Kai marveled at the Tinker Tinker Fruit hovering above him, its glossy, metallic surface gleaming in the dim light of his room. Small bolts of energy danced along its edges, creating a mesmerizing display. With Fenn by his side, he felt a mix of excitement and apprehension.
"What now?" Kai asked, glancing at the fairy guide.
"Now you pluck it, cleanse the curse, and eat it," Fenn said nonchalantly. "Normally I'd suggest you hold off, see if you find one you like more, but there really isn't any reason to not eat this one. Its custom made for you after all. It's designed to fit for you."
With Fenn's encouragement, Kai reached up and grasped the fruit. A tingling sensation surged through him as he pulled it closer. He focused on the inventory panel and selected the Cleanse Voucher. A thin sheet of paper materialized in his hand, adorned with a complicated talisman scrawled across its surface.
"Use that to cleanse the fruit," Fenn instructed. "Just place it against the Tinker Tinker Fruit and concentrate."
Kai nodded, feeling the weight of the voucher in his hand. He pressed the talisman against the fruit, channeling his focus. Moments later, the energy surrounding the fruit intensified before settling, leaving it glowing softly.
"Now, the moment of truth," Fenn said, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Kai braced himself to taste "The most disgusting thing ever" as the fruits have been labeled and was pleasantly surprised when it tasted faintly of watermelon with a twinge of copper. "Why doesn't it taste awful? Shouldn't it be utterly repulsive?"
Fenn cocked an eyebrow. "You cleansed the curse. The "disgusting flavor" was just the taste of a raw curse. Without it they're just vaguely pleasant. Can you feel anything different?"
"I mean, not really," Kai said, confused. "I feel something similar to the energy I felt earlier, but it's focused on my palms, like a small semicircle from the center of them." He flipped his hands over and saw his bark-like skin had spiraled into a small gear shape on his palms. "Wait, let me try something."
He walked over to the computer and put his palm flat against the tower. A feeling of connection sparked within him. He willed the power button to activate and heard a satisfying 'click' as the fans started whirring to life. Encouraged, he tried to turn on the monitor as well, but nothing happened.
"Why didn't that work?" Kai asked. "I can activate the tower just fine, but when I try to turn on the monitor, nothing happens." He reached out to the monitor with his other hand and felt the same link he established with the computer flare again with the monitor.
"So it's a range thing. I can only manipulate things within the sphere on my palms. That makes sense, I guess; complete control over mechanical structures is insane. Let's try the other features." Kai grabbed a nearby lightbulb and held it in his hand. He pushed his Tinker energy into it and watched as it slowly lit up.
"That's really cool. Electricity on demand? It might be weak right now, but I guarantee I can train it up to a lightning bolt or something. Last up is blueprint visualization." Kai dug through the piles on his desk until he saw one that caught his eye. It was a small, wrist mounted grappling hook that the previous Kai had gotten around to blueprinting but lost motivation to actually make.
"This is perfect," Kai decided. "It's useful, it doesn't require much energy, and it fits in one of my 'Zones'. I want to make this." As soon as Kai finished his sentence, the blueprint materialized in 3D space in front of him, accompanied by a precise list of parts and a step-by-step instruction guide printed from the zone not holding the blueprint.
"Jeez kid. I've seen thousands of cheats in my day and that's absurd even for me." Fenn says, throwing the bucket of KFC in the trash bag. "That alone is on the level of a regular cheat from one of the more common gods, and you can make multiple fruits of that level? Insane. I should have worked for Hibiki from the start."
"What do you mean by that? Did you work for someone else?" Kai asked, eyebrows raised.
"Do I look like an otaku, kid? I was a contractor of Rex Vandal, the god of Thugs. I ended up a fairy when I died the second time and decided to cut the contract with Rex after the mandatory thousand years. Now I freelance so I can get the most benefits. Although I have to say, Hibiki is looking like an exceptionally good option to settle down with." Fenn says with a mix of mischief and sincerity, clearly reminiscing about his past. "Enough about me though, Lets spin that wheel for the random fruit. Just grab the voucher and the wheel shall appear."
Kai reached into the last filled slot of his inventory and felt his hand wrap around a small piece of paper. As he pulled it out of the dimensional space, it began to disintegrate. Just as it vanished, a bright wheel with neon light tubes faded into view in front of him. Fenn popped into existence next to the wheel. The wheel started spinning, thousands of options flying past. It eventually slowed down, and Kai spotted some fruits he was familiar with: the Quake Quake Fruit, the Chop Chop Fruit, and even the Azure Dragon Fruit.
"Hibiki, I trust you'll come through. A helpful fruit would be nice right about now." Kai prayed for a good spin and eventually the wheel stops. The image that appears resembles a pear with a slightly tapered end. Its skin is a vibrant shade of deep indigo, with swirling patterns of lighter blue and silver that mimic the appearance of footsteps. The surface is glossy and reflective, giving it an almost ethereal quality.
[Congrats! You've Pulled the Walk Walk Fruit!]
Type: Paramecia
Details: Allows omnidirectional movement and pathfinding. More to be discovered.
"Really? Walking?" Kai huffed. "Not exactly the beacon of power that I was looking for."
"Hold your horses there kid." Fenn rolled his eyes. "There's no such thing as a weak fruit, just an unsuitable wielder. This fruit allows omnidirectional movement. That means walking on walls, water, and even air. For a noncombatant like you it isn't very strong, but someone like Eraserhead could shred with one of these. It's all about suitability. You give someone like All Might the Tinker Fruit and it's useless. In short, skill issue loser."
Kai gives Fenn a playful glare. "I hate you sometimes Fenn. Skill issue, really? How do you even know what that means?"
Well, I did say it was unfortunate you ended up with me, and I had to study up on 'Earth Culture' to handle your system, and you, effectively." Fenn says, reclining in the crooked chair in the corner, which is hilarious because its three times his size.
[Ding!]
[New Quest Available]
'Training Montage'