Chapter 72: Multiple Skill Upgrades
He collected himself.
Lance didn’t choose to rest.
He turned and took a full set of Alchemy Tools from a cabinet, along with the raw materials for making hemostatic ointment.
Under the dim yellow light of an oil lamp, the liquid in the crucible began to boil.
Lance expertly stirred, controlled the fire, and added the other ingredients.
His movements were more practiced than they had been a few days prior, each step precise and controlled.
Time slipped by quietly as he worked.
Lance only stopped when the last jar of green ointment had cooled and solidified.
[Basic Pharmaceutical Skill Skill Level +9, Level 2 (23/400)]
Lance frowned slightly as he looked at the system notification.
The Skill Level gain had clearly diminished compared to when the skill was at Level 1.
’It seems that as the Skill Level increases, the experience gained from crafting such a low-level Potion is starting to drop off.’
’Still, it’s within an acceptable range. The gains haven’t stopped completely.’
Besides, the most direct benefit of improving the Skill was the increase in his crafting speed.
Lance took stock of the finished products on the table.
He had made about 45 units of hemostatic ointment, and it had only taken him three hours.
This increased efficiency meant he could free up more time each day for other things.
He glanced up at the clock on the wall.
The hour hand had just passed 10:30.
Based on his previous test of crafting Potions to his absolute limit, Lance already had a grasp of his body’s capabilities.
With such high-intensity exertion, coupled with his Talent’s recovery ability, he only needed four hours of deep sleep to completely erase all mental fatigue and restore his body to peak condition.
’There’s still plenty of time.’
Lance stretched his stiff neck, a sharp glint in his eyes.
’Sleeping now would be too much of a luxury.’
He could use this time for targeted training, practicing until around 3:00 a.m. before resting.
That way, he could wake up at 7:00 a.m. feeling refreshed and still have time to hand this batch of hemostatic ointment over to Mowenna’s porters.
Then he could head to the Adventurer’s Guild on time to meet up with Cecilia and start the new day’s training session.
’Since I have a goal, I can’t stop now.’
Lance blew out the oil lamp on the table and headed toward the empty courtyard downstairs.
The night was still young.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he made a few trips to move the large buckets of fresh water from the kitchen and a few bags of coarse but filling black bread to the back steps.
Since he had decided on an all-night training session, he needed to have his supplies ready.
Mindful of disturbing his neighbors late at night, he didn’t take out his heavy Short Sword and Kite Shield.
The clash of metal would be far too piercing in the dead of night.
If he accidentally attracted a patrolling guardsman, it would be a hassle to explain himself.
Lance stood in the center of the courtyard, loosening his joints.
The main event for tonight was the [Azure Dragon Extreme Intent Style] he had just acquired.
With a single thought, the [Dragon Hunting Breathing Combat Technique] activated instantly.
A familiar, searing heat exploded in his chest. Raging Ether Energy was drawn into his lungs, rapidly converting into surging power.
An extremely faint, flowing light began to shimmer on the surface of Lance’s skin.
"Hoooo..."
A blast of scorching air escaped his lips.
The training began.
Lance’s body exploded into motion.
His body tensed, then shot forward like an arrow released from a taut bow.
Though the Azure Dragon Extreme Intent Style was inspired by the ferocity of a Giant Dragon, it wasn’t a simple imitation of a beast.
Lance’s elbow jabbed forward, creating a sharp gust of wind in a move that simulated a Giant Dragon’s charge.
He immediately spun, using the torque from his waist and abdomen to whip his fist through the empty air like a heavy hammer, simulating the lashing sweep of a dragon’s tail.
The style was direct and unyielding, exceptionally fierce.
Because the techniques heavily utilized the elbows and knees—the hardest parts of the human body—as weapons, this Fighting Skill’s effective range was compressed to extremely close quarters.
It was a killing art designed for close-quarters brawling.
And as his training progressed, Lance gradually noticed something more.
This Fighting Skill was fundamentally different from the practical combat arts of his past life, which were designed to target human joints.
Many of its angles of attack and strike points were bizarre and unorthodox.
It included downward elbow strikes for shorter targets, as well as leaping knee strikes for massive ones.
Clearly.
It was a killing technique created for the pure, efficient slaughter of Demons of all shapes and sizes.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Dull thuds of displaced air echoed through the courtyard.
As time passed, the black bread and fresh water he’d set out began to disappear at a visible rate.
Lance was like a tireless steam engine, furiously consuming fuel and converting it into kinetic energy.
At first, his lack of proficiency in Energy control shrouded his entire body in a layer of steaming white vapor.
But as his movements grew more adept, the heat dissipating from his body began to recede.
Eventually, the overflowing thermal energy was locked firmly within him, with only plumes of scorching white steam jetting from his mouth and nose as he breathed.
When the clock hand pointed to three in the morning, he stopped his training and reined in his Breathing Combat Technique.
He walked to the edge of the porch and sat down heavily on the wooden doorframe.
His skin was flushed a deep crimson, looking particularly stark in the moonlight.
Glistening beads of sweat clung to his well-defined muscles, trickling down slowly with the rise and fall of his chest.
Since his decision to become an Adventurer, this period of inhuman training had completely transformed Lance’s once-slender frame.
His muscles weren’t exaggerated and bulky, but lean and fluid like a cheetah’s, every fiber packed with incredible Burst Power.
In the moonlight, the young man’s powerful physique exuded a wild, handsome charm.
Lance grabbed the nearby water bucket and, heedless of how it looked, tilted his head back and began to guzzle it down.
The cool well water rushed down his throat, making a GULP GULP GULP sound as it suppressed some of the heat raging inside him.
The burning in his stomach only subsided after he had drunk the very last drop of water.
"Ahh, that’s better."
Lance wiped the water from his face and eagerly summoned his system panel.
’The data will show just how effective tonight’s ordeal was.’
A dense series of notifications instantly filled the screen.
[After 4.5 hours of continuously maintaining the Ether Resonance State, Dragon Hunting Breathing Combat Technique Skill Level +320, Level 1 → Level 2 (Skilled) 46/600]
[After 4.5 hours of continuous training, Azure Dragon Extreme Intent Style Skill Level +360, Level 1 → Level 2 (Skilled) 110/450]
[After 4.5 continuous hours of being flushed with Ether, Ethereal Energy Pool: 0.1 units → 3.4 units]
And the final notification—the one that surprised and delighted Lance the most:
[Your body, under the effects of the Breathing Technique and Hand-to-hand Combat Skill, has been continuously torn down and rebuilt. This has resulted in a permanent increase to your Basic Attributes: Constitution +1]