Chapter 18: Uncharted Paths
The steam from the water filled the bathroom with a relaxing atmosphere that made Tom get lost in thought, thinking back on the conversation he had heard between Tian Chang and Li Mei.
"Interesting; while I already knew that Li Mei was a healer of some kind, I never thought that her skills reached a level where she could save half the village using her skills alone." While Tom was quite happy that he had the backing of such a powerful person, he wasn't sure if Li Mei had exaggerated the truth behind her abilities, "Well, it doesn't matter much as long as she didn't toot her horns too much; I might be able to learn the skills of a healer from this world."
Washing away the stress and grime from the hunt, Tom had a rare moment of euphoria thinking about all the possibilities and benefits this new type of healing might be able to bring him.
"Could she be some kind of magical healer? Or a herbalist that could turn any common grass into a life-saving medicine. Maybe she is some kind of a shaman that uses cursed objects in her healing process."
As the euphoric feeling subsided, Tom regained his composure and returned to his logical self. "While I shouldn't simply overlook what I heard, I shouldn't overthink it either since I am not sure if any of it is actually true or if this new type of healing is any different from the healing process that people on Aetheria used in ancient times."
"Noor, can you please organize and update my short-time plan?" Tom closed his eyes and said.
Noor replied to him with her familiar mechanical voice.
"Analyzing data."
"Organizing plans."
"Your current plan is as follows."
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[First objective: The Path of a Hunter.]
[Details: By learning the art of a hunter from your father, you would have the ability to provide the necessary energy for your survival if you were ever stranded in the wilderness alone in the future.]
[Progress: Low, The highest level of prey that you hunted as of this point is a Hare that you tried to capture using knowledge from Aetheria and then failed. Only to end up requiring the assistance of Tian Chang, who is a more experienced hunter.]
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[Second objective: The Path of a Warrior.]
[Details: By learning martial arts, you would be able to defend yourself against any enemy that wants you harm. You would also have the ability to attack others and steal their fortune without risking your life as much as you would without any understanding of this Path.]
[Progress: Extremely Low. As you have never been in a fight, you lack any kind of experience in this Path, leading me to conclude that you will likely die if you end up battling even the pathetic hooligans who have a bit of experience protecting their tiny territory. That is unless, of course, you overwhelm them in terms of strength or agility.]
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[Third objective: The Path of a Healer.]
[Details: Stories of mythical healers who could revive the dead have spread throughout the land. Those who have been cursed with sickness wish for a healer who will relieve them from their pains. While those who are blessed with health wish to become such legends so that people would look up to them and make sure that no sickness would befall them.]
[Progress: Unknown; if I said that your healing skills are lacking, then that would be false as you could be called a master in it in your previous world for making the first AI and human merger in history. However, if I said that your level in this Path is high, then that would also be false as you are in a new world with what seems like a new type of healing changing the playground for you as a healer.]
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"This concludes your current objectives and plans." After saying that, Tom's head returned back to the quietness it had.
"Tom, are you coming to eat, or do you want me to cover the food for you?" Li Mei asked Tom with her gentle voice.
"I am coming. I just need to wear my clothes, and I will come. Give me a second." Replied Tom to her.
Tom started to get annoyed with the fact that he needed to keep on the facade of being a good child. However, every time he got such a thought, he would remind himself that he lived within the system. Thus, he would need to follow the rules of the game if he wanted to get himself as many benefits as possible before reaching a higher place.
Tom started wearing his clothes while thinking, "I am able to learn from those two a lot of things that I will be able to use. I must not show my true self before I extract every bit of knowledge from them." If anyone looked at Tom's face at this moment, he or she would have been horrified by the indifference his face curried.
Tom opened the door to the kitchen only to see that both Tian Chang and Li Mei had already sat. They both heard him come into the kitchen at the same time; however, the two of them had different expressions. While Li Mei simply smiled at him once he entered the room, asking him to take a seat. Tian Chang, on the other hand, asked him, "I might have told you to go first into the bathroom; however, I didn't expect you to stay there for so long that I couldn't even shower before eating."
"Sorry, I didn't notice the time passing by. I was too excited thinking about all the new things you taught me that I lost myself a little in the heat of the bath. Next time I can promise you that I won't take that long."
Tian Chang laughed out in a loud voice, "Haha, you cheeky brat do you think I would let you go first after making me wait for so long? If you want to take the first slot in the bathroom next time, then you would have to wait until you hunt a top-level predator."
Tom was indifferent about who went to the bathroom first. But since Tian Chang wanted to throw a couple of jokes around, Tom didn't mind fighting back, "I don't think that would take long since, just like you said, I am going to be a legendary hunter."
Tian Chang found himself at a loss for words when he wanted to express anger towards Tom, only to end up cursing at himself for praising this kid.
Li Mei looked back and forth at the two of them while giggling, enjoying the show, "Ok, the two of you should sit and eat already before the food gets cold."