Chapter 27: The First Kill (Patreon)

[REDACTED -- Read on RoyalRoad for most recent version]

Author Note:

Hey folks! ShindoAoi over on RR made a great point that I've not done a good enough job showcasing how Caleb's Impartments make him a special boy in the earlier parts of the book--I totally agree. I've made a slight revision in Chapter 8 to try to help this along, but the TLDR is... he gains proficiency A LOT faster. I tried to imply this with his Grandpa Foster flashback, but I've included another bit in the prose to help it along. Quote below so you don't have to go back. Context is Caleb had increased his Dicing proficiency to Practiced and just finished his sack of onions.

He reached for another onion and found empty air. The pile was gone. In its place stood a mound of diced perfection. His internal clock, honed by decades of corporate time management, estimated he'd been working for close to two hours.

A knife stilled at a nearby station. Caleb glanced up. A wiry line cook who'd been grinning at his early mistakes stood mid-chop, his eyes locked incredulously on Caleb's hands.

"Spirits." The cook's voice sounded over the kitchen din. "Took me a month of bloody fingers to move that clean. You ain't no farm boy, are you?"

A heavy thud pulled his attention back.

You advanced readers are going to have a better sense of this because of the spear training, but I wanted to update you all the same. Appreciate everyone reading!