“Klein! I missed you so much~!”

“I missed you too, Emy~!”

The moment they reached the entrance of the village, Klein let go of the top half of the heavy statue he was carrying. Rushing over to hug and kiss his girlfriend. If Oliver wasn’t also weighed down by a heavy backpack and a bunch of other bags, he probably would’ve been lifted up into the air by the weight.

“Aagh~! My arm~! Bastard, don’t just suddenly let go!”

“Hahaha, sorry, sorry~! Don’t worry, it’s just a minor strain. You’ll be fine.”

“What if you break it?! You said this statue might be worth a thousand gold at an auction!”

“Don’t worry. The material is strong enough. And it’s just dirty. It’ll be fine. Hahaha~! Emy, come on! Let’s go home!”

“Sure~! I’ve kept your house nice and clean over the years, just like you left it…”

“I’m sorry Emy… I’m not leaving again though. I’ll stay here as long as it takes this time. I won’t run away.”

“Really?”

“Definitely.”

Oliver rolled his bright green eyes at the two lovey-dovey ‘middle aged’ people in their late 20’s and early 30’s. Then he turned to some of the other men, women and children that came over after hearing the commotion.

“Hey, somebody help me carry this bag to this stuff!”

“Oliver! You’re finally back! I was so worried when I heard there was a collapse!” The blonde-haired, green-eyed little girl rushed over and was going to hug him, but hesitated when she saw all the dust on his black and gray overalls.

“I’ll help you, Ollie!” A little boy with a shaved head came over and tried to pick up the other end of the statue that was stuck in the dirt, but no matter how much he struggled, it was useless. His face started turning redder than his scalp before a big, burly man came over and reached down to help.

“Thanks Uncle Grun.”

“No problem. Where did you find this anyway? The mine?”

“Nah, I picked it up from a creepy ruin on the way home. Was really lucky. Hahaha~!”

“I think you’d be luckier if you didn’t encounter a mine collapse in the first place and get lost.” Klein over on the side retorted to the little brat. Then he looked around and asked, “Where’s that old bastard, I mean, where’s your Dad, Emy?”

“Dad… He’s at home resting.” The slightly aged yet beautiful woman sighed and shook her head, “It’s good that you arrived in time. Otherwise it might be too late.”

“Don’t worry, with me here, Greenstone can’t die so easily.”

“Yeah…”

“Uncle Klein, can you save my parents too?” The blue-eyed, brown-haired boy came over and tugged at the black robe with an anxious expression on his face.

“Of course… I’ll do my best.” Although he wanted to reassure the child, Klein learned the hard way not to give people too much hope or assure them too certainly. During the Plague in Kale Town, he saw too many people go crazy from grief and desperation. It was normal for them to blame the Doctor, rather than the disease.

Aside from the statue of the naked woman that was particularly heavy and awkward to carry, Oliver didn’t really need help with any of the other bags. Although it was difficult, he was still able to carry a hundred kilos with only his left arm for a short period of time. Plus the backpack and tools, it was an insane amount of weight for such a small body. Regardless of how muscular he might be.

Even Oliver didn’t realize it himself until he got home and took a bath. When he got up and looked in the mirror, the tattoo on his chest said ‘Miner III’! He clenched his fist and looked down at his right forearm that was bulging with dotted green veins like a body-builder or at least a very athletic man. For a 12 year old boy, it was still pretty impressive. However, his height… Still the same.

“Damn it! I don’t wanna be a Dwarf!”

“What’s wrong with being a Dwarf Miner? Your Father and Grandfather were both Dwarves. It’s a pretty normal path for Miners to take. Your mother also wasn’t much taller than you are now so… Hahahaha~!”

“Screw you! Tall bastard!”

“I’m not even that tall… Only six feet, hahaha~!”

“It’s not fair!”

“What’s not fair is that you came over my house in the middle of the freaking night to whine and complain about being short!”

When Oliver woke up around 4 AM, the first thing he did was interrupt the sweet dreams of Klein and Emerald. Their simple 2 story green brick houses were only separated by a small garden and a green picket fence.

“Olie, Honey, I love you, but if you wake me up before 6 AM again, I’m going to tell my father to give you Homework again.”

The tired woman walked over to the dining table in a nightgown and rubbed the boy’s white hair with her left hand, while placing a green glass plate full of scrambled eggs and toast in front of him. Klein and Emerald weren’t hungry yet. Only drinking some hot coffee to wake themselves up a bit.

“Umm, sorry Emy. I was just so excited. I feel so much stronger and so full of energy! And I’m only at Rank 3… Doesn’t that mean you’re even stronger than me?”

Oliver looked at Klein’s throat, just above the collar bone. He was wearing a v-neck green t-shirt, so the words ‘Plague Doctor V’ were clearly visible. 

“The difference in strength between 3 and 5 isn’t that dramatic. From 1 to 5, it’s basically just a simple multiple. If 1 is about the maximum potential strength of an ordinary human, then you’re about 3 times stronger than an extremely athletic man. I’m not even twice as strong as you now.”

“But you’re still so strong…” The little boy looked back and forth between the two of them, “Emy, are you okay? If he hurts you, let me know and I’ll beat him up for you!”

“Shut your mouth!”

“Naughty bastard!”

The two embarrassed adults shouted at the teenager simultaneously, then started laughing. After calming down a bit though, Emerald furrowed her brows and looked at Oliver seriously.

“Ollie… Klein is a Doctor and really good at controlling his strength. You’re almost at the age now when you’ll be interested in girls… Or boys?”

*Cough-cough~!* Oliver choked on his toast, drank some limeade, then complained, “I’m twelve, not five! I just haven’t met anyone I’m interested in, that’s all!”