Chapter 182: Ding! Detected

Chapter 182: Ding! Detected



【Congratulations! You have experienced an enlightenment, unlocking the additional effect for close combat battle skills: Precision lv1 (Passive).】

【Precision lv1 (Passive) Effect: You have gained a deeper understanding of your battle techniques and the weapon in your hands, allowing you to precisely control the strength and landing point of each move. This slightly reduces the likelihood of your opponent dodging or parrying your attacks.】

(Note: Precision is an additional effect for close combat battle skills. It will automatically unlock upon meeting the conditions.)



Rain first examined the Extraordinary Knight profession panel, but he didn't find any new skill icons, which he found slightly odd.

However, when he carefully read the description of Precision lv1 again, he suddenly realized something!

Since 'Precision' wasn't a specific skill but a special effect added to battle skills, it wouldn't generate a new skill icon on the profession panel.

As Rain focused his attention on the icon representing Bear Swordsmanship—a bear holding a greatsword—he indeed noticed an additional line of small text below it:

Bear Swordsmanship lv7 (3023/5000), with the additional effect 'Precision lv2'.

【Precision lv2 (Passive) Effect: You have gained an even clearer understanding of your battle techniques and the weapon in your hands, allowing you to precisely control the strength and landing point of each move. This moderately reduces the likelihood of your opponent dodging or parrying your attacks.】

(Note: To unlock Precision lv3 in Bear Swordsmanship, the following conditions must be met: 1. Bear Swordsmanship lv9 or higher; 2. Strength 20 points, Agility 18 points, and Constitution 20 points or higher.)



Rain carefully read the above text and noticed that the description of Precision lv1 was similar to that of Precision lv2, with the main difference being the change from 'slightly' to 'moderately'.

Additionally, Rain's Bear Swordsmanship at lv7 had the additional effect of Precision lv2, not lv1.

This confirmed that the effect would automatically unlock upon meeting the conditions!

Seemingly understanding something, Rain immediately shifted his attention to the icon of a pair of large hands holding a hammer—Tokkar Hammer Technique.

Tokkar Hammer Technique lv5 (354/2000), with the additional effect 'Precision lv1'.

The description of Precision lv1 (Passive) effect follows:

(Note: To unlock Precision lv2 in Tokkar Hammer Technique, the following conditions must be met: 1. Tokkar Hammer Technique lv6 or higher; 2. Strength 20 points, Agility 16 points, and Constitution 18 points or higher.)



By comparing the two, it's easy to understand this 'Precision' effect.

'Precision' is not an independent skill but an effect derived from Rain's current close combat battle skills upon meeting certain conditions.

Meanwhile, Basque, who was standing nearby, watched Rain suddenly start practicing his sword techniques with a puzzled look. But soon, his eyes widened in surprise, and he wore a bewildered expression.

After Rain paused, Basque finally dared to interrupt, stuttering, "R-Rain, did you just enter a state of enlightenment?"

Rain turned to Basque and smiled, "Yes, I gained some insights. Thank you for not interrupting my enlightenment, Basque."

After spending some time together, Rain found Basque to be a decent person. Although he might talk a bit too much at times, his heart was in the right place.

Unlike some young people, Rain had seen companions who would suddenly become jealous when witnessing their peers' enlightenment, immediately plotting ways to hinder their progress, either secretly or under the guise of support.

Often, this companion might be someone with whom Rain had a pleasant relationship.

To quote a saying from Rain's past life, "They don't want their brothers to suffer, but they also don't want them to drive a Land Rover."

Basque, upon hearing Rain's affirmative answer, expressed his astonishment, "I've been here with Master Gunther for a year and a half, and you're the third person I've seen enter a state of enlightenment. But you're the only one who achieved it within just a few days of arriving."

"The fastest person before you took at least a month of training to reach enlightenment."

Rain nodded, indicating that he understood.

He certainly didn't believe that he was the only one capable of enlightenment in the vast empire with its massive population. No matter how low the proportion of geniuses, there would still be an abundance of them, like raindrops after a spring shower.

After some thought, Rain couldn't wait to test the power of his newfound precision.

However, the previous group of Coastal Marauders attracted by the Tube Worms had already dispersed.

Rain turned to Basque and said, "Basque, could you please throw another Tube Worm into the sea? I want to test the effects of my enlightenment."

"Oh, sure, of course!" Basque was initially startled but quickly understood Rain's request.

He found Rain's reaction a bit unusual, as those who experienced enlightenment usually expressed great joy afterward.

Rain, on the other hand, remained calm as if enlightenment was a daily occurrence.

Nevertheless, Basque quickly complied, picking up a Tube Worm that resembled a small snake and tossing it into the sea a few meters away.

Within Rain's line of sight, the previous scene repeated itself.

Ripples appeared on the distant sea surface, and with Rain's sharp vision, he could see that this time, a total of six Coastal Marauders were rapidly swimming towards them.

Without hesitation, Rain gripped his greatsword and calmly walked into the sea, heading towards the Tube Worm.

As the distance between the Coastal Marauder and Rain rapidly closed, Rain took the initiative, striking the middle section of the marauder's body with his sword. The injured marauder immediately retaliated, charging at Rain with its powerful tail, its body resembling a torpedo.

However, with the special effect of 'Precision Level 2' from the Bear Swordsmanship, Rain's strikes were incredibly accurate, hitting the high-speed marauder almost every time.

Within half a minute, Rain had inflicted four or five more wounds on the marauder.

The excessive blood loss caused the marauder's stamina to decrease, further slowing its swimming speed.

Seizing the opportunity, Rain unleashed his 'Limit Break', and after a few rounds, he delivered a decisive blow to the junction between the fish's head and body, beheading it with a powerful slash.

He had not activated 'Triphasic State' or used the almost 'cheating' core skill 'Power Surge'.

The time it took to kill a Coastal Marauder had improved from five minutes to around two minutes.

The overall combat efficiency had increased significantly! Rain couldn't help but praise the improvement. Even if he couldn't learn anything else, this close combat special effect, 'Precision', was worth the long journey.

After consecutively killing three Coastal Marauders, the other marauders dispersed, having consumed the Tube Worms.

In the water, Rain carefully reflected on his experience.

He realized that his previous combat prowess was based on his exceptional physical qualities, but he had never deeply reflected on his weapon or the combat techniques he had trained in.

To illustrate this point, Rain's previous control over his body was like driving a tractor—powerful but lacking precision.

Now, he felt like he was driving a sophisticated sports car, with precise control down to the centimeter.

Recalling the recent battle, Rain's swings with his greatsword against the Coastal Marauder had a mere three to five centimeters of error in their landing points.

Essentially, the difference between the attack positions he envisioned in his mind and the actual attack positions on the marauder's body was minimal.

And this was all while battling in the high-resistance seawater against a rapidly moving opponent.

However, if Rain wanted to improve his precision even further, he turned his attention to the 'Extraordinary Knight' panel, specifically the Bear Swordsmanship icon.

"Unlock Precision Level 3 by meeting the following conditions: One, Bear Swordsmanship Level 9 or higher," Rain muttered to himself.

No wonder!

In his past life, he had heard of people practicing their fencing precision by hanging a small ball on a string and repeatedly striking it as it swayed, providing a similar challenge.

While the methods differed, 'Cutting Seagrass Underwater' was far more challenging than 'Stabbing the Ball', but the purpose was essentially the same—to train sword precision.

Both were methods to enhance sword precision!

Now, the third training task, 'Kill ten Coastal Marauders within an hour,' was a further test of precision, pushing Precision Level 1 to Level 2.

Coastal Marauders moved in variable acceleration curves, unlike the more predictable, pendulum-like movements of seagrass or a ball.

Rain quickly estimated that when a Knight could fully utilize the combat skill effect 'Precision Level 2', they would be able to kill a Coastal Marauder within five minutes.

In this regard, there wasn't a significant difference between a Knight and a Senior Knight.

The resistance in seawater far exceeded that of air, reducing the strength gap between Senior Knights and Knights.

On land, a Senior Knight's combat power might be 50% higher than that of a Knight, but in seawater, the Senior Knight's combat power might only be 20% greater.

Simply put, in water, technique took precedence over physical strength.

It was like comparing the swimming speed of a bodybuilder and a child; the focus was on swimming technique rather than physical strength.

Of course, if both had similar levels of technique, the Senior Knight's combat power would undoubtedly surpass that of the Knight, and there would be no reversal of strengths.

Additionally, Rain found it interesting that the other Coastal Marauders dispersed after consuming the Tube Worms, resembling solitary animals like leopards rather than pack hunters like hyenas.

Otherwise, Rain would have faced the siege of multiple marauders.

However, there was a downside to this—a single Tube Worm attracted five marauders, but Rain could only kill three, resulting in some waste.

Thinking about this, Rain carried the three marauders he had killed and noticed a pleasant aroma of food. He looked closely and saw Basque had lit a bonfire at the base of the cliff and was skewering and roasting the meat from beneath the marauder's tough scales on a thin sword, the source of the enticing scent.

Upon seeing Rain, Basque enthusiastically waved and called out, "Rain, try my cooking! This grilled marauder meat is juicy and delicious!"

"Oh, and it quickly restores stamina, almost like Feral Beast Meat!" Basque added.

Rain, who had been hesitating between eating or not, raised an eyebrow upon hearing the latter statement and quickly recovered his stamina.

Of course, he had to give it a try.

"Bang bang!"

Rain swung his greatsword with precision, slashing, chopping, and slicing with accuracy.

In no time, he had cleanly extracted the meat from the three Coastal Madfish he had just killed, and said to Basque, "One fish won't be enough for the two of us. Let's grill all three."

"Impressive!" Basque couldn't help but give Rain a thumbs-up in admiration of his precise swordsmanship.

"By the way, Rain, I noticed your speed in killing the Coastal Madfish. You've already met the requirements for the third training task, right? If so, you'll be moving on to the fourth training task, just like Froed."

"Oh? Do you know what the fourth training task entails, Basque?" Rain asked casually.

As for who Froed was, Rain didn't care.

"Of course. The fourth task is to kill thirty Coastal Madfish within an hour!"

"Thirty?" Rain raised an eyebrow.

He understood the difference between ten and thirty fish.

It wasn't just a simple numerical addition but a qualitative difference.

If the requirement was to kill ten Coastal Madfish within an hour, then on average, it would mean killing one fish every six minutes, allowing for a methodical approach.

It would just mean spending a little more time with the bristle worms.

However, with thirty fish, it meant killing one every two minutes, making the previous method of killing them one by one impractical.

This would require luring in a bristle worm to attract five or six Coastal Madfish and then killing them all in a short time, significantly increasing the difficulty with a one-versus-many scenario.

"Rain, do you also find it challenging?" Basque smiled wryly.

"I've been here for a year and a half, and I've never seen anyone pass this fourth training task. Even Miss Kayla, as far as I know, got stuck on this fourth task."

"Oh? Kayla couldn't pass the fourth task either?" Upon hearing this, Rain couldn't help but furrow his brows slightly.

"Yes, if I remember correctly, Miss Kayla killed twenty-seven fish within an hour, falling just short of completing the task." Basque reminisced, a hint of nostalgia in his expression.

Rain nodded.

In his memory, Kayla was the one who had first introduced him to knighthood.

Back then, in his heart, Kayla was an enigmatic figure with profound skills.

He never expected that he would gradually catch up to and even surpass her.

The feeling was quite peculiar.

Rain estimated that Kayla had participated in Master Gunther's training about a year or two ago. At that time, she should have been a full-fledged knight.

Even with her 'Precision lv2' skill, the dynamic of dominance and submission to their relationship.

Rain believed that the key to completing the subsequent training tasks under normal circumstances should lie in the 'Inner Breathing' skill.

With this in mind, Rain decided to slightly slow down his pace and focus on improving his 'Inner Breathing' skill over the next few days instead of rushing to complete the third training task within a day.

Thus, in the following days, Rain lived like an ascetic.

Besides harvesting tough seagrass juice early each day, Rain dedicated the rest of his time to comprehending the 'Inner Breathing' skill.

As for the battles with the Coastal Madfish, he maintained a daily incremental progress.

On the third day, Rain killed seven Coastal Madfish within an hour. By the fifth day, Rain's 'Inner Breathing' skill smoothly advanced to level 4.

At the same time, he successfully killed ten Coastal Marauders within an hour, completing the third training task.

At this moment, Rain could clearly feel that the Inner Breathing Technique at level 4 was having a peculiar effect on his own Bearclaw Breath Technique.

But it seemed like there was still a little bit missing!

It was like smelting an iron ingot; the ingot was already red-hot, but the temperature wasn't sufficient.

On the fifth day, Master Gunther looked at Rain and smiled with satisfaction, saying, "Very good! Now, Rain, you can proceed to the fourth training task, which is to kill thirty Coastal Marauders within an hour."

"The deadline is also one month."

"This is a potion made from Reef Shark Gel, and it can further enhance your Inner Breathing Technique, just like the Tough Seaweed Juice."

"When you feel the power within you, guide it into your sword!"

"..."

Rain calculated the time.

It had taken him six days to get here, and now another eight days had passed. Considering the return trip would also take six days, that left him with ten days of training time.

It seemed that completing the fourth training task within seven days would be the time limit.

After all, he had to leave a few days to observe the subsequent training content.

During these days, while Rain was killing Coastal Marauders, the seven or eight other young people at the same stage as him saw that Rain was increasing his kill count by almost one per day, and they couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.

"This rate of progress is truly terrifying!"

When Rain successfully completed the third training task on the fifth day, even those around him who had anticipated his potential were shocked.

"How the hell is this possible! He completed the third training task in just five days!" a young man named Arturo muttered in disbelief.

Because he had already spent twenty-one days and was stuck at killing seven per hour, unable to make any further progress.

"Now, Rain has surpassed most of us and is on par with Froed's progress." A young man named Doug spoke in a low voice.

"Yes! Now, only Froed and Rain are on the fourth training task."

"At this rate, catching up to Froed is just a matter of time."

"But it will take at least half a month for him to catch up to Froed. After all, Froed is currently killing twenty-two per hour." A young man pointed at the bald man fighting Coastal Marauders in the water and said.

"Perhaps it won't take that long!" Doug glanced at Rain and then turned to look at Froed, who was fighting in the water.

Indeed, Rain's progress on the fourth training task was astonishingly fast! On the second day, he directly increased his kill count to twelve per hour! On the third day, he reached fifteen!

On the fourth day, he reached nineteen! On the fifth day, he jumped to twenty-four per hour, surpassing Froed's twenty-three! What kind of monster is this?!

His progress was getting faster and faster, leaving the surrounding young people in awe.

On the sixth day, Rain's best performance was killing twenty-six Coastal Marauders! Others might have thought that Rain would break through the thirty mark soon.

But only Rain knew that he had reached his limit.

Killing twenty-six per hour was already his maximum effort without using the core skill 'Power Surge'.

Obviously, there was still a small gap between twenty-six and thirty.

Rain also understood the problem; the time it took to kill a single Coastal Marauder was still a bit too long.

This was closely related to his insufficient attack power.

Tomorrow was the last day Rain had set for himself.

If he still couldn't complete the task, he would use 'Power Surge' to increase his damage and finish the task of killing thirty Coastal Marauders.

If possible, Rain would prefer to follow Master Gunther's training plan step by step.

Because after the previous training tasks, Rain had realized that Master Gunther's training was intricately interconnected.

These training methods were very effective, not only in developing human potential but also in deepening one's mastery of combat skills. These two aspects were the foundation of a person's combat power.

As Rain approached the young man who was also at this stage, the others around him had mixed expressions.

Rain looked at the 'Extraordinary Knight' panel and noticed that his Inner Breathing Technique had reached level 4 (898/1000) through his diligent practice and the secrets provided by Master Gunther.

So, he decided not to rush into using 'Power Surge' but instead aimed to raise his Inner Breathing Technique to level 5.

Half a day later, as Rain sheathed his sword, a system notification appeared:

[Your skill, Inner Breathing Technique, has improved. Experience points +2.]



[Congratulations! Your skill, Inner Breathing Technique, has been upgraded to level 5.]



At that moment, Rain suddenly felt his skin heating up, accompanied by an odd tingling sensation.

Suddenly, another system notification appeared:

[Ding! Detected]

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end