Chapter 198: Improvement and Abrupt Discovery

Xia Nan was in a good mood.

On one hand, it was naturally because of his increasingly full small treasury these days.

In a month and a half, including the initial commission for the "Temple Night-Walking Wolf," the Sea Thorn Squad had completed four missions in total.

Of course, the mission targets were all beasts that had inexplicably rioted in the forest recently, and they were all "F-rank," the lowest level of missions on the second floor.

Mission rewards, plus the spoils of war harvested during the adventure, divided among the four people in the squad.

It could only be said that the income of professionals, compared to ordinary adventurers, was not just a little bit higher.

Right now, Xia Nan's savings in the bank had soared from the original two hundred and seventy-plus gold to 463 gold, 7 silver, and 6 copper.

An average income of nearly 50 gold per commission.

It didn't look like much more than before.

But one had to know, this money was the result after being distributed among the four people in the squad.

If it were Xia Nan's previous lone-wolf mode of operation, without having to share money with others.

If he had the same efficiency as the squad, if things went smoothly, he could even earn nearly four figures of gold coins in a month.

It could be called exaggerated!

And one point that must be explained.

This average income of 50 gold per mission, the proportion of "mission rewards" in it was actually relatively small.

After all, after obtaining the conditions to enter the second floor of the association, a new concept was introduced—

Points!

There were many ways to obtain gold coins: beast fur, crystals, second-hand equipment... if you wanted to get money, there were ways everywhere in Hegu Town.

But "points," at least for now, the only source was completing association missions.

And if you wanted to exchange for those precious combat techniques, rare materials, and discounted potions on the second floor that couldn't be obtained through ordinary channels, points were indispensable.

Therefore, when handing in missions, Xia Nan exchanged part of the gold coin rewards for corresponding points.

The quantity wasn't large; after all, his daily supplies and living expenses all cost money, and he also needed to prepare for the custom-made enchanted equipment in the future, so a certain amount of savings was indispensable.

But it could barely be considered a good start.

Accumulating over time, he would always be able to save up and exchange for a combat technique that suited his heart.

Sometimes, Xia Nan's thoughts couldn't help but extend outward.

For those senior professionals who had already stepped into "Transcendence" and possessed enough wealth for expenses.

After they completed association missions, the ratio of gold coins to points in the mission rewards might reach "1:9," or even "0:10."

Taking commissions was purely to earn points to exchange for high-level materials or other uses.

Although there was the possibility of "the Emperor's golden hoe," he guessed that the reality should be about the same as what he thought.

On the other hand, what made Xia Nan feel a thick sense of harvest was in terms of combat technique proficiency.

Four missions, high-intensity battles with various beasts, greatly accelerated the speed of proficiency improvement.

Among the several combat techniques he hadn't maxed out, 【Fang Hunt】, as one of the most commonly used moves, had long been revealed in the battle with the Night-Walking Wolves, so there was no need to hide it, and thus it was used freely these days, and its proficiency improved extremely fast.

Right now, it had reached the level of nearly Lv4.

By comparison, the speed of 【Gravity Etching】 improvement was much slower.

As for the reason, it was because of the daily usage limit of the technique itself, and the special force field damage mechanism that ignored armor, making Xia Nan treat it as one of his hidden trump cards.

It hadn't been exposed yet, and naturally, it was impossible to use it in front of the squad members during battle.

Occasionally practicing, he only took advantage of the few people not paying attention to find a deserted corner to train secretly.

In a month and a half, proficiency increased by twenty points.

It reached "Lv1 (82/100)."

Compared to its level 1 proficiency level, the speed definitely couldn't be called fast, but it was almost about to level up.

And this was still under the condition of training sneakily.

Overall, he was satisfied.

As for 【Gravity Control】, hmm...

—Lv1 (8/100).

Good news, it went up.

Bad news, it only went up by 2 points.

Long accustomed to it, Xia Nan was neither sad nor happy in his heart.

He only hoped that before spring arrived, the proficiency of this combat technique could break through the "double-digit" barrier.

To sum up, in this month and a half, forty-plus days.

Xia Nan earned a lot of gold coins and saved up a few points, and at the same time, pulled up the proficiency of all the combat techniques he mastered by a notch.

Oh, almost forgot, the armor was also still intact.

Although there were bumps on the surface, there was no serious damage that required major repairs or even replacement.

This made him send it to the blacksmith shop for maintenance twice after a long time, and even "Rock Hammer" Ba'en was amazed, asking him if he had been slacking off recently.

This was also the reason why he could save money.

"The usual, one No. 3 set meal, hmm, and add a glass of dark beer."

Seeing the two people waving at him from the corner of the tavern hall, Xia Nan lifted his chin slightly and greeted them.

At the same time, he smiled and ordered from the White Tit owner, "Chaputun."

Carrying two longswords, ignoring the slight gazes from other tables.

He walked straight up, pulled out a chair, and sat down at the table.

"Why are you here so late today? Sister has been waiting for you for a long time."

Weiruisi held her wine glass, took a light sip, her full lips carrying a touch of moisture, and her body leaned in.

He didn't know if she had sprayed some special perfume before going out, but the air around her was filled with a sweet, cloying scent.

"Went to the association."

Tavern rumors and the stereotypical impression of Drow Elves made Xia Nan suspect that there might be some kind of charm effect or hidden poison in the fragrance.

His gaze swept over the other party, and there was no emotional fluctuation on his face.

However, his breathing frequency slowed down imperceptibly.

"Strolled around the second floor twice, and was delayed for a while."

"You're still so young, why are you working so hard?" Sitting opposite the wine table, Kashi took over the conversation. "Enjoy yourself when you should; indulging a little doesn't matter."

"I remember when I first obtained my professional level, to put it exaggeratedly, my eyes were looking at the sky when I walked."

"It was only later that I took a few missions and encountered some things that I calmed down."

"With your current income, even if you only earn gold coins for three or four months a year, and spend the rest of the time vacationing in Niumu, you can live very comfortably."

"If I had become a professional at your age, I would have wished..."

Filtering out Kashi's bragging in his mind, Xia Nan leaned against the back of the chair and pondered.

In a month and a half, he could clearly feel that the two people's attitudes toward him had undergone subtle changes. On the surface, they were still enthusiastic, just like before, and even closer because of his performance in the missions, as if they really treated him as a reliable teammate.

But in some details, they revealed alienation and vigilance.

For example, they never arranged for him to keep watch alone; every night, the one accompanying him was either Kashi or Weiruisi.

When traveling daily, although the formation arrangement was always him at the back, the two never stood close in front, exposing their backs to him without reservation; often Bo He was blocking in the middle, or they simply wandered on the side of the squad.

And all these changes, the initial node, seemed to be the night he stabbed the Night-Walking Wolf leader to death in front of everyone.

Xia Nan roughly understood the reason.

Perhaps they were wary of him in secret?

Speaking of which, although he had teamed up with the half-elf guard "Wood" before, the time was short, and he had a natural filter for so-called "professionals" under the influence of countless bottom-level adventurers in the tavern.

But after staying with the Sea Thorn Squad for so many days, it made him realize that under normal circumstances, "professionals" didn't seem as strong as he had imagined.

Retaining only two combat techniques, 【Spinning Slash】 and 【Fang Hunt】, hiding most of his strength, and fighting purely on physical fitness.

It seemed that among low-level professionals, his strength was already considered quite good.

He couldn't help but sigh in his heart that the specialties and attribute points on the panel were indeed not saved for nothing.

At the same time, he realized again that even as professionals, even if the professional levels were the same, the huge gap in actual combat power due to the influence of combat technique quality, equipment, and physical fitness was real.

And this gap would be further widened as the professional level gradually increased.

From level 1 to level 10, there were only ten combat techniques at the mastery level in total; he must choose carefully.

"You're young and haven't traveled far, so you might not know."

"Every regional adventurer association, besides the differences in the combat techniques recorded, also has great differences in specific decoration and layout."

At the wine table, it seemed they had reached the field Kashi was good at.

He held his wine glass, talking with great interest.

"For example, the association branch in Hegu Town, the building materials used are all oak from the depths of the Mist Forest; although there are green plants like shrubs, the overall dark tone doesn't make it too conspicuous, giving people a deep, secluded atmosphere filled with mist under the canopy."

"And inside the association in Shoal Islands, there are a large number of fish specimens and coral decorations. The first floor underground is soaked in seawater, and there is a whole wall made of glass, where you can see schools of fish and coral reefs coming and going."

"I've also been to several association branches near the Underdark; artificial spider webs, fungi, skeleton specimens... heh, they're all quite interesting."

"If you're interested, just treat it as going out to see the scenery; the experience should also be quite good."

Hearing the other party say this, Xia Nan couldn't help but have some thoughts.

Since crossing over, he had looked busy, with missions one after another.

In reality, he had only been wandering between Hegu Town and Niumu.

Although he didn't like traveling much, after all, living a second life, if there was a chance, taking advantage of the mission gap, or simply taking a mission that required traveling far, going out to stroll and experience the local customs of various places, was not a bad choice.

"Tappa tappa tappa."

Slightly hurried footsteps came from his ear, interrupting Xia Nan's thoughts.

Looking over, he saw Bo He jogging, rushing toward their side.

In the middle of deep winter, she was still wearing that thin, plain robe, yet she didn't show any signs of being cold.

After all, she was a proper professional, and her physical fitness was still stronger than ordinary people.

If you found a burly man from the tavern, his strength might really not be as great as the slender and weak-looking girl.

"Sorry, sorry."

Bo He apologized repeatedly.

"Stayed at the herbal shop for a while longer."

She panted, and there were still mud stains on the bottom edge of her robe.

Xia Nan didn't speak, moved his chair, and let the other party sit in the empty seat on the other side of the wine table.

His gaze swept over her quite naturally.

Bo He these days still performed very normally, without any special points.

In battle, she cast thorn spells in the back row, supported teammates, and controlled enemies;

After the battle ended, she helped heal the wounds of several people in the squad.

Control and healing, from beginning to end, just these two tricks.

She definitely hid something.

But everyone in the squad was the same, so there was nothing to say.

And her background, that forest located northwest of Hegu Town, was far away from the so-called "Druid" mentor, and could not be verified.

There was not the slightest point worth doubting.

But precisely because of this, the more normal she was, combined with the subtle feelings under his perception, the more it made him care.

However... it didn't matter.

Xia Nan shook his head slightly.

Having come this far, no matter what thoughts the several people in the squad had, or what purpose they existed for.

Just wait until this mission is over, get the "Bone-Eroding Pattern Steel" as a reward, and everything else will have nothing to do with him.

In the gap of waiting, the steaming mushroom soup had been brought over by the tavern waiter.

"Things are all ready, right? We'll set off tomorrow morning."

"The time we go out this time should be relatively long; try to prepare more supplies."

Kashi's instructions echoed in his ears.

"The target of this mission is to investigate the traces of Beast-kin in the east of the forest; we have already discussed the detailed plan before."

"Today before setting off, I'll remind you of a few points again..."

Sitting at the table, Xia Nan concentrated his attention, listening to the mission points introduced by the other party.

The spoon in his hand stirred unconsciously in the soup bowl.

The slightly thick soup was dotted with green parsley leaves, rolling and surging in the stirring of the metal spoon head.

Without paying attention to the force, a small piece of brown mushroom slice flew out of the bowl and landed on the table.

Xia Nan came back to his senses, his pitch-black eyes reflecting the mushroom slice wrapped in thick soup on the surface of the wooden table, his brow furrowed slightly.

As if sensing the gaze, he suddenly looked up coldly.

He only saw Bo He on the side, as if looking at himself.

Seeing him look over, that white and exquisite face was stunned for a moment, and then quickly lowered her head to fit the persona, moving her gaze away introverted, avoiding eye contact with Xia Nan.

The previously perfect acting seemed to reveal a flaw in the abruptness.

"What's wrong, is there something?"

He carefully recalled the change in the other party's expression in the instant just now and asked actively.

"No, nothing..."

Bo He lowered her head, her lips parted and she replied stutteringly.

The dark brown short hair reflecting a faint green luster under the light swayed gently, revealing her water-drop-shaped light green earrings.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 199 =====