Cup Half-Full or Half-Empty?

Wrylla stared at his inventory sheet and sighed.

With how things were going, he'd been run ragged.

However, he knew that things were going to become better soon enough. He just needed some time to prepare them first.

With the advent of his stall, he'd been able to prepare his business for a larger volume of customers. And with that, more profits.

However, just because he was making more, did not mean things were going to get easier. They were just the start of his struggles. With a larger volume of students, it meant that he had to stretch himself thin to maintain everything. And for the past week, it took a toll on his body to even keep up.

He was just thankful that he was able to get a cashier to make things smoother. The fact that one worker took a massive strain off his shoulders already said a lot about his services.

Shaking his head, Wrylla sat comfortably on his bed, exhaling deeply as his muscles unwound themselves.

There was no need to think about stress now. He had preparations to make, and there wouldn't be enough time to think about them if he kept himself all cooped up.

Prana flowed through his body, it was him, in every sense of the word. Made from his body, mind, and soul, it coalesced to express these qualities the most in the form of nature. 

Though, Sumatra had only developed the mind aspect of prana. With the body and soul aspect still left unexplored. It would take much experimentation and trials before either aspect was to appear on the continent.

And that was where Wrylla's cheat came into play.

For things to develop as they are, the avenue to create the body aspect wouldn't be available until midway through to the third disaster, when Mystic Sumatra art were to become available through the Varahan Empire.

Now, Wrylla's progression would be different.

Sumatra Bone Art!

Through the combination of Mystic Bone Art and Mystic Sumatra art, he gained the attributes of both mystic grade cultivation methods in digestion, and blood imprinting.

Due to this being a cheat, it bent the laws of Sumatra in his favor by allowing him to cultivate both arts, and use their respective skills as well. Not only that, but it also partially shielded him from the Empyrean Tusks, letting them know, exactly what he wanted them to know.

In all honesty, it was a broken ability that didn't have a right existing.

But, when you make a deal with the devil, you tend to lose things you don't want to give up, in order to get your wish.

However, that was beside the point.

Circulating his prana, Wrylla breathed deeply, cycling through his pathways, as both his digestive system and blood worked in tandem with one another.

Slowly, he eased his mental usage on the technique to test how much focus he needed to keep it active. Bit by bit, he disentangled his mind. Wrylla's body started with just moving his hands up and down, to then standing up and walking.

Eventually, he picked up a basket of parute fruits he had set aside from his profits, laying them on the bed as he finally set himself to continue cultivating properly.

Setting himself down, he took note of his new findings. He found himself able to stand, but when he started walking, that was where his control over Sumatra Bone Art slipped, and he lost concentration.

While it was better than his previous attempts, it still meant that he was very much far from passively cultivating the art. His subconscious from Earth still warring with his new found life here on Sumatra.

Nevertheless, he had made progress. And it was progress that would make his future easier.

Taking a handful of fruits, he gradually ate through the basket, cycling the art through his body to fuel his growth. Netting himself three units of prana in return.

With a total of fourth-seven units of prana, he gently tugged a string within his heart, gently coaxing it to shatter under strain. Gradually, he tugged harder and harder on his spirit container, until only forty remained.

At the cost of his gains for the day, his foundations had been strengthened. Allowing Wrylla to build himself up greater than earlier.

This was the cost of being afflicted with the Fragment disease. It meant that a Clansmen had to construct their spirit containers with much more integrity than normal if they wanted a higher chance of reaching a hundred units and entering the body stage.

Still, it meant a slow process. One that took diligence, and patience.

Beads of sweat dripped down Wrylla's face as he grinned. Of the three hundred parute fruits that he had eaten, he only required two hundred and sixty-eight in order to receive three units of prana.

Comparatively, he was receiving more from using the cultivation art than others that didn't. Allowing him to focus less on earning parute fruits in the upcoming fair than the other mystic paths, and instead, focus on gathering connections with other elites who would be there.

And thanks to Yumira, he had some measure of support for his upcoming schemes ahead. He would just need to rope in Luttrena to cement his rising status.

"Things are going to turn up for little old me." Wrylla sighed, patting himself on the back for a day's hard work. "With everything ready, my hopes of getting the egg that I planned for will be a success."

{---}

A few days later, and it didn't take long for a familiar face to appear.

Wrylla was cleaning the stall with a rag when someone called for him out of the blue. And color him surprised when she saw the exact person he'd been wanting to talk to.

"Oh, Luttrena, surprise to see you," He smiled, knowing full well she was just taking her time. "I was just fixing up for the day… But I think I can make one more for the settlement leader's daughter."

Turning to his employee, Wrylla waved at her. "Shura, take your leave, I'll deal with the cleanup, just make sure to come back for your shift after school hours."

His employee nodded, bidding both of them farewell as she returned to her own classes.

Luttrena, for her part, returned Wrylla's smile, taking a seat on the stall counter. "Heard a few good things about your food, so I thought I could stop by. Let's see if the rumors were right about how good your food is."

"Of course it is," He rebuffed, preparing the last burger for the day, despite having already packed most of his equipment. "But, I don't think that's the only reason for you being here."

"Wow, what makes you say that?" She asked, faux hurt on her face. "I'm wounded that you think I even need a reason to see you, Wrylla… Truly."

The boy, for his part, merely sent here a deadpan stare, eyes drawing thinner and thinner by the second. "Riiiight~, totally why," He dragged, knowing full well she could have talked to him after classes. "But, either way, it's been a while since we've last talked. Not quite the best first impression, on my end if I remember correctly."

"No, it wasn't," Luttrena agreed, leaning further as she stuck her head in. "But your attempts were charming, though."

That's certainly something I can give to myself, Wrylla sarcastically grimaced, rolling his eyes as he wrapped the burger. "But at least they were charming, could have been worse, for all you know."

"And you would dare to give me something worse?" She looked appalled by his words. So shocked she put a hand over her mouth. "Isn't that quite bold of you to do so."

"Yes, it would be, wouldn't it?" Wrylla admitted, finally facing Luttrena in full. "But sometimes you need a little boldness to get your point across. Otherwise, how would it stick in a person's mind?"

"By explaining it better?" She reasoned like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Maybe then you wouldn't need to act like a dumbass."

"Maybe," Wrylla agreed, pausing only for a moment before he continued. "But, will you remember if someone asked you if you have eaten today? Or will you remember someone if they asked if you have pooped yet?"

Silence. A bold silence filled the air as both of them stood in place, staring at one another. Neither willing to say a word to the other even though they were face to face.

"So, how about a partn-"

"Yes! Yes, to anything!"

It was an involuntary reaction. An attempt to get out and salvage an awkward situation. 

But it made things for Wrylla moving forward.

"You didn't even hear everything I had to say yet," He chuckled, holding out her burger for her. "For all you know, I might be leading you to your own death."

"And the less said about it, the better…" Luttrena sighed. "For better or for worse."

"And it's why you're walking into a sponsorship with me." Wrylla dropped the ball, watching as her jaw dropped. "What you're going to do is get your fathers seal of approval. Say how good the food is. Maybe even have it for dinner, make it a real talking point. Make it a staple of our settlement's diet."

"M-My dad!? What do you mean I bring it up with him? You're going to take it all the way to our fucking settlement leader over a joke!? And how do you expect me to even get his attention? He has over thirty children, there's no way I'll be able to compete with that kind of competition."

She looked at him as though he were a mad man, balking at his clear lack of sanity. 

"Well, I have to be bold, don't I?" Sanity was overrated anyway, and Sumatra did not follow a sane line of logic. There was no point in trying to keep up formalities. 

"Still, you shouldn't worry about this just yet." Wrylla coaxed her, a smile playing at her horrified expression. "I'm sure you know, but there will be a fair in two weeks. All you have to do is give me your endorsement on the first day or so, then bring it up with your father."

Luttrena looked at him questioningly, wary of his and her own words now. "You really don't expect me to believe that you'll be able to-" She paused, laughing at the absurdity. "Of course, you do. You're crazy. Mad, even. Fine, you have one shot. Give me your pitch, or I'm out of here."

The girl shook her head, muttering words of regret at giving him a chance. That hearing him out was a mistake. 

"I'll let you in on a little secret then," Wrylla stage whispered, leaning in, like they weren't the only two in the courtyard. "My main demographic isn't just every Mammoth clansman who will give me attention. Otherwise, I would have sold this on the outside. I would get more customers that way."

He shook his head, clicking his mouth as if to say it was the simplest thing in the world. "No, my demographic are all the students here in the academy of refinement. By sowing my worth through the youth, I can easily gain the trust of their parents."

"Parents are more likely to listen to their children, than some random clansman they barely know about, especially when I might as well be dead weight in their eyes. Add on that my business might as well be a luxury, then its practically a waste of space."

"But I think natural curiosity will win out, in the end. With their children begging to get even one measly burger. Then why shouldn't they also want to try it? What makes it so special that their kids are begging them for even a bite?"

"Taking profits and labor into account, I can make about a thousand five hundred parute fruits a day. With lunch lasting about an hour, that's twenty-five parute fruits a minute."

"Just imagine how much I will make during the fair? With more labor, endorsement, and a larger scale operation? Imagine, how much I could be making if I were to spread this to the other settlements?"

His words brought a pause to Luttrena, the girl uneasily shaking her head. 

"I… I'll think about it," She shakily uttered, a smile crossing Wrylla's lips once again. "I still need to observe your business for a few days to see if your words are truly substantial. It's only been a week, and the novelty of it can only last for so long. But I promise to give you my word a few days before the fair is set in motion, alright?"

"Of course, I did not expect you to say yes immediately. Take your time. And when you're ready," He grinned. "You know where to find me."

She took her burger from his hands, and left without another word. 

However, somewhere in Wrylla's heart told him he didn't need to hear what she had to say. 

Because she had already said yes. 

"Desperation is such a wonderful thing, isn't it?"

______________________

Author's Notes: The cheat reveals itself, and an offer is made. What effects will this have? What will happen next? Find out on the next chapter of... Half cup full!!! 

Explanation of Sumatra bone art below. 

Sumatra Bone Art, is a combination of MSA and MBA, taken literally. It can be separated into its component parts, you can use skills from both to great effect. But, that doesn't mean you can make MBA skills into MSA, and vice versa. Additionally, the MSA skills developed later in I will Surpass the MC won't appear because of this. So no on demand adrenaline and regeneration boosts, unfortunately. At least not yet. 

But, that's it, if you have any more questions, please, I ask that you bring it up to me on discord, in the fanfic thread on Anvelope's server, it helps, really. https://discord.gg/8B4rZE79Ts

Thanks for reading!!!