[Lord of Abundance] Chapter 5: The First Facet of Abundance [Share]

 Chapter 5: The First Facet of Abundance

Blue Star, Wuhu County.

Terraced rice fields, lush and green, stretched layer upon layer across the valley like a giant’s staircase—vibrant, brimming with life.

Beneath the shade of a large tree, at a long wooden table, two young men dressed in matching shirts sat facing a picturesque view. Cicadas chirped in the background, and a gentle breeze carried the fragrance of wildflowers.

“Clink~”

Two bottles of soda knocked together. Kun drained half of his chilled drink in one go and let out a satisfied sigh.

On a sweltering summer day like this, nothing lifted the mood more than this beverage known as “otaku happiness water.”

He’d heard the recipe for this black drink was a closely guarded secret. That alone stirred certain ideas in his mind.

If he could build a factory like this in his territory and mass-produce it, he could sell it across the entire kingdom. Why would he still be worrying over a handful of gold coins for development?

The only question was whether this world’s security measures could defend against magical infiltration.

Hmm. Definitely a subject worth researching.

“Don’t get any funny ideas.”

The bald young man in a fisherman’s hat, focused on sketching into his notebook, issued a warning without looking up.

This place might be tolerant, but not tolerant enough to ignore an “alien.” If Kun’s differences were exposed, it would bring endless trouble.

“When have I ever?”

Kun flopped backward onto the table, lying flat as he closed his eyes, basking in a sense of peace and quiet he had never known before.

This feeling of inner security—that was the real reason he loved this place.

There was a saying here: Where the heart finds peace, there is home.

He liked it very much. He had even tried to truly integrate into this world.

Unfortunately, he failed at the very first step.

He didn’t have something called a “household registration.”

Which meant he had no identity here—couldn’t attend school, visit hospitals, get married, open a bank account, or even travel freely.

To Kun, it was simply proof of belonging.

If he hadn’t met Li Tianyun when he first arrived, but someone else instead, he might have already been exposed as an outsider.

Back then, he had known nothing of this world. There had been too many flaws in his behavior.

It was two years ago.

After finally lighting the first point of the Abundance mark on his palm, he had eagerly attempted to use the divine array.

The nature of gods had always been a subject of debate among mages.

As someone devoted to unraveling the mysteries of the world, Kun had been naturally curious.

And as the Chosen of the God of Abundance, he wasn’t about to waste the opportunity.

So he came here.

A technological world dominated by atheism.

That part was… awkward.

But what came after was even worse.

Newly arrived, Kun had been like a beggar wandering into a royal palace—lost in a forest of steel, surrounded by towering skyscrapers and dazzling neon lights.

After being chased around all day by strangely dressed people, starving and utterly disoriented, he had finally used levitation under the cover of night to try and find his way back.

At that very moment—

A young man leapt from a skyscraper, intending to end his short and painful life.

One rising.

One falling.

They met in midair, eyes locking, both stunned speechless.

Just thinking about the expression on that usually expressionless face back then made Kun laugh.

“What are you laughing at?”

“Hot pot for lunch.”

Li Tianyun’s hand trembled at the completely irrelevant answer, nearly ruining his sketch.

“It’s only nine in the morning, okay? And who eats hot pot at noon in the middle of summer? Aren’t you hot enough already?”

Kun—who had adopted the local name “Li Huoguo”—grumbled:

“You have no idea how cold it is where I come from. The snow reaches past my knees.

And my castle—it’s colder than an ice cellar. I’ve seriously considered dragging my bedding outside just to sleep.”

“Haha, is it really that bad? Cough—cough—cough—!”

A violent fit of coughing wracked Li Tianyun’s body, as though he might cough out his lungs.

His already pale face grew even more ashen.

“I’m sorry,” Kun murmured quietly.

Wiping blood from the corner of his mouth, Li Tianyun smiled as if he were used to it.

“What are you apologizing for? If it weren’t for you, I’d have died two years ago.

If anything, I should be thanking you. And besides, because of me, you’ve had to keep your magic at such a low level. Every time you go back, I worry about you.”

Kun fell silent.

The first time he met Li Tianyun, the man had already been dying.

Not from the fall—but from an incurable disease.

The doctors had given him less than a month.

With no hope and unwilling to burden his family further, Li Tianyun had chosen to end his life.

As a life mage, Kun had been powerless.

This wasn’t an injury—it was a congenital defect. A flaw in his very genes.

Neither life magic nor Kun’s self-created Abundance magic could fix it.

Magic wasn’t omnipotent.

And Kun’s level wasn’t high enough.

This world suppressed magic, and its environment was a desert of magical elements. Many high-tier spells were simply unusable here.

So he had resorted to… unconventional means.

The first facet of Abundance—

[Grafting].

It wasn’t magic.

It was an innate ability that came with lighting the first point of his six-pointed star.

With it, Kun could fuse two magical plants into a new one, inheriting the best traits of both.

And—

It worked on humans, too.

Li Tianyun survived because of Kun’s magic.

Magic, after all, could also be considered a form of life force.

The cost?

Kun could only use thirty percent of his power. Ten percent sustained Li Tianyun’s life. The remaining sixty percent was diluted by this magic-poor world.

As for Li Tianyun—

He became Kun’s “dependent.”

Like a grafted branch—if the main trunk died, the branch would wither as well.

It resembled a slave mark, but was fundamentally different.

That was what Kun had meant when he said “sorry.”

Yet Li Tianyun jokingly called it—

“Sharing magic.”

The sharing between friends.

And so, Kun gained his first true friend—something he had once thought he didn’t deserve.

He even renamed the ability—

[Share].

“I’ve got good news,” Kun said suddenly. “After two years of research, I’ve finally figured out how to cure your condition.”

“Oh?”

Li Tianyun didn’t even look up.

He had heard this before—many times.

Each time, Kun had been full of excitement.

Each time, it had ended in disappointment.

Kun’s disappointment.

Even though Li Tianyun was the one suffering.

“‘Oh’? What kind of reaction is that? Looking down on this great archmage? Let me show you something.”

Kun attempted to spring up from the table—

And failed.

“...Ahem.”

He sat up awkwardly, relieved that Li Tianyun hadn’t noticed.

After making sure no one else was around, Kun crouched and placed his hand on a damp table leg.

“Life Magic—Mushroom Proliferation!”

Pop, pop, pop—

Six plump white mushrooms sprouted instantly from the wood.

Slender stems, smooth caps, delicate frills beneath—almost cute.

Kun plucked the largest and placed it on Li Tianyun’s drawing.

“Impressive, right?”

“Very impressive. A grand archmage who can conjure a mushroom.

Definitely the greatest mage I’ve ever seen. Then again, you’re the only one I’ve ever seen.

But weren’t you talking about curing me? Are you planning to do it with mushrooms?”

“Relax. What’s that saying again? Haste makes… tofu?”

Kun’s expression turned serious.

With a flick of his fingers, golden text appeared in midair.

Like molten gold etched into reality.

Li Tianyun stared, stunned.

Sometimes, Kun felt like nothing more than a neighbor kid.

He often forgot—

This was an archmage from another world.

In a civilization that had searched for extraterrestrial life for ages without success—

Kun stood before him as proof.

“Abundance Magic—Life Link!”

A golden arc of energy shot from the array and struck Li Tianyun.

At the same time, the mushroom twitched—then began hopping wildly.

It bounced once… twice…

Then fell off the table.

“Ow—my head!”

Li Tianyun clutched his head instinctively.

Realization dawned.

He picked up the mushroom, stunned.

“I… became a mushroom? No… I felt what it felt…”

Kun cut the invisible golden thread between them.

“More precisely, your life and the mushroom’s were linked.

At that moment, your vitality was the sum of both.

But a mushroom’s life force is too small, so the effect was minimal.”

Li Tianyun blinked.

“Magic… really is amazing.”

“But how does this help me?”

“Your condition can’t be healed directly because the problem lies in your life essence.

You’re like a leaking bucket. No matter how much life force I pour in, it drains away.

So to cure you, you need to strengthen your life essence.”

Kun raised two fingers.

“There are two ways—become a mage, or a warrior.

Mage is impossible for you.

So that leaves only one path.”

“A warrior?”

“Exactly.”

Li Tianyun hesitated.

“With this body… is that even possible?”

“Normally? No.

Even with the best instructor, you wouldn’t surpass trainee level.”

Kun held up the lifeless mushroom.

“What if… we change the premise?”

Li Tianyun’s eyes widened.

Kun couldn’t bring him to that other world.

The gate rejected all adult life except Kun.

They had tested it once.

Kun passed through.

The chicken they brought along… became roasted.

But not all life was rejected.

Seeds.

Or primitive embryos.

That was the loophole.

That night, when Kun returned—

He carried a dormant fungal mass in his palm.

Unfortunately, when he tried to use his cultivated mushrooms in hot pot—

The restaurant owner refused.

They were poisonous.

Amanita phalloides.

For nearly becoming the first life mage hospitalized for mushroom poisoning—

Kun felt deeply apologetic.

And casually erased the owner’s memory of the day.