Lucian sat back on the snowy soil, panting heavily. His body was trembling, every muscle screaming as if he had run for days without rest.
The valley was cleared, the great world tree's canopy now shading him from above, and the snow was pushed out through the slope.
Yet the real challenge had only begun.
He had thought pouring mana into the land would be easy. A simple infusion to create a stable environment system for his crops. After all, he had done similar things in countless worlds before.
But this time, as soon as he tried to extend his mana across the entire valley, his body nearly collapsed within seconds.
His vision had blurred, his chest tightened, and his limbs lost strength. If not for his quick thinking and immediate cancellation of the spell, he might have killed himself on the spot.
"Haa… I really underestimated this world. The world tree is fine because of its properties, but if I want anything else to survive here, I need… more. A lot more."
Lucian muttered bitterly, wiping the sweat from his forehead despite the biting cold.
The tree was unique, born from divine essence, its roots drawing nourishment far deeper than normal plants could ever hope for.
But ordinary crops had no such advantage. Without a sustainable flow of mana, they would wither before sprouting.
Another task was added to his already endless list—mana stones.
If this world contained mana, then it must also contain crystallized ore deposits that stored and concentrated it.
All worlds with functioning systems had such resources.
Lucian had used them before, and though the process of refining was tedious, it was still far better than exhausting himself every day until his body gave out.
"First priority—mana ore. Once I find a reserve, I can start refining stones. Then I'll have enough power to create a stable plot of land."
Lucian said to himself, standing shakily on his feet. He brushed the snow off his knees and tightened his grip on the stick he had been using as a makeshift tool.
For now, he needed efficiency. His body was small, his mana reserves limited, but his knowledge from countless lives was vast.
If anyone could find ore, it was him.
The first day was brutal.
Lucian wandered across frozen ridges and scoured rocky cliffs, forcing himself to remember the patterns of mana veins he had seen in similar worlds.
He used tiny bursts of detection magic, each one draining, but necessary. At last, in the shadow of a broken cliff face, he felt it—a pulse beneath the stone.
[Mana Stone detected]
His eyes lit up.
"Found you."
With painstaking effort, he dug through the snow and ice, chiseling at the hard stone with whatever tools he could muster from his inventory.
By the time the sun dipped, his hands were raw and his body aching, but he had managed to extract a small handful of rough mana ore.
Refining them was another challenge altogether.
Using his mana, he condensed the ores into smooth, glowing stones.
By the end of the night, he had just enough to power a tiny plot—no more than three by three feet. But it was enough.
On that small patch, Lucian sowed his easiest crops.
Hardy ones, fast-growing, capable of sustaining him even in poor soil. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
"Better than starving. I just need to keep refining."
He muttered, brushing dirt from his palms.
But soon, a harsher reality struck him.
Even with mana stones, his endurance betrayed him. His body, small and frail as it currently was, could barely ignite more than a few stones before collapsing.
Each activation left him dizzy, his mana circuits overheated, and his breath ragged.
It wasn't the refining that was the issue—it was the maintenance.
Without a proper furnace, the stones cooled too quickly, their energy dispersing into the environment.
If he wanted them to burn consistently, he needed a container to regulate and sustain the energy.
A furnace.
But the thought immediately soured in his mind.
He had no resources for one. No proper materials, no crafting tools, not even enough fuel to attempt a crude build.
It was laughable to think he could achieve such a thing right now.
Lucian clenched his fists, frustration bubbling inside.
"Tch. I can refine as many stones as I want, but if I can't keep them burning, what's the point?"
The echo of his voice carried across the valley, swallowed by the silence of snow and ice.
For a long moment, he simply sat there, glaring at the feeble glow of the few ignited stones flickering in the ground.
His frustration turned to weary resignation.
"Of course it wouldn't be easy. When has it ever been?"
Just as he was about to collapse in his makeshift shelter, a faint sound drew his attention.
Whoosh—
It was distant, almost like the tearing of air. Lucian's sharp senses immediately snapped to attention.
His gaze lifted to the sky, narrowing. Something was descending—fast.
He pushed himself to his feet, stumbling slightly as he tried to get a better view through the canopy.
The object cut through the clouds, a streak of light against the endless gray. Then, with a thunderous crash, it struck the ground somewhere not too far from the valley, sending a tremor rippling beneath his feet.
Lucian's eyes widened.
"What… was that?"
Curiosity warred with caution.
He had seen plenty of things fall from the skies in different worlds—sometimes treasures, sometimes monsters, and sometimes worse.
But one thing was certain: ignoring it would be a mistake.
If it was a danger, he needed to know. If it was a resource… he couldn't afford to let it slip away.
Lucian grabbed his stick and a half-refined mana stone, channeling just enough energy to light it faintly. The dim glow would at least guide him through the snow.
"Of course, the moment I think I can rest, something else happens. But fine. Let's see what fell from the sky this time."
He let out a dry laugh, half-amused, half-bitter.
With cautious steps, he made his way out of the valley, following the distant smoke that began to rise above the ridges.
His breath came in visible clouds, his body tired but his mind sharp.
This world had already shown him it would not make things easy. And now, whatever had crashed nearby was bound to change his plans once again.