The Discarded Son's Skill Market
Chapter 4: First Talent

Chapter 4: First Talent

He probably had more broken bones, but Zaid endured the pain and tried to get to his feet.

However, the Wolf Cub was already ready. Standing before him with its teeth bared, the cub’s small but deadly mouth roared.

"Roar!"

Zaid watched as his death drew near, but there was no fear on his face. He had made the decision to face it head-on; he wasn’t going to back down.

Despite the pain, he leaped forward, determined to get his hands around his mortal enemy’s neck.

A dying human with broken ribs and damaged organs was facing off against a wolf cub with more wounds than life left in it.

The wild look in both their eyes revealed a strong survival instinct, but also an overwhelming desire to destroy their enemy.

And that instinct... was what frightened the little wolf, who was used to relying on a pack to survive. It didn’t understand the concept of being a lone wolf... not it.

It tripped over the roots and fell, allowing Zaid to grab it by the neck and slam it into the ground.

They both rolled until they hit a tree root, and several rocks dug into Zaid’s back. He didn’t care, though.

He endured the pain, his eyes sharp and bloodshot, and struck the little wolf in the neck with one of those rocks.

Thwack!

Thwack!

The repeated blows drew howls of pain, but little by little the wolf lost the ability to howl.

At some point, the little wolf fell to the ground in Zaid’s arms. He looked as if he were in excruciating pain and collapsed to the ground, completely drained of strength.

"Pfft..." A stream of blood spurted from his mouth, but a smile spread across his lips.

"Hehe..."

In front of him, the system flashed with a huge reward.

[You have killed a high-rank beast]

[PE Earned: 10.]

[Bonus PE for killing a high-rank beast: 10.]

[Total PE: 30/200.]

[The beast’s power is turning into ME...]

[You have obtained 50 ME]

[Monster Essence (ME): 120.]

[You can raise 1 Stat Point or make a purchase at the Talent Shop]

Despite his injuries and being completely covered in mud, happiness still radiated from his face.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he opened the Talent Shop once again and headed to the Spirit Talent Shop.

He scrolled down to the F-Rank Talent section.

It didn’t take him long to spot what he was looking for:

F-Rank Talent: Dagger Mastery.

’I’ve seen Robinson fight with it before, and it’s really good—it’ll be worth having,’ he thought.

He was about to click the "Buy" button, but he stopped...

Something in his heart told him that Elara Brown’s "Keen Senses" would be better.

While it wouldn’t help him fight, he shouldn’t be looking for a fight tonight since he’s so badly injured.

Besides, how would he do it?

He didn’t have any daggers here.

The Keen Senses ability would be useful for chasing down small groups that leave bodies behind, which would allow him to farm more ME.

’Anyway, I’m only Level 1 and haven’t raised a single stat point yet. My strength is limited.’

Zaid immediately made up his mind and switched to the "Keen Senses" Talent from Elara Brown, his former fiancée.

Without a second thought, he clicked the "Buy" button.

[Congratulations! You have purchased a copy of Elara Brown’s Rank F Talent "Keen Senses."]

[First-Purchase Bonus: All wounds are healed!]

[Keep getting stronger and trading Monster Essence in the System!]

Zaid felt a mist of warm water envelop his body against the night’s chill. From head to toe, he began to feel his wounds being healed.

His ribs snapped back into place, and every wound—external or internal—healed in an instant.

He was paralyzed by the shock.

Suddenly, his senses underwent a dramatic change. It was so sudden that he felt dizzy for a moment.

The smell of mud, dampness, and the wolf cub’s blood seemed to grow stronger, but somehow his body seemed to unconsciously separate the good smells from the bad ones. He could choose which ones to smell more intensely.

At the same time, his eyes saw more clearly. They scanned the tree roots all the way up to the trunks, taking in every change and every little detail.

But the strangest thing wasn’t those senses—it was a more mystical one.

It warned him of danger in the vicinity.

It wasn’t hearing, smell, or sight... it was something else.

’Spiritual Sense...’ was the first thing that came to his mind.

He had heard that very few Awakened ones could perceive their surroundings without relying on their physical senses, using something called Spiritual Sense—the closest thing to a sixth sense.

This thrilled him as if he were a little child who had just been given a toy.

’That shop... it really works. I can copy the talents of those I know.’

He had doubted that it was possible. After all, since when could anyone copy the talents of those close to them? If someone could do that, they’d rule the world!

All he’d need to do is meet the most powerful man in the world, become his servant or something like that, and buy his talent.

Although, well, at those prices...

Zaid shook his head to clear his mind of silly thoughts.

He stood up. He tested the movement of his legs and arms.

He found that nothing hurt.

He jumped. He ran. He even threw a few clumsy punches forward and hurled some rocks at a log...

"That really has healed me..." he murmured quietly, in complete shock.

However, he suddenly smiled. A smile that started out tender or ordinary... and ended up turning sinister.

"Zachary family... you threw me out onto the street like a dog. You sold my flesh to the beasts of the portals, even though I was your son... You’ll pay for this. You’ll pay for this soon," he muttered.

"Elara Brown... You trampled on my dignity, betrayed me, and spat in my face with your malicious smile. Fine, very fine. I hope you can keep that smile forever, because one day I’ll come after you."

Zaid walked forward and began to venture deeper into the Waste Portals area.