Chapter 25: Steamed Clams (2)

"By the way, Manaia, you lost the bet, don’t forget to pay," I reminded her with a mischievous smile. "What bet?" Vira asked, curious, but Manaia quickly cut her off before she could say more. Manaia just shot me a warning glance, while I laughed and told them it was a secret. "It’s a secret, girls, you can only ask Manaia," I added, enjoying their intrigue. I approached the sea. Some steam was still rising from the water due to the heat radiated by the process. I started pulling out the cooked clams. The girls looked at me, intrigued, and asked what I was going to do with them. "They’re delicious, but be very careful," I warned them. "You need to eat them slowly, a small piece at a time, and don’t overdo it, or you’ll pay dearly." Taking advantage of a shell that hadn’t been completely destroyed, I used it as a pan and placed it over the flames. I began to sauté the clam meat. Soon, an extremely delicious aroma wafted from the meat, making everyone drool, eagerly waiting to taste it. "Here you go: Steel Clam in its shell. Enjoy!" Each of them began to devour pieces of clam. The girls ignored my warnings, taking large bites of the meat. "Wow, what a delicacy! I’ve never tasted anything like this, Chief Jax. If I can always eat like this, I’ll follow you to hell!" Zyra exclaimed. "Zyra, you’re always so greedy, though I support you this time! Leader, you’re a magnificent cook," Vira added. "Magnificent is an understatement, Vira. This taste is almost heavenly," another girl chimed in. "I appreciate your compliments, but I’m not worthy of them," I told them. "It’s not me, it’s the clam. With this killing method, all its juices are kept inside, giving it an exquisite flavor. Plus, it will help you grow stronger. Devouring the meat of the beasts you kill helps improve your physical body. It’s like killing two birds with one stone." Seeing the girls eat carelessly, I couldn’t help but remind them: "These beasts are much higher level than you are. Only Manaia can eat without worries." "Chief Jax, how did you know these beasts were edible?" "During my time in the kingdom, it was standard practice. Killing and devouring the beasts we killed," I replied. "I just can’t stand eating humanoid beasts; they disgust me. But goblins and orcs are completely edible. And yes, some will have cores, but only boss-level beasts would have one." "And they’re divided into F, E, D, C, B, A, and S?" Zyra asked. "Exactly," I replied. "Just like weapons?" "That’s right. The higher the monster’s level, the more possibilities there are. I’m surprised these clams didn’t have a single pearl. In the kingdom, these clams are highly coveted for their pearls; they have healing properties. They’re even better than many guild potions." Everyone continued eating until Vira and Zyra felt their bodies burning, to the point where it hurt too much. Both closed their eyes and ran into the water to cool off, while I just laughed and kept eating. After a while, both returned, surprised to see they had leveled up to Level 6. "That was the goal of devouring monsters: to become stronger," I explained. Manaia ate an entire clam before she couldn’t fit any more meat. However, she didn’t manage to level up. The clam was Level 15 and she was Level 20, I thought. Monsters with less than a three-level difference yielded much less experience. It seems it’s not just a limitation for the Hero. In contrast, I, who ate almost five clams, managed to gain another 4 levels, reaching Level 11. That made me very happy, as I could finally unlock the divine abilities. There are two types of abilities. Those obtained at birth, for example: with the help of the guild system, I had seen that the girls had a category. That depended on their tastes and hobbies, and the more they trained, the more abilities they would unlock. Each person could "invent" their abilities and didn’t require any points, just practice. However, starting from Level 11, one could choose divine abilities, and I could now access them. Reaching Level 11 was an immense relief. I quickly opened the abilities menu, eager to see what new options had been unlocked. To my surprise, the list that appeared was completely unfamiliar. I had never seen any of these abilities before. A blinking box appeared on the screen. Upon opening it, a message emerged, seemingly directly from the gods: "Jax, our champion, we have been observing you. We know your path is unique and that you cannot be limited to a single aspect of your power. Therefore, we have united our domains. From now on, all your divine abilities will be a combination of our gifts. You will not have to choose between being an Erotic Lunar Warrior or a Warrior of Time. We want to see you prosper. Enjoy this power and do not disappoint us. We eagerly await to see you again." I paused for a moment, processing the message. Combined abilities? And they had been observing me? The idea was fascinating and a little unsettling at the same time. I shifted my gaze to the new abilities available: Rhythmic Lunar Pulse: Unleashes a wave of lunar energy that subtly slows enemies in a small area for a brief instant, as if their movements become heavier. Ideal for controlling small groups or escaping. Accelerated Lunar Arrow: Creates a beam of moonlight that distorts time, accelerating the arrow’s speed, which increases accuracy and penetration. Nocturnal Temporal Dash: A short, quick dash. The user moves so fast they appear as a streak of silver light, leaving a temporal trail that briefly confuses enemies. Allows for quick repositioning in combat. Lunar Focus: For a few seconds, Jax’s perception of time accelerates, allowing him to see enemy movements with greater clarity, as if they were moving slightly slower. This slightly increases his accuracy or evasion. Chrono-Lunar Link: Upon attacking an enemy, a small lunar mark appears on them. If Jax attacks the same enemy within the next few seconds, the second attack has a slight chance to cause a very short temporal stun, as if time around the enemy freezes for an instant. The abilities were promising, but each cost one point, and I could only gain one point per level from level ten onwards, so at this moment, I had to choose carefully.