Grand Skill Tally

"Soon?"

Gan Ming paused and turned to look at the security personnel.

"Did something happen?"

"The Ruins Zone's invasion progress has dropped to 6%."

The registrar jerked his chin toward the ruins behind him.

"At this rate, after clearing out another round of monsters, it'll fall below the threshold."

"If it drops to 2% before ten tomorrow morning, we'll organize one final cleanup operation to purify this place. Afterward, the area will be sealed off for repairs."

A security officer beside them, who was stuffing a water bottle into his ring, picked up the conversation.

"It's finally over. Once I finish my last shift tomorrow, I'm taking three days off in a row. First, I'm sleeping for a whole day, then I'll take the boys out for a proper meal."

Several security officers burst into laughter and began discussing where to eat during their break.

Gan Ming silently noted the information.

The Ruins Zone would be closed tomorrow.

That meant his next leveling location could only be the third area listed on the Pioneer Guide.

Tunnel Zone No. 7, recommended level 10 to 30, would open at eight tomorrow morning.

The timing was perfect.

"Thanks for the reminder. I understand."

Gan Ming nodded to the security personnel and turned to leave the outpost.

Less than a hundred meters after leaving the outpost, Gan Ming's equipment and weapons automatically became concealed.

The border of the Fallen Zone lay beneath his feet.

Behind him was the supernatural world. Ahead was the city of ordinary people, the distinction between them sharp as a line.

He walked along the gravel road toward the city for roughly three or four hundred meters.

Vroooom, vroooom, vroooom...

The roar of engines came from ahead.

Six motorcycles whizzed past him, their wheels kicking up dust that smacked him in the face.

Gan Ming narrowed his eyes and looked through the dust at the riders' backs.

They wore identical uniforms.

A badge was fastened to their left arms.

An iron-gray gear encircled by three arcs.

Gan Ming did not slow down, nor did his expression change.

But beneath his sleeve, his fingers gave a faint squeeze.

These six belonged to the same guild as the four people he had just buried inside the Hound's stomach.

Six people, fully armed, headed for the outpost.

Were they there to pick someone up?

Or were they looking for someone?

Either way, appearing at this time made perfect sense.

Toward evening, they might have arranged to eat together afterward, or come to pick up teammates and return to the city.

Gan Ming's peripheral vision swept over the last motorcycle.

As the rider passed him, he gave him a sidelong glance before looking away.

It was exactly the look that residents of the proper streets in the Lower District gave to freight laborers.

Contemptuous, disgusted, treating him as though he did not exist.

Gan Ming withdrew his gaze and continued onward.

As he walked, he summarized his gains from the Ruins Zone.

First came the monsters.

He had collected every skill from the Rustclaw Hound, Rust-armored Scorpion, and Grayrock Giant Lizard.

Then there was the Red-armored Elite Giant Scorpion: one mastery skill and three regular skills, all collected.

Those four monster types alone had added fourteen new skills to his arsenal, along with one mastery skill.

But that was not the biggest haul.

The biggest haul was those four skill packs—uh... Awakened.

From the four of them, he had taken four innate talents: Lock-On, Shadowmeld, Double Blades, and Vital Renewal.

Nine mastery skills: Crossbow Mastery, Tracking Shot, Dagger Mastery, Shadowstep, Dual-Wield Mastery, Chain Blade Slash, Healing Enhancement, Mass Restoration, and Status Purification.

And a whole pile of regular skills...

Including the seven he had obtained in the Woodland that morning, as well as the Healing he had learned when he Awakened.

The total number of skills he possessed now...

Was forty-seven.

Four innate talents, ten mastery skills, and thirty-three regular and passive skills.

All acquired in eight and a half hours.

Walking down the gravel road, Gan Ming lowered his head and looked at his hands.

That morning, these hands had been using an iron dagger to fight a Pig Monster, taking five minutes just to slowly whittle it to death.

Now, he could fire crossbows from afar, wield double blades up close, restrain and control, heal and recover, sneak and conceal himself, track and scout...

On his own, he covered the core skills of the five major paths: ranged combat, melee combat, assassin, tank, and healer.

And every one of them had been enhanced by level 7 Soul Snatch.

Was it absurd?

It was.

But that was Soul Snatch.

That level 13 archer he had encountered that morning had two mastery skills, nine regular skills, and a full set of green equipment.

When Gan Ming took an arrow from him that morning, he had thought, I'll get revenge once I can crush him with strength.

And now?

He was level 15.

And that archer? Heh. With how pathetic he was, maybe he was level 15 too.

The score might be settled the next time they met.

Gan Ming clenched his fist.

No rush.

The archer could wait.

There were more important things at hand.

Like taking a shower.

After walking less than another kilometer,

he saw more than a dozen taxis parked along the roadside ahead.

They were lined up in an open space beside the gravel road.

Some drivers sat in the driver's seats smoking, some played on their phones, while others simply leaned back with their eyes closed to rest.

These taxis were clearly waiting here specifically.

Business was steady, waiting for Awakened returning from the Fallen Zone.

Gan Ming walked up to the first car and bent down to look inside.

Huh?

A buzz cut, with a bronze ring on the ring finger of his left hand.

It was the driver who had brought him here at noon.

The driver was fiddling with his phone with his head lowered.

When he heard footsteps and looked up, he saw a figure so filthy he was nearly unrecognizable standing outside the car window.

He froze for a moment, then his eyes lit up.

"Ah, it's you, sir!"

The driver immediately sat upright.

"Sir, you really came back! I was thinking that maybe today you wouldn't be able to..."

Halfway through, he forcibly swallowed the rest of the sentence.

"Wouldn't know how long you'd be able to keep fighting."

The original version of that sentence was probably, "You might not make it out alive."

Gan Ming did not expose him. He merely smiled and nodded.

"Driver, is it okay if I get in your car looking like this?"

The driver pushed open the door, leaned half his body out, and examined Gan Ming.

From head to toe, he was covered in dried stains of every color.

His entire body gave off a compound odor that was difficult to describe in words.

The driver hurriedly held his breath, and his expression turned grave, but he did not hesitate.

"No problem! Please, get in!"

As he spoke, he pulled a sheet of plastic from the back seat and spread it over the seat.

His movements were practiced. This was clearly not his first time doing it.

Gan Ming got in. The moment the door shut, the driver rolled down both front windows.

"Where are you headed, sir?"

"Do you know any decent hotels nearby? Something cheaper. As long as I can shower."

The driver thought for a moment.

"Yes. There's a place called Travel Peace on Central District Sixth Street. It's not expensive—one hundred twenty a night. The rooms are clean, there's plenty of hot water, and lots of Awakened stay there after returning from the Fallen Zone."

"Alright, take me there."

The driver shifted into gear, pulled away, and slammed onto the main road with one stomp of the accelerator.