"Little Moses, where are your family members? Your parents?"
Makino asked.
Noticing how familiar she was acting and the strong scent of seafood on her, Moses replied, "Were you gathering seafood here?"
Makino was taken aback for a moment before bursting into laughter, covering her mouth with her hand.
"That's right! Big sister came here to collect some fish while the tide was out. But how did you know? I thought you were just spacing out over here—you couldn't have noticed me."
"The smell," Moses wrinkled his nose. "You reek of fish—like rotting dead fish."
Makino raised an elegant eyebrow, her lips curling slightly. "Not bad. You've got a sharp nose. It is dead fish. I accidentally stepped on one earlier. Even though I washed it off, the smell hasn't gone away yet."
"Mmm~ So, can you tell me now?" Makino pressed. "It's already noon—lunchtime. Where's your family?"
"They're not here. I'm alone."
The lie slipped effortlessly from Moses' lips.
Makino blinked. "Not here?"
"You're by yourself? Then how do you eat? Does no one take care of you?"
Moses adjusted his fishing rod, reeling in the line.
"Do I need someone to take care of me?"
"No. I won't starve. I can hunt, cook, recognize herbs, dig for medicine—I won't starve."
Moses turned to look at Makino. "So? Tell me—if I can survive on my own, why would I need someone else to take care of me?"
The next second, Moses saw pity flash in Makino's eyes.
His lips twitched in exasperation.
"What's with that look?"
"Little Moses, don't lie to yourself," Makino said sympathetically. "You can't even catch a single fish—how are you supposed to feed yourself?"
"Never mind. Big sister's in a good mood today. Since you kept me company, I'll treat you to lunch. Come with me to my place."
"You're really not a kidnapper?" Moses squinted at her skeptically. "You're just this nice to a stranger for no reason?"
Makino beamed, reaching out to grab Moses' arm.
"Big sister isn't a kidnapper, and you're not a stranger—we just exchanged names, didn't we?"
Her radiant smile was almost blinding. This time, Moses didn't dodge her grasp.
She took hold of his left arm with her right hand, letting out a playful "Hup!" before pulling him up with a firm tug.
"There we go. Big sister isn't a bad person."
"Come on, I was just about to head home to cook. Today's haul was a big one!"
Makino led Moses away, picking up a fish basket a dozen meters away.
As Moses packed up his fishing rod, he could see the basket was filled with palm-sized fish, shellfish, sea urchins, and other seafood.
They walked along the beach toward the village, passing through a few streets and alleys before arriving at the back door of a two-story house.
Makino let go of Moses and fished out a key from her pocket.
Click!
The door opened, revealing a spacious courtyard.
"Come on, let's go in."
Once inside, Makino guided Moses into the house.
She opened the windows.
The interior was laid out like a bar—complete with a counter, liquor shelves, and tables with chairs stacked upside down on top.
It was clear that the place wasn't open for business.
The interior was neatly tidied up.
Makino poured Moses a glass of water from behind the bar and said with a smile,
"Little Moses, you sit tight first. I'll go to the kitchen to cook. In a bit, you'll get to enjoy some delicious Seafood Rice."
Watching her walk from the bar to the kitchen, Moses idly stared at the water in his glass.
With a thought, a translucent panel appeared in his vision.
Soul Crystal: [F*268]
Looking at the balance in the Soul Crystal section, these were the 268 F-grade Soul Crystals Moses had accumulated over the years from hunting.
"Soul Crystals can be fused and decomposed. So, how many F-grade crystals are needed to synthesize an E-grade one?"
"250."
A few seconds later, he checked the remaining balance in the Soul Crystal section.
Soul Crystal: [E1, F18]
Gazing at the attributes panel, Moses fell into thought. A single E-grade Soul Crystal could only enhance one E- grade attribute.
Since every attribute played an indispensable role, he could only choose the one most suitable for the current situation.
Looking at the six attributes:
[Physique]: Strength: E- | Endurance: E- | Agility: E-
[Soul]: Willpower: E- | Perception: E- | Spirit: E-
Finally, with a mental command, the grain-sized E-grade Soul Crystal transformed into an intangible mist that seeped into Moses' limbs and bones.
Subtle adjustments occurred within his body.
A faint ache spread through him.
A few minutes later.
Moses stood up and jumped lightly, feeling his body had become much more flexible. Even his plump figure seemed slightly slimmer now.
[Agility: E- → E]
Coincidentally, higher levels of Observation Haki would naturally enhance Agility, Perception, and Mystic attributes.
Now, apart from the Mystic attribute, the other two related attributes had reached the same level.
Because of this,
Moses could clearly sense that his coordination had become much more fluid.
This was the allure of growing stronger.
He paced quickly around the small bar, carefully experiencing the subtle changes in his body.
Agility wasn't just about speed—it encompassed every aspect of the human body, such as neural reflexes, dexterity, coordination, and more.
The improvement within the same grade didn't bring about drastic changes, but it still took Moses a while to fully adjust.
Once he was satisfied, he sat back on the barstool and took small sips of water.
Time passed slowly.
A faint, tantalizing aroma wafted out from the kitchen. Before long, Makino emerged carrying two plates of Seafood Rice.
Both plates were piled high with food.
She placed one in front of Moses.
"Go ahead, try my cooking. If you like, give me some feedback—let me know if there's anything I should improve."
Makino grinned as she handed him a spoon.
"Thanks, I will." Moses didn't hold back. He took the spoon, scooped up a generous portion, and popped it into his mouth.
He chewed carefully.
One bite, two bites, three bites.
The flavor was well-balanced—not too salty, not too bland, with the fragrance of rice and the freshness of shrimp.
"Tastes good, though it's a little burnt. But the charred flavor actually whets the appetite. I just don't know if that was intentional or if it's supposed to have that smoky touch."
Instantly, Makino laughed, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"Not bad! You could actually tell. I got a little distracted when scooping the rice earlier, so the seafood ended up a bit burnt."
"Also, I'm very pleased with your praise. This way, I'll be even more confident about opening my bar in the future."
Devouring the fried rice, Moses said:
"The future? Your house seems quite spacious, and there's no one else here."
"Makino, don't tell me you're alone too?"
Moses clearly noticed Makino's hand pausing briefly while eating, but it was just for a moment before she continued.
"Sorry. That was an inappropriate question."
Moses apologized.
Makino swallowed her food and smiled:
"It's not something you can't ask. I'm the only one at home now. My parents used to run a bar here, but they died in a shipwreck years ago when they went out to sea for supplies."
"But we had some savings, and with the village chief's help, life is manageable."
"I plan to reopen the bar in a few years when I'm older."
"What about you, Moses? Where's your family?"
Moses swallowed his rice and said calmly, "Pretty much the same as you."
Waiting for him to continue, Makino saw Moses just keep eating instead. Blinking, she puffed her cheeks and complained:
"Moses, you're really mean! How can you only say half of what you mean? You know, if you did that to the storyteller who sometimes visits our village, you'd get beaten up."
Glancing at Makino:
"You can't beat me. One punch from me would make you cry for a long time."
"And I'd cry too."
"Why?" Makino didn't quite believe the first part but was curious about the second.
"Crying so you wouldn't die."
"Cough! Cough!" Makino choked violently, thoroughly exasperated by Moses.
She shot him an annoyed look but then started laughing cheerfully.
"You're really funny, Moses. I wish you could be my little brother."
"Then I could laugh like this every day."
Moses finished the remaining fried rice in a few bites, not leaving a single grain.
He drained the glass of water on the counter.
"It's not dark yet."
"?" Makino was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"." After thinking hard, Makino finally understood and laughed angrily:
"You're the one daydreaming!"
Glancing at Moses's plate, she blinked. "Moses, are you full?"
"Can I have more?"
Makino scratched her head. "If you don't mind, I can give you the untouched half from my bowl. I made this portion according to my appetite."
"Sorry, I didn't know you ate so much."
"No need to apologize. I'm eating here for free anyway since I didn't pay, so you don't need to apologize."
"Should I make you something else?" Makino tapped her chin. "Fried small fish? How about that?"
"Roast suckling pig?" Moses declined tactfully. "Can you make that?"
"Probably not. I can't afford to buy a whole one—it's too expensive."
"Oh!"
"Then never mind."
"Oh." Makino sighed. "Sorry about that."
"I'll head out then. I'll visit when I have time." Moses said, "The fried rice was delicious. I really liked it."
"Eh?"
Before she could respond, Moses had already picked up his fishing rod and headed out the back door.
Makino put down her spoon and hurried after him, but by the time she reached the yard, Moses was already gone.
She couldn't help but puff out her cheeks.
"How could this be? Eating and then running off—I'm really not a human trafficker."
Makino sighed helplessly.
...
Walking down the street,
with a fishing pole slung over his shoulder,
Moses glanced at his stomach and immediately headed toward the warship docked at the harbor.
Before long, he boarded the ship, carelessly tossed the fishing pole into a corner, and made a beeline for the dining hall.
It was lunchtime.
As soon as he entered, he saw Bogart waving at him.
"Moses, over here!"
Moses first went to the kitchen window and loaded up a plate with a hefty serving of meaty ribs and a bowl of noodles topped with an unknown minced meat and egg mixture.
Settling down beside Bogart, Moses dug in without hesitation.
Alternating between bites of meat and slurps of noodles, he ate with gusto.
Bogart asked curiously, "Why didn't you come with your grandpa?"
"I went fishing earlier but didn't catch anything. Then I mooched a meal off some stranger."
"So you're still hungry, huh?" Bogart chuckled. "Pfft, well, of course. Ordinary folks can't afford to feed you."
"Old man… if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."
Wolfing down his food, Moses polished off the meat and noodles in no time.
After returning the dishes to the kitchen,
Moses turned to Bogart and said, "I've got something to take care of. If my grandpa comes back, tell him I went to Mt. Colubo."
"Got it. Be careful."
Moses returned to his room, grabbed his axe, and then left the warship.
Following the mountain path, he passed by a pasture and eyed the plump cows grazing inside.
"Maybe I'll hunt something later."
Once he entered the mountains, Moses instantly felt more at ease, his body and mind liberated.
Breathing steadily, he picked up speed, swinging his arms as he broke into a run.
Feeling the wind brush against his cheeks, he expanded his Observation Haki, searching for prey.
Along the way,
towering trees appeared, their roots blanketed in emerald moss. At one point, Moses noticed numerous broken branches among the undergrowth.
"And friction marks on the tree roots."
He began mentally analyzing what kind of creature—and how large—could have caused such signs.
Following the intermittent trail, Moses pressed on.
His Observation Haki remained active, filtering out extraneous presences.
A short while later, Moses crouched low, spotting his prey not far ahead.
A two-meter-long black wild bull, muscular and glossy, with a pair of thick, backward-curving horns atop its head.
Its tail flicked behind it, swatting away insects as it lowered its head to graze on tender shrubs.
"I'll need to take it down in one hit. The neck's the only option."
Adjusting his breath and slowing his heartbeat, Moses crept forward.
At ten meters away, the bull finally noticed him.
"Moo!"
Lifting its head, it snorted loudly, its right foreleg pawing the ground as its eyes locked onto Moses.
The bull lowered its head, and Moses sensed its muscles tensing, ready to charge.
He kept advancing.
The next moment, the bull charged, head down, straight at Moses.
The ten-meter gap closed in an instant.
Thanks to his precognitive Observation Haki, Moses leaped up just in time, flipping backward mid-air, gripping his axe tightly in his right hand.
As they crossed paths,
Moses swung the axe down.
Thud!
A spray of warm, metallic-smelling blood erupted.
In the blink of an eye, the bull continued forward by momentum, while Moses twisted his body mid-air and landed steadily on his feet.
He turned to look at the wild ox, whose neck bore a long, narrow gash as deep as an upright palm.
The ox had suffered a fatal wound and was already collapsed on the ground. Moses stepped forward and delivered another axe blow to its artery.
Squelch!
Another spray of blood erupted.
The ox finally ceased all movement.
Soon after, an irregular crystal the size of a grain of rice, shimmering with a mysterious glow, emerged from its corpse.
[Obtained F+ Grade Soul Crystal ×1]
After briefly dealing with the ox's blood, Moses grabbed its horns and dragged it toward the nearby Corvo Mountain.
It took over half an hour, but Moses finally hauled the ox to the Dadan Family Home, where he immediately spotted Ace sitting cross-legged under the shade of a tree, practicing his Breath.
Along with the occasional cough-cough that interrupted the silence.
Moses' arrival wasn't exactly quiet, and Ace noticed him right away.
"Moses?" Ace's face was full of disbelief. "You took down a beast this big?"
Dropping the ox by the door, Moses grinned.
"You saw it with your own eyes, didn't you?"
Author's Note:
Sorry for the late update, lost track of time while writing! New book by a new author! Please follow along!
Votes, recommendations, and investments are greatly appreciated!
PS: [Soul Crystal]: Obtained through slaying creatures of varying grades, Soul Crystals can be used to enhance attributes and Bestowed Abilities. (Soul Crystals are forged from the condensed Blessing of a life's spiritual essence.)
-
Soul Crystals can be
fused/decomposed
.
-
Same-grade fusion follows a
5-step system
(e.g., F- → F), while cross-grade fusion follows a
10-step system
(e.g., F+ → E-).
-
5 F- grade Soul Crystals = 1 F grade Soul Crystal
-
5 F grade Soul Crystals = 1 F+ grade Soul Crystal
-
10 F+ grade Soul Crystals = 1 E- grade Soul Crystal
Example: 10,000 F- grade Soul Crystals can only be synthesized into 8 E-grade Soul Crystals.
100 million F- grade Soul Crystals can be fused into roughly 1.2 C-grade Soul Crystals.
PS: 10,000 F- grade Soul Crystals = extracted from 10,000 F- grade lives.
PS: Spiritual essence is the foundation or essence of a lifeform, representing its inherent potential and possibilities. It is the unique, latent core element of every living being or entity.
PS: The grade of Soul Crystals obtained is proportional to the slain target's strength.
PS: After slaying prey, Soul Crystals naturally emerge from the corpse.
(End of Chapter)