86: Training

Everyone was so engrossed in their food that no one was talking. There were only the occasional appreciative noises from Liane and Jen as they ate.

It really was delicious. I’d never enjoyed mushrooms at the orphanage—they were always bland and chewy—but these Death Caps had a rich, earthy taste that was beautifully amplified by the Garlic Grass and creamy sauce.

What I was especially curious about were the buffs, since I’d used a new wood for the cooking. But no one seemed to be reacting.

I opened my status to check—and was immediately hit with a wall of notifications.

Lily had clearly taken my request seriously. There were already over fifty combat notifications, and I suddenly felt bad for whatever unfortunate monsters she’d gone after.

I did wonder where she’d gone. I doubted she’d destroyed random wildlife in the forest, not after the dragon had mentioned she was the forest’s protector while she napped. Maybe there were factions of feral creatures she focused on?

I was getting distracted.

Buffs. I had Fire Immunity, +3 Perception, +3 Dexterity, +5 Endurance, Minor Lightning Resistance, Minor Poison Resistance, and a new one—Ember Surge.

Ember Surge caught my attention. I couldn’t see any details about it in the notification list, but it appeared in my ability list as a passive skill. I was curious about the source. It didn’t seem like something I’d get from that particular wood—there wasn’t anything especially fire-related about it.

The only fire-related elements in the meal were Crisplet and the Fire Salts.

That’s when it clicked—synergistic layering. The system had mentioned that using multiple related ingredients could unlock additional effects.

Was Ember Surge the effect?

“I don’t suppose anyone knows what Ember Surge is?” I asked curiously.

Milo shook his head. No one else responded either—clearly just as clueless.

As I watched my status screen, still seeing notifications pour in, Crisplet wandered over and produced a small flame under my hand. The moment the fire made contact with my skin, I watched as my stats jumped: +3 Strength, +3 Endurance.

The effect lingered for a few minutes after the flame disappeared. So, the passive triggered when I came into contact with fire? And did the type of fire change the effect?

I shuffled closer to the campfire. Milo watched me closely as I reached out and placed my hand into the flames.

This fire was different—made using Storm Pine.

“It looks like the passive is providing buffs based on the fire I’m in contact with. Crisplet’s fire gave me Strength and Endurance, while the campfire’s giving Intelligence and Dexterity,” I said, glancing over at Milo.

“How curious,” he murmured, already pulling out his notebook. “I imagine that would be incredibly potent against fire creatures—being immune to their attacks, but also growing stronger from them. Not to mention in especially hostile environments, I expect that buff would stay active the entire time, giving you a constant stat increase.”

He started scribbling notes, already deep in analysis mode.

I looked at Crisplet. “How did you know what it was?” I asked curiously.

I didn’t know what I expected in return, but Crisplet just struck a little pose, then floated back into the fire, where he began building something.

One day, I’d really like to be able to talk to Crisplet.

“So… are we going to address the Grovul in the room?” Hari asked, glancing around at everyone.

I just stared at him, not sure what he was getting at.

“You came in with Lily casually walking behind you. Not only that, but she took a nap—right here, in the open,” he said, sounding exasperated that no one else was asking questions.

“Wait till you hear what happened in the forest,” Jen muttered. Everyone’s eyes turned to her, but Hari wasn’t letting go of the topic that easily.

“I’ll be shocked at that in a moment. First—what happened? How? Why?” he fired off rapidly.

“Well,” I began, “I thought it might be useful to see if Lily was watching, and if she was behind the lack of creatures we’d seen. Especially when I spotted the carcass of something while foraging. But also… I wanted to see if she could guide us to something special.”

I grinned, thinking about the honey. “And she did!”

“Crisplet attacked Lily, by the way,” Jen added.

“What?!” Milo gasped, eyes wide.

Jen chuckled. “Lily was inspecting his new form, and Crisplet used Disruption Flare on her.”

Liane laughed. “That little terror! The skill even works on something that powerful?”

“That’s hard to say,” Jen said, smiling. “She blinked a few times, but I don’t think it worked for long.”

“I didn’t bring the honey out because it’s a very large piece,” I added, “but it’s Rare quality. I’m hoping to turn it into a dessert.”

“Or more candy!” Liane chimed in, grinning.

“Could you add runes to the candy?” Micca asked, joining the conversation. “Like… what if you had a mould with the rune shape built into it?”

“It would work to an extent,” Milo said, already thinking it through. “You could definitely imprint the outer ring of the rune using a mould—that part doesn’t require mana infusion. But for the magic word itself, he’d need to activate his skill and inscribe it manually. That said, it’s perfectly doable.”

“He could use a hot metal tip to melt it in, right?” Jen asked.

“That would work for sure,” Milo replied with a nod.

“I’d need more runes first before I can do that,” I said, a little embarrassed I still hadn’t studied further.

“Whose fault is that?” Milo teased. “Get studying.”

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The rest of the night passed without issue. We set up a watch rotation, with Liane and Hari taking the first shift as usual.

I did wake up at one point to the sound of fighting outside, but it was over before I had time to react. They never called for help, though Milo went out to check anyway.

He returned a few minutes later and let us know what had happened.

Some Sky Wolves had gotten bold and tried to jump Hari.

It went about as well as you’d expect.

***

The next morning, we didn’t stay at camp long—much to Liane’s complaints—and were already on our horses as the sun rose on the horizon.

I didn’t get a chance to test Sable’s food, but a discussion with Hari and Milo gave me a few options. The one they figured I had the best chance with was a grain mash.

It would be made with apples, carrots, honey, and soaked grain. Into that, I could mix the dried Lemon Tea Grass. Since it was a complete dish, I might even be able to infuse it as a whole. I wasn’t sure, since I didn’t actually cook it, but it was worth a shot. Even if Infuse didn’t work, disguising the sour taste would still make it a success.

That would be my goal for today.

It was shortly after lunchtime when we came out of the forest road I remembered and turned south. The path we followed could barely be called a path at all—if you didn’t know it was there, you’d easily miss it.

We travelled late into the evening again, only stopping for a short water and rest break for the horses in the late afternoon before carrying on.

The trees had thinned around us now, and I found myself wondering if Lily was still following—especially now that we were leaving the forest.