Chapter 16: Has the system messed up the world?

Higher-level skills had also been tried, but not a single one succeeded.

The menu displayed skill proficiency:

[Backstep] 1/10000, [Strong Slash] 1/10000, [Flying Blade] 1/10000, [Cut] 1/10000, [Stab] 1/10000, [Uplift] 1/10000, [Dagger Attack] 2/10000, [Steal] 6/10000

Adding these points together, it was already 14.

The prize pool could now be used for a draw, effort value: 14.

A single draw was definitely enough.

If practicing with a Dagger, both [Cut] and [Flying Blade] could trigger [Dagger Attack], so if you practiced these two first, there would be double the point gain.

But for attack-type skills, you definitely had to choose one to master.

If the Dagger issue couldn’t be solved before, then [Strong Slash] would have been chosen for practice first—after all, Warrior Skills could also be practiced with a wooden stick.

But now, with a young body, the Stat Panel would certainly be low, and the Five Stats or even four stats might be low as well.

In such a hardcore world, the benefits from Warrior Skills in the short term were bound to be low.

As for [Cut], it was a Rogue Skill for close combat.

With such a small body, a surprise attack could be launched, but in a direct confrontation, it would be nearly impossible to approach the target with the current physique.

In the end, [Flying Blade] had to be chosen as the current Main Skill.

As long as the thrown Blade’s attributes were sufficient, a sharp Blade could slash a person’s throat and deal fatal damage.

[Backstep] was the only evasion skill and had to be practiced.

The main fatigue from Backstep was on the waist and legs, while the fatigue from throwing [Flying Blade] was mainly in the arms and shoulders.

Passive skills could strengthen the attack damage of this weapon type—[Dagger Attack] counted as extra profit.

There was also [Steal], a skill that could be trained long-term; it allowed for consistent investment and practice, and proficiency could be quickly increased.

The only limit was mana—currently, 10 practices per day was the maximum.

“Backstep, Steal, Flying Blade, and Dagger Attack.”

Mel Carlo temporarily stopped practicing.

He had already figured out some of the system’s general rules.

As long as a skill not yet learned was repeated ten times, the skill could be acquired.

What mattered was the action itself.

For now, these simple skills were still easy to obtain.

But in the future, it might not be so simple.

In games, some skills had assist systems—no matter how complex, the release was instant.

But now, with every action shifted to hardcore mode, the difficulty increased drastically.

“Uncle Anke, can you teach me some other skills? Do you know any others?”

Mel Carlo approached the scarred man.

At least for now, this man posed no threat.

“Besides Flying Blade, I also know Stealth and…”

Anke spoke, then hesitated, his gaze shifting slightly.

“But those skills might be too hard for you. At your age, even Stealth would be difficult to learn.”

“What if I’m an Apostle? Can I try?”

Mel Carlo took the initiative to mention the term.

This made Anke swallow.

He had always suspected as much, but could never confirm.

The Apostle was a being that only erupted with power surpassing humans near death.

To verify, he’d need to push this kid to the brink of death.

But if the kid wasn’t an Apostle, he’d die for real.

If he was, then Anke himself would be the one to die.

“Fine. Besides Stealth, I also know the Assassin’s Breathing Technique. But if I teach you, you must never spread it. It’s a skill learned only within the Assassin’s Guild—you must join the Assassin’s Guild, or else the assassins will hunt you down.”

“I understand. Please teach me, Uncle Anke.”

Anke did not refuse.

He stood up and began to teach patiently.

[Stealth] in the game was a Rogue Skill unlocked at level 5.

Mel Carlo wasn’t a genius; he couldn’t master this skill beyond his level.

But the Assassin’s Breathing Technique could be attempted.

In the game, it was also an extra skill without level restrictions, but required finding specific NPCs to learn.

In this world, perhaps only the Assassin’s Guild or some assassin associations possessed this skill.

In the game, the sole purpose of the Assassin’s Breathing Technique was to increase Stealth duration.

But [Stealth] itself was a level 20 Assassin Skill.

However, from Anke’s explanation, there seemed to be some differences.

“The Assassin’s Breathing Technique allows you to avoid detection more easily during Stealth.”

“All right, I understand.”

Mel Carlo nodded.

After all, games were just games; differences were normal.

Everything in the game existed for entertainment, but in this fantasy world, there were far more possibilities.

Prompt: Learned Assassin’s Breathing Technique successfully, proficiency: 1/10000.

“Looks like I’ve learned it. Thank you, Uncle Anke. You’re not as scary as you look.”

“You little brat, you’re not as kind as you look, either!”

Anke’s conviction grew.

This kid might really be an Apostle.

But unless he lost control, there was no risk to his own life.

After a simple attempt, Mel Carlo didn’t intend to continue.

He had already practiced enough for today, and his body was quite fatigued.

“Do you still want to learn Flying Blade, kid?”

“I can try.”

Mel Carlo agreed.

He wanted to test whether training with someone else would boost proficiency growth.

They went to the Target Dummy.

Holding a Dagger in hand, he prepared to throw.

Of course, other throwing items could be used too.

Proficiency +1, effort value +1…

“You need to grip tighter, kid. That’s the only way to hit the bullseye. Your technique is still rough!”

“All right.”

Mel Carlo adjusted his grip and posture according to Anke’s guidance.

Though proficiency increased at the same rate—each throw only added 1 effort value—after learning the Flying Blade’s throwing method, accuracy improved significantly, and at least he no longer missed the target.

Practice complete, Mel Carlo left the gang’s yard.

[Flying Blade] proficiency: 20/10000, effort value: 34.

With 34 points, he could draw three times and still have 4 left over.

Mel Carlo wondered whether to do a ten-draw or a single draw to see the rewards.

After brief consideration, he decided to draw once first.

Even if the prize had nothing to do with Tonzi, he was dumbfounded looking at the Candy Wrapper Rabbit.

He couldn’t judge yet.

When he saved up enough for ten draws, a ten-in-a-row should make it clear.