Enhancement (Part Two)

Why couldn't he upgrade them all?

Qin Ran asked himself.

Perhaps other players were limited by their own points and skill points, unable to upgrade everything.

But he was different.

Having just completed two transactions, he had enough points and skill points to do exactly that.

Qin Ran had experienced the power of skills firsthand.

Even if each skill level imposed limits on attribute improvements.

The flaws did not outweigh the merits.

Qin Ran could not deny the importance of skills to him. Without them, he could never have cleared the Beginner Instance, much less gained so much from it.

What was more, with his current points and skill points,

he only needed to make slight adjustments to the order in which he raised his skills to Mastery to raise every attribute except Spirit by another level.

Changes in attributes were the most direct changes of all!

For Qin Ran, an increase in all attributes was no less than a complete rebirth!

After a brief moment of thought, Qin Ran made his final decision.

Upgrade them all!

Points and skill points were not strength just sitting there.

But with greater strength, he would inevitably earn more points and skill points.

Having made his decision, Qin Ran began upgrading his skills in order.

The first was [Hand-to-Hand Combat]!

[Hand-to-Hand Combat] came first because its related attributes were Strength, Agility, and Constitution. The second skill, [Gunpowder Weapons: Light Firearms], repeated Strength and Agility but added Perception.

As for [Tracking], it would be third!

Previously, he had still been able to level it up after Perception reached the limit imposed by the current skill level. Qin Ran believed this time would be no exception.

Qin Ran opened the [Shop] option—

[Hand-to-Hand Combat (Beginner → Mastery) requires 1,500 points and 1 skill point. Pay? Yes/No]

"Yes!"

[Hand-to-Hand Combat has reached Mastery. You may choose one special effect.]

[A: Mastery of Two-Handed Combat (When attacking with your hands, gain +1 Agility attribute level.)]

[B: Mastery of Leg Combat (When attacking with your legs, gain +1 Strength attribute level.)]

[Please choose...]

The sudden choice startled Qin Ran. He had not expected such a special option to appear.

"Does every skill gain a corresponding special effect upon reaching Mastery?"

Qin Ran guessed.

The answer was obvious.

And these special effects would give each player a different path of growth.

Just like the two choices before him.

Mastery of Two-Handed Combat was undoubtedly meant for players who wanted to develop their hands, while Mastery of Leg Combat was for players focused on their legs.

Qin Ran even guessed that skills such as boxing techniques and kicking techniques might appear.

Given the current skill effect choices, that was entirely possible.

"If that's the case..."

Qin Ran frowned slightly.

He found it difficult to choose.

He had ideas for both boxing and kicking techniques.

However, Qin Ran soon made his decision—he thought of his other two skills: [Gunpowder Weapons: Light Firearms] and [Cold Weapons: Dagger].

Both of those skills required both hands to use!

Therefore, the choice was obvious.

"I choose B!"

[Player has chosen B: Mastery of Leg Combat.]

[Name: Hand-to-Hand Combat (Mastery)]

[Related Attributes: Strength, Agility, Constitution]

[Skill Category: Attack]

[Effect: You know how to fight with fists and kicks.

Increases destructive power by 30%.]

[Special Effect: Mastery of Leg Combat (When attacking with your legs, gain +1 Strength attribute level.)]

[Consumption: Stamina]

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

[Remark: The level of a freestyle fighting champion!]

[Hand-to-Hand Combat has been upgraded. Related attributes increased...]

[Strength F+ → E-]

[Agility F+ → E-]

[Constitution F+ → E-]

After choosing the skill effect, the infusion of knowledge and the coordination of his body began simultaneously. That warm current appeared within Qin Ran once again, nourishing his entire body.

When it was over, Qin Ran once again felt strength filling his whole body.

Unable to restrain himself, he stepped forward and threw a right punch.

Whoosh!

A standard jab sliced through the air. Before Qin Ran could retract his fist, his body spun 180 degrees to the right with the momentum of the punch, and his right leg whipped out like a steel lash wound with springs.

Whoosh!

An even louder howl followed, making his eardrums tingle.

"This feeling is great!"

After completing the combo attack, Qin Ran grinned as he clenched his fists.

Then, he immediately began upgrading his second skill.

[Gunpowder Weapons: Light Firearms (Beginner → Mastery) requires 1,000 points and 1 skill point. Pay? Yes/No]

"Yes!"

[Gunpowder Weapons: Light Firearms has reached Mastery. You may choose one special effect.]

[A: Mastery of Reloading (When replacing a magazine, gain +1 Agility attribute level.)]

[B: Mastery of Aiming (When aiming at a target, gain +1 Perception attribute level.)]

[Please choose...]

"I choose B!"

This time, Qin Ran did not hesitate and quickly made his decision.

Mastery of Reloading, option A, was clearly intended for firepower specialists who needed to reload magazines frequently. Since he was developing toward becoming a sniper, he naturally chose B.

[Player has chosen B: Mastery of Aiming.]

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

[Related Attributes: Strength, Constitution, Perception]

[Skill Category: Attack]

[Effect: You know how to use pistols, rifles, shotguns, assault rifles, submachine guns, and sniper rifles. Increases destructive power by 30%.]

[Special Effect: Mastery of Aiming (When aiming at a target, gain +1 Perception attribute level.)]

[Consumption: Stamina]

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

[Remark: In light firearms, you are comparable to the king of soldiers!]

[Gunpowder Weapons: Light Firearms has been upgraded. Related attributes increased...]

[Strength has reached the current upgrade limit for this type of skill and cannot be increased!]

[Constitution has reached the current upgrade limit for this type of skill and cannot be increased!]

[Perception E- → E]

Everything was exactly as Qin Ran had calculated. The E- attributes had once again reached the limit of this type of skill and could not be upgraded.

Then, Qin Ran turned his gaze toward the special skill [Tracking]—

[Tracking (Beginner → Mastery) requires 3,000 points and 2 skill points. Pay? Yes/No]

"Yes!"

[Tracking has reached Mastery and gains one special effect: Mastery of Trace Inspection.]

[Name: Tracking (Mastery)]

[Related Attributes: Perception]

[Skill Category: Support]

[Effect: You track the target you wish to pursue by observing all kinds of clues left behind!]

[Special Effect: Mastery of Trace Inspection (You always have a clear grasp of the traces left behind by the target you are pursuing!)]

[Consumption: Stamina]

[Learning Requirements: Perception E-]

[Remark: Your comprehensive application is even better than a hound's nose!]

[Tracking skill level increased. Related attributes increased...]

[Perception E → E+]

Tracking did not disappoint Qin Ran.

With his Perception reaching E+, Qin Ran found that he could see farther and hear more clearly. He could even see the dust on the floor quite distinctly.

This delighted Qin Ran.

The more direct the change, the more it demonstrated his own strength.

The changes brought by raising three skills to Mastery made the excited Qin Ran upgrade all five of his remaining skills to Mastery in one go.

Upgrading [Cold Weapons: Dagger] from Beginner to Mastery required 1,000 points and 1 skill point. Its special effects were Mastery of Cutting and Mastery of Piercing.

The former carried a 5% chance of causing Tendon Severance (Maiming), while the latter had a 10% chance of triggering Bleeding.

Qin Ran chose the former, based on its actual destructive effect.

Although the latter had a higher trigger chance.

Qin Ran's assassination-oriented fighting style made the former more suitable.

Upgrading [Dodge] from Beginner to Mastery required 1,500 points and 1 skill point. Its special effects were Mastery of Agile Footwork and Mastery of Rolling.

Mastery of Agile Footwork: Your footwork makes your body more agile, increasing Dodge effectiveness by 10%.

Mastery of Rolling: You can roll faster and farther, reducing rolling movements by one-fifth and increasing rolling distance by 1 meter.

Qin Ran chose Mastery of Agile Footwork. Although Mastery of Rolling was also good, he valued the additional 10% Dodge effect on top of [Dodge]'s original 30% more.

Upgrading [Stealth] from Beginner to Mastery required 1,500 points and 1 skill point. Its special effects were Mastery of Light Footsteps and Mastery of Shadow Concealment.

Mastery of Light Footsteps: Your footsteps become faint when walking, making you less likely to be noticed. Reduces sounds caused by your movement by 30%. This special effect becomes invalid when your carried items exceed the weight limit.

Mastery of Shadow Concealment: You gain better concealment in shadows, increasing Stealth effectiveness by 10%.

This time, Qin Ran hesitated slightly. Both choices were excellent.

The former reduced sound, making him harder to discover.

The latter likewise increased the effectiveness of Stealth.

After considering it for a moment, Qin Ran chose the latter.

The reason was the same as with Dodge.

40% Stealth had already reached the next level!

Next, upgrading [Medical Treatment: Bandaging] and [Medicine: Drug Knowledge] from Beginner to Mastery required 500 points and 1 skill point, and 1,000 points and 1 skill point respectively.

Like [Tracking], [Medical Treatment: Bandaging] only had one special option, so there was no need to choose.

Rapid Bandaging: Increases bandaging speed by 20%.

[Medicine: Drug Knowledge], on the other hand, offered Mastery of Healing Medicines and Mastery of Poisons.

Mastery of Healing Medicines: Increases healing effectiveness by 10%.

Mastery of Poisons: Increases poison effectiveness by 10%.

Qin Ran chose the latter without hesitation.

This had long been his plan.

In fact, poison was the aspect he valued most in [Medicine: Drug Knowledge].

After raising all eight skills to Mastery, Qin Ran glanced at his remaining points and skill points.

4,200 points, 1 skill point, and 1 Golden Point.

Then, he casually opened the upgrade option for [Hand-to-Hand Combat].

The next level after Mastery for [Hand-to-Hand Combat] was Expert.

It required 4,000 points and 2 skill points.

This made Qin Ran frown. He opened the upgrade options for [Gunpowder Weapons. Light Firearms] again.

3000 points, 2 skill points required.

Qin Ran then checked the others.

Even upgrading [Medicine. Bandaging] to expert level required 1500 points and 2 skill points. Aside from [Tracking], the remaining skills all hovered between 3000 and 4000 points, while the skill point cost remained fixed at 2.

However, [Tracking] required 6000 points and 4 skill points to reach expert level, nearly twice the cost of the other skills.

Although he still had enough points, he lacked skill points.

Qin Ran had no choice but to abandon the idea of further upgrades and save up his points and basic skill points.

Afterward, Qin Ran did not immediately use the [Solo Instance Cooldown Accelerator Card].

He hoped to learn more from Lawless.

He could afford to wait at most three hours.

Of course, Lawless's death was not out of the question.

After all, no one could predict the future.