Alex crouched at the streambank, splashing cold water across his face. A trickle of chakra helped keep his focus sharp—Tree Walking and Water Walking were simple in theory, but holding control for extended periods strained his focus. He just hopes he has the talent to refine his control further.
“Balance on water, but don't lose balance inside,” he muttered, eyes fixed on the ripples.
Behind him, Ellie stood barefoot atop a flat stone, hands stretched forward. A faint shimmer flickered at her fingertips—Magic Potential wasn’t a spell, but a pulse, an intuition, it was the magic itself not given form.
“I think I felt it again,” she said.
Alex stood up, wiping his hands on his pants. “You’ll get it. When I look at David still struggling for even a feeling of observation, you’ve made a great deal of progress already. Although who knows magic might be easier than Haki.”
“Thanks for that” she said derisively.
He grinned. “I’m kidding”, putting his hands up.
She smiled, barely. “I want to get some control of the energy first, but as always without a teacher it may be a job for points”
A few meters away, Yusuf practiced striking with a thick branch, aura clinging like mist to his shoulders. He was sweating heavily, muttering short breaths as he pushed his Ren.
Camila sat nearby, sharpening her blade in slow, even strokes. Her eyes tracked each movement Yusuf made, not judging—assessing.
“How long can you maintain Ren?” she called.
Yusuf stopped mid-swing. “What?”
“How long? I’d say if you can’t maintain it for at least 5 minutes I’d avoid using it in a fight. You run out of juice then your fucked”
He blinked. “Yeah, Ten will have to be good enough in the meantime. I think its about time that I see what my aura type is, pass us that cup”
“Alright, you hoping for anything in particular” she said
“Not sure to be honest. Theres a number of Hatsu that I can learn, or make on my own, getting Netero’s Hatsu would be a massive asset. I think he was an enhancer.”
“Whose Netero.”
“Just someone from Hunter x Hunter. Basically, a very powerful old man, one of the strongest in that world”
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Then enhancer it shall be” Camila jokes.
She seemed to be warming up to them lately.
Focusing his Nen, something he’s barely got down, thanks to purchasing Ten and Ren. Time trickled on, till barely the water started to overflow from the cup.
“Enhancer it shall be, huh” Yusuf grins widely.
By midmorning, a hunting group returned—Jason, Theo, Wren, and Hana, dragging something heavy across a bundle of vines. Mud clung to their legs and sweat to their brows, but their eyes were bright.
“Holy shit,” someone breathed. “Is that a boar?”
“More like a walking slab of meat,” Jared muttered as he stepped closer. “Where’d you find it?”
“Northwest ridge,” Theo said, catching his breath. “Tracks were deep—thing must’ve been tearing through undergrowth for days. Got lucky it was cornered near the rocks.”
“Jason got the hit in,” Wren added. “Spear to the chest. It dropped hard.”
Jason looked embarrassed by the praise but didn’t deny it. Hana stayed quiet, but she helped hoist the body onto a flat slab near the firepit.
The smell of raw meat hit the camp like lightning.
Later, as the boar roasted over a low fire, People watched as a few approached the Obelisk, ready to choose their path.
Roger
He chose , nodding to David from across the camp. He walked away quietly after the glow faded, muttering about finally having something worth training. Down to 3 points, he went on the buy a Marine Saber Haki Awareness,Rokushiki package
Wren
She hesitated, her hand hovering for several seconds. Then pressed . Down to 6 points.
She grinned at Yusuf as she walked back. “You’re not the only one anymore.”
Yusuf gave her a mock bow. “Welcome to the aura freak club.”
Theo
He selected , quietly. Down to 0 points, he would need to put some work in before he can buy chakra.
Near the streambed, Ellie practiced again—joined this time by LiBasic Magic Potential. It seemed she had quite a few valuable things to part with to amass the points. The two sat on stones with palms open, trying to sense and shape something unseen.
“How long did it take for you to be able to start to control it” Li asked, eyes closed.
“A fair bit of time, but I can only barely use it.” Ellie replied.
“You think we’ll get spells anytime soon?”
“Not unless we find something for points” Ellie murmured. “Or learn one. But I doubt that’s a route we can take yet, I imagine when someone buys a magic and any spells they might be able to teach others”
“Well at least” Li whispered, “it’s something.”
As dusk fell, Alex and Camila patrolled the southern perimeter. The fencing wasn’t strong—sharpened stakes, broken pots for noise traps—but it gave the illusion of safety. They walked in silence until Camila finally spoke.
“Ellie’s getting better.”
Alex nodded. “She’s putting in the hours.”
“You care about her?”
He paused. “Yeah. I do. Reminds me of my sister back home.”
Camila didn’t look surprised. “She’s not ready for the woods yet.”
“I know,” he said.
She nodded once. That was enough.
That night, around the fire, bowls were passed out—boar stew, smoky and hot, the richest meal they’d had in weeks. People talked more, smiled easier. They’d go to bed with full stomachs this day.
Jared spoke softly with Miriam near the map tree. Yusuf was chatting to Wren about Nen. Ellie practiced flickers of magic over her soup. Alex leaned back, the first warmth of real satisfaction in his chest.
Jake sat with his notebook, tallying names:
- David – One Piece
- Camila – Fairy Tail
- Miriam – Naruto
- Alex – Naruto
- Yusuf – Hunter x Hunter
- Ellie – Fairy Tail
- Jason – Bleach
- Raj – One Piece
- Li – Fairy Tail
- Roger – One Piece
- Wren – Hunter x Hunter
- Theo – Naruto
Twelve. Twelve out of a hundred. It’ll be a good night.