My Cheat Skill Lets Me Copy Powers....But only if i kill-Chapter 15: New Recruits

Chapter 14: Growth and Awakening

The morning air was crisp and fresh as Renji stepped out of the inn, Elara and Lena trailing close behind him. The two had grown attached to him over the past few days—literally.

They clung to his arms, stayed near his side, and even after waking up in the same bed, they still refused to let go.

It wasn't annoying. Not really. But it was definitely new.

Today, he was going to officially add them to his party.

And he had one more thing to teach them—if they wanted to stick around, they needed to pull their weight.

The Guild Hall was bustling as usual, adventurers drinking, laughing, and grabbing quests for the day.

Renji walked up to Selise at the counter.

She raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Bringing in more recruits?"

Renji nodded. "Elara and Lena are joining my party. Can you register them?"

Selise glanced at the two girls. "They ever fought before?"

Elara hesitated, but Lena spoke up. "We... know how to use weapons. A little."

Selise sighed, rubbing her temples. "Alright. They'll need to start as Rank F. You're their leader, so their performance reflects on you."

Renji smirked. "No pressure, huh?"

Selise handed over two bronze guild tags, stamping the ledger with the official mark.

"There. They're part of your team now."

Elara and Lena held their tags tightly, their expressions a mix of excitement and nervousness.

Renji crossed his arms. "Alright. First quest as a team. Let's start small."

Renji scanned the quest board, looking for something simple but effective for beginners. His eyes landed on a low-rank quest—

[Quest: Slime Hunt]

- Location: Western Fields

- Difficulty: F-Rank

- Reward: 8 copper Coins

- Notes: Collect slime cores and slime liquid for alchemists. Slimes are weak but can be annoying if left unchecked.

Renji sighed. Slimes.

Basic monsters. Annoying, but easy to kill.

"This should be good practice for you two," he said, showing the quest to Elara and Lena.

They both nodded determinedly.

Kiera, leaning against a nearby pillar, yawned. "Tch. I'll pass on the slime hunting. Too boring for me."

Renji smirked. "Figured."

Kiera crossed her arms, tail flicking. "Try not to die."

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Before setting off, Renji took Elara and Lena to a local weapon shop.

The shopkeeper, an older man with a grizzled beard, glanced at them as they entered.

"Need weapons?"

Renji nodded. "Something simple but effective."

The shopkeeper motioned to the weapon racks.

Lena picked a lightweight sword, testing its grip. Elara chose a short blade and small buckler, something easier for defensive combat.

Renji also got them basic leather armor—not much, but enough to protect them from glancing blows.

Once everything was paid for, he exhaled. That's another chunk of silver gone.

"You both ready?" he asked.

Elara and Lena nodded, their new weapons strapped to their waists.

"Then let's go."

The western fields were a stretch of open grassland, filled with small hills and patches of wildflowers.

It was also infested with slimes.

The moment they arrived, Renji spotted at least half a dozen of them oozing across the landscape.

Slimes weren't dangerous, but they were persistent. They could absorb weak attacks, dissolve unprotected gear, and split if not killed properly.

"Alright," Renji said, stepping back. "This is your fight. Show me what you can do."

Elara and Lena exchanged nervous glances but nodded.

Lena moved first, her sword flashing as she slashed at the nearest slime.

The blade cut through, but the slime reformed immediately.

Lena blinked. "Huh?"

Renji sighed. "Slimes don't die from shallow cuts. You have to destroy their core."

Elara nodded, moving more cautiously.

She raised her small buckler, deflecting a slime's weak attack before stabbing forward with her dagger—this time aiming for the glowing core inside.

The slime shuddered and collapsed.

Lena gritted her teeth. "Alright. Now I get it."

She refocused, adjusting her strikes. Her next attack was cleaner, piercing directly through the core.

Within minutes, they had killed four slimes.

Renji nodded. "Not bad."

Then he stepped forward. "Now, let me show you how it's done."

Renji moved fast, activating Phantom Step, his blade flashing in and out of sight as he cut through two slimes in rapid succession.

Their cores shattered instantly, dissolving into puddles of blue goo.

Then—

A familiar glow surrounded him.

[Skill Acquired: Heal]

Effect: Allows the user to heal any non-fatal wounds, accelerating recovery time. Consumes mana based on severity.

Renji's eyes widened slightly. Healing?

He held out his hand, testing the new ability. A soft white light flickered around his palm.

It felt... different from his other skills.

More gentle. More controlled.

Then—

A sudden wave of exhaustion hit him.

His vision blurred, his knees going weak.

Elara and Lena rushed to his side, catching him before he could fall.

"Renji!" Elara gasped.

Lena held onto his arm. "What happened?!"

Renji gritted his teeth. Mana.

There's mana in this world.

And every time he used his skills, he was draining it without realizing it.

He had been burning through mana since the moment he got here.

And now?

He had almost fainted from it.

Elara held onto him tightly. "Are you okay?"

Renji took a slow breath, centering himself.

"Yeah," he muttered. "I just figured something out."

After collecting the slime liquid and cores, the group made their way back to the Guild Hall.

Selise blinked as they handed over the materials. "Wow. You're actually helping train them?"

Renji smirked. "They did alright."

Elara and Lena beamed at the small praise.

Selise counted the copper coins, handing over 8 copper as the reward.

Renji split the earnings, giving Elara and Lena their share.

Lena clutched the coins, eyes wide. "I've... never earned money before."

Elara smiled softly. "We really did it."

Selise leaned on the counter. "So. You keeping them around for good?"

Renji glanced at Elara and Lena—both still clinging to him.

"...Yeah," he admitted.

Selise smirked. "Figured. You've got a real hero complex, don't you?"

Renji rolled his eyes.

From across the room, Kiera watched, arms crossed, tail flicking in irritation.

She huffed.

"...Tch. Idiot," she muttered before turning away.