Chương 38: Chapter 34

Astrid did not return to the backyard for a while, but her curses were loud and clear. Björn chuckled and said something, but Hakon tuned him out to focus on the Scriptures he had received. The first thing he noticed when he willed the Scriptures to manifest before him was their number. There were a lot more than expected, which was why he only checked the most important ones. [Skill [Teaching] has been learned.] … [Proficiency gained. [Teaching Lv. 4] improved to [Teaching Lv. 5]] [Proficiency gained. [Mana Sense Lv. 19] improved to [Mana Sense Lv. 20]] [Proficiency gained. [Mana Manipulation Lv. 3] improved to [Mana Manipulation Lv. 4]] [Proficiency gained. [Mana Shaping Lv. 2] improved to [Mana Shaping Lv. 3]] Hakon still hadn't earned another level, but it was only a matter of time. He felt it: His next Level was close. The sheer number of Scriptures was unusually high for what had been a rather simple task.

[Mana Sense]'s improvements had slowed considerably ever since the Skill neared Level 20, and it looked like the Skill's growth would slow down even further. The mana structures had been the most complicated part, yet the gains he made were not owed to them. Mostly. It was [Teaching] Hakon had to thank, even if it was hard to tell why. His gut told him that he too learned something from using the Skill.

That improving [Teaching] helped him understand the underlying mechanisms behind the Skills he used to teach, as well as the Skills he wanted to teach. That, for one, would explain why he was staring down at a Scripture that would not make any sense otherwise. [Proficiency gained. [Circulation Lv. 9] improved to [Circulation Lv. 10]]"Interesting."

Hakon mused quietly, racking his mind to think about ways to use [Teaching] to improve his Skills while helping Björn and Astrid learn new Skills and improve existing ones more efficiently. If this works out, we can catch up to the other tribes. He told himself, his thoughts interrupted when a heavy presence weighed down on him. Astrid emerged from the hut, wet hair cascading down her back, her eyes speaking death.

"S-Sorry?" he quickly said, although he did not quite understand what he was supposed to apologize for. Astrid's lips parted and sealed shut after a moment. She clicked her tongue but calmed down.

"Feeling better?" Hakon asked.

"That's good, but you won't be able to avoid the pungent smell if you want to continue. Since you don't have my Ancient Power, it might take you a little longer to learn [Flow Control] or [Dash], but as long as you practice in my presence, we can–…"

"No!" Astrid shook her head vehemently.

"What?"

"That won't happen!" She shook her head even harder the second time.

"You helped me move Lifeblood into my pathways, and that is great, but I will learn those Skills without you." That didn't make any sense. Hakon tried to tell her that he'd just acquired a Skill that would help her cleanse her pathways even faster. He had yet to learn more about [Teaching]'s specifics; however, he was sure that the Skill could help them both. As long as he improved it, he might even help Astrid upgrade [Flow Control] to [Circulation] in a fortnight.

If possible, Hakon could improve [Circulation] as well, further cleansing his own pathways in the process. That would be amazing. They could use their time much better. Still, Astrid rejected his reasoning, saying something about the smell being too much. Hakon didn't get it. The black sludge smelled bad, sure, but it was just that–a nasty smell. It wouldn't last forever either.

"She doesn't want to smell bad or look ugly in your presence. She's always ugly, so she's failing at that either way," Björn said cheekily, while backing away. Astrid glared daggers at him but didn't move to rip her friend a new one. She did not lift her gaze to look in Hakon's direction either.

"First of all," Hakon turned to Björn, "Astrid is not ugly. She's beautiful, and you know that as well as I and everyone else in the tribe." This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The Blessed warrior grinned broadly at Astrid as the words echoed through the backyard.

"Second, I don't mind the smell. When I cleansed my pathways, it was much worse." Furthermore, getting used to pungent smells was good training. It helped him and everyone present get used to the atrocious smells of some truly terrifying monstrosities. Not all monsters were as simple as the Acidic Beetles, and even their acid had been a nuisance. Turning back to Astrid, Hakon continued, "It would mean a lot if we could work on this together."

As unwilling as she appeared at first glance, Astrid didn't reject his approach immediately.

"It really means a lot to you, doesn't it?" she asked, to which Hakon agreed with a nod.

"We could both improve a lot. The Ancestors would be happy and reward you with a few Skills, and help me increase the Levels of mine as well." The more he said, the darker Astrid's expression got. Clearly, she'd expected a better answer, which Hakon understood as well. But… did he really want to say that out loud? Am I rea–… You know what? Fuck it. Life was precious, and it was better off not wasted. He'd known for cycles how he felt, and it was stupid not to say anything.

He could fight hundreds of monsters, crush the Colossal Terror, and defeat a legendary warrior, yet he couldn't even be true to himself? Just how pathetic was he?

"And I want to spend more time with you. Growing stronger together does sound nice… doesn't it?" Hakon asked wryly. Björn let out a happy sound.

"Finally!" Astrid's doomlike expression lit up. She didn't seem convinced about the black sludge, but she agreed nonetheless.

"It does," she mouthed.

"As long as we keep something close enough to get rid of that disgusting black sludge." That was good enough for Hakon. He didn't know what his relationship with Astrid would look like in the future, but he was looking forward to it. Just like the future. Even Tribe Pearot's attack had something to look forward to. Bloodshed, for one, as well as the opportunity to grow even stronger. To fortify one's Saga and witness the rise of the Warlord that had been prophesied.

The future was unknown, yet all that awaited him in the next few cycles was exciting. And that included spending more time with Astrid.

What Hakon did not expect when he mentioned being around Astrid more often was to get cut open, but it was not all that bad. Not even when Astrid carved a massive X into his chest with two quick slashes could he complain. After all, he asked her to do it. After teaching Astrid a few more things, their roles switched. He asked Astrid to show him a few Skills.

[Flow Observation] improved as he studied her every move in the light of the descending sun, but it was not until she revealed the latest of the Skills she had acquired that she caught Hakon's interest.

"You want to learn [River of Blood]?" She narrowed her eyes at Hakon.

"You know that you can't learn that Skill, right?" Of course, she was right. [River of Blood] was a Skill that used part of her Ancient Power to function. Blood Fury, being a legendary Ancient Power, carried a mystery nobody really seemed to understand. The Sagas surrounding the previous wielder of Blood Fury only mentioned that he was a force to be reckoned with. He transformed the entire battlefield into a domain of great power, using all the shed blood to grow stronger and stronger.

There had almost been mentions of madness, but that was of no importance for the time being.

"I know. I still want to see if I can learn it." That was how Hakon ended up torn into shreds, lying on the ground, bleeding to death. At least, that was what the amount of blood pooling around him suggested. [Natural Regeneration] and [Circulation] were active at full power, quickly consuming swaths of mana and stabilizing his condition.

"Do you need me to fetch the Healer?" Björn asked, looking grimly at Hakon's bust-open chest and arms. It didn't look like his skin had been cut at all. If he was honest with himself, Hakon didn't feel like that either, and it was true. He was not merely cut. His skin had burst open where Astrid's blade had struck him. His blood flow was also accelerated, and Skills like [Natural Regeneration] struggled to tend to the wound.

As prickly as the situation was, Hakon kept his cool and focused on the effect of Astrid's Skill. Simplified, [River of Blood] used some of the crimson aura created by Blood Fury to worsen the injury Astrid would have inflicted regardless. He sensed her Power coating the blade's edge, doing… something. That something had to be studied later, after he figured out more about how [River of Blood] affected his body. The energy is still there. It's clinging to the wound's edges, slowing the healing process.

Preventing it until the energy fades. Hakon theorized as he lay there, willing mana toward his wounds in an attempt to dispel Astrid's power.

"He will be fine," Astrid told Björn, who didn't look too convinced. As if to offer confirmation, the Ancestors rewarded Hakon for his suffering. [Proficiency gained. [Pain Tolerance Lv. 18] improved to [Pain Tolerance Lv. 19]] While the improvement was not what he wanted, it lessened the pain weighing on his mind. Freeing his mind ever so slightly was all it took to focus even harder on his body. He used [Inspection] to analyze his wounds, not quite sure if that would help.

But even if it wouldn't help him understand Astrid's Skill, it was worth a try. He was walking blind through uncharted territory, after all. I can do it! Hakon told himself. All he needed was time, effort, and a little bit of luck. Maybe a lot of it.