Drewells976
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Chapter 156 - A Day on the Beach
🕑 Added 2023-12-19 20:22:58 +0000 UTChttps://www.patreon.com/file?h=94955689&i=17023478
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Salty droplets tickled his face. The crystal sea on his right was quite lively this morning. Stirred by the winds in the early sunlight, the wave crests sparkled like diamonds against a background of aquamarine waters. The shades of blue and beryl grew darker further off the coast.
Streams of people were already pouring into the promenade along the shore of Higharbor. The end of summer had little impact on the numbers filling the streets. With Autumn approaching, the worst of the heat had subsided, making crowds much more tolerable.
Kai dried his face with a hand. “Is this a bad idea?”
“Maybe. Does it matter?” Flynn raised an eyebrow. “You’ve already decided you’re gonna do it, so why worry about it?”
Yeah, thanks. If there is a switch to turn it off, I haven’t found it.
It was impossible not to feel a tinge of envy. Kai had spent three days thinking about what to do, and he wasn't any closer to an answer. How could Flynn always be so confident and unflappable?
Delaying the meeting any longer would be rude, or worse, suspicious. The twins were dying to show him their progress and skills, Ana and Lou too, albeit not so overtly. They had been all too eager to invite him to train together. Their motives couldn’t have been more transparent, to flex on their poor ol’ mentor.
He could come up with excuses not to go or watch from the sidelines, though that would only postpone the problem. The more he tried to avoid it, the more attentive and curious they’d be about him.
“You’ll get old and wrinkly if you keep worrying.” Flynn flicked his ear, making him jolt away. “It will be fine, or we’ll know better after today.”
Kai glared at him, hands defending the sides of his head. “Remind me why I’m bringing you along.”
He calculated his chances of throwing him off the pier. There were no dangerous rocks nearby and the water was deep enough to cushion the fall, though Flynn would likely drag him along into the sea.
“For my charming looks and personality.” He put on his most slappable grin. “Also, for my inscrutable wisdom.”
Right… I must have hit my head pretty hard last night. How did this ever sound like a good idea?
His irritating friend had gone through the Republic brainwashing program too. That made him the closest thing to an expert that Kai could get his hands on. It was always good to have a second set of eyes and perspective—even if the value of his judgment was dubious at best.
“I’ve only talked to him once, but Lou seemed pretty alright.” Flynn held his chin in a pensive pose as he imparted his wisdom. “A bit stiff, but he managed to string three sentences without mentioning what a gift and honor it was to be accepted into the Republic scholarship program. Trust me, that’s not something to take for granted.”
The stone pier turned to wood and then sand. They took off their shoes before proceeding. The sun hadn’t risen long enough to warm the ground, leaving it pleasantly chill under their bare feet.
A vast flat expanse dotted with people spread before them. Nothing special as far as scenic beaches went, except for its artificially enlarged size, an attempt of the governor to distinguish the capital.
From what Kai heard, the project had never reached any level of popularity with mainlanders apart from when the governor organized an event or festival. Without another use, it was left for the locals for most of the year.
Many were jogging in groups, sparring or otherwise training. They passed an old woman with leathery skin yelling at a group of kids swimming in the water. There were few open spaces to train inside the city unless you were willing to pay the Republic for their facilities. Kai came here once or twice a week to train with Flynn, he recognized about one in ten faces and no one he ever talked to. Anonymity in a sea of people.
“Hey! You’ve come,” Ana raced towards them with a beaming smile, stopping in front of them to catch her breath, hands resting on her knees. No signs of the other three anywhere close.
“You must be Flynn. Lou told me Kai would bring a friend,” she greeted politely with an assessing look. “Have I seen you somewhere?” A small frown scrunched her brows.
“You must be Ana, Kai told me a lot about you,” Flynn offered to shake her hand, all charm and openness. “I remember you from Hawkfield, you were pretty memorable.”
“You are part of the scholarship?” She took a second look at him, her demeanor already more friendly.
“I graduated earlier this year. I remember you were always so busy that we never got the chance to chat. You followed the mana classes, right? Best in your year.”
“Well…” Ana played with her hair, blushing. “I wouldn’t say the best. Sevila and Celui are pretty good, maybe one of the better ones.”
“And you’re humble too.” Flynn smiled again, poking Kai in the ribs. “Any chance you can teach him that?”
Very funny, especially coming from you. Why did I ever agree to this plan?
There were a few things Flynn did as well as being the center of attention. And if they were looking at him, they weren’t paying attention to Kai.
Ana giggled at his expense. “I’ll try, but it might be hard if he’s like I remember.”
In a blink, the two were already in deep conversation about common acquaintances at Hawkfield and sharing stories. Names and references flew over his head, if Kai didn’t know better, he’d think they had been friends for a lifetime.
“No way…” Ana laughed at a story about a certain professor Tenner.
Flynn nodded, solemnly placing a hand over his heart. “I swear, that’s exactly what he said, word for word. He can’t see a palm from his face without his glasses.”
Why do I feel like a third wheel?
When it became clear they had no intention of stopping anytime soon, Kai loudly cleared his throat. “Shouldn’t we get going? Where are the others?”
“Oh, sorry.” Ana's head snapped to him, remembering why she was there. “They’re waiting ahead where it's less crowded. Come, I’ll show you.”
She grabbed his hand to lead the way along the beach as if he had been the one wasting time. The blessed silence was cut short as Flynn got the conversation started again.
“Come on, you have to tell me all Kai’s embarrassing stories as a child. Was he always so…”
"Peculiar?" Ana helpfully offered. They both glanced at him and shared a knowing look. “I remember one of the first times I met him. He couldn’t have been much older than three years, but he had this way of looking at people that made even adults snap to attention…”
Spirits have mercy, this was a terrible idea.
Kai considered stepping between them to make them shut up, but this was exactly why Flynn was here. Turning a bend in the coast, the beach shrank in size, palm trees and shrubs thrived about fifty meters from the shore.
When Hallowed Intuition whispered to him, he was ready to listen. He rolled to the side with a swift motion, a hand brushing his back. Two figures crashed into the spot where he had been standing with a loud groan.
One time was more than enough.
The twins earned a mouthful of sand for their effort. Kai had to give it to them, they had committed to their ambush, going as far as hiding under the marbled sand. It could have worked if he wasn’t expecting it.
“How did you dodge that?” Oli protested in a tangle of limbs. “Did Ana tip you off?” Uli stepped over his brother to stand up but was pulled back to the ground, swiftly devolving into an all-out wrestle.
To distinguish one another, they had different leather bracelets woven with shells on their wrist, though Kai trusted their mana veins more. Using Inspect, a series of minor channels didn’t quite align perfectly.
“She didn’t need to. I’ve also got Mana Sense and you are quite predictable,” Kai didn’t hide his smirk from them. Skill and experience could bridge the gap even if he restrained his physical attributes to a stage lower.
The brothers’ eyes narrowed to slits, measuring him up like a slippery fish in the shallows. They weren’t going to give up easily.
“Stop playing and get up,” Lou walked over to them with an exasperated look. “You can’t complain he didn’t come earlier if this is how you greet him.”
“He said we’d meet the next day and then stood us up for an eternity.” Uli sulked.
“Yeah, he owes us for breaking his oath.”
Pointing out that he had made no such promise and that he had been busy brewing potions was likely pointless, they already knew that. Kai put Lou between them before they got any ideas. “Tell me you wouldn’t have tried to tackle me if I came the first day?”
“Of course not.” The answer took an instant too long to come. “Your betrayal was the only reason.” They nodded in unison.
“Anyway, who's that guy?” The twins finally noticed Flynn. “I think I’ve met him before…” His friend had remained on the sidelines watching the scene with Ana like some kind of live show.
Another exchange of greetings followed while they studied the newcomer. Their suspicion quickly melted away when they discovered he was a fellow from Hawkfield. Apparently, let Flynn pass their friendship test, not that Kai needed their approval.
If only they knew…
“You should convince Kai to join too, he’s not too old.”
Uli agreed with his brother, for once. “It’s a great opportunity. You can work for the Republic if you do well.”
“I told you I can’t.” Kai made it clear he wasn’t interested, but it wasn’t getting through to any of them. They only wanted what they thought was best, though good intentions could be blind.
To avoid an argument, he used his contract with Reishi as an obstacle. He bent the truth a bit to make it sound more restrictive than it really was. He just had to ensure they never met with the merman.
I promise I’ll make it up to you.
“Listen up,” Lou called the group to attention like a drill sergeant. Kai jolted, surprised to hear him raise his voice for what was probably the first time in his life. “We can chat later, training first. Flynn, do you want to join? It’s a similar routine to what we did at the camp.”
“I’m in. I’m just not sure if Kai can keep up.” He patted his shoulder with concern.
You’re committing a lot to the act…
“He can run with Ana. Her biggest focus is on mana and knowledge skills, their level should be similar.”
“You’re with me then.” She puffed her chest. “It can be hard if you’re not used to it.”
“Huh.” Lou wasn’t the only one treating him like a little kid, and she had a single year over him. “I told you I’ve trained with my teacher.”
“Okay… just don’t be stubborn if you can’t keep up.”
While Kai had decided to undersell himself a little for now, he wasn’t planning to be a total slouch, far from it. He considered faking being at Orange ★★, but Ana could read his grade. If he told them he wore a cloaking enchantment they’d ask him to take off and check Virya’s amulet. Orange ★★★ wasn’t something people in the archipelago achieved before fourteen, let alone at his age.
“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind,” Kai said. “You can do the same.”
Without much fanfare, the group started running to warm up. Flynn easily took the lead with his profession, a shiny new unknown to soak up their attention. Lou wasn’t far behind with the twins straining to keep up.
What did they say? Actions speak louder than words.
Little by little Ana lost her overconfidence. She tried to stay a step ahead of him, but Kai easily matched and surpassed her. Her breath became more and more ragged as she pushed beyond her limits.
It was cute how his little friends wanted to show off to their old mentor. Maybe it was time they remembered he had been the boss for a reason. Thankfully, Ana had more common sense than Kea and slowed down before collapsing.
“You’re pretty good,” Oli said, as the twins circled him. Not a drop of sweat on them. “How high is your Running skill?”
Well, that works. Thanks for the idea.
“I evolved it to Orange years ago, one of my highest skills. Remember I taught you how to get it.”
Oli nodded with a thoughtful look while Uli gave a low whistle. “You’re not lying, are you?”
“Nope.” Kai increased the pace till their lazy smiles turned serious. They were in excellent shape, making full use of their attributes with some kind of variant of a running skill. He was tempted to activate Empower and double his speed, their expression would be priceless.
One day I will, I can be patient.
The session ended too soon, it was supposed to be a simple warm-up. Kai avoided any suspicions with the excuse of a powerful movement skill. They continued with a variety of squats, pushups and stretches. It made him nostalgic for his time at the estate, though it was nice to train with other people instead of alone.
Kai played oblivious to the eyes observing him, waiting to see him falter and fail. A number of skills—half of which he Improvised on the spot—were used to justify how he kept up with the twins.
“Are we done already?” He had condensed an artistic trickle of water on his forehead to hide the fact he had barely broken a sweat. The twins also looked far from pleased that their plans to overwhelm him and gloat had been thwarted.
“Didn’t you say you focused on mana skills?” Ana asked, any trace of cockiness scrubbed away from her.
“I do, but my mentor insisted that I train a broad mix.” His mysterious teacher was his other excuse, that walked far closer to the truth.
“How high is your Mana Sense and Manipulation?” Ana bit her lip. “You don’t have to answer, but mine are level 37 and 32.”
Oh dear, I’m not sure you really want to know.
“Oh, I’m about the same.” Kai put his index and thumb a little apart. “Just a tiny bit higher.”
General Skills:
- Mana Sense (lv76>80)
- Mana Manipulation (lv64>70)
- Empower (lv64>66)
- Inspect (lv53>59)
- Blessed Swimmer (lv44>45)
- Water Magic (lv44>46)
- Alchemy (lv44>46)
- Runes (lv40>44)
- Nature Magic (lv38>39)
- Swordsmanship – Advanced (lv24>25)
- Herbology – Advanced (lv34>36)
- Attuned Meditation (lv15>17)
- Improvisation (lv9>12)
- Hallowed Intuition (lv4>5)
Wracking my brains on the cube paid off. 80 and 70 are such great round numbers.
“Okay, time for some weapon training,” Lou stood up, ending their break. “Kai, did you learn to wield a weapon?”
“My mentor taught me a little Swordsmanship.”
Comments
Andrea Pozzi
fixed, thanks
George R
Thanks for the chapter
gostsamo
He has chosen to hide his level and skills level. There is no particular reason to hide empower.
wanderer117
Well, except that is one of the skills he's chosen to hide. Hence all the lying
Geoffrey Reed
Honestly he should just explain that his plan is to meet up with his mentors and he doesn’t want to get tied to the republic because of that.
gostsamo
He does not need to make up skills to explain his physical achievements. He has empower and can attribute everything to it.
Louis Cypher
It’s a great move on Kai’s part to keep his skills under wraps. Zerith has pretty much directly stated that Cressida is keeping an eye on Kai and wants to make him her pawn forcefully in one of the previous chapters. Lou is also suspicious as hell with his affiliation to the Republic’s secret training program. I fear the extent of his indoctrination may be far deeper than the rest If Kai is wrong in his judgement , it could bring down the entire force of the governor on his head to capture him and turn him into a slave. Just not worth the risk until yellow imo.
Nikolai Beckel
Bruh, he can tell them, I know that they think he should join the program, but they aren't stupid, if he explains all of this shit, and why he wants to keep it hidden, it'll be clear to them and he can show them his ability as well as just be transparent and open with people he considers his friends.
wanderer117
This chapter was great. It feels like a lot of interesting things are happening
wanderer117
Stirred by the winds in the early sun, the wave crests sparkled like diamonds against a background of aquamarine waters. could be Stirred by the winds and lit by the early sun, the wave crests sparkled like diamonds against a background of aquamarine waters. A bit stiff, but he managed to string three sentences without mentioning what a gift and honor it was to be accepted into the Republic scholarship. should be A bit stiff, but he managed to string three sentences together without mentioning what a gift and honor it was to be accepted into the Republic scholarship program. Anonymity into the sea of people. should be Anonymity in a sea of people. Ana raced towards them with a beaming smile, catching her breath before them. could be Ana raced towards them with a beaming smile, stopping in front of them to catch her breath. Flynn offered to shake her hands, all charm and openness. should be Flynn offered to shake her hand, all charm and openness. Flynn smiled again, poking him in the ribs. could be Flynn smiled again, poking Kia in the ribs. Ana giggled at his expenses. should be Ana giggled at his expense. or Ana giggled at his expression. Ana's head snapped on him, remembering why she was there. should be Ana's head snapped to him, remembering why she was there. They both glanced at him and shared a knowing look among themselves. could be They both glanced at him and shared a knowing look. “Stop playing and get up,” Lou walked down at them with an exasperated look. should be “Stop playing and get up,” Lou walked over to them with an exasperated look. Apparently, that made him pass their friendship test, as if he needed their approval. could be Apparently, that let Flynn pass their friendship test, not that Kia needed their approval. Kai made clear he wasn’t interested, but it wasn’t getting through to any of them. should be Kai made it clear he wasn’t interested, but he wasn’t getting through to any of them. They only wanted what they thought best, though good intentions could be blind. should be They only wanted what they thought was best, though their good intentions could be blind. He bent the truth a bit to make it sound more restrictive than what it was. could be He bent the truth a bit to make it sound more restrictive than it really was. “I’m in. I’m just not sure if Kai can keep up.” He patted his shoulder with concern. should be “I’m in. I’m just not sure if Kai can keep up.” He patted Kia's shoulder with concern. Flynn easily took the lead with his profession, a shiny new incognita to soak up their attention. should be Flynn easily took the lead with his profession, a shiny new unknown to soak up their attention. (incognita means a lady in disguise)
Silver Beard
Should let Ana watch him tackle the box... that'll be an epic eye opener.
Marcos Miranda
Thanks for the chapter! I have to agree with some people that Kai is lying a lot, and it's becoming a habit, especially with his family. But now, in relation to his former friends, he is being very reasonable. The program was designed to brainwash them, and in a world of magic and abilities, finding out where their loyalty lies is crucial before revealing anything. Kai is an anomaly no matter how you look at it and would never get away with not knowing too much at his age. We know that when the race reaches the yellow level, this will be inevitable, but until then, he will be stronger and have a stronger profession too
B
His man reason for hiding his skill level is the other people near by, yes he doesn't want his friends to know quite how powerful he but that is secondary. he very much doesn't want their teachers to have any idea because that would draw attention
Derek Walker
It’s not just dunking on them but that we’ve seen this same plot point several times over. With his sister, at the scholarship thing, from the captain and those watching him, and now from his friends
Broseph
That's a fair point for sure. The choice will be harmful to relationships but the man is also trying to avoid an audit from the republic. If his friends were thoroughly indoctrinated and snitched on him, I mean Drewells already made the risks clear. It might sting them later but it's WAY safer, especially given his connection to Flynn.
Aidan Geverdt
This is the kind of thing that made Kea so mad and you’d think he’d have learned his lesson about lying about this stuff. I get keeping quiet about some things but he’s straight up lying about some of his skills and I can’t see how that’ll help them trust him at all later.
Broseph
Damn, everybody here is thirsty as hell for competence porn. I get that it would be satisfying to see Kai dunk on everybody but he's holding back for a good reason. He needs to answer the question of where his friend's loyalties lie before he starts showing off.
Kris Boxall
Do not like him still hiding skills from his friends, it’s boring and a waste of time
Andrew
Thank you!
David
Looking over it again I think he was underselling a reasonable (if more than i thought he should) amount until he told Ana his mana skill were just a tiny bit higher than hers when in reality they are almost triple hers and he's been past the threshold to be a mage for a long time. That's where he went too far and was outright lying and it will be obvious once they know he was a mage. He should've just told her it was higher. I hope he finds a better balance with how much he shares in the next chapter
All the more reason to stop lying to his closest friends and family.
TheAverageNerd
I mean there's always been a set line on when it's over. When he hits yellow, since the disguise will stop working then, and realistically he's not super far from there. He might not hit it before 14(though it would be cool if he did), but he's nearing it
Silver Beard
Looking forward to the absolute spanking he's about to deliver with his Sword; that said I was hoping we'd get a resolution for the cube after making our guesses a couple chapters ago.
Gerald Morris
He ain't shit for that 🤣🤣🤣
Brandon Steele
I feel he is doing the same thing he did to his family, and last time it took him to long to realize he was underselling himself to much.
Brandon Steele
I understand why he is hiding... but it isn't quite as enjoyable as the reveal.
Tagmin
Man Kai has become a bit of a compulsive liar. His first response to almost any potential confrontation is to start lying, not only to his friends here, but even towards his family in some previous chapters. I kind of sort of get the need for secrecy, but seems like there's a major character flaw brewing here
TYFTC. I wish we can move on from the "hide my abilities stage" in the nearish future. I can see this going to a shared apprenticeship with our little princess as soon as Lou notices. Not straining his abilities for much longer is sure to hinder future development too.
PlasmaticPi
Nah he's doing about the normal when it comes to talking about skills and their levels when compared to other books. I mean he almost is giving away too much with how powerful he is for his age.
PlasmaticPi
You're gonna have to deal with it cause I feel like its gonna be a few months irl before he comes clean to them.
QKelpFace
PLEASE this secrecy is killing me. I want to like Lou, I truly do but it’s irking me so much that he thinks he’s better than Kai. It’s a valid assumption based on what Kai’s doing but STILL it hurts my soul.
David
Gah! I agree he shouldn't go all out or tell them exact numbers right away, but he's going too far the other way to the point he's starting to lie to them. That's about the quickest way to destroy their trust. He needs to start handling this better ASAP
James Faulkner
Clap their shit Kai!
Viria
"A little swordsmanship" LOL
Doggos R. Puppers
Oh kai you devious little fiend
Pierre-jean Samaran
Ty for the chapter !
mechanizedbush
Tiny bit higher :-) "Remember me while...along." -> "Remind me why... along?" I think is what you meant
Pierre-jean Samaran
“Remember me while I’m bringing you along.” => why instead of while + a "?" At the end? Or maybe not I'm french after all =/
