After a prolonged silence, the bald man's voice finally broke the stillness. "I... am I dreaming?"
"Me too," someone else muttered, the sound of swallowing saliva echoing through the group.
The wasteland rabbit lay lifeless, a massive creature with an arrow piercing through its body, a stark testament to the incredible shot.
Chen Guodong, though initially shocked, quickly transitioned from astonishment to pride. He had witnessed Chen Fan's remarkable archery skills the previous night, and now that pride showed on his face.
One of the group members picked up the wasteland rabbit and struggled to lift it, saying, "This one's almost as big as the one we caught the day before yesterday, probably weighing around forty catties."
All eyes turned to Chen Fan, their expressions filled with disbelief.
"Boy, how did you do that?" the bald man couldn't help but ask.
In their experience, only the Wei brothers were capable of such shots. Could Chen Fan have secretly practiced archery?
Chen Fan felt a bit embarrassed under their scrutiny and scratched his head. "Uncle Liu, I didn't expect to hit it on the first try. Maybe it was just luck?"
"Luck?" Everyone glanced at the arrow, which had hit the rabbit's vital point by passing through its neck. Could this be attributed to mere luck?
"Are you being honest, or are you hiding something?" the bald man questioned, his skepticism clear. "Did you secretly practice archery?"
"I did practice, but not secretly," Chen Fan admitted.
"Really?" The group was even more astonished. "When did you start practicing archery? Why didn't we know about it?"
"Xiaofan, you must have been practicing archery for at least two or three years to make such a shot from this distance. It's impressive."
"Kid, you've kept quite a secret. You fooled us all. If it weren't for your shot today, we'd still be in the dark."
The bald man blushed and rubbed his bald head. He hadn't known about Chen Fan's archery skills; otherwise, he wouldn't have made those embarrassing comments earlier.
Chen Fan glanced at Chen Guodong, who subtly shook his head. It was clear that Chen Fan should keep the truth hidden. Thus, Chen Fan replied vaguely, "I have practiced for a while."
"I knew it!" The group seemed delighted, with genuine smiles. "You're amazing, kid. I underestimated you when we met at the village gate."
Even Chen Guodong, usually reserved, had a rare smile on his face. He had shaken his head earlier to suggest that Chen Fan should keep his skills hidden. After all, revealing that Chen Fan had only practiced archery for two or three days would cause quite a stir.
In the end, Chen Fan's exceptional archery seemed perfectly normal to them. They had witnessed awakened individuals who, without awakening, appeared ordinary but displayed incredible abilities once awakened. Perhaps Chen Fan was a similar archery genius?
The atmosphere among the group warmed visibly. Chen Fan found himself still at the center of attention, but now they surrounded him protectively, almost as if he were a prized player in a game.
Taking advantage of the moment, Chen Fan revisited a piece of information that had appeared in his mind earlier.
"Gain 3 experience points."
He pondered these words, wondering if this was the system's way of rewarding him for his successful shot.
The possibility is quite high, but what's its use?
He glanced at his attribute panel, and his eyes widened.
A line of small characters appeared beneath the potential points once again.
Experience Points: 3
Additionally, there was now a plus sign following [Basic Archery], a feature that hadn't been there before.
An idea suddenly sparked in his mind. Could these experience points be used to increase skill proficiency?
"No, how did the proficiency of this basic archery increase?" he mused. As far as he remembered, he had stopped practicing [Basic Archery] at level 4, so the proficiency should have remained at 0%. Yet, it now stood at an astonishing 3%.
This was baffling; when [Basic Archery] was at level 3, the proficiency barely increased by 1%, let alone a remarkable 3%.
The amount of information was overwhelming.
He took a deep breath, organized his thoughts, and came to several conclusions:
First, In actual combat, skill proficiency increased more significantly than through regular practice.
Second, Killing beasts could earn experience points.
Third, Experience points couldn't replace potential points for strengthening the body, but they appeared to enhance skill proficiency.
The first two conclusions were supported by evidence, but he needed to test the third.
With a thought, he clicked on the plus sign. In an instant, the experience value decreased from 3 points to 2 points, and the proficiency in [Basic Archery] increased from 3% to 4%.
"That's it!" Chen Fan exclaimed.
This discovery opened up a new way to enhance skill proficiency. Killing fierce beasts yielded experience points, and although the proficiency improvement from experience points seemed relatively low, it still outperformed regular practice. This could save considerable time when learning new skills in the future.
Human energy had its limits. There was a daily cap on the level of proficiency that could be achieved through practice, and it became increasingly difficult as skills reached higher levels. Overcoming these bottlenecks required a substantial amount of time.
Furthermore, other skills could also benefit from experience points gained by killing beasts in the future, streamlining the learning process.
Chen Fan pondered the idea that if he could kill more formidable creatures, like mid-level beasts, they might yield even more experience points.
"Xiaofan? Xiaofan?"
A hushed voice interrupted his thoughts.
The bald man made a silent gesture and motioned for Chen Fan to look southeast.
Chen Fan followed his gaze and spotted a black rat, about the size of a washbasin, scouting the area with its upper body emerging from a hole. This low-level creature was known as a black rat, specializing in hole-making, making it challenging to catch.
"Are you sure?" the bald man inquired, his and the others' eyes fixed on Chen Fan, brimming with anticipation.