Chapter 25: Third Skill

Martin focused.

He liked everything about Kill Clause, except for her boss-like attitude so far, but he could swallow it thanks to his experience as a white-collar slave. She was clearly a skilled archer, and someone he could benefit from having around, so her third skill and her tease had him completely hooked.

With her bow lowered, Kill Clause held it in one hand. The other hand, which usually would draw an arrow from her inventory, suddenly yanked forward as if she were reaching for something. A moment later, thick green vines burst up from beneath the wooden dummy, wrapping around its legs.

It could still swing its spear, but the vines pinned it in place.

Kill Clause said, "A Snare Trap. It’s another bind in my arsenal. Frankly, I thought monsters were too stupid to see through it, but I was mistaken. The wooden wolves who’d seen me throw the trap easily avoided it, and so did the lake monster. I needed the dust cloud to trap wolves and tentacles."

Martin’s eyebrow rose.

Oh, she went that far against the Baby Kraken? Damn, who did you pair me with, Ms. Cassandra? I’ll need to work real hard not to fall behind!

"And I like it," Martin said.

Kill Clause met his gaze. "I knew you’d like it. We can lock down the area with the traps, and you guiding monsters into them. A single trap can catch up to four wolves, which is handy. The tentacles were too thick, but my Snare Traps still held each one for a few seconds, long enough for me to commit to damage."

"That’s smart." Martin eyed the vines cinched around the dummy’s legs. "The Light Tree’s dungeons are always watching how we perform. I’d only been doing solo runs last week, and I got new skills related to my movement here and solo gameplay, which I dislike. That’s why I’m rushing into the party run so fast."

He let out a short breath. "I also have a bet with one of our teammates that I’ll give her all my loot, so don’t be surprised when I pass her some items or coins. She’s a great player who’ll help us a lot in the run, so we’ll benefit more than you think. And she’s my rival."

"You know what’s best for the party and yourself. As long as she doesn’t demand anything outrageous from me, I don’t mind your bets with her. I also heard about the purpose of the Light Tree’s dungeons. I think that’s why the tutorial quests take players out of the academy for their first battles, or the dungeon would give them the wrong skills and items."

"Oh, that’s true." Martin snapped his fingers. "That makes way more sense now."

Kill Clause’s lips curved, as if she enjoyed his genuine reaction. "So yeah. Ranger is single-target burst with control. Paired with your Threat and my traps, we can keep the rooms contained."

"Yeah. As a Guardian, I hold the front, keep the monsters on me, and let the rest do their job. It’s reassuring to have a skilled Ranger watching our backs. Glad to have you with us."

"Likewise." Kill Clause rested the bow at her side, calm as ever. "How far do you think we can reach without a healer?"

"Good question. We can lean on the level one rule to top off health, mana points, and stamina, but a healer would make it safer. I don’t want to spend the entire day searching, though. Ms. Cassandra didn’t give us one either, so they must all be booked. I think we can go pretty far and pick someone up later."

"I see." Kill Clause’s gaze flicked over his gear like she was already doing math.

"It’s more dangerous without a healer, so we’ll push our limits too. I kind of like that. Right. What kind of snack do you like?" Martin asked.

The question caught Kill Clause off guard. "I’m a fan of mini croissants that go well with coffee. I’m addicted to coffee, and I like to take a bite after each sip... meaning I can’t eat anything heavy."

"Got it." Martin laughed under his breath. "Coffee is a godsend."

"On that, we wholeheartedly agree." A small smile tugged at Kill Clause’s mouth.

Kill Clause adjusted her grip on the bow. "Just call me Clause. ’Kill’ sounds like an order."

"That works," Martin said. "Clause it is."

Things stayed smooth between them, right up until it was time to part ways.

"Tomorrow afternoon, 2 p.m. If someone’s late, I’m officially proposing a ’late clause.’ A percentage fee to the teammates who were on time."

Martin raised two fingers like a vow. "I’ll set up five alarms!"

With that, Kill Clause bid him farewell and went back to the Level One Dungeon to sharpen herself some more.

Does she own a business or something?

Rolling his eyes, Martin headed back to the Spring Kitchen.

The snack question hadn’t been small talk. Martin wanted to cook something for everyone, so they could play with solid food buffs. He just hoped Samu had recipes for mini croissants. Maybe even coffee.

I should ask Chaosgraphy and NukEncore too.

Neither was online, but they’d see his message when they logged in.

Their replies came in.

[Chaosgraphy: Pretzels are fast to eat and not messy. I like to eat them during my breaks at work. Thanks for asking. Did you find a way to buff us through food? I don’t think there’s an alchemy store in Forest Hidden Monster Hunter Academy, which is a strange game design.]

[NukEncore: Sweets! Lots of sweet snacks! Cream, cakes, cookies, candies! Anything sweet! Don’t worry about me either because all fat goes to the right places!

wink

]

Okay, girl, you don’t have to wink at me and swing those tits at me even in my imagination... though I’m the one imagining your chest... oh well, I know what you all like. Time to ask Samu for help.

WOOF!

"Oh, Buracchu... I need your paw."

Buracchu tilted his head.

Martin put Angel’s shell on his head.

I need to perfect three recipes today so tomorrow’s run is the best it can be for everyone.

He smiled. "I need three particular recipes..."

Buracchu barked back. He knew what his job was now!