“Is there really no other cure for this Blood-Thirst Syndrome?”
Returning to his room, Lu Mao lay down on his bed and threw the question to his system.
【Option 1: Seek help from the tavern owner. The other party is highly likely to have the ability to cure Blood-Thirst Syndrome, but the host has already accepted his help multiple times. Continuing to make one-sided demands may lead to an overdraft of credit.】
【Option 2: Search for an ancient vampire. Blood-Thirst Syndrome originated from the ancient vampires infecting humans, with recessive genes passed down through generations. Ancient vampires possess complete knowledge of this curse and should have a cure. However, they are difficult to find, and the target may not cooperate.】
【Option 3: Level up the host's own level, or learn “Sage” spells. Both can promote system self-repair. After upgrading, the system may unlock the ability to directly analyze the curse. However, “Sage” is a Fifth-Circle spell, and the host currently has no mana circuit and cannot learn it.】
Three options, two dead ends.
Lu Mao stared at the panel and fell silent for a few seconds.
“Then when can you upgrade?”
【The system's next upgrade requires meeting one of the following conditions: the host's level reaches Level 5, or acquiring Sage-related knowledge points for system analysis.】
Sage, a Fifth-Circle spell, meant one had to be at least Level 9 to learn it. Meanwhile, Lu Mao had only just broken through to Level 3 in Physique—
Strictly speaking, having never trained in any magicule-related abilities, his mastery of spells was essentially Level 0.
So, there was only one path left.
“How should I train to quickly reach the breakthrough threshold for Level 4?”
【The recommended pathways are as follows—
Guild Commissions. The Rhode City Adventurers' Guild refreshes a large number of extermination commissions daily. As a Silver Rank adventurer, the host can independently choose to accept Low-Tier commissions. Killing monsters is the most stable source of combat experience.
Range Training. Specialized training can improve archery proficiency. Refining a specific technique grants bonus weapon experience.
Clearing Lower Floors of Dungeons. The first to third floors of most dungeons mainly contain Low-Tier monsters, which the host can safely solo with his current level and equipment.
Self-Cultivation. The host currently possesses few skills. Repeatedly practicing unlocked passive skills in non-combat states can slightly increase proficiency and gain experience.】
Lu Mao finished reading the panel, having a clear plan in mind. Range training plus commissions, practicing archery by day and grinding monsters by night—reaching Level 5 within a month should be doable.
His biggest difference from ordinary adventurers was:
He currently possessed equipment far exceeding his level. Dealing with ordinary Low-Tier monsters was a complete walkover. Combined with the assistance of the system's scanning, it was basically like playing with his hand revealed.
And his absolute trump card was Death Return—retaining his memories and experience through death meant he had several times more training time than normal.
Early the next morning, Lu Mao was awakened by Balen's snoring.
He rolled out of bed, put on his Ranger Standard Leather Armor, and quietly shut the door before heading downstairs.
The landlady was watering the flower pots by the door. Seeing him in this gear, she tilted her chin up.
“Up so early... going to train?”
“Yeah.”
The archery range inside the North Gate was directly affiliated with the guild, and using a silver badge offered a discount.
When Lu Mao arrived, the old man tending the range had just wiped the dew off the targets.
He paid for half a day, stood at the target lane furthest to the side, drew a standard hunting arrow from his quiver, and nocked it on the bowstring.
Drawing the bow for the first time, the string was tighter than he had imagined. Taking a deep breath, he aimed at the straw target thirty paces away and released. The arrow flew out, sticking crookedly into the edge of the target, barely half an inch from missing entirely.
【Arrow Landing Analysis: Off to the upper right】
【Reason: Front hand is too tight, back hand anchor point is unstable, and there is a slight wrist tremor at the moment of release. Recommendation: Relax the front hand, press the index finger of the back hand tight against the jawline for anchoring, and pull back at a steady speed when releasing instead of abruptly letting go.】
Lu Mao was in no rush to shoot a second arrow.
He read through the system prompts line by line, nocked another arrow, and adjusted his finger placement. The second arrow hit the outer ring of the bullseye, and the third hit dead center.
Lu Mao felt like he might just be a natural-born ranger.
He shot all fifteen arrows in his quiver: ten hit the target, three went wide, and two missed completely.
By the time the second round began, he no longer needed the system to correct him arrow by arrow. Muscle memory was like that—once you found the correct posture, your body remembered it on its own.
The morning passed, his quiver emptying and filling, filling and emptying.
By the time the old range keeper called him over for lunch, his shoulders were already starting to ache, but he could now consistently land thirteen out of fifteen arrows on target.
In the afternoon, he went to the guild hall to accept commissions.
Rayne and the others had taken a Mid-Tier extermination mission, but Lu Mao didn't tag along. His current goal was to build up volume, not fight tough battles.
His reasoning was also very simple:
He was too weak right now; following Rayne and the others would just make him a burden.
Rayne naturally respected Lu Mao's choice.
Silver Rank adventurers could independently choose to accept Low-Tier commissions without needing their captain's signature.
The receptionist flipped through the commission board and picked out the two simplest ones for him:
One was clearing slimes from the suburban farmland, which paid thirty copper coins. The other was hunting goblin skirmishers in the abandoned mine to the south, requiring ten pairs of ears as proof. This one paid slightly more: one silver coin.
Lu Mao accepted both.
The receptionist gave him a rather bizarre look upon seeing an adventurer wearing a silver badge snatching up tasks meant for Apprentice Adventurers.
The slimes in the suburbs were entrenched in an abandoned drainage canal. There were quite a few of them, but they were scattered.
Relying on the system's scanning markers, Lu Mao located them one by one, taking them out with a single dagger strike each, without even needing to trigger paralysis. Occasionally, an acid slime would splash, but he easily blocked it with his leather bracers.
In less than an hour, the mission was complete.
Lu Mao suddenly felt a bit emotional. Just a few days ago, when he had no equipment, he had actually been bullied by such weak monsters.
The goblins in the abandoned mine took slightly more effort.
The interior of the cave was dimly lit with many branching paths. Goblins hid in twos and threes behind the wreckage of minecarts.
Lu Mao donned his Slime Cloak. Combining Silent Steps with the camouflage effect, he crept through the darkness, taking them out one by one.
By the time he had gathered ten pairs of ears, the sun had not yet set.
He returned to the guild to turn in the quest. The receptionist pinched her nose while counting the ears, then stamped the completion seal.
Returning to the inn, Balen was boasting to the landlady about their battle achievements in clearing gargoyles today.
Lu Mao sat in a corner, shoveling down his food while looking at the system panel's analysis of his various stats—
His combat awareness and weapon proficiencies were steadily rising. At this rate, it wouldn't take half a month for his Physique to break through and touch the threshold of Level 4.
After eating, he asked the landlady for a kettle of hot water and returned to his room to inspect the arrows he would use tomorrow.
The bowstring was waxed, the arrowheads were sharpened, and everything was in order.
Rate on N.U.
