He was going to upgrade Smart Waiter.

  Every ten levels a Core Construct could be upgraded. The upgrade would reinforce the intent used to make the Core Construct, and the efficacy of the upgrade was determined by how you upgraded it.

  And that pretty much summed all he knew about upgrading Core Constructs, pieced together from the vaguest memory he could pull out from the depths of his psyche when Elaine was explaining magical theory to him.

  The smart thing would be to head out of his Core, let his parents know the results of the expansion, then ask for some tips on how to upgrade a Core Construct.

  But, he was far too excited for that. Plus if there was anything that he had learnt when working inside of his Core, it was all about intent. The same most likely applied to upgrading Core Constructs.

  Colby rushed over to Smart Waiter, the small elevator, affixed to the side of his Core.

  Wonder what sort of upgrade this will be.

  “Smart Waiter,” Colby said. “Are you ready?”

  The Core Construct was smart enough to put the pieces of the puzzle together. A newly expanded Core and the fact that Colby was approaching the only Core Construct that had reached Level 10.

  Smart Waiter rapidly opened and closed his hatch, excited for what’s to come.

  His other Core Constructs—the mobile ones—were either done with the tour of the new space or smart enough to know what Colby was up to. Cheese Bowl, Cheese-lander, Temp-tation, Pottingham, and Curd-Cutter stood on the highest step of the ladder, peering into the main room like a bunch of curious little children.

  “You don’t need to hide,” Colby said, sensing the Core Construct’s eyes boring into the back of head.

  They climbed up the ladder, closing the hatch to the new aging room, before taking a higher vantage point on Stove’s top. The Core Construct let out puffs of flames from his burners that everyone ignored.

  Colby took a deep breath. Right now, he wanted to upgrade Smart Waiter. He placed a hand on the Construct’s metallic hatch, channeling the intent to upgrade.

  Smart Waiter glowed. Shimmering ooze poured out of the construct, coating his entire body like a tight cocoon.

  Colby could feel it. On an instinctual level, he knew what to do.

  His recollection had been succesful—upgrading a Core Construct was all about further refining the intent that spawned them. However, what Elaine failed to mention was the multiple pathways that one could take.

  Multiple methods to upgrade Smart Waiter popped up in his mind. Each one was a vague summary of the ways to further draw out the Core Construct’s potential. He could make Smart Waiter smarter. Maybe even make him a better waiter. Lastly, he could help improve his delivery skills.

  Smart Waiter spoke to him. Not with the flapping of his hatch, but he could sense the Core Construct’s desires.

  Colby agreed.

  Though, just because both him and his Core Construct wanted the same thing, didn’t mean it would simply happen on its own.

  Like with the Core Expander, he had to work for it.

  Colby gripped onto the shimmering goo coating Smart Waiter. It felt like putty—really shiny putty. He got a feel for it, stretching out a column before pushing it back down, and flattening the surface. In his mind, there was only one way to bring Smart Waiter to higher levels.

  Mana poured into the cocoon as he began to reshape the Core Construct. Using both hands, he pinched and molded the goo in front of Smart Waiter’s face, coaxing it into two perfect circles. In between, a small little bridge to connect the pair. Though simple, it was the perfect way to upgrade the Core Construct.

  It was done.

  Colby stepped back.

  The surface rippled and the pearlescent shine of the cocoon vanished. Slowly, it started to peel away, revealing the newly upgraded Smart Waiter.

  The Core Construct looked mostly the same—a metallic hatch with numerous buttons affixed to the side of his Core. Though now, he spotted a pair of round glasses right above his handle.

  Colby had decided to make Smart Waiter smarter.

  “So, how do you feel?” he asked.

  Smart Waiter opened his hatch.

  Wait. If he was smarter, maybe he had learnt how to speak. Colby looked at the Core Construct in eager anticipation, wondering what his first words were going to be.

  So, this was how it felt to be a parent.

  When Smart Waiter opened his hatch, instead of words, two noodle-like appendages came out from within the box. At the end of each one was a metallic sign with words written on them. He held them up for Colby to read.

  “Hello master. Thank you for the upgrade. I am fine, though I will require some time to adjust to my new view of the Core. Please forgive me if I am unable to deliver any cheese in the meantime.”

  Huh. Not what he was expecting. But who cared? Smart Waiter had been successfully upgraded.

  Smart Waiter (I):

  Level 10.

  An upgraded delivery system which sends completed spells out of Colby’s Mana Core, allowing it to manifest in the real world. Due to its higher intelligence, the Mana required for spell manifestation has been reduced. Additionally, the burden of manifesting multiple spells at the same time has been reduced due to improved computational abilities.

  (Each level slightly reduces the amount of Mana required to manifest completed spells.)

  (Each level slightly reduces the amount of Mana required when multiple spells are manifested on the same base spell object.)

  The benefits were definitely worth it. Now, if he understood what he was reading, then Smart Waiter wouldn’t have to go through all of that violent shaking and smoke spewing the next time he had to layer three spells at once.

  If upgrading Core Constructs and expanding his Core was so easy, why didn’t he do it sooner? Man, he had been worrying over nothing. Now, he just had to plan for the next Core Expansion and get his Core Constructs’ levels up.

  He turned to the rest of his Core Constructs and said, “Be nice and help Smart Waiter adjust. And remember that if you work hard, you’ll get an upgrade too!”

  They waved their noodle-like limbs in the air before hopping off Stove and moving closer to Smart Waiter to talk to him.

  While Smart Waiter adjusted, it was time to let his parents know about the results of the Core Expansion. Who knows? Maybe the war had been called off and he could go back to making cheese for himself, and not just for customers.

  Colby exited his Core focusing back on the real world.

  The world was blurry, a smear of brown, black, and grey. He kept blinking and blinking, until everything around him sharpened from abstract shapes to crystal clarity, and he found himself back at the dining table. The dishes had been cleared and his glass of water had been refilled. But, instead of his parents, Brie sat across from him.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  She had fallen asleep. Her head was tilted up towards the ceiling, mouth wide open as she snored.

  Curds! Brie was going to catch a cold if she slept like that.

  Colby tried to get up, but the moment he moved, pain flared everywhere. His whole body hurt. Even his tush ached—and that was with the extra soft velvet pillow his father had fluffed up for him.

  Why did everything hurt? He felt fine inside his Core—other than the occasional stabbing sensation each time he removed a wedge sized chunk.

  Had he overtaxed himself expanding his Core, then immediately jumping to upgrade Smart Waiter? Plausible. But even after upgrading Smart Waiter he felt fine. And the whole upgrading process was infinitely shorter than the expansion—and a lot less stabby.

  He needed answers. He needed his parents.

  With a lot of effort he managed to push himself to his feet.

  Big mistake.

  Pain wasn’t the only sensation he had to contend with. It was like a million little ants with pins for feet were crawling up and down his legs. Balancing had become a foreign concept to him. He awkwardly shifted his feet trying to find some semblance of stability. The world around him tilted and he crashed onto the floor.

  The thud startled Brie. She shot out from her chair, twisting her head left and right, before finally glancing down.

  “Broby! Broby! Are you okay, Broby?”

  Before he could even open his mouth, Brie rushed out of the kitchen screaming for his parents.

  Not a second later, his mother rushed into the kitchen with his father right behind her carrying Brie.

  “Colby, are you okay?” They both shouted.

  “No, I’m Colby,” he said, unable to resist the joke even if it was overplayed.

  Unsurprisingly, his parents ignored that comment. But in a surprising show of strength, his mother picked his limp body off the ground and placed him back on the chair he had fallen off.

  “Drink,” she said, handing him the cup of water.

  “Broby, drink!” his sister echoed.

  He would very much like to, given the fact that his mouth was dry yet somehow slimy, but his arm felt like it wanted to be a rock—unmoving.

  Noticing the problem, his mother pressed the cup to his lips and he gulped down the liquid. Though it was just water, it felt like ambrosia from the gods. The glass was empty and she placed it back on the dining table.

  “What happened?” Colby asked, finally realizing how hoarse his voice had been.

  “You’re tired. Core Expansion takes up a lot of energy,” his father said.

  “So you mean each time I want to expand my Core it’s going to be like this?”

  His parents shared a look. His sister joined it, though she looked even more confused than him.

  “How do I say this?” his father paused, thinking.

  “Jack, just rip the bandage off,” his mother said. “Colby, expanding from a Tier 0 to a Tier 1 Core is the least exhausting one. It’s normally when people start moving from a Tier 2 to Tier 3 Core that they start experiencing symptoms. And the higher you go, the more prep work you need to do. That’s why most people won’t go past a Tier 2 Core unless they have to.”

  “So, what you’re saying is that I managed to struggle at the literal easiest part?”

  “That’s besides the point,” his father said.

  “Wait. What if one were to expand their Core than upgrade a Core Construct? Could that be a possible reason why someone might feel worse than poop?”

  “Highly unlikely,” his father said.

  “So you’re saying there’s a chance?”

  “And you’re saying that you upgraded a Core Construct immediately after expanding your Core,” his mother said.

  “Maybe.”

  “Colby,” his mother sighed. “Do you even know how to upgrade a Core Construct properly?”

  “Mayhaps.”

  Now it was his father’s turn to sigh. “Colby, how did you upgrade your Core Construct?”

  He began to retell the awesome tale of how he sculpted a pair of glasses to make Smart Waiter, smarter.

  “That type of upgrade is too simple for you to feel like this,” his father said.

  “So, you’re saying—”

  “Colby, please,” his mother interrupted.

  “Sorry, Mom,” he sighed.

  “Enough about upgrading Core Constructs,” his father said. “Was the expansion successful?”

  “Yes, I think so. Yeah.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Remember how you said not to do both?”

  His parents groaned, “Colby.”

  Even his sister joined in, though she wasn’t quite sure what was going on, “Broby.”

  “It worked out. For the most part. Not only do I get the good parts about caves and cellars, but apparently I get the bad too.”

  “Could be worse,” his mother said.

  “And what was your expansion process like?” his father asked.

  Colby started to retell the tale of how he had to first remove everything with a wedge of cheese, before filling that empty space he had just created with wedges of material.

  “Not the worst I’ve heard of,” his father said. “But the main thing you need right now is rest. I’m putting you to bed.”

  “Agreed,” his mother said.

  “Yeah, Broby! Sleep!” his sister jabbed a finger at him.

  “Yes, I know. But first, is the war over? Can I go back to making as much of my cheese as I want?”

  His father shook his head. “I’m afraid not. Sales are down and taxes are sky-high to fund the war effort. I’m sorry, Colby. We just can’t afford it right now.”

  “Oh.” That was all he could muster.

  What now? Expanding his Core had taken some time, but not as long as he thought it would. That was most likely because people only ever talk about all of the prep work involved in Tier 2 Cores and beyond. Meanwhile, his entire body was on the verge of shutting down just from expanding from a Tier 0 to a Tier 1 Core.

  He truly was hopeless. And now, he couldn’t even make cheese. So what was the point of it all?

  “Colby,” his mother said.

  “Yes, Mom?” he sighed. He didn’t even have the strength to look her in the eyes.

  “Your father and I have been discussing things. We know how important making cheese is to you. But we really can’t afford your excessive cheese experiments.”

  “I know. I get it.”

  “But…”

  But?

  Colby’s head snapped up, staring straight into his mother’s eyes.

  “But what, Mom?” he asked.

  “While we can’t allow you to make as much cheese as you want, we can, however, allow a single non-customer cheese per day.”

  “Just one?”

  “Yes, Colby. Just one.”

  Colby bit his lip. One was more than zero. It wouldn’t be enough to completely sate his urges, but it was just barely enough to stop him from spiralling into despair.

  “And you’re not going to go back on your word?” he asked.

  “We’ll try our best not to.”

  “Okay. Now that my Core has been expanded, teach me how to age cheese inside of my Core.”

  “Tomorrow,” his father said. “Aging a cheese is all about patience. Something you can demonstrate by waiting just one more day.”

  “Fine. One small problem, though.”

  “I know,” his father sighed. Putting Brie back onto the ground he said, “Sorry cheese puff. Daddy needs to bring Colby to his room.”

  “It’s okay. Anything for Broby!”

  His father picked him up like he weighed nothing—those biceps of his weren’t for show. As he carried him up the stairs to his bedroom, Brie trailed behind to make sure that he was okay. Meanwhile, his mother tidied up the kitchen.

  In his room, his father placed him gently on his bed, and Brie helped to tuck him in.

  “If anything happens to Colby, call us. Okay, Brie?”

  “No.” She shook her head and crossed her arms.

  “I mean, my cheese puff.”

  This time, she vigorously nodded her head. “Ok.”

  “Thanks, Brie,” Colby said.

  “Anything for my Broby.”

  The next day, Colby found himself full of energy. He could move his body again. It was a wonder what a simple night's rest could do. Brie was still asleep, softly snoring away. He got up, eager to finally make aged cheese.

  At the dining table as he devoured his toast on cheese—a slice of cheddar with a small piece of toast on top—his father began an explanation about how cheese was aged inside of the Core.

  “It’s simple. You prepare the cheese just like you always do, then shift them down to the aging cellar onto an empty rack. After ensuring that the space is at an ideal temperature and humidity, you wait.”

  “That’s it? That can’t be it? It doesn’t explain how you can make a two year aged cheese in a day.”

  “Your father is just playing with you,” his mother said.

  “So how do you do it, Mom?”

  “A Core Construct that reduces aging time.”

  “What do you mean a Core Construct that reduces aging time? You mean like a time machine?”

  “That’s certainly one way to do it,” his father said.

  “You mean there’s more than one way? Wait. You made a time machine?”

  “Yes and no. When it comes to the Core, there’s always more than one way to achieve an outcome. And no. I tried to, but it was much too complicated and used up too much Mana. And the cheese always came out wrong. I had to scrap that Core Construct.”

  “Same here,” his mother said, sighing. “Would’ve been really cool, but I could just never get it to work.”

  “So, how do you reduce aging time?”

  “In short, I use a combination of Core Constructs that amplifies the maturation cycles. It essentially encourages microbial growth and flavor development at an accelerated pace.”

  “Same here,” his mother said.

  “So I speed up the process, without speeding up time?”

  “That’s certainly one way to look at it.”

  “Okay, so how do I do that?”

  His father smiled. “Colby, remember how I said aging cheese is all about patience?”

  “Yes. You said it yesterday. I’m dumb, but not that dumb.”

  “The best way to get a feel on how to speed up the aging process is by aging cheese yourself inside of your Core?”

  “You mean without the Core Construct?”

  “Core Constructs, but yes. You need to get a feel for it yourself. Once you do that, making the Core Constructs to reduce aging time becomes much easier. When the time comes, we’ll gladly share with you our designs.”

  “Got it,” Colby said.

  He closed his eyes, honing in on his Core, eager to finally start making cheese again.