Dismantling traps bare-handed was extremely dangerous. Even with a high success rate, Roger would never attempt it.
In his eyes, this skill was practically useless.
On the other hand, "Treading on the Moon" had plenty of room for development.
Aside from using it to travel, it could also be used to kite enemies in battle.
After thinking it over, Roger casually raised the skill to its limit.
"Treading on the Moon (84): In places with moonlight, your running speed increases by 27%."
An increase of nearly thirty percent was definitely no small boost.
Combined with Roger's already nimble footwork, it could absolutely produce an unexpected effect.
As his level rose, the point limits of all his other skills increased as well.
For a Hidden Hero, the increase in the skill point limit came in stages:
Up to level 5, the skill point limit increased by 10 points with every level gained. From level 5 to level 20, the increase in the skill point limit per level became 5 points.
His point limit for a single skill was now 84.
Ten years of accumulation had left him with an abundance of skill points.
Whether they were life skills or combat skills, he had selected the most practical ones and maxed them out.
As for the rest, he was keeping them under observation for now.
After finishing with his skills, he shifted his attention to "Xia Yin Value."
He currently had 54 points of Xia Yin Value.
The number of available Secret Techniques levels had suddenly increased considerably.
After some simple calculations, Roger spent 39 points of Xia Yin Value in one go.
Thus, he successfully mastered the first three forms of "Nineteen Moon Bloom."
He had also reached the second level of both "Cloud Mist Step" and "Superior Breathing Technique."
The increase in his Secret Techniques levels directly raised Roger's objective attributes.
Together with his new skills and Attribute Points, his overall strength climbed another small step.
However, although the benefits brought by leveling up were direct and obvious, Roger would not continue investing experience points.
For one thing, he wanted to hide his strength.
For another, he believed that the effect brought by "Charge Up" was far more powerful than the boost from leveling up! In Roger's view, unless the advancement broke through the restriction between rings—
For example, advancing from level 19 to level 20—otherwise, the changes to his attributes from leveling up absolutely could not compare to a genuine hundred-percent increase in power.
And the fact that holding a large amount of experience allowed him to level up quickly was Roger's true trump card.
The next day.
The Subjugation Squad returned safely to Tongma Town.
The Corpse Demon remains and Flesh Golem corpse they brought back caused a huge uproar.
Roger and the other members became great heroes in everyone's eyes.
The Lord's Manor seized the opportunity to announce the official reconstruction of the Monster Extermination Squad.
Dorothy became the captain, Terry the vice-captain, and Roger the monster extermination expert.
The townspeople spontaneously decorated the streets with lanterns and streamers to celebrate.
The joyous feast lasted nearly a week before finally ending.
After the revelry, some of the townspeople wanted to personally thank that great hero whose presence was so faint.
But when they gathered beneath that ancient Tongma Tree, they discovered that everyone had already left.
In fact.
On the morning of the second day of the celebrations.
Roger collected the bounty for the Corpse Demon from the Lord's Manor's steward, then set off alone on the Southern Journey.
It was just before dawn, and a light rain was falling.
Wearing a thick cloak, Roger crossed the muddy ridges between the Pumpkin Field plots.
When he looked back, he could no longer see the familiar sights of Tongma Town.
There were no farewells and no send-off.
He knew this was destined to be a journey for him alone.
He spent a day crossing the Southern Mine.
Then he resolutely entered that cold, damp wetland that seemed to stretch endlessly.
Thirteen days later.
The central region of the "Great Wetland," an unknown land.
Dark clouds that never dispersed hung across the sky year-round.
The fog that constantly rose from the center of the swamp severely impaired visibility, while the reeds, each standing over two people tall, grew wildly like demons.
A sudden "whoosh" came from within the reeds.
A sharp White Feather Arrow pierced the monster's forehead, pinning it firmly to a not-too-thick haystack.
After a while, the reeds beside it were carefully parted.
Roger skillfully hung Purple Wisp on the weapon strap across his back.
Then he slowly pulled the White Feather Arrow from the monster's corpse and separated its arrowhead from its shaft.
This arrowhead had already been used beyond its limit and needed to be sharpened again.
If he continued using it, it might not only fail to kill anyone, but the arrowhead itself might be ruined completely.
In this boundless marshland, he had to cherish every scrap of supplies.
Only after patiently completing the recovery of the White Feather Arrow.
Did Roger finally turn his attention to the monster's corpse.
It was a "Thornback Jackalwere," a common sight in the Great Wetland.
These Jackal Beasts usually lived in groups, with levels ranging from LV9 to LV11.
It was said that elite-template Jackal Beasts could reach levels 13 or 14, but Roger had yet to encounter one.
Roger's ill-fated relationship with the Jackal Beasts had begun two days ago.
At the time, he had been resting.
As a result, he encountered an attack from these Jackal Beasts.
Although he drove the enemies back, Roger soon discovered that even more Jackal Beasts had set their sights on him.
To prevent any mishaps, he decided to strike first.
After wiping out a small Jackal Beast squad, he followed the clues and found their lair—
It was a small settlement built deep within the reeds.
Roger saw some human remains near the settlement.
This meant that after nearly half a month of traveling alone, he might finally be nearing human territory.
With a little trickery, Roger successfully cleared out the entire Jackal Beast settlement.
However, he was only one person, so it was inevitable that some escaped.
To hunt down those stragglers, Roger wasted another half a day.
The Jackal Beast before him was the last one.
"Finally finished. Its attributes are nothing special, but it sure can run."
Roger gently lifted the Jackal Beast's corpse and headed back.
On the data panel.
"You killed 1 Thornback Jackalwere, for a cumulative total of 27 Thornback Jackalwere killed." "You gained 4 XP." "Your rheumatism resistance has increased slightly."
The first time he saw this kind of attribute, Roger's head instantly filled with question marks.
How had Jackal Beasts become connected to rheumatism? After all, his body had been optimized by the Hidden Hero class template, so the latent danger of such chronic illnesses was practically nonexistent.
Killing Jackal Beasts provided him with no attribute gains whatsoever.
This left Roger somewhat depressed.
Ever since entering the wetland, the rich variety of monsters there had opened his eyes.
But aside from Magic Explosion Frogs, not a single one had given him top-grade attributes.
Even those with excellent attributes lacked the Magic Explosion Frog's powerful reproductive ability.
Using the Sin Mark to harvest attributes was an extremely long process.
An individual monster provided very few attributes.
Only after the passage of time could a qualitative change in attributes occur.
"Take it slow. I'll find a suitable monster eventually."
Roger adjusted his mindset and carried the Jackal Beast's corpse back to the settlement.
He had not even had time to search the place because he had been hunting down the stragglers.
He did not expect the Jackal Beasts' home to contain any exceptional treasures. Finding some food and fresh water would be good enough.
But at that moment, human voices suddenly came from the reeds near the settlement:
"Eric, look..."
"A Jackal Beast corpse!"
"There's another one here! Oh my..."
Roger's expression turned grim.
He immediately set down the fresh lettuce in his hand and gripped the Qing Fu Sword.