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 story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

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.”