Lightness Skill: Ladder Cloud Steps

Roger did not hesitate and directly chose to exchange.

"You exchanged one Slow Bird Flies First Coupon. Use it?"

"The Slow Bird Flies First Coupon was used successfully!"

"The list of optional skills/secret techniques/specialties has been refreshed."

Along with the prompt from the data panel, the entries in the relevant lists also changed.

Roger went over them carefully and confirmed the options he could improve.

First, he could confirm that he would not be able to learn any new Secret Techniques in the next ten levels.

According to the prompt, he would have to wait until after Level 25 before unlocking new Hidden Hero weapons and related Secret Techniques.

Next were specialties.

He would gain one specialty at Level 15 and another at Level 20.

"Wilderness Tracking: Automatically mastered at Level 15."

"Specialty Description: You will gain extremely powerful tracking abilities. In the wilderness, these abilities will be further enhanced."

"Enduring Stamina: Automatically mastered at Level 20."

"Specialty Description: Outside of combat, your stamina loss will be reduced by 40%; during combat, your stamina loss will be reduced by 10%."

Both specialties were pretty good and well suited to the rhythm of life as a wilderness hunter.

However, Roger was in no hurry to decide. Instead, he continued reading downward.

Finally, there was the skill section.

Like specialties, he would learn a new skill at Level 16 and another at Level 20.

"Wild Burst: Available to learn at Level 16."

"Skill Description: For 60 seconds after using Wild Burst, your Strength, Agility, and Constitution will each increase by 1. It can be used a maximum of three times per day, and each use will produce certain aftereffects."

"Lightness Skill—Ladder Cloud Steps (Beginner): Available to learn at Level 20."

"Skill Description: You have begun to master the mysterious Lightness Skill, Ladder Cloud Steps, granting you extremely powerful leaping, aerial, gliding, and bouncing abilities."

Seeing this, Roger could not help curling his lips.

What was there to hesitate about? He would learn Ladder Cloud Steps right away! Possessing the ability to scale walls and leap across rooftops like the heroes in movies had been Roger's dream since childhood! The skill itself also suited the Hidden Hero's combat style perfectly.

If he had possessed Ladder Cloud Steps when he killed the Gray Dwarves earlier, Roger could have saved himself a lot of trouble.

"You have learned Ladder Cloud Steps (Beginner)."

"The existence of the Secret Technique—Superior Breathing Technique has been detected. Your Ladder Cloud Steps proficiency has advanced."

"You have learned Ladder Cloud Steps (Proficient)."

"Secret Techniques and skills can interact with each other too?"

Roger was overjoyed.

A chill swept through his body. Not only had he officially learned Ladder Cloud Steps, but the existence of Superior Breathing Technique had also raised its level by an entire tier.

As a beginner in lightness skills, Roger was as excited as a child.

He hopped around vigorously by the lakeside for a while, conducting a simple round of tests on his new skill.

The results left him very satisfied.

His already light body seemed to have lost the restraint of gravity. With a gentle leap, he could cover six or seven meters.

For trees two or three meters tall, he did not need to climb at all. A leap from the ground was enough to land atop the canopy.

Many difficult parkour moves that had once been impossible to imagine were now as simple and effortless as drinking water or eating.

As long as he had a suitable point to push off from, scaling walls and leaping across rooftops was no longer a fantasy!

"I finally look a little like a wandering hero."

Roger reveled inwardly, then simply exchanged the remaining 1 Milestone Point as well.

The next second, he obtained his first title since crossing over: "Cold-Blooded Assassin."

This title cut off infrared vision's ability to sense him.

With that, moving through darkness became much safer for him.

The nights in the wetlands were not actually dark.

Unknown aquatic plants scattered throughout the lakes and pools emitted tiny points of fluorescent light.

They were merely obscured by the dense fog, making the nocturnal creatures' vision hazy.

On the edge of Yellowstone Island.

On the branch of an old tree that had been dead for a long time.

Stout, squat shadows flickered in and out of view.

This was a very typical Gray Dwarf sentry post.

There were six members in total. Four carried crossbows, while two wielded axes.

At that moment.

The three Gray Dwarves on night watch were yawning as they walked back and forth along the branches without a care.

Not far beneath their feet, their other three companions were using the trunk as pillows and snoring away.

Perhaps because they were too sleepy in the dead of night, two of the Gray Dwarves on watch accidentally bumped into each other.

That collision made the two already furious from exhaustion launch into a heated argument.

Their voices were very loud.

Yet they still failed to wake their sleeping companions.

The arguing Gray Dwarves became increasingly agitated. At one point, the two even drew their weapons and faced each other down.

After a stalemate, they finally gave up resentfully.

They each snorted and walked off in opposite directions.

Just then, one of the Gray Dwarves realized something: Why did it seem as though one of their companions was missing? As he walked back with his crossbow raised, full of confusion,

a cold crossbow bolt suddenly shot out of the darkness! The Penetrating Arrow pierced straight through his chest and shattered his heart.

His exceptionally high Fortitude forced him to let out a succession of anguished wails.

Unfortunately, his companions could no longer hear him.

He was the last Gray Dwarf from this sentry post to be hunted down.

Roger emerged slowly from the thick fog, holding a crossbow.

He efficiently pulled the Penetrating Arrow from the Gray Dwarf's body. Only after confirming that the arrowhead was undamaged did he begin looting the spoils.

This was the third Gray Dwarf sentry post he had hunted tonight.

With his accumulated experience, the hunting process had become much smoother.

The Gray Dwarves' strength lay in their physical power, while their weakness was their pitifully low perception.

"Cold-Blooded Assassin" blocked the Gray Dwarves' infrared vision.

And the existence of Ladder Cloud Steps made a sentry post with this level of vigilance no different from Roger's own backyard.

He could come in whenever he wanted and leave whenever he wanted.

He could go back and forth as many times as he pleased.

Just moments ago.

While the two Gray Dwarves were arguing, Roger had silently taken action.

First, he used Ladder Cloud Steps to leap behind the third Gray Dwarf, who had been watching the commotion, and used the Qing Fu Sword to give it the same treatment, piercing straight through its heart—

This time, however, he had brought a thick piece of linen with him to gag the Gray Dwarf.

As a result, its death did not give its companions any warning.

Then Roger carried the Gray Dwarf's corpse and leaped into the reeds nearby.

There had been a minor accident during the process:

Ladder Cloud Steps was supposed to make his leaps completely silent, but perhaps the Gray Dwarf was simply too heavy. Roger slipped half a step and nearly fell.

His incredible balance allowed him to steady himself, but it still made a little noise.

Fortunately, the two Gray Dwarves were too engrossed in their argument, and the noise was drowned out.

The actions that followed became much simpler.

With the guards on watch arguing, the sleeping companions were naturally doomed.

After assassinating the sleeping Gray Dwarves, Roger used his lightness skill to slip away again.

Once the two Gray Dwarves on watch separated, finishing off the last two was naturally as easy as flowing water.

Two simple crossbow bolts were all it took.

"Rough Stone Skin" could resist ordinary arrows, but it could not resist the Penetrating Arrows in the Gray Dwarves' own hands!

The arrowheads on these bolts were extremely slender and possessed powerful armor-piercing ability.

This spared Roger the trouble of having to aim for the back of the head or the eye sockets. He could simply aim the crossbow straight at the chest.

There was nothing particularly valuable in this sentry post either.

Roger was mainly collecting the Gray Dwarves' crossbow bolts and fleshy tumors.

Ten minutes later.

Carrying several heavy packs, he arrived at the foot of a hillside on higher ground.

He pushed aside the wildly overgrown weeds, revealing a narrow, pitch-black cave.

He carefully checked the mechanisms at the entrance. Only after confirming that no humans or monsters had entered the cave did he toss the packs inside.

The next moment, he curled himself up as tightly as he could and crawled in as well.

This was Roger's temporary residence on Yellowstone Island during this period.

He had originally only intended to stay there temporarily while waiting for Rachel's Flying Dragon Express.

But now it seemed

that this place would be his home for a long time to come.