Chapter 40: Orange Talent—Soul of the Samurai! (Please Read! Please Read!)
"Faster, faster!"
Abel was getting anxious, too.
He didn't think Doflamingo could keep waiting for him while the Marines were on his tail.
In fact, he strongly suspected the guy was already getting ready to make a run for it.
He couldn't just let go of a long-term meal ticket he'd worked so hard to find.
[Confirming ordered item. Beginning transfer.]
[Beginner Wish Order completed. Customer gave a five-star rating (Perfect Review)!]
[Comment: Hahaha, this is amazing! A windfall from the heavens! I'm rich now, really rich! I'm going to buy the best liquor, then have a glass and pour one out! Hic~]
[Five-star review: An additional 100% of the base Trade Points reward has been added. The remaining rewards have been automatically issued. Please check them yourself.]
[Because the customer was extremely satisfied, you received an additional reward—White Yaksha's complete combat experience (including swordsmanship insights), as well as the talent: Soul of the Samurai (Orange).]
[Detected one five-star review from the host. Details of the requirements for upgrading to Intermediate Trading Qualification are now available.]
[Requirement 1: Receive one five-star review (Complete)]
[Requirement 2: Complete 30 Wish Orders, with a 60% rating rate of three stars or higher. (Incomplete)]
[Requirement 3: Complete the assessment for one special Wish Order and receive a rating of three stars or higher. (Incomplete)]
[Note: After completing Requirements 1 and 2, you may spend 1,000 Trade Points to obtain an assessment opportunity for one special Wish Order. If you fail the assessment, after a 24-hour cooldown, you may spend Trade Points equal to 1,000 × the current number of assessment attempts to try again.]
"Holy crap, a five-star review?!"
This time, Abel was genuinely shocked!
He hadn't expected much, but Gin-san had given him a huge surprise!
"Damn it, how much were those treasures worth?"
Abel was a little unsettled, but he didn't regret it at all.
Compared to a five-star review, even the most valuable treasures might not be worth as much.
Besides, he hadn't had a chance to hide anything. Even if he'd managed to take the treasure out, he would've only gotten a small cut. This was much better!
The doubled reward of just 200 Trade Points was merely the cherry on top of this haul.
[Wooden Sword Toya Lake] (Blue)
Equipment Item
Description: A factory-made product bought from a TV shopping channel. However, after being infused with some kind of idealistic power, it became a little unusual.
Effect: Doubles learning efficiency during swordsmanship training. (Can stack with other equipment or skill effects.)
P.S. It's very fragile. Only a fool would use it in battle.
As he ran outside, Abel began checking his rewards.
He already had the purple talent [Rapid Digestion], which gave him a tenfold bonus to learning anything when he entered the [Full Stomach] state.
Now he had [Wooden Sword Toya Lake], which increased his swordsmanship learning efficiency, and its effect could stack. Wouldn't that make him a swordsmanship genius in an instant?!
No, he already was a swordsmanship genius!
He'd successfully absorbed all of White Yaksha's combat experience, including his swordsmanship insights.
Although a lot of memories had suddenly appeared in his mind, they were pure and had merged with him quickly and smoothly, as if he'd personally experienced those battles.
Abel believed that if he trained hard over the next little while, he'd soon build an incredibly solid foundation in swordsmanship.
With a foundation like that, learning any sword style would be twice as effective, and he'd advance by leaps and bounds!
But the biggest surprise was yet to come.
[Obtained Orange Talent—Soul of the Samurai]
[Description: An unyielding soul forged from a tenacious will and an unwavering belief in moving forward. Even when gravely wounded and on the verge of death in battle, its owner can often unleash astonishing combat power and turn the tables on their enemy!]
[Upon entering the 'Gravely Wounded' state, the host's combat power will increase by 300%, and he will be immune to one fatal effect. This lasts until he leaves the 'Gravely Wounded' state or enters the 'Near Death' state. Cooldown: 24 hours.]
[Upon entering the 'Near Death' state, the host must rely on the unyielding belief in his heart to complete three sit-ups. This will clear all temporary negative effects and restore him to full health. Cooldown: 24 hours.]
"Woohoo, I'm taking off!"
The extra reward from getting a five-star review was on a whole different level!
One word: awesome!
Now this was what a top-tier talent looked like!
Compared to [Soul of the Samurai], that [Ghoul Heart] was utter garbage. He wouldn't use it even if it were free.
You really did get what you paid for. Orange-quality talents completely outclassed the trashy blue-quality ones.
He wondered whether [Ghoul Heart] might improve once it evolved into a purple talent.
If the side effects were still that bad, Abel would probably just pretend he'd never had the talent.
The upgrade requirements unlocked after getting a five-star review were an unexpected bonus, too.
At least now he knew what he needed to do to obtain [Intermediate Trading Qualification].
He'd completed the toughest requirement—Requirement 1—by sheer luck.
Requirement 2 wouldn't be too difficult either. A 60% rate of three-star reviews or higher was fairly generous.
Only Requirement 3 was a problem.
Not only did he have to complete Requirements 1 and 2 first, he also had to pay for his "ticket"!
The first attempt cost 1,000 Trade Points, the second 2,000, and the third 3,000.
If someone had terrible luck, they might spend everything they had and still fail to obtain [Intermediate Trading Qualification].
So he'd need to get everything ready before trying. Otherwise, failing a few times would leave him badly drained.
Ideally, he'd get it on the first try.
Abel was mulling this over when he suddenly heard a voice from above.
"I-I finally found you! The M-Marines are here! The Young Master sent me to get you."
Buffalo dropped from the sky and spoke in a rush, still catching his breath.
Even Abel was surprised. He'd already resigned himself to being abandoned here, but who would've thought Doflamingo actually had a conscience?
"Thanks. I'll treat you to a deluxe ice cream when we get back."
"One won't be enough. I want two!"
The chubby kid didn't hold back.
Abel grinned. "I'll buy you three. Now let's go!"
With that, he climbed onto Buffalo's back. Hearing Abel's generous offer, the chubby boy immediately beamed and took off into the sky.
Aside from Baby-5, Abel was the first person to ride the "Buffalo Express."
After all, there weren't any other kids his age, and Buffalo still couldn't carry a grown adult who weighed too much.
On the way back, Abel asked about what had happened earlier out of curiosity. Only then did he understand.
He'd wondered why Doflamingo had suddenly changed his tune. It turned out Senor had put in a good word for him.
All right, that pack of cigarettes hadn't gone to waste!
Looks like he'd better keep on good terms with this oddball in the Donquixote Family.
Before you continue