Chapter 147: Intelligence 5

Sensing the gaze, Xia Nan turned around somewhat puzzled, but only saw two backs walking away quickly.

He shook his head, just took it as an illusion, and didn't think about it anymore.

The wooden spoon in his hand stirred gently in the cream mushroom soup.

The milky-white, viscous soup swirled, with finely chopped brown mushrooms and emerald-like parsley pieces colliding and floating.

The spoon lifted, accompanied by the rising heat of the milky aroma, was a translucent milk film being pulled up, and one could faintly see a few black peppercorns submerged in the soup.

Color and fragrance; just looking at it, he could already imagine the wonderful sensation of the fresh, sweet, and thick soup melting away on the tip of his tongue.

After an adventure, being able to sit in a tavern and drink a bowl of hot cream mushroom soup like this, plus a glass of cool and refreshing iced ale.

For him, it had become a kind of enjoyment.

Right now, it was Xia Nan's fifth day back in Hegu Town.

He hadn't let those around him deliberately cover up or downplay his performance in the battle, nor did he care about his battle record being spread.

After all, Cui Xi Village was located near Hegu Town; such a big event as encountering a Goblin attack couldn't possibly be suppressed.

In fact, on the second night after returning to town, through the spread of the villagers he had saved and passing adventurers.

The story of Xia Nan successfully advancing during the battle and killing a Bugbear head-on one-on-one had already spread.

Black hair and black eyes, sharp features, young, gray double-handed longsword, professional...

His fame gradually fermented.

By now, even when he stood with the long-established Adeline, many people called him by his nickname, "Gray Sword," first.

Even, because of the small habit Xia Nan had developed due to the "decapitation longsword," it was very classically distorted after the adventurer's unique exaggerated processing, and was fused with his nickname "Gray Sword."

He didn't mind this, and instead was happy to see it develop this way.

In Xia Nan's view, many times, having a bigger reputation, or even being slightly extreme and carrying a bit of an "infamy" that wasn't so disgusting.

Could really help him save a lot of trouble.

Just like the Scar he encountered in Cui Xi Village earlier, he didn't even need to make a move; just recognizing his and Adeline's identities made him lower his head, not dare to cause conflict, and flee in a panic.

Now, the fame of "Gray Sword" had risen with his acquisition of a professional level.

With the Baishanque Tavern as the core venue, it was much more famous among many bottom-tier adventurers than before.

"Pat, pat."

Quick footsteps came from the side of the table.

A young woman dressed as a tavern waiter, holding a tray, was walking toward him quickly.

"Guest, this is a gift from the boss to..."

Before she finished speaking, her feet slipped, and she looked as if she were about to fall.

And it was at this moment that the waitress felt her center of gravity, which had already lost balance, suddenly stabilize.

Her body, which was sliding backward, was pulled by something invisible.

Staggering back two steps, she actually didn't fall.

Lingering fear, the waitress didn't think much, sweat beads oozing from her forehead.

She bowed forward, placed the wine bottle on the tray gently on the table, and said respectfully with a smile:

"Guest, this is the wine our boss specially gifted to you, please enjoy."

Nodding, Xia Nan's gaze passed over the waitress and looked toward the bar behind.

Only to see the tavern boss, Chaputun, holding the wine glass he had just wiped, making a toast gesture toward him.

Xia Nan also smiled and nodded, indicating his thanks.

"Rock-Heart Black Beer... buying a bottle like this properly would cost more than five silver coins, right?"

"Just gifted it to you like this?"

"Tsk tsk... is this the treatment of a professional."

Sitting opposite, Abi looked at the wine on the table with envy, whispering sourly.

"I don't know when I'll be able to obtain my first combat technique."

"Don't worry, take it slow, you'll have them all."

Beside him, Adeline shook her wine glass and replied casually.

Compared to before the mission, the two people after the battle of Cui Xi Village had undergone certain changes in their demeanor and personality.

Abi's appearance was still green, and he was still wearing that simple equipment that looked like a newcomer's at a glance.

But deep in his eyes, which had been filled with ignorance and fearlessness, there was a bit more maturity.

Clearly, he was gradually stepping toward becoming a "veteran adventurer."

"Green Blood" Adeline, the change was even greater in Xia Nan's eyes.

It was extremely obvious that the huge pressure that had originally shrouded her head like dark clouds, making people unable to breathe.

Had dissipated completely after the Bugbear Hong Zong had its head shattered.

Her whole person was cleared, as if she had changed into a new body.

In the five days since returning to Hegu Town, the smiles that had appeared on her face were more than all those before combined.

To a certain extent, Adeline now gave him the feeling of an old person who was about to retire and enjoy life.

If she suddenly told him in the next second that she wasn't doing it anymore and planned to go back to the countryside to farm and spend the rest of her life, he wouldn't feel surprised at all.

And for Xia Nan, the harvest of this mission, naturally, didn't need to be mentioned.

First, the most realistic, and the one that could best reflect the "harvest" itself, was the soaring number in his bank savings account.

The Goblin extermination mission and the Gnoll bounty mission, because of the outstanding contributions he made during the adventure, he was allocated a larger proportion of the bounty after settlement, totaling 75 gold.

Then there was the Hunting Day period, the Goblin bounty which had risen to 5 silver coins/each, the split of the corpses after the veteran adventurers cleared the lair, and the number of kills calculated separately on the Cui Xi Village battlefield, totaling 45 gold.

Plus the few gold coins from the second-hand junk equipment from the Gnolls and the Scar squad that they had finally finished processing these days, and all the mission and bounty earnings during the entire Hunting Day period.

Xia Nan's savings had reached an unprecedented 756 gold, 3 silver, and 9 copper!

A full half set of heavy plate armor!

If he didn't consider anything else and just ate, drank, and rotted in the Baishanque Tavern, even at his level of consumption, it would be enough for him to lie down safely for more than three years.

Secondly, it was the biggest harvest of this adventure:

—Professional level!

He had originally thought that advancing to a professional was far away, and the last combat technique was nowhere to be found, but he hadn't expected to achieve the final condition in this seemingly ordinary and unremarkable Goblin extermination mission.

1 point of Agility, 1 point of Strength, 2 points of Perception, and one combat technique, two specialties.

If Xia Nan, who was now a Lv1 【Meteor Blade Ranger】, encountered the Bugbear that had almost wiped out the Smelly Fish and Shrimp squad at the beginning of his crossing.

The high mobility of 【Tooth Hunt】, the flexible use of 【Gravity Control】 in battle, and the non-ordinary magic equipment on his body...

He wouldn't need anyone else's help; he could solve it easily by himself.

The previous accumulation had allowed Xia Nan's body template to exceed that of ordinary professionals, gradually approaching the "Elite" and "Boss" templates.

To a certain extent, just now, his challenge level had already exceeded the professional level itself.

At the very least, a squad composed of four Lv1 professionals with well-equipped gear and reasonable construction had absolutely no possibility of defeating him without casualties.

With Xia Nan's fighting style, even if he really couldn't defeat the opponent in the end, he could absolutely drag two people down with him before he died.

In addition, regarding the 【Fate Coin】 from the Halfling Alton.

Xia Nan hadn't fully mastered its usage before, only treating it as a trump card that would definitely trigger the 【Copper Tendons and Iron Bones】 physical damage immunity effect.

This encounter had added a few inspirations to him.

Clearly, the effects that this Epic-quality item could produce had already exceeded the battle itself.

He had to plan the remaining two usage opportunities well, striving to maximize the benefits.

Finally, it was the one that surprised Xia Nan the most.

It was his attribute panel.

In the hundred-plus days since he crossed over, he had long since become accustomed to this golden finger of his, which only needed him to concentrate his attention to display equipment and his own attribute information.

It wasn't very exaggerated, but it had played a huge role in his standing in this world.

But what he hadn't expected was that the attribute panel could actually play a role when he was promoted.

Recalling the countless characters that flashed before his eyes earlier, those special professions like 【Dawn Ranger】 and 【Iron-Cast Strongman】, as well as the corresponding combat techniques, specialties, and compatibility levels.

Perhaps... besides displaying item information, his golden finger also possessed other effects he hadn't discovered yet?

"Hunting Day is over, what do you plan to do in the future, are you still staying in Hegu Town?"

In front of him, the voice of Adeline from the Green Blood Squad interrupted Xia Nan's thoughts.

He scooped a mouthful of mushroom soup, pondered for a moment, but didn't give an accurate answer.

"Take it one step at a time; it wasn't easy to obtain a professional level, I can't just retire like this."

Adeline didn't suggest that the other stay in the squad.

On one hand, Xia Nan had become a professional, and his combat power had changed significantly from before; it wouldn't be appropriate to let him follow them to clear out Goblin lairs and earn two or three gold coins.

On the other hand, for herself, Hong Zong was dead, her life's goal was completed, and she was currently in a period of confusion.

If she weren't still bringing the newcomer Abi with her, she might have really retired and gone back to the countryside.

She also needed a period of time to think about how to go forward.

"You have to go to the Association, right?" Adeline tapped the table with her fingertip, reminding him, "If you still plan to be an adventurer in the future."

Although she had been in Hegu Town for many years, her contact with professionals wasn't much.

She only vaguely knew that there was a clear difference in Association treatment between adventurers who had obtained a professional level and ordinary bottom-tier adventurers.

One of the most widely spread points.

Bottom-tier adventurers couldn't hope for it, and even if they spent half their lives' savings, they might only be able to buy fakes, and it was also their bread and butter—

Combat techniques.

There was a clear sales channel on the second floor of the Adventurer Association.

And it was 100% guaranteed to be authentic.

Just on this point, she felt the other should go there.

Xia Nan agreed.

But before that, he had two last small things to deal with.

First, go to the blacksmith shop.

The two pieces of armor on his body had suffered varying degrees of damage in the battle with the Bugbear.

Whether it was replacement or repair.

Regarding life safety, this effort definitely couldn't be saved.

Oh, and that hollow bone club left by Hong Zong.

As the biggest contributor to this battle, he naturally obtained the ownership of this trophy after it ended.

The hardness was good, able to withstand the slash of the decapitation longsword without leaving a scratch.

When used by the Bugbear, it even demonstrated the effect of confusing consciousness.

It was just a pity that it didn't match Xia Nan's fighting style, and he was already carrying two weapons.

Hanging a bone club on top of that, not to mention the style was subtle, it also looked too bloated.

He didn't have the specialty of a "Three-Sword Style Swordsman."

He had to ask "Rock Hammer" if there was any suitable way to handle it.

If it really didn't work, selling it for cash was also an option.

Anyway, the snake scale arm shield in his hand was still a long way from being officially finished, and he didn't know what year or month it would be before he could gather enough money.

Second, after dealing with the equipment, find a grocery store.

He still had half a bag of small stones on him, which were also trophies obtained during this mission.

It was just that a few days ago, because the number of other second-hand equipment was too large, he even ran back and forth between Hegu Town and Cui Xi Village again to finish processing them all.

Too busy, he forgot about them in his hotel room for a while, and only remembered this morning.

After selling them, it should be another good income.

Besides that, there was nothing else urgent.

If possible, he planned to rest for a period of time before the next mission.

Not out of laziness.

He mainly wanted to practice the few new specialties and combat techniques he had obtained, at least to the level where he could use them flexibly in high-intensity combat.

But it should take quite a bit of time.

As for the reason, it mainly came from 【Gravity Control】.

Speaking of which, although no one had ever mentioned it, and the attribute panel hadn't displayed it either.

But by comparing the Lv5 maxed 【Spinning Slash】 and the Lv3 【Tooth Hunt】.

There must be a quality difference between combat techniques.

【Tooth Hunt】 was clearly several levels stronger than 【Spinning Slash】, and 【Gravity Etching】 had only been mastered for a short time, and he hadn't used it many times, so it was hard to judge.

And 【Gravity Control】...

Xia Nan would only say one point.

Just like helping the waiter stabilize her center of gravity earlier, since he advanced and mastered this combat technique, in the five days, he had maintained almost the highest intensity of training and use without excessively consuming mental stamina.

Yet the proficiency on the attribute panel was still a lonely "1."

Not even a single point of proficiency had increased, which was really a bit outrageous.

For Xia Nan himself.

Although he didn't want to admit it, as he used 【Gravity Control】 time and time again, exploring the development of the skill's usage.

He felt more and more the unfathomable nature of this combat technique.

It felt like it wasn't an ability he should have obtained at his level.

And every time he concentrated his intent, perceived the gravity ripples spread throughout the space, and tried to interfere and control them, changing them in the direction he hoped.

He always had the illusion that the CPU in his brain was about to burn out.

He couldn't help but recall his "as high as" 5 points of Intelligence.

"Shouldn't... be the reason, right?"

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 148 =====