[Skill: Growth Acceleration]
[Price: 25 Points]
[Description: Allows the user to accelerate plant growth until ready for harvest. (Lv. 1 capacity: 10 plants per day)]
I stared at the translucent blue screen hovering above my bed.
My heart pounded against my ribs.
"Fuck..." I breathed into the empty room. "This is incredibly useful."
It was not a destructive spell. It was not a weapon. But in a village dying of starvation, the ability to create food out of thin air was absolute power.
I did not hesitate.
I mentally confirmed the purchase, spending almost every point I had just earned.
A soft chime echoed in my mind.
[Congratulations! You have acquired the skill 'Growth Acceleration' Lv. 1]
[Current Skills:]
[- Growth Acceleration]
[- Empty]
[- Empty]
A strange, warm energy bloomed in my chest. It felt like a dormant muscle had suddenly awakened inside my body.
I closed my eyes, letting the sensation settle.
Tomorrow, I would show them a miracle.
The next morning, the air was crisp and biting.
I walked out to the expansive fields we had prepared the day before. Several villagers were already there, staring hopelessly at the wet soil.
They were exhausted. Their faces were hollow, etched with the deep-seated belief that nothing would ever sprout from this cursed dirt.
"Gather around," I commanded.
My voice cut through the cold morning mist.
The villagers dragged their feet, forming a loose half-circle behind me. Oderick stood at the front, his eyes full of cautious curiosity.
I stepped onto the edge of the field.
I focused on the warm energy resting in my chest. I visualized the seeds buried beneath the dark earth. Then, I pushed that energy outward.
A brilliant, emerald-green light seeped from the palms of my hands.
It drifted down, sinking into the soil.
The ground trembled slightly.
Right before their eyes, green shoots erupted from the dirt. They grew at a terrifying, unnatural speed. Stalks thickened. Leaves unfurled. In a matter of seconds, the green shifted into a rich, golden yellow.
Ten perfectly ripe stalks of wheat swayed gently in the morning breeze.
Total silence fell over the field.
The villagers forgot how to breathe. They stared at the golden harvest, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"Lord Fragha..." Oderick gasped. He fell to his knees, his hands trembling as he reached out to touch a stalk of wheat. "I had no idea. You are a magic user. A life-weaver."
The crowd erupted.
Men who had looked like walking corpses moments ago were suddenly shouting, crying, and embracing each other. They surged forward, desperate to witness the miracle up close.
I kept my expression perfectly composed.
I offered them a humble, almost shy smile.
"It is not that much," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "My magic is severely limited right now. I can only grow ten plants a day. It is nothing special."
A loud chime echoed in my head.
**[Congratulations! You have earned 40 Happiness Points.]**
**[Your skill 'Growth Acceleration' has leveled up to Lv. 2]**
I paused.
My eyes widened slightly, though I quickly hid it.
*Forty points.* Just from ten stalks of wheat.
A chilling realization washed over me. The system was a feedback loop. Their happiness, their blind faith, and their relief directly translated into my personal power.
If I wanted to become a god in this world, I needed to become their savior first.
"Do not just stand there," I called out, injecting authority back into my voice. "Harvest the wheat! Tie it up and dry it. Once it is ready, store it in the village warehouse. I will distribute it equally once we have a proper stockpile."
"Yes, my lord!" the villagers roared in unison.
An older man, an ex-knight who had glared at me skeptically yesterday, stepped forward. He bowed his head deeply.
"I doubted you, milord. I will never make that mistake again."
I smiled. Loyalty secured.
I glanced at the updated system prompt in the corner of my vision.
**[Skill Description Updated: You can now accelerate plant growth until ready for harvest. (Lv. 2 capacity: 20 plants per day)]**
"Excellent," I muttered to myself. "We are going to cure this famine."
Two days passed in a blur of calculated miracles.
Every morning, I visited the fields. Every morning, I grew twenty stalks of golden wheat. The village's despair completely vanished, replaced by an intoxicating, fanatical hope.
By the second afternoon, the small wooden warehouse was moderately stocked.
It was time for the next phase.
I ordered the villagers to line up outside the storehouse.
I stood at the door, personally handing out the rations with the help of Oderick's assistant. I made sure to look every man in the eye as I handed them their food.
"Extra for you, Kaelen," I said, handing a larger bundle to the ex-knight. "You worked the hardest turning the soil."
"Thank you, Lord Fragha. My family thanks you."
I watched the line dwindle.
*My skill is already at level 3,* I thought, feeling the growing well of magic in my chest. *At this rate, I can feed the entire village within a week.*
The morning distribution finished just as the midday sun began to scorch the earth.
Then, a sound broke the peaceful atmosphere.
The heavy, rhythmic clopping of hooves and the creaking of wooden wheels echoed from the dirt road leading into the village.
"Lord Fragha," Oderick called out, hurrying to my side. "A merchant carriage is approaching."
I narrowed my eyes, watching the ornate carriage roll into the central square.
I was not entirely enthusiastic. Thanks to my system, the village did not need to buy overpriced wheat anymore.
The carriage halted.
The door opened, and a man stepped out. He was dressed in fine, tailored silk that looked entirely out of place in our muddy square. He had sleek purple hair and narrow, calculating eyes that immediately sized up our rotting shacks.
"Greetings," the merchant said, offering a smooth bow. "I am Viktor. I represent the trading guild of Balan."
He clapped his hands together, putting on a rehearsed smile.
"I bring you the finest wheat from our reserves. And for today only, I am offering a generous discount on our imported spices."
"We will pass," I replied instantly.
Viktor blinked. His rehearsed smile faltered for a fraction of a second.
"Pardon?"
"We do not need wheat," I said, my voice cold and dismissive. I had no intention of buying things I could manifest from the dirt. "Do you have any other offers? If not, you are wasting my time."
Viktor's brow furrowed. He was clearly taken aback by the sudden shift in the village's purchasing power. He stroked his chin, thinking rapidly.
"Well... what about coffee beans?" he suggested cautiously. "I am willing to sell them at a steep discount. Our guild is having trouble processing them."
"Coffee?" I perked up slightly. *That is interesting.* "How much?"
"Fifty silver coins for a full sack."
I scoffed. "Forty. The beans are raw, and you just admitted you cannot process them. Take forty silver or take them back to Balan."
Viktor gritted his teeth, but he eventually nodded. "Forty it is."
Oderick quickly fetched the village's meager funds, and the heavy sack of raw coffee beans was brought down from the carriage.
But the surprises were not over.
As the carriage driver secured the cargo, the heavy wooden door of the carriage creaked open once more.
A figure stepped out into the sunlight.
It was a young woman draped in a thick black cloak. She reached up with slender hands and pulled down her hood.
"Grandfather, I am back!" she called out, her voice bright and energetic.
She was breathtakingly beautiful. She had porcelain skin and long, jet-black hair cut in a sharp, elegant hime style.
Oderick's face lit up with pure joy. He rushed forward to embrace her.
"Hana! My sweet girl, you have returned."
The old chief turned to me, his arm wrapped proudly around the young woman.
"Hana, I want you to meet someone," Oderick said. "This is Lord Fragha. The new Chief of our village."
I froze.
The blood drained from my face.
"Excuse me?" I stammered, staring at the old man. "What do you mean, the *new* village chief?"
Oderick smiled, a look of profound relief washing over his weathered face.
"My lord, you are perfectly suited for this role. You have done more for us in three days than I have in a decade. I am old. My bones are tired. And my granddaughter here... she wishes to focus entirely on becoming a magic user."
Hana looked at me, her dark eyes studying my face with intense curiosity.
"You do not want to be the Chief?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
I looked at Oderick. I looked at Hana. Then, I looked at the village I had just fed with my own hands.
My shock quickly melted into a sharp, predatory satisfaction.
This was it.
I straightened my posture and looked Hana in the eye.
my voice steady and resolute. "I will take responsibility for this land. And I promise you, I will turn this village into an empire."