Chapter 30
Turned out that finding someone with an Orange ★★★ race was harder than expected. After scanning more than a hundred people, he still got nothing.
Kai tried not to get deterred and continued searching. He wanted to find the legendary specimen and maybe ask him or her why they were so few of them. It was a race against time as the sun was slowly falling to the west and the day grew closer to its end.
The market was closing and many stall owners were packing things up. Then something finally caught his eye. This morning he would never have noticed him so easily, but by now he was so used to all other combinations, that this one stood out like a moon amidst the stars.
He found it: a legendary Orange ★★★ with a type 3 profession too. Sadly, he didn’t have a camera to photograph this moment for posterity.
He marched towards this rare specimen completely focused on Mana Sense and Keen Eye. He felt a new Guide notification but ignored that too. All his focus was on admiring those beautiful and complex mana veins, the true apex of Orange.
“Hey kid, why are you staring at me like that? Did you get yourself in trouble again?”
Why does this voice sound familiar?
Deactivating his skills and giving attention to his normal sight, he found himself face to face with uncle Moui.
The burly man stared at him expectantly. “Are you in trouble or are you looking to buy something?” Moui asked with his deep voice.
Kai moved his gaze away from the legendary specimen known as uncle Moui to the stall standing between them. A table full of different cuts of meat and pelts. The smell of blood unmistakable from up close.
It wasn’t the first time he had seen this type of stand, but he never saw Moui manning it.
“Uncle, you didn’t tell me you were a hunter.” Kai used his overly friendly tone.
The man sighed deeply, raising his eyes to the sky as if to ask the spirits to help him.
“When and why should I have told you that?”
Kai shrugged, “I don’t know, but it seems like something you should share with your favorite person.”
“Since when are you my favorite person exactly?” He asked, acting more resigned than outraged at his ridiculous claim. After dealing with him a couple times, the big man wasn’t caught off guard easily anymore.
Is this a challenge? If it is, I accept. Kai hid his thoughts behind a confident grin.
“Well, you are clearly not married, so no wife or children. And I heard around town they call you a loner, so no extended family or nephews nearby either. With your I’m-a-very-dangerous-person and you-best-stay-away aura, I doubt you are very popular. So… even if I’m not your favorite, I’m certain I rank pretty high.”
Kai smiled brightly and suppressed a snicker as Moui was left speechless, his left eye slightly twitching.
“What? Am I wrong?” Kai asked innocently.
Did I push it too far? Did I break him? Maybe that was a bit cruel, but his expressions are so funny.
Seeing the big man’s brain about to short-circuit, Kai continued the conversation without missing a beat. As if he hadn’t just insinuated the hunter was a loner with no social connections.
I’m 100% not projecting my insecurities on him.
“Uncle, why have I never seen you here before?”
After a moment of silence, Moui seemed to agree with him that ignoring the first part of the conversation was for the best. The only course of action if he wanted to maintain his sanity and not strangle the little brat.
“I share the stall with other hunters, and we take turns. I prefer hunting, but I had to cover for a friend today.” He accentuated the word, daring him to contradict him.
“Sur—cough—anyway uncle, can you tell me how you reached the peak of Orange? You are the onl—.”
With a movement he could barely follow, Moui's hand flashed forward over the stall, grabbed him, pulled him up and deposited him in front of his looming figure. No one in the market seemed to have noticed anything. Kai had an inkling that if the hunter broke his neck no one would notice either.
Okay, maybe I should have thought this through more. Damn, my large mouth.
Kai might have underestimated the man’s reaction a tad bit. Was it really such a big deal?
Moui's eyes narrowed threateningly, “Who told you that?”
The hunter always had a dangerous and unapproachable aura, now Kai realized Moui had been suppressing it all along. Like a tidal wave, it pressed down on him, showing why people tended to stay away from the man.
A shiver ran down his spine. His brain stopped working, overwhelmed by the oppressive presence bearing down on him. It took him a moment to realize the hunter’s mana was actively trying to suppress his own. He didn’t know if it was a skill, but now it didn’t matter.
“I just saw it,” Kai answered with a strangled voice.
“What does it mean you saw it?” Moui’s aura retreated a little. Enough for Kai’s mind to start back up. He tried to adjust his posture, standing up straighter, to stop looking like a mouse about to be devoured by a lion.
Kai was confident uncle Moui wouldn’t resort to violence without a good reason. His gaze fell on the display of butchered meat. Well, not with another human being at least.
His judgment wasn’t based on a hunch. Moui had walked him home when he didn’t even know him. And that was after he had been a general nuisance to him.
However, dialing down the cocky attitude a little might not be a bad idea. To be on the safe side. Everyone had a breaking point, and he was sure he’d rather not see Moui’s.
The hunter was still waiting for an answer. His threatening presence trying to intimidate him had less of an effect with each second passing. Compared to Virya’s aura, this felt like a hollow knock-off. Even if Virya always had her presence perfectly controlled and not bearing down on him like Moui’s. The difference was stark. After the initial shock, it had little effect on him.
“I just used Mana Sense,” Kai said to appease the man.
The hunter’s mana stopped trying to suppress him, but his stern gaze wasn’t gone. “You just used Mana Sense.” He repeated slowly like it was the most ridiculous thing he ever heard.
Kai nodded, “That’s what I said. I noticed your mana veins were more developed than anybody else. So, I guessed your race grade.”
Moui didn’t seem to believe him. “I’ve met many people with Mana Sense, but none were able to do that with a short glance. Were you randomly guessing and got lucky? Tell me the truth, kid.”
“I did. How else could I have done it?”
Am I really that amazing? Or does nobody bother with Mana Sense in Greenside?
Moui shrugged as if to say: I’ve no idea but still don’t trust you.
“Fine. I’ll prove it then.” Looking around, Kai activated his skills and examined the people within range.
“The grandma over there haggling over three overripe bananas is at the second stage of Orange. Same with the bald farmer arguing with her. Actually, everyone left around is at the second stage except that young man cleaning up the stall, who is at the first.”
Kai turned to Moui with an air of confidence. He could see the big man's gears turning as incredulity grew on his face, before switching into suspicion again. “How do I know you’re not just making things up?”
“Because I’m not.”
What else do you want to make you believe me?
The hunter looked at him skeptically. Kai met his gaze and didn’t step down.
His eyes wandered around thinking. Should he even bother with this? Looking back at the hunters’ stall, Kai got an idea.
“This, this and that hide. They belonged to the most powerful beasts.” Kai pointed at a few items on display. After getting killed their bodies had lost most of their mana. He couldn’t tell how strong they originally were, but he could compare them to the others present.
A scaled skin stood out particularly among the rest. It looked like it should have belonged to a snake but had the wrong shape. As if it belonged to a four-legged animal of medium size instead.
His dear uncle's eyes moved through the items he indicated, thoughts running rapidly before finally exclaiming. “How is that possible? Who are you really, kid?”
“I'm the long-lost prince from the magical kingdom of Disney,” Kai replied with a completely straight face.
Moui looked at him shocked, “Really!?”
“No. I’m just a mage apprentice. Do you think I’d live in this damp mud town if I were a prince?”
Before you think I’m lying. Now you believe such a ridiculous story. Get it together!
The big man brought out the brattiest side of him. But after the scare he gave him earlier, he deserved it.
A few seconds later, Moui finally made sense of what was happening and looked at him with appraising eyes, “What level is your Mana Sense?”
Kai looked at him flatly. “High enough. You made a scene because I revealed your race grade. Now you expect me to tell you the exact level of my most important skill. And I thought I was the rude one.”
Moui had the decency to look a little embarrassed. If he wasn’t a hardened hunter, Kai could have sworn he blushed a little.
He crossed his muscled arms defensively in front of him. “You just took me by surprise earlier. You shouldn’t go around shouting personal information like it was nothing.”
“I didn’t shout it and the market is almost deserted.”
“Almost doesn’t mean there are no people around.” He said, eyeing several late shoppers and merchants closing their stalls.
“Is it really that big of a secret?” Kai asked curious.
Moui looked about to say something, but then shook his head. “Nothing you should worry about at your age. Just don’t go around telling people about it.”
Kai tried to prod for a better answer, but the hunter's lips were sealed.
Damn, I hate adults and their stupid secrecy.
Since today Moui didn’t seem keen to share anything more, Kai looked for another kind of reward. “Anyway, how do you plan to compensate me, uncle?” Kai put forward his hand with his palm up.
At the mention of compensation, Moui’s thoughtful look immediately sharpened on him. “Why would I need to compensate you?”
“You admitted to having overreacted for no good reason and mistreated a poor innocent child, trying to intimidate him into giving up private information.”
Kai could see Moui was trying to come up with a response. In the end, he grumbled, “Fine, I can give you ten chips and it’s not negotiable.”
“Why don’t you let me choose a couple pieces of meat, instead?” Kai didn’t know which animals it belonged to, but meat was meat, and his family would surely appreciate it.
“No way. That’s too much for a little misunderstanding.”
“I’d say it’s a good deal. It’s not like you don’t have any to spare. What are you going to do with it?” The stall was still half filled, and the market was closing. Some of it was jerky, but some was fresh. The meat had been properly bled and cut, but with Greenside’s humidity and no refrigeration, there was only so much that could be done. It was lucky it wasn’t summer yet.
His previous self would have been appalled by the hygienic situation. Now it was nothing a good fire couldn’t fix.
“It’s been a slow day.” Moui defended himself.
Kai looked at him sideways. He was pretty sure his very affable aura might have something to do with it. “Ever tried smiling?”
The hunter looked away from his judging gaze, “There is a reason I don’t usually man the stall.”
Kai would have patted his shoulder in sympathy if he could reach it.
“So, can I get my choice of meat?”
“Fine.”
* * *
Walking back home with his bounty, Kai checked his notifications.
*Ding*
New skill available in the Archive! Inspect (lv1) – Be it through mana or sight, nothing will escape your eyes and mind.
*Ding*
Inspect (lv1) is creating a resonance with Keen Eye (lv27)…
*Ding*
The compatibility meets the minimum threshold. Do you wish to substitute Keen Eye with Inspect?
Warning: some or all levels of your skill may be lost in the process, the choice is irreversible. Do you wish to proceed?
Kai grinned, waving the piece of snake meat wrapped in two large leaves. Another win for the day.
He had thought he would have to slowly level Keen Eye. Choosing how to specialize and evolve the skill at each step. Slowly molding it into a permanent asset that would accompany him forever. Instead, he directly unlocked an orange variant. It didn’t give him the same ability to customize the skill to his exact requirements, but it would save him tons of time and effort.
Not rushing into things, Kai evaluated his options. After he came back from the estate, he was behaving too hastily. Following his whims.
May the spirits forgive me, I’m turning into an arrogant brat.
He had fun acting the part sometimes, but he did not want to become one for real. After all his growth and the advancement of his race, he felt like the king of the world. Now he had a choice to make, but this deserved some serious thought.
Apart accepting the offer of the Guide, he could not take the skill or ditch a different one to open a slot—neither option sounded very appealing.
What did this new skill grant him? There was no way to truly know before taking it, but he could make a few hypotheses. From the name and description, Inspect seemed centered on analyzing people and objects. Making it useful in both alchemy and everyday life.
The only con he could think of was that Keen Eye was very flexible. He kept it almost constantly active and there was no guarantee he would be able to do the same with an orange skill.
Still undecided, Kai realized the main reason for his hesitating was that he enjoyed Keen Eye. Plain and simple. The skill made him feel smart when he noticed details he would otherwise have missed. But there was no reason that Inspect would not have even bigger benefits.
*Ding*
Congratulations, Keen Eye (lv27) has been moved to the Archive, Inspect (lv1) has taken its place.
It was a bit of a shame he got no extra levels, but it was to be expected since the two skills were of two different grades. He couldn’t wait to see what this new skill could do.