Cultivating Talents [LitRPG Mana-cultivation]

"Wins what?" Hector muttered.

The creatures roared at them and rushed forward before Jodie could reply. Hector didn't mind, though—he was already two kills ahead. It wasn't like she was going to catch up anytime.

Ducking under a scythe swing, Hector stepped to the creature's side. He plunged the knife forward, sinking it into its exoskeleton. It roared, its scythe slashing towards him, forcing him to release the knife.

He staggered back and then stepped again, appearing at the creature's front. Even as it turned, he was already leaping off the ground and slamming a knee into its head.

The second one that had joined it appeared at Hector's side, its scythe hand slicing towards him. He gripped the skull of the bug he'd kneed in the head, which still screeched in anger. Grunting, he pulled himself up on it, narrowly avoiding the scythe that slashed through the air, cutting into the abdomen of the bug he currently mounted.

The creature slumped to the ground with a wet thud, its innards spilling from its chest even as Hector tumbled off of it and got to his feet.

The bug that had just killed its companion screeched at Hector, as if he'd killed it, then lunged towards him. Hector sneered—that kill wouldn't count as his.

Darting forward again, he summoned another knife. His hand snapped, purple flashing as the knife shot out. The creature raised its scythes, attempting to block, but static crackled through its body as it entered the range of the static field.

It staggered. The knife bypassed the scythes, slamming across the side of the mantis-like creature's face and taking off its mandible. It let out a jittery roar. The creature then took another shaky step forward.

Hector leapt from the grass and kicked out twice, the first kick slamming into its chest and the second one cracking into its skull. It shuffled back, still spasming slightly, but regained its focus.

He landed, palm crackling again, and whipped his wrist forward, the blade slicing through the air and puncturing its head. The creature didn't roar. With a wet thud, it slumped to the ground. Blood pooled from the hole now in its head.

"Well, that was intense," Hector said, letting out a breath. His gaze drifted to the side where Jodie was currently on top of a bug, slamming her heel down onto the butt of a knife. It punctured straight through the creature's head. The beast slumped forward, and Jodie leapt off, landing on the grass with grace. The other bug lay on its back to the side, its scythe arms missing and blood pouring from an open wound at its chest like a dying fountain.

"Well, that was efficient of you," Jodie said, chuckling. "I don't know, but I think that might have been a draw."

Hector rolled his eyes. Wind whistling in his ears, he adjusted his mask. "Well, that's ridiculous. I got three. How many did you get?"

"Well," Jodie said, raising an arm and pointing at one of the bugs, "I killed that one." She then moved her finger to the mantis-like bug lying on its back. "And that one. So that's two for me, and you killed..." She paused. Hector could practically see the frown behind her mask.

He chuckled and rested a hand on his hip. Cloak billowing in the wind, he crunched grass underfoot as he shifted. "I killed four of them, technically three if I don't count the assist."

"Assist?" Jodie asked, her tone one of confusion. She stepped away from the growing patch of blood, spreading through the grass like spilt ink.

"Yeah." Hector jerked his thumb over his shoulder to the bug that had thrown itself at him and its ally earlier. "That guy sliced right through its friend. Kind of overreactive, if I must say so myself."

"I see," Jodie said, not sounding too convinced.

"Excuse me," Adrian's voice came from behind.

Hector frowned and turned his head. Adrian and the two boys stopped a short distance away, their gazes drifting over the carnage Jodie and Hector had wrought. With an unsteady stare, Adrian's eyes met Hector's.

"I want to—" Adrian paused, holding Hector's gaze for a bit too long.

Hector frowned, raising the hood of his cloak and pulling it over his head. That look was not good.

"Adrian, is everything alright?" A boy at Adrian's side nudged him in the arm. When Adrian didn't respond, the boy stepped forward. "Don't worry about that; he gets a bit lost in his words sometimes," the boy said. "We just wanted to say thank you."

Hector met the boy's gaze and nodded. He didn't recognise this one—he wasn't part of the Scoda gang, nor was the other boy to Adrian's right. At least, that was what his gut told him. They were too… normal.

Adrian's gaze still lingered on Hector, and a faint worry crawled into Hector's heart. Had he recognised him? How? He was almost covered from head to toe. The only real thing that would set him apart would be—Hector blinked, a sense of shame and slight stupidity overtaking him.

"It's alright," Jodie said, stepping forward with a chuckle. "We were happy to help anyone out. After all, we're all trying to survive this together, aren't we?"

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Adrian turned to her, his gaze narrowing further. Had he recognised Jodie? What should he do? There was no reason he should try to silence Adrian, but someone might have figured out his identity. That was a problem. The other boy at Adrian's side, with his hair covering most of his eyes and wearing simple leather armour, bowed.

"We appreciate everything you've done," he said. "Thanks again. Now, if you don't mind, we'll be on our way."

Hector nodded. Was Adrian not going to say anything? His eyes moved to the boy in question. Adrian held his gaze a moment longer before frowning and shaking his head. "Yeah, thanks a lot. I appreciate it, and stay safe."

A jolt ran through Hector. Had he just said 'stay safe'? He'd possibly recognised Hector, maybe even Jodie, and his response was to say 'stay safe.' This wasn't like Adrian at all. The old Adrian would have shouted and boasted and been overall upset that someone had actually saved him.

A weak smile slipped onto Adrian's lips. "Thanks again," he said. There was deep sadness in those words. Adrian then turned, his hands slipping into his pockets, his head sagging.

"You alright, Adrian?" the boy wearing leather armour said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I know it's been tough on you, but—" As they continued to walk away, Hector ignored them.

"I think he recognised us just now," Hector said, turning to Jodie. He crossed his arms. Jodie didn't even flinch at the statement.

"He did?" she questioned. Her voice had a lazy quality to it, as if she didn't care. Jodie stepped over to a bug, careful to avoid its blood, and prodded at it with her foot. "Didn't seem like it to me. If anything, he's just thankful to be alive."

"Maybe," Hector said, eyeing her, "but you've got to admit that wasn't anything like Adrian."

Jodie dropped to her knees, resting her hand on the hard exoskeleton of the insect's chest. A moment later, her hand began changing shape, her fingers extending, merging as a chitinous sheen overtook her skin.

Disgust welled up in Hector, and he almost gagged. Jodie's transformations could be strange, but the past ones were at least manageable. This one wasn't. "You aren't gonna use that, are you?" he asked.

Jodie turned to him and shrugged. "I mean, those scythes were pretty sharp." She raised a hand and slashed down onto the insect's corpse. Her scythed hand sliced through it like butter, without leaving a drop of flesh on the blade as she raised it overhead again. "It's very good," she said, slashing down yet again.

"Alright," Hector said, taking a step back. He shook his head and turned. In the distance, Adrian and the two other boys had become smaller now, moving further away. Was that really the Adrian he'd grown up with?

—- —- —- —-

A few minutes later, Hector and Jodie climbed back up the hill and found Marcus and Lincoln. Lincoln sat to the side, his back against a tree. A blade of grass stuck out from the corner of his mouth as he played with a long stick in his hand. He slapped it against his palm and perked up when he saw Hector and Jodie stepping closer.

"How did it go?" he asked, his tone somewhat teasing.

Hector shook his head. "Not as I expected."

Lincoln tilted his head to the side. "Really?"

"Never mind that," Marcus said, hurrying forward. Within the boy's grasp were several bunches of plants. They had thick wooden stalks with blueberry-like fruits hanging off their ends.

"I take it you've found what you're looking for?" Hector asked, stopping in front of Marcus.

The boy nodded and let out a pleased sigh. "I have. And now I can tell you why we're here."

"You can?" Jodie asked. "I thought we were here to collect berries." She crossed her arms. Her eyes narrowed at Marcus, as if he'd slighted her.

Scratching the back of his head, Marcus stepped back. "That, and these berries are important for a quest I'm doing," he said, chuckling awkwardly. "If I'm right, this quest could lead me to an inheritance."

Hector frowned and crossed his arms. "An inheritance?" He'd heard about those in recent days. Apparently, a small mercenary company had stumbled onto a minor inheritance within the first day.

One of their leaders gained a special cultivation technique and a weapon. They'd been looking for more inheritances ever since, and information about anything that could lead to one was being traded for valuable supplies by the nobles.

"You think this could lead to an inheritance?" Hector asked, jutting his chin out towards the berries.

"Not this, but the quest's completion. What I'm doing right now is a quest chain," Marcus said, stepping away and turning his head. His eyes lingered on the horizon, seeing something that Hector couldn't. "When it's done, I think I will finally have stepped onto the road of having a true purpose. This is going to change everything, Hector."

"Alright," Jodie said, stepping forward and resting her hand on his shoulder. She shook him and chuckled. "Are you becoming some sort of big shot now or something?"

Marcus's head sagged, and he let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "I don't know, but I feel like I'll finally be able to actually contribute something to the group. I've been kind of deadweight so far. Even Delworth's doing more than me."

Hector shook his head. "That's not true. But I can understand how you feel. Right now, let's focus on getting this quest done."

—- —- —- —-

Hector pulled the chair from under the long table. Sitting across from him, Jodie tapped her fingers on the table's wood, her gaze moving between the others who sat around the table.

Mrs Strongmail held a pensive look, a finger tapping against her lips. Pippa, sitting across from her, chatted with Mirae in a hushed conversation. And Harry sat next to Mirae, talking to no one, though his gaze would flicker from person to person.

Marcus and Delworth sat a seat away from Hector, both seeming quite pleased with themselves.

"Alright," Hector said, slumping down into his chair and steepling his hands on the table.

He had purchased this gathering hall with the points they'd earned from doing various quests. It was one of the many things Marcus suggested buying first.

The gathering hall had a lounge area with a fireplace. A simple kitchen sat off to the side where they could prepare food. The hall even had a dedicated chamber for one to practice cultivation. The mana in that room was about fifty percent more concentrated than ambient levels, which was saying a lot, considering the mana within this realm alone was almost ten times as strong as that in Middlec.

"Are we all ready for the next quest?" His gaze moved to Jodie, who nodded. He then turned to Lincoln, sitting next to him.

"I think so," Lincoln said. He wore simple grey garb, similar to the ones that Marcus wore on the first day they returned from the Shade Forest. They all had them on. The clothes came with the rooms they'd purchased.

"Is there anything we should consider?" Hector asked. "We've brought all the weapons we need."

"Not that I can think of. I mean, I've almost saved enough for a new cultivation technique, so I think I'm fine on that front," Lincoln said. He raised his hand and began counting on his fingers. "I've got something I want to purchase. Marcus is going with his alchemy, I think, and I'm not really sure what everyone else is doing, but I'd say we're pretty prepared."

Hector nodded. His gaze then turned to Mirae. "And I take it you'll be coming with us on the quest tomorrow?"

His sister frowned, her gaze flickering to Pippa. She let out a sigh, and her head sagged. "I won't be able to, brother. Pippa, Harry, and I have got a quest we need to complete."