Tacit Understanding!

Chapter 30: 030. Tacit Understanding!

Crows are vigilant, curious, and significantly more intelligent than ordinary birds.

"It's May, which seems to be the crow's breeding and egg-laying season. I should be able to find some."

Walking home, Mercer finished flipping through the manual not long after, gaining a basic understanding of how to raise messenger crows.

Mercer knew that messenger crows were products from another world, "messengers" used to transmit information.

They were bred through generations of selective breeding and continuous genetic optimization.

Highly intelligent, understanding humans, possessing their own thoughts, and loyal.

They were rare companions.

As for Mercer, if he wanted to raise them, he'd have to start from scratch.

Regarding this, "I'm not worried at all. The animals in this world are exceptionally spiritual and magical."

Mercer knew of a starfish, an ordinary starfish.

When it was very young, it always thought it was human. By the time it realized it was a starfish, it had already learned to speak human language.

Very idealistic.

Especially magical.

Not to mention the large, ferocious beasts, Sea Beasts almost all possessed intelligence no less than humans.

There were simply too many ordinary animals in this world whose minds shouldn't be underestimated, let alone animals like crows that were already exceptionally intelligent.

"En, let's go hunt some prey."

Activating Observation Haki, Mercer easily detected a decent aura. It didn't take long before Mercer located its position.

"Oho!" A smirk played on his lips as Mercer looked at the Laboons that appeared before him, a small group of ten.

He gazed at the group of Laboons about twenty meters away, these bipedal, carnivorous, bear-like snow-white rabbits.

Both sides stared intently at each other.

One side's eyes turned blood red.

Mercer, on the other hand, watched them with calm eyes.

He drew a short sword from his waist. This silver-white, forearm-length short sword was just the right size for Mercer now.

Although it was a short sword, Its length was 55 centimeters.

It was about half of Mercer's height.

"For me, this can be considered a 'longsword' now. Good Grade Swords should also have their own names. As I swing it and it cuts through the air, dew will spontaneously condense on the blade. This is Winter Island, so let's call it 'Cold Dew'."

Mercer pondered this. Just then, a piercing roar exploded in his ears, followed by a gust of wind.

A Laboon swung its claws.

Mercer leaped backward, dodging a swiping claw.

He could see fine, tiny barbs on the sharp claws.

As soon as he landed, Mercer suddenly rolled to the side, narrowly dodging a large Laboon that leaped high, aiming to stomp on his head.

Bang! Snow scattered.

He got up.

Mercer looked at the ten Laboons surrounding him, six large ones and four medium-sized ones. All were taller than him, with the large ones already exceeding three meters.

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, and Mercer said softly, "Having a large number doesn't necessarily mean having great power."

He stomped on the ground, kicking up a spray of snow, and Mercer rushed towards a large Laboon directly in front of him.

The four-meter distance was covered in a breath as he reached its front. The Laboon roared with its mouth wide open, swinging a paw.

Mercer's eyes remained calm. He took a step back, and at the same time, the edge of the Cold Dew sword in his right hand suddenly slashed upward with Precision.

Slish!

A sound like slicing through paper echoed, and a splash of blood flew. The Laboon's palm was directly cut with a narrow wound.

"Aooo!!!"

The intense pain made it roar as it retracted its claw.

But it retracted, while Mercer did not. Suddenly stepping forward, he charged in front of it and slashed with his sword. Slish, the sword pierced its knee cartilage.

The Laboon roared again in pain and knelt on the ground. At this moment, Mercer appeared beside it, raising the Cold Dew and bringing it down in a sweeping strike.

The sharp blade cut through the fur and severed its neck.

Mercer glanced at the Cold Dew in his hand. The dew condensed on the blade slid down the tip along with the blood.

Drip!

Blood splattered on the snow, creating a crimson hole.

Mercer watched as the charging Laboons, far from being intimidated by the death of one of their own, roared with even greater fury.

His expression unchanged, he skillfully weaved through the Laboon pack, his sharp sword precisely slicing into the joints of their legs, leaving wounds that cut deep to the bone.

The Laboons appeared to have the upper hand due to their size, but after three strikes, Mercer would precisely sever their necks.

Less than three minutes.

Mercer surveyed his surroundings, seeing all ten Laboons fall into the deepest "sleep."

He watched as the last soybean-sized E-rank Soul Crystal flew towards him.

Mercer slowly exhaled a breath of white mist.

The ten Laboons provided a harvest of 6 E-rank and 4 F+ rank Soul Crystals, a total of 10.

From his first glance, Mercer had noticed that the three-meter-tall Laboons were E-rank, while the slightly smaller ones, over two meters tall, were only F+ rank.

He didn't dwell on it any further.

Mercer projected a light screen panel with his thoughts.

He looked at the Soul Crystals he had accumulated over the past year.

Including the ones he had just hunted.

Soul Crystals: [F-rank * 119, F+ rank * 208, E- rank * 6]

The harvest was decent; Mercer hunted in the snow forest almost every day.

Next, Mercer mentally opened his Attributes panel.

Attributes:

[Physique]: Strength: E- → E+ Stamina: E- → E Agility: E → E+

[Soul]: Willpower: E- → E+ Perception: E → E+ Spirit: E- → E+

[Special.Mysterious(Energy)]: E- → E+ (Observation Haki growth bonus active.)

A year of blacksmithing, coupled with ample daily meat supply, and the bonuses to Spirit, Willpower, and Perception from Observation Haki and the Unity of Heaven and Man state.

Except for Stamina, which hadn't grown significantly due to his age, all other Attributes had grown to the peak of the E-rank quality, E+ rank.

Mercer was satisfied with his current growth, everything was steadily progressing.

However, Mercer's gaze shifted to the Soul Crystals.

"Since there's a faster and more stable path, I'll give it a try."

Mercer's eyes gleamed with thought as he rationally allocated and fused his current Soul Crystals. In the end, besides the 9 F-rank and 4 E-rank Soul Crystals that remained unfused.

Mercer also fused 1 E+ rank Soul Crystal.

He poured the Soul Crystal into his Stamina Attribute. In the next instant, warm currents flowed from within Mercer's body, continuously enhancing his Stamina.

Time passed.

A tingling sensation spread throughout his body. Mercer could clearly feel every aspect related to his Stamina rapidly improving.

After a while, Mercer opened his eyes, feeling a sense of balance and clarity throughout his entire body.

A hexagonal warrior.

Unified in all aspects.

With no weaknesses in his Attributes, Mercer smiled, "This trend must be maintained. True strength lies in being powerful in all aspects."

Glancing at the surrounding Laboons, Mercer picked out the two fattest and strongest ones to take with him, leaving the rest to their fate.

Waste? Impossible. Laboons are incredibly prolific breeders.

Although, like Bears, they usually only have one or two cubs per litter, they make up for it by being in heat year-round, like rabbits.

As for the remaining Laboon carcasses, there was no need to worry. The smell of blood would naturally attract other carnivorous creatures to partake in this delicious gift from nature.

And by only bringing back two Laboons, he wouldn't have to worry about Kureha nagging him, as she strictly forbade Mercer from fighting Laboons.

Two was just the right amount.

He returned home with his two prey.

Mercer tossed his jacket onto the desk.

He called out Bear Cub to help with the preparation.

The snow wasn't very heavy today. Under a giant tree not far from the treehouse, a pile of charcoal was lit, and two large grills were set up.

The two prepared Laboons were skewered and placed on the grills. As they cooked, crystal-clear oil dripped onto the charcoal, sizzling and popping.

Mercer used his knife to score the Laboons' skin in a net pattern, then evenly spread the prepared sauce.

The roast meat received even heat.

Amidst the sizzling and dripping oil.

A rich aroma of roasted meat spread out.

"You're eating grilled meat?" Kureha's voice carried over. "Why didn't you call me?"

Kureha walked over, a bottle of Plum Wine in her hand. She glanced at Laboon, then at Mercer. Seeing he had no external injuries, she lost interest in bothering him.

Mercer was a little surprised. As he brushed marinade onto the meat, he smiled at Kureha and said, "Finished with your work today?"

"Mhm, my research entered a new phase these past two days, so I can relax for a while."

Kureha smiled.

"Oh, right. Where did you get this?" Kureha pulled a booklet from her back pants pocket. It was the Crow Breeding Manual.

"I saw it in your coat pocket. The breeding drugs inside are quite interesting; they even lightly involve the subject's brain."

A flicker of hesitation crossed Mercer's eyes, but after thinking for a moment, he was about to speak when...

Kureha continued, "Mhm, and also that bottle of medicine in your clothes on the desk, what's with the capsules inside?"

"How should I put it, I I."

Kureha raised an eyebrow, smiled, and suddenly said, "Forget it, I won't ask. You're always so mysterious. Since you don't want to say, I won't ask.

Everyone has their own secrets; there's no need to pry into others'."

Mercer scratched his head, looking a little helpless.

"It's not that I can't tell you. I got these two things through a special channel. You can understand the breeding manual, Doctor Doriel, so I won't go into detail about it."

"Let me mainly talk about the other one. The capsules in that medicine bottle are a potent chemical poison with an extremely high fatality rate, called 'APTX 4869'. It has two effects after consumption. One is death. The other is a side effect that can restore a person's physiological functions to their developmental stage. Mhmm, without reducing their mental capacity."

Kureha raised an eyebrow, not paying attention to why Mercer knew so much. Instead, she nodded with interest. "Cellular-level rejuvenation?"

"Something like that."

"Hee hee hee hee." Kureha laughed with some delight. "Black technology, huh? You don't mind if I study that thing, do you?"

Mercer waved his hand dismissively. "The reason I brought it back was to prepare it for your research. I just didn't know how to explain its origin to you for a while."

Kureha pouted. "Does anyone else know you have this kind of thing?"

"No, just you, me, and Bear Cub."

"Bear Cub doesn't count, so it's just the two of us, right? Mhmm, then it's fine."

"Since no one else knows, I can research it with peace of mind. We won't have to run away."

Mercer: "Run away?"

Kureha let out a strange laugh and rolled her eyes at Mercer. "Kid, remember this: immortality will always be the most attractive thing in this world. Once you master it and others find out, you'll never have a moment's peace."

"Then tell me, if others find out we have this thing, shouldn't we run away quickly? Are we going to wait for them to come over for tea?"

"Oh." Mercer nodded, looking at Kureha and smiling. "Then if you manage to research that rejuvenation medicine, won't we have to move?"

"That's true too." Kureha thought about it and agreed. "It's possible we'll have to move then."

"You have that much confidence?"

Mercer asked curiously.

Kureha said indifferently, "Who do you think I am? As long as it's a drug and there's a finished product, can't I decipher it?

Do you think my one hundred and twenty-plus years of youth were lived in vain?"

Mercer didn't reply, to avoid getting beaten later.

"Mhm, the grilled meat is ready. Let's eat."

Saying that, he cut a large piece of meat with bone and handed it to Kureha.

She took it, not minding the heat, and savored it with delight, alternating bites of meat with sips of wine.

Mercer also started eating. As for Bear Cub, there was no need to worry about him; while Mercer and Kureha were talking earlier, he had already started dealing with another Laboon.

After eating their fill, Kureha smiled and said, "I'm off to do my own thing," and "You two continue eating." Then she skipped back to the treehouse with light steps.

Seeing her return home, Mercer turned back to continue eating the grilled meat, a smile in his eyes. "This is good. Having this kind of understanding is quite nice."

After years of relying on each other, Mercer trusted Kureha completely and knew her character very well.

Mercer thought that if he could draw interesting things in the future, he could continue to share them with her.

"This way of interacting is quite comfortable. I believe Doctor Doriel feels the same way."

"It's just that I don't know when she'll be able to finish researching that medicine."

Mercer used his breathing to influence his digestive system for rapid digestion, precisely controlling it to achieve quick nutrient absorption.

His appetite thus increased greatly.

"Free Breathing Method"

"Precision"

The two Gifts were used simultaneously, complementing each other. Mercer was pleasantly surprised:

"As expected, the two Gifts can promote each other. Breathing is actively used, while Precision can be passive. It's like the palm and the back of the hand, working together."

"It feels like Return of Life, no, not quite. It's not the same as Return of Life, just similar in effect."

Seeing Mercer's eating speed increase, Bear Cub's eyes widened, his bear face showing a human-like hint of defiance.

"Wuwu."

His eating speed suddenly increased.

Mercer glanced at him and gave a speechless look. "If you've got guts, don't use your ability. If you've got guts, don't open your mouth so wide?"

Bear Cub ignored Mercer and just ate the meat in big mouthfuls.

He made "yingying" sounds in his mouth.

The whites of his eyes rolled up.

You're already using your breathing to affect your digestion speed, so it's not like the bear is cheating by using his ability. He's just eating a bit too hastily and not really tasting it.

Mercer chuckled, looking at the silly bear.

He had already eaten more than half of the roasted Laboon he was eating, while Mercer still had more than half left.

Kureha's appetite was just like a normal person's.

A few minutes later, Bear Cub looked enviously at the roasted meat in front of Mercer, while his own roasted meat was already completely gone.

He now looked at Mercer with pitiful eyes.

Chuckling, Mercer tore off a large piece of meat and tossed it to Bear Cub. The latter grabbed it, and this time he ate a bit more carefully.

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