“So, what is this again?” Adran asked, turning the blueprints around to view them from various angles.

  “They’re called jawblades. I wanted Ki’ida to make them for me, but he doesn’t have the materials. Then, I thought, “Why do I need chitin? I could just use bonesteel instead!” and that’s why I’m here now. So can you make it?” Lukey asked.

  Adran turned the blueprint from multiple angles, and his face grew increasingly confused with each new viewing.

  “I mean… I can make it; I just don’t see the practicality of such a weird weapon. Wouldn’t a sword or maybe a glaive work better?” Adran sighed. “I’ll make it, but no refunds if you end up not being able to use it.”

  “Please make it,” Lukey pressed, “and thank you in advance.”

  Lukey then paid Adran for the custom weapon, ten copper coins, and took his leave.

  Ten coppers; that is steep. Multiple months’ worth of food, as a matter of fact.

  The coinage system was a bit strange, but it slowly began to make sense when you consider that everything is divided by stages. At the first stage, between levels one and eighty, every monster you kill only gets you a couple tin coins. At the second stage, eighty-one to one hundred and sixty, you are earning bronze coins with each monster. Of course, there is some fluctuation depending on item grade and rarity, but monster worth is stable as far as the worth of money goes. As a general rule, a level one monster is worth one tin, a level eighty-one is one bronze, a level one-sixty-one is one silver, and so on and so forth.

  After receiving his reward from Roman, paid for by Caldoon as a part of the island's development, Lukey received forty coppers, with an extra ten copper bonus for dealing with the tyrant. Apparently, Saphina would be receiving the same, and it was fair considering she did half the work.

  The rewards for titles worked in much the same way as the currency. For anything below level eighty, a bronze rank title gave an additional five attributes, silver was ten, and gold was twenty-five. After level eighty, these values doubled; after one-sixty, they doubled again.

  My title, Guest of the Mystic Reef, gave me one hundred attribute points in luck. If I’m calculating this correctly, that would mean that it’s a third-stage title, and a gold-ranked one no less. Just what is that place? Will I be able to return?

  Lukey quickly stopped himself from letting his mind wander, and then he considered what Adran said.

  A sword or a slashing spear, huh? I guess those could work, but…

  Lukey did think it over on the way to visit Adran. He could simply go with a sword, an axe, or anything, really. [Aquatic Nature] was an internal art, meaning it extended towards his weapons. So, no matter what weapon he got, it would flow through the water with ease. Would a spear pierce through the water more easily? Of course. However, there were other advantages to weapons that couldn’t be ignored. Regarding the jawblades, there was another advantage besides their lethality and defense that could be summed up in one word.

  Parrying.

  According to Ki’ida, the jawblades are exceptional in parrying attacks. In the hands of an experienced warrior, any attack can be deflected or outright avoided to allow a person to go in for the kill. This normally wouldn’t be of interest to Lukey; however, there was one thing he needed to factor in.

  His luck.

  As Roman had taught him, luck allowed a person to have a mind for opportunities. For a swordsman, it allowed them to sense opportunities to strike amid combat. Lukey was hoping that the same would apply for parries. If it turned out to be true, then his luck would sense when to block or dodge, in addition to telling him when to counterattack.

  In fact, Lukey had already experienced this. When fighting Norman, he was terrified on the inside, but outside, he remained calm and dodged every cannonball before it landed. It was like an unbridled aura of confidence took hold, telling him to have faith in his abilities and keep moving. The tyrant was an opportunity, and Lukey’s luck had helped him to exploit it.

  Guess I’ll have to wait a few days for those jawblades to be finished. I wonder what else I can do today.

  The sky was already beginning to turn a shade of orange as the day started coming to a close. In fact, the streets were already starting to thin out as people began looking for places to stay the night.

  Guess I’ll head home. Tomorrow I’ll start fresh and early with Kiran.

  There was still time, so Lukey headed to the general store and bought a second journal to copy the Neptunian Script and a third to copy Neptune’s legacy. Once he got home, the rest of the day would be spent copying everything he knew until he fell asleep.

  …

  Lukey walked through Tranquil Waters, awake and refreshed. The sun was just waking up, a tranquil breeze wind blew in from the port, and the flora that dotted the alleyways and planters bloomed in shades of red and orange. Indeed, Lukey was well prepared for anything that would come his way, and today, that anything would entail gutting fish.

  Can’t avoid it anymore, huh?

  It was only a short walk before Lukey reached the Searing Seas. The oversized gazebo was currently empty, with chairs placed on top of tables and no patrons in sight. It was still early in the morning, so the eatery still wasn’t open yet. There was no way to talk to Kiran while he was busy, so Lukey was hoping to catch the culinarian before he went to work. Fortunately, Lukey’s assumption was correct, because he could see Kiran preparing his grill over in the distance.

  “Kiran! Hey!” Lukey called, running through the open-air dining area to greet him. “I know it’s been a while, but I’m here now. Do you have any work for me?”

  “Good morning, Lukey,” Kiran stated. “It’s good to see you, and yes, I do have work for you, assuming you’re willing to help out for the day.”

  Lukey nodded and quickly fell behind Kiran as he was led into the storage building.

  “So, I heard you took down your first tyrant. Quite a feat, especially for someone so young.”

  “Thank you, although Saphina ended up being the one to kill it in the end.” Lukey replied. “I guess sometimes it doesn’t matter how much effort you give when raw strength ends up being the deciding factor.”

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  “Maybe,” Kiran said, “but never have I known effort to be a waste. When you put your heart and soul into something, eventually, your efforts will bear fruit. The only question is, when and how?”

  “Yeah, I guess,” Lukey huffed, shivering as Kiran opened his cold storage. “But that can’t be true for everything. Can it? If I use a rod to fish, even if I master it, I’ll still be inferior to someone with a spear. Can effort make up for the difference in equipment? In knowledge? In …”

  “Yes,” Kiran asserted, and Lukey immediately felt the cold around him flee as the flames around Kiran burned slightly brighter. “Effort can overcome everything. All the tricks in the world won’t overcome someone with a lifetime of experience, no matter how powerful you think you are.”

  Lukey remained taken aback by the spectacle, and the rest of the walk was done in silence as he was led towards a crate at the back of the storage room. Looking inside, Lukey could see that it was full of fish. Likely caught from the harbor and sold in town by non-classed fishermen visiting from other villages. They were all long and flat with silver scales and dead eyes, and a quick glance revealed they were of a variety of species.

  “Bring this crate outside. Meanwhile, I’ll handle the vegetables and spices.” Kiran said, then disappeared in a burst of flames, not even giving Lukey a chance at rebuttal. Begrudgingly, Lukey grabbed the crate in a wide hug and began trying to lift it up, attempting to arch his back in the opposite direction of the crate.

  “Why is it so heavy?” Lukey muttered.

  “You’re lifting it wrong,” Kiran’s voice echoed through the warehouse. “Bend your knees, grab on, and then push your legs up.”

  Lukey did as Kiran said, crouching down and grabbing on before pushing up. This time, the crate was lifted up without any issue; in fact, it even felt quite light. This completely baffled Lukey, who had never experienced this type of difference in weight before. He was halfway to level eighty already, so something like this should have given him no problem.

  Then, Lukey remembered the Ogoronia. It became increasingly easier to haul them onto shore once he learned how to leverage his weight properly. Up until that point, he had never been forced to do hard labor, so he wasn’t really experienced in utilizing his muscles like the average laborer.

  Geez… I hope I’m not forced to do more stuff like this.

  Lukey walked forward with the crate using steady steps. He took care to watch where he was going, looking over the top of the crate as he clenched the crate in his grip. He also walked slowly, avoiding waving the crate as he navigated the storage room. Eventually, Lukey managed to reach the door, left open by Kiran, and slowly inched his way through. The second Lukey passed the entryway, he hurried over to the grilling area with the crate, which was then unceremoniously dropped near a table with a cutting board.

  “Too slow,” Kiran scolded. “Do it a little faster next time. Now, start gutting the fish. I assume you know how to do that?”

  Lukey became slightly irritated but followed the culinarian's instructions as he retrieved two buckets and filled one with water. Near the cutting board, a fillet knife could be seen, but Lukey avoided it for now. Instead, he started by taking one of the fish and washing it thoroughly. Once that was done, he placed it onto the cutting board and began carving a small line down the bottom of the fish. The red innards revealed themselves, and Lukey quickly began spooning them into the empty bucket using his finger. Once the insides were emptied, Lukey then began to wash the fish again to get whatever bits were left. After that, the fish was completely gutted, and Lukey placed it on top of the cutting board.

  Lukey grabbed another fish, and the process repeated itself. Lukey cut an indent, emptied the guts, and washed the fish before putting it on the board. He did this with the next fish, the one after that, and the fish that succeeded it. Eventually Lukey fell into a tranquil state as he focused entirely on the task at hand. The result was a large pile of fish that were neatly stacked onto the cutting board, and after noticing this, Lukey spoke up.

  “Um, I didn’t ask before, but how many did you need me to gut?”

  Kiran was busy dicing up vegetables and putting them in various containers. In response, he simply turned his head and nodded towards the crate that Lukey had brought earlier. Lukey looked in confusion at the crate, then at Kiran, before realization fell upon him.

  “All of it?” Lukey said in disbelief. “That’s absurd. Do you really expect me to do the entire crate?”

  Kiran nodded.

  “Preferably before customers start coming in. Then you can get to work on the next crate.” He spoke. “Lots of hungry people. Turns out many people on this island have a steady diet of fish. Who could’ve guessed?”

  Lukey groaned. He was about ready to quit then and there, but then he would feel like a coward for losing out on an opportunity to learn a new art. Lukey didn’t really have anything else planned for the day, so he consigned himself to gutting more fish. He grumbled as he did, and the pace slowed a bit as he felt like there would be no end to this. That was until he looked over at Kiran, and his mouth gaped.

  Kiran carried a gleaming silver butcher's knife in his hand, and it was practically a blur as his left hand kept feeding it veggies to be chopped. In less than a second, tubers, carrots, and all types of fruits were not only diced but also quickly had their stems and cores removed shortly after. This resulted in a mountain of chopped vegetables and fruits, which was quickly piling up the faster he moved.

  “I believe I said I want those fish gutted before people arrive.” Kiran suddenly said.

  Lukey quickly snapped himself out of his daze and began gutting the fish with a renewed vigor. Seeing Kiran’s pace made Lukey want to move faster to compensate, so he did his best to increase his speed as he began cutting and scooping out organs in quick fashion. Unfortunately, he began to fumble multiple times when he tried to do this and was forced to slow his pace slightly as he started gutting in a more methodical fashion.

  It’s harder than it looks. If I move too fast, I start losing focus. If I lose focus, I end up breaking the innards and leaving fragments inside. How much focus would I need to reach Kiran’s level? For that matter, how much dexterity does he have to move his knife like that? This guy is absurd.

  Lukey yanked himself from his thoughts and placed his entire focus on the fish. One by one he cut, gutted, and washed them. Lukey slowly increased his pace as he became used to the sensation and found that the process was becoming easier with each cleaning he did.

  Luke's hands started to become stained red, and the bucket was slowly filled to the brim with each set of heart and kidneys that fell inside. Lukey wanted to go and unload the bucket somewhere, if only to get himself a break, but he knew that if he did that the fatigue would set in. Thus, Lukey pushed himself to keep going as even more fish piled up on the cutting board.

  “Enough,” said Kiran. “Look.”

  Lukey forced himself to stop, and he looked over to where Kiran was pointing. He didn’t see it at first, but eventually he did. Coming through the archway and sitting themselves down was an old man. Their first customer. As a matter of fact, he wasn’t the only one either, because several more people had arrived, and they all looked like they were ready for breakfast.

  “I’ll finish off the rest of the crate; you go back into the storage and get the next one.” Kiran commanded.

  Lukey did as the culinarian asked with a hint of defeat. He wasn’t able to complete the entire crate of fish, but with his renewed pace he would do better with the next one. After going inside the warehouse, Lukey located another crate of fish. It was promptly grappled and lifted in the same fashion as before, and Lukey hurried as he brought it outside and set it next to the previous crate.

  Lukey looked up, and to his astonishment, the previous crate, which was still half full when he left it, was now empty. Looking at where Kiran was, he then witnessed a mountain of fish piled on top of the table. Kiran had not only gutted all the fish in the short time he was gone but had also filleted half and scaled the other half. Truly, the culinarian’s skills were a frightening thing to behold.

  “I just finished,” Kiran stated. “From now on, try tucking your arms to your sides to keep them steady, and also keep your legs crouched so you’re ready to grab for the next one at a moment’s notice.”

  “This is absurd,” Lukey whispered. “Who puts this much work into cooking? You’re treating this as if it were a life-or-death battle.”

  Kiran shrugged.

  “If you really love doing something, would you not throw your entire heart into it?” he said. “When you love something, you’ve got to show some spirit. It’s never a waste of time to improve yourself, especially when you’re doing something you’re passionate about.”

  Those words resonated in Lukey’s mind as he grabbed another fish and began the gutting process once more. Once again, he was given a new outlook on life as he set himself in a tranquil state and began gutting through the crate of fish.