Late afternoon sun was starting to fade when Malek and Hendrick reached home. The walk back from Thornvale had taken most of the day. Malek's feet hurt and his shoulders ached from carrying the supplies he'd bought.

  Hendrick stopped at the workshop entrance. "I have work to do," he said. He went inside and closed the door behind him.

  Malek stood there for a moment, then walked to his house.

  After fifteen minutes of walking, Malek reached his house and opened the door.

  His mother was sitting at the table mending clothes. She looked up when he entered and her face changed immediately. She stood quickly and crossed the room in three steps.

  "You're back," she said. She hugged him tightly.

  Malek hugged her back. "I'm back, Mom."

  "Let me see it," Mira said, pulling back. "The medallion."

  Malek reached under his shirt and pulled out the bronze medallion. It hung from a plain leather cord. The mortar and pestle symbol was stamped in the center.

  Mira touched it gently with one finger. Her eyes got wet but she blinked it away. "Congratulations son, you're a registered citizen now."

  "Where's Elara?" Malek asked.

  "Out back, probably bothering the chickens."

  The back door burst open and Elara came in. She was taller than Malek, with the same dark hair as their mother but lighter eyes. She was covered in dirt from whatever she'd been doing outside.

  "You're back!" She crossed the room and grabbed Malek's shoulders, looking him up and down. "Did you get it? Let me see."

  "You're filthy," Malek said.

  "Don't care. Show me."

  He held up the medallion. Elara grabbed it and turned it over, examining both sides.

  Then she hugged him.

  "Congratulations little bro," she said with genuine warmth on her young face.

  "Hey, didn't I tell you many times not to call me that," Malek retorted.

  Elara broke the hug. Her normal annoying face was back.

  "Did you buy me anything?"

  "No."

  Elara let go of the medallion and crossed her arms. "You're the worst brother."

  "I know."

  Mira laughed quietly. "Go wash your hands, Elara. Both of you. We're eating soon."

  Dinner was simple. Fresh bread, vegetable stew, herbal tea. They sat at the small wooden table that had been in the family for years. The chairs were mismatched and one of them wobbled.

  Elara kept asking questions between bites of bread. "What was Thornvale like? Was it different from Verant? Did anyone fight? Did you fight anyone?"

  "It was fine. Yes, it was bigger than here. No, nobody fought. No, I didn't fight anyone," Malek answered.

  "Boring," Elara said.

  "Registration isn't supposed to be exciting," Mira said. "It's just paperwork and tests."

  "Still boring."

  "Malek is not like you who came back with a bleeding nose right after your registration," Mira said, looking at Elara. "And refused to tell why you fought too. Sometimes I wonder who is more rebellious, Malek or you."

  Both Malek and Elara looked at Mira with tears in their eyes. "Me, rebellious?"

  They all broke into laughter.

  After eating, Malek excused himself and went to his room. It was small, barely bigger than the bed and a storage shelf against one wall. He shared the space with boxes of old tools and materials that didn't fit in the workshop.

  He set his pack on the bed and started unpacking slowly.

  First came the brass mortar and pestle. It was heavier than the cracked ceramic one he'd been borrowing from Hendrick. The surface was smooth and the bowl was deep enough for proper grinding. He hefted it in both hands, feeling the weight.

  "This one won't crack when I press hard," he said quietly to himself.

  He set it on the shelf.

  Next were the herb bundles. Spirit Petals tied with string. Thornroot fiber wrapped in cloth. He held each bundle up and felt the faint hum of mana inside them. Not much, but enough to know they were good quality.

  Then came the blank ledger. It was bound in plain leather with empty pages inside. He opened it to the first page and pulled out a pencil. He wrote the date at the top, then underneath: "First legal purchase as registered alchemist."

  He stared at the words for a moment, then closed the book and set it on the shelf next to the mortar.

  Last was the small vial of Condensed Ley Essence. It was no bigger than his thumb and filled with liquid that shimmered when he tilted it. Hendrick had told him not to waste it. One drop in bathwater would help stabilize his channels.

  He placed it carefully at the back of the shelf where it wouldn't get knocked over.

  The door opened without knocking. Elara came in and immediately started poking at the things on the shelf.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  "Mom said I could watch," she announced.

  "No she didn't."

  "She implied it."

  Elara picked up one of the Spirit Petal bundles. "What's this?"

  "Put it down."

  "Why?"

  "Because it's expensive and you'll drop it."

  She set it down but immediately grabbed the mortar. "This is heavy. What's it for?"

  "Grinding herbs."

  "Can I try?"

  "No."

  "Why not?"

  "Because you'll break it."

  "I won't break it." She lifted the pestle and made exaggerated grinding motions in the air. "See? I'm a natural."

  Malek took it from her hands. "You're a natural disaster."

  Elara stuck her tongue out at him. "Zero-Class Fancy Pants."

  Despite himself, Malek smiled.

  Their mother appeared in the doorway. "Elara, stop bothering your brother."

  "I'm not bothering him. I'm helping."

  "You're definitely bothering him." Mira came in and sat on the edge of the bed. "How much did you spend in Thornvale?"

  Malek pulled a small cloth bag from under his bed. "Here, Mother." He gave the bag to Mira.

  Mira took the bag and opened it.

  Inside the bag were bills of 1000 Ran.

  Mira's face went from confused to shocked to horrified.

  She stuttered a little. "Where did you get this much money, Malek?" she asked. She was holding onto the cloth bag tightly. Multiple scenarios were running through her mind. None of them were good or positive.

  Malek didn't know whether to laugh or cry seeing Mira's expression. "Mom, I did nothing like whatever you're imagining in your mind. I just found a very rare herb in Graywood when I was on a mission. I just sold that herb today with Grandpa Hendrick's help. If you don't believe me you can ask Grandpa Hendrick later." He said while side-eyeing Elara who was already stealing and stuffing the money into her clothes.

  Inside the bag was 50K ran. He didn't tell Mira that he sold the herb for 200K ran or else she might have collapsed on the spot.

  Mira took the money out of the bag and stared at it for a long moment. She looked at Malek, and he could tell she knew he wasn't being completely honest. But she didn't say anything about it.

  "But I can't take all of it, son," she said.

  Malek put both of his hands on his ears and started screaming. "I can't hear you. Wa. Wa. Wa. I can't hear you, Mom."

  Both Mira and Elara became stupefied seeing Malek's behavior.

  "This will help with the winter stores," she said quietly. "Thank you."

  Elara immediately perked up. "Wait, don't I get some too?"

  "Why would you get any?" Malek asked.

  "Because I guarded the house while you were gone! I kept everything safe. That's worth at least a few thousand ran."

  Malek pretended to think about it very seriously. He rubbed his chin and looked at the ceiling.

  Elara crossed her arms and glared at him. "I'm serious."

  "Hmm, I'm not sure."

  Finally, Malek counted out 10K Ran and tossed them to her.

  She caught them and squealed. "I'm rich!" Then she ran out of the room yelling, "Mom, I'm rich!"

  Mira shook her head but she was smiling. She stood and put a hand on Malek's shoulder. "Get some rest. You've had a long few days."

  She left and closed the door behind her.

  Malek sat on the bed and looked at his new supplies on the shelf. Everything was real now. He was registered. He had proper tools. He had materials to work with.

  "Little by little I'm growing," he said.

  ---

  It was nighttime. The moonlight came through the window in Malek room. He was organizing the shelf for the third time when there was a soft knock on his door.

  "Malek?" It was his mother. "There's someone here for you."

  He opened the door. "Who?"

  "A farmer from the east fields. He has a problem and heard you might be able to help."

  Malek followed her to the front of the house. A middle-aged man stood near the door holding a lead rope. At the end of the rope was a goat. The animal was limping badly, holding one back leg off the ground. It bleated weakly.

  The farmer had weathered skin and calloused hands. He looked worried.

  "You're Hendrick's ward, right? The one who just got registered?" the farmer asked.

  "Yes."

  "I heard from some adventurer in the guild. They said you are an alchemist." The farmer gestured at the goat. "My girl here stepped wrong yesterday. Her leg's swollen and hot. She won't put weight on it. The guild healers in town charge too much for livestock. I was hoping maybe you could look at her?"

  Malek hesitated. He'd never treated a living thing before. Only made potions.

  Mira touched his shoulder gently. "You can do this," she said quietly.

  Malek looked at the goat. It was clearly in pain.

  "I'll try," he said. "Bring her to the backyard."

  The farmer followed him around to the side of the house where there was open space near the house entrance. Malek grabbed a lantern from inside and set it on the ground for light.

  He knelt next to the goat and the farmer held her steady.

  "What's her name?" Malek asked.

  "Petal."

  Malek almost laughed.

  He placed his hands near the injured leg without touching it yet. He closed his eyes and tried to sense the mana flow inside the animal.

  It took a moment. His channels were still new and unfamiliar with this kind of work. But slowly, he began to feel something. There was a blockage in the goat's leg. Like a knot or a cramp that was preventing energy from flowing properly. Which was needed for animals to heal.

  It came as a shock to Malek when he first learned that animals in this world had three times better healing factors than humans. They automatically used the Mana to heal themselves.

  There was a theory he came across which talked about how the entire healer class was discovered after some researchers unlocked the secret behind the animal body.

  "I think I can help," Malek said. He opened his eyes and stood. "Wait here."

  He went into the workshop and gathered supplies. Willow bark for pain. Crushed comfrey root for swelling. A small jar of clean water.

  He brought everything back outside and started working.

  First, he ground the willow bark into fine powder using the old mortar. Then he added the comfrey and mixed them together. He poured a small amount of water into the mixture and stirred until it formed a thick paste.

  While he worked, he channeled a tiny amount of his own mana into the water. Just enough to make the mixture absorb faster.

  The goat watched him with nervous eyes but stayed still.

  Malek applied the paste directly to the swollen leg, spreading it evenly. Then he took what was left of the mixture, added more water to dilute it, and held the cup to the goat's mouth.

  "Drink," he said gently.

  The goat sniffed it, then drank.

  Almost immediately, she stopped bleating. The tension in her body eased. Within a few minutes, the swelling started going down visibly.

  The farmer's eyes went wide. "How—"

  "Keep the poultice on overnight," Malek said. "Wash it off in the morning. She should be walking normally by tomorrow afternoon."

  "How much do I owe you?" the farmer asked, already reaching for his coin pouch.

  "Nothing now. Just bring some milk next week if she recovers."

  The farmer looked shocked. "That's it?"

  "That's it."

  "I'll bring milk. And eggs. And wool if you need it. Whatever I have."

  "Milk is fine."

  The farmer led the goat away, looking back twice to say thank you again.

  Mira had been watching from the doorway. She came over as the farmer left.

  "You did well," she said.

  Malek looked at his hands. They were shaking slightly from the unfamiliar use of mana. "I wasn't sure it would work."

  Most of the recipes in Aldric's Alchemy manual were not grand. They were simple and made for simple uses just like this case.

  If there were not two main and important recipes in the manual, Malek would have considered the manual as garbage.

  Low-level and middle-level healing potion recipes. Which were also customized for easy production.

  Which had more than 60% success rate. If not for that, he would not ever have dared to make the deal with House Monte Carlo which put the life of his family at risk.

  He cleaned up the space and put the leftover materials back on the shelves in his room. Then he went inside and got the recipe ledger from his room.

  He sat at the table and wrote by lantern light:

  "First non-potion application. Goat leg injury. Blockage in mana pathways causing inflammation. Treatment: willow bark and comfrey poultice with mana-infused water. Success."

  He closed the book and set it aside.

  Elara poked her head into the workshop. "You fixed a goat?"

  "Yeah."

  "So you're like a real healer now?"

  "Not really."

  "That's still cool." She grinned. "Can you fix people too?"

  "I don't know. Maybe."

  "You should try on me. I think my leg hurts."

  "Your leg is fine."

  "How do you know? You didn't even check."

  "It's not your leg which needs to be checked. It's your head."

  Bam.

  She hit him in the head hard and ran away laughing.