Chapter 5
Adrian smacked his lips.
Whatever happened, his chance had finally come!
Madly Leveling Up
Adrian suppressed his excitement, said goodbye to Dawson, and returned to the dormitory alone.
He had finally gotten a chance to leave on a field assignment. It was time to level up!
Adrian opened his panel and studied his information in silence.
Two years had passed without Adrian raising his character level or deliberately leveling any skills. All that time had let him accumulate nearly twelve million experience points!
A full twelve million experience points!!
Without hesitation, Adrian poured a huge amount of experience into Apprentice Swordsman and began leveling up like mad.
[Apprentice Swordsman has reached LV11. Stamina increased, Strength +1, Agility +1, Free Attribute Points +2, Skill Point +1!] ... [Apprentice Swordsman has reached LV20 (MAX). Stamina increased slightly, Strength +1, Agility +1, Free Attribute Points +2, Skill Point +1!]
His total level had reached 20. He had also gained 10 Strength, 10 Agility, 10 Skill Points, and 20 Free Attribute Points.
As noted before, characters hit a bottleneck every twenty levels and had to complete a specific task to keep leveling up.
Apprentice Swordsman also had a level cap of 20. Adrian checked its advancement quest.
[Level 20 advancement quest: Swordsman Trial. Defeat a powerful enemy at least 5 levels above you. May be completed in a party; party members cannot exceed level 20. Current progress: 0/1.]
Well, look at that!
Not bad luck at all!
Defeating a higher-level enemy was a fairly standard advancement quest. At level 20, a five-level gap was hardly anything.
He could even find others to team up with if he wanted. It was basically a group boss hunt out in the wild.
Beasts above level 25 were easy to find on the training island. They were everywhere in the Deadly Zone beyond the training base, and plenty lived in the Danger Zone too. If he was lucky—or unlucky—he might even run into one in the Safe Zone.
Adrian wasted no time. He grabbed his sword and headed out, returning less than an hour later with the scent of blood clinging to him. The Swordsman Trial icon on his panel was now glowing faintly, with pale-gold letters reading "Completed" in its upper-right corner.
He tapped the icon.
[Level 20 advancement quest completed!] [You have obtained Professional Swordsman LV1, the advanced profession of Apprentice Swordsman. Stamina increased slightly, Strength +2, Agility +2, Free Attribute Points +3, Skill Point +1!]
New strength welled up endlessly from deep within him. With his fairly high level in Life Return, Adrian could sense the dramatic changes taking place inside his body. The feeling of growing stronger was intoxicating.
Compared with Apprentice Swordsman, each level of Professional Swordsman granted more attributes. Naturally, it also required more experience.
At the same time, two new skill notifications appeared on the panel.
[You have learned Advanced Swordsmanship Training!] [You have learned Intermediate Swordsmanship Affinity!]
Both were advanced versions of Apprentice Swordsman skills. The Intermediate Swordsmanship Affinity icon was gray, however; he had to max out Basic Swordsmanship Affinity before he could unlock it.
Adrian quickly maxed out Basic Swordsmanship Affinity, gaining two Skill Points, then paused to consider the panel.
Leveling Professional Swordsman now cost too much experience to be as worthwhile as leveling his other secondary professions. Besides, he might have to drift across the sea alone someday...
After a moment's thought, he made up his mind.
Adrian first spent experience to max out Navigator and Basic Navigation, then raised Cook and Agent to their level caps.
[Navigator reached MAX level. Intelligence +10, Charm +10, Free Attribute Points +20, Skill Points +10.] [Cook reached MAX level. Strength +10, Stamina +10, Free Attribute Points +20, Skill Points +10.] [Agent reached MAX level. Strength +10, Agility +10, Free Attribute Points +20, Skill Points +10.]
Then Adrian poured all his remaining experience into Professional Swordsman.
[Professional Swordsman has reached LV2. Stamina increased, Strength +2, Agility +2, Free Attribute Points +3, Skill Point +1!] ... [Professional Swordsman has reached LV9. Stamina increased, Strength +2, Agility +2, Free Attribute Points +3, Skill Point +1!]
Less than two hours had wiped out two years of accumulated experience.
Adrian glanced at his panel, a little surprised. "I know I've never used any Free Attribute Points, but 127? I have that many? And 65 Skill Points!"
"Tsk. My stats are ridiculously strong now!"
-- Name: Adrian Race: Human Template: NPC (Version 1.0 public beta countdown: one year) Level: 29 Experience: 0 Main professions: Apprentice Swordsman LV20 (MAX); Professional Swordsman LV9 (1.5m/2.2m) Secondary professions: Navigator LV10 (MAX); Cook LV10 (MAX); Agent LV10 (MAX) Attributes: Strength 63, Agility 56, Stamina 17, Intelligence 16, Charm 15, Luck 1 Free Attribute Points: 127 Skill Points: 63 Health: 100% Physical Energy: 100% Stamina: 100% Specialties: None Skills: Basic Swordsmanship Training LV10 (MAX) Basic Swordsmanship Affinity LV10 (MAX) Basic Navigation LV10 (MAX) Advanced Swordsmanship Training LV1 (0/50,000)—Practice swordsmanship independently to slightly increase swordsmanship proficiency. Intermediate Swordsmanship Affinity LV1 (0/100,000)—Increase understanding of swordsmanship and slightly improve its power. Basic Hand-to-Hand Combat LV5 (3,476/5,000): Improve unarmed combat ability. Basic Marksmanship LV3 (67/800): Improve aiming and shooting ability. Basic Heat Control LV6 (5,783/10,000): Improve a Cook's control of heat. Six Powers: Kami-e LV5 (40,536/300,000): Defensive technique. Relax the entire body and sense the airflow created by an opponent's movements, making the body as light and thin as paper. This allows free control of the body and last-second evasion of incoming attacks. Six Powers: Soru LV2 (12,987/150,000): Movement technique. Kick off the ground dozens of times at high speed in an instant (0.36 seconds), generating explosive reactive force for high-speed movement. To an enemy, it looks almost like disappearing. Six Powers: Geppo LV2 (57,978/150,000): Step on the air with powerful leg strength to generate enough lift to walk through the air as if climbing stairs. Cannot remain airborne for too long. Six Powers: Tekkai LV1 (4,396/100,000): Defensive technique. Tense a thoroughly trained body until it becomes as hard as iron, resisting even bullets and blades. Six Powers: Shigan LV1 (4,399/100,000): Concentrate the body's strength in the index finger and strike in a flash with the hardened finger. The blow hits like a bullet and can easily pierce a human body. Six Powers: Rankyaku LV1 (3,762/100,000): Leg technique. An extremely fast, powerful kick creates a vacuum slash that can easily cleave a target in two. Six Powers: Life Return LV3 (1,024/200,000): Freely control the body, hair, and internal organs. By directing consciousness into them, any part of the body can be controlled. Legend Points: 0 Equipment: Agent Standard-Issue Longsword, Agent Standard-Issue Dagger, Agent Standard-Issue Firearm --
Two years of saving had shot him straight to level 29. His combat strength had soared!
Adrian spent 47 of his 127 Free Attribute Points to raise Stamina, his greatest weakness in a head-on fight, to 64. He saved the remaining 80 for any emergencies that might arise.
His three main combat attributes now stood at Strength 63, Agility 56, and Stamina 64.
Thanks to the numerical panel, Adrian needed no time or effort to adjust to his dramatically improved physique. A few simple sword swings were enough for him to get used to the changes.
"Sea where strength rules supreme! Here I come!!"
Destination: West Blue!
The moon shone bright among sparse stars as dawn drove back the darkness.
Adrian stood before a full-length mirror, carefully straightening his shirt collar and cuffs.
The outfit—a white shirt, black tailcoat, semi-tall top hat, and leather boots—had arrived the previous night. It was his "work uniform" for this field assignment. Even if an Agent did not operate under the World Government's name, he could not make the World Government look bad.
The clothes were not especially expensive, but they were the finest Adrian had worn in the past two years.
Adrian nudged the stiff brim of his hat with a finger. A faint smile appeared on his youthful face beneath it. Paired with his slightly narrow eyes, it gave him a mischievous, self-satisfied look.
Perfect!
He took one last look at the little room where he had lived alone for two years, picked up the luggage he had prepared, and left without a trace of reluctance.
When he reached the base entrance, Dawson was already there in a black suit, staring at the jungle outside with obvious boredom.
"Morning, Dawson. Nice weather today," Adrian greeted him with a smile.
"Is it?" Dawson looked up at the sky, then back down. "Adrian, you seem a little different today."
"Of course I do." Adrian smiled. "This is the best mood I've been in for two years."
That's not what I meant...
Dawson kept the thought to himself. Today, Adrian gave him a faint but unmistakable sense of danger, something he had never felt from him before.
Dawson trusted his instincts. He did not consider himself especially clever, but those almost animal-like instincts had served him well.
"Let's hope that good mood lasts until the assignment is over!"
Just then, Kumadori Yamamba appeared out of nowhere like a ghost, her voice as unpleasant as ever.
"I'm sure it will, Instructor Kumadori Yamamba." Adrian smiled with narrowed eyes and casually cast Detect on the old woman.
[Based on your level and attributes, you have obtained the following information.] [Kumadori Yamamba] (yellow name) [Level: LV45] [Attributes: Strength 59, Agility 73, Stamina 48, Intelligence 7, Charm 9, Luck ?] [Abilities: Six Powers, Concealing Presence, Intermediate Marksmanship, ?] [Threat level: Medium]
She's unexpectedly... weak!
Adrian's mood improved further. Dawson had told him yesterday that Kumadori Yamamba would accompany them on this assignment. He did not know whether she would stay with them the whole way, but the weaker she was, the less of an obstacle she posed—and the easier his plan would be to carry out.
Before they set off, Kumadori Yamamba instructed them, "Stay close to me! And don't try to memorize the safe route through the jungle. It changes constantly!"
Her voice took on a warning edge. "Especially you, Adrian!"
"Don't worry, Instructor. I know the rules."
Adrian answered calmly, though he scoffed inwardly. He had no intention of coming back, so why bother memorizing the safe route? Well... maybe I should pay attention anyway, just in case.
Led by Kumadori Yamamba, Dawson and Adrian passed through the Safe Zone, Danger Zone, and Deadly Zone in silence. Nothing stopped them from reaching the edge of the dense forest.
As far as the eye could see, the blue sea shimmered gold in the morning sun. Calling gulls soared overhead. Everywhere Adrian looked, the sight held a dazzling allure.
This... is what freedom feels like!
Adrian stopped without meaning to. His heart hammered in his chest, contracting tight before swelling forcefully again, sending a faint tremor through his body.
Dawson looked much the same beside him.
"I knew it. Every brat heading out on their first field assignment looks like this when they see the sea," Kumadori Yamamba said, unsurprised. "All right, you'll have plenty of chances to sail it later! For now, we've got a ship to board!"
"Yes, Instructor!" they answered together.