Dead Loop

"Adventurers Association!?"

The Half-Elf's answer caught Xia Nan completely off guard.

"How is that possible? I've been to River Valley Town's Association several times and practically walked through the entire hall, but I never saw anywhere that sold Skill Books."

"Could it be..."

"Exactly." Hai An nodded and raised an index finger, pointing upward.

"On the second floor."

Hearing that, Xia Nan grew even more confused. He recalled the conversation he had had with the Alchemy Shop owner when he went to turn in a quest at the Association a few days ago.

"Isn't the Association Second Floor only open to Professionals?"

"That's right."

"But how am I supposed to become a Professional without a Combat Skill?"

To Xia Nan, the answer was self-contradictory, seemingly forming an endless loop.

The prerequisite for becoming a Professional was learning a Combat Skill. Combat Skills could be bought on the Adventurers Association's second floor, but reaching the second floor required one to already be a Professional.

In response, Wood, who sat beside the Half-Elf in black Leather Armor, replied meaningfully, "This world needs adventurers, but it doesn't need that many."

Xia Nan carefully pondered those words as countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

Seeing that he seemed to be overthinking things, Hai An hurriedly continued, "Of course, that isn't the only way to obtain Combat Skills."

According to the information provided by the Half-Elf, there were several main ways to master Combat Skills in the Servia Kingdom:

First were the large organizations spread throughout the kingdom.

Whether temple churches, guild alliances, or even the Army Corps directly under the kingdom itself, all possessed complete and clearly defined advancement systems.

They not only had all kinds of Combat Skills needed to take up Basic Classes, but also large reserves of Advanced Classes necessary to become Transcendent afterward.

What one had to offer in return was loyalty and faith.

Second was hiring a Professional who had already completed their class advancement to help one master a Combat Skill.

The price was an enormous sum of Gold Coins, or other materials of equivalent value.

This was also how the vast majority of nobles in the kingdom learned Combat Skills.

The last method was also the most widespread and most commonly seen, making it the most suitable for ordinary commoners with neither wealth nor connections.

Trying one's luck.

Even a farming family with no combat ability whatsoever, like Xia Nan's former self, could use lodging fees to "snatch" half a so-called Skill Book from a Bard staying the night.

Across the vast lands of the Servia Kingdom, countless "secret Combat Skill formulas" circulated.

Find any old man at a village entrance, and he might have several books at home claiming to contain "ancestral Knight training secrets." After charging you a few Copper Coins, he would act as though he had given you some tremendous bargain, eagerly boasting about his great-grandfather's glory.

Of these Combat Skills, as numerous as toilet paper, 99.9 percent were worthless knockoffs of unknown origin.

Even after practicing for years, one would see no progress at all. Not only would it waste a great deal of time for nothing, but improper exertion techniques could also ruin one's body.

Only a very small number of lucky people, after stumbling upon a genuine Combat Skill Book that actually worked, could learn a true Combat Skill and take the first step toward becoming a Professional through long, arduous, and tedious training.

Of course, those three were merely the most common methods of obtaining Combat Skills.

Beyond them, there were also many methods that required a certain threshold, such as the traditional master-apprentice relationship, sponsorship from a benefactor, treasure hunting in the wild, Auction House transactions—which were only slightly more reliable than roadside stalls—and so on.

As a result, Combat Skills were not uncommon, at least among adventurers, a group that dealt with all kinds of Magical Beasts and possessed certain channels and sources of income.

Hearing this, Xia Nan finally understood why the two had been so surprised after learning about his former self's experiences.

It seemed that his former self had not only possessed decent talent, but had also been incredibly lucky.

He had actually managed to learn a Combat Skill from half a Skill Book.

At the same time, Xia Nan roughly gained a sense of how he should proceed in the future.

"Oh, right."

Having told Xia Nan everything he knew about class advancement, Hai An seemed to recall something.

"I didn't mention it before because I thought you had a mentor guiding you. But if that's not the case..."

As he spoke, the Half-Elf suddenly lowered his voice and cautiously glanced at the Beheading Longsword by Xia Nan's side.

Afraid of offending him, he asked tentatively, "That move you used earlier should belong to the [Warrior] path, right?"

Xia Nan himself did not know what class [Whirlwind Slash] belonged to, but based on the characteristics of Combat Skills from different classes that Hai An had just described, he slowly answered with some hesitation, "Probably? That half-page Skill Book didn't state where the Combat Skill came from."

Hai An was not surprised by his answer.

He nodded and turned his gaze toward Wood beside him.

"Wood is a Professional, but a Wanderer's Combat Skills don't suit the kind you displayed earlier."

"Unless you're willing to start over and abandon everything you have now, Wood should be able to offer you some help."

"But... honestly, that would be such a waste."

The Half-Elf's gaze swept across the iron-grey blade of the longsword.

"Judging by your performance in that battle, even if that Combat Skill hasn't reached Mastery yet, it can't be far off. Giving it up now would be far too regrettable."

He paused slightly, raised his head, and looked at Xia Nan with Silver-grey eyes.

He said sincerely, "You saved me in battle, so I should repay you. Please don't refuse."

"Though I probably won't be able to leave again for a while after I return to Newm... I've still saved up quite a bit of money over the years."

"If you're willing, I can use my family's connections to hire a reliable Professional to help train you in a [Warrior]-type Combat Skill."

"It might not necessarily work, but..."

Xia Nan could not help but be tempted by the Half-Elf's proposal.

He had not stepped in to help Hai An during the fight for any reward, but now that the other party was offering such repayment, it was not really realistic for him to refuse.

After pondering for a moment, he nodded heavily and thanked him sincerely. "Then I'll be counting on you. Thank you!"

At that, the Half-Elf unexpectedly seemed to relax as well, smiling as he said, "Great! Give me your address. Once the quest is over, I'll return to Newm and write you a letter."

"But you may need to wait a few days. There are some matters at home I need to deal with after I return, and I'll also need time to find a suitable person."

"I'm not in a hurry." Xia Nan replied seriously. "Take care of your own affairs first."

"I'll be in River Valley Town."