Chapter 26: New Abilities

My mind returned to the girls, their vulnerability and my responsibility as their leader. I needed something that would not only make me stronger, but also allow me to effectively protect them while they trained. I thought about the formation we would have, how I would be at the center, guiding and covering them. An ability that could reach long distances, with precision and the capacity to pierce defenses... After reflecting for a long while, my decision was clear. With a firm tap, I selected: [Accelerated Lunar Arrow] This ability would allow me to be at the center of the formation and cover all of them, protecting them from any unexpected danger. With it, I could cover a large area, taking down threats before they got too close. It was the perfect choice for the safety of my girls. Manaia approached me, asking in a low voice: "Did you get anything good from that clam madness? I can see your big smile, you look very happy." I nodded. "Yes, I got new abilities. What about you? What abilities do you have?" She frowned. "None. I don’t have any abilities." That intrigued me. "Open your status panel," I instructed her. Manaia did, and her eyes widened. "There’s a new option I’ve never seen! [Abilities]!" She touched it, and her face showed astonishment. "You’re right! I’ve unlocked several abilities." "Review them and choose carefully," I advised. "I only have three to unlock: [Healing Lv1], [Blessing Lv1], and [Dispel Lv1]," she explained. [Healing] allowed her to immediately heal minor wounds and was a growth-type ability. [Blessing] temporarily increased strength and maximum health by 5% for two hours. And [Dispel] allowed her to cure poisoning, intoxication, and Level 1 curses. "All abilities grow the more you use them," Manaia exclaimed, impressed, and without hesitation, she activated all three. "I don’t have any points left!" she cried out. I pondered. Why did she have such generic abilities? I’d seen them in all the church clerics. I’d expected her to have abilities like mine, from the gods of the moon and time; those abilities seemed more from the goddess of light. But apparently, that was exclusive to the Hero, and my choice didn’t affect them. Zyra and Vira congratulated Manaia. "Will we be able to as well?" they asked excitedly. "Yes, of course," I told them. "When you reach Level 11, you’ll also be able to unlock abilities. By the way, congratulations to both of you for reaching Level 7!" "Thank you very much, Jax," Vira said with a bow. "We couldn’t have done it without you. Usually, it takes years to level up at all since we can only hunt small animals and don’t dare to attack any monster villages." Zyra added: "Forgive us for not obeying your instructions. As members of your army, we must obey the commander’s words without hesitation. But hunger blinded us, the pain we suffered will be a reminder of what can happen if we disobey you. Forgive us, Lord Jax...!" Now I had both of them on their knees, bowing, scared and even with tears in their eyes. "That’s how curiosity should be," I said with a wide smile, preventing the situation from escalating. I didn’t want them to get discouraged before starting over something so small. "You don’t have to apologize, just learn from your mistakes. However, it’s time to go. The sun is at its highest, and it’s the best time to venture deep into the island and return before dark." To change the subject, I asked them about the goblin knives we had tied up. They were rusty, and some even broken, but they were better than nothing. "I left them in the storage," Vira said with a shout. "I’ll go get them right away and I’ll see you at the rendezvous point to depart!" She ran off. When we arrived at the rendezvous point, they were all lined up and organized. Vira even held a small sack with the rusty knives inside. It was time to leave, so I walked to the center and told them in a firm voice: "Follow me, girls, it’s time to start the hunt." I hadn’t told anyone that I no longer had my old level, so I started walking into the forest with great caution, trying to remember the path that was free of threats. With the ten women behind me, after a few minutes, I decided to give them their first lesson. "No one make a sound. From this point on, it’s considered hostile territory. You could be killed at any moment. Just listen to my words and stay silent, walk carefully. Let’s go!" None of them carried proper weapons or armor, as none were available in the village. We continued walking east for two hours until we reached a small goblin village. I no longer had my old abilities, which meant I couldn’t use [Hero’s Vision] to check the enemies’ positions. "We’ve advanced safely, you’ve all done excellent. Now comes the next lesson: when our enemy is within their territory, you must always be careful. Never attack without having checked the area. In this place, we can clearly see our targets due to the height. Always look for the most advantageous point for yourselves. Now watch me, I’ll teach you how to ambush." I crouched, using the dense vegetation as cover. On the outskirts of the village, three goblins patrolled. I approached one in silence, grabbing him from behind. With his neck firmly secured in my arm, I dropped to the ground to prevent the others from seeing me. I used my legs to wrap around his waist, as I had taught them, immobilizing him completely. The goblin writhed, struggling to make a sound, but I held him until there was no more movement. I kept him like that for a few more seconds to make sure he had passed out. Knowing that blood would attract more enemies, I didn’t finish the job and instead, dragged him unconscious back to where the girls were hidden. "Did you observe?" I asked them. "Now I want all of you to get into position and immobilize a goblin before dragging it back. Though I’d like to propose a game of punishments: whoever fails to capture a goblin or alerts the village will receive a punishment. What do you think?" "Sounds good to me, but what kind of punishment would we receive?" Elnara asked. "Very good question, Elnara. How about the loser has to walk naked for the rest of the training until we return to the village?" The girls fell silent, staring at me with their mouths agape, as they hadn’t expected such a request. Just when I thought I had overstepped, Riven was the first to answer. "Sounds good to me. If they don’t put in the effort, our savior will see their hairy peaches, hahaha...!" "Let’s do it!" Zyra supported the notion, while the others still felt somewhat reluctant.