The Right Way to Level Up Besides Grinding Monsters Is Reading

Chapter 15: Beyond Slaying Monsters, Reading Books is Also a Proper Way to Level Up

Although Young Miss Fimis was arrogant and cold, she always kept her word.

In less than ten minutes, one of her guards delivered everything Murphy needed.

A Basic Psionic Technique Handbook and a Blood Vulture Swordsmanship Handbook.

These were Young Miss's personal belongings, written down as her own insights when she was first learning. It was obvious that Young Miss herself was the "genius" she claimed to be.

In addition, there was an exquisite small pouch containing twenty sets of Blood Vulture Clan Retainer Armor, made by the best leatherworkers and tailors in Cadman City.

Although they were relatively lightweight ordinary leather armor, they still possessed considerable defensive capabilities.

They were at least much better than the worn-out armor used by the Witch Hunters, and more importantly, they were stylish and uniform, which the Little Players would definitely like!

Murphy understood their aesthetic sensibilities best.

Weapons should be big and exaggerated, preferably cool and glowing.

Armor should be cool and revealing, preferably a bikini with black stockings.

Although he didn't have the conditions to satisfy the players' peculiar and bizarre tastes yet, the armor and matching weapons before him were all crafted by excellent artisans. Several of the finely crafted items were enough to equip them.

These items had already surpassed the level of ordinary retainer armor. It was clear that Young Miss had prepared them in advance for the Blood Servants she would take in the future.

Just casually tossing them out without batting an eye fully proved that she was a little rich woman.

It seemed the Patriarch also understood the path of "raising daughters richly."

Look at her, then look at himself. The total value of the equipment Young Miss had prepared for her servants could easily buy Triss's dilapidated manor, which made Murphy feel a pang of sadness at that moment.

The gap in reliability between Progenitors was vividly displayed at this instant.

The unlucky vampire sighed in self-pity, and under the disdainful gaze of the guard, he casually tied the Psionic Travel Pack containing the armor and weapons to his waist.

"Are you so poor that you don't even have your own psionic pack?"

The tall Midnight Walker, clad in Crimson Chainmail, sneered in a low voice.

"It seems you and your Progenitor are both a disgrace to the family! A rat from a mud pit, it's truly making the most of things for the Young Miss, who inherited the Patriarch's wisdom."

But Murphy, with his thick skin, was already accustomed to such mockery. He simply sized up the cool chainmail on the guy, the long sword at his waist, and the rolled-up Blade Whip.

He stroked his chin, and after the other party had finished showcasing his arrogant superiority, Murphy snapped his fingers and said, "Take it off, I'll take this set of yours."

"Huh?"

The elite Midnight Hunter's eyes widened.

He interpreted this as a provocation, but as his fingers touched the hilt of his sword, he heard Murphy say in a low voice, "Your esteemed Young Miss just promised me a set of elite armor to save my dog's life. So, I assume this Your Excellency, bursting with superiority, wouldn't want to see your noble mistress fall into the indecency of breaking her word, right?

If you don't want to give it, that's fine too.

Shall I go ask someone else?"

"Shut up!"

Touching upon Young Miss's reputation, the arrogant guard immediately clenched his fist.

He glanced back at Fimis.

Young Miss waved her hand without even looking, clearly not caring about such a trivial matter.

The guard could only suppress his anger and, under Murphy's subtle smile, took off his chainmail, inner leather armor, and weapons, throwing them to Murphy. Amidst the snickers of the other elite vampires, he coldly returned to his mistress's side.

However, Fimis clearly had her own methods.

She seemed to have anticipated this and casually took off her cloak, draping it over her loyal guard.

But due to the height difference, the tall guard could only kneel to allow the noble Young Miss to complete the action.

In the strict vampire hierarchy, such a bestowal from a superior clearly demonstrated overt favor. Thus, the guard who had just been humiliated by Murphy immediately became proud again.

"What a good dog. It seems our Three-No Rich Loli has a good hand at training hounds,"

Murphy scoffed inwardly.

He didn't take the matter to heart at all. How could a mature social person stoop to the level of such an immature vampire infant?

"Maxim!"

He called out to his loyal servant and handed him the chainmail he was holding.

The latter trembled in fear.

This was elite armor for Midnight Hunters. How could he, a humble Blood Servant, be worthy of it?

However, Murphy urged him to change into it quickly. He himself had Triss's Elder armor, which was sturdy enough to withstand a Huntress's blessed holy blade. Therefore, he hadn't intended to wear this armor himself in the first place.

Murphy valued his own life greatly, especially after his encounter with Natalie. He had realized the risks of direct combat that he could not afford at the moment.

Therefore, if it wasn't necessary, he shouldn't be so reckless in charging into battle.

So, tasks like putting on good clothes and stealing the spotlight should be left to more suitable people.

"Excellent, very spirited!"

Murphy clapped Maxim on the shoulder.

It was true what they said, clothes make the man. This albino, white-haired blood servant, dressed in the imposing crimson chainmail, now looked truly formidable. Topped off with a midnight cloak borrowed from the Young Miss, he cut the figure of a mighty commander.

"From now on, you are my 'Shadow Warrior'."

Murphy straightened his arm, tapping Maxim's shoulders as if bestowing honor, or perhaps just joking, and said:

"Until we safely return to Cadman City, you need to learn to impersonate 'Murphy'. It's dangerous, but I believe in you."

"I understand! Lord Murphy, please leave it all to me! I won't disappoint you!"

Maxim thumped his chest loudly in response.

Though he was foolishly loyal and had the terrible habit of fanatically worshipping vampires, he wasn't stupid. He immediately grasped his master Murphy's intentions. Far from being afraid, he felt honored.

Lord Murphy had already promised to bestow the First Embrace upon him after their return. As a Progeny, it was only natural for him to protect his Progenitor.

Moreover, Maxim had his own little ambitions.

Having been overlooked, he had witnessed Murphy's victory in Morland Village almost entirely from the sidelines. This convinced him that while Lord Murphy was currently weak, he would achieve great things in the future.

By offering his loyalty now, he was sure to share in Murphy's glory later.

For someone eager to make a name for himself, the current risk was nothing. What he feared most was remaining ignored and living a dim, hopeless life.

"Let's go! Time for some swordplay!"

Murphy beckoned to Maxim, and the two walked towards a patch of wasteland in the distance.

He wanted to verify the effects of the experience and template upgrade functions he had recently unlocked, and also use the remaining three days to sharpen his skills.

Having decided to make this "cannon fodder operation" the fifth part of his Newbie Guide Mission, Murphy was determined to go all out. The equipment for the Little Players was ready. Tomorrow, he would summon them into the game to discuss tactics. They had to achieve a brilliant ambush.

Besides that, his personal strength couldn't stagnate. He had finally unlocked the upgrade function and needed to seize this time to practice. He had to consider the worst-case scenario.

What if the players failed? He needed to be able to escape on his own.

Where there's life, there's hope!

This was truly not Murphy being a coward.

It was mainly because there was a "King of Useless People" waiting for him back in Cadman City. If he were to die, with Triss's lifestyle, this lonely, useless vampire old woman would likely starve herself to death.

The thought was too grim.

Under the pitch-black night sky, two figures dueled back and forth.

Both wielded the standard Gauntlet Swift Swords of the Blood Vulture clan, causing the long, sharp weapons to whistle through the air, leaving trails of cold light with each parry and thrust.

This was standard one-handed swordsmanship, emphasizing speed, precision, and lethality.

Attacks were like a viper's strike, defenses like an eagle's swoop. When combined with the Blood Vulture clan's various uses of Blood Wings, it could achieve perfect offense and defense.

Now, empowered by a vampire's supernatural Midnight Swiftness, Murphy's sword strokes were untraceable in the darkness. However, Maxim, acting as his sparring partner, was also very familiar with the Blood Vulture Swordsmanship and found it not difficult to counter.

Although Blood Vulture Swordsmanship wasn't considered a profound technique within the martial arts circles of the continent, nor did it incorporate the mysteries of psionic usage, the fact that Murphy, with his supernatural vampire physique, could still trade blows with a blood servant...

This fully proved that Murphy's swordsmanship, while looking cool, was actually quite poor.

After all, it was just an "introductory level" skill. Honestly, one couldn't expect it to be that amazing.

Clang

After a block, Murphy's swift sword was tapped on his shoulder by Maxim's viper-like, swift blade, signaling another defeat.

The unlucky vampire sighed and sheathed his sword with a rather stylish flourish. Maxim, opposite him, looked slightly embarrassed but still smiled broadly as he addressed his master:

"Your swordsmanship has improved again, Lord Murphy."

"Why don't you just say I still have a lot of room for improvement? I'm not someone who can't handle losing."

Murphy rolled his eyes and waved his hand at Maxim, signaling his servant to continue practicing. He himself walked to a tree, sat down, and yawned again.

His stubborn sleep schedule from his human days still affected him, requiring more time to adapt to the vampires' peculiar biological clock.

He glanced at his Character Card. The "Experience Bar" at the bottom had increased during the recent swordplay, which invigorated Murphy.

It turned out this wasn't just about gaining experience by killing an enemy.

The Character Card's explanation of the experience bar was clear.

This "Experience Bar" simply represented an individual's strength in a more quantifiable and clearer manner. It had two displays: "Character Level" and "Class Level."

Character Level truly represented Murphy's degree of usage, understanding, and control over his own power at each stage of his strength. Class Level, on the other hand, represented the degree of specialization in a particular profession and its main skills, which was related to the conditions for changing classes in the Class Tree.

The former represented the tier of absolute strength, while the latter was closely related to the specific manifestation of that strength.

Therefore, to "level up," Murphy needed to not only hone his skills in combat but also gain a clearer and deeper understanding of his own power.

If Triss were around, he wouldn't have to worry. Although the former Bloodkin Elder was crippled, guiding a junior was easy. Unfortunately, in his current situation, if Murphy wanted to level up quickly, he had to compensate in other ways.

He then took out the sword technique handbook given to him by Young Miss Fimis and began to read.

In the dark night, only moonlight provided illumination. Reading under such conditions was definitely torture for the eyes. However, the structure of a vampire's eyeballs differed from that of mortals, allowing Murphy to be unaffected by the darkness.

He flipped through the thin handbook, pondering his current skills in his mind.

The Blood Vulture Swordsmanship went without saying; it was the only close-combat skill he had, and he had to commit to practicing it diligently.

From the sparring match just now, he could basically tell that Maxim was a good practice partner at this stage. This family disciple, who had served the Blood Vulture family for three generations, had at least mastered the Blood Vulture Swordsmanship.

That Lord Jed was truly arrogant. He completely failed to see Maxim's potential in this area and his life-risking training intensity. One could only say he didn't recognize talent.

But that was fine too; he had at least struck gold.

Besides swordsmanship, Murphy also possessed some Psionic Techniques.

But the problem with this supernatural power was that its improvement speed wasn't as quick as swordsmanship. It represented the application of knowledge, just like how you could measure the perimeter of a triangle with a ruler, but using the Pythagorean theorem would definitely be faster.

Using brute force was the most foolish method for improving Psionic Techniques.

In the more than a month since he had transmigrated, Murphy had sorted out the basic knowledge of this world in his mind.

He knew that psionics were a special power that roamed between the heavens and earth of this world. It was said to originate from the more mysterious Astral Plane that covered the material world, but some theories also suggested that the true origin of psionics lay in the more dangerous and less-known Subspace.

That was a mysterious region located in the outer layers of the Astral Plane, and even the most learned Psionic Masters had a limited understanding of it.

But most importantly, the mystical theories of this world had confirmed that an individual's psionic talent was fixed at the moment of their birth.

No matter how much they practiced for the rest of their lives, they could not raise the upper limit of their psionic talent; they could only work harder on the technical aspects.

It was like a bucket, once made, its capacity was determined; the only thing that could affect its weight was the state of the water inside.

Murphy didn't know if his psionic talent was good or bad, but considering his fringe status in the family, he could probably get a rough idea.

If he were truly a genius, he naturally wouldn't have been assigned two cannon-fodder missions consecutively.

The terrible reality felt truly unbearable.

This account was practically useless!

Murphy thought that if it weren't for the "Golden Finger" of the little players and the "King of Useless People" Triss who was waiting to be fed, he would be tempted to delete his account and re-roll right now.

Shaking his head to calm himself down, Murphy flipped through the thin sword technique handbook again. He wasn't just skimming; he was carefully studying the insights of that family genius during sword practice through the Young Miss's elegant handwriting.

The Young Miss's fundamentals were truly solid.

Although the word count wasn't high, her handbook did record several key points about the Blood Vulture Swordsmanship and could summarize them in easy-to-understand language.

This made Murphy feel uncomfortable again.

Look at other people's talent, and then look at his own.

Sigh, maybe he should just delete his account and re-roll?

Just as he was thinking this, a line of prompts suddenly popped up on the semi-transparent character card:

[Through repeatedly reading the sword technique handbook of Fimis Cecilia Lasombra, the proficiency of Blood Vulture Swordsmanship has greatly increased, currently at "Adept".

Prompt!

The author of this book has mastered Blood Vulture Swordsmanship to the "Proficient" level. Therefore, the maximum limit for improving one's swordsmanship through reading and practicing this book is "Proficient".]

[Blood Vulture Swordsmanship proficiency has reached "Adept", the talent [One-Handed Sword Mastery] is unlocked! Effect: When using one-handed weapons, your attack speed slightly increases.]

[As Blood Vulture Swordsmanship proficiency has reached "Adept", the main class "Blood Vulture Apprentice" can be changed to "Blood Vulture Swordsman". Do you want to change class? Yes/No?]

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