Skill Hunter -Kill Monsters, Acquire Skills, Ascend to the Highest Rank!

"Huh?" Wisp said.

"Yeah. That's exactly how I feel," Ike replied.

"So wait, the skill knows something, but it refused to tell you? And you don't know… whatever it is that the skill knows? But it's a part of you, cobbled from pieces of you, but you can't feel it, and also it can keep secrets?" she clarified.

Ike put his hands up. "Look, I don't get it either. No part of this makes any sense."

"Man. That skill sounds like a pain in the ass. I don't like any bit of that," Wisp complained.

"Can you use it?" Mag demanded, descending from the sky to land beside him.

Ike looked at him. He put his hands up. "Maybe?"

"Well, I'm glad we resolved that," Wisp snarked.

"I'd say I can definitely chance it in an emergency. If nothing else, the skill is motivated to protect this body," Ike replied, gesturing at himself.

"Right, but will you be able to take the reins back afterward?" Wisp asked.

Ike grimaced. "We were pretty evenly matched… well, we're the same person, so that tracks. If we fought to the end, I'm not sure either of us would win. The skill conceded to me this time, but it didn't say it would every time. In fact, it very explicitly told me it would try to assimilate me later."

"Awesome," Wisp muttered sarcastically.

"Yeah, no kidding," Ike replied.

"So we're right where we started."

"Well, we know the skill knows something it isn't telling us. Something about why Brightbriar is conquering the regions. That sounds pretty important," Ike pointed out.

Beside him, Mag tilted his head. "Huh? That doesn't make any sense." Read the latest on My Virtual Library Empire

"Why not?" Ike asked, indulging him.

Mag bopped in place, then jutted his head forward. "Because that's the one region Brightbriar hasn't conquered! I'd understand if it was from a region Brightbriar did conquer, but he's never touched that one. How can a skill from a land untouched by Brightbriar know anything about what Brightbriar wants?"

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Ike opened his mouth, then shut it. A thoughtful expression played over his face. "Huh."

Wisp snorted. "Did you get played by a skill?"

"No… I don't think it was playing me. It's not like it said it as a bluff. I didn't have the upper hand. I think it was being honest. But Mag's right. I have no idea why the skill would know about Brightbriar's plans, when it's from a region he hasn't touched, as far as we know," Ike said, frowning a bit. He scratched the back of his neck and wrinkled his nose. Why did it have to be so complicated? Why couldn't the skill just tell him what it knew? If they were the same person, what did it gain from withholding information from him?

Then again… we aren't the same person. Not quite. The skill had carved out pieces of Ike to create a personality for itself. They were similar, but the base of the skill, the thing that had carved out those pieces, belonged to something else.

Someone else? Ike found himself wondering. Had the skill become a person? Or had a person, somehow, turned themselves into a skill?

He shook his head at that, but at the same time, a tingle ran down his spine—the same tingle he felt sometimes when he touched upon things the System didn't want him to think about. He raised his brows. Well, then. Guess I shouldn't dismiss that thought so quickly.

He sighed aloud. "Dammit. Why does everything have to be so complicated?"

Wisp laughed. "Hey, come on. It wouldn't be fun if it wasn't a little complicated, right?"

"Right… I guess," Ike complained. He sighed again. Nothing he could do about it. Not until he could conquer the skill and assimilate it himself.

A grin spread over his lips at that. It had given him a hint, whether it realized it or not. 'Or perhaps I will merely assimilate you, and then you shall know anyways.' Two could play at that game. If they became one, they would know everything the other knew. There'd be no secrets then. Passively waiting for the skill to give up its secrets wasn't Ike's way at all. Getting strong enough to swallow it whole and know all its secrets regardless of what it wanted? Now that sounded much more appetizing to Ike.

"Hey, Wisp. You know anything that can strengthen my mental prowess? Or… I don't know, soul? Whatever it is that allows me to completely absorb skills?" Ike asked.

"Huh? I've heard about skills like that, but I don't personally have any myself. Why? Are you…" Wisp trailed off. She caught onto his idea, and smiled, nodding slowly. "Oh. Oh, I get it. Yeah."

"Yeah?" Ike replied, grinning back.

"Yeah. You know what? Follow me. I think I know someone you can hunt to get exactly the kind of skill you want," she replied, and with that, she dashed off into the grasses.

Smiling, Ike chased after her. A few steps in, he laughed aloud. This was much more like him. Standing around fretting about the future wasn't for him at all. Far better to charge headlong in a foolish rush, and hope it took him where he wanted. Even if it didn't, progress was better than stagnation.

Mag watched the two of them run off. After a moment, he harrumphed and jumped into the air, flapping after them.

Like that, Ike's small party vanished into the endless grasses.@@novelbin@@