CHAPTER 100: UPGRADE TALENT

The first time Gara had seen Liners in black robes at the town square ten months ago, he was amazed by how magical it looked. Really cool!

Soon after, Kala returned carrying two black robes trimmed with white along the hems.

"These are robes for E-Rank Liners. When you advance, you’ll have to exchange them for higher-ranked robes."

Gara nodded eagerly, eyes accidentally catching the green trim on Kala’s own robe. Green... what rank was that again? If I remember right, Langga’s trim was gold. What rank was that one?

After bidding farewell to Kala, the three young men stepped out of the mayor’s office.

Gara wanted to ask Madha about the robe ranks—he’d never even seen Madha wearing his, though his rank had already advanced to D-Rank, or Disciple Rank.

But when Gara glanced at him, the tanned young man was walking beside them, yet his thoughts seemed far away.

Madha was deep in thought about Fian’s Bloodline, and his Talents. Until now, he hadn’t known the elf was a Dual-Liner.

He’d seen the ice-based Talent, which had made Gara so excited. Aafter all, it meant he could finally enjoy iced lumora soda. But Ghost Walk... that was something new to him.

When sometimes, Fian suddenly appeared near them, Madha had simply assumed it was just his natural elf traits making him faster. He had never paid the elf much attention before.

And yet... something gnawed at him. A strange unease. Like his role was being stolen.

Compared to himself—who could only guard and protect—Fian could not only shield Gara but also carry him to safety.

What can I do... to become a Dual-Liner too?

"...Dha! Madha!"

The brown-haired young man snapped from his spiral of thoughts. Gara was staring at him, worry in his eyes.

"I was just... thinking about my shifts once we get there," Madha answered quickly.

Gara narrowed his eyes, still unconvinced.

Madha rushed to add, "I was trying to figure out how to take fewer shifts... so I can spend more time at your side."

Only then did Gara relax, though his concern didn’t fully vanish. "You don’t have to go that far. Whatever the shifts, we’ll always find time to be together."

Madha gave a small nod, smiling faintly.

Before Gara could bring up his question about the Liner robes, they had already arrived at the inn.

And Gara had to resume his role as a milk cow for his children. Especially since they would be leaving for Bota Village later that evening. There was no way he would do this in front of the others.

Inside his room, while pumping milk, Gara opened the Talent menu he hadn’t decided on yesterday.

His face clearly soured. There’s no Talent close to what I want. Is Stealth the only one I can choose for now? But Stealth...

After a long pause, he selected it with a heavy heart.

[Generating Bloodline... Checking body... Checking lifestyle...]

[Generate Bloodline: Druid]

[Awakened Bloodline: Druid. Awakened Talent: Stealth]

Oh? A half-druid with Druid Bloodline. Could the system be any less creative?

Gara scoffed under his breath. But he wasn’t done yet, he immediately pushed to upgrade it.

[Upgrading Stealth Talent...]

[Stealth → Woodland Camouflage]

Without delay, Gara checked his profile panel.

* * *

[PROFILE STATUS]

Name: Gara

Age: 17

Charm: 20

Bloodline(s): Freya, Elemental, Druid

Talent(s):

Max Charm – Boosts charm to maximum (100 points). Passive. Activates when needed. Divine Fertility – Greatly enhances fertility. Passive. Always active. Unlimited Water – Generates clean, fresh water. Active. Woodland Camouflage – Body blends with nature. Active.

Partner(s): 1

Children: 3

[CHALLENGE STATUS]

Challenge Name: 100 Baby

Objective: Have 100 biological children

Reward: Return to previous life with memories intact

Penalty: None

Progress: 3/100

[ITEM]

None

* * *

Gara frowned deeply. What does ’body blends with nature’ even mean? Is it already active? But the hardest part is usually activating it.

He stared at the description of Woodland Camouflage, intending to close the panel and upgrade further. But his eyes fell on the line [ITEM] None.

"It’s gone?" Gara squeaked under his breath, almost choking down his shock.

Don’t tell me it costs two Talent Tickets to upgrade?

For a few long minutes, he could only curse himself for not paying more attention to how the Ticket had been used.

Did he really have to wait until he got pregnant and gave birth again before he could upgrade this Talent?

With a heavy sigh, Gara forced himself to think positive. For now... let’s just hope Woodland Camouflage is enough to mask my druid scent.I’ll test it later.

After filling six jars of milk, Gara met Hilda, who had been waiting with a report.

"Master," she began, handing him a parchment smoother than the yellowish paper he usually used at home.

"I’ve spoken with the landowner about the shop that will become Alrova’s front store. The purchase price is high, so they’ve suggested that we rent it instead. They’ve also offered a cheaper rate than other shops in the area."

Gara read the report carefully, his eyes narrowing at the outrageous sum. He set the document back on the table.

"Stick with the original plan, buy the shop. But not at their price. Push it down. If they refuse, find one on the second-best street. The effectiveness of our herbs won’t diminish just because the location isn’t prime traffic."

"Yes, Master. I’ll see to it. For the new production house, I’ll head to the village after the store purchase is complete."

"Good. Do it that way."

"Master, regarding the lab, should I add more equipment beyond that already there?"

"Yes. Stock it with everything an herbalist might need. If funds aren’t enough, buy it in stages. Either way, I won’t be stepping foot in that lab for a long while."

After discussing more details about the shop and the Merchant House of Alrova, Hilda finally excused herself.

"Safe travels, Master," she said, knowing he would be leaving soon.

She couldn’t accompany them, her priority was finishing the shop purchase. That was Gara’s direct order.

Not long after, Madha returned from the barracks with his assignment letter for Bota Village.

And with that, their group was ready to depart.

...