Chapter 276: Enhancing the Talent
Standing on Goliath’s head, watching the turbulent sea, one wave crashing after another, truly inspired an inexplicable sense of awe for nature.
Although she firmly believed that humanity could conquer nature, she had to admit that people were actually very fragile, and that human strength had its limits.
Faye Yardley stood there, perfectly still, watching as rainwater trickled down her hair, unfazed.
’What’s it like in the sea right now?’
As the thought arose, Faye Yardley felt an impulse to jump straight into the ocean, but she ultimately resisted.
She considered herself quite strong now, but not so strong that she could ignore all danger.
"One shouldn’t be too arrogant!"
she muttered to herself, a reminder to stay grounded.
Staring at the sea for too long made it feel treacherous and unpredictable, a place where one couldn’t afford a single misstep.
With a light leap, she jumped down from Goliath’s head. She quickly returned to the house, took a shower to freshen up, and brewed a pot of Golden Petal Tea. After drinking it, she felt her entire being return to its peak condition.
Her Spirit was in excellent condition, so naturally, it was time to go train, especially since she had just eaten.
「Three hours later.」
When Faye Yardley emerged from the training room, she was no longer as fresh and clean as when she had gone in.
"Willow, let’s have a Mysterious Fish today. Make a soup."
After handing a Mysterious Fish to Willow in the house, Faye Yardley went upstairs to wash up.
By the time she came downstairs, the aroma of fish soup already filled the air.
This fragrance was unlike any other fish soup. Even after eating so many different kinds of Fish Meat on Coralisle, none of it had smelled as enticing as this.
She hurried into the kitchen and stared eagerly at the pot of fish soup.
"Just a little longer, Faye. I’m adding some mushrooms. It’ll be ready in about ten minutes."
Faye Yardley swallowed. "It smells so good. How can it be this fragrant?"
"It’s because the ingredients you gave me are amazing. A Mysterious Fish... I thought they only existed in legends, but it turns out they’re real," Willow Yardley remarked with a sigh of wonder.
Although the Mysterious Fish was magical, it held far less appeal for her than meat imbued with Divinity.
"Legends? What do the legends say? Is it the kind of thing that makes you an immortal after eating it?"
"It’s not that exaggerated, but the legends say that eating a Mysterious Fish can enhance one’s personal Talents."
’Holy crap!’
’Enhance my Talents? Can my Talents get a 2.0 upgrade?’
’Does this mean my loot boxes will start at double or even triple rewards from now on? Or will my Talent trigger for things other than opening treasure chests?’
’Now I want to eat it even more.’
Truly, Faye Yardley never knew she could be so ravenous and impatient.
The moment it was done and taken off the stove, she impatiently grabbed a spoon and shoveled it into her mouth.
"Faye, be careful, it’s hot!"
"Hah—hah—HOT, HOT, HOT—HISSS—"
After finishing a bowl of the Mysterious Fish soup, Faye Yardley felt a pleasant warmth spread through her, soothing her from the inside out.
[Your Underwater Breathing Talent has been enhanced. You are now the sovereign of the water.]
"Huh??"
Faye Yardley’s eyes flew wide open. ’Wait, I have two Talents and you only enhanced one of them?’
’If you were going to pick one of the two, why couldn’t you have chosen to enhance my Double Good Luck Talent?’
Faye Yardley felt like the system was cheating her, but she had no proof.
And even if she had proof, there was nothing she could do about it. How infuriating.
Seeing that Faye had been so happy while eating, only for her expression to sour just a moment later, Willow Yardley asked cautiously, "Faye, what’s wrong? Was the legend wrong?"
"The legend wasn’t wrong, the system was!"
Then, Faye Yardley remembered she still had more in her inventory and asked, "If I eat another Mysterious Fish now, will it still have an effect?"
Willow Yardley paused for a moment. "The effect probably won’t be as strong. You just had one, after all. You can’t just keep enhancing a Talent indefinitely, right?"
After all, this was her first time encountering one, so she didn’t really know.
Faye Yardley didn’t think her logic was flawed. ’Fine, I’ll just wait a while before eating another one. I refuse to believe I can eat all these Mysterious Fish and not manage to enhance my primary Talent.’
"Oh, right. Willow, have you ever heard of the Illusion Fish?"
"Is that the fish that makes you have hallucinations when you eat it?"
"Huh? Eating it just gives you hallucinations? Is it that useless?"
Willow Yardley quickly shook her head. "No, no, I’ve never seen one, so I don’t know for sure. Faye, please don’t let me mislead you."
Faye Yardley just said, "Oh," not really minding. ’I can wait.’
Then she remembered the system had just called her the "sovereign of the water." ’How will I know what this "sovereign" is capable of if I don’t go test it out in the water?’
Seeing her get up and turn toward the door, Willow Yardley quickly asked, "Faye, where are you going so late?"
"It’s only a little after 7 PM. Is that really so late? I don’t think so. I’m just going out to see how strong I’ve become."
She stepped outside. Under the eaves, it felt like a light, drizzling rain, but as soon as she walked past the cover of the awning and the Bramble, it instantly became a violent storm.
Goliath rose and fell with the wind and waves, yet it felt surprisingly stable.
The waves towered one over the other, creating a truly apocalyptic feeling.
Seeing her standing in the open space, Bella ran out from the stable and came to her side, nudging her arm with its head.
"Bella, how about we go for a ride in this weather?"
Bella pawed the ground excitedly and neighed in response.
"Let’s go!" Faye Yardley vaulted onto the horse, and Bella charged straight off the raft and into the towering waves.
"Faye!"
Willow Yardley couldn’t help but stomp her foot. ’Sure enough, my sister never listens.’
’And I can’t even go tattle to our brother about it. That would just add one more worried person to the mix and solve nothing.’
Just then, another figure flashed past her.
"Kingston, you get back here!"
The figure leaped over the wooden fence. In the midst of the roaring wind, pouring rain, and crashing waves, even the sound of him hitting the water was swallowed up.
"Those two are so infuriating," Willow Yardley muttered, stomping her foot again in a huff. She slammed the door shut and started cleaning the house.
Faye Yardley knew the moment Cole Kensington jumped into the sea. She rode Bella back, flicked her grappling hook, and snagged Cole Kensington, pulling him up.
Once he was on the horse, Faye Yardley shouted, "I’m going down to take a look! You and Bella ride around nearby. When I surface, throw the grappling hook to me."
"...Alright."
Seeing that he understood, Faye Yardley dived straight into the seawater.
’Sovereign of the water... This Talent is terrifyingly powerful.’
Even in such a stormy sea, she could move as if she were on solid ground.
In fact, she felt even more at ease in the water than on land.
Spotting many marine creatures tossed about in a panic by the waves, Faye Yardley unscrupulously took out her fishing net and happily scooped them up.
Deeper and deeper she went, feeling no pressure at all. Previously, she would start to feel pressure from all sides at a depth of about twenty or thirty meters. Now, at the same depth, she was still completely at ease.
’Tsk, tsk. No wonder the big guy was even more enthusiastic toward me than before. It seems the Mysterious Fish I gave him really paid off.’