“Beep, I choose the Terra Husk Queen as my first Mana-Familiar. Is giving up 3% of my soul gonna hurt?”
“Beep. Binding may take a minute. You may feel slightly lightheaded—comparable to standing up too fast after donating blood.”
“All that trouble and no free donuts? At least I get a bunker-builder queen. Fair trade.”
“Beep. Binding complete.”
The words had barely echoed in his mind before a wave of dizziness hit—limbs going soft, vision swimming.
“Yup… you weren’t kidding about the blood-donation part, Beep. I need to sit and eat something.”
He hunched over, scraping up the last scraps on his plate.
“Getting late. I need to find an inn—and figure out how to summon my little wall with legs.”
He headed downstairs and made his way to the bar.
“Hey—any cheap inns nearby?”
“The Resting Gourd Inn,” the bartender replied. “Just a few doors down to the right. Run by the Bao family. Tell ’em Gao Chen sent you.”
“Thanks, Brother Gao Chen.”
Five minutes later, Tom pushed open the doors of the Resting Gourd Inn. It smelled faintly of pine and something rich simmering low and slow. Lanterns with flickering cores bathed polished beams and worn rugs in soft amber light—well-kept, humble, and warm.
At the front desk, a young woman looked up from a ledger.
“Welcome to the Resting Gourd. I’m Bao Li.”
“How much for a night?” Tom asked.
“Ten copper with meals. But since the day’s nearly over, I’ll make it five. Want your dinner here in the hall or your room?”
Tom blinked, thinking inwardly.
“Beep, I don’t have any change—just five full gold coins. Think they’ll have enough to break one?”
“Beep. The User Bag can exchange large coin denominations for smaller ones.”
“Perfect. Exchange one gold for 98 silver and 200 copper. Honestly, glad all my money’s in the User Bag—otherwise I’d be a walking target.”
“Beep. One gold coin has been exchanged.”
“I’ll take that deal—already ate at the Jade Flask,” he said, handing over five copper coins. “Oh—and Gao Chen said to mention he sent me.”
Bao Li raised an eyebrow and smirked.
“That guy’s just trying to get in my sister’s good books. But hey, thanks for stopping by.”
She called over her shoulder.
“Bao Mei! Can you show Brother—oh, what’s your name again?”
Tom offered a polite, tired smile.
“I’m Liang Shen.”
“What’s up, LiLi?” said a girl around eighteen or twenty, stepping out from what looked like the kitchen.
“I was asking if you could show Brother Liang Shen to his room,” Bao Li replied, tossing her a key. “And how many times have I told you not to call me that during work?” she added, cheeks tinged pink.
“Follow me, big brother,” Bao Mei said with a wink, already leading the way and saving Tom from her sister’s glare.
They stopped at a door after a short walk. She handed him the key.
“Here’s your room. Sleep well, Brother Liang.”
“Thanks—you too. Oh, and Brother Gao Chen says hi,” he added as he stepped inside.
The door clicked shut behind him, followed by a muffled yell from the hall, then hurried footsteps pounding away. Tom locked the door and gave the room a quick once-over. Not exactly a five-star resort… not that I’d know. Just a bed, a table, and one lonely chair. Bare-bones, but it’ll do.”
He dropped onto the mattress with a soft thud.
“Status.”
Status Menu:
Name: Tom Riddle / “Liang Shen”
Rank: 0 Acolyte
Mana Coins: 10
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
HP: 20/20 (Regen: 5/day)
Mana: 20/20 (Regen: 0.1/min)
- STR: 1.0 (≈70 lbs lifting power; affects defense)
- AGI: 1.0 (~15 mph run speed; affects body control)
- VIT: 1.0 (+20 HP) (every point is +20 HP)
- INT: 2.0 (+10 Mana) (every point is +10 mana)
- Spells:
- Mana Hand (Lv. 0)
- Cut (Lv. 0)
User Bag / Equipment:
- (4)Gold coins
- (98)Silver coins
- (195)Copper coins
- Basic Acolyte Robes(Chap.1)
- Basic Wooden Wand(Chap.1)
- (x2) Weak Mana Potions(Chap.1)
- (x2) Weak Health Potions(Chap.1)
- Completed Quests:
? Learn Your Second Spell
? Sell Your Shop - Current Quests:
? Find a Place for a Magic Tower(Chap.1)
- Mana Store: Locked
As he was looking over the Status Menu, he asked,
“Please tell me I don’t have to chant some middle-school-tier summoning spell like, ‘By the first of my name…’”
“Beep. No, Tom. You only need to say ‘Come out, Terra Husk’ the first time.”
Tom let out a breath of relief.
“If I had to say that out loud, I might’ve died a second time. Wait—what do you mean, ‘the first time’?”
A faint flicker of amusement stirred at the edge of his mind.
“Beep. Efficiency is prioritized over dramatic flair. After summoning, you may call or think the name you assign her.”
Rolling his eyes, Tom grinned and stood.
“All right then—come out, Terra Husk.”
A gentle warmth bloomed in his chest—steady and calm, like the sun rising behind his ribs. The air thickened—not heavy, just full. Mana flowed outward, down his arms and legs, then pooled in the space in front of him.
There was no grand display. Just flecks of dust and earth shimmering into view—drawn from nowhere. They drifted together, swirling slowly, gathering mass. Clumps of packed soil, smooth stone, and pale clay spiraled inward, forming a crouched shape.
Bit by bit, a figure emerged—no taller than a small dog.
It lifted itself with quiet resolve, squat and strong, like stone shaped by time and stirred from stillness. Its body was a patchwork of loam and stone, with moss-like fuzz clinging to its joints. Soft amber eyes blinked once, glowing gently, calm, and curious.
Tom stared, heart pounding. A piece of his soul now stood before him—quiet, still, and breathing in the hush.
“Beep, am I able to see her status?”
“Beep. Yes, Tom—but you must give her a name first.”
Tom looked at the squat, silent creature—his tiny tank, the earthy queen of bunkers—and smiled.
“Beep. May I ask what the W stands for, Tom?”
Tom grinned.
“Wall. Obviously.” He smirked. “Beep, how many types of ants can Toto produce?”
“Beep. While I can answer that, it would be better to ask her yourself. You should be able to talk to her in your mind. She has an understanding of languages, you know. She is a piece of your soul now.”
“Really? I guess here goes nothing… Toto, how many types of eggs can you produce?”
The ant queen looked up and into Tom's eyes and stood there silent for a couple of seconds, then a female voice sounded in Tom's mind as his mood fell.
“Kidding. You should’ve seen your face. I can produce three—once you stop being stingy with mana. My royal guard, workers, and soldiers.
“Do you have a limit on how big your hive can be? How would you break that limit?”
“I feel my limit right now is ten. You would have to help me evolve to break it.”
“Ten is not too many, but it isn't too few. A lot can be done with just ten. I'll figure out how to evolve you at a later date, but first, Beep, show me her stats.
“Beep. You should be seeing it now, Tom.”
Status Menu:
Name: Toto W. Riddle
Species/Type: Camponotus Ferrum/Terra Husk Juvenile Queen
Affinity: Earth
HP: 71/71 (Regen: 5/day)
Mana: 45/45 (Regen: 0.1/min)
STR: 7.1 (≈497 lbs lifting power; affects defense) (70x7.1=497)
AGI: 1.2 (~18 mph run speed; affects body control) (15x1.2=18)
VIT: 7.1 (+142 HP) (every point is +20 HP)
INT: 4.5 (+45 Mana)(every point is +10 mana)
Abilities:
- Earthen Bulwark (Aura) -“I am a lucky rock.”
Type: Passive
Effect: Boosts nearby allies’ defense by 15%.
Mana Cost: 1 Mana per minute (sustained)
Cooldown: None (toggleable)
- Earth Bending (Skill) - ”The earth moves to my will.”
Type: Active
Effect: Reshapes terrain for defense or mobility.
Mana Cost: 6 Mana
Cooldown: 30 sec
- Stoneplate Mandibles (Infused Buff) -“I think you’ll look better covered in stone.”
Type: Active Buff
Effect: Temporarily coats the target in stone armor, doubling defense.
Mana Cost: 10 Mana
Duration: 1 minute or until armor breaks
Cooldown: 60 sec
- Egg Production (Hive Skill) - “Every Queen must expand her hive.”
Type: Mana Conversion
Effect: With an ample amount of mana, she can produce and hatch various types of Terra Husk ants to expand the hive.
Types/Cost: Worker: 30 Mana | Soldier: 50 Mana | Royal Guard: 100 Mana
Cooldown: 2 hr per hatch
(Forgot to add this to the first two chapters: 100 copper coins = 1 silver coin, 100 silver coins = 1 gold coin. More will be added when needed.)