Becoming an adventurer by copying monster abilities

Chapter 102 The Lone Wolf with Some Fame

The next morning, it was shrouded in a thick fog.

Luke walked down the streets of Twilight Town, carrying a heavy, brand-new backpack.

An atmosphere of anxiety and unease permeated the air.

This area is ostensibly under the jurisdiction of a hereditary noble family within the kingdom.

But anyone with eyes to see who has spent a few days here knows that.

The actual administrators of this remote town have always been the Adventurers' Guild.

Faced with the out-of-control abyssal rift deep within Sunset Forest, the Adventurers' Guild demonstrated an extremely fast reaction speed.

The previously sparse patrols on the outskirts of the town have now increased several times over.

Fully armed elite guards, leading hunting dogs, moved back and forth through the streets and alleys.

The towering watchtowers inside and outside the town were all on high alert, and the soldiers on rotation looked serious.

Everyone went on high alert, keeping a close eye on what was happening in Sunset Forest.

But all of this has nothing to do with Luke now.

He walked straight through the increasingly crowded streets and arrived at the Twilight Town post station.

He didn't actually have a fixed goal in mind about where to go next.

However, prioritizing travel to Ryan City, the core transportation hub of the entire province, is absolutely no problem.

The area is well-connected and has a thriving commercial sector, making it convenient to go anywhere.

Most importantly, Ryan City is far enough away from Sunset Forest, and it has strong city defenses and a reliable regular army stationed there.

There is absolutely no need to worry about being affected by the torrent of demons from the abyss.

Although yesterday's frenzied purchasing caused Luke's originally substantial savings to shrink instantly.

There were only a pitiful thousand or so gold coins left in the account.

But this wealth was enough for him to live comfortably and carefree in that expensive central city for quite some time.

After fighting for so long, can't we at least enjoy ourselves?

Coincidentally, in the bustling and chaotic hall of the inn, Luke spotted a familiar face at a glance.

Fernando.

The generous and easygoing team leader was currently sweating profusely as he directed his men to load the goods.

Turning around, he saw Luca, who had changed his equipment after not seeing him for a few days and seemed to have become stronger, so he quickly came over to greet him.

The shrewd middle-aged man beamed with joy upon learning that the other party intended to return to Ryan City.

This time, Luke offered to pay the full fare.

Because he planned to book an entire luxury carriage by himself.

Since escaping death and returning to the town yesterday, he has been busy running around and buying supplies like a wound-up toy.

So much so that he hasn't even had time to sort out his previous gains yet.

To avoid attracting attention on the crowded road, Luke decided to study it alone in the carriage.

Upon hearing this request, Fernando readily agreed.

"Mr. Luke, there's no need for payment. I feel it's an honor for you to continue riding in my motorcade."

He decisively pushed the money bag that Luke had handed him back.

"Let's stick to the old way. If the caravan encounters any fatal trouble along the way that even my guards can't handle, I would appreciate your assistance."

Luke did not refuse much and agreed.

At this time, the post station was bustling with people, as busy and crowded as a tide.

The air was thick with two contrasting emotions: panic and euphoria.

It's noticeable that many more people are choosing to leave the city today.

It seems there are quite a few well-informed people.

Some transient residents who didn't have any fixed assets in Twilight Town heard some rumors from certain channels.

They have already taken all their belongings and are making plans to evacuate without hesitation.

Of course, many adventurers saw this as a major opportunity to turn their lives around.

That's true.

The rise of the strong is often accompanied by war and strife.

Luca stepped into the luxurious carriage, where the spacious interior was filled with the calming scent of incense.

A man's dissatisfied voice suddenly rang out from outside the window: "Bullshit! I just saw one person get into this carriage, and you're telling me it's full?"

The speaker was a burly man.

He was wearing a set of half-body armor that, while somewhat worn, was still of decent quality, and a curved sword was tucked into his thick waist.

The man had fierce eyes, a hideous scar on his cheek, and an aura of a desperado.

"I'm sorry, this carriage has been booked."

The coachman, who had received Fernando's instructions, stood in front of the carriage door with a dignified but not arrogant demeanor, even though his face was a little pale.

"I'm not short of money either! I want to see who's so capable of robbing an entire private room!"

The scarred man, a professional, was clearly used to bullying ordinary people.

He snorted coldly, roughly shoved aside the coachman blocking his way, and yanked open the heavy wooden door of the carriage.

His murderous eyes swept aggressively inside.

then.

His gaze met that of Luca, who was sitting quietly in the shadows of the empty carriage, expressionless.

The air froze instantly. "Mr... Mr. Luke?!"

The scarred man's voice rose eight octaves in an instant, his previously arrogant expression replaced by astonishment and fear.

Luke's gaze was scrutinizing: "Do we know each other?"

"No, no, no... I don't know you! To be precise, I know you."

The man waved his hand somewhat flusteredly and said in a slightly hesitant manner.

For those adventurers who spend their days lingering on the outermost edge of Sunset Forest, dealing with low-level monsters like goblins.

In the Adventurers' Guild of Twilight Town, there is a formidable lone wolf who always prefers to take on clearing missions alone and always manages to complete them unscathed.

This kind of news might just be something to talk about casually.

But for seasoned adventurers like the scarred man, who had some connections in the town and occasionally did dirty work, this was a different story.

This lone wolf named "Luca" is quite famous.

The other party had been targeted by more than one notorious team that specialized in hunting adventurers.

They are still active in the association's hall, and their equipment is getting better and better.

On the other hand, those annoying and fearsome guys specifically target novices and lone adventurers.

They all seem to have vanished without a trace and never reappeared.

It could even be said that Luke made many people with ill intentions behave much better.

They were terrified that the lone adventurer they bumped into was that legendary figure.

The scarred man, a former regular at the Old Oak Barrel Tavern, had seen Luke a few times from afar.

I also learned some information about this person from some drinkers and bards.

In no time, he matched the other person with the identity of that mysterious lone wolf in his mind.

After watching the scarred man fawn over her and then scurry away like a frightened rabbit, she realized that the scarred man had flattered her.

Luke remained seated, feeling utterly bewildered.

Do I look like some kind of fierce demon?

Luke considered himself to be honest and steady, and had never made enemies with anyone.

Anyone who has a grudge against him has gone out of their way to provoke him.

And they all died on the spot.

He never leaves himself any future troubles.

Luke thought about it carefully and confirmed that he had no recollection of the scarred man in his mind.

Just consider it a minor incident.

After a while, accompanied by the crisp sound of a riding whip.

The caravan finally started moving slowly and headed towards the trade route outside the city.

Luca leaned back in the comfortable, soft seat and looked at the information on his control panel:

Luke

Race: Human

[Class: Fantasy Walker Iv.3]

【Strength: 8】

[Agility: 8]

[Physical Fitness: 8]

【Intelligence: 7】

【Perception: 9】

【Charm: 8】

When Luke escaped from the arena earlier, he vaguely heard some fragments of what sounded like system notifications, about the trials and rewards.

The situation was urgent at the time, and I didn't have time to check until last night when I was lying on the bed in the tavern.

He then noticed the anomaly.

Rewards from the arena are not directly added to the character's stats.

Moreover, his proficiency in the various combat skills he had mastered had not changed much.

At most, it improved by one or two points in the previous battle with the Owl Bear.

Only the combat skill 【Imagination Manifestation】:

[Imaginary Manifestation Iv.4: Proficient (29/40)]

The proficiency level jumped directly from level 3 to level 4.

It's only a dozen or so points away from the mastery level 5!

This should be the reward for completing the arena trial.

By battling once again against monsters empowered by the manifestation of illusion, one can enhance their understanding of this combat technique.

This allows for the provision of a large amount of proficiency feedback in a short period of time.

The arena seems to be specifically designed for Luke's situation, with unique trials and rewards.

"That's quite humane."

Luke was very satisfied.

But his gains didn't stop there.

In addition to improving proficiency, there's also an option in the Specialty section of the panel.

The ability, originally named "Basic Swordsmanship Mastery," has now been renamed "Advanced Swordsmanship Mastery."

This has nothing to do with the rewards from the arena; it's purely due to Luke's personal effort and hard work.

Swordsmanship is not a rigid set of moves.

Every renowned swordsman has their own unique insights.

Even if Luke only seems to have a good understanding of slashing.

But through years of practice, he finally improved his swordsmanship to a higher level.

After understanding the changes on the panel, the next step is the "card drawing" part.

[Miracle Fantasy successfully materialized the projection of the owl-bear]

[Attribute gained: Constitution +1]

"Oh?"

Luca watched as the Constitution attribute on the panel jumped up and became 9 points.

The direct boost to his attribute points was an absolute jackpot for him.

Although the panel categorizes various attributes in detail.

However, there are some connections between attributes that are more directly improved, such as strength, constitution, and agility.

Improving each attribute actually enhances physical fitness in multiple dimensions.

Just like physical attributes, they represent the body's endurance, vitality, and recovery ability.

But in reality, a person with extremely high physical fitness, astonishing muscle density, and amazing bone strength...

His strength and explosive power are definitely not low.

Feeling the powerful surge of energy within his body, Luke became radiant.

This is where the advantage of chartering an entire carriage becomes apparent.

Luke stood up directly from his seat and walked to the middle of the wide carriage.

He directly activated [Imaginary Manifestation], enhancing the projection of the Owl Bear.

As expected, the power level on the panel temporarily increased by 2 points.

Luke silently estimated the time in his mind.

It took about 15 minutes for the power attribute buff from the Owl Bear to subside.

He then tried enhancing the ogre's abilities, and the duration was almost the same.

It seems that after [Imagination Manifestation] is upgraded to level 4...

Aside from slightly increasing the duration of the ability buff, it didn't have any other effects.

However, he had heard that when combat skills reach the mastery level, their power will be greatly enhanced.

Basically, it represents a high-level adventurer's ability to survive and their signature skills.

Luca could only hope that once this combat skill reached level 5, something surprising and transformative would happen.

The convoy traveled steadily along the trade route.

The animals noticed the unusual changes in the Sunset Forest before the humans did.

It was obvious that the wild animals in the vicinity had become more sensitive and irritable.

On the very first day of their journey, the convoy encountered two groups of wolves that were hunting along their route.

Demons have invaded the habitat of these beasts, forcing them to flee and attack passing caravans.

However, the person in charge, Fernando, was also aware of the situation here.

The number of guards in the convoy was significantly larger than before.

Moreover, many of the guards are veterans who have been with the team for many years.

Faced with these hungry wolves who had no challenge level.

Luke didn't need to help at all; he took it down with the ease of chopping melons and vegetables.

Therefore, the convoy set up camp in a place with a good view until nightfall.

Luke stretched and got off the train.

He had prepared plenty of food in his storage space.

It's more than enough for him to get all the way to Ryan City, or even a round trip.

But since there was a free dinner to enjoy, and I heard that the team's chef was quite good at cooking.

He certainly wouldn't miss it.

Most importantly, tonight's dinner isn't that pungent roasted wolf meat.

He took the steaming hot wooden bowl.

Inside the bowl are chunks of meat stewed until tender and melt-in-your-mouth, along with a generous amount of soft and glutinous beans, and sweet and refreshing onions and potatoes.

The thick broth gleamed with an enticing color under the firelight.

The weather has turned to autumn now, especially at night.

The occasional evening breeze carried a chilling sensation.

At this moment, eating a large bowl of hot stew, cooked until slightly thick and sprinkled with coarse salt and pepper, is indeed an extremely pleasant and wonderful experience.

Luke chewed on the stew with gusto, glancing around the quiet campsite from time to time.

I always felt that something was missing in this inky night.

By the time they had eaten and drunk their fill, it was already late at night.

Only a few guards remained standing watch in front of the campfires.

A series of extremely noisy and chaotic footsteps suddenly echoed across the wilderness.

The enemy attack alarm in the camp instantly shattered the tranquility of the night sky.

Luca, who had been resting with his eyes closed in the carriage, finally came to his senses.

He drew the gray-black broadsword he had just bought and slowly stepped off the train.

A faint, almost imperceptible smile played at the corners of his lips.

That's more like it!

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