Damon's Gift and the Update to the Monster Identification Manual

Seeing that Lynn was taking everything in, Damon continued.

“To become a class-holder, besides mastering your Skills to a sufficient level of proficiency, you also need one more thing—and it's the very thing you lack most right now.”

Lynn looked at Damon, waiting for him to elaborate.

Damon swept his gaze over Lynn's seemingly "frail" frame and said, “Besides mastering Skills, your attributes must also meet the standard before you can satisfy the advancement criteria and condense a class.”

Hearing this, Lynn was somewhat surprised.

So this world did have a concept of attributes.

He just didn't know if the attributes they measured were the same as the ones shown in his 《Monster Identification Manual》.

“For instance, Mages and Sorcerers,” Damon explained. “Both classes require studying spell-type Skills to advance. The difference lies in their attributes. If your Intelligence is higher than your Charisma, you will easily become a Mage. Otherwise, you will become a Sorcerer.”

“Conversely, when condensing a class or leveling up a class, your physical attributes will also be enhanced in different directions and to varying degrees depending on the class.”

So, to become a class-holder, one first needed a high enough proficiency in the corresponding Skills, and second, their attributes had to meet the standards.

Lynn nodded.

He could intuitively see both of these requirements through the 《Monster Identification Manual》.

This alone put him far ahead of countless other adventurers.

From what he had observed over the past few days in Wingen Town, the proportion of class-holders among adventurers was not very high—probably only twenty to thirty percent.

And this was in Wingen Town, the largest settlement in the area, where subjugating monsters was the primary economic pillar.

The quality of the adventurers in Wingen Town was definitely not low.

Yet even so, the ratio of class-holders remained very low.

The root cause was that most adventurers had no idea when they would finally be able to become class-holders.

Before they could achieve that status, they would retire for various reasons. Those who managed to persevere to the end were few and far between.

What a pity.

Just as Lynn was thinking this, the 《Monster Identification Manual》 in his mind suddenly flashed, as if a new notification had appeared.

Lynn was in no hurry to open the manual. After all, Damon was still standing right beside him.

Damon went on to tell Lynn a great deal more about class-holders and monsters.

Then, under his guidance, Lynn began practicing various Rogue class Skills.

...

“When using Stealth, you must pay attention to your breathing. To be a Rogue, you must have a strong psychological fortitude.”

“Additionally, pay attention to the terrain. Minimize your interaction with the surrounding environment and lower your presence.”

“Stealth proficiency +1, current: Lv. 2 (2/20)”

...

“Stealth proficiency +1, current: Lv. 2 (13/20)”

...

“Backstab proficiency +1, current: Lv. 2 (1/20)”

Panting heavily, Lynn sheathed his shortsword.

He looked up at the sky.

Without him realizing it, the sun had already dipped below the courtyard walls, replaced by a dense blanket of stars in the night sky.

A whole day had flown by in the blink of an eye.

A class-holder truly lived up to their title.

Damon had only provided some guidance and posture corrections, yet within a single day, he had helped Lynn level up his Backstab to Level 2.

Of course, this was also because Lynn was a beginner with many flaws to correct.

Future training sessions wouldn't yield such dramatic results.

Lynn opened the asterisk that appeared next to his "Backstab" Skill.

“Lv. 2 Skill Effect · Sneak Attack I: Upon a successful Backstab, inflicts a 0.3-second forced stun on the target. The effect is influenced by the level difference between both parties.”

While Lynn was checking his upgraded skill effect, Damon, standing to the side, was actually feeling quite conflicted.

If he wasn't mistaken, Lynn's very last Backstab had already begun to take proper shape.

This meant Lynn had managed to grasp the basics of a Skill in just a single day.

This speed far exceeded his expectations.

He had originally planned to just impart the methods to Lynn first, thinking it would be good enough if Lynn could grasp the basics by the time he returned to Wingen Town in two weeks.

He hadn't expected Lynn to possess such remarkable talent for the Rogue class.

If he had been born into a noble family, he probably would have become a true class-holder at his age...

“Lynn—”

Damon spoke up, interrupting Lynn, who was planning to practice a bit longer, and extended his hand.

Lying in his open palm was a medal forged from an unknown metal.

“This is the gift I promised you. Keep it safe. If you ever need help in the future, come to Sailor's Lane in Whiteport. Show this medal at the only tavern there, and you'll find me.”

Lynn accepted the medal.

An intriguing pattern was carved onto it: a rusted, broken anchor bound by ropes with a cutlass and a dagger.

He had no idea what it signified.

But holding the medal in his hand, Lynn felt a chilly aura envelop him. It seemed to be a magic item.

This aura felt somewhat similar to the energy that masked his presence during Stealth.

It appeared this medal could enhance the effects of Stealth.

Lynn nodded and tucked the medal into his shirt.

After saying goodbye to Damon, Lynn walked out of the guild and stretched his body slightly.

Betty, of course, had left long ago.

Lynn walked back to the Moonflower Inn alone. The lights of the inn were still burning bright.

The wind chimes rang first, immediately followed by an untimely rumble from Lynn's stomach.

“Grumble...”

He had trained the entire day, and although he had eaten a fair amount of dry rations, his stomach was still growling with hunger.

Aurora couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle. “You're back, Mr. Lynn. We're still serving food. Would you like something to eat?”

Lynn had been spending quite a bit of money here over the past few days, so Aurora naturally maintained an excellent attitude toward this big customer.

“The usual, please.”

Lynn pulled out a chair and sat down.

Before long, the savory aroma of meat wafting from the kitchen enticed the hunger pangs in his stomach, making them rumble even louder.

As plate after plate of meat was brought out by Aurora, the starving Lynn devoured them like a whirlwind.

Yet even after clearing everything, Lynn felt it wasn't enough; his appetite remained unsatisfied.

He proceeded to order several more meat dishes that he hadn't tried yet over the past few days.

It wasn't until Aurora began to worry if something was wrong with Lynn that the mountain of meat finally filled his bottomless pit of a stomach.

Letting out a satisfied burp, the sheer fulfillment of heat and nutrients left Lynn's eyes unfocused, his mind completely blank.

By the time Aurora cleared the dishes from the table, Lynn was still sitting in his chair, staring up at the inn's ceiling.

As the meat and carbohydrates entered his stomach, they were rapidly broken down into the nutrients his body needed under the passive effect of Lv. 1 Rapid Digestion, replenishing Lynn's physical deficits.

Lynn felt a wave of heat wash through his body, as if his cells were cheering in joy.

His body seemed to be growing stronger...

Aurora asked with some concern, “Mr. Lynn, are you alright...?”

Lynn snapped out of it slightly and shook his head to indicate he was fine.

Returning to his room, the first thing Lynn did was turn on the shower to wash away the sweat covering his body.

After showering, he lay down refreshingly on his bed. Finally, Lynn had the time to check today's gains.

The moment he opened it, a message entered his field of vision.

“Due to the adventurer's deepened understanding of the world, the identification manual's functions have been updated. Please review the details yourself.”