmine yelled, and the boy stopped, turning around while I just kept walking. He was grown enough to handle the situation himself. The scene was amusing, but after seeing it twice, there was no reason to repeat it.

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  Even the sound of the young harlot hitting the paved street wasn’t as funny as it was in the first few loops.

  “How are you faring?” I asked him when he caught up. I never said a word in the previous loops, and the simple question changed the course of events. Instead of broodily walking with me, Newstar looked at the heavens and sighed.

  “Good.” He swallowed a lump. “I think I finally have some closure and that I can move forward. You?”

  I smiled. “I am incredibly glad I am leaving this dump. It is time to see a bigger world.”

  Newstar smiled back. “Thank you for everything. For the information about my parents, for exposing Jasmine, and for offering to help with my realm. I really appreciate it.”

  “Do not thank me yet. You only have the name of the one who bought them. Your parents could have been sold a dozen times over in these three years. But do not lose heart. I know you are competent and that you will achieve what you set your mind to.”

  The compliment confused the youth, or possibly made him think. He clenched his fists and nodded at me.

  “Thanks.”

  I let him settle things in the brothel alone, then we left the town, heading for the cave I had found.

  “These are my suggestions for your realm sculpting.” I handed him the book with the best realm blueprint I could manage for him. “It mostly involves the seals already described in the introduction I gave you, but anything outside that scope I described in detail. Based on the books I have read, and assuming you are the top tier talent that I assume you are, you will need around two moons to complete your second realm once you have fully expanded it. Which brings us to the next order of business.”

  While he stared at the book with suitable reverence, I took out the satchel with potions from my bindle and handed them to him.

  “Take these.”

  He opened the satchel and took one vial out of it. “What are they?”

  “First, you thank the person giving you a gift, then ask questions.” I rolled my eyes at the question. To reduce the interactions in our previous loops, I just gave him all my stuff before secluding myself, but I didn’t expect the kid to be so lacking in manners.

  “Thank you for the gift. What are they?” At least he had the decency to blush.

  “I call them energy drinks. They are mana infused potions for realm expansion. As I mentioned before, I dabble in alchemy. Those five should push you from the initial second realm to the peak of the second realm. You must take them at least ten hours apart, and they require no effort or focus to internalize. Your core will handle everything.”

  “And if I don’t want to reach the peak?”

  Huh? Now there’s a strange question. I gave him a long, hard look, but he didn’t elaborate, so I shrugged.

  “Assuming you are at the second layer, and taking into account the resistance you are building to the tonics, three should expand your realm to the ninth layer. Take the rest when you are ready.”

  He nodded, then fumbled with the satchel and his backpack before speaking again. “What I meant when I asked about the plan was about your plan.”

  “There is a hidden cave some ten miles away from here. Nobody should be able to find it. I will use that place to seclude myself. Your job will be to guard me for most of the winter.”

  Newstar fell into contemplative silence again, nearly half a minute passing before he spoke again. “Do you really have that much confidence you will rebuild your realm?”

  “Naturally.” I barely suppressed a laugh. “The thing about statistical probability is that it amounts to simple die-rolls, and with enough dice, you can achieve anything.”

  The boy stared at me blankly, and I sighed.

  “You know how when you flip a coin, it can land on heads or tails or on the side?” I started explaining some basic math using real-world examples, but I couldn’t tell how much he understood. For me, it was basic knowledge. For him, it seemed like a whole new world, and he lacked the talent needed for its exploration.

  Thankfully, we reached the cave. It didn’t look like much from the outside, just a bunch of bushes at the base of a cliff, but the bushes concealed a shallow alcove, which, through a thin crack, connected with a large network of caverns.

  “You go first,” I motioned him forward, and did what I could to obscure our passage before entering the passage beyond the nook.

  The first few passages were small, and light enough, with porous rock cracked here and there to let the light in. But once we were deeper inside, I took a vial of glowers from my pocket and gave it a good shake. The startled fungi started glowing green, letting the world know they were poisonous even in the dark.

  “Bioluminescent fungi.” I explained while leading Newstar into a large chamber. “This will be your area for seclusion. You may read, but do not meditate. I think you will have enough ideas and new concepts to mull over.”

  I gave him another vial of glowers and a parcel with simple food for them while instructing him how to take care of them.

  “How do you know all these things?”

  I shrugged. “Advanced Herbalism. I gathered them myself in a cave near Thunderbluff. Anyway, I am off. Restarting my realm should take a day, then a few more until I recover from my injuries, then two moons to once more reach the third realm. I may be forced to leave this place once to head for Thunderbluff and handle the aftermath of my abdication. Any questions?”

  The boy remained silent, so I bade him farewell, and left into the maze of caves. A minute later, I realized I forgot to warn him glowers were poisonous. I almost went back, but stopped myself.

  He’s smart enough not to eat them. I hope.