Drowner's Treasure Chest

Ailin avoided Vesemir's complicated gaze.

Pretending not to have seen anything, Ailin lowered his head to study the patterns on Elsa's scabbard.

He looked so serious, as if the patterns held the profound truths of the universe.

His gaze shifted back, and Vesemir looked at the future of the School of the Wolf with a headache.

Platinum, dark red, emerald green.

Three pairs of round cat-like eyes were fixed on Vesemir's face.

The school never said teaching apprentices would require paying out of pocket, Vesemir thought.

The probability of another apprentice being able to kill a Drowner with a steel sword was nearly zero.

But what if?

He didn't have a second "Elsa."

As for breaking his oath?

Witchers from the School of the Cat wouldn't be so despicable!

Before he could come up with a solution, the Chief spoke:

"You can!"

"If you kill a Drowner with a steel sword, my silver sword will be yours."

"But that's only one sword," Huus asked innocently, "and there are three of us."

The Chief smiled and said, "Of course, it goes to whoever kills it first."

Huus was about to ask more.

The other apprentices were already scrambling to get in front of Vesemir.

Vesemir breathed a sigh of relief, nodded gratefully at the Chief, and then arranged them in order.

If it weren't for the Chief's intervention, he would have almost drawn Leto's silver sword.

The farce was over, and the practical combat lesson got back on track.

Seeing that everyone's attention was focused on the training grounds, Ailin breathed a sigh of relief and then silently recited in his mind:

"Panel."

A semi-transparent panel unfolded, and a whole column of system messages appeared.

Looking at the detailed scoring for the reward settlement, Ailin felt like he was in a game from his past life, experiencing a dungeon clear.

Materials, Experience Orbs, and treasure chests. It seemed like a third-rate game.

Recalling things from Earth, Ailin sighed.

Life as a salaryman was tiring, but at least it was safe.

Living in the world of Witchers, who knew what tomorrow would bring?

Monsters?

Sorceresses?

Or a pitchfork thrust from behind?

Shivering, Ailin collected himself and refocused his attention on the panel.

Although he didn't know how the Witcher's Handbook determined the Drowner's level, judging from the reward settlement.

Ailin could roughly determine it was an evaluation of a "Monster Hunt."

First, a basic evaluation was given based on whether the monster was killed.

Then, points were added based on the level difference between the monster and Ailin, the method of killing, and the completion of the task.

The number of final spoils was related to the evaluation score.

However, Drowner Heart Essence Fluid?

What was this thing used for?

[Do you want to use "Drowner Heart Essence Fluid"?]

A reminder box popped up as Ailin was thinking.

Ailin: ?

It could be used directly?

With some hesitation, Ailin thought for a few seconds and then chose to use it.

Instantly, the cold liquid flowed down his throat and esophagus.

A warm current surged from his stomach, spreading throughout his body along his blood vessels.

The fatigue from fighting the Drowner vanished in an instant.

His body felt like it was back to how it was before the fight.

No.

It was even better than before the fight.

He opened the character panel with his mind.

[Name: Ailin]

[Age: 13]

[Title: Child of Miracle]

[Level: 1]

[HP: 94% Stamina 54/54]

[Attributes: Strength 5.2 (+0.1), Agility 5.3, Constitution 5.4 (+0.2), Perception 6.9, Mysticism 3.1]

[Special Skills: Witchercraft LV1, Appraisal LV1]

[Skills: School of the Wolf Two-Handed Sword LV1 (0/100)]

[Evaluation: NOOB!!!]

Hmm!!!

Both Strength and Constitution had increased!

Ailin looked again carefully, confirming that the increase in Strength and Constitution was not an illusion.

Although it was only a 0.3 increase, Drowners were the most common monsters in this world.

No matter which school of Witchers a person belonged to, the first contract they received was for these ugly creatures about ninety percent of the time.

One Drowner increased his attributes by 0.3 points; ten would increase them by three points.

And there were tens of thousands, if not more, Drowners in this world.

If he killed twenty or thirty Drowners, would the trial still be difficult?

Thinking of the Trial of the Mountains, Ailin felt as if he had been doused with a basin of cold water, and quickly calmed down.

An apprentice who couldn't leave Kaer Morhen – what use were all the Drowners in the world?

However, the tangible improvement in his attributes gave Ailin a glimmer of hope amidst the death threat of the Trial of the Mountains.

He continued to look down.

Ailin found that the School of the Wolf Two-Handed Sword skill had not gained any experience.

Was it because he had used the skill for too short a time, or could it only be improved with Lesser Experience Orbs?

The Witcher's Handbook did not respond.

Seeing this, he thought again:

"That's right, after all, the original body practiced two-handed swords for nearly ten years to reach LV1."

"There's no way it could have changed in such a short time."

Ailin pondered for a moment, didn't dwell on it, and continued to sort through his gains.

After using 10 Lesser Experience Orbs consecutively, the School of the Wolf Two-Handed Sword skill directly leveled up.

His muscles twitched slightly, and new knowledge appeared in his mind.

In a daze, it felt as if Ailin had practiced swordsmanship for two years under the guidance of a Witcher Master, followed by a year of practical combat.

His body's coordination and the efficiency of his strength usage had both improved significantly.

At the same time, his character level on the panel also increased by one.

"Ah!"

A scream interrupted Ailin's reverie.

Ailin looked up.

Not far away, a steel sword lay quietly on the ground.

The first apprentice had been defeated.

Leto walked towards Ailin expressionlessly, carrying the defeated apprentice.

The apprentice's face, dirty with dust, was filled with unwillingness and disbelief.

His right arm hung limply; it was likely dislocated.

"Ailin," Huus asked nervously, fiddling with small stones on the ground, his voice filled with surprise and uncertainty, "how did you do that before?"

Just as Ailin was about to brush it off, Vesemir called out:

"Next, Bont."

Ailin looked in the direction of the sound and saw Vesemir toying with a Drowner.

He was indeed toying with it.

Without even drawing his steel sword, Vesemir, relying solely on his footwork, dodged the Drowner's attacks while steadily holding its aggro.

Truly a Witcher Master.

Ailin thought.

Then, inspiration struck, and he used appraisal on Vesemir.

[Name: Vesemir]

[Attributes: Strength 46, Agility 57, Constitution 65, Perception 70, Mystery 41]

What kind of monster is this, to be this terrifying?

Ailin couldn't help but gasp.

The lowest attribute, Strength, was 46, nine times Ailin's own.

Even though "Ailin" was only 13 years old, his physical condition after the Trial of Grasses had certainly reached the level of an ordinary person from his past life, and in many aspects, it was even stronger than his previous body, which often required overtime and drinking.

Stunned, Ailin scanned a few other Witchers with his skill.

[Name: Leto]

[Attributes: Strength 28, Agility 34, Constitution 57, Perception 61, Mystery 15]

The attributes of adult Witchers were all similar to Leto's.

The lowest Strength was over twenty.

Are the Witchers in the game this strong? Ailin fell into thought.

With such strong attributes, how could any Witcher be killed by a farmer's pitchfork?

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