Chapter 40: The Town
The merchant caravan arrived at a new stopping point in the afternoon. It was a small town called Jinxi Town, which had once thrived due to a river where gold could be panned. Unfortunately, as the gold mine was completely exploited, the town gradually declined. Before the caravan approached the town, warning bells rang out, and someone rode over to investigate. This area was still considered the edge of the wilderness, so the people living here were very alert. Once it was confirmed that it was a merchant caravan, the townsfolk allowed them to enter and some came over to inquire about their goods.
In places farther from the city, some people would sell their goods cheaply to the caravan, allowing them to sell in the city.
At the same time, they would buy items from the merchants to sell in nearby towns. Ordinary merchants would not engage in long-distance trade unless they had a large escort like this northern caravan, as it could be quite dangerous and troublesome.
Today, the little girl was in a good mood. Perhaps it was because the journey had been relatively calm; as soon as they arrived in the town, she jumped down and curiously looked around.
The Guard Captain informed Soren that they would be staying in the town for the night and that he could explore freely, just to head to the inn at the east gate in the evening. The whole town was surrounded by walls.
It was the kind of wall built with sturdy round logs in two layers, each log about twenty centimeters in diameter, sharpened at both ends and driven into the ground. About every hundred meters, there was a watchtower that could be climbed with ladders from below. The town had two heavy gates on the east and west sides, appearing as solid as a fortified settlement.
This was to guard against werewolf attacks and potential bandits.
In such towns, there are always night sentinels because werewolves might infiltrate.
“Brother, look!”
The little girl pulled Soren’s hand and looked around, hearing shouting nearby and curiously leading him over.
There were two individuals training.
One was a middle-aged man, the other younger and somewhat resembling him; they were likely related, either father and son or uncle and nephew.
“Watch the right!”
The middle-aged man with a shield and wooden sword shouted, then said, “When the enemy attacks from this direction, you need to learn to use your shield.”
“Pay close attention.”
“When blocking, make sure your arms have distance; this allows for movement.”
“Don’t take too big of a step when executing a shield strike.”
“What is truly deadly is the weapon in your hand, not the shield.” “You only need the force of the shield to unsteady your opponent, then thrust with your weapon.”
The two were diligently training.
The middle-aged man didn’t turn to look once, but the young man became slightly distracted and was immediately knocked to the ground by the middle-aged man’s shield: “This is the second point I want to tell you; never let your mind wander during combat.”
“Continue training.”
The young man grit his teeth and got back up, his expression becoming much more serious as he launched a more aggressive attack.
Perhaps having someone watch ignited his competitive spirit.
The middle-aged man remained calm, blocking while saying in a deep voice, “See clearly.”
“Facing an enemy’s chop attack.”
“The shield is not the only means of defense; you also need to learn to use your weapon to parry.”
“A chop attack moves in a line.”
“If you can’t evade at this moment, you need to find a way to block the enemy’s attack.”
“Just like this.”
The middle-aged man dodged a slicing attack, then stepped forward and swung his sword at the young man’s wrist, the wooden sword clattering to the ground.
Having been defeated repeatedly, the young man finally looked somewhat disheartened.
He lay on the ground, panting, even neglecting to pick up his sword. The middle-aged man glanced at the sky and said slowly, “Let’s end today’s training here.”
“If you want to become a qualified warrior, there’s still much to learn.”
“Relying solely on strength to fight is merely a path to d*ath.”
The middle-aged man wiped his sweat with a piece of cloth nearby, then glanced at Soren, his gaze sweeping over the curved blade at his waist, and said seriously, “Outsider.”
“I am the captain of the militia here.”
“While we do not reject outsiders, we aren’t exactly welcoming either.”
“You’d best not cause trouble.”
His tone was very serious, without any provocation in his expression, as though stating a normal fact, but it nonetheless created a sense of pressure.
“I’ve never liked to cause trouble proactively,” Soren replied with a smile, calmly adding, “But if someone provokes me, I will make them deeply regret it.”
“We are just passing through here.”
The middle-aged man nodded, “That is best.”
He was a third-tier warrior, likely once a well-known adventurer. Soren noticed a slight limp in his leg, suggesting he might have suffered a severe injury in the past that caused a bone misalignment. Such adventurers were common; many had to retire after injuries and returned to their hometowns to live ordinary lives.
Many people in this world have stories.
“Brother.”
The little girl picked up a twig and gestured, cheerfully saying, “That person just now looked quite impressive.”
“But.”
“He must be teaching a pretty dumb student; such simple things can’t even be remembered.”
“Look.”
Soren glanced at the little girl, who was awkwardly mimicking the movements. She was small and weak, and her stance was off-kilter. However, Soren didn’t want to discourage her; he merely ruffled her little head and said, “It is quite simple.”
“However, they are all very practical techniques. Of course, he is not as smart as my Vivian.”
“Let’s go.”
“I’ll take you to buy something delicious.”
Just as he was watching their training, a row of small letters floated before Soren:
“Skill Improvement!”
“You gained insight while observing others train! … You have mastered certain combat skills! …”
“Parry +1, Block +1, Evade +1.”
Soren didn’t expect to trigger two new basic skills this way; he thought he would have to wait until he engaged in specific training related to parrying and blocking to unlock these two basic skills. A couple of points in basic skills were not very useful. To achieve a noticeable improvement, at least an increase of 10 points was needed; generally, when a basic skill improved by around 50 points, there would be a significant boost in ability.
For example, a shield warrior’s 100 points in blocking.
That is the professional level for using a shield to block, akin to Soren’s abilities in stealth.
Basic skills each have a specialized direction.
Other triggered basic skills improve automatically over time through training, and skill points gained from leveling up are rarely invested in them because “expertise requires specialization.”
Most basic skills related to professions tend to improve more quickly.
For instance, Soren’s evade skill now has 6 points, even without undergoing specialized training. If he engaged in relevant evasion exercises, his evade skill points could quickly increase to over 20.
Typically, around 50 points in basic evade skills can passively increase one’s dodge by 1 point.
This dodge refers to instinctual evasion.
It is the subconscious reaction of a person when under attack, and only certain specialties can enhance it.
For example, “Instinctive Dodge,” “Mastery Dodge,” and “Enhanced Dodge,” among other combat specialties, are hard to train for and yield very noticeable effects.
Basic skills are relatively ordinary abilities; specialties are the skills that significantly enhance power.
Of course, mastering them is also quite challenging.
Some specialties have prerequisite requirements for basic skills, such as combat specialties developed from parrying or blocking, which require mastery of a certain number of basic skill points.
Basic skills below 50 points are relatively easy to master, while further improvement requires the level of a professional.
For instance, the negotiation and appraisal abilities of professional merchants.
And.
The taunting ability of barbarians.
Sometimes, encountering these simple-minded, muscle-bound individuals can really make you explode with rage at their simple remarks!
This group of professional taunters.
……………………
The taunt skill has surprisingly reached over 200 points, and with a sharp tongue and caustic remarks, they instantly become targets of everyone’s ire.
An overly strong taunt can create an aura; even if you can’t understand what they’re saying, just looking at their expressions fills you with resentment.
