On the Continent of Aifala, as a prerequisite for professionals, the number of various "Battle Skills" has accumulated to an uncountable level after countless years of development.
Taking the most common among professionals, the [warrior] for example, if you casually find a hundred of them in the Association, the overlap in Battle Skills they each master might not even exceed 5%.
This is in the context of the same region.
If you compare those adventurers active in the Dark Territory and the Southern Islands, the number would be even smaller.
With this as a premise, those who possess their own territories, the powerful nobles in the Kingdom.
With abundant financial resources and the powerful influence necessary to become nobility as conditions, collecting or even monopolizing some Battle Skills capable of real training to enhance Strength, as a condition for obtaining a Professional Level, is not too difficult a task.
This has also allowed many nobles under the Hereditary System to form a complete and distinctive training system.
Of course, the Transcendent is rare, and achieving above Level 5 requires some luck and talent.
But if it’s just ordinary professionals at Level 1 and 2, under the large selection base every year, though not to the extent of "mass production," there is a relatively high training success rate.
Lawson once worked as a guard for the Molton family for a period of time, but compared to those colleagues who were trained by the family from a young age, growing up in the Nianshu Territory, instilled with the concepts of family honor and loyalty from childhood, he could be said to have come into it halfway.
When joining the Molton family, he was already not young, and he even carried a set of Battle Skills with him.
This also laid the groundwork for his later decision to cut ties with the family and choose to start anew on his own rather than continue with the lucrative guard job he originally had.
And it was precisely this past experience with the Molton family that allowed him to instantly recognize the special posture revealed and then quickly retracted by the young man ahead.
That unique defensive and counterattack stance is something every professional who grew up with the Molton family is skillfully acquainted with.
Throughout the Pan Yun Province and even extending to the Sevia Kingdom, in all his years of training outside, Lawson had never seen the same stance.
Unique to the Molton family.
Thus, the identity of the other party becomes evident.
Clearly, the young man in the crowd also realized his slip-up.
The muscle memory nurtured through years of training prompted him to instinctively assume this defensive counterattack posture in battle, but in the next moment, he realized that this might expose his identity, and awkwardly restrained himself from the action.
Those unfamiliar with the intricacies might not care.
But for Lawson, the actions of the other party only confirmed his guess.
Level 4 [warrior] + Level 2 [Bloodseeker Veteran], amounting to a Professional Level of "6", with the physical enhancement brought by six Master Level Battle Skills. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on NoveI(F)ire.net
From a combat perspective, his mere physical Strength already delineates a chasm few can bridge from ordinary people.
The gust of wind generated by his body during high-speed movement nearly blew down the gamblers watching from both sides.
The young man who easily defeated three hooligans with one enemy yet even before he could react,
felt a pair of seemingly iron-made hands already placed on his shoulders, and his body seemed constricted by some invisible force.
The overwhelming difference in Strength made it difficult for him to even turn around to face his opponent.
"What business does someone from the Molton family have visiting such a small place ?"
A cold and gloomy voice sounded beside his ear, the immense pressure making the young man’s face turn rigid, unable to catch his breath.
Yet the loyalty concept embedded in him from a young age still instinctively made him lift his neck and retort defiantly:
"I don’t know what you’re talking about!"
"Let me go, is this how your casino does business?"
"Ganging up to bully customers? Who would dare come here to gamble again?"
Lawson was already certain in his heart and dismissively laughed off the opponent’s threats.
With a slight stroke of his right hand at the back of the young man’s neck, the young man completely lost the ability to resist, collapsing to the ground.
"You’ll find out very soon."
The grim and raspy voice echoed in the air, which had somehow turned deathly silent.
Behind him, without needing further instructions, Rottoe had already signaled his subordinates to step forward and carry the young man to the back room.
Xia Nan’s group was seated not far away at a table.
The excellent view allowed them to witness almost the entire scene.
It was only after the young man passed out that he finally dug up an impression about the other party from his memory.
It seemed to be one of the Knights under Terry William, the Knight Captain of the Molton family, whom he had met at the Resting Dragon Nest Inn two days ago.
Given the current situation...
Xia Nan wasn’t sure if the young Knight’s visit to the Golden Flow Wheel was as coincidental as his or if it was intentional; nor did he know if he, or the Terry William behind him, had any entanglements with the casino owner Rottoe, and the shadowy middle-aged man named "Lawson" whom he also met at the inn previously.
The only thing he could be sure of was.
Just a moment ago, the speed and explosive power Lawson displayed was already far beyond the scope of ordinary professionals.
While it might not have reached the level of "Transcendent," it certainly exceeded a typical Level 1 or 2 professional.
They were amidst a protection mission, not intending to create extra complications.