Chapter 35: Dead Loop

"Adventurer Association!?"

The half-elf's answer made Xia Nan feel very surprised.

"How is that possible? I've been to the association in Hegu Town a few times, and I've almost turned the entire hall upside down, but I haven't seen any skill books for sale?"

"Could it be in..."

"That's right." Haian nodded, holding up his index finger and poking upward.

"On the second floor."

Hearing this, Xia Nan felt even more confused in his heart, recalling the conversation with the alchemy shop owner when he went to the association to turn in the mission a few days ago.

"Isn't the second floor of the association only accessible to those who have become Professionals?"

"Yes."

"But without combat techniques, how can I become a Professional?"

In Xia Nan's view, the other party's answer was self-contradictory, seemingly having become a dead loop.

The prerequisite for becoming a Professional is to learn combat techniques, combat techniques can be purchased on the second floor of the Adventurer Association, but to get to the second floor, one must be a Professional.

To this, Wood, sitting beside the half-elf and clad in black leather armor, replied with a hint of implication:

"This world needs adventurers, but it doesn't need that many."

Xia Nan carefully savored this sentence in his heart, countless thoughts flashing through his mind.

Seeing that he seemed to have a tendency to get stuck in a dead end, Haian beside him quickly continued to speak:

"Of course, there isn't only this one choice for obtaining combat techniques."

According to the information provided by the half-elf, in the Servia Kingdom, there are mainly the following ways to master combat techniques:

First, naturally, are the large organizations distributed throughout the kingdom.

Whether it's the Temple Church, the Guild Alliance, or even the military legions belonging to the kingdom itself, they all have their own perfect and clear promotion systems.

Not only are there various combat techniques needed for taking on basic professions, but even the advanced professions necessary for becoming "Transcendence" later on have large reserves internally.

And what you need to pay is loyalty and faith.

Second, is to hire "Professionals" who have already completed their job change to help master combat techniques.

The price is a massive amount of gold coins that can truly be called a "huge sum," or other materials of corresponding degree.

And this is exactly how the vast majority of nobles in the kingdom learn combat techniques.

Finally, it is also the one that is most widely distributed, appears most frequently, and is most suitable for ordinary commoners who have neither family background nor background—

The lottery.

Like the farmer family with no combat power at all that his predecessor came from, they could also rely on accommodation fees to "snatch" half a so-called skill book from a traveling Bard.

On the vast land of the Servia Kingdom, countless "combat technique secret recipes" circulate.

Just find an old man at the entrance of a village, and his family might have collected a few "Knight Training Secrets" that he claims were passed down from his ancestors, and if he charges you a few copper coins, it's as if you've taken some huge advantage, and he'll boast about his great-grandfather's glory excitedly.

Ninety-nine point nine percent of these "combat techniques," which are as numerous as toilet paper, are "fake goods" of no value that don't know where they flowed from.

Even if you practice for a few years, there won't be the slightest progress, and while wasting a lot of time in vain, there is also the possibility of ruining your body due to incorrect force-exerting postures.

Only a very small number of lucky ones, on the premise of hitting the jackpot and obtaining a true combat technique skill book that can actually work, pay a lot of hard and boring time to practice diligently, have the opportunity to master true combat techniques and take the first step toward becoming a "Professional."

Of course, these three are just the most common ways to obtain combat techniques.

Besides these, for example, traditional master-apprentice relationships, noble sponsorship, wild treasure hunting, auction house transactions (the credibility is slightly higher than roadside stalls)... there are also a large number of methods that require a certain threshold.

This makes "combat techniques" not rare, at least among the group of "adventurers" who need to deal with various magic beasts and have certain channels and income.

Hearing this, Xia Nan finally understood why the two, after learning about his predecessor's experience, would appear so surprised.

It seems his predecessor not only had good talent, but even his luck was excellent.

Just half a page of a skill book, and he really practiced it successfully.

At the same time, he also had a general direction for how he should move forward in the future.

"By the way."

Haian, who had told Xia Nan all the information he knew about professional advancement, seemed to have thought of something.

"I didn't say it before, I thought you were being led by some mentor, but now that it's like this..."

As he spoke, the half-elf suddenly lowered his voice, carefully glancing at the decapitation longsword beside Xia Nan.

Fearing to offend the other party, he asked tentatively:

"That move of yours just now should be in the 【Warrior】 direction, right?"

Xia Nan himself didn't know what profession 【Circle Slash】 belonged to, but referring to the characteristics of combat techniques for each profession that Haian had just described,

he hesitated and spoke slowly:

"Probably? At that time, the half-page skill book didn't specify the source of the combat technique."

Haian wasn't surprised by his answer.

He nodded and looked at Wood beside him.

"Although Wood is a Professional, the combat techniques of a 'Rogue' don't match the one you just demonstrated."

"Unless you are willing to start from scratch and give up everything you have now, Wood should be able to provide you with some help."

"However... to be honest, it's a bit too wasteful."

The half-elf's gaze swept across the iron-grey blade of the longsword.

"Judging by your performance in the battle just now, even if that combat technique hasn't reached 'Mastered,' it's not far off. Giving it up now would be too much of a pity."

His words paused slightly, and he looked up slightly, his silver-grey eyes fixed on Xia Nan before him.

Sincerely:

"You saved me in the battle, so I should make a return, and please don't refuse."

"Although after returning to Niumu, I probably won't be able to come out again for a short time... but over the years, I have saved quite a bit of money."

"If you are willing, with the help of my family's connections, I can hire a reliable Professional to help you train a 【Warrior】 type combat technique."

"Although it might not necessarily be useful, but..."

Facing the half-elf's proposal, Xia Nan couldn't help but be moved.

He hadn't been trying to save Haian in the battle for any reward, but now that the other party was offering such a return, it wasn't realistic to refuse.

After thinking for a moment, he nodded heavily and thanked him sincerely:

"Then I'll leave it to you, thank you!"

Hearing this, the half-elf actually let out a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face:

"Good! Give me your address, and after the mission is over, I'll write to you when I get back to Niumu."

"But it might take a few days; after I go back, there are some things at home that need to be handled, and it will also take time to wait for a suitable candidate."

"No rush." Xia Nan replied seriously. "You handle your own affairs first."

"I'll be in Hegu Town."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 36 =====