Skill Hunter: A LitRPG Adventure, page 19
As the skill broke him down, it also strengthened him. His mana passages adjusted. His core widened. Ike held on. Cuts opened over his body, then healed. His internal organs were pushed roughly out of the way, then reconstructed. Salamander Healing drained his mana steadily. Still, the skill continued to bite into him.
Sweat dripped down Ike’s back. He tensed his hands, then forcibly unclenched them. It’s a battle of attrition. Will the skill finish reconstructing me, or will Salamander Healing run out of mana first?
The skill’s power intensified. His whole body shook. Ike gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, sinking into himself. I can’t just sit here passively. It’ll tear me apart.
Ike drew out a thread of power and wound it through his mana passages, feeling out the changes the skill had made. His old passages still remained, slightly displaced from the new ones. Just feeling the shape and flow of the new passages, he could tell how much stronger and better optimized the new passages were, but his old passages still held the majority of his mana.
Ha! I can fix that. Ike circulated his mana. His mana wanted to follow the old flows, but Ike forcefully shoved it into the new passages. It resisted and resisted. Every time he pushed it into place, it flopped out of place somewhere else, refusing to follow the new flow.
The skill continued to tear him up. His mana grew thinner, siphoned by his constantly healing body. Ike lifted his lip in fury. Stop. Resisting!
Grabbing his mana, Ike pushed it into place. Once again, it fell away.
It’s not working. Something else. I need something else.
Ike sank into contemplation. He took a step back, watching the skill reforge his body for a moment. He traced the flow of the mana, and his eyes widened. I see! My mana is soft, but the skill is sharp. My mana needs to be sharp to match the skill. It needs to cut, not simply flow.
Hesitation gripped his heart. He sucked a short breath. Cut. That’s my own body. My mana’s too thin to completely heal. I—
No. I have to. I won’t hesitate! Ike grabbed his mana again, but this time he pressed it down. It had flowed like water, but now he sharpened its front and its edges. It burst free of his hands and snapped into place, following the new shape of the skill.
It tore through his body, cutting the new paths, helping the skill rather than fighting it. The pain of his body resisting the skill faded, replaced by a new one—the pain of forcibly adapting to the skill. Ike clung on, clenching his teeth and pushing the mana to keep moving. I can do this. I can overcome this!
His healing grew slower. Blood coursed down his body from the dozens of small cuts. Ike trembled. His body weakened. His vision darkened. He took a deep breath and held on, focusing on the flow of mana inside him. Just a little more. A little more, and—
The flow connected, touching the place where he’d started the new flow. His entire body burst with power as the new mana flow took hold and the skill slotted into place.
Ike gasped a breath. He fell to his hands and knees, darkness flashing in the corners of his eyes. “I did it. I did it.”
“Check your skills,” Orin urged him.
Obediently, Ike called up the skills menu.
[Name: Ike | Age: 15 | Status: Nm | Rank: 1 [Salamander Slayer]]
Skills: Common: 5 | Bronze 2 | … | Rare 2 | … | Unique: 4
Common: All-Around Runner LVL 2 | Razor Handling LVL 9 | Spear Handling LVL 3 | Axe Handling LVL 4 | Primitive Crafting LVL 4
Bronze: Sensory Enhancement LVL 3 | Mana Manipulation LVL 1
Rare: Salamander Healing LVL 7 | River-Splitting Sword LVL 1
Unique: Lightning Dash LVL 8 | Lightning Grasp LVL 5 | Lightning Clad (Forearm) LVL 3 | Lightning Clad (Calf) LVL 1
He laughed with relief. “I have it. I have the skill!”
Orin smiled. He patted Ike on the shoulder. “Good going, kid.”
“I knew you could do it,” Silver said.
Ike nodded. Sitting back, he breathed deeply, drawing in as much mana as he could with each breath. His core sat almost empty, and only a trickle of mana remained in his passages, more of it continuing to drain as his healing worked on his wounds. Exhaustion hit him like a sack of bricks, but he scanned his skill list anyway, checking the changes.
Sprinting and Distance Running had hit Level 10, then combined into All-Around Runner not long ago. At first, he’d been worried about losing his skills, but after experimenting a bit, he’d confirmed that All-Around Runner was more like the evolution of the two previous skills than a downgrade or separate skill.
He eyed the newcomer in the Bronze skill rank as well. Mana Manipulation? I guess that’s what I did to resolve the problem with my mana flows. He tried activating the skill, but nothing happened. He shrugged. Maybe it’s more like the Common skills, and it ranks up by me taking action rather than by me activating it. In any case, it seems like a good thing to have. He yawned, resolving in his heart to practice it later, when he wasn’t so tired.
Down at the bottom of the list, he gave a sleepy smile to Lightning Clad (Calf). It had taken more time than he’d expected, but with Silver’s training and his body continually strengthening, he’d eventually unlocked the next level of Lightning Clad. He still had a lot of practice to go, though.
Orin shook his shoulder, and Ike jolted and looked around. “Wha…?”
“You were falling asleep on us, kid. Why don’t I walk you back to Silver’s hut for the night?” Orin offered.
“I’m not a kid,” Ike protested. Still, he didn’t protest the second part. Absorbing that skill left me wiped. He stood. “I’ll head back on my own.”
“Nah, nah. Let me walk with you,” Orin insisted.
Silver nodded and turned back to the fire.
The second they were out of Silver’s earshot, Orin leaned in. “He's just acting like that because he's gonna miss you.”
“Acting like he doesn't care?”
Orin nodded. “It's a cat thing, you know? A cat thing. He's just lonely, I think. Wanted you around for another year or two to break the monotony. But he'd never say it aloud.”
“Is that why…?” Ike murmured, looking over his shoulder at Silver's silhouette.
“Yep. Don't take him to heart. I wouldn't be surprised if he 'coincidentally' follows you back to town, at least for a day or two. Again. Cat things.”
“Then why'd he say all that about never being my teacher…” Ike fell silent, already guessing Orin's answer: cat things. He looked back one last time. Silver did look lonely, sitting there, at the empty fireplace. He felt a vague pang of regret but forced it down. He couldn't stay here and play forever. He had to go out. Hunt in the real world. That was the fastest way to gain new skills—the fastest way to grow stronger.
Orin clapped Ike's shoulder and grinned. “But enough about Silver. Let's celebrate you! I’m gonna drink all his good liquor as revenge for that shit he pulled on you.”
Ike laughed. “For revenge, huh?”
“Eh, well. And I rarely get a chance to taste Silver’s liquor,” Orin said, winking. He patted Ike on the back. “Rest up. After what you just went through, you’re going to need lots of sleep.”
Ike yawned, nodding wordlessly. I don’t need you to tell me that. He wandered into the hut and almost fell into the cot he’d set up, instantly passing into a deep, dreamless sleep.
26
TO THE CITY
Ike woke up to the gentle light of dawn and the twitter of birdsong. He sat up, rubbing his head, and looked around. Silver snoozed on his bed in cat form, and, half-propped up in the corner, Orin snored away, one arm slung around an earthenware jug. Ike chuckled.
“He really did live up to his promise.”
He looked at Silver and Orin, then shook his head. It’d be cruel to wake them this early. Silver said he was done with me, and I agree. I learned much, but I need to see the world to understand more. Moving quietly, Ike gathered up his gear and packed it away. He picked up the swords last and looked at them, not really sure what to do. The serrated edges meant they weren’t suited for sheathes, nor had Silver made any. He tried tying them to his pack but suspended on his back, so far from his hands, meant he couldn’t reach them if a monster came at him. At last, he stuck them through his belt, one hooked through either side. The cloth Silver had wrapped them in wound loosely around their blades, serving as a sort of tether and edge-protector.
Ike looked at his filthy clothes and makeshift sheaths with a sigh. I should buy a good set of clothes and some nice sword holders while I’m in town… and then only ever use them in town, because it seems like I ruin whatever I’m wearing the second I step outside.
With one last glance at Orin and Silver, Ike set off.
In the time he’d spent at Silver’s hut, he’d read much of Orin’s guide. He ran through the low-level monsters in his head, considering the pros and cons to himself. The Fulgur-Loups are big lightning wolves. According to Orin, they drop a lightning skill. Given how easily I absorbed Lightning Dash as opposed to River-Splitting Sword, I think I might have a lightning alignment that makes it easy for me to absorb lightning skills… or something like that. I might as well lean into it. The problem is, Fulgur-Loups are fast—fast enough that Lightning Dash at its current level might not give me much of an advantage—and they hunt in packs. I don’t think I stand much of a chance right now.
He turned his mind back to the book, searching for monsters with high lightning- or magic-defense. If I have resistance to lightning, it’ll be easier to take down the Fulgur-Loups. Hmm…
Unable to clearly remember the book, he reached over his shoulder and pulled it out of his pack. He quickly flipped through the pages. At last, his eyes lit up. He jabbed his finger at the page. An ugly, warty toad stared at him from the page.
—covered in a thick, oily hide that absorbs and repels magic, especially water and lightning magic. Weak to fire. Belly good, legs tasty. Solo hunters. Watch out for tongue.
A clear weakness or two, a hide that repelled the element the Fulgur-Loups used the most, and a one-on-one battle. Ike nodded to himself. That decides it. Giant Toad, here I come.
I don’t have a fire skill, but there’s more than one way to roast a toad.
Mind made up, Ike sped up, pushing himself to a jog. He re-wrapped the book and strapped it to his belt once more, a bit clumsy from his speed. Gotta pick up some supplies in town. I’m not equipped to set a toad on fire right now.
Something flickered in the undergrowth to his left. Motion hurtled toward him. Ike jumped back and drew his sword.
A knife struck a rock in the center of the path, throwing up sparks. A squad of men and women dressed in dark clothes lurked out of the forest. At their head, a familiar face smirked at Ike. “Long time, no see.”
“Hello, Rob the Robber,” Ike mocked him.
The man laughed shallowly. He waved his hand, and the knife twitched, then leaped off the ground and flew to his hand. He spun it around his fingers, looking over it at Ike. “I usually don’t hold grudges, you know?”
“You struck me as the charitable type,” Ike deadpanned.
“I made a special exception just for you. Siccing the wallwraiths on me and my men? Uncalled for,” Rob said, shaking his head.
Ike shrugged. “I think attacking hunters to steal their kills is pretty rude, but what would I know?”
Rob laughed. “You’re working too hard. Why take the hard route when you can take the easy route? At the end of the day, I make the same amount of money as you. No—probably more, since I don’t have to waste my time hunting.”
Ike narrowed his eyes. “You think you’re in the right?”
“In the right? Who cares about right and wrong? Right won’t buy me nothing. No, no. I think I’m in the gold.”
“Filth,” Ike muttered. He circulated his mana, subtly adjusting his stance. His eyes darted from one man to another. Four of them. Knowing these guys, there might be more in the trees.
Rob’s standing forward. I’ll charge him first. Once he’s down, I’ll cut left. They came from the right, so the two on the left are less likely to have someone hiding in the trees as backup. Finish up the fourth with the last strike. Then handle whoever’s in the trees, if there’s anyone in the trees.
“Speaking of, did you know there’s a bounty for your head? Your uncle wants you dead. Something about causing trouble for his factory.” Rob leaned in conspiratorially. “Between you and me, I think he’s just pissed that the city finally noticed he wasn’t paying taxes.”
Ike snorted. “And you’re willing to take my head for that?”
“I’m willing to do anything for gold,” Rob responded, shrugging at Ike.
Something shifted behind Ike. He tensed. Shit. I stalled too long.
Before they surround me…
“So? Are you going to—yikes!”
Ike charged Rob. Rob’s hands blurred faster than Ike expected, and a knife intercepted his strike. The force of Ike’s blow threw him back. His arm flew up.
Lightning flashed. Ike closed in. The green blade blurred, and red splattered into the air. Rob stumbled back, clutching his neck.
Ike dug his toe in and hurtled after the two to the left. At night, after Silver finished, he’d spent hours practicing using the footwork of the sword technique and Lightning Dash at the same time, and now the moves came together smoothly. The two figures looked up, startled. He ran through them, slashing once. Two heads dropped behind him.
Drawing to a halt, Ike looked at his blade. His eyebrows raised. There was almost no resistance. Damn! Silver’s skills are no joke.
He whirled. The fourth man ran at him, grabbing a sword from his waist as he charged, his face red with rage. Cool, Ike waited. He lifted his sword and reset his stance.
The man screamed and slashed at him. Ike parried, then twisted his blade. The man’s sword flew away. Without hesitating, Ike cut the man’s neck.
He spun, expecting to see more men racing at him from behind, but instead, two figures in black fled messily. Ike paused, hesitating for just a second.
A moment later, he shook his head. I let them live before, and they came back for revenge. I won’t make that mistake again. He dashed after them. Lightning arced behind him.
One heard him coming and turned. She threw a ball of fire at him. Ike batted it away with the flat of his sword and closed the gap. She raised her hand to block the blow. The sword cut through her wrist and throat alike. Her face paled, and she dropped to the ground.
The final man just ran. He pulled away from Ike at high speed, a cloud of dust rising up behind him. Ike watched him go. He’s using a speed skill. I’d know.
Casually, he lowered to a runner’s stance, putting one hand on the ground and holding the sword in the other. He counted down in his head. Three. Two.
The man vanished into the distance. Very little of him remained visible through the trees.
One. For the first time since he’d trained with Silver, Ike activated Lightning Dash to its full strength. At the same time, Lightning Clad climbed up his calves, strengthening his lower legs. He burst down the path.
The man loomed, growing larger and larger. He looked over his shoulder at the sound of Ike’s approaching feet and stared at Ike in horror. Turning back forward, he ran with all his might, to no avail. In another few steps, Ike caught up.
The man whirled. He gestured, and the plants around them whirled, darting for Ike.
Ike ignored the plants and closed the final gap. Lashing out, he severed the man’s head. The man’s head bounced to the ground. All around Ike, the plants fell still once more.
Ike stood. He slashed the blood off the sword, then knelt and wiped it clean on the man’s clothes. He went through the man’s pockets but only found a few coppers. Summarily, he kicked the man’s body into the undergrowth, then walked back for the rest.
Most of the black-clothed party carried very little. He found a shortbow and a few arrows on the woman’s body, as well as a strange feather charm on one of the men, but that was the limit of it. On Rob, on the other hand, he found a pouch with twenty gold and the knife the man had used. He went to lift it off the man, only for Rob to grab at it.
Ike startled. On-guard, he jumped back.
Rob lay there, dead.
Cautiously, he approached and reached for the knife again. Again, Rob’s hand moved with it, but this time, he realized why. A wire connected the back of the knife to a bracelet on Rob’s wrist. A strappy sheath further up his forearm concealed the knife in his sleeve when he didn’t need it.
Ike snorted. I thought that was a skill when he called the knife back to his hand, but it was just a cheap trick. I wonder if he had any useful skills at all?
He shrugged to himself, freeing the knife and sheath alike from Rob’s arm. To be fair, he only preyed on poor, low-rank hunters like me, and he ganged up on us. If he had any confidence in his skills, he’d simply attack me himself rather than ganging up on low-rankers.
Come to think of it, he’d never seen Rob fight. He put his hand on his chin, looking down on the man. Was the man I was so afraid of, only an illusion all along?
With a shrug, he kicked Rob into the bushes. Attaching the bracelet to his own wrist, Ike strapped the sheath to his forearm and set off again. Ike played with the knife as he walked. He flicked his wrist and waved his hand around randomly as he tried to figure out the way Rob had called it forth. Left? Right? Maybe a quick flick…?
The knife snapped out of its bindings and sliced through the bottom of his sleeve.
Ike grimaced. He looked at the fresh slash in his sleeve and shook his head. I really can’t keep clothes in one piece, can I? I’m going to be up all night with the needle and thread, at this rate.
27
BACK INSIDE THE WALL
For the first time in several months, Ike stepped inside the wall. He made a beeline for the monster-parts-buyer. The chill of the room cooled his skin, a welcome relief from the late-summer heat.
