Chapter 32: Self-created Skills
After bidding a brief farewell, Adrian had no intention of lingering in this small town any longer.
As a stalwart backbone of Nipposai, Hog naturally wouldn't be lacking in followers. It was highly likely that members of Nipposai had already received the news and were rushing towards the town.
Although Adrian harbored no fear of Nipposai, he was keen on avoiding any unnecessary delays caused by their presences.
Furthermore, wiping out the majority of Nipposai could spell trouble for the stability of Kano Country!
Kano Country stood as one of the few gathering places for players in the West Blue and served as an indispensable base for nurturing future players. It would be wiser not to provoke too much.
After a swift search for spoils, Adrian promptly made his way out of the town. Entering the ghost state, he ascended into the sky in the direction he had come from.
Soaring through the air, with white clouds beneath his feet, Adrian silently relished this peaceful moment, easing the tension that had built up during the recent battle.
A few minutes later, he began inspecting the damage from the fight.
"Only a small amount of health points were lost, but more than a quarter of stamina was depleted. Stamina really is the weak point...
The finely crafted long sword bore several notches from the strikes, its durability significantly reduced—considered scrapped. Damn, I really want a good knife!
Unfortunately, no tasks were triggered. Given Hog's massive figure, he surely would have possessed special abilities like 'Robust Life'...
Oh right, I just earned quite a bit of experience!
Adrian's gaze shifted to the panel, where the amassed experience was on the verge of reaching a staggering 17 million.
Considering that two years of foundational training could only store up to 12 million, and triumphing over adversaries beyond your level garnered over 16 million, the 'Murder and Arson Gold Belt' was indeed living up to its notorious reputation!
After careful thought, Adrian opted not to exhaust all his experience on leveling up but instead strategically maximized several skills.
He honed the special agent's training camp's 'Basic Marksmanship' and 'Basic Combat'; the chef's 'Basic Cooking' and 'Basic Fire Control'; the shipwright's 'Basic Shipbuilding and Maintenance'; the doctor's 'Simple Disease Treatment'; the formal swordsman's 'Intermediate Swordsmanship Practice' and 'Intermediate Swordsmanship Affinity'; and, of course, 'Six Styles: Shave'!
All eight skills were raised to the MAX level, yielding a total of 16 skill points.
The surplus experience seamlessly filled the 9th-level of the 'Formal Swordsman' experience bar, catapulting it to level 10.
A grand total level of 30 was achieved!
As the continuous surge of skill knowledge flooded his mind, Adrian couldn't help but reveal a satisfied smile on his face.
Didn't expect the MAX level 'Shave' to have so many practical applications, 'Advanced Swordsmanship Practice' also contributed a lot of insights, just in time for the study of 'Rokushiki: Tekkai' and 'Rokushiki: Kami-e'..."
Fifteen minutes later, Adrian touched down in a desolate clearing nestled within the mountains. Spotting a wooden stump, he began his practice.
Chi-chi—
His sword danced like the wind, astonishingly swift, his figure blurring.
Again and again...
Adrian's sword techniques surged forward, growing progressively swifter, his form resembling that of a phantom.
Progress pulsed through him; he could sense himself edging closer to the realm of crafting a skill.
As time ticked away, the sun dipped below the horizon.
Ssss—
Adrian surged forward once more, his sword cutting through the air. This time, the elusive "perfect feeling" he had been chasing suddenly manifested in his mind.
He keenly felt the wind's resistance yield to the blade in his hand, his body seamlessly merging with the longsword. The blade cleaved through the air with a terrifying speed.
Just as Adrian executed the technique, another "Adrian" materialized a dozen meters away, an identical figure coexisting for a fleeting moment.
A faint lingering sharpness lingered in the mid-air.
The ephemeral "Adrian" left behind gradually dissipated.
[Judging self-created skill...]
[Judgment successful; you have comprehended a self-created skill!]
[Please name the self-created skill!]
Detailed information flooded his mind, and the panel automatically documented all the principles of the self-created skill.
Adrian glanced at the skill effects, contemplating, "Let's dub it 'Salted Fish Lunge'... that's absurd! How about naming it [Step Forward Slash]?"
[Naming successful! You have comprehended the self-created skill [Step Forward Slash]!]
[Step Forward Slash] Level 1 (0/10000): When swinging the sword at the target enemy, you can perform instant burst displacement within 10 meters.
Undoubtedly, it was a gratifying skill!
Isn't it exhilarating?
Adrian couldn't resist swinging his sword once more. The figure moved gracefully, the blade cutting through the air, leaving only a series of afterimages and sharp flashes on the now-empty ground.
After more than ten consecutive strikes, Adrian finally stopped.
The momentum of this sword grew stronger with each slash!
"I'm really happy!"
A smile of satisfaction appeared on Adrian's face involuntarily, like 0-21-0...
"I need to find a victim quickly... Find a beta tester to test the effect!"
Adrian entered Ghost Mode once again, swiftly flying towards the pier.
Not long after, he returned to the pier. With a quick glance, he noticed the ID "Cao Renqi" was still there!
"Cao Boss, long time no see!"
Adrian briskly walked up and seized the nearly closed shop owner.
Cao Renqi, caught off guard, was surprised by the sudden grab.
"Huh? It's you!!!" When he saw the figure clearly, he instantly fell into a daze.
Before he could utter a word, his words were abruptly swallowed back.
"F*ck! Big trouble!" These were the words Cao Renqi didn't say.
What Adrian remained oblivious to was that the incident where he killed Hog in the town had already been shared by some well-meaning players on the forum. However, at that time, he was immersed in the battle atmosphere and failed to notice the presence of player IDs.
Unbeknownst to Adrian, he had already earned the title of "Big Trouble" among players!
At this moment, the player forum continued to buzz with excitement.
"Help: An extremely fatal moment clashes with another equally lethal one. But which is more fatal? [See attached video]"
"Some are fatally big, some are fatally small; when the small meets the big, the impact is far from trivial but its not!"
"No exaggeration, a small fatal one slashed me, and I had to kneel on the ground, crying, begging me not to die!"
"Do you even need to move the knife? With that body armor and that physique, a touch and you'd be on your knees!"
"Is this the strength of advanced NPCs?"
"Does anyone know what that ghost-like thing is? It's so mysterious!"
"And speaking of mysteries, the individual who uploaded the video to the forum, did you film it through a door lock? The image is so blurry! I'm eager to get a clear look at the mysterious big sister at the end!"
As news broke, Cao Renqi couldn't resist joining the discussion, sharing his observations from Adrian's [Personal Store] and attracting both envy and ridicule from fellow players.
"Damn! Could the Big Trouble be some mysterious merchant?"
"Very likely! At this stage, the native NPCs don't pay attention to the players in the closed beta at all. Only the mysterious merchant who gives benefits to beginners will favor us low-level players."
"Are there players naive enough to reveal such a high-level NPC? Why not keep it under wraps and enjoy the advantage discreetly!"
"To be honest, I have a friend who really wants to learn [Life Return]. I wonder if the poster learned it from the big fatal one? I want to experience the effect."
"Brother? Or should I say sister?"