Chapter 40: Teaming Up

As Ain left the city gates riding the fluxboard, Wisdom Root suddenly responded.

[Quest: First Mission]

[Description: Complete your first mission from the Spirit Master Association.]

[Reward: Heavenly Whispers x5]

Unexpectedly, this wasn’t the end of it. Two quests had appeared this time.

[Quest: Hunt]

[Description: Hunt the Infernal Tiger at Seven Moons Island.]

[Reward: Heavenly Whispers x5]

"Hmm… interesting," Ain muttered, silently joining the travelers on the side of the highway. These quests resembled the first few quests he had completed. The quest objectives aligned with his plans, though only partly for the second quest, and the rewards were Heavenly Whispers, unlike the quest for the ice aspect he’d received out of the blue with unknown rewards.

"My Heavenly Whispers will triple after completing these quests. I can really consider experimenting with Heavenly Secrets at this rate," Ain smiled to himself. Earlier, he had already memorized the regional map, so his journey was unimpeded. Spirit beasts rarely appeared this close to the highway, and it was mostly avians flying over.

Traveling at nearly a hundred kilometers per hour, he soon veered off from the highway, now cruising over a lush grassy plain. As he moved away from the highway, fewer spirit masters could be seen. Soon, he was all alone, traveling on the vast plains.

The morning sky was a refreshing blue with sparse clouds as a gentle breeze caressed the tall grass. The fluxboard anchored his feet but couldn’t shield him from the slamming winds at high speeds. With his current physique, it mattered not, however.

Watching the long stretch of grassland, Ain said with anticipation, “Now’s the best time to test the fluxboard.” A hundred kilometers per hour wasn’t the maximum speed achievable by the ST-4 Fluxboard. “Nox, hold on properly!” he reminded.

“Wooo…!” Nox responded, understanding his intentions, firmly securing itself around his neck.

“Let’s go!” With this internal exclamation, Ain subtly shifted his weight, compelling the fluxboard to accelerate. With a sudden jolt, the fluxboard instantly zoomed as the world around him blurred. The fierce winds, as he pierced right through them, forced him into a lowered stance with hands behind his back for better aerodynamics. Watching the scenery passing by rapidly, a surprising exhilaration drowned his senses. It felt amazing!

The terrain was clear of obstacles, but the grassland still undulated with gentle slopes. Several seconds later, traveling at high speeds, Ain failed to discern an unnaturally steep downward slope ahead. Amidst the coursing adrenaline, he unexpectedly flew off a cliff, finding himself at least ten meters in the air!

At the peak of his jump, when gravity seemingly gave way for an instant, he had already realized his blunder. Propelled by inertia, he flew forward with trepidation in his heart. As the weightlessness dissipated, the firm pull of gravity commenced his fall as he braced for impact.

Thud!

The fluxboard reached the ground, still afloat above the grass, as Ain’s body was flung off. He’d lost his balance. With the forward momentum, he continued tumbling across the grass uncontrollably, uprooting copious vegetation and dirt in his path.

“Urgh…” Upon finally stopping, he winced from the violent impact. It was an unconscious reaction. He wasn’t in much pain. The disorientation slowly faded, and he took to his feet while dusting himself. Despite the intense thrashing, he was unscathed. This was the perk of a powerful physique. Such a fall couldn’t harm a Rank-1 Spirit Master.

“Wooo… Wooo….” Still wrapped around his neck, Nox seemed to be laughing. Completely unharmed, it transmitted its amusement while observing his sorry plight. Disgruntled, Ain’s eyes twitched at its behavior. Nevertheless, he suppressed the urge to educate it and examined, “I didn’t realize the slope would be so steep. I need to better survey my surroundings while riding the fluxboard, especially at high speeds.”

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“That being said, I could’ve actually stuck the landing if I hadn’t panicked…”

Wiping his face, he inspected the fluxboard. “I’m glad I spent a little extra…” The fluxboard was undamaged. Unlike him, it hadn’t actually hit the ground. Learning from his mistake, Ain soon resumed his journey towards Blueheart Lake. His destination, Seven Moons Island, was a massive recursive island within Blueheart Lake, an equally expansive lake about three hundred kilometers east of Heart City. As he neared Blueheart Lake, a sparse forest gradually unfolded before him. He was traversing the towering forest when sounds of battle suddenly drew his attention.

“Scree!” A sharp cry resounded.

“Sounds like a bird. Is it fighting something?” Ain squinted towards the commotion. The sharp screech, drowning the faint explosions, was likely an avian spirit beast’s cry. Curious, he decided to investigate. Riding the silent fluxboard, he cautiously approached the scene, taking cover behind a tree. Then, he covertly peeked out. Right across him was a small clearing. There, a white and green eagle was facing off against a creature resembling a large mole. Several meters away, on the ground, there was a head with short beige hair…

“Wait… is that Hugo?” Ain muttered strangely. Upon further scrutiny, he confirmed his vision. “That’s definitely Hugo buried in the ground until his head…”

Under his peculiar gaze, Hugo was squirming around, attempting to dig himself out while commanding the eagle. Above him, the eagle flapped its wings to spawn a blade of air that was sent hurtling towards the mole-like creature.

“That’s a Ground Mane…” Ain recognized the mole-like creature. Covered in gray fur with black spots, Ground Manes featured a slender body with short limbs and unusually long claws. Their face was devoid of eyes, possessing a long snout. With a max quality of Noble, they had the potential to reach Rank-2. According to his research, Ground Manes commonly resided in this region but were seldom sighted due to their burrowing skills.

Ain observed this unique sight with interest. Deducing the narrative wasn’t difficult. Beside the buried Hugo was a thick log with some scattered food on it. There was a fluxboard leaning against it as well. With just one look, he realized what’d happened. “Hugo was taking a break when the Ground Mane ambushed him. It probably used a skill to suddenly bury him in the ground. That eagle should be his spirit pet.”

Following this observation, Ain decided to offer some help. He’d chatted with Hugo almost daily these past three weeks. He’d developed a good impression. Still atop his fluxboard, he left the tree’s cover, appearing in the small clearing.

“Scree!” Sensing the newcomer, the eagle screeched threateningly, warning its spirit master simultaneously. Startled, Hugo looked over apprehensively. Upon spotting the familiar Ain, he rejoiced. “Ain! Help me!”

Watching someone buried till their head, shouting desperately, somehow appeared comical to Ain. He instantly suppressed these musings before approaching Hugo. From his information, Ground Manes exclusively preyed upon small critters. Furthermore, they were known to be quite mischievous. Hugo’s case probably reflected the latter. Despite this knowledge, Ain remained vigilant, carefully observing the Ground Mane. And as expected, the Ground Mane immediately burrowed into the ground, escaping the moment it sensed his presence. While lacking ocular organs, it actually possessed an acute perception. If not for the gliding fluxboard, it would’ve detected his footsteps much earlier.

After its target escaped, the green and white eagle landed beside Hugo, who breathed a sigh of relief. “Phew. I’m glad that it's finally gone. I wasn’t sure how this was gonna play out. Hey, can you do me another favor and dig me out of here?”

“Yeah, give me a moment.” Ain responded. Fusing with Nox, he activated Phantom Claws and began excavating the soil around Hugo. With Nox finally reaching Rank-1, Possession could now be maintained for longer durations.

Once the soil loosened, and his hands were freed, Hugo crawled out of the hole. He patted his clothes to rid the dirt, saying, “Thanks for the help, Ain! It wouldn’t have been easy to escape on my own. What’re you doing here anyway?”

“I’m here on a mission.” Ain replied concisely. By this point, Nox was back around his neck, curiously observing the eagle.

“Really? It’s the same for me! I took a mission from the Spirit Master Association to harvest an Infernal Tiger’s eyes!” Hugo said cheerfully with a toothy smile on his face.

“Infernal Tiger? On Seven Moons Island?” Ain inquired with some surprise.

“Exactly! Wait, are you heading there too?” Hugo asked, appearing excited.

Ain answered after some deliberation, “Yes. My mission is to gather Sun Poppies on Seven Moons Island. They’re said to be guarded by an Infernal Tiger.” Before responding, he had instantly conjured numerous thoughts. His final decision was to be frank.

“Awesome! Our missions are compatible! Do you wanna team up? We can finish our missions together!” Hugo invited eagerly.

“Sure. Let’s team up.” Ain readily agreed this time. He’d expected this outcome upon divulging his mission. A confrontation with the Infernal Tiger was likely so it wasn’t bad to have some assurance. Moreover, Hugo, a new spirit master like himself, was acceptable from their interactions so far, much different from old hands like Carl and Mason. He hadn’t sensed any malice from him.

“Cool! Let’s head out! Blueheart Lake isn’t that far from here.” Hugo clapped his hands before proceeding to pack up.

“You can finish the food first if you want.” Ain said thoughtfully.

“It’s fine. I was just about to leave when the Ground Mane ambushed me.” Hugo responded.

“I see.”

A few minutes later, the duo embarked on their journey towards Blueheart Lake.