The adventurer at the bottom is fantasizing again.

"Lorraine, what kind of person do you think Piper's teacher will be?" the short man asked excitedly, sitting on a suitcase.

"I guess he's a savage."

Lorraine answered casually.

After receiving the bounty from the rock-dwelling salamander, the two bid farewell to Haifu and boarded a carriage to travel to Frostvale.

As previously agreed, the convoy was adorned with church flags, since Anya had already prepared some supplies for the Spring Feast, which needed to be transported to the temple.

As for the compensation...

Since Piper's hammer had already been enchanted, the two simply asked Nathan to give them the promised materials in cash. Nathan didn't need to go through the trouble of searching for them, so he readily agreed.

A lot of materials were also taken from the two rock-dwelling salamanders, and Nathan, being very sensible, directly paid for them all, saving the important figures from having to worry about these small items.

All things considered, Lorraine received a total of 35 gold coins, and his total assets jumped to 50 gold, 13 silver, and 6 copper.

The carriage moved at a leisurely pace along the trade route at the foot of the Greystone Ridge.

The cold moon lives up to its name; the temperature is now a few degrees lower than that of the tranquil moon. Previously, it only snowed occasionally, but now it seems to be snowing non-stop.

The pine trees on both sides of the road are getting denser and denser, and the crowns of the trees are covered with a thick layer of snow. Occasionally, a gust of wind blows, and the snow will hit the roof of the carriage with a "thump".

Lorraine leaned against the car floor, pretending to close his eyes and rest, but actually opened the system panel.

He had just gained 400 exploration experience points last night, and he took a thorough shower this morning to prepare for the lottery, scrubbing his face clean.

System, draw the card!

[Using 100 exploration experience points, you rolled 1 die]

[Points: five]

[Reward Obtained: Parry and Counterattack]

[Type: Passive Skill]

When you successfully parry a melee attack with your weapon, the speed of your next swing of that weapon is increased by 30%.

......

Hmm? Passive skill.

Lorraine read the description carefully. The skill did not restrict the type of weapon, so it seemed to be a pretty versatile reward.

Although it's not some earth-shattering ultimate move, it's practical and comes at just the right time.

His combo attack has reached the proficiency level, but this combat technique itself has a problem: it requires continuous attacks and cannot be interrupted in the middle.

If the first sword strike is blocked or dodged, it will be difficult to connect the next two sword strikes.

However, now that he has the ability to parry and counterattack, as long as he can block the enemy's attack with his sword, the speed of his next sword strike can be increased by 30%.

What does this mean?

This means he can immediately switch to a counterattack the moment he blocks, unleashing a combo at a faster speed, possibly even faster than Hef's combo that he has practiced for over twenty years!

Washing my face really works! This is much better than Goblin King's underwear, isn't it?

Again!

......

[Using 100 exploration experience points, you rolled 1 die]

[Points: five]

[Reward: Charisma +1]

【Charm: 12→13】

......

Why is it charm again...?

Lorraine calmed down and carefully examined herself, touching her face again, but still couldn't detect anything unusual.

"Pip, do you see any changes in me?" he asked.

"What changes?"

"Look at my face, don't you think I'm more handsome now?"

The short man scrutinized him for three seconds and said, "Pip thinks there might be something wrong with your head."

"It's pointless to ask you."

Lorraine still doesn't understand what this attribute is for. She didn't feel anything special after adding it last time, and it's the same this time.

It would be so much better to add other things: strength, agility, physique, intelligence, or even perception.

Well, adding attributes is always a good thing.

He rubbed his face to make sure there was nothing wrong with his body, then turned his attention back to the control panel.

......

[Using 100 exploration experience points, you rolled 1 die]

Fate has smiled upon you.

Points: Six

[Gain spell: Lorraine's Thunder Wave]

[Type: Pulsatology]

[Casting Range: 15 feet]

[Release a thunderous wave originating from yourself; any unsecured objects or enemies within a 15-foot cubic radius will automatically fly towards you and take damage from the thunder.]

......

Six o'clock!

Lorraine's eyes widened suddenly.

Spells, new spells!

He quickly glanced at the description. Although it was still not the ranged spell he had been longing for, it looked much more powerful than the previous spells.

Unsecured objects or enemies... that is, if an enemy is not standing still or is jumping, it will also be pulled in and enter its attack range.

From this perspective, the purpose of this spell is quite clear.

That is to pull the surrounding enemies to your side, achieving the effect of gathering monsters, and then you can use combo attacks to finish them off.

However, if too much stuff is sucked in, and all those weapons and debris hit you, it's no joke.

Lorraine decided to try finding a secluded spot after arriving in Frostvale.

However, I feel like my role is getting weirder and weirder; it's starting to lean towards being an assassin...

Never mind, as long as it works, that's fine.

He took a deep breath and threw out his last hundred points of exploration experience.

......

[Using 100 exploration experience points, you rolled 1 die]

Current balance: 52 exploration experience points

[Points: five]

[Reward: Constitution +1]

[Constitution: 10→11]

......

The feeling of improved physical fitness is much more noticeable.

A warm, thin stream spread from my chest, down my spine, and quickly permeated my limbs and bones.

Unlike the explosive feeling of increased strength, the improvement in physique is more like a gentle, silent rain.

The various discomforts that had been there all along, to the point that his body had gotten used to, disappeared with the warmth. He moved his body and felt much more comfortable all over.

"...Pip thought the teacher must be a learned old dwarf with a beard this long (he gestured a length almost as long as his height), the kind that could be braided."

The little boy's voice drifted over from the side, carrying a dreamy longing:

"He must live in the mountains, have a hammer ten times bigger than Piper, and every morning he wakes up with a big glass of ale and then wraps his beard around his neck like a scarf..."

Lorraine's attention was still on the system panel, and Piper's rambling voice was like some kind of background music, which made him less nervous when he was drawing the lottery.

Wait... what the hell is this beard scarf, and what the hell is this learned barbarian dwarf?

He opened his eyes and turned to look at Piper.

The little dwarf was holding a hammer, leaning his head against the side of the carriage, staring at the ceiling and grinning foolishly, clearly absorbed in the scene he was creating.

"What does a barbarian have to do with a scarf and beard?" Lorraine asked.

"Of course, barbarians have beards!"

The dwarf said confidently:

"Pip will grow a beard too. Although halfling beards don't grow that long, he can braid it into a little plait and hang a few animal teeth on it. Hey! How impressive!"

Lorraine imagined the scene, twitched her lips, and didn't know what to say.