Chapter 623 - 6-Hit Combo! (1/2)

Over the course of a day, since Nie Yan was mostly harvesting plants, his Gathering skill advanced by leaps and bounds. It wouldn’t be long before he reached Master rank.

Beyond Master was Grandmaster and then Sage. However, as long as one didn’t encounter some kind of mythical medicinal plant which only existed in legends, Master-rank Gathering was generally good enough.

Nie Yan glanced at his bag which was packed to the brim with various medicinal plants. He had collected more than several dozen kinds and at least two full stacks of each. Red Dragon Herbs, Fire Serpentine Grass, Turtleback Root… they all had their different uses. Some were used for creating Antidotes, others for Fire Resistance Potions, all of which were high rank.

These medicinal plants would sell for a fortune in the marketplace.

Besides this, Nie Yan also acquired a large amount of skill books. He had close to a full stack of Gathering Master skill books and quite a few copies of skill books for other crafting and gathering professions.

One of the skill books in the pile caught Nie Yan’s eye—Alchemy Master. The player would obtain twice the skill proficiency, and the potions they concocted had a high chance of coming out a higher rank. However, the caveat was that the potions they concocted only worked on themselves and would have no effect for others.

“Wow, that’s pretty amazing…” Nie Yan muttered. This was his first time seeing an artisan skill book like this.

With the appearance of this Alchemy Master skill book, Nie Yan sank into deep thought.

As Nie Yan progressed along the Luminous Dancer class advancement quest line inside the Ancient World, he would have to face stronger and stronger monsters. So, being able to concoct high rank potions would be quite useful.

Nie Yan had once heard that a Thief with the Alchemy skill could talk to Master Alchemist Yvette to become a Poison Specialist. Their Alchemy skill would undergo some changes. For one, they would improve at a much faster rate, taking no time at all to reach Master or Grandmaster rank. However, the concoctions they made were restricted to only personal use. Nevertheless, it was a desirable title. Being capable of making high rank poisons on the fly could significantly improve one’s combat effectiveness. In the same school of thought, Mages often learned Alchemy to craft their own Mana Potions.

Imagining all the possibilities, Nie Yan was tempted to learn the Alchemy Master skill right away.

“I can’t deny that Alchemy is a pretty useful supplementary skill for levelling.”

After thinking it over, Nie Yan learned the Alchemy Master skill.

From then on, apart from hunting monsters and gathering medicinal plants, Nie Yan also started working on his Alchemy skill.

Alchemy Master was a fairly special variant skill. It was super easy to train, with rank ups requiring less than a tenth of the proficiency of the regular Alchemy skill. By concocting just a few dozen basic potions, Nie Yan reached the Intermediate rank. A few hours later, and he was already 30% of the way to Advanced.

“Once I get Alchemy Master to Master rank, I can make all sorts of concoctions that will be really helpful to me in battle!”

The more Nie Yan learned, the more he realized how lacking his knowledge was, Shadow Dancers operated even more differently than he thought. It was a brand new world where combat prowess couldn’t be judged on raw stats alone. Even supplementary skills like Alchemy were part of the equation.

Nie Yan never had any friends who reached this realm in his past life. So, he only had his shallow understanding and lack of knowledge to blame. The very concept of a Shadow Dancer was still hazy in his mind, and though he had mastered a few techniques, he was still lacking in other respects.

While carrying out his monotonous work in the Ancient World, Nie Yan’s heart was tranquil. He didn’t feel restless or anxious.

Just like before, Nie Yan hunted down the Rank 2 monsters that spawned around him. As he spent more and more time in the Ancient World, he gradually came to comprehend more and more things. The originally simple Kick skill could actually be executed in many different ways, such as a side kick, roundhouse kick, or flying kick, mirroring real world techniques. The superhuman bodies of the characters inside the game ensured that these attacks were delivered with much greater speed, lethality, and accuracy.

Conviction took cues from the real world and expanded upon them, far surpassing reality.

While passing through a large stretch of forest, Nie Yan spotted a large monster walking among the trees up ahead. With golden fur, a powerful frame, and a majestic mane, it was the king of beasts.

Nie Yan made his way over and started tailing the monster from behind, softly humming in his mind, “In the jungle, the mighty jungle…”

Transcendent Insight!

Gold-Maned Lion King (Elite): Rank 2

Health: 130,000/130,000

“Wow, the first Elite I’ve encountered in the Ancient World.” Nie Yan felt a domineering pressure coming from the Lion King. He couldn’t help but feel a bit apprehensive. “Can I actually beat this thing?”

At this moment, the Lion King suddenly sensed something and looked over at where Nie Yan was hiding, a profound light flickering from its eyes.

Nie Yan’s heart shook. He quickly activated several skills that boosted his stealth. It was nearly impossible to detect him now.

Just as Nie Yan thought he was safe, the Lion King opened its mouth and let out a thunderous roar. A powerful shock wave swept out.

Nie Yan felt a sharp pain in his ears as the sound violently shook his eardrums.

−103

With Stealth dispelled, Nie Yan materialized into view.

The Lion King’s gaze immediately locked onto Nie Yan. “GGROAAH!” It arched its back, claws digging deep into earth, and then pounced toward him.

The Lion King was as fast as lightning, closing in almost instantly.