After incapacitating Wade, who was sent by Carlton, Jake's mood wasn't particularly good. When Dirk had warned him earlier, he knew that Carlton wouldn't simply let him off. So, for the past few days, he had remained vigilant. And today, as expected, he encountered one of Carlton's men.
However, Jake hadn't anticipated that Carlton would be so ruthless—crippling his arm and leg with a single move. Initially, Jake thought Carlton might just want to give him a beating as a lesson, but he realized that he had underestimated the severity of Carlton's actions.
With Carlton's background and ruthlessness, would he stop after crippling Wade? Jake thought it was unlikely. Growing up with a silver spoon in his mouth, Carlton probably hadn't faced many setbacks. That's why he acted arrogantly and ostentatiously. Such people had a sense of entitlement and believed they could bully others, but nobody should dare to stand up to them. Carlton's likelihood of seeking revenge again was significant.
This time, Carlton had only sent Wade, but who knew who he might send next time? So, Jake's mood was heavy, and he felt a sense of urgency. Today's events had confirmed his earlier suspicion that there was a circle beyond the world of ordinary people, a realm that ordinary people couldn't touch—just like the skilled experts on television, possessing formidable strength.
In reality, if Wade hadn't been somewhat careless, Jake defeating him wouldn't have been so easy. After all, Jake wasn't fully equipped at the time. Apart from having the advantage of strength, he didn't possess any other significant advantages. Additionally, Wade practiced a powerful skill, the "Palm of the Shattered Sky," whereas Jake had no such techniques. Jake's victory today had an element of luck.
Who could guarantee that Jake would always be that lucky? This lesson made Jake realize that Carlton might not be as careless next time. Carlton wanted to defeat him, and that would become more challenging. So, Jake needed to improve his strength. How to enhance his strength? In the real world, Jake had limited options. He would have to figure something out within the gaming world.
"I definitely can't stay confined to the military camp. There, I have no freedom, can't hunt monsters, and can't explore. It's too difficult to improve my strength," Jake thought.
Jake had hesitated previously due to Eli's advice, but now he had abandoned that notion. He needed to level up, gather various items by hunting monsters, and this couldn't be achieved while staying in the military camp.
As Jake re-entered the game world, he heard the sound of commotion outside. Without needing to guess, he knew that Eli was assembling the team. Because of the incident with Wade, he was a bit delayed today. Fortunately, the gathering seemed to have just begun, so Jake wouldn't attract undue attention.
"Living in the camp with everyone else is inconvenient. If something comes up in reality and delays me, it could lead to trouble," Jake mused as he walked towards the meeting point.
When Jake arrived, Eli glanced at him. Previously, Jake had always been the first to arrive at the meeting point, but today he was a bit late. While he wasn't the last, he also wasn't particularly early. Eli had high expectations for Jake now, so he couldn't help but give him a few extra glances.
However, Eli didn't dwell on it much; he assumed Jake was just tired, causing him to wake up later than usual. After all, Jake trained more intensively than others. While the others rested, he continued practicing, so it was normal for him to feel tired.
Over the next few days, Jake kept shuttling between the two worlds.
In the real world, Jake's business continued to thrive. One could even say it was the most bustling stall on the street. He earned more money every day, and his reputation was growing rapidly. People even traveled from distant places just to try his barbecue.
During their morning exercises, Jake and Wendy would still exchange a few words occasionally. Wendy's demeanor remained cold. On the other hand, Xenia was quite different. She showed warm interest in Jake and would often be waiting at the exit of the training ground with food after he finished his exercises. Each day, she brought different types of food, arousing the envy of many other guys around.
This level of attention and care was difficult for guys to experience even in romantic relationships, let alone from a beauty like Xenia. However, Jake was avoiding Xenia's enthusiasm.
Initially, he hadn't minded much. Although he didn't accept the food Xenia offered, he'd engage in a brief conversation. Yet, every time he did so, he'd notice Wendy passing by from a certain direction, casting a seemingly deliberate or unintentional glance at him. She never said anything, but her gaze made Jake uncomfortable.
Furthermore, Jake found it challenging to handle Xenia's enthusiasm, so eventually, he even started fearing encountering Xenia.
Xenia, however, remained undaunted and appeared punctually every day. Her determination was admirable. Over the past few days, Carlton hadn't sent anyone to bother Jake again. But Jake wasn't becoming complacent; he knew this matter wouldn't end so easily. Of course, he hoped that Carlton might come to his senses, but he felt the chances of that were low.
In the gaming world, Jake and his team continued with their training routines. Every day, after the training sessions, Jake still followed Eli for additional practice, and the results were quite impressive.
Jake's archery skill had advanced from basic to intermediate. Additionally, he had learned riding and shooting, and Eli had also taught him a set of military knife techniques, adding another offensive skill to his repertoire.
Archery: Intermediate: Increases hit rate by 50%, damage by 50%, shooting range by 50%, and field of view by 30%.
Riding: Basic: Enables control of various means of transportation, increasing stability and speed by 10%.
Mounted Shooting: Basic: Allows shooting while riding transportation, increasing damage and hit rate by 10% each.
Dominating Blade Techniques: Basic: A common knife technique in the military with simple moves and moderate power, increasing damage by 10%.
Today marked the final day of training before Jake and his team set out on their journey. Tomorrow, they would break camp and embark on their adventure.