"[Gravity Etching] lv2 (100/100) → [Gravity Etching] lv3 (0/100)"
Xia Nan glanced indifferently at the translucent text floating in the air before him.
There was no particular expression on his face, but there was a subtle flicker in his heart.
"Finally leveled up!"
[Gravity Etching] was arguably the most grueling of his current Battle Skills to train.
It wasn’t because it was particularly difficult or that the training process involved enduring pain.
It was purely due to its "3/3" charging limit.
Unlike [Teeth Hunting], which, although time-consuming, had every effort rewarded with Skill Level progress before reaching Full Level; Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✶𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲✶𝗻𝗲𝘁
or [Gravity Control], for which no matter the effort, progression was minimal unless there was a rare "epiphany" or a sudden "spark of inspiration" that mercifully granted a point or two of Skill Level.
The unique trait of [Gravity Etching] which allowed it to charge every six hours and be used a maximum of three consecutive times meant that Xia Nan had to set up a physiological alarm clock to efficiently improve this skill.
Precisely controlling the six-hour charge time meant that as soon as usage jumped from "2/3" to "3/3", he had to immediately expend it for training, while ensuring two available uses at all times (the training pattern had to be adjusted if mid-mission).
Initially, Xia Nan thought training [Gravity Etching] was too easy, requiring not the repetitive effort that other Battle Skills demanded, but simply timing it right.
Altogether, the total time spent in a day on this Battle Skill was no more than ten minutes.
Yet the Skill Level soared, and it was incredibly effortless.
Until a few months ago, when the Skill Level accumulation of [Gravity Etching] was about to upgrade from lv1 to lv2, Xia Nan began to gradually experience its torment.
The fixed charging times and limited uses meant that no matter how hard he tried to utilize time, he could only train four times a day.
Even adding the spare two uses, it was just six times at most, after which further charging time was required.
Under such circumstances, the Skill Level accrual, although consistent and steady, reached its limit.
It wasn’t small, but neither was it large.
It was hard to imagine when Xia Nan watched the Skill Level reach "99/100", just shy of reaching the next level with a few more swings,
only to have to wait six long hours due to usage limits, a silent torment beyond words.
In fact, before setting off on this mission, the Skill Level of his [Gravity Etching] had already reached the critical point of "lv2 (99/100)".
Only by sheer force of unwavering will did he endure until now, finally seizing the moment in battle where the Skill Level growth was exponentially enhanced, and swung that one irresistible sword.
The residual ochre force field energy gradually dissolved into the air, sticky blood droplets trickling from the sword’s edge.
Standing amidst it all, Xia Nan only felt everything around him becoming exceptionally clear.
The gurgling sound of blood spurting from the severed neck of the corpse, the minute rustlings of some unknown insect legs hitting the earth, the whisper of a light breeze lifting minute dust, the revealed veins on a distant falling leaf...
From "10" to "11", merely a 1-point increase in Perception Attribute.
To him, it felt as overwhelming as the leap from "5" to "7".
After fundamental Attributes reached a certain threshold, each increase became transformative.
As a core Attribute of the [Fallen Blade Hunting] profession, Xia Nan’s finesse and control over gravity are predictably enhanced.
Including [Tidal Shaping] and [Heart-drawing Vision], related specialty determinations are made more favorable, and durations are increased.
Of course, Xia Nan would need to carefully experience and summarize these in daily practice.
A footstep approached from the side.
Xia Nan turned around and looked at Adeline, who was walking towards him with a look of surprise, blinking his eyes:
"I told you you should come to me for help, right?"
"See, what a mess when I’m not around?"
Adeline didn’t reply, simply coming closer, looking intently between Xia Nan and the corpse of the Petrified Lizard behind him.
Adeline realized Xia Nan’s strength far exceeded that of ordinary adventurers as far back as last Hunting Day.
Whether it was that Jackal Wolfman Tribe or the Red haired Bear Goblins that had once been her nightmare, they all perished under his hand.
This was far beyond the capability of a typical adventurer.
And after Hunting Day, the officially professional Xia Nan suddenly seemed far removed from her.
It wasn’t because gaining a Professional Level made him elite; indeed, surviving life-and-death battles and completing missions brought them closer.
However, the professional circle was distant, and so-called promotion missions and Association Second Floor were mere rumors; in these recent months, she only knew Xia Nan completed several commissions, changed armor sets multiple times, and gained a more profound and unfathomable aura.
His strength must have grown.
But when the black-haired young man truly cut off the head of a Petrified Lizard with a Challenge Level of "3" in front of her eyes,
Adeline’s eyes involuntarily appeared a bit dazed.
Seeing this scene, who could have imagined that just a few months ago, they were teammates at the same level, supporting and depending on each other?