The Boarfolk Warrior's Abilities

Judging by how much an ordinary Boarfolk had swollen his muscles, Rain was almost certain the Boarfolk Warrior would have an even greater effect. His physique would change noticeably.

If he had activated it in the caravan, people would certainly have noticed.

But now he was alone in his inn room, so that was no longer a problem.

After a moment's thought, Rain took off his leather armor and linen shirt, then stood bare-chested before the room's bronze mirror.

He pressed the Boarfolk Warrior Bloodline icon into the fourth square slot. In the mirror, he immediately saw his muscles changing at a visible rate.

His trapezius muscles, already prominent, now bulged high like those of the professional boxers from his previous life.

The two muscles at the front of his neck had thickened as well.

His shoulders, arms, and most of his upper body grew more muscular, nearly rivaling Schwarzenegger, the famous bodybuilder turned governor from his previous life.

"Well, no wonder the internet had that saying in my previous life: real men stack passives..."

At the same time, something new seemed to appear in Rain's mind. Images flashed through it in rapid succession—sprinting... slamming into something... tusks...

Feeling power surge through his body, Rain turned his attention to his status panel.

[Name: Rain]

[Class: Farmer]

[Active bloodlines: Goblin Warrior Bloodline ×1, Cold-Enhanced Goblin Bloodline ×1, Boarfolk Bloodline ×1, Boarfolk Warrior Bloodline ×1]

[Bloodline talents: Rapid Reproduction lv3... Robust lv1... Dim-Light Vision lv1... Frost Affinity lv1... Brute Strength lv2... Thick Hide lv2... Keen Scent lv2... Hammer Proficiency lv1]

[Spell-Like Abilities: Freezing Ray lv1, Savage Charge lv1]

[Strength: 5 (+3)]

[Agility: 5 (+1)]

[Constitution: 5 (+3)]

[Intelligence: 7]

[Perception: 5 (+1)]

[Charisma: 5]

...

"Brute Strength and Thick Hide both reached lv2? Sure enough, the Boarfolk Warrior Bloodline is stronger than an ordinary Boarfolk's!" Rain immediately spotted the reason for his dramatic physical change.

The effects of those two passive bloodline talents were straightforward:

"Brute Strength lv2" effect: Strength +3. (Note: Based on current physical condition.)

"Thick Hide lv2" effect: Constitution +3, plus a 30% increase to poison resistance and piercing defense. (Note: Based on current physical condition.)

"Huh? Hammer Proficiency lv1?" Rain wondered why he had gained that bloodline talent.

"Maybe it's because Boarfolk like using big wooden clubs and Spiked Warhammers?"

Whatever the reason, it was a pleasant surprise for Rain!

Rain focused on Hammer Proficiency lv1.

Hammer Proficiency (passive) lv1, effect: You have a natural familiarity with all hammer weapons. Damage dealt with hammer weapons increases by 10%; your learning speed for any hammer-based Combat Techniques increases by 20%.

"Wait. With Hammer Proficiency, maybe I can ask Instructor Humbert to teach me to use a Warhammer."

Rain recalled the Warhammer sitting in a corner of the association's rear courtyard.

If he could swing it and ring the bell, he could learn hammer techniques from Humbert.

Rain was certain Humbert's skill with a hammer, as a Dwarf warrior, far surpassed the Boarfolk Warrior's.

And the Boarfolk Warrior had already been terrifyingly powerful with his Spiked Warhammer!

That gave Rain some idea of what a Dwarven Warhammer could do.

It wasn't that Rain wanted everything, insisting on becoming both a warrior and a mage.

It was that all his powerful skills currently came from monsters.

If he wanted to kill stronger monsters, he needed every advantage he could get.

Even Hammer Proficiency came from the Boarfolk Warrior. He had to put it to use and grow stronger.

He couldn't just throw Hammer Proficiency away and rely solely on Freezing Ray, could he?

"Huh? What's this..."

Rain's eyes widened slightly as he spotted a new entry under Spell-Like Abilities:

Savage Charge lv1, effect: Within fifteen meters, you can gather strength and rush rapidly at a target. If the target is weaker than you, the impact will send them flying. If the gap in strength is too great, the target may also suffer broken bones or become stunned.

(Note: This Spell-Like Ability is derived from the Boarfolk Warrior's Tusk Charge and has been adapted for use.)

"Is that the attack the Boarfolk Warrior used earlier?"

"So the system can adapt abilities, too."

"Makes sense. I'm human and don't have tusks. How would I perform a Tusk Charge?"

Rain remembered the Boarfolk Warrior lowering his head and tossing Grand with his tusks. Now he understood.

"Still, Savage Charge sounds like a warrior class skill."

"Why is it listed under Spell-Like Abilities?"

"Or are all abilities derived from bloodlines classified that way?"

After thinking it over, Rain came up with an explanation, though he wasn't sure it was right.

Either way, it wouldn't stop him from using the ability.

"All four of my bloodline slots are full now."

"Wait. There's no reason to keep the ordinary Boarfolk Bloodline active."

Rain removed the ordinary Boarfolk icon from his third bloodline slot and returned it to his sixteen-slot inventory.

Sure enough, his status panel remained unchanged even after he removed it.

Not even the bloodline talents listed there had changed.

"So a higher-tier bloodline from the same species completely covers the talents of a lower-tier one."

"Right. Mutations are the only exception."

Rain glanced at the second bloodline slot—the Cold-Enhanced Goblin Bloodline.

It and the first slot both held Goblin bloodlines. He had already tried and failed to merge them.

Otherwise, he could have freed up another bloodline slot.

"Wait. Maybe they can merge, and the problem is that my Goblin Warrior Bloodline was created through merging."

"The system said 'cannot merge a second time' before. That could be the reason!"

The realization struck like lightning through the darkness.

Rain's eyes widened slightly as the idea clicked into place.

"I'll have to try it next time."

"Goblin Warriors should be fairly common in medium-sized Goblin groups. I can look into that after a while."

By the Adventurers' Association's customary classification, which reflected the actual danger of a fight, small monster groups—fewer than twenty Goblins, for instance—posed relatively little danger.

A team of Adventurers with some experience could usually clear one out.

But medium-sized groups were different.

A group of twenty to fifty Goblins would likely include stronger Goblins such as Goblin Warriors, with a more organized and varied structure.

Some Goblins would specialize in shortbows.

With Goblin Warriors and ranged attackers in the mix, the Challenge Rating rose substantially, landing somewhere between one and two.

"Should I wait for Chris to recover and go with the team, or find a temporary team first?"

"No rush. Maybe I should take some time to consolidate what I've gained."

Rain soon realized he was getting ahead of himself.

He had only just gained Savage Charge and hadn't even practiced it properly, yet he was already thinking about another expedition.

Perhaps gaining monster abilities on both previous outings had made him overconfident and impatient.

"Tomorrow I'll try out the new ability first."

"Then I'll ask Instructor Humbert about learning to use a Warhammer."

Rain suddenly looked down at his bulging muscles, shook his head, and muttered:

"Before I go to the association tomorrow, I need to buy some Chainmail to hide how much my body has changed."

After activating the Boarfolk Warrior Bloodline, he practically looked like another Schwarzenegger.

Such a drastic change in so little time would raise questions.

He needed to conceal it, at least a little.