Chapter 59 – Special Fruit

  The Mana in the area shifted, flowing into the crystal as stronger and cleaner Mana flowed out of the crystal and back into the air. It only took a few minutes before everyone started to feel the difference. It was like having spent all your time in the city and suddenly finding yourself miles away in the middle of the wood.

  “It is nice to once again have cleaner Mana to breathe,” Reynard said, taking a deep breath.

  “We aren’t done yet,” Savgar said. “Still got the quest rewards to look over.”

  “Lots of Notifications as well,” Victor nodded.

  “Already gone through mine,” Bryant said. “I’m going to choose my classes now, unless there is a reason I should wait.”

  “Not unless there is something you are trying for,” Elaine told him.

  “I’ll do the same,” Elizabeth said.

  “Alright, good luck, both of you,” Jack said, turning to his own notifications.

  *Level up! Human (level 12)*

  +5 unallocated points

  ~*~

  *Level up! Human (level 14)*

  +5 unallocated points

  *Level up! Seeker (level 3)*

  +1 Dex./Int./Wis. +2 Perc. +1 unallocated point

  *Skill gained: Translate (Beginner)*

  Grants the ability to read and speak most common languages without having the language proficiency

  *Intelligence has reached the second threshold: Intelligence has gained the trait - Mental Juggling*

  *Mental Juggling: You are better equipped to focus on multiple different tasks at the same time. Productivity and focus increases when up to five tasks are being worked on simultaneously.

  Jack was expecting the race levels, but he still didn’t understand what was increasing his support class. It almost felt random, but he was certain there had to be a trick to it. Now that there was so many more people with the class, maybe someone would be able to find out.

  *Level up!: Akashic Champion (Level 10)*

  +1 Str./Dex./Con./Wis. +2 Int.

  *Skill gained: Magical Armor Proficiency (Novice)*

  You have learned to draw out the magical nature of enchanted armor. Increase the buff magical armor grants you.

  This was the third ability he had gained from the Akashic Champion class. It was interesting the way the skills were progressing, and he expected it would be very helpful in the future, but right now, his armor only helped him blend into the shadows. He wouldn’t say no to an increase in that, but he might need to look into replacing his armor soon. Especially if he could increase whatever bonus he got from it too.

  “With my increase in strength, maybe I should move up to some kind of chain mail or plate armor,” Jack muttered. “Hate to lose my flexibility in a fight though. I’m sure Savgar will have some ideas.”

  *Spell increase: Summon Stone Shield (Novice)

  Increased strength and durability of shield

  *Spell changed: Simple Flame (Novice) has changed to Dark-fire Flame (Beginner)

  The combination of Darkness and Fire Affinities, Dark-Fire is capable of consuming both physical and magical sources. Careful use of this spell is needed. Can be thrown.

  *Skill increase: Focused Strikes (Student)*

  - Repeated attack grants stacks of momentum increasing speed and armor penetration. Can stack up to twenty times.

  Jack was expecting to see something from both spells. He had noticed during the fight that his shield had gotten stronger, and he was expecting something like this. The Dark-fire Flame was not what Jack expected, but it was possibly better. He was just hoping to make it something that would be more effective against the creature when his fire became useless. It wasn’t his intention, but the upgrade could help improve his combat capabilities. He would have to test it later to see how much of a difference it made.

  “Don’t think I’ll be able to use it for anything but fighting now.” Jack muttered. “Gotten so use to using that flame spell for everything, even cooking. Maybe I can get a fire spell specifically for crafting? Another thing to look into.”

  The increased to his focused strikes marked the third skill he had managed to increase to the Student ranks. He was starting to see a trend with the Student ranks. Every ability he had gotten to that rank had received a significant increase in its power or functionality. He was looking forward to testing out the new feature of this skill and was even getting some ideas for some future increases.

  *Level up! Hunter (level 8)*

  +1 Dex./Perc.

  ~*~

  *Level up! Hunter (Level 11)*

  +1 Dex./Perc.

  *Spell gained: Hunter’s Mark (Beginner)*

  Mark a target, increasing all damage you deal to the creature for a short time. (Duration of Mark increases with skill strength).

  *Perception has reached the second threshold: Sense improvement – Mana Sense*

  *Perception has gained the trait Mystrasthesia*

  You have learned to feel the Mana that flows through all things. Now you can start to see it when you focus.

  *Quest complete: Slayer*

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Reward:

  -Landmark structure blueprint (Botanical Garden)(Settlement)

  -Spirit Cultivation Fruit (Mortal)(Individual)

  Can be consumed to help improve spirit cultivation. At current cultivation, this fruit will force you to the first stage of Spirit Cultivation - Spiritual.

  -Warning: Individual can only benefit from this fruit one time

  Jack was interested in the Hunter’s Mark spell. He had never seen a spell that just increased the damage he dealt to something. What kind of limit did a spell like that have? Would it also increase the poison damage he did? What about environmental? But that was overshadowed by the rewards he just gained from completing the Slayer quest.

  Jack wasn’t certain what a Landmark structure was for, but based on the blueprint he just gotten, it looked like it would provide an area wide buff to the settlement it was built in. It was something he looked forward to making, but the spirit cultivation fruit was the biggest windfall. With it he could immediately reach the first stage in Spirit cultivation.

  He might only be able to benefit from the fruit one time, but that still meant he would have increased his spirit cultivation and completed another quest. If he increased his body cultivation as well, then he would be at the first stage of all three. But there was another option.

  There was no expiration on the fruit, and it didn’t say it would only take him to the first stage. He didn’t have to take it right away. If he placed it in his Storage, he could wait to use it until he naturally progressed his spirit cultivation and then use it to push towards the next. Cultivation got more difficult as you progress through the stages, and this could help to push him pass a bottleneck later. However, using it now would get him that quest reward and result in an immediate boost in power, and that might be more important right now.

  Jack was contemplating whether he should go for the immediate boost or save the fruit for a rainy day, when he was pulled out of his thoughts by a massive whirlwind of Mana forming nearby. Elizabeth was lying unconscious as a storm of Mana swirled around her. It was intense enough that he could see the Mana in the air without any skills and he was sure the others could as well. Still, Jack tried focusing his new trait to see Mana for the first time. Vibrant colors from every end of the spectrum filled the sky and air around Elizabeth as it coalesced onto her still form creating a kaleidoscopic vortex around her.

  At first Jack was worried something had gone wrong, but no one else was surprised by the situation.

  “Yay, it’s happening again!” Zephyr laughed as she joined the whirlwind of Mana spinning around Elizabeth.

  “Is this what normally happens?” Jack asked. “I never seen someone else get their classes.”

  “Didn’t happen when I chose mine,” Bryant said, coming up beside him. “Mine only took a few minutes as well.”

  “No, it’s not normal,” Teresa sighed. “But it’s the same thing that happened when you chose your classes. I told her it was a bad idea.”

  “Oh, guess she got it then,” Jack said. “Good for her.”

  “She wanted it?” Teresa asked.

  “That is… interesting,” Reynard hummed softly to himself in thought.

  Jack didn’t like the way Reynard said that, but there was little he could do about it right now. He just hoped the Beast Lord didn’t have anything nefarious planned, but it was too late if it did. He would just need to keep an eye on the situation as it happened. Maybe even warn Elizabeth. He may have made a deal with the fox, but Elizabeth wasn’t a part of it.

  “Yeah, she was asking me how I unlocked the class,” Jack said, answering Teresa.

  “It’s going to be difficult for her to reach the next realm,” Victor said. “Then again, going to be just as difficult for you to get there.”

  “She said she wasn’t interested in the next realm,” Jack said.

  “It’s her life,” Savgar grunted. “Her choice to make. Not all wish to ascend. Not all can.”

  “Having another person to help out with the crafting wouldn’t be a bad thing,” Elaine said. “I just hope she doesn’t come to regret that choice.”

  “Nothing can be done now,” Reuf said. “Not without a lot of work.”

  The storm of Mana eventually settled down, but Elizabeth remained unconscious. “If she is like you, then she will be out for a few hours,” Daniel told him answering his unasked question. “She should be fine though.”

  “I’ll keep an eye on her just in case,” Elaine said.

  Jack nodded to her. He still made sure she was okay, for his own peace of mind, before leaving her to Elaine. He turned to Bryant who was wearing a new hat. It looked like a cross between a feathered cap and a traditional pointed wizard’s hat.

  “Quest reward?” Jack asked.

  “Yep,” Bryant said. “Increases Mana recovery, casting speed, and allows me to double the spells I cast for an increased Mana cost. My Mana Bolt is going to be a Mana gatling gun!”

  “That will be interesting to see,” Jack chuckled. “What classes did you choose?”

  “I chose Fighter as my combat class,” Bryant said. “I had some other options, but nothing magical. I’m thinking I want to try to be some kind of magic commando class later. I’m pretty sure I can upgrade the fighter class into something like that eventually.”

  “Alright, good luck with that,” Jack said. “Not sure what you will need to do to accomplish it.”

  “I’ll figure it out,” Bryant said, waving away his concerns.

  “I’m sure you will,” Jack said. “What’d you choose for your profession?”

  “Civil Engineer,” Bryant said. “it’s an uncommon class. Best I was offered. The System said my previous life experience working sewage, construction, and other contract work qualified me for it and I figured we do have a city to plan. Probably should have tried to get promoted back on Earth.”

  “You didn’t need to choose your profession like that,” Jack said.

  “I told you,” Bryant said. “We look after each other. Can’t be letting you do all the heavy lifting. Besides, I was good at that kind of stuff back on Earth, and I never had magic back then. I think I’ll be pretty good at it here. What’re you going to do next. I’m taking a nap before we get back to work. My Mana is drained.”

  “’m going to eat a fruit,” Jack grimaced. “Not sure if I’ll end up unconscious afterwards. But if not, I’ll probably be working on our arrow supply… again.”

  “Fruit?” Bryant asked.

  “Yeah,” Jack said. “Special fruit.”

  “Okay,” Bryant said. “Have fun with that I guess.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think it will be fun,” Jack sighed. “Never is.”

  “What?” Bryant asked.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Jack said. “You’ll probably see.”

  “Alright,” Bryant said. He left Jack to his fruit, moving to crash in one of the tree beds nearby.

  Ultimately, his decision to use the fruit boiled down to one simple reason. He needed to get stronger and he couldn’t afford to wait. It would be nice to be able to take his time and plan out his progression, but right now he couldn’t afford to hold back anything. He may have gotten stronger in the past few weeks, but it wasn’t enough. Not to take on a whole army. He needed any boost he could get right now, and he doubted this was a coincidence.

  Spirit Cultivation was supposed to help with auras and inner strength, and he had received this right before they were planning to attack a Blood Mage who the stories claim could manipulate and control armies of creatures. The System may not play favorites, but it was known to give what you needed if you prove yourself, and overcoming a mythical challenge had to be enough to prove themselves.

  Jack went and positioned himself near the river, already expecting this to get messy. He pulled out the fruit inspecting it. It looked a lot like an apple if apples were white with purple leaves and the size of a cantaloupe. He ate the whole thing; except for the few seeds he found in the fruit. Surely, he didn’t have to eat those, and Sylvian might be able to grow them for the future. He managed to place those back in his storage just as the fruit started to work.

  Heat filled him like an intense fever until it started to radiate out of him. Jack felt sick like he had just caught the worst flu of his life. The air around him started to hiss as grey steam began covering him. As it cleared, he could feel the heat within him start to disappear as the steam came to settle on and around him forming a sticky film. Jack continued to purge the corruption from himself for close to an hour before it finally came to an end.

  *You have successfully reached Spirit Cultivation stage: Spiritual*

  This is a necessary first step in developing your Spirit Cultivation path. Normally this is a process that requires deep understanding developed from studying and learning to control your Spirit over the course of several months to years. Consuming Mortal grade Cultivation Fruit has jumped started this process.

  *Spirit Cultivation: Spiritual*

  Having reached the first stage of Spirit Cultivation, you will find you have more control over your Spirit.

  -Increased control in amplifying or repressing your presence

  -Increased effect of defensive spells and skills within the bounds of your spirit

  *Quest complete: Cultivation Aspirations (2)*

  -Spirit Cultivation at Spiritual rank

  Reward: Spirit Cultivation technique

  *Quest gained: Cultivation Aspirations (3)*

  Reach Body Cultivation rank Iron Body

  Reward: Body Cultivation Technique

  *Quest gained: Spirit clarity*

  -Reach Spirit Cultivation rank 2 (Aura)

  Reward: Passive Aura trait

  Jack was left panting, as his body and mind slowly recovered, but it had worked and now he was stronger for it. Once he was able to stand again, he started cleaning the grey film covering him in the river.

  “I should have removed my armor before doing this,” Jack muttered. “This is gross. Going to take forever to clean all this up.”