Chapter 5: Fighting Monster and Leveling Up

In the blink of an eye, a week passed.

To reduce the pressure in combat training, Adrian was forced to use his accumulated experience to level up "Apprentice Swordsman", raising his total level to LV3.

At the same time, his attributes became: Strength 6, Agility 10, Endurance 4, Intelligence 7, Charisma 6, Luck 1.

In addition, Adrian has accumulated 8 attribute points and 4 skill points for when it is needed.

During this week, Adrian also unlocked the [Basic Fighting] and [Basic Shooting] skills one after another, which improved his combat ability to a certain extent.

Somewhat unexpectedly, through a week of special agent training, he has also unlocked the progress bar for the [Special Agent] profession, with the current progress temporarily reaching 15%.

Compared to the easily accessible professions like "Apprentice Swordsman" and "Navigator", it's unclear how much harder it is to become a "Special Agent". When Adrian asked the system about it, the response was that the difficulty of getting certain professions is directly related to their complexity. That seems reasonable.

[Safe Zone] outside the training base.

On this day, outside the training base, at the 'Safe Zone'.

The [Safe Zone] is a designated outdoor activity area managed by the training base supervisors. It consists of three main sections – the [Safe Zone], the [Danger Zone], and the [Lethal Zone] – all radiating outward from the training base on the island. Each zone is home to varying levels of dangerous beasts, poisons, and other hazards.

On one hand, this is to provide practical training grounds for the children at the training base, and on the other hand, it is also to prevent individuals with aspirations for the sea and freedom from escaping the base.

Apart from the supervising agents and field operatives going on missions, no one knows about the secure route hidden deep in the dense forest.

In the morning, at the southwest corner of the 'Safety Zone,' within a thick thicket of bushes.

Adrian, wearing a simple disguise, carefully moved through the bushes. His face was covered in green dye, blending with the surroundings, and he held a standard-issue knife tightly. With calm eyes, he observed wild beasts feeding not far away, resembling an emotionless assassin.

As a precaution, Adrian first threw detection skill.

[Based on your level and attributes, you have received the following information]

[Long-Horned Deer] (Yellow Name)

[Level: LV7]

[Attributes: Strength 8, Agility 13, Stamina 8]

[Skills: Charge, Dash]

[Danger Level: Low]

The long-horned deer seemed to sense something. It abruptly stopped grazing, raised its head, and attentively scanned the surroundings, ready to flee.

Beings with sensitive senses could also perceive detection.

After about two minutes, no ominous sounds were heard in the vicinity. The long-horned deer returned to a relaxed state, leisurely walking towards Adrian's direction, prepared to take a look at this seemingly unexpectedly abundant 'bush'.

"Despite being a gentle herbivore, the long-horned deer had attributes higher than mine. If captured, it might break free. Additionally, if detected, it would undoubtedly run away, requiring more patience to approach again…"

Adrian gripped the standard-issue dagger tightly, showing the patience of an experienced hunter, and waited.

The long-horned deer, oblivious, lowered its head to sniff at a tempting branch. Just as it was about to bite, Adrian seized the opportunity.

In one swift move, he grabbed the startled deer's neck with one hand and, using the other, plunged the dagger into its left side, thrusting upward. The white knife went in, and the red one came out.

The feeling of the blade piercing the deer's flesh reached Adrian's palm through the handle.

 [You hit a vital point! Normal attacks turn lethal!]

[You've defeated the Wild Beast • Longhorn Deer. Earned 480 experience points based on level and attributes!]

The long-horned deer struggled briefly in Adrian's arms before succumbing. Feeling the warmth of the body, Adrian took a deep breath, realizing that the precise attack had been rehearsed in his mind over ten times.

Adrian didn't feel uncomfortable or queasy about hunting and killing wild animals, possibly because of lingering memories from his previous life as a trainee exposed to death and blood.

His earlier experiences with low-level beasts were somewhat limited, comparable to just a few sword practice sessions.

Throwing the long-horned deer carcass to the ground, Adrian crouched down to skin it and collect the meat.

For today's training task, each person in the squad had to hunt three wild beasts within the 'Safe Zone' to provide food. Failing to do so meant going hungry for the day.

Adrian was fortunate; it didn't take much effort for him to find this long-horned deer.

"Speaking of which, leveling up is really fast when you're at a low level!"

[Apprentice Swordsman] has a level cap of LV20. Currently, Adrian's level is LV3, and he needs 800 experience points to reach the next level. In other words, he has almost filled up more than half of the experience bar with this long-horned deer.

However, Adrian is not planning to level up yet; his current attributes are sufficient for him. Future training will undoubtedly become progressively more rigorous. Adrian plans to gradually demonstrate a "progress" that conforms to the common understanding of improvement, rather than abruptly increasing several levels in just a week.

Since becoming an [Apprentice Swordsman], Adrian has amassed nearly 200,000 experience points, enough to reach LV20. However, this doesn't align with his plan of progressing steadily from the bottom ranks to an upper-mid level.

After finishing the slightly burnt venison, Adrian frowned.

"It seems that I need to unlock more practical life professions, such as 'Chef' or 'Fisherman.' In the future, if I sail on the high seas, I can't just rely on the wind and raw fish—I need someone to cook for me."

"Oh! even though I'm not thinking of leveling up right now, I can still boost my skill proficiency with experience! Improving skills might not be as flashy as leveling up, but why not give it a shot!"

With this in mind, Adrian used 120,000 experience points to max out his 'Basic Swordsmanship Practice,' earning two skill points. He also spent 30,000 experience points to take Basic Swordsmanship Affinity' to level 6.

Feeling the steady influx of swordsmanship knowledge in his mind, Adrian remarked, "Upgrading feels awesome in the moment, but experience makes you broke real quick!"

After a while, Adrian kicked off his daily [Basic Swordsmanship Training].

In the evening, sporting a deliberately dirty face, Adrian came back to the training base with the half-eaten carcass of a long-horned deer. As expected, he got a lower evaluation, barely passing, but fortunately, there was no punishment.

In the following days, Adrian devoted more time and effort to amassing experience and honing his swordsmanship. He knew CP9 wasn't a charity organization, and sooner or later, he'd leave the so-called [Safe Zone] for missions in the deeper [Danger Zone], [Lethal Zone], or even the vast, tumultuous sea. At that point, there'd be no room for regrets or dwelling on "if only I had known back then!"