LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 40: Brilliant Mind
Upon reaching the cafeteria, they were all told to lower their excitements.
It was night and nobody knew what would come with it, so as they went in, they ate and slept.
Of course, it wasn't the same for everyone. Jon, on his bed just kept thinking about all that had happened till now. Beginning from his parents message, even the money they sent him hadn't taken a big hit when the world fell. He had been abandoned, that was his only explanation for now.
Then the stadium, he still didn't understand the reason for fall and he didn't need to. He felt like he understood the reason, but only a bit of it. Then, there was the death of Alex. Even though he was the one who caused Joe's death, he was still once his friend and that affected him more than he knew. After all the experiences he had with Joe, and it all ended with him killing Joe.
He wasn't sure his 'Composure' could continue keeping him calm. The fact it was still affecting him this way meant a lot. And as if it wasn't enough, Tunde also died.
He just gazed up at the ceiling. He didn't talk, he felt like if he talked, he would do something he didn't want to.
In the end, he entered his 'Mind world', and maybe because of his deep and intense emotions or his refusal to blame anyone for it.
That night, he unlocked another skill.
…
The next morning, everyone got up with smiles on their faces except one. And with their excitements already reaching the sky, so many volunteered to prepare for their departure.
So, a meeting was held to divide the fighters into two groups: one to finish clearing the path to the gate and the other to prepare the buses for departure. And the other volunteers would join any they wished to.
The group staying behind would have to check fuel levels, engines, and every mechanical detail.
"Why don't we use the hard parts from the monsters to like cover the buses." Laura suggested using it as a makeshift armor to protect the buses from stray zombies or monsters.
And it was approved by everyone.
Each bus would head to a different destination, so the supplies were to be divided accordingly to the numbers in that destination. So during the meeting, it mostly what the people staying back would do that was been listed.
Just looking Jenny and Cynthia, they nodded, meaning they were going to clear the path. Looking at Jon too, they had expected the same thing. However,
"I'm staying back." Jon said.
"Huh..."
"Y-You..."
"Eh..."
Everyone reacted including Jenny and Cynthia. Now looking at him, his face looked so indifferent to the situation.
"What happened to you?" Jenny couldn't help but ask. Now that she looked at his face again, it was like he had drifted too far away from before.
'Was it that bad...' Cynthia was able to piece up the things that had happened lately. But she felt like there was more to it than what she was seeing.
Jon turned over to Jenny, "What are you talking about?" and his face still didn't show any change as he said it.
"I'll stay..."
"M-Me too."
To his surprise or not, both the beast lord and Ronald also volunteered to stay as well.
"N-Nothing..." Jenny shook her head then looked at him again and sighed. He was acting so different, and he didn't even realize it.
While the other leaders in the group held their breaths until the conversation ended. It felt like, if they spoke beyond their boundaries their heads would fly off, it was that tense.
Immediately the meeting was over, they went to perform their tasks. Jenny and Cynthia led the fighters to the path along the gate and Jon began monitoring the people remaining.
They needed to cut of the scales from the monsters while some others were checking the detailed conditions of the buses. So, he began the first task: scaling the shells off some monster carcasses for bus armor.
With his background knowledge as an experienced soldier and a borrowed dagger from the Beast Lord, he sliced through the shells smoothly and skillfully.
Upon reaching the fleshy area, he couldn't help but wonder, 'Can we eat this?'
The flesh looked surprisingly fresh despite days having passed since they'd killed the creature, and the aroma emanating from it was even enticing. But since he didn't know anything about it, he couldn't risk health for food.
So, just as he was about to throw it away, Ronald approached, "J-Jon, why were you about to throw it away?" He eyed the meat with a strange eagerness.
"It's edible," the Beast Lord added, nodding in agreement.
Jon raised an eyebrow, scanning the meat with his Moon Gaze, hoping for clues.
"How do you know?" He asked,
"Smell."
"Looks"
The beast lord and Ronald replied at the same time however saying different things. But, he didn't just dismiss their answers. Looking at the beast lord first he thought of it, 'he is basically a beast, and Ronald's skill probably relates to eating.'
So, there was a high possibility they were right.
"Alright, we will know how it tastes later."
But for now, he needed to continue his task. So, he began cutting another carcass, and after cutting through five more carcasses.
A surprising notification flickered to him,
[YOU HAVE OBTAINED SKILL: "CUTTING"]
[CUTTING (UNRANKED REALM): IMPROVES PRECISION WHEN USING A SHARP OBJECT. EFFECT: INCREASES CUT/SLASH DAMAGE BY 10%.]
Jon's eyes widened. Had he just developed a skill naturally? His thought spinning, the people around him watched curiously as he stood still, captivated by the notification.
Ronald, noticing Jon's intense focus, assured the others he was probably just receiving a notification from the system.
Jon's thoughts raced. 'Wait, isn't this creating a new skill a requirement for-'
Just then, another notification appeared:
[YOU HAVE FULFILLED THE REQUIREMENTS TO EVOLVE "INSTANT CALCULATION" (FIRST REALM) LEVEL 5 ➔ "BRILLIANT MIND" (SECOND REALM) LEVEL 1]
[BRILLIANT MIND (SECOND REALM) LEVEL 1: ENHANCES CALCULATION SPEED BY 25%.
PASSIVE SKILL (FOUNDER): DURING INTENSELY FOCUSED TIMES, THERE'S A 10% CHANCE OF FORMING A NEW SKILL]
After looking at the notification for a while he mused, 'So that's why it wanted me to earn a skill first.'
This newfound ability to create skills was invaluable, reducing his reliance on the rare skill orbs. He glanced around at the others, wondering if they could learn the skill as well.
"If you have a dagger or anything sharp, take it out," he said, facing the group. They looked at him, puzzled, but after seeing the beast lord and Ronald take theirs out without hesitation, those who had knives from the kitchen or other tools from the orbs followed their lead.
Then, he showed them how to hold the blade, where to slice, and how to handle the shells. Some wondered why he was suddenly showing them this, but they still tried it themselves.
After a many unsuccessful attempts, on the seventh try, the first person received a notification.
"I got it! It says 'Skill: Cutting'!" The person's face lit up in excitement.
Jon hadn't told them they would get a skill if they tried. He just wanted to see what would happen and it seemed others could get the same set of skills.
Seeing the excitement of the first person, others became eager to learn as well.
And soon enough, they were slicing through carcasses with enthusiasm, hoping for their skill notification. When they finished with the shelled beasts and got nothing, they moved on to other monsters.
Leaving them to it, Jon began with the fitting of the buses with the monster's shells. There were no specific techniques or anything like that, it was just a matter of attaching the shells to the bus frames. And strangely, they attached to it without any need for lubricants.
By noon,
A lot of fighters and survivors had gotten the cutting skill, and with the increases speed the buses were starting to look more like armored beasts themselves.
After covering the buses with layers of protection that would shield them from outside threats, it looked ugly however their lives couldn't be bargained with. However they weren't done just yet.
The inside of some buses had to be dismantled to store the foods and provisions that had been gathered and the remaining buses had to be thoroughly checked to prevent any breakdown along the way.
Meanwhile on the path that led to the gate, Jenny and Cynthia were locked in combat with creatures emerging from the ground.