Skill Upgrades and Skill Books

Bang! Bang!

Just as Qin Ran flung out the bulletproof vest, Deceiver fired.

Even with his view obstructed and unable to see Qin Ran clearly.

Even though he had to evade the incoming bulletproof vest, leaving him in an awkward firing position.

The bodily instincts forged through countless training sessions still allowed Deceiver to hit Qin Ran—both bullets pierced through Qin Ran's legs, and neither missed.

However, having injected himself with [Painkiller], Qin Ran felt no pain at all. He rolled out of his hiding place as though he had not been shot.

"You gave up a perfect opportunity!"

Deceiver watched Qin Ran rapidly pull away, his wounded legs seemingly unaffected. The killing intent in his heart grew fiercer—Deceiver naturally knew exactly why Qin Ran could do this!

[Painkiller]!

The [Painkiller] he had given Qin Ran himself!

Qin Ran had used his own item to scheme against him. It made Deceiver feel humiliated!

The intense sense of humiliation made Deceiver want to shoot Qin Ran dead right then and there!

But he remembered his mission.

So, after only a second, Deceiver made his decision!

He would teach Qin Ran a proper lesson.

Not only would he make Qin Ran understand a captive's rights, but he would also make him understand a captive's duties.

He was an expert at torture.

He had at least a hundred methods of torture in his mind!

Just as Deceiver was about to pick a few methods as Qin Ran's appetizer, he suddenly saw a smile on Qin Ran's face—a smile that should not have been there.

Instinctively, Deceiver sensed that something was wrong.

Lowering his head, he saw a grenade.

Deceiver instinctively tried to Dodge.

But... it was already too late!

Boom!

The explosive flames of the [-II] grenade completely engulfed Deceiver.

Even Qin Ran, who was some distance away, was affected by the blast.

Fortunately, it was only the blast wind stirred up by the flames, not the deadly shrapnel.

But Deceiver was not so lucky!

Completely engulfed by the explosion of the [-II] grenade, he was reduced to a mangled mess, far more miserable than the rebel captain Deceiver had ambushed earlier.

[Shooting: Your opponent inflicted 20 points of damage to your health...]

[Shooting: Your opponent inflicted 20 points of damage to your health...]

[You have entered a moderately injured state...]

[Your legs have entered a crippled state...]

[Painkiller grants immunity to injury states and crippled states for three minutes...]

[Explosion: Inflicted 150 points of damage to your opponent's health. Your opponent has died...]

Looking at the combat log, Qin Ran first felt fortunate over the excellent effects of [Painkiller]. Without it, even if his plan had succeeded, it would not have gone so cleanly.

At the very least, he would have been caught in the blast from the [-II] grenade.

If his luck had been any worse, with only 40 health remaining, it might have been GAME OVER.

"Thankfully!"

Qin Ran rejoiced once more, then his gaze was drawn to the subsequent combat information.

"150 health?!"

Qin Ran stared at Deceiver's health in surprise.

From the armed thugs he had encountered at the beginning to the rebel soldiers from earlier, including himself, everyone had possessed 100 health. There had never been an exception.

Yet now, a Deceiver with 150 health had appeared.

"Was it because of superior Constitution? Or an elite template?"

Qin Ran guessed.

However, before he could continue thinking, the messages that appeared afterward drew his attention.

[You killed an enemy with Gunpowder Weapons (Light Firearms) (Beginner)...]

[Gunpowder Weapons (Light Firearms) skill upgraded (Basic → Beginner)]

[Name: Gunpowder Weapons (Light Firearms) (Beginner)]

[Related Attributes: Strength, Constitution, Perception]

[Skill Category: Attack]

[Effect: You know how to use pistols, rifles, smoothbore guns, assault rifles, submachine guns, and sniper rifles. Damage increased by 20%.]

[Cost: Stamina]

[Learning Requirements: Strength F, Constitution F, Perception F+]

[Remark: You can use light firearms as well as a veteran soldier!]

...

[Gunpowder Weapons (Light Firearms) skill increased. Related attributes increased...]

[Strength F → F+]

[Constitution F → F+]

[Perception has reached the current level cap for this type of skill and cannot be increased!]

A distinct warm current began flowing through Qin Ran's body. More knowledge about firearms also surfaced in his mind, and accompanied by that warm current, he mastered it at a faster pace.

When the warm current faded, Qin Ran could clearly feel that he had become stronger and more powerful.

More importantly, his health had changed.

60!

His health had risen from 40 to 60. Clearly, that increase came from his improved Constitution.

"One level of Constitution adds 20 health?"

"As I guessed, skills and attributes are inseparable!"

"But was this skill upgrade a 'benefit' of the Beginner Instance, or was it the normal upgrade rule?"

Qin Ran frowned slightly.

He leaned toward the former.

Because if it were the latter, it would be far too easy—even if actually accomplishing it was difficult, just as it had been when he faced Deceiver.

In terms of strength and experience, he had been utterly crushed.

If not for his good luck and the fact that Deceiver wanted something from him, Qin Ran knew full well what would have happened to him.

Still, calling it "too easy" was not wrong!

Because players were a group of people with immense creativity and a love for risk-taking.

Was Deceiver strong?

The answer was: very strong!

If Qin Ran tried to fight him head-on, his chances of winning would be negligible!

But if Qin Ran had enough time, he had no fewer than three ways to trick Deceiver to death!

Although they would cost a great deal, Qin Ran did not care for the sake of upgrading his skills and attributes.

Therefore, Qin Ran believed that players like him would not care either.

Under those circumstances, the method of "killing someone with a skill one level higher to upgrade your own skill" only made sense as a Beginner Instance "feature."

Otherwise, the game designers would have been far too incompetent.

But that did not mean Qin Ran had no opportunity!

Earlier, when he faced the captured armed thug, the quick way to become stronger had not worked, but Qin Ran had not given up.

And now, he saw hope once again.

"Killing someone with a skill one level higher?"

Qin Ran murmured softly, then suddenly clenched his fist.

He had a new idea!

Of course, not now!

Right now, the most important thing was for him to recover quickly.

Although his [Gunpowder Weapons (Light Firearms)] skill had risen by one level, and his Strength and Constitution had each risen by one level, it did not change the fact that his health was still below average.

Once the effects of [Painkiller] disappeared, he would inevitably fall into an extremely difficult situation.

Therefore, before the effects of [Painkiller] wore off, he had to raise his health to an acceptable level.

Before that, however, Qin Ran went to Deceiver's corpse and carefully searched it.

Though the corpse before him had already been blown into a bloody mess, that did not mean there was nothing to gain.

In fact, when Qin Ran turned the corpse over, he made a discovery—

A palm-sized book that emitted a faint purple glow.

"A skill book?!"

Qin Ran blurted out instinctively.

Clearly, even in this 100% realistic game, some game mechanics still existed.

Qin Ran grabbed the purple-glowing skill book.

[Discovered skill book: Tracking!]

[Learn it?]

"Learn!"

Without hesitation, Qin Ran made his choice.

[Learned skill: Tracking]

[Name: Tracking (Basic)]

[Related Attribute: Perception]

[Skill Category: Support]

[Effect: You can track targets you wish to pursue by observing traces!]

[Cost: Stamina]

[Learning Requirement: Perception F+]

[Remark: Your nose is no match for a hunting dog's!]

In an instant, another flood of knowledge and bodily coordination came over him.

When it was over, Qin Ran's eyes widened. At that moment, the world looked different to him, and things he had previously overlooked became instantly clear.

Footprints and traces appeared white.

Blood became vivid scarlet.

The traces left by explosions became a deep black.

When Qin Ran blinked, everything returned to normal. When he focused again, the changes reappeared before his eyes.

"An active skill?"

That was Qin Ran's assessment.

However, the faint stinging sensation in his body told him that the effects of [Painkiller] were about to wear off.

Qin Ran immediately took Deceiver's leather bag and ran toward the place where he had hidden the canned food.

Other than the unexpected skill book, Deceiver's corpse yielded nothing else.

What Qin Ran regretted most was that, after inspecting it, he found that the unusual "sniper rifle" had been completely destroyed in the grenade blast.

That left Qin Ran feeling dejected.

It was not that Qin Ran had not wanted to preserve the unusual "sniper rifle," but in the earlier situation, he could barely protect himself.

But then Qin Ran thought of the rebel soldier sniper he had shot dead earlier.

That man had possessed a true sniper rifle!

Thinking of that, Qin Ran finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After his [Gunpowder Weapons (Light Firearms)] skill leveled up, his need for a sniper rifle became even more urgent.

Because Qin Ran knew that when facing numerous rebel soldiers, a sniper rifle was safer and more effective than any other firearm!

Moreover, the plan he had slightly altered afterward required a good sniper rifle even more!

"General Janning?"

Qin Ran muttered under his breath.

Clearly, he was a BOSS who could improve the instance-clearance rating even more than that major.