Ladder Cloud Steps

Roger didn't hesitate and chose to redeem it directly.

"You have redeemed a Slow Bird Flies First Coupon, do you wish to use it?"

"Slow Bird Flies First Coupon used successfully!"

"List of selectable skills/secret techniques/specialties has been refreshed."

Accompanying the prompts in the data panel, the entries in the relevant lists also changed.

Roger carefully reviewed them, confirming the options available for improvement.

First, he could be sure that in the next 10 levels, he had no new secret techniques to learn.

According to the prompts, he would have to wait until level 25 to unlock new Hidden Hero weapons and related secret techniques.

Next were the 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 strong tracking abilities, which will be further enhanced in the wilderness."

"Enduring Stamina: Automatically mastered at level 20."

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

Both of these specialties were quite good and suited the lifestyle of wilderness hunting.

However, Roger didn't rush to decide and continued to look down.

Finally, there was the skill slot.

Similar to specialties, he would learn a new skill at level 16 and another at level 20.

"Wild Burst: Can be learned at level 16."

"Skill Description: For 60 seconds after using Wild Burst, your Strength, Agility, and Constitution will all increase by 1; you can use it a maximum of three times per day, and there will be certain after-effects after each use."

"Lightness Skill - Ladder Cloud Steps (Beginner): Can be learned at level 20."

"Skill Description: You have initially mastered the mysterious lightness skill Ladder Cloud Steps, gaining extremely strong abilities in leaping, soaring, and bouncing."

Seeing this, Roger couldn't help but curl his lips.

What was there to hesitate about? He'd learn Ladder Cloud Steps directly! Having lightness skills like the great heroes in movies, able to traverse walls and rooftops, had been Roger's dream since childhood! This skill itself also fit the combat style of a Hidden Hero very well.

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

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

"Detected the existence of the secret technique - Superior Breathing Technique, your Ladder Cloud Steps level has been promoted."

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

"Secret techniques and skills have synergies?"

Roger was overjoyed.

A wave of coolness swept through his body. Not only had he officially learned Ladder Cloud Steps, but thanks to the Superior Breathing Technique, its proficiency had also risen a notch.

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

He bounced around by the lake for a while, completing a round of simple tests on his new skill.

The test results made him very satisfied.

His already light body seemed to have lost the constraints of gravity; a light jump carried him six to seven meters.

He didn't need to climb trees that were two to three meters tall; he could leap to the treetops from the ground.

Many previously unimaginable high-difficulty parkour moves were now as simple and effortless as drinking water or eating.

As long as there were suitable points to push off from, traversing walls and rooftops was no longer just a fantasy!

"I'm finally starting to look like a swordsman."

Roger felt a surge of secret satisfaction and, on impulse, redeemed the remaining 1 Milestone Point.

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

This title blocked infrared vision from perceiving him.

This made his movements in the darkness much safer.

The nights in the Swamp Land were not truly dark.

Unidentified aquatic plants scattered in the lakes and puddles emitted faint glows.

It was just that the thick fog obscured everything, making the vision of nocturnal creatures hazy.

The edge of Yellowstone Island.

On the branches of an old tree that had died long ago.

Short, stout figures appeared and disappeared intermittently.

This was a very typical Gray Dwarf outpost.

A total of 6 members. Four of them held crossbows, and two wielded axes.

At this very moment.

The 3 Gray Dwarves on night watch were yawning and casually walking back and forth on the branches.

Not far below their feet, 3 other companions were sleeping soundly, their heads resting on tree trunks.

Perhaps it was the late hour and their exhaustion, but two of the night watch Gray Dwarves accidentally bumped into each other.

This incident caused the two, who were already tired and irritable, to get into a heated argument.

Their voices were loud.

But they still didn't wake their sleeping companions.

The arguing Gray Dwarves were getting increasingly furious, and the two even drew their weapons and faced off against each other.

After a period of standoff, they finally gave up in annoyance.

Each grunted and walked off in different directions.

But it was at this moment that one of the Gray Dwarves realized a problem: why did it seem like one companion was missing? As he walked back, full of confusion, holding his crossbow.

A cold crossbow bolt suddenly shot out from the darkness! The Penetrating Arrow mercilessly pierced his chest, shattering his heart.

His extremely high toughness stat caused him to let out continuous groans of pain.

Unfortunately, his companion could no longer hear him.

He was the last Gray Dwarf to be hunted in this outpost.

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

He nimbly pulled the Penetrating Arrow from the Gray Dwarf's body, ensuring the arrowhead was undamaged, before beginning to search for loot.

This was the third Gray Dwarf outpost he had hunted tonight.

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

The Gray Dwarves' strength lay in their sturdiness, but their weakness was their abysmal perception.

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

And with the existence of Ladder Cloud Steps, outposts with this level of alertness had become Roger's backyard.

He could come and go as he pleased.

It didn't matter if he jumped back and forth.

Just now.

When those two Gray Dwarves were arguing, Roger had moved silently.

He first used Ladder Cloud Steps to jump behind the third Gray Dwarf who was watching the commotion, and with the Qing Fu Sword, he did the same, giving it a through-and-through stab—

However, this time, he carried a thick linen cloth to stuff into the Gray Dwarf's mouth.

So his death did not serve as any warning to his companions.

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

There was a slight accident during this process:

Originally, the jump with Ladder Cloud Steps was silent, but perhaps the Gray Dwarf was too heavy, and Roger accidentally slipped, almost falling.

His excellent balance allowed him to steady himself, but it did create a bit of noise.

Fortunately, the two Gray Dwarves were so engrossed in their argument that they drowned out the sound.

The subsequent actions became much simpler.

The night watch guards were arguing, so the sleeping companions were naturally bound to suffer.

After assassinating the sleeping Gray Dwarves, Roger slipped away again using his lightness skill.

Once the two Gray Dwarves separated, the final cleanup was naturally a piece of cake.

Just two crossbow bolts were all it took.

"Rough Stone Skin" could resist ordinary arrows, but it couldn't withstand the Penetrating Arrows that the Gray Dwarves themselves wielded!

These arrows had very slender arrowheads and possessed powerful armor-piercing capabilities.

This saved Roger the trouble of having to aim for the back of the head or the eye sockets; he could just aim his crossbow directly at their chests.

There wasn't anything particularly valuable in this outpost either.

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

Ten minutes later.

He arrived at the foot of a higher slope, carrying several heavy backpacks.

Pushing aside the overgrown weeds revealed a narrow, dark cave entrance.

He cautiously checked the mechanisms at the cave entrance, confirmed no humans or monsters had entered, and then tossed the backpacks inside.

The next moment, he curled his body up with great effort and squeezed inside himself.

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

He had originally only intended to stay for a short while, waiting for Rachel's Flying Dragon Express.

But now it seemed.

This place would be his home for a very long time to come.