HPDBC Chapter 92
Chapter 92
Chapter 92: The First Theme (2)
—Whoosh!
The first to react to the display of my abilities was Olena, the blonde-haired mage. She pulled a long staff from her back.
That staff looks high-quality.
Maybe it was because of my class, but my eyes instinctively examined the staff. It was made from fine wood, adorned with a sophisticated design with a blue gem embedded in the center. It looked expensive at first glance.
I hope Demir’s business is doing well.
As I unconsciously licked my lips, thoroughly inspecting the item, Olena swung her staff.
—Swish!
“My ability is magic. My element is water.”
Bubbling droplets formed in the air and then cascaded down to the ground in streams.
“You’re all quite lucky. I’ll be able to supply drinking water easily.”
Oh, not bad. Olena’s ability was better than I expected since water was one of the most essential things for survival. Especially in a tropical region like this, even if we found a river, the water wouldn’t be drinkable as it’d likely be muddy. With her ability, we wouldn’t have to rely on sporadic rainfall for water.
I nodded in approval. “That’s great. It’ll be a huge help.”
“Not only that, but I’m pretty skilled too. I was the top recruit at Oxford’s Magic Tower.”
“Wow, really?”
Capu looked impressed. “The Oxford Magic Tower? That’s the prestigious organization that Silverstone is in, right? I heard it’s nearly impossible to get into.”
“Haha, yeah, it’s a tough place.”
“Impressive.” Even the usually reserved Capu was genuinely impressed by her achievement.
Ranked 4th in the world, Sophia Silverstone was no different from a god to us. For us hunters, even being in her vicinity would be an honor.
“...”
James raised an eyebrow. The woman he’d argued with earlier turned out to be quite formidable, which seemed to sting his pride a bit.
But he, too, was a candidate recommended by five rankers.
—Thud!
James set his backpack on the ground and clenched his fists, launching a series of jabs and straight punches into the air.
—Whoosh, whoosh!
Waves of force cut through the air, his body twisting with fluid precision.
—Thwack!
As his straight punch landed, his rear foot followed after, planting firmly on the target near simultaneously. The execution was so clean it was impressive.
“Wow.” I took a step back in admiration.
Regardless of his strength, his form alone was practically artistic in its perfection.
James opened his mouth to speak. “My ability is martial arts. I am restricted from using weapons, but I can deliver critical hits with more precision than any other profession. If my punch hits you, you’re done for.”
James’s ability wasn’t bad either.
I’ll just consider him a standard combat type.
Combat types depended heavily on the individual. If the person wielding the ability was strong, it would be a powerful ability. If they were weak, then the ability would be weak. In fact, the Berserker was an ordinary combat type too—he was just absurdly strong.
“...”
Capu, who had been watching James, hesitated for a moment before stepping forward. “...I’m more of a support type than a combat type.”
Support, he said?
Everyone’s gaze turned to Capu.
“Yes. My ability is an explorer. I can map dungeon layouts, scout uncharted areas, and specialize in detecting hidden traps or conditions.”
Oh. I’d seen a similar ability before.
Ah.
I remembered now. This was like that A-rank hunter, Kang Sunwook, who was a guide for the Parang Guild.
I wonder how he’s doing.
A wave of nostalgia hit me. Back then, he’d seemed like such a big shot, but now here I was, also an A-rank.
“Well...” Olena smiled brightly. “This is shaping up to be a golden balance, right?”
She was right. This was a solid team composition. Necromancers were already overpowered. And we had a combat type, a magic type, and now a support type.
Not bad.
The situation wasn’t as bleak as it could’ve been. I would’ve been worried if everyone turned out to be combat types...
“Then how about we assign tasks based on our roles?”
—Clap, clap!
I clapped my hands. For some reason, I’d naturally fallen into the role of the group’s leader, so I decided that I might as well play along.
“Olena, please clear a spot on high ground. Clear away the leaves to give us visibility and create some basic cooking tools for us. Should be easy for a mage, right?”
“Are we setting up camp?”
“Yes, just a temporary one, so it doesn’t have to be fancy.”
“That sounds easy. Consider it done,” Olena responded cheerfully and headed to a high point.
I aimed to settle on the highest area. While we would typically need to stay near water for survival, having Olena meant we could choose a higher, more secure spot.
“Next, Capu.”
“What should I do?”
“Just try it! There’s nothing weird about it!”
“Uh, alright?”
I took a bite of the banana. I trusted that Eldrin, a member of the forest folk, wouldn’t bring me anything poisonous. Besides, I was hungry.
—Munch!
Hm? It’s tasty.
Just as I was wondering why she’d reacted that way, my eyes widened just like hers because...
—Ring!
[You have consumed ‘Banana.’]
[You have gained 10 trial points.]
A notification popped up with a message that made no sense.
“What the—?”
Killing a person grants 100 points, yet eating a banana gives 10 points? With no announcement about this beforehand?
“What’s going on?”
“Why is Hoon making that face now? You two are scaring me...”
“Are we really supposed to eat this?”
James and Capu murmured in confusion.
—Munch, munch!
I quickly swallowed and grabbed another banana. However, the points didn’t increase after the first bite.
What’s this?
Does each food item only grant points once?
I went to the pit and grabbed a mango.
—Squish!
I broke it open, scooped out the flesh, and ate it.
—Ring!
[You have consumed ‘Mango.’]
[You have gained 10 Trial Points.]
“Just as I thought!”
I didn’t know exactly what these trial points were for, but one thing was clear. We could accumulate points by consuming food found in this place.
“Okay, seriously. What’s the matter?” James blinked, chewing a banana. “Whoa! Damn, my trial points went up!”
Now, everyone on the team understood.
—Ring!
[You have consumed ‘Papaya.’]
[You have gained 10 trial points.]
We eagerly began devouring the food.
—Ring!
[You have consumed ‘Guava root.’]
[You have gained 10 trial points.]
There was no room for picky eating. We savored each item we’d gathered, one by one.
—Ring!
[You have consumed ‘Cassava.’]
[You have gained 10 trial points.]
—Ring!
[You have consumed ‘Sugarcane.’]
[You have gained 10 trial points.]
...
With over 30 different edible plants...
“Wow.” James finally sighed in amazement. “Just from this meal, we each scored the equivalent of killing three people.”
[Trial Points: 320]
That was the number each of us accumulated.
“This is insane.”
“This is all thanks to you, Hoon.” Capu nodded respectfully. “We were able to consume such a variety of foods thanks to you. Thank you, Hoon.”
“No.” I shook my head. “We just got lucky, and nothing’s guaranteed yet. And we don’t know what these trial points mean yet.”
There was no need to thank me. We still didn’t know what trials awaited us. It felt like we hadn’t even scratched the surface of the iceberg yet.
However, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
Does it have to be edible food?
Was it possible to accumulate points with something else?
At that moment, my eyes fell on a colorful mushroom growing at the base of a tree.
What would happen if I ate that?