The Next Step: A LitRPG Cultivation Series (Cultivator vs. System Book 2) by Valerios

Author:Valerios [Valerios]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2022-07-25T16:00:00+00:00

28

PHIL’S EVOLUTION

"Is this really going to—"

Phil opened his eyes in annoyance. Instead of seeing Mastik’s stupidly grinning face, he found himself staring at a familiar room.

Simple wooden walls surrounded a clean interior with a short table, a chair, a tidy bed, and a small bookcase in the corner. One book was open on the table, describing the intricacies of magical circuits, and Phil could recite its contents by heart.

On the wall was a window; he gazed at his family’s farm, the vegetable garden that fed a good part of their village. The golden afternoon sun fell on the various greens, and a calm breeze gently swayed the hay, framing them as dreamy in front of an endless blue sky.

Out there and between these four walls, Phil could fit almost the entirety of his childhood.

Seeing this all-too-familiar scenery, one he could never forget, his heart fluttered with emotions indecipherable.

"Ho, boy," came a voice from behind, and Phil’s eyes widened. He turned around.

"Grandpa?"

"It’s been a long time, Phil." The kindly old man smiled. He wore red pants, a green vest and leaned on a wooden cane, exactly as Phil remembered him. His blue eyes were surrounded by laughter wrinkles, while tidy white hair circled his head, leaving a wide bald spot at the very top. He always joked that his baldness was just the haircutter messing up over and over.

"How many years is it now?" he asked gently.

"Ten, I believe." The artificer returned the smile. This was his grandfather, who used to be Phil’s best friend during half his childhood. He often told stories of dragons and princesses and magic beasts and circuses. Sometimes, the two of them would pretend to be explorers, and his grandfather would narrate their adventures in foreign lands, asking Phil to remind him what happened at critical points or what solution they found to a complex problem.

The young artificer—who was only a little, golden-locked boy then—used to laugh and enjoyed himself so much. It was these stories, often containing mechanical wonders—his grandfather had a knack for crafting—that had inspired him to eventually become an artificer.

But the grandfather was a grandfather, and he had passed away when Phil was thirteen years old.

"I’m so glad to see you, Grandpa," said Phil, his joy overflowing.

"I have missed you too, my boy." Wrinkles formed into a smile. "Though, on the other side, time is…well, I guess I can’t speak about that."

"You cannot?" Phil asked at once, and the old man smiled again.

"You are as curious as ever, Phil. It makes me happy. And to see you becoming a Master… It is incredible! Did you become a scientist as you dreamed?"

"I did." The artificer nodded, lowering his eyes. "Though it was different than what I imagined. I should have practiced my social skills more, Grandpa, as you told me. When I got to Anest’s laboratories, I could not find my place among the other scholars. My projects were solid, but it seems there is more to science than, well, science. With the power of one mind and one wallet, you can only go so far.

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