Harvest and Hunt

Status

Name: Hina

Nexium: Primal

Level: 10

Energy Domains: Fire, Earth

Specialized Domains: Artifact Refining (32)

Skills: Purifying Flame, Earth Guard, Earth Spike, Artifact Patch

Status

Name: Hira

Nexium: Primal

Level: 10

Energy Domains: Fire, Water

Specialized Domains: Alchemy (38)

Skills: Regen Mist, Healing Hand, Elemental Transmute, Water Guard, Water Bullet

Zashirmiq blinked once. "Both of you are level ten?"

The twins froze.

"How do you know that?" Hina asked, eyes narrowing.

"I've got a skill. Insight. I can see people's status—names, energy types, levels... even skill names."

"You can see our skills?" Hira asked, tilting her head.

"Only the names," Zashirmiq clarified. "Not what they actually do."

Hina crossed her arms. "That's... a lot of information you can see. This skill of yours, don't share it casually."

"Yeah, I know," Zashirmiq replied. "I've only told you all."

Hira nodded. "Good. Well, since you already saw our status, I'll explain my skills properly."

She tapped her chest lightly. "I specialize in alchemy and support. Regen Mist releases a wide healing vapor, slow and steady recovery, good during long fights. Healing Hand channels direct energy into injuries, best for cuts, bruises, quick patch jobs."

Her fingers flared with faint heat. "Elemental Transmute uses fire to process herbs instantly. Instead of boiling or grinding, it melts the essence out. Cuts alchemy time in half."

She raised her hand again. Water swirled around it. "Water Guard forms a wall around allies. Slows things down, takes the edge off projectile hits. And Water Bullet, sharp, fast, meant to punch through weak points or armor gaps."

Zashirmiq nodded, impressed. "That's a solid group of skills. No wonder you've been able to make so many potions and level your alchemy so high."

Then Hina stepped in. "Artifact work's my thing. Purifying Flame burns away impurities from raw ores. Makes the refining cleaner, faster. Earth Guard raises solid defense, circle wall around us, strong enough to stop a charging Hollowed."

She tapped the ground. "Earth Spike lets me skewer anything getting too close. Good reach, fast deploy. And Artifact Patch... it's emergency repair. I can use ore to instantly fix cracked blades, broken links, anything small that might fail mid-battle."

Zashirmiq gave her a half-smile. "Your skills as an artifact refiner are impressive. No wonder the shop's always running smooth. You two really are the backbone, thanks to you, me and the others have been able to fight out there."

Hina smirked. "Someone has to keep you frontliners alive."

Once prepped, the group stepped out into the open.

On their way, Hira asked,

"What level of Mutated Beast do you think we can handle right now?"

"With this team?" Zashirmiq didn't even pause. "Level fifteen, comfortably."

Hira's eyes brightened. "Then we'll hunt those too. Their materials are rare, great for refining and potion work."

"Alright, let's do it."

For five days straight, Zashirmiq, Amina, Hina, and Hira pushed further from the perimeter wall. They kept their focus on materials. Hira led herb identification while Hina marked ore sites. Fights with Hollowed Humans were frequent but routine. None lasted longer than a minute.

Zashirmiq rarely needed to teleport more than once per encounter. Amina's Bolts picked off targets before they got close, and Hina's Earth Spikes finished off the few that slipped through. Hira used Water Bullets to clean up, hardly needing her healing skills at all.

"More Burnleaf," Hira called from a patch of twisted grass. "Good for regen potions."

Amina stepped beside her, scanning the area. "And that's Mindroot, right?"

"Yep. Aux material. Used in revitalization potions."

By mid-afternoon of the third day, they'd collected dozens of plants: Ashglen, Bittercap, Fadevine. Some went straight into storage; others were already being pre-processed by Hira's Elemental Transmute, her fire melting the essence out before they even left the field.

Hina, meanwhile, located several ore clusters—Moltenite fragments, Dustiron, and even a rare trace of Veinsteel. Her Purifying Flame burned off surface waste, letting only the clean cores be stored for refinement.

On the fourth day, they found their first mutated beast.

A clearing. Flattened grass. Torn-out roots. The Level 15 mutated rabbit stood a meter tall at the shoulder, its limbs thick with muscle, its hide mottled with glowing red patches.

It moved first, leaping, fast and erratic. Hina's Earth Guard slammed up just in time to block the charge. The impact cracked the wall but held.

Hira launched Water Bullets in quick succession, forcing the rabbit to shift paths mid-sprint. Amina's Fireballs kept it pinned.

Zashirmiq vanished, appearing above the rabbit, and brought his sword down in a diagonal arc.

The rabbit shrieked, blood spraying as it stumbled back.

"Hit it again!" Amina shouted.

A Flame Dash from her side tore through its right leg.

Seconds later, Earth Spikes erupted under its belly.

The beast collapsed, twitching.

"Still twitching," Hina muttered.

Zashirmiq stabbed down. "Not anymore."

They found the second rabbit the next morning, and took it down in half the time.

But the mutated cat was different.

It moved like a shadow, appearing, disappearing, slicing wind with razor-sharp claws. Thankfully, it was only Level 15 like the rabbits, but it was twice the trouble. Still manageable.

Amina took the first hit, a shallow cut across her side as she launched a Bolt that missed by inches.

Zashirmiq's teleport barely kept him ahead of the cat's speed. He could strike once, then retreat. Hira set up Water Guard and used Healing Hand on Amina without needing a signal. Hina's Earth Spikes tried to track it, but the cat kept vanishing.

"Move together!" Zashirmiq shouted.

They tightened formation.

A Fireball burst from Amina's palm, striking the cat's side and causing it to stumble. That half-second was all Zashirmiq needed. He blinked behind it, not to strike, but to bait its retreat path.

It fell right into Earth Spikes.

The cat shrieked once and dropped.

They stood still, catching their breath.

"Fast bastard," Amina muttered, wiping her brow.

"Too fast," Zashirmiq said.

By the end of the fifth day, their storage rings were full, herbs and ores stacked neatly, categorized and sorted.

Zashirmiq had reached Level 15.

Back at Amina's house, Zashirmiq and Amina stepped into the bedroom.

A figure stirred under the sheets.

"Ayesha"

She blinked, slow but alert. Her arms trembled slightly as she tried to sit up.

"You're awake," Amina said, stepping forward quickly.

Zashirmiq moved beside her, checking her eyes, then her pulse. Still weak, but stable.

"I thought…" Ayesha's voice cracked. She looked at them both. "I thought I'd die there. Surrounded... alone. But I didn't. Luckily both of you saved me."

"You'd have done the same," Zashirmiq said simply.

Ayesha gave a shaky smile and lowered her gaze. "Still... thank you. Truly."

A moment passed before Amina asked, "What happened? Why were you surrounded by so many Hollowed, and alone?"

Ayesha hesitated, then slowly began.

"My leveling was too slow. I killed plenty, but it barely made a dent. So... I joined a team. Raheel's group."

Zashirmiq frowned. "How was it?"

"At first? Fine. They fought well. Shared loot. But my leveling still didn't improve. And after a few days, I felt it... something shifted. They didn't say anything, but the looks, the silence, it changed. Like they were waiting for something."

She closed her eyes, voice tightening. "Then we found a patch of Thorneleaf. It's the core herb for revitalization potions."

Amina leaned forward slightly. "Dangerous area?"

"Swarming. Dozens of Hollowed nearby. Raheel made a plan. Said I'd draw a few away while the rest cleared a path." Her voice broke. "I didn't know they meant all of them."

Zashirmiq's jaw clenched. "They used you."

"I was bait. While I fought to stay alive, they grabbed the herbs and ran."

Silence.

Amina looked away, jaw tight. Zashirmiq exhaled, steady but low.

"I know why your leveling's slow. But we'll talk later. Right now, rest. Heal up."

Ayesha looked up, eyes rimmed red. "I stayed with them even after I felt the shift. I didn't want to believe it."

"You survived," Amina said softly. "Not everyone gets that chance."

Zashirmiq met her gaze, more serious now. "You held out longer than most would've. We saw the aftermath. The number of Hollowed you killed, no one gets through that by luck."

Amina nodded. "Your will's what kept you breathing. Not just luck or timing. Strength."

Ayesha blinked, caught off guard, but a small spark lit behind her tired eyes.

Zashirmiq added, "That's why you'll get stronger. You've already proven the most important part."

Ayesha nodded slowly. There was something steadier in her gaze now.

The room fell quiet. But the weight of her words remained, etched deep into the night.

In this world, trust could be deadly.