Seed of Titan

"So what's the deal with 'Mango Seekers'?" Jian asked Christo as he stirred his drink.

The group had finished their first training a short while ago and were now chilling at the lounge. Their first training mainly consisted of showcasing their individual capabilities as well as understanding of their roles. Today's training was more of an introduction so there wasn't much that Enda commented about aside from a few personal advices here and there.

"Yeah, what does 'mango' even mean? It sounds a bit dumb like a pet name," Auri added.

"Ah, I kind of forgot that mango isn't well known to the general public," Christo replied. "I'm sure Natalia can tell you about it."

Natalia raised an eyebrow at Christo for being forced to handle the question, but she still explained regardless.

"'Mango' is the name of an exotic fruit grown in the tropical islands of the Zinebi Archipelago," Natalia said.

"Exotic fruit? Does it taste good?" Drai asked. He wasn't a big fan of fruits, but perhaps the fruits from tropical areas would be different from the ones in Rivideria.

"I've only had it a few times, but it was really good. It's pretty sweet with a hint of sourness, and it's very refreshing," Natalia described as she recalled the taste.

"I get it. It's a tasty fruit. But what does it have to do with our party?" Jian questioned, still dissatisfied.

"It's a symbol, Jian," Christo shortly replied.

"A symbol? For what?" Jian confusedly asked.

"Many things. You might think that this is some kind of joke, but trust me that I've deliberated on it before deciding our name," Christo said. "First, it represents riches."

"Riches?" muttered most of the group doubtfully. Only Natalia remained silent; it seemed that she had already figured out Christo's intention behind the name, or at least some of it.

"Yeah, riches. Do you know why most people don't know, or rather, can't get their hand on mangos?" asked Christo.

"Because they don't grow here?" Drai guessed.

"Because they're hard to cultivate?" Flo speculated.

"Because they're not available for the public, or there are many restrictions involving their purchase?" Auri surmised.

Christo waited for a bit and only answered after no one else tried guessing.

"Except for Auri, the rest of you are correct. But your answers are only part of the cause of its scarcity among the general populace. The answer is actually quite simple: mangos are sold for an exorbitant price."

"That's it? They're just expensive?" Jian remarked, quite let down by the underwhelming revelation.

"They're not 'just' expensive. They're f**king expensive. That's why their producers don't even bother marketing them to the mass since there's almost no chance they'll be able to afford them, especially the special ones which have an even higher price tag," Natalia corrected.

"There are special mangos too?" Flo exclaimed rather excitedly. She seemed intrigued by the idea of seeing wonderful new plants from faraway lands.

"From what I've heard of, yeah," Natalia replied. "Not only do these special mangos taste a lot better, they might also raise one's attributes or even open up a new skill to obtain. But I don't know if this is true or just a rumor because I've only tried the normal ones."

"What!? That's f**king OP!" Jian shouted, rising from his seat with his eyes bulging.

"Chill, Jian. It may just be a hoax to increase their demand, and subsequently, their price," Christo stated calmly. "From my conjecture, the sellers had probably done plenty of marketing strategies, including limiting the sales to maintain their price, otherwise their current price tag would be hard to justify.

"But let me tell you that I've actually stumbled upon a piece of trustworthy information regarding some special mangos. And these mangos aren't the same as the ones described by Natalia; they aren't man-managed nor artificially grown but can be found in the wild albeit very rarely. And if my info is true, these wild mangos really possess stat-raising properties or something similar. Perhaps the rumor that those farm-grown mangos can raise one's stats is even based on this."

The whole table went silent. They could hardly believe Christo's words since he had just said to Jian that the whole stat-raising thing could possibly be a scam, but now he's saying the opposite and there might just be a real magical fruit after all.

"Why are you surprised? It's hardly anything special due to the advent of the System. I think our evolution is even stranger than the existence of a stat-raising fruit. And I don't believe that there's just one kind of super fruit out there. Perhaps there's a lot of them in unexplored areas waiting to be found, although the ones that are already discovered could be under tight control by those in power," Christo explained.

Hearing this, the group maintained their silence as they pondered upon Christo's words, with Natalia being particularly attentive toward Christo.

'This guy's a bit worrisome… With such knowledge and insight, things will get dangerous in the event that he rises as one of Monos Faction's leaders. But for now, I'll just keep observing him and report accordingly to Father,' Natalia thought warily.

Sensing the group's anticipation, Christo continued, "So, that's the first meaning of 'Mango'. Second, relating to what I've mentioned regarding its scarcity, it also represents a rare and fascinating thing—a marvel. And third, obviously, it symbolizes a delicacy."

The group listened closely and nodded agreeingly to each statement. Even Jian didn't seem to have any problems anymore after learning about the wonders of mangos.

"Lastly, and perhaps the one I personally consider the most substantial, it represents truth," Christo concluded.

"Truth?" Drai asked, failing to understand what Christo meant by that.

"Yes, the truth whether these wild mangos really possess strengthening properties; the truth whether the special ones sold to the wealthy have similar properties; the truth whether wild mangos really exist in the first place. These revelations are merely a fraction of the countless hidden facts, undiscovered wonders, falsified data, and unidentified phenomena in Gaia—the collective truth of the world," Christo proclaimed as a flash of fervor glinted in his eyes.

Once again, the group went silent, each person having their own thoughts. Eventually, Jian was the one that broke the silence.

"I don't really get the whole idea… But now I know that you've put a lot of thought into this, haven't you, Christo? Even I can't help but long for the day when I finally get hold of that piece of sweet and super mango. Therefore, I'll gladly accept 'Mango Seekers' as our party name, hahaha!"

"It's not like you have any other choice," Auri remarked half-mockingly.

"Did you forget or what? My 'Everlasting Glade of the Pristine Masters' is still number one in terms of coolness. If only 'Mango Seekers' didn't have such a profound meaning…" Jian said, clenching his fist regretfully.

Auri shook her head helplessly in response, unaware that her proposed 'Gracefully Virtuous Buddings' was also ostentatious and equally appalling.

"Anyway, don't forget that we have another training next week," Christo reminded his members.

Natalia turned toward Drai, meaning to ask about his studying plans. However, she noticed that Drai seemed to be a bit lost in thoughts.

"What are you thinking about, Drai?" Natalia asked.

"Hm? Oh, I was thinking if the earlier session we had is even considered training when I don't feel any pain or exhaustion afterwards," Drai said while inspecting his unblemished arms. He felt weird not having bruises after a "training" session.

Hearing these words, the others couldn't help but chortle. Drai's passion for physical pain and suffering was something they still found quite absurd.

"There's more to training than physically strengthening oneself, Drai," Christo said amusedly.

"I actually kinda agree with Drai this time," Jian said. "The training felt a bit lackluster, especially compared to the ones we get during classes."

"Tonight's training was meant to collect data regarding our individual strengths and weaknesses, role comprehension, and a little bit of teamwork. I presume Enda's going to adjust our next training according to this data," Christo explained.

"And it's unreasonable for them to conduct the same training we've had during classes. Our party training sessions are meant to prepare us for ventures, which means focusing on areas that aren't particularly taught during classes, such as the aforementioned party roles and teamwork," Natalia added.

"Oh…" Drai and Jian simultaneously remarked as they finally understood the goal of their training. However, Drai still felt that there should be some way they could incorporate corporeal beatings into their training to make the sessions more productive and fulfilling.

"I feel that I didn't contribute much tonight," Flo suddenly said, looking slightly disheartened. The others couldn't help but slightly pity her as she truly didn't have much to do during the combat training except for her bashful pill throws.

"Don't worry about it, Flo. You did great," Auri smilingly said, attempting to cheer her up.

"Yeah, I even managed to catch one of your pills on your sixth throw," Jian added, which actually made Flo feel worse. Both Auri and Natalia glared at Jian menacingly, prompting Jian to zip his mouth without even knowing what his fault was.

"Have you forgotten Enda's words, Flo?" Christo asked.

Hearing this reminder, Flo raised her downcast head. Looking at Christo, she forced a rueful smile and said, "I haven't… but that doesn't prevent me from feeling inadequate compared to you guys. You were all moving around quickly, displaying offensive moves and fancy footwork while I needed six whole attempts to successfully deliver a healing pill."

Flo's last words made the other girls glare once again at Jian who now finally realized his mistake earlier.

"Six attempts is great for your first time, Flo! I bet you just need a couple more practice sessions to master your pill throwing," Jian hurriedly said, trying to redeem himself.

"I agree with Jian," Christo said. "After all, that's exactly the purpose of our training, which is to improve ourselves in areas that we are lacking. It just so happened that tonight's training centered around activities that the rest of us are quite—or at least appear to be—proficient in. Moreover, there are still plenty things you can do and learn while standing relatively still, Flo."

"Really?" Flo asked with hopeful eyes, intrigued by the notion.

"Yeah. To name a few, you can try to memorize and analyze the others' moves and tendencies during combat, and eventually tweak your own strategies based on the resulting data to make them more effective. As a basic example, your throwing aim can be more accurate if you predict our movements beforehand, and this prediction will come more naturally the more you study how our party fights while applying said prediction," Christo explained. "And don't forget that combat is only one aspect of venturing."

"Ah, you're right... Why did I assume that not actively fighting meant being helpless?" Flo muttered.

"That's because you're not as smart as Christo. You're probably more on our level, right Drai?" Jian remarked.

"Maybe I am that stupid, hehe," said Flo.

"Hey! We're not stupid! Well… at least I'm not!" Jian refuted while taking a glance at Drai who was just scratching his head helplessly.

"You damn know well you are! And don't be rude to Drai!" Auri blurted, to which Jian responded with a mean glare.

"Chill, guys. No fighting allowed," Christo interjected. "Based on our first training, I'll send each of you personal notes on the things you can or need to improve and some other stuff that are worth studying or considering. Although you aren't obligated to follow my notes, I can assure you that it's made with your best interests along with our venture party in mind."

"How kind of you, Christo. Are you sure you aren't trying to charm us ladies?" Auri teased, promptly making Flo blush and Natalia wince.

"Oh I'm sure, otherwise you'd be smitten already," Christo replied indifferently, to which Jian responded with a thumbs-up. His roommate's self-confidence was truly on a different level.

"Anyway, I guess that's it for now. I have somewhere to be, so see you guys later," Christo said as he ended the meeting. "I'll send your notes later tonight or tomorrow."

While Christo was leaving the building, Auri asked the others, "Wanna go grab a bite to eat?"

"Sure," Flo replied. Despite her relatively small stature, she wasn't shy when it comes to eating.

"I guess I'm a bit hungry too. Are you coming, Drai? Natalia?" Jian asked.

"I can use a quick meal," Natalia said. "How about you, Drai?"

"I'll pass. I think I'm going straight to bed tonight. I want to be in perfect condition for tomorrow," Drai replied.

"Tomorrow's still Sunday. Are you going to train or something?" Jian questioned.

"I don't know about training, but I just got a message from Professor Ravi. I'm going to his place tomorrow," Drai said, gesturing at his comm.

"Oh… that," Jian remarked as he glanced around. Seeing as there aren't anyone else eavesdropping, he said, "Good luck with the research."

"Yeah. I hope whatever happens bodes well for you," Natalia added with a look of concern. Despite not knowing the details, she had a feeling that this research involved a certain degree of risk.

"Mmm…" Flo mumbled, looking confused. She was the only one not in the know about Ravi's research.

"I'll tell you about it later, Flo," Natalia said with a wink.

"Ah… okay! G-good luck, Drai!" Flo said bashfully, to which Drai smilingly nodded.

The group exited the headquarters and Drai soon separated from the rest, heading toward the dorm by himself. Entering his room, he took a quick shower before lying down on his bed.

'Initial testing, huh? I'm not sure what it means, but I better be in my top condition. I don't want the research to be delayed because of my lack of sleep. I'm indebted to Professor Ravi after all. The sooner he can achieve his goal, the sooner I'm able to repay my debts.'

Drai stretched his right arm toward the ceiling and stared at the silver shaded markings on it. As if hypnotized, he stared at them unmovingly for who knows how long. Perhaps it was due to the quiet room or his tired mind, but Drai felt a sense of serenity as if in deep meditation. It wasn't until his eyelids felt unbearably heavy that he finally lowered his arm and closed his eyes, embracing the imminent dreamy lull amidst his hectic days.

***