Ren awoke with the first light of dawn, the mushrooms in his hair glowing with a faint radiance.
He had dreamed of evolution routes and paths of power, but among all that knowledge, one simple idea had crystallized.
His parents were cooks.
He dressed quickly and went down to the kitchen. As expected, his parents were already there, preparing the day's bread.
"Dad?" he called softly. "Can I ask you something about cooking?"
His father turned, surprised.
Ren had never shown much interest in the technical details of cooking, and though he always helped, he didn't do it to learn.
"When you make bread," Ren continued, "why do you let the dough rest for exactly twelve hours?"
"Well," his father smiled, always happy to share his knowledge with his son, "that's the time natural yeast needs to..."
"And if someone told you that you only need two hours?"
His father frowned. "It wouldn't work the same. Fermentation needs..."
"Because I've tried it. All bakers have tried it. We look for shortcuts at first, but with time you learn that some processes simply need their time."
Ren smiled. "And if someone told you you're wasting your time? That twelve hours is too much, that nobody waits that long..."
"Then," his father crossed his arms, "I'd show them two loaves: one with two hours of rest and one with twelve. The proof is in the result."
"Even if everyone says you're crazy for waiting so long?"
A spark of understanding appeared in his father's eyes.
"This isn't about bread, is it?"
"Mom, Dad," Ren called their attention, holding hundreds of small mana crystals he had collected over the years. "Before I go to school, could you promise me something?"
Mana crystals this small weren't very valuable, you needed about 5 to buy a decent loaf of bread. But Ren was offering them around 500 (About 50 dollars before you feel the need to ask), a rather significant amount for a child.
His parents exchanged glances.
The kind of glances adults share when a child is about to say something that will break their hearts.
"I found... I found a way to make your plants stronger," Ren continued, trying to sound confident despite the lump in his throat. "It's a ritual that takes a thousand days, but..."
"I promise," Ren said firmly, "that if you trust me and follow exactly what I tell you for a thousand days, your plants will reach the power of a Bronze rank 2 beast."
"Son..." his father began skeptically.
"Like bread Dad. The proof will be in the result."
"Oh, darling," his mother knelt before him, her eyes moistening again.
"I know it sounds impossible," Ren continued quickly. "But you only need to absorb this each day. With these mana crystals, and..."
He understood what they were thinking, their little son, desperately trying to convince himself and them that everything would be alright, that his weak fungus and their mature plants didn't mean a future of misery.
"Please," he whispered. "Just... just promise me you'll try it. For a thousand days."
His father wiped tears with the back of his hand. "Son..."
"Even if you don't believe me. Even if you think it's foolish. Just... just do it. Please."
His parents looked at each other again, this time with a mixture of pain and love so deep that Ren felt his heart breaking.
"Of course we'll do it," his mother hugged him, her voice trembling. "Every day, without fail."
"A thousand days," his father nodded, joining the embrace. "We promise."
His father looked at one mana crystal, then at his plant.
"What do we need to do?"
Ren knew they were just playing along. That they thought this was his way of coping with the trauma of having the weakest beast, of having to leave for school where he would be mocked for years.
But they had promised to try. They never had broken a promise with him.
And for now, that was enough.
The last six days had passed in a blur of detailed instructions and practices on how to process the crystal.
His parents followed each step with a dedication that broke Ren's heart, not because they believed it would work, but because they couldn't bear to see the hope in their son's eyes fade.
Now Ren had 2 years to get them 2 vitality runes, he would have to pay about 20,000 crystals or find a way to…
He would see how to achieve it; if the school was as they said, maybe it wouldn't be so difficult... or maybe it would.
Now, while packing his last belongings, Ren mentally reviewed the requirements for his own spore's evolution.
The components were significantly more demanding than the mana crystals and pollen his parents needed.
Fortunately, the Imperial Academy of Cultivation and Evolution wasn't just any school. It was one of the city's three most prestigious institutions, if not the most prestigious, with extensive laboratories, thousands of specialized cultivation techniques, and, according to rumors, even ancient ruins on its grounds.
"Do you have everything ready?" his mother asked from the door, holding a food package she had prepared for his journey.
Ren nodded, unconsciously touching the Mantis core that was next to the plates and golden fungus in his bag.
They hadn't believed how he obtained these things, though they pretended to… how could they believe something like that?
The mushrooms in his hair glowed softly as he hugged his parents one last time.
In a year, when he returned, their plants would have completed almost a third of the ritual. And in less than 3 years, though they didn't believe it possible now, they would reach a power that would change their lives.
He couldn't wait to return for the second time and give them their runes as a gift.
"Remember, don't miss a single day," were his last words before boarding the carriage that would carry the new students.
As the wheels began to turn, Ren took a deep breath.
The coming years would be difficult; being the child with the weakest beast at one of the most prestigious academies wouldn't be easy.
But he had a plan. He had knowledge that no one else possessed. And most importantly, he had something to prove.
The carriage moved away from the outskirts, heading toward the heart of the city, where the Imperial Academy's spires rose like spears against the morning sky.
It was time for the boy with the "useless" fungus to begin his true path to power.