Chương 117: B2 Chapter 36

"Don't listen to Hakon. You should be fine touching it." Astrid waved dismissively.

"It tingles a bit and makes your legs wobbly, but you will learn and improve [Poison Resistance]." She pulled Ava closer with a smile.

"I will help you. What's a little torture when you can grow much stronger?" Seeing his mate overly excited over a poisonous plant while Ava blanched like she'd seen the dead was curious, to say the least.

"Moonglove." The human woman muttered the name of the plant, which made Hakon stop in his tracks. Was that plant commonly found on Alliance land as well? No, what if… Hakon slapped his forehead and triggered [Inspection]. [Moonglove – Ordinary] [Moonglove – Ordinary] [Moonglove – Refined] [Moonglove – Ordinary] Details he hadn't noticed before became much more apparent once the Scriptures appeared before him.

Enhanced Comprehension rumbled in the back of his mind, and Hakon channeled some mana into [Mana Sense], upping his passive perception of the ambient mana while also activating [Sensory Expansion]. It took no more than a dozen heartbeats to organize the information entering his mind, but he kept studying the Moonglove until he was certain that every little thing about it had been engraved into his memories. That, among other things, included the differences between Ordinary and Refined Moonglove.

Hakon plucked a blue leaf of Refined Moonglove and rubbed it between his fingers. They went numb almost immediately, ushering him to channel mana through his fingers. That alone, however, was not enough to fix his ailment right away. It took a short while before the numbness receded. [Adaptive Resilience] worked in perfect sync with [Vitality Stream], but it would require a lot more intense resistance training for him to attain full immunity to the Refined Moonglove's poison.

The same could not be said about the Ordinary version. He plucked several leaves, studied them, and when they didn't affect him in the slightest, he shoved them into his mouth.

"What are you doing?" Ava gasped, her eyes wide and quivering.

"It doesn't affect me. The Ordinary Moonglove, that is." Hakon waved dismissively, chewing and swallowing the leaves.

"Had to check if eating it would make a difference. And it looks like it does. Not much, but enough to affect Barbarians with [Poison Resistance] at or above Level 10."

"Like…in a tea?" Ava's face was even paler than before, which was hard to believe was possible.

"I don't know what tea is, but probably?"

"That would kill me." Hakon shook his head.

"For now, yes. In the future, it would almost kill you. And all the pain you experience would be weakness leaving the body. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

"Pain is weakness leaving the body." Björn intoned, and the others followed, voices laced with pride. Ava's lips parted, but she shut her mouth after a moment and shook her head.

"Don't worry, we will help you. Now that you hunt with us, you will get to train with us for real." Astrid said with a toothy smile.

"A few more resistances won't hurt you." Hakon nodded slowly but turned to the Moonglove. He plucked a few dozen leaves and stuffed them into a small bag, though he did make sure to avoid the more potent Refined kind.

"Everyone has to learn [Poison Resistance]. Do not worry, you won't be the only one suffering. Several warriors neglected their resistances in favor of their Ancient Powers and weapon Skills." The words weren't directed at anyone specifically, but Eren and Zurok grimaced. It was probably too much to ask for everyone to learn [Adaptive Resilience], but pushing his people's Skills and making them learn more Skills they would not naturally acquire would weaken the Second Wall.

The stronger their Skills, the greater their achievements, and the higher their chance at survival when they finally found a target worthy of their 2nd Ascension.

"Follow me," Hakon said, motioning to his people before fading into the dark forest. [Stealth] activated on its own, and he went one step further by utilizing [Silent Steps] and [Unhindered Movement] as well.

"What are y-..." One of the older Barbarian hunters in his group asked but got silenced by a hiss. Glancing back, Astrid glared daggers at the hunter. Hakon put a finger on his lips.

"Try to copy what I'm doing. If you can't, try to feel it. Merge with your surroundings, be conscious about where you step, and rein in your bloodlust. We are the hunters, not the hunted." He ordered in a quiet voice before activating [Guidance]. The only time he'd used [Guidance] was when he first taught someone about a Mastery Skill. Thereafter it was mostly used to teach [Flow Control]. [Guidance], however, was so much more than [Teaching] had been.

It contained a trace of Enhanced Comprehension, which reached far enough to affect the other Barbarians. Watching Hakon was enough to attain an inkling of understanding, though it was nowhere near enough to learn multiple Skills in a single morning. [Scripture of Improvement] If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Stealth Lv. 8 → Lv. 9 Inspection Lv. 13 → Lv. 14 Unhindered Movement Lv. 10 → Lv. 11 That same restriction did not include Hakon, though.

He already had the Skills, and by continuously using [Inspection] rather than neglecting the Skill, he managed to improve it at last. As for his other Skills, it was time to make more use of them. Leaning heavily onto Enhanced Comprehension was enough to push [Stealth] and [Unhindered Movement] over the edge, but that was only the start. They were out here to hunt monsters and conquer some Fractures. So, first things first, Hakon used [Tracking] alongside [Scent of Lifelight].

When he only found older tracks, his path toward the next closest Uncommon Fracture continued. The crunching of boots on dead leaves, fallen branches, and dry soil rang out from behind, which only made Hakon more conscious of the dark forest's silence. If they were the loudest already despite not being particularly loud at this point, something was wrong. Really wrong. Mana surged out of the Core, and Hakon activated both [Circulation] and [Flow Observation].

[Split Focus] activated as well, and he infused more mana into [Sensory Expansion]. [Tracking Lv. 10 → Lv. 11 Scent of Lifelight Lv. 4 → Lv. 5] The Skill improvements were appreciated, but it wasn't until he caught a twitch that his Skills finally picked up something. [Edge of Awareness Lv. 15 → Lv. 16] Since [Edge of Awareness] activated on its own, danger waited behind the rustling bush.

Hence, the moment a head even more hideous than a Pearot Barbarian's emerged from the undergrowth, Hakon's handaxe lobbed through the air. Infused with mana and released with [Enhanced Throw], the axe reached a surprising speed and lodged itself in the center of the monster's skull. A resounding crack reached his ears, and the monster collapsed to the ground, but it hadn't been alone. Behind the monster at the front was a group of serpentine beings.

Their lower bodies were those of serpents, whereas their heads were wide, adorned with ears far wider than seemed useful. The monsters had long snouts and tusks not unlike a boar's, though much longer. [Grootslang – Low Threat] [Grootslang – Low Threat] [Grootslang – Middle Threat] [Grootslang – Low Threat] [Grootslang – Middle Threat] … Roughly every third creature was a Middle Threat for Hakon, making it a High Threat for the others.

The weakest 1st Ascension warriors were likely too weak to deal with more than one Grootslang at once, but that wasn't too bad.

"Finally!" Björn exclaimed as he stepped forward, holding a large waraxe.

"No more stupid silent walking!" The Blessed warrior walked past Hakon but glanced back as if asking for permission.

"Leave some for the others. And don't tire yourself out too much. This won't be our last hunt today." There was no holding back after that. Björn spun toward the serpentine monsters and shot toward them. He reached top speed in a moment, [Crushing Advance] triggering. Glancing back at the others, Hakon motioned for them to move.

"Go for it. Shed blood for the Ancestors." Eren, Zurok, and Tariq showed no hesitation and followed Björn into battle. The other Barbarians followed, but one regarded him for a moment.

"You don't fight?" The corner of Hakon's lip curled upward, and he conjured a spear made of mana. The Will of Momentum flared awake, [Accelerate] surged through his body. [Enhanced Throw] was fueled to the brim with energy as Hakon pulled his arm back, but he went one step further and imbued more mana into [Circulation]. His arm felt like it was tearing apart; however, Hakon did not stop there. He released the mana spear, hurled it across the battlefield, and impaled the largest of the Grootslangs.

"We are here to grow stronger. I will fight, but not enemies that offer no challenge when they're worthy foes for others." Turning to look at Eren and the others, he smiled. The Grootslang might not necessarily be strong enough to challenge him, but that did not mean they were worthless to him. They helped him Level several of his Skills, Inspection included. However, [Pack Coordination] was much better to improve, as was [Guidance].

After all, to lead his pack and help them in combat, Hakon did not necessarily have to stand in front of them all. Sometimes, standing in the back and observing everything from an elevated position where he could call out strategic movements was much better. The hunter didn't say anything, but he did not charge into battle. Instead, he held his bow at the ready, an arrow nocked and prepared to be released at any moment.

That wasn't necessary because Astrid and the other warriors at the 2nd Ascension thrashed the strongest Grootslangs in a timely manner, but Hakon learned a lot from that fight. We have a lot to learn. So did the older warriors. They were more experienced, but their personalities were also a little problematic. Some were too selfish for their own good. It may have looked like they were only trying to help the younger warriors, but instead their "support" resulted in inferior gains across the board.

The battle didn't last all that long. Björn and the others fared well. Their use of [Flow Control] was still meager, and it would take a long time before it improved enough to make any drastic changes, but gains were visible. Improvement was all that mattered, which the Ancestors clearly agreed with. [Scripture of Improvement. Pack Coordination Lv. 10 → Lv. 11 Guidance Lv. 2 → Lv. 3] If the hunters hadn't been so difficult to work with, [Pack Coordination]'s influence would have reached them as well.

The Skill would have improved even more, and maybe they too would have gained something. It was wishful thinking, though it was also something that could be worked on.

"Not too bad. We have to work on our teamwork, though." Hakon said before turning to Ava. The little human was ghastly pale and hadn't moved throughout the battle. She flinched as several eyes, some belonging to blood-drenched men and women, turned to her. Ava's head jerked toward Hakon, and it was only now that he noticed her quivering eyes.

"You're not used to death, are you?" She didn't say anything, but her body's reaction was enough of an answer. No matter how determined and confident Ava appeared to be, it was only a facade. One that broke down in the face of blood and spilling intestines.

"That has to change." He called out, but all Ava did was flinch like a skincrawler. Why did you even come here if you're too scared to fight? What is the use of hunting when you do not hunt? The human woman was weird, and at this moment, her actions annoyed him more than they likely should have.

"Why?" Ava asked.

"Why what?"

"Why does it have to change?" She continued. Wasn't the answer obvious? Hakon did not know the Alliance well enough to have an opinion of it, but in the dark forest, death was normal.

"Because you will die if you don't."