Becoming an adventurer by copying monster abilities

Chapter 103 I've Seen a Dragon!

The night sky was torn apart by the shrill and urgent sound of the alarm whistle.

On the distant horizon of the wilderness, countless, shifting, pale green dots began to appear.

Those were the greedy glints reflected in the eyes of packs of dire wolves at night.

"It's goblin wolf riders! A huge number of them! Everyone, maintain formation!"

The captain of the guard's roar echoed throughout the camp.

It is very common for goblins and dire wolves to hunt together.

Especially now, the changes in Sunset Forest have reduced the living space for these low-level monsters.

To continue surviving in the wilderness, this kind of interspecies cooperation, where people band together for mutual support, will only increase.

For example, goblins and gnolls raid villages together, or goblins and dire wolves ambush passersby.

These are all entities that cause considerable headaches for many passing caravans.

Even though there is no goblin as the military commander in this team.

But under the leadership of a few rather robust goblins.

Even with their high mobility, the wolf rider army can still pose a considerable threat.

Fortunately, the sentries outside the caravan spotted them in time.

Before the goblin wolf riders charged, the camp's guards and adventurers were already prepared for battle.

Luke held the broad-bladed half-sword, which was entirely black, in one hand.

Standing on the outermost edge of the entire defensive line is also the most dangerous position to bear the brunt of the attack.

The fare for the luxury single-seater car that Fernando waived for him was no small sum.

Luke certainly wouldn't mind lending a hand at a crucial moment.

Of course, the deeper reason was that his own hands were indeed itchy.

With his dark vision and exceptional perception, the seemingly pitch-black darkness outside the camp appeared as clear as day to Luke.

His gaze had already swept back and forth several times among the charging goblin wolf riders.

The archers in the camp were the first to attack.

With the help of the dim firelight, the arrows were slightly off-target, but still managed to bring down quite a few goblins and dire wolves.

Until the first goblin cavalryman, relying on the dire wolf's incredible speed, evaded the camp's arrow defenses and charged to the vicinity, appeared.

Luke stepped forward first and took the initiative to meet the other party.

To test the results of his hard work over the past few days, Luca, who had already mastered advanced swordsmanship, did not hold back.

The blood and qi in his body boiled in an instant, and he directly activated the strongest state of [Gluttony Slash].

He slashed at the dire wolf and the small figure on its back.

Even if he doesn't have any special abilities at this moment.

However, the power carried by this sword strike far exceeded the physical limits of these two monsters, whose combined challenge level was less than one level.

"laugh!"

There was no dull thud like bones breaking, nor any stiffness or resistance from muscles.

The black, broad-bladed half-sword felt no resistance and unleashed extreme cutting power in an instant.

From top to bottom, it cleaved the enormous dire wolf in two along with the goblin's short body on its back.

Moreover, this sword strike carried Luke's indomitable killing intent, its momentum exceptionally fierce.

Even the iron dagger that the goblin instinctively held across its chest to try and block before it died was also cleaved in two by the blade.

That was not the metal shattering from a heavy blow, but rather it was simply sliced ​​through by a sharp blade.

It left behind a very neat and smooth metal cross-section.

With his incredible speed and perfect angle of attack, Luca easily cleaved two monsters in two and even effortlessly dodged the splattering blood.

He stood still and immediately looked at the new weapon in his hand.

Even in the dim light, the deep gray-black blade remained as smooth as new.

Not even the slightest scratch was left.

The monster's blood slid rapidly down the blood groove along the sword's spine, leaving not a drop of blood on the blade.

Luke stroked the cold blade with his fingers for a moment with great satisfaction.

As expected of a weapon imbued with magical attributes, its high price is justified.

At this moment, the battle within the camp battlefield had reached a fever pitch.

Fernando had anticipated the level of danger on this route.

Among the bodyguards hired for this mission, there were even two mercenaries who already possessed professional ranks.

Even without Luca's intervention, the caravan could still make a difference with the imposing presence of the heavy carriages when they stopped.

With the archers' pinpoint elimination, the dire wolf charge can be steadily and reliably neutralized.

Luke's presence, however, turned what should have been a back-and-forth defensive battle into a one-sided massacre.

Any goblin cavalry that attempts to break through his direction.

They were all torn apart by that black longsword that seemed to devour light.

On the battlefield, severed limbs flew everywhere, and blood flowed freely.

Not to mention the already timid goblins, even the naturally ferocious dire wolves were completely terrified.

They were so afraid that they dared not approach.

After a large number of corpses fell, the remaining dire wolves carried the disorganized and screaming goblins.

They quickly disappeared into the dark wilderness in the distance without looking back, completely escaping this place.

Therefore, this seemingly large-scale night raid...

Aside from wasting some of the caravan's archers' iron arrowheads, the caravan suffered no losses.

When clearing the battlefield, the convoy continued its old practices.

Fernando accepted the goblin's left ear and paid the corresponding rewards to everyone who helped.

Although Luke indicated that he did not need any additional compensation.

But Fernando still silently wrote down his entry in his notebook.

The plan is to transfer the funds directly to the other party's private treasury account through the association once the convoy arrives safely in Ryan City.

As the convoy gradually drove out of the Sunset Forest's radius and into the endless wilderness,

They encountered far fewer wild beasts and monsters.

The convoy was not attacked again for several days.

During this peaceful yet somewhat monotonous journey, Luke only got off the train at the usual time each evening.

In addition to enjoying a rather delicious camp dinner with the guards.

He spent all the rest of his time locked in that luxurious, enclosed carriage.

He began to frequently alternate between using [Imagination Manifestation], constantly activating the projection abilities of various monsters to empower himself.

The attempt was to rapidly improve proficiency in this combat skill through such frequent use.

Currently, his combat skill proficiency is as follows:

[Gluttony Cleave Iv.4: Proficient (14/40)]

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

【Bloodstained Rampage Iv.3: Proficient (4/30)】

【Stealth and Evasion Iv.2: Beginner (5/20)】

【Mind's Eye Sword Iv.2: Beginner (3/20)】

Looking at the data on the panel, Luke sighed softly.

The core combat skill [Imagination Manifestation] is close to advancing to the 5th level "Mastery" level, which represents a qualitative change.

It's just 11 points away from being proficient.

This inevitably made him feel a little anxious.

However, once the combat skill level reaches level 4, the difficulty of improvement does become extremely slow and demanding.

Over the past few days, no matter how many times he used it in the carriage, his proficiency did not increase at all.

"Haste makes waste."

Luke quickly adjusted his mindset and stopped pressuring the issue.

The best option at present is to upgrade the two combat skills that have not yet reached Iv3.

The "Mind's Eye Sword" is relatively easy to handle, especially after one's swordsmanship has improved.

Luca has become more adept at understanding and using this combat technique.

An upgrade is inevitable.

He had never practiced the [spotting and dodging] technique much.

Firstly, while upgrading this combat skill will improve the distance and accuracy of movement, it will also exacerbate the side effects.

Even though there was a mysterious entity that had marked him with a black mark, the black hall in his dream helped him eliminate some of the influence.

But the pain of tearing flesh still lingers.

He can only use it a maximum of three times before the powerful side effects will cause him to lose most of his combat power.

Secondly, since this ability is a trump card for survival, Luke doesn't dare to use it once or twice a day to improve his proficiency.

It would be incredibly foolish to be unable to activate combat skills when encountering danger.

Therefore, his next goal is to focus on upgrading the [Mind's Eye Sword] and quickly raise his class level to 4.

At the same time, in order to reach level 6 and unlock the sub-class, he is still missing a combat skill that needs to be mastered.

Therefore, finding a way to acquire another new combat skill is also a crucial objective.

In fact, Luke had many opportunities to learn new combat skills.

After all, there are countless combat skills that can be exchanged for with points on the second floor of the Adventurers' Guild.

However, he had heard it from others more than once.

The sub-classes unlocked at level 6 are determined by the combat skills learned and the preferred combat style.

Therefore, Luca was quite hesitant about choosing the final combat skill.

Compared to using points to redeem a regular item.

He prefers to use miracle fantasy to replicate a monster's combat skills.

It's like the ogre's "Gluttony Slash" or the Yenogu's "Crimson Rampage".

This is to increase the proportion of his status as a special profession.

However, his luck with "card drawing" has been really bad lately, and he hasn't drawn any battle skills for a long time.

As dusk approached outside the train carriage, a dark red sunset had already painted the horizon.

The convoy reached the end of the wilderness road, to the large village that served as a supply depot.

Just like the previous two times, there were spacious beds available in hotels, and Luke had no intention of making do in the carriage.

After booking the room, Luke did not rush upstairs to rest.

Instead, he changed into light, dark clothing and strolled along the main road of the village.

I looked around at the colorful shops and the hurried crowds along the way.

After politely declining several invitations from heavily made-up, older "technicians" to provide late-night services.

Luke stopped in front of a tavern that looked popular.

He was in such a hurry the first two times that he didn't have the time to learn more about the local customs and culture along the way.

Feeling relaxed this time, he was also interested in trying the town's local delicacies.

Because of the large number of caravans coming and going, the village has a very diverse population.

The tavern's customers come from all over the world, a mix of different races and styles.

It gave him the familiar illusion of stepping into an old oak barrel in Twilight Town.

On the enthusiastic recommendation of the burly, fleshy-faced owner, Luca ordered two of the restaurant's signature dishes.

The first dish served was a sizzling plate of roasted snake and chicken.

Luca had only learned about this thing from the monster encyclopedia before; it was a low-level monster with a challenge level of 0.5.

Creatures resembling chickens, lizards, and bats have been fused together.

Although the challenge level is not high, the damage caused by its sharp beak has the ability to petrify.

Therefore, for adventurers at the bottom, they are much more troublesome than goblins.

Surprisingly, this kind of monster is actually a classic dish in this village near Ryan City.

A large platter of tempting reddish-black roasted meat was served on an oak wooden table.

The plate is delicately garnished with leeks, black nightshade, lettuce, and sleeping cap mushrooms as side dishes.

For seasoning, thyme, salt, and pepper were used.

Finally, before taking it out of the oven, it was drizzled with a sauce made with wine.

Luke cut off a piece and put it in his mouth.

The outside is a slightly charred, crispy, and fragrant scaly crust.

Inside are perfectly cooked chunks of tender meat that burst with juicy goodness with every bite.

The initial taste is somewhat similar to high-quality chicken thigh meat, but the meat is noticeably chewier and has a more layered texture.

It's served with a spicy sauce that's been brushed on repeatedly during grilling.

The complex flavors burst on the taste buds, making Luke's eyes light up.

Next came the second dish, seafood risotto.

Being near a port city, how could it possibly lack seafood delicacies?

Shrimp, scallops, clams, squid, and other ingredients are simmered together to create a velvety, thick broth.

Add onions, wine, and olive oil to create a unique and dreamy flavor.

Then add the partially cooked rice and stir constantly in the pot until the rice is fully cooked.

Each grain of rice is coated with a thick, gelatinous broth after it is cooked.

In addition, the variety of seafood creates a delightful flavor experience, along with a delightfully chewy texture.

Every chew is incredibly satisfying.

Fresh ingredients and proper seasoning are enough to make these two dishes incredibly delicious.

Luca thoroughly enjoyed the meal and even planned to order two more servings of the same dish.

With his current physical attributes of 9 points, eating enough food for several people is no problem at all.

But the burly boss refused Luke's request with a wry smile.

His reasoning was that although the shop's food supply was relatively stable and its inventory was sufficient.

However, both of these dishes are very time-consuming and labor-intensive to prepare.

Therefore, it is only available in limited quantities and for a limited time each night in the tavern.

Luke never expected that this seemingly physically strong tavern owner would know the tricks of scarcity marketing.

No wonder this tavern is so popular.

Many members of long-distance caravans who frequently travel between the two places will make a special trip to stay overnight and enjoy this limited delicacy.

After finishing the food on his plate, Luke leaned back in his chair and picked up a glass of local rye beer that was slightly bitter but had a rich, malty aroma.

As he savored the rich aroma of malt, the conversation of adventurers at the next table caught his attention.

Luke immediately perked up his ears.

Listening to the gossip of other people in the tavern was one of his few interests and one of his methods of gathering information.

"Didn't you say you were going to Blackrock Mountain to pan for gold the other day? Why are you still holed up here drinking?"

"Haven't you heard? Something happened there."

"Oh? What happened? Did the miners find a kobold's bunker?"

"Kobolds are nothing!"

At the table, an old mercenary downed a mouthful of strong liquor, his expression a mixture of lingering fear and arrogance: "I've seen dragons!"