After visiting Mr. Bang, Xiao Buli went home to pack up a variety of miscellaneous items. Before darkness fell, he returned to the company. In just one week, he had grown accustomed to this rhythm of life.
The next day, another Monday rolled around. Usually, he had a strong dislike for this day, but now that sentiment had shifted. Standing at the entrance of the computer room, everyone seemed eager to start. It appeared that a day's rest hadn't dampened their enthusiasm; on the contrary, it had intensified their fighting spirit.
As for the game, it really wasn't all that fun anymore. There was neither the thrill of slaughtering powerful monsters nor any exciting plot twists. However, the sense of accomplishment that came with gradually improving one's own strength was something that simply couldn't be ignored.
While waiting, Xiao Buli contemplated the Taming Skills and Basic Swordsmanship in his mind, deeming both crucial. If possible, it would be nice to develop them concurrently.
"OK, let's get started then," Li Jian arrived as if carried by the wind, looking refreshed and radiant. While speaking, he opened the door to the computer room. It seemed that despite having played for so long, he was quite eager. A group of five swiftly occupied their seats, their speed comparable to the masses that rush to grab seats the moment subway doors open.
He quickly turned on the computer, and when he logged in, he was back where he last logged off, at the village entrance. The militia captain who had been guarding the door was gone, replaced by two militia wielding spears. Ignoring the greetings from those two NPCs, he immediately opened his character panel. Although the game lacked a leveling system, the enhancement of attributes and skills was still noticeable in the improved strength. It was difficult to tell from raw data alone which of the two paths, Taming Skills or Basic Swordsmanship, held an advantage. He decided to prepare to leave the village to test out the effects of both skills and to see the fruits of his recent efforts in strength improvement.
As he thought, he began inspecting his attributes and skills.
Profession: Swineherd/Swordsmanship Apprentice.
Intelligence: 13. — Higher comprehension, strong analytical ability, average memory.
Strength: 11. — Can bear a weight of 55 pounds, base attack power 11 (one point of strength corresponds to a carrying capacity of five pounds and one point of attack power).
Speed: 11 — Your running speed is average. (Speed determines Movement Speed and attack speed).
Agility: 14 — You have a pair of exceptionally nimble hands. (Agility determines hit rate and evasion probability).
Stamina: 13. — Stamina Points 120 (1 point of stamina corresponds to 10 Stamina Points).
Physique: 10. — Health Points 100 (1 point of physique corresponds to 10 Health Points).
Charm: 12. — You are quite good-looking.
Spirit: 13. — You possess a spirituality that surpasses the ordinary.
Luck: 7. — Your luck is a bit unfortunate.
Skills —
Breeding: LV10. (Life Skill) You have learned the skill of how to breed animals.
Harvesting: LV10. (Life Skills) You have learned the skill of harvesting crops or other plants.
Taming Skills: LV2. By grasping the habits of wild beasts, you can tame them to serve you. The success rate and degree of taming depend on the target's level of wildness.
One-handed Sword Specialization: LV3. You have some understanding of using one-handed swords, allowing you to wield such weapons more effectively in combat. It's also easier for you to learn skills associated with this type of weapon, which is an important prerequisite for learning swordsmanship skills.
Wild Beast Knowledge: LV1. (Knowledge Skills) Due to your extensive contact with animals, you have gained a certain understanding of the habits of wild beasts. (This skill can improve the success rate of your Taming Skills), and unlocks the Beast Compendium feature. The animals you are familiar with will appear in your Skill Bar in compendium form, and your success rate at taming animals already in the compendium is increased by one level.
Chain Sword Strike: LV1. You strike your target consecutively with your weapon, dealing multiple hits of weapon damage, with each subsequent hit inflicting less damage due to declining strength. Each use of this skill consumes 5 Stamina Points, and the skill has a cooldown time of 10 seconds. (Requires a one-handed sword weapon).
Basic Swordsmanship: LV3. This is a set of beginner's swordsmanship skills, created by veteran warriors after long-term refining for practical combat. It incorporates various Sword Forms like thrusting, blocking, stabbing, and slashing, making it very suitable for beginners.
Just as he was about to close the interface, Xiao Buli suddenly felt something was off. Wait a second, he reread it from the start. Basic Sword Skills LV3? He scrutinized it again carefully, and there was no mistake—the Basic Swordsmanship he had learned the day before yesterday had somehow reached LV3, and he had no recollection of practicing this skill at all?
Could someone have tampered with his character? This thought immediately sprang to Xiao Buli's mind, and it seemed like the only explanation. He turned to look at Li Jian, who was currently controlling his character, fighting a zombie. Xiao Buli hesitated for a moment, then walked over and waited behind Li Jian. After watching him fell the zombie with an axe, he reached out and patted his shoulder.
What's up—
What! Li Jian turned around abruptly, and without his sunglasses on, Xiao Buli could clearly see his eyes glowing red.
Xiao Buli's heart skipped a beat. Seeing that Li Jian appeared annoyed but showed no other reaction and seemed not to feel anything off about himself, Xiao Buli quickly composed himself and asked, "The skills on my character have somehow leveled up two tiers, and I wanted to ask if someone used my account yesterday?"
Without a second thought, Li Jian replied, "Definitely not, the company takes account security and personal privacy very seriously. No one is allowed to use someone else's account without permission. As for the sudden skill upgrade, maybe it's some server data error. These things happen."
Xiao Buli nodded, accepting this more or less plausible answer. It seemed to be the only reasonable one. Although he was still puzzled, it was a good thing no matter how you looked at it, so he didn't dwell on it any longer—time waits for no one.
Xiao Buli was ready to leave the village immediately to test the power of these combat skills he had learned. As he thought about it, he dragged Basic Sword Skills, Chain Sword Strike, and Taming Skills into his quick access Skill Bar. After some thought, he decided to buy a sword as well, for all the swordsmanship skill in the world is useless without a weapon. His previously owned rusty scythe was reclaimed by the farmer when he resigned, leaving him empty-handed.
Arriving at the village blacksmith, he saw a burly, shirtless man hammering a Longsword with repeated powerful strokes—it was none other than Han Baiqiang. Upon seeing Xiao Buli walk in, the big man greeted him, "Hey, what brings you here?" In this world where NPCs wandered everywhere, it was somewhat gratifying to see a familiar face.
"Just shopping around. I've learned Basic Swordsmanship and want to buy a weapon to test it out outside the village."
"What! You've learned Basic Swordsmanship!?" Han Baiqiang in front of his computer was taken aback, typing quickly to ask, "I was thinking of learning it too, but the militia captain said my basics were too poor, and he wouldn't teach me. How did you manage to learn it?"
"To learn Basic Swordsmanship, you need the prerequisite skill of One-handed Sword Specialization. You have to learn that first," Xiao Buli shared openly while picking through the swords on the stall and recounted how he acquired One-handed Sword Specialization.
After listening, Han Baiqiang was overjoyed. "I see, I see. Although I don't know One-handed Sword Specialization, I do know Two-Handed Weapon Specialization. I should be able to learn other types of combat skills. I'll go and ask about that in a bit. Thanks, buddy. Tell me what weapon you want, and I'll give you a discount."