Deadmeat Saga

Chapter 35 – Skills are cheap. Is the relic trolling me?!

After the trio cleaned themselves, Havre gave Albatia instructions.

"Albatia, pretend that you never had a relationship with Gerhart. It would hamper our plans if you counted toward his quota." Havre said. "Also, you will work with Irene for now."

"Yes, I understand." Albatia nodded.

"By the way, I am interested in your talents, so I will reverse bless you," Gerhart said to Albatia.

"It would be my honor, my husband." Albatia bowed to Gerhart.

"Hm." Gerhart nodded and checked his remaining energy.

Energy: 3,142

"It was 3,155 before, so she cost 13 points, hah? That's a bit more than Irene. Is it because her stats or level are higher?" Gerhart wondered but didn't idle.

Placing a hand on Albatia's shoulder, he made his wish. "Reverse blessing."

Immediately, Gerhart received information.

Thrall: Albatia Elkington's worthy qualities:

Base Stat - Agility B-grade: 1,271
Talent - Contortionist: 50
Talent - Beginner Archery: 9
Talent - Beginner Aura Control: 9
Skill - Beginner Archery: 1
Skill - Beginner Aura Mastery: 1
Skill - Beginner Aura Body Forging: 1(Requires Beginner Aura Mastery)

And that was it. Albatia had seven qualities Gerhart didn't have - A higher base stat, three talents, and three skills.

"Wait, Contortionist aside, don't I have Archery and Aura Control? And why is it showing Beginner? Does that mean I have an even inferior version?! And why are the skills so damn cheap?! Is Beginner Swordsmanship that cheap, too?! Doesn't that mean, by the relic's evaluation, a Beginner Skill Book is worth a lousy Silver Coin?! Were I, Mylo, and Hazel murdered for 1 Silver Coin worth one stupid 1st-floor Magic Stone?!" Gerhart was shocked. "And I absorbed over ten people, yet they didn't have any skills! Were they that incompetent?! Or were they just that lazy?!"

This revelation made Gerhart doubt life. But then, he had a conjecture. "No, wait... It says Worthy Qualities. Perhaps the relic merely ignored their skills because it saw them as flawed or too inferior. That would explain why it didn't absorb them. Meanwhile, Albatia had proper teachers, and her talent is higher, so she received a worthy evaluation." Gerhart reasoned.

"My husband? Are you displeased?" Albatia worriedly asked.

"Oh, no. I am pleased. Just a moment." Gerhart reassured her and decided to copy everything except for the higher stat. He didn't take it because he figured he might absorb it from a monster. It was never too late to get it later.

"It's only 71 points. I can afford it."

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Gerhart reasoned.

With that, Gerhart reverse-blessed himself. Immediately, pain flowed through Gerhart's body, and muscle memory flashed in his mind. His understanding of Archery improved, and he also gained years of experience in repetitive shooting. He felt that his ability to control Aura became natural, and he learned Aura Body Forging despite never trying it. A minute later, he let go of Albatia.

"My husband, are you satisfied?" Albatia asked.

"Very. You can go home now. For the time being, pretend we never met. We will contact you when needed." Gerhart said.

"Yes. Good night." Albatia said and left the massage room.

Gerhart and Havre also left the massage room. However, they were careful not to be seen as they quietly returned to their house, where Hope oiled their gear in the living room.

"Oh, you returned! How was it?" Hope asked.

"Albatia is on our side now," Havre smiled. "Although not much, it is a good start."

"Good to hear! Also, Irene came over and said she convinced Libby to spend time with you in the afternoon. However, she gave a peculiar request." Hope said with a troubled look.

"Peculiar?" Gerhart raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. Libby wants you to massage her and not Havre. She doesn't mind if you are new to this, but she wants you to do it." Hope had a bitter expression.

"Well, that is indeed a problem. While I can give a regular massage, I can't give an Aura Massage," Gerhart muttered.

"My lord, if I may. You can receive the skills I honed through reverse blessing." Havre said.

"Oh, right. I haven't tried it on you yet, have I?" Gerhart nodded. "Okay, let's see what I can get from you."

Gerhart placed a hand on Havre's shoulder and activated Reverse Blessing.

Envoy: Havre Elkington's worthy qualities:

Talent - Initial Sword Saint(Severely Damaged, Repairable, Upgradable): Not Viable(Must be repaired)
Skill - Intermediate Footwork: 10
Skill - Intermediate Hand-to-Hand Combat: 10
Skill - Advanced Aura Mastery: 99
Skill - Advanced Massaging: 100
Skill - Perfect Swordsmanship: 1,000
Skill - Advanced Aura Body Forging: 99(Requires Advanced Aura Mastery)
Skill - Advanced Aura Massage: 100(Requires Advanced Aura Mastery + Advanced Massaging)
Skill - Intermediate Aura Swordsmanship: 100(Requires Intermediate Aura Mastery + Intermediate Swordsmanship)
Skill - Beginner Flash Step: 10(Requires Intermediate Footwork + Intermediate Aura Mastery)
Skill - Beginner Aura Sword Hand: 10(Requires Intermediate Hand-to-Hand Combat + Beginner Aura Swordsmanship)

"Monster! Are you sure you are 18?! Is your talent truly damaged?! I got murdered over a lousy Beginner Swordsmanship skill book, and you self-taught yourself Perfect Swordsmanship?! What is up with all of those scary-looking skills!?" Gerhart was horrified.

"My lord? Are you satisfied?" Havre asked, not knowing Gerhart thought of her as a monster.

"O-Oh. It's fine. Yes, I am pleased." Gerhart feigned composure.

"I am glad. Did you find something? I haven't appraised my status since I was five. I only had Beginner Swordsmanship and Beginner Aura Mastery back then." Havre smiled.

"You monster!" Both Gerhart and Hope mentally retorted.

However, Gerhart quickly regained composure again. "Well, I have good news. I confirmed that you have Initial Sword Saint talent. Although damaged, we can repair and even upgrade it with energy."

"That is wonderful, my lord!" Havre's eyes shined. But then she noticed the second part. "Wait, upgrade?"

"Yes. I am unsure what it means, however." Gerhart said.

Although he saw and heard many things in his previous life, he didn't know about some things.

"It means that it has room for growth. Sometimes, talents can grow, but it is a gradual and slow process, and few notice the difference. However, with certain elixirs, natural treasures, divine blessings, or extreme training, one can improve born talents or acquire some." Hope explained. "In the case of upgrading, I assume it merely improves upon a given talent. For example, Initial Sword Saint can become Beginner or Intermediate. There is no fundamental change, but the effect of the talent drastically improves."

"Oh! Then that is a good thing!" Havre smiled.

"It would require an excessive amount of energy, however. I am unsure we can afford such an expenditure yet." Hope said.

"We shouldn't concern ourselves with it. For now, we will focus on taking over the village." Gerhart shook his head. "I will copy your skills. Stay still."

"Yes, my lord. I will wait." Havre nodded.

The next moment, Gerhart activated his reverse blessing, acquiring all the skills a damaged Sword Saint acquired in her 18 years of living. There wasn't much information. They were muscle memories, utilizing muscles he was used to using and those he wasn't used to, the many transformations and uses of Aura, gaining experience that even a lifetime of training couldn't give. It was then that Gerhart understood just how monstrous the Sword Saint was.

After several minutes, Gerhart opened his eyes.

"Done," Gerhart said, removing his hand.

"Are you satisfied, my lord?" Havre asked.

"Hm... Yes, but also not." Gerhart frowned as he felt the flow of Aura in his body. "I can now skillfully control my Aura, but..."

He moved his Aura as his new skills showed, but it felt rigid and unnatural. "I feel like I gained the skills, but my body can't keep up. I think this is due to lacking your Sword Saint talent."

"Well, that is indeed possible." Hope nodded in agreement. "Skills are merely compounded experiences. If you cannot use them, they will be lacking."

"True enough." Gerhart nodded.

"I am deeply sorry for disappointing you, my lord." Havre bitterly smiled.

"Don't worry. I failed to fully use your skills despite being spoonfed, not you." Gerhart smiled. "Besides, these are enough for me."

"Thank you for your kind words." Havre cheered up a bit.

"Hey, Gerhart? What about me?" Hope pointed at herself.

"Oh, right. I still didn't check you, hah?" Gerhart nodded.

He then walked over to Hope and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Envoy: Hope Farrington's worthy qualities:

Base Stat - Intelligence A-grade: 6,889
Base Stat - Instincts SS-grade: 121,792
Talent - Advanced Intuitive Precognition(Upgradable, Evolvable(Locked)): 1,000

In contrast to Havre, Hope's qualities were more humble, and she didn't have any skills he could get. But on a closer look, they were, in a sense, much more terrifying. Ignoring the SS-grade Instincts, just the A-grade Intelligence was impressive. And then there was her talent.

"Hm? Your talent reads it is Advanced Intuitive Precognition and not Intuition. Also, it is both upgradable and evolvable." Gerhart rubbed his chin.

"So my status reading didn't correctly translate my talent? I see. Wait, Evolvable?!" Hope widened her pink eyes.

"Yes." Gerhart nodded. "I can understand the Upgradable part, but what is Evolvable? However, it says it is locked."

"It means it can grow into a higher-tier talent, like how Swordsmanship can theoretically become Sword Saint. As for being locked, it is likely because it isn't up to par yet." Hope conjectured.

"Hoh... Now I am interested. How much is it to upgrade it." Gerhart muttered.

Immediately, Gerhart received the information.

Upgrade - Advanced Intuitive Precognition -> Perfect Intuitive Precognition: 5,000

"Okay... Yeah, that is expensive." Gerhart said. "To upgrade it, I need 5,000 points."

10,000 was about the amount needed for Gerhart to reach lvl 50. 5,000 wasn't cheap by any means.

"It is up to your judgment, Gerhart," Hope said.

"My lord, how much is required to repair my talent?" Havre hopefully asked on the side.

"Ah, let me check," Gerhart replied and checked it.

Repair - Initial Sword Saint(Severely Damaged): 20,000

"20,000 points. I have enough for it." Gerhart smiled.

"Truly?! That is great!" Havre beamed.

"However, we must wait until we control the village. If you physically change, it would be a problem." Gerhart added.

"Hah... Right." Havre calmed down a bit.

"By the way, Gerhart. I was thinking about it, but how do you know our talents? To my knowledge, I only know you can use reverse blessing." Hope had a thoughtful look.

"Yeah... Weird. Before, the relic didn't show me anything when I was blessing you. No, rather, why is it only showing things I can get and not your whole status?" Gerhart frowned.

He then attempted to check Havre's status, but it didn't show anything.

"Damn... is the relic fucking with me?" Gerhart frowned.

"Perhaps it wants you to acquire the power to see other's status yourself, and it only shows you acquirable talents to help achieve that goal." Hope conjectured.

"Possible. This power is so unfriendly." Gerhart shook his head and checked his remaining energy.

Energy: 1,529

"Hm... I think it is time I absorbed the other stones." Gerhart decided.

With that decision, he went to his room and began an absorption frenzy. By the end, Gerhart looked at the pile of dust and his energy.

Energy: 57,480

"That should be enough. I should reserve 15,000 for enthralling the villagers and 25,000 for Hope and Havre's talents. The remaining 17,000 will be for personal use." Gerhart decided.

However, it was already late by the time he finished, so he didn't rush to upgrade Hope's talent yet.

"Maybe tomorrow or the day after..." Gerhart thought.

At this time, Hope entered his room, wearing only her loincloth.

"Gerhart, would you like night service?" Hope seductively asked, her tail swishing.

"... Yes, please."

Half an hour of exertion later, Gerhart and Hope comfortably slept together.

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The next day, Gerhart, Hope, and Havre left the village after an early breakfast to hunt monsters in the outer forest.