Chapter 33: Conditions (4k)

The Mist Forest is vast and boundless, and the rich magic in the air allows this mysterious place, filled with dense forests and shrubs, to nurture countless creatures.

Four Rust Monsters, five adventurers, a tense and fierce battle that could decide life and death.

Placed within the entire forest, it was just one of the countless cycles of predation, hunting, eating, and being eaten that occur every second.

The campfire flickered.

The orange-red firelight seemed to melt into the night, turning into a hazy mist surrounding them, drifting leisurely in the air.

After the battle, Xia Nan and the others urgently packed their luggage and, under Wood's command, quickly completed the transfer of the camp before the sun sank completely below the horizon.

"Hiss! Gently, gently."

Lali's forehead was covered in sweat as he, with the help of Doris beside him, carefully unwrapped the bandages he had temporarily wound around his arm to save time.

Rust Monster venom is the natural enemy of metal equipment; even a few drops, if left unchecked, would be enough to corrode a large gap or depression, like ants building a nest.

When it came to the human body, its toxicity was much lighter.

It felt like a burn, just a stinging, fiery pain, not fatal.

Facing Lali's dramatic performance as if he had suffered some serious injury, Doris, despite showing disgust and muttering something, still carefully changed his dressing.

In the center of the camp, the half-elf was discussing tomorrow's itinerary with his guard in a low voice; the atmosphere between the two was no longer silent, and the previous dispute seemed to have been forgotten with the end of the battle.

Xia Nan remained alone, leaning against a tree trunk, sitting by the fire.

Only, at this moment, he wasn't maintaining the decapitation longsword that had been wiped clean.

Instead, he was focused intently on roasting the dried meat before him.

Having experienced a day full of twists and turns, he needed to replenish his strength through eating.

As a novice adventurer at the very bottom, who hadn't even completed many missions,

even if, because of the values of his modern life in his previous life and the relatively generous family fortune he once had, he was willing to spend a few more coins on supplies,

what he had brought on this trip was just a stack of hard black bread, a few large chunks of smoked meat, two strips of fish jerky salty enough to choke him, and some other miscellaneous food—totaling about five days' worth.

It wasn't that Xia Nan was stingy in this regard, but because the environment of the Mist Forest was special, the spoilage rate of fresh food far exceeded the norm.

And thinking it was just to pick some Glow-Garlic Vines, at most spending one night outside, he had simply followed the suggestions in the 【Adventurer's Handbook】 and made a simple purchase at the general store according to the list.

Thinking about it now, perhaps he should have spent a few more silver coins to see if there was any other food he could bring.

Xia Nan used his dagger to cut the roasted smoked meat into small pieces and put them into his mouth.

"Hmm... at least it's hot."

Feeling the indescribably strange taste in his mouth, he comforted himself in his heart.

But his mind couldn't help but recall the feast he had enjoyed a few days ago at the White Tit Tavern, spending a "huge sum" of 3 silver coins.

"That bowl of mushroom soup was really delicious."

He smacked his lips subconsciously.

Speaking of which, although he hadn't seen one yet, there must be proper Mages in this world.

Maybe there were things like "Space Rings" or "Storage Spells."

If he could get his hands on similar items in the future, not only would it be convenient to carry various supplies, but loot like today's "Rust Monster armor" should also be easy to bring back to the city.

Thinking this, Xia Nan suddenly gave a self-deprecating smile.

He felt like the protagonist in the "Emperor's Golden Hoe" joke from his previous life.

"Xia Nan? What are you thinking about?"

A deliberately lowered call sounded in his ear.

Xia Nan snapped back to reality, looking over to see Lali, who had finished changing his dressing, standing beside him.

He was also carrying a small basket.

"Here, this is for you."

Before he could reply, the basket was forcibly stuffed into his arms.

A glance revealed a palm-sized glass bottle and several packages covered in fine cloth in the basket.

"Double-Needle Bee honey, I bought it at the 'Elf Leaf' bakery, it's very famous, have a taste."

Lali pointed to the glass bottle filled with golden thick liquid in the basket, his vivid expression just like a salesperson from a livestream in his previous life.

"And these pieces of goat cheese, made by Doris's family, the taste is great, especially with the dried meat, tsk, that flavor..."

"Oh..." Xia Nan held the wooden basket, his expression appearing somewhat surprised, but he still nodded in thanks. "Thank you."

He had intended to exchange a few more pleasantries and chat about the mission,

but Lali seemed to have come specifically to deliver the items, leaving only a "When we get back to Niumu, I'll treat you to a few days of fun in the city" before scurrying back under Doris's urging.

Zla—

Under the searing heat of the fire, the cheese, sliced thin by the dagger, stuck half-melted to the reddish-brown dried meat, emitting a milky fragrance.

Putting it into his mouth, the salty-sweet taste of the otherworldly cheese made the originally dry and bland dried meat seem like a different ingredient.

Xia Nan's eyes lit up immediately, and even his originally tired and weary body and mind felt much relieved.

Looking at Lali and Doris, who were whispering to each other in the distance, his gaze was somewhat complex.

When he first joined this squad, he had thought they were just the kind of cliché and frequently appearing "pursuer" and "pursued" relationship from his previous life.

After all, with Lali's fawning appearance and Doris's indifferent performance, it was hard not to think that way.

But now, after spending the whole day together,

Xia Nan discovered that although Lali always had a fawning attitude, he wasn't fawning without any bottom line; and although Doris was often disgusted, she also showed that she wasn't so distant at certain times.

"Can't understand it."

He shook his head in confusion.

"Strange, right?" Seeming to notice Xia Nan's gaze, the half-elf beside him smiled and said.

"What if I told you that they actually grew up together?"

Hmm? Childhood sweethearts?

Xia Nan couldn't help but be even more confused, asking subconsciously:

"Then how come they..."

"Look very awkward, right?" Haian looked at the two from afar, lowering his volume. "The actual situation is indeed a bit complicated."

"Lali's father is a famous wealthy merchant in Niumu; and Doris's parents, before opening the cheese shop, used to be stewards for Lali's family."

"That's also the reason they've known each other since childhood, and later..."

Speaking of this, the half-elf seemed to realize that his current behavior wasn't very appropriate, so he stopped and concluded:

"What happened later is just the kind of stories you see in stage plays."

Xia Nan still didn't understand.

But since Haian didn't intend to continue, he didn't press further, instead turning the topic to the other party himself.

"What about you? What did you come to the Mist Forest for?"

Hearing this, Haian's body paused involuntarily.

His silver-grey eyes flickered, hesitating for a moment, before he let out a long breath as if he had let go of something.

He took out the ink-black wooden tablet from his waist pouch.

Rubbing his fingertips lightly over its surface, he said in a low voice:

"When I was young, before going to sleep, I always pestered my mother to tell me stories."

"Although there were only a few, and they weren't told as vividly as Aunt Polly's."

"But..." The evening breeze blew, revealing the long earlobes hidden under the half-elf's silver hair. "Those stories all came from my mother's hometown."

"Flower Elves who like to play tricks, Treants who guide the lost, dreams woven with jade and green jade..."

"Only on those nights, in the sound of my mother's gentle narration, could I stop thinking about the gazes of others during the day, and not have to care about... myself."

The silver-grey eyes unique to Elves reflected the flickering firelight before him.

Haian suddenly turned his head and glanced at Wood, who was beside him, wanting to say something but stopping.

He sighed.

"I actually know that the design of this wooden tablet is different from the style inherited by my mother's clan."

"But this is the last chance, I must try."

"After this mission is over, regardless of whether there's a harvest or not, I'm afraid it will be very difficult for me to leave home again, right?"

"That won't happen, Young Master!" Wood replied decisively, but then, as if thinking of something, his expression held a touch of hesitation and struggle, repeating like a murmur, "That won't happen."

It was just a casual question, and he hadn't expected it to make the team's atmosphere quiet down again.

Xia Nan looked at the two, his brain racing, changing the subject:

"By the way! I've actually always wanted to know, Wood, you should be a Professional, right?"

"The kind who has truly attained a professional level." He added.

To this, Wood's expression appeared somewhat strange.

"You didn't know? I thought you had seen it long ago."

"Haha, after all, this is only my second mission." Xia Nan scratched his head and laughed.

"I've never been in contact with a true Professional before, so I was a bit curious."

"Second time!?" As if catching a keyword, the half-elf's ears stood up instantly.

"So it's true that you told Lali you were a newcomer?"

Before Xia Nan could respond, Haian looked at the iron-grey decapitation longsword beside him with astonished eyes.

"That combat technique of yours just now doesn't look like something a newcomer should have."

Hearing that the half-elf seemed surprised by his 【Circle Slash】, Xia Nan couldn't help but feel some confusion in his heart.

"What's wrong? Combat techniques... aren't they something you all know?"

Hearing this, Haian looked even more surprised, as if he had discovered a new continent:

"Wait! Your mentor didn't teach you these things?"

"Mentor? I've never had a mentor."

"Then where did you learn this combat technique?"

In Xia Nan's view, the experiences of his predecessor had nothing worth hiding, and the half-page skill book recording the training method for 【Circle Slash】 had been fed to the old donkey in the shed many years ago after the whole family had made no progress.

He told both of them everything about how his predecessor obtained the skill book and the changes that suddenly occurred after years of hard training.

!?

"So, you swung your sword for years at half a piece of paper, and you practiced it out!?"

Wood's face displayed a wonderful expression that hadn't even appeared during the battle just now.

Haian, beside him, had already stopped speaking, just staring at him unblinkingly with the eyes of someone looking at an alien—

which wasn't wrong, as in a sense, Xia Nan was indeed an "alien."

By now, no matter how slow his reaction was, seeing the two's expressions, Xia Nan realized that something was wrong with this body.

He had clearly been an ordinary office worker in his previous life, hadn't even fought a few times, but after crossing over, he could directly fight back and forth with various magic beasts.

Although a bit rusty, every time he reviewed, the choices he made instinctively in battle were often correct and precise.

Plus the 【Circle Slash】 that was already practiced to full level when he first crossed over to this world...

Could it be that this body, and his previous self, really had some talent in battle?

Seeing that Xia Nan's reaction didn't look fake,

Wood's face still held surprise, but he quickly returned to his original calm and took the initiative to introduce the knowledge about "combat techniques" in this world to him.

According to Wood, due to the different professions and types of effects, the number of combat techniques on the Aifala Continent was as numerous as the stars in the sky.

But whether it was the Adventurer Association or other organizations, they hadn't formulated a clear and explicit grading system for these combat techniques.

They were just roughly divided into three levels according to proficiency: Beginner, Proficient, and Mastered.

Even the definition between "Beginner" and "Proficient" was exceptionally vague.

"What about 'Mastered'?" Xia Nan frowned, asking.

To this, Wood, who had already let go of his vigilance and accepted the other party in his heart, smiled quite vividly and mysteriously:

"Compared to the first two, 'Mastered' level combat techniques are actually the easiest to distinguish."

"Because as long as you hammer a true combat technique to the 'Mastered' level, the efforts you have put in in the past will also be fed back to you in that instant."

"In short, the moment you practice a combat technique to 'Mastered', you will clearly feel that your physical qualities in some aspect will instantly skyrocket."

"Some combat techniques even grant you certain special skills in related aspects after being mastered."

Hearing this, Xia Nan immediately associated it with a few days ago, when he faced the Hobgoblin and raised 【Circle Slash】 to "lv5" full level, the two attribute points he obtained, and the specialty called "Cleaving Expert."

So the lv5 on the system panel corresponds to the so-called "Mastered" in the real world?

Then correspondingly, lv1-2 is "Beginner", and lv3-4 is "Proficient"?

Xia Nan realized in his heart, and couldn't help but ask:

"So, are 'Mastered' level combat techniques rare?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Haian widened his eyes and said:

"Of course!"

"Practicing a related combat technique to 'Mastered' is one of the necessary conditions for obtaining a professional level!"

Professional level!?

Xia Nan felt a sense of excitement welling up, and even his breathing became heavy.

"What else? What are the other conditions?"

"How to become a Professional?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 34 =====