Chapter 90: Orange ★★

Chapter 90: Orange ★★

Chapter 90 - Orange

Pushing aside a leafy branch, the familiar buildings and lush gardens extended with their warm colors. A crystal sea reflected the waning sunlight in the distance. His sore muscles were momentarily forgotten. Kai smiled, it was good to be back. The thought made him pause.

Is this my home now? Ive spent more time here than in Greenside

If home was a place, this was probably it. He missed his family and wished they could be here, but he didnt want to go back to Greenside. That place sucked the soul out of him, with all its petty politics and suffocating climate. The unpleasant memories didnt help either.

The journey took the better part of two days. His backpack made him feel only a fraction of the weight he was carrying, but even that had worn him out.

Youre back. Elijah welcomed him, looking bored.

Nothing speaks like home quite like this.

Looks like I am.

The butler ignored him and took the spatial bag off his shoulders, Get settled down. There is still enough daylight for the evening training.

Youre kidding, right? Kai said, knowing damn well the answer. I just came back from a two-day hike carrying a backpack that weighed as much as me.

Elijah gave him a flat look.

Spirits help me. Of course, hes not. Itd be easier to find mercy in hell.

You took a long enough vacation. And youll discard Steady Runner after the enhancement, we need to make the most of it. Youd better not have slacked.Not a hint of compassion in the man's icy eyes.

Too exhausted to fight a hopeless case, Kai headed for his house. It would all seem better after a shower.

Be ready in an hour, Elijah warned.

I need to find a better home. Or kick out the current inhabitants. At least one of them.

The exhaustion of the travel flowed down his body with the cold water. It couldnt replace a good night's sleep, but being clean and relaxed in the familiar environment of his living room was nice.

I need to figure out how to build a shower.

After he reincarnated, it had been hard to resign to the lack of modern comforts, but knowing there was no other choice helped him make peace with it. Then the estate revealed that there was another choice. Each time he left their absence got more stark and painful to endure.

There were two ways to build a shower, through engineeringlike on Earthor through magic. Kai didnt know much about the first, but his Runes skill was improving steadily. He managed to successfully engrave runes for cold, heat, breeze, and meta effects like amplify and channel.

A shower would be a complicated project, requiring him to combine runes well beyond his current reach. Still, he had no doubt in his mind. Hed make it work, no matter how long it took.

Kai was ready for his training with half an hour to spare. Elijah had been unusually generous.

He probably needs time to sort through the stuff I brought. That must be it.

A power nap was tempting, but hed likely get woken up early ruining the experience. Weighing his options, his eyes fell on his moon lily. The plant looked better than when he left. Kai smiled, an orange flower was resilient enough to last months on its own, but Dora must have taken care of it anyway.

Kai headed to the garden to thank her. He barely had time to look around when she hurried to greet him.

How was your journey? Did you enjoy visiting the town? Did any merchant give you a hard time? Met anyone interesting? Dora crushed him in a hug before he could respond.

It was fine. Kai picked out a couple of leaves that had gotten trapped in her curly red hair. Sylspring was nice.

Come, you must tell me everything. Are you hungry? Silly me, of course you are. All those days on the road without a decent meal.

Resistance was futile, she dragged him into the kitchen and sat him down.

Im sorry I didnt prepare anything in advance. I wasnt sure when youd be back. Its early for dinner, but I can start preparing.

Its not necessary, Kai vainly tried to stop her as a pile of food materialized in front of him. Ive eaten plenty.

For better or worse, none of his teachers did half-measures. Kai recounted the best part of last week as he nibbled on the food. Going through Elijahs training with a full stomach was a terrible idea, and minutes flew far too quickly.

Your time is up. The butler appeared by the doorway.

Come on, Elly, give Kai a break, he just came back. And he has yet to finish his story, you can start tomorrow. Dora waved the butler away with a wooden spoon.

I never interfere in your training, and I expect you to do the same. Elijah scowled, nailed by the entrance.

A battle of glares between his two teachers unfolded. Kai knew Dora would win. She always had her way when she put her mind to it.

Dont worry, aunty. I want to stretch my legs. Ill be back for dinner. Kai passed by a stupefied butler, heading to the beach outside. Confronting himself with his peers showed him how far hed come, but he still had a long way to go.

Valela was born on the archipelago and was not far behind him. She might even be ahead, depending on how far from the next grade she was.

In a flash of lucidity, Kai pushed his hands forward in the wet sand. A wave brushed him, with his body numb with pain he only noticed when the water passed in front of his face.

Damned. Lying. Books. They said it wasnt that bad.

Unlike when he reached Orange, Kai maintained consciousness throughout the whole process. Maybe that made it gentler in a perverse sense. Not a great consolation as the enhancement ravaged his body in an effort to rebuild it.

Jaws clenched, his hands dug in the sand, grasping it in search of salvation. Eyes darting wildly, without seeing anything.

Like the tides always receded, the flames abated and slowly died down. With labored breaths, Kai lay with his back to the shore.

Gentle my ass. Damn liars.

It was done. The last remnants of pain and soreness from his training fell away, his body relaxed as the cold waves tickled him. Shielding his eyes from the blinding sun, he noticed a notification blinking in the corner of his eye.

*Ding*

New Feat: Overachiever Through great efforts and discipline, you rose to the second stage of Orange before your fourteenth birthday.

You are awarded: +3 Favor!

Knowing that would happen didnt make the reward any less sweet.

Another 3 Favor, lets go! I must be the luckiest person born in the archipelago. I wonder whats the highest adults have I should ask Uncle Moui.

Euphoria and bliss flooded his body. He was invincible. Nothing could stop him.

Kai took a few tentative steps, easily finding his balance. The sudden increase in Strength was compensated by Dexterity. Without hesitation, he did a handstand.

He had been wrong, his balance wasnt as good as before, it was better. Walking on his hands around the beach, a grin split his face. Kai almost expected Elijah to jump out of a shadow to douse his mood with scathing comments.

Nothing happened. The world was perfect. He couldnt remember the last time he felt this much joy. Maybe it was the thrill of the enhancement that flooded his brain like a drug. He didnt care. What did it matter when he was so happy and carefree?

Too curious to delay, he summoned his status to see the changes.

Name: Kai TylennRace: HumanProfession: None

Body stats

Strength: 9>12Dexterity: 11>15Constitution: 14>18Mind: 14>19Spirit: 16>21Perception: 12>16Favor: 19>22

Yeah, he had good reasons to be happy. Seven of them to be exact.

If I were back on Earth, I would have definitely passed the superhero threshold.

All his attributes exceeded those of a normal adult, firmly in the second digit. His gains were even greater than last time. Each race upgrade always granted more, perhaps his older age helped too.

Strength and Dexterity remained his lowest values, but they were also the easiest to raise as he grew up. Theyll eventually catch up with the rest.

At 16 points, Perception was next from the bottom. If the books hadnt wickedly lied there too, this attribute was humanity's weakest, together with Spiriteven if the latter clearly had exceptions.

No point being envious of other races, the four-point increase already was mind-blowing. His sight reached farther than he thought possible on the horizon, distinguishing minute shades of aquamarine and turquoise on the far sea. The world was more vivid and bright.

Now that he paid attention to it, the itching of the sand stuck to his body felt unbearable. Jumping in the water to get rid of it, the sudden impact of the freezing water shocked him.

Damn, Ill need to get used to cold showers all over again. Just great.

Walking on shore, a pulse of mana got rid of the water. His mood was restored in the blink of an eye, his dumb grin was on his face again. Casting a spell had never been easier. When he noticed his increased mana pool, Kai jumped two meters in excitement.

No one came to disturb him. For the next few hours, Kai played around with his new physical and mana capabilities. His body was light as a feather and more precise. His mind clearer and faster. His mana more powerful.

Feeling the pangs of hunger, Kai showered and danced his steps to Doras place. He found her already in the kitchen, and he went inside.

Congratulations! I reckon your enhancement went well. The alchemist smiled.

Do you think I have time to discard Steady Runner before lunch? Kai asked. His spike in Spirit and Mind only made him more eager to get his hands on Water Magic.

I think youd better wait. Orange skills arent as forgiving as red.

Kai frowned, disappointed. Better not to ruin the perfect day with that.

Dora set the table, disappearing to bring the meals to the other residents of the estate before sitting down with him. She truly went overboard to celebrate his achievement.

As Kai took the first bite of a juicy steak, he realized he had forgotten something fundamental regarding Perception. All five seasonings Dora used were unmistakable and distinct. And yet each bite revealed new flavors.

When they got to the dessert, Kai almost cried tears of joy, eating a spoonful of ice cream.

So nice to be young, Dora said. Make the most of it. Each upgrade only gets harder.

Right, I almost forgot to check.

Race: HumanGrade: Orange Next enhancement 0/175,000 XP

Oh, damn.