The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 747: Sixth Team of the Union

Her Talent granted her mastery over all hidden weapons and small cold weapons that could be concealed on her. Her damage doubled if she could attack the enemy first. The Talent was known as Killing Expert lite.

Harvest Song took a deep breath with a knee bent and her body leaned forward at a 45-degree angle with the floor. Her unblinking eyes stared at her opponent. She was like an arrow waiting to be shot.

Her opponent was a beautiful woman with bold facial features. She had golden eyes, and her full head of large blond curls was casually tied into a ponytail.

She was tall and slim with long limbs, her skin tanned. She looked like one of those pole vaulters with a strong physique and a big presence.

Yellow Lotus, with Talent: Muscles, serial number 113, Buff-type.

Her strength, endurance, explosive power, and regenerative power were all much greater than those of the other awakeners. A sparring match that forbade Talents and weapons was made for her. After all, the raw strength of the muscles was considered a passive ability rather than the active use of a Talent.

“Another day, another one of our weekly sparring matches.”

“Quick to advance to the finals, our Harvest and Yellow.”

“The female wolf faces the lioness.”

“A split second, and one will come out victorious.”

A middle-aged man with a wrinkly face sat cross-legged by the fighting ring, improvising a stanza. He had long messy brown hair and a mustache, wearing a long cyan robe with a quaint paper fan in his hand. He looked like a modern-day man who had transmigrated to ancient times without fully fitting in.

He was Muzitu, with Talent: Experience Thief, serial number 129, Knowledge-type.

The Talent allowed one to temporarily steal some of the target’s memory, experience, knowledge, emotions, and Talent (at 20% efficiency) for their use through physical contact. At the same time, the target would temporarily lose what had been stolen.

Muzitu wasn’t an educated man, yet he fancied himself a poet that rivaled the famous ones surnamed Li and Du, which was where the name Muzitu came from[1].

“You’ve gotten worse at it, Old Tu,” the middle-aged man sitting beside Muzitu teased.

He wore a full suit with his hair combed back neatly. His eyes were hazy, his skin loose, and the lines around his mouth pronounced. He looked exhausted.

He resembled those failing men in TV dramas who had worked for years without getting promoted, thus subject to the nagging of their wives and the disdain of their daughters.

He was Void, with Talent: Contract, serial number 155, Knowledge-type.

He could draft a special contract that bound both parties once they signed it with a fingerprint. If either violated the agreement, they would have to pay a heavy price, even the price of life on serious occasions.

However, the contract was only binding for 48 days, and the binding power declined as the termination of the contract drew near, which could be attributed to the low ranking of the Talent.

“It’s improvised, so apologies, I didn’t show you my best work.” Muzitu waved the paper fan, unbothered rather than getting angry.

“Fight, Harvest! You must win this time!” A young girl cheered Harvest Song on. She was Quiet Book, and the name was an apt description of her. She was a bookish girl with a sweet voice, her shiny black hair running down her shoulders.

Her mundane identity was a kindergarten teacher, and she was known for her mild temper in the workplace. Every year, she was always picked as the most popular teacher.

Her Talent was Substitute, serial number 109, Support-type.

The Talent allowed one to create a perfect double with enchanted clay and parts of the target, such as hair, nails, or blood. The body double would last days.

However, the double could only make basic movements and speak simple language rather than having actual intelligence and ability. A brief conversation with it would expose it.

“It’s gonna be hard,” said the blue-haired woman next to Quiet Book.

Her complexion was sickly and her cheeks were hollowed. Combined with her hunched back, she looked exhausted and gloomy, even a little terrifying. She would make a good ghost in a movie.

She was Sunny, with Talent: Blood Curse, serial number 104, Miracle-type.

She could curse someone with her blood, and the more she knew about the target—such as their real name, blood type, star sign, birth time, handprint, or the placements of their moles—the more effective the curse would be. The result could range from a small misfortune, like getting something in their teeth, to a great one, like getting choked to death while drinking water.

Moreover, if she could get her blood on her target, there would be a one-fourth chance for her to make them meet an untimely end, a one-fourth chance to make them fall seriously ill, a one-fourth chance to inflict them with serious physical damage, and a one-fourth chance to give them a mental illness.

Every time she used Blood Curse, however, her lifespan decreased. The time she lost ranged from a month to three to five years. Thus, she never used the Talent unless necessary.

Nevertheless, she had declined beyond her age. Although she just turned twenty-five, she looked like she was nearing forty.

The one she envied the most was Cold Cicada.

The man had silver hair and a mild serene-looking appearance. He looked no more than thirty, yet he was turning sixty next year.

His Talent was Longevity, serial number 185, Life-type.

As the name of the Talent would suggest, he aged slowly and had a long life ahead of him.

“I’m still betting on big this time,” said Deep Earth.

“I’m still begging on small,” said Tall Sky.

Betting big meant betting on Yellow Lotus, and betting small meant betting on Harvest Song.

The two men were a pair of fraternal twins in their thirties. Deep Earth was the older brother. His hearty and strong physique, burly figure, black shaved hair, large nose, and thick lips reminded one of a hippopotamus with a mild temper.

Her Talent was Gambler, serial number 115, Support-type.

Tall Sky, the younger brother, seemed weak with a feminine look and long brown hair. With a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, he looked like a frail scholar.

His Talent was Personality Kill, serial number 127, Psyche-type.

The brothers didn’t resemble each other in appearance, personality, temperament, or Talents. They didn’t seem like twins at all, in fact. The only thing they shared was their penchant for making bets.

For the brothers, anything could be bet on.

The two women stayed wary of each other in the fighting ring for a while. The air curdled with tension. The others fell silent and quietly watched the fight.

Whoosh.

Harvest Song was the first to move. She dove toward Yellow Lotus with a low center of gravity.

Yellow Lotus stood unmoving with a confident smile.

1. A reference to the famous poets Li Bai and Du Fu. The surname Li 李 consists of Mu 木 and Zi 子, while the surname Du 杜 consists of Mu and Tu 土. Hence the combined Mu-zi-tu. ☜