A screech rang out in the forest, I dance back. My spear at the ready, the goblin gring at me. Blood ran from the gash on its chest. I exhale, readying myself to spring from my defensive position to deliver another attack. The weeping wound that ran across the goblins chest irked me, I had missed. I had almost finished it, but I slipped and ended up only doing a gncing wound.

  "Remain calm, mistakes happen in battle. What matters is how you adapt, my lord."

  Sven encouraged as if from the shadows around me, the goblin took my eye shift for an opening. However, it was always in my peripheral vision. I made my corrections and unched towards the foul smelling cretin, thrusting my spear forward. a sickening slurp, a wince of pain and a thunderous snap of wood breaking.

  "Goddamn it"

  I sigh as I notice the small roll in my chain mail, where the goblins bde struck. I look at the broken shaft of my spear, snapped again. Turning to see the goblin, it had be unched a good twenty food from where we cshed. It was dead, its pungent blood spilled to the ground. With a groan I pulled the spear from its chest, thanks to the rge pool of blood I didn't get spshed with any when pulling the spear out.

  "What did you do wrong?"

  "I was too impulsive, got distracted and rushed for the kill. I hit the sternum which put too much strain on the wooden shaft, that combined with the force we struck each other at, was too much for it. I also had an incorrect path, so the goblin managed to strike my side."

  Sven smiled.

  "At least you can identify your mistakes now, you do look strapping in your armour my lord."

  I wave my hand dismissively.

  "If it is just us Sven, just be casual."

  He smiles, but shakes his head.

  "Sorry my lord, but I can not do that. It is a duty, respect and a personal matter."

  I sigh, resigning myself to my fate.

  "The second there is another lord I can agree with, I will be letting then be the lord. I don't need the hassle."

  Sven pats my back, while chuckling.

  "Any lord you would willingly serve, would never strip you of being a lord, sire."

  I groan because he is right, if I was to get along with someone. They would likely hate the mantle of leadership as much if not more than I do.

  "Damn it..."

  The first few days after leaving the only pce I had been in this world, I was feeling the energy enter my body, improving my overall abilities at random. I have figured out how to have it improve certain paths and parts, I just have to focus my fixing ability on the parts I don't want to grow. By quickly reverting them to a minute prior, they couldn't receive any growth. It didn't do too much, but I was able to streamline my growth. I still had to put effort in to growing stronger, I could just direct what I assume is some variant of special mana into where I wanted it to go. My body, my mana reservoir and pretty much everywhere else, but mainly by mana reservoir. Apparently that was extremely important, so every 4 in 10 kills I would focus entirely on my mana reservoir. Not like I was killing more than 10 a day. I was still a real newb when compared to the hunters or warriors in our group.

  I spin my spear as it is bathed in my energy. The fragments returning to where they should be, but this time I may or may not have added the sword the goblin held as a core. Which caused the wood to be more compact. I had truly practice with my magic, I was a restoration mage according to the old man when I first arrived, however Hilda debunked that...

  "A what? Restoration mage? Conner honey, you have always been a Fixer mage. Most likely a transtion issue, that old man was always sp dash with that."

  I blinked at her.

  "What's the difference?"

  She put her hand on her hip, tapping her soft hand on her tender, supple lips.

  'Conner, focus! Sex ter, information now.'

  She gave me a sultry smile as if she knew my thoughts.

  "Well a restoration mage, can make things how they were. Thats it. You, on the other hand. Can make things how they should be or more importantly, how you believe they should be. The guy who twisted my body, he was a pretty scary man and unfortunately died in the war. Something in his head broke to make him heal different to others, that mentality is extremely important. You however can see all options that could have been and were, while also being able to add improvements. That is just something a restoration mage could never do even with a broken mentality allowing them to go outside the scope of their skill. To be more accurate though, Fixer magic is a combination of restoration magic and tinkerer magic. Well based on my analysis anyway."

  I blinked at her.

  "And what do you mean by that, exactly?"

  Her well manicured nail pressed into my chest.

  "I mean, you are the only fixer mage, I have ever seen. Although, I guess a Restoration mage, who gets the tinkerer skill, could in theory do what you can. Heck they may fuse into it for all I know. Except on average Restoration mages are rarer than healers, and even they are usually snathed up by churches or nobility. I am surprised they let you go really."

  I shrug, I guess most of it was my unkempt and overweight appearance. I wasn't the stunning specimen I was today, when I first arrived. Then again this was likely who I would have been, if I had just listened to my dad.

  "Guess the fast spoiled brat just wanted a handsome hero to be her husband or something?"

  Hilda smirks at that.

  "If only she knew, her loss is my gain."

  I shuddered at the thought.

  "I would have restored her into a zygote, before I would have married that thing."

  She bumps me with her hip.

  "Not calling her pig princess anymore?"

  I shake my head, lifting my chin towards some boar beastfolk.

  "After meeting them, I didn't want to insult pigs with the comparison any longer."

  Hilda let out a soft chuckle.

  "She isn't that ugly, she is still human."

  I shudder.

  "As a human I take that as an insult, that girl definitely has some level of fiendish abomination in her ancestry."

  A light swat on the arm causes me and Hilda to ugh at the funny turn in a serious conversation...

  That conversation was only a couple days ago, but thanks to that I was doing more than just repairing, I was fixing. Which now includes upgrades. I had some thoughts too, but decided against adding beastfolk to my body anytime soon. I was tempted by elf dna though, I was always a fascinated by elves.

  I heard movement in the forest, breaking from my thoughts, I turned immediately. Three goblins came through the bushes.

  "Well, hard mode just started."

  I mutter, then hear a chuckle from Sven.

  "I will keep watch my lord."

  I groan and lunge at the rge goblin, took by surprise it couldn't dodge or counter. My spear sliced through its throat. I performed a twist, smashing my spear into the goblin to its right.

  Managing to block, the goblin was staggered. I pressed my advantage smashing the third goblin in the face with my spears shaft, disorientating it. I grabbed the rge goblins cleaver and thrust it into the third goblins gut. Clicking my teeth as I dodged back from the final remaining goblin.

  ~~☆~~

  Sven stood on a tree branch watching the battle with a smile. A sudden weight nding beside him.

  "He is improving."

  Sven shook his head.

  "He is too focused and pressured to second guess himself. My lord is a warrior, he is like the second coming of the hero Alexander."

  His gaze turning into awe.

  "That man raised me to where I was, trained me. I know of his Earth. This boy is a retive consideringhis surname, but that appearance? How could he look like my former master? Sure there are differences, but I could never mistake the look of the man who I owe my life a hundred times over, the man who syed the previous demon king, the man who had ended the war."

  Chiyun looked at her mate with awe, she knew he was strong and the more focused on a task he became the less he held himself back. She watched as now, after the fight was more fair, the pressure was off. Conner began to slow, his muscles gained rigidity.

  "How do we break his habbit of holding himself back?"

  Sven smiled.

  "He will figure it out in time, we are in no rush. He needs confidence, that has to come from within."

  Chiyun blew her hair from her face, trying to bite down on her instinctive urge to rush to help Conner. The man had fixed her, she was fixed far beyond where she was in her prime. Her injuries from a young age, her missing eye. All the shameful scars he had removed. He had given her a new life and she loved him with her everything. She had never been with a man before, no male of her vilge was interested in her to the degree where she could actually seal the deal. She wasn't matriarch long before her aunt did what she did and there was so much damage to her woman parts, that it was impossible for a man to feel attraction to her after that. He had fixed her completely, and made her a woman. She caresses her stomach.

  'I just wish I could give him cubs.'

  Sven hadn't noticed Chiyuns actions, instead he was focused on his lord. The subtle improvements here and there, the small amount of holding himself back less. It was small, not enough to change the struggle much. However it was an improvement.

  "He is doing better, each and every day he is improving. Even if he is holding himself back he is trying to improve."

  Chiyun nods, their attention focusing back onto Conner.

  ~~☆~~

  I span my spear touching the tip to the goblin cleaver, quickly plotting my upgrade. Blinding light erupts from the head of my spear, making the goblin close its eyes. I made my move, an arcing swing. Then a wet slurp echoes in the area, followed by a soft thud into the moss and grass forest floor. I let out a sigh of relief, casually spinning my spear, or rather it was now closer to a halberd, it was a rough job, so it was more a pole cleaver with a spear tip.

  "Please tell me that is me done for the day?"

  I say looking up at Sven, who smiled and pointed to the side. Following his finger I saw a bear.

  "Gods fucking dammit!"

  ...

  An hour ter I arrived back at camp, Chiyun carrying the corpse of the bear I killed. It was quickly got skinned and portioned up, the bones being boiled for stock. Those women took those cooking videos and cook books and made it their holy scripture. I still can't believe, nearly all the women had learned english just to get access to my otherworldly knowledge.

  While I though the 500Gb of tech or scientific advancement would be of interest, nope. Just the food and cooking, well the fashion stuff was of interest, but they seemed to just take note for ter.

  I looked around and noticed the young lizard boy, he was sat fiddling with a training doll. Chiyun smiled at me, looking from me to the kid.

  "You love that kid don't you?"

  I smile at her.

  "I only ever wanted one thing, I wanted to be a dad. I wanted a family. From what I know, I am going to be waiting for a miracle to get that right now, so adopting isn't a bad idea. What do you think?"

  Chiyun smiled, pulling me into a possessive hug. Taking my lips, her eyes carried a hint fo sadness. I instinctively raised my hand to cup her cheek.

  "I will never stop looking for a way to give you my children, you, Hilda and Mi. I love you all."

  She closes her eyes and she pushes her cheek into my hand.

  "I hope it is sooner rather than ter, I want nothing more than to give you that dream."

  We kiss softly and eventually seperate for her to go grab my trophy, basically the skull and a single cw.

  She had been doing this for all my kills, originally just the cw until she mentioned trophy and I blurted out, "you mean like, it's skull." Then I had to expin people on earth keeping the skulls of worthy prey, or just straight up dispying their heads on a wall. She loved the idea, now the whole caravan had odd skulls, painted and decorated. If there is a hunter nearby, you are not too far from a skull collection.

  I made my way to the small boy, I ended up giving him the name, Tegu. I expined the meaning of the word to his mother, who hadn't named the boy, he was just given a number by their previous master. The word Tegu does refer to a genus of rge reptiles on earth, but as a Kannada verb. It means to struggle hard, to work vigorously, to eat to one's content, or to eject gas spasmodically and noisily from the stomach through the mouth. In other words belch, eat until you belch in satisfaction. Basically it was a blessing, to give the boy a life full of determination and success. His mother loved it.

  "Thank you master, I have always wanted a name."

  The boy beamed.

  "Don't thank me yet, today is maths and we are doing times tables."

  His eyes water.

  "But... I just got a name..."

  I smirk, a dark look coming over my face.

  "Struggle hard young Tegu, you will need it."

  Then after a couple moments of silence, we broke out in ughter. The boy climbing into my p as I showed him his times tables. He was a smart kid, the reason for his struggle was I taught him up to the number times a hundred, and he knew that after this, I would be increasing the difficulty of his daily worksheets. After his lessons we pyed about on the training table for a bit, we enjoyed it. It was fun. Later we ate together and by the time the shift changed, little Tegu was asleep. I carried him to his and his mother carriage, lowering him into their bed.

  "Master.."

  I turn to see the lizard beastfolk mother of Tegu, I believe her name was something long. According to Hilda, it was also a derogatory slur some nobles used for reptilian beastfolk.

  "Yes?"

  She bowed her head.

  "I am sorry for trying to seduce you in an attempt to secure my sons future.."

  I smile.

  "Don't be, I got a good view and didn't actually mind the flirting. I just want you to love the one you pursue. I want you, all of you, just to be happy."

  She nods as I leave, I didn't look back. I would want her to open up on her own, but it wasn't something I was going to actually push for. I had enough women, not like I am turning any away, but three is definitely enough to not go looking for more.

  I started my shift, sitting in Leviathans cockpit. Eating some bear jerky, when Nura popped out of a shadow.

  "Hey Nura, whats up?"

  "Nothin', can I have some?"

  I smirk, she wanted some jerky. Now her and her sister had their knights back, she didn't have access to my stash. So she was having withdrawals, especially with my jerky box being enchanted to slowly expel water. It was basically a dehydrater. I was able to make my sheets of jerky, then slice it into bars, then smoke. This would give me really delicious jerky for my stash, as much as I wish my drink box had a cold enchantment. It only had an air pocket, which would help maintain the temperature, I was just gd I bought some ice to put in a resin coated tray. I could restore it to being ice, which would cool my drinks, which right now were milk, water and fruit juice.

  I grab some juice, it was in a ceramic jug with a wooden bung. I take a drink and pass it to Nura.

  "Thanks, hey Conner... do you know who this is?"

  She handed me a picture. The second my eyes met that picture, my mind went bnk.

  Sion_Dracul