Chapter 17: New Ability

Lei En returned to his room, still pondering Roger's proposal.

Become a Demon Hunter?

Lei En knows something about Demon Hunters, but not in depth; he only knows they are experts who hunt monsters.

Monsters refer to Demons and creatures polluted by corrupt energy, of many kinds and vast numbers. They often lurk in the human world causing massive destruction, and the main duty of Demon Hunters is to locate and eliminate these monsters.

Because they constantly deal with monsters, Demon Hunters inevitably become tainted with some Demon and corrupt energy aura, causing people nearby to unconsciously feel revulsion.

Moreover, Demon Hunters always track monsters.

Their appearance often means a tragedy or disaster has already occurred.

Over time, Demon Hunters became an ominous omen; in some ignorant superstitious regions, people believe Demon Hunters bring bad luck and misfortune, are unwelcome, and even actively drive them away.

Of course, this notion only spreads among backward ordinary people.

In the Transcendent World, Demon Hunters are a very powerful Transcendent profession.

The Demon Hunter profession emerged relatively late, originally an advanced branch of the Ranger, and only in the past few hundred years has it gradually risen and become independent. Therefore, Demon Hunters' combat style is somewhat similar to Rangers, focusing on swordsmanship supplemented by several spells each with its own emphasis, making it very versatile.

As the name suggests, Demon Hunters excel most at tracking monsters; they are extremely sensitive to the aura of corrupt energy.

Every Demon Hunter carries a silver sword specially forged to combat monsters, cast from the rare "Wei Che Secret Silver", capable of inflicting greater damage on monsters than ordinary steel swords.

The silver sword is highly effective against monsters, but its power is limited when fighting other types of enemies, so Demon Hunters also keep a regular steel sword for quick swapping.

This is why Demon Hunters always bear two swords, becoming their most distinctive trait.

The Claidon Academy where Lei En studies has no teachers for the Demon Hunter profession.

It is said that Demon Hunters have their own exclusive schools, which are very secretive; their transmission mode remains primarily master‑apprentice, so the number of Demon Hunters has always been low.

Those from different schools have different lineages, and they call themselves schools.

Lei En once heard a teacher mention that Demon Hunter schools total a dozen or so, but only four are the most powerful and mature: the Bear School, the Wolf School, the Cat School, and the Snake School.

This division stems from the different Main Souls chosen after the second Soul Transformation, leading to divergent combat styles.

Lei En does not know which Demon Souls the four schools fuse; that is each school's secret.

"Roger said he could invite me to join his school…" Lei En is very tempted by this proposal; Roger always wears a wolf‑head pendant, indicating he is likely from the Wolf School, and although Lei En does not know the Wolf School's style, it does not matter, because Roger is a legend!

Any legendary Transcendent in the Empire is a figure of great influence.

It goes without saying that Roger's status within the Wolf School is extremely high; becoming Roger's disciple would mean gaining a strong patron!

Not to mention, Lei En currently bears a "Conflict Mark"; before the mark dissipates, it is best to stay by a powerful protector.

And Roger is the most suitable candidate.

Lei En thought about it for a long time and did not decide immediately.

He has not yet performed the Soul Transformation ceremony, so he is unsure whether he can succeed; even if he does, it does not guarantee a transition to Demon Hunter. In fact, Demon Hunters demand very high talent, comparable to those powerful Church professions, after all this is a spell‑casting profession.

Moreover, Roger did not demand an immediate answer; Lei En can approach him after passing the Soul Transformation ceremony.

If the ceremony fails, then everything naturally falls apart.

"After I perform the Soul Transformation ceremony and see the situation, I'll decide then whether to become a Demon Hunter."

Lei En stopped overthinking, lay on the bed, but found he had no sleepiness at all; his whole body remained in a highly excited, extremely spirited state.

Moreover, he discovered that even while lying still, his physical condition was gradually strengthening.

An indescribable force flowed within him; wherever it passed—muscles, bones, blood vessels, organs—it felt as if charged, continuously strengthening again and again, with periodic sensations of change.

"This feeling…"

"So good!"

Lei En was almost intoxicated; he opened his phone interface, and the hundred little cells representing battery were all filled with green, which simply looking at was especially pleasant.

"Battery full, use it any way you like, that's how reckless."

Lei En's gaze fell on the few newly activated icons; he counted them, and the usable icons had increased by five!

The most conspicuous icon he had noticed before was shaped like a microphone, with a deformed pointed ear at the top and several curved wave lines surrounding it.

"What use could a microphone have?" Lei En opened the icon with doubt.

Then, countless sounds rang in his ears!

Human voices, wind, friction, a cacophony of noises, almost exploding his brain.

Lei En shut off the microphone at top speed, covering his head, and only after a while did he recover.

He scratched his head and finally understood what it was.

The microphone is actually a transducer used to receive sounds across various frequency bands, converting them into electrical signals for amplification or noise‑reduction processing.

After the phone mutated, the microphone's function was also enhanced.

It can let him hear sounds from all frequency bands, and hear farther; even the faintest sounds become as clear as a broadcast.

"It's a kind of Super Hearing!"

Lei En was greatly delighted, carefully opened the microphone again, and after a few adjustment attempts quickly adapted.

Amid a jumble of chaotic sounds, as long as he locks onto one, the chaotic wave becomes ordered, sharpening from vague to clear, rapidly tracking its source and judging its distance, while other sounds simultaneously weaken into a negligible background.

"I told you, you can't have good luck all night; now it's my turn to play…" said a guest in the lobby downstairs, his voice a bit weary but tinged with excitement.

"Ah… um… oh! Marcus, you're great, push harder…"

A coquettish moan mixed with a man's panting came from a resident next door to the inn.

"So stimulating? Fighting all night." Lei En slightly embarrassed shifted his attention, the lewd voice quickly faded and lowered in his ears.

Poo‑poo‑poo‑poo, a nightingale fluttered across the night sky, landing on a tree at the street's end, occasionally emitting light, melodious chirps.

In the foul gutter beneath the tree, a plump mouse poked its head, then suddenly burst from a hidden stone crevice, scurrying with its four feet pattering in the mud, finally disappearing into another hole.

Within a few hundred meters, even the tiniest vibration‑generated sound waves are captured by the microphone, then amplified, passing through the ears and into Lei En's brain.

Countless sound waves formed a complete world in his mind, a brand‑new perspective for observing the world.

Even if he lost his eyes and became blind, Lei En could "hear" the shape of this world, conduct daily activities, and even fight, sharper than those with intact senses.

Lei En felt for a while, and soon mastered the microphone's usage technique.

He named this super hearing "Voice of All Things".

"With such strong hearing, I still need more training; when I go out I must keep it active. Whether for tracking or anti‑tracking, it's very useful. If a shadow‑blade assassin approaches, I can detect it in advance."

"Unfortunately, it drains battery too fast."

Lei En probed the Voice of All Things, and the battery dropped one notch to 99%, no longer full. He knew rest would restore it, but it still felt a bit uncomfortable.

He continued to look at the second activated icon.

This icon was very simple and clear: a three‑dimensional gyroscope.

Seeing the icon made Lei En somewhat expectant.

Every phone has a gyroscope; it is a sensor that detects movement, direction, and force transmission in space. Many phone functions rely on the gyroscope, but he wondered what ability the mutated version would grant him.

He activated the gyroscope, but nothing changed.

"Damn, I'm stupid."

Lei En slapped his head; the gyroscope senses motion changes, and he was lying still in bed—no wonder it was useless.

He quickly got up; the moment he stood on the floor he sensed something odd.

An inexplicable sense floated in his mind; during his transition from bed to floor, every movement of his body was stable yet swift, as if meticulously calculated, with no wasted motion.

At this moment, he stood still yet felt as if he were standing more "steady."

"If someone pushed me now, I'd probably wobble like a roly‑poly and regain balance instantly."

Lei En took a few steps and instantly experienced a brand‑new feeling.

He found it hard to describe: his body seemed to become a complex, precise machine; every motion was under his exact control, the transmission of force between torso and limbs, the whole operation was clearly felt.

Lei En watched his hands, his ten fingers flicking back and forth, speed increasing, frequency rising, until they turned into a vague afterimage.

It lasted for over ten seconds; the afterimage vanished abruptly, his fingers froze, as steady as stone.

"With just these hands, I shouldn't be worse than a ranger's 'Dexterous Hands', right?"

Lei En smiled proudly and drew the long sword leaning against the headboard.

This sword was Aisiboge's paired sword, which he had taken as loot; it is a half‑handed sword, usable singly or doubly, weight appropriate, finely crafted—a rare fine blade that could fetch at least a dozen Gold Shields if sold.

Once he grasped the sword, Lei En felt a strange touch; the sword seemed to become part of his body, every detail known by heart.

The sword's balance point, size, weight—all were clear to him, as familiar as a sword he had used for years.

Lei En spent three years at the academy, mainly studying a sword art called "Empire Military Swordsmanship."

This sword art emphasizes defensive counter‑attack: in combat one guards the central line of the front body, defends steadily, moves cleanly, balances offense and defense. It is the most popular sword art in the Empire; many beginners start with it, but it is easy to learn and hard to master.

Empire Military Swordsmanship has four opening stances; Lei En most often starts with the "Plow Stance": slightly side‑stepping, legs spread and lowered, both hands holding the sword at the waist, the tip angled forward and upward.

His gaze fixed, he took a long stride forward and thrust.

A flash of cold light seemed to cut through the room; the air was pierced, emitting a whistling sound.

He had practiced this thrust for three years, yet never produced such precise, swift, and powerful a strike; even the academy's sword masters could not achieve it.

Satisfied, Lei En exhaled, casually threw the sword, and with a "pop" it landed back in its sheath, perfectly aligned.