Chapter 148 Skill Farming [1]
Chapter 148 Skill Farming [1]
Arthur's face burned hotter, and he let out a nervous laugh. "Hah… who would've thought the system came with this kind of feature." A smirk tugged at his lips as he tried to regain some ground. "Guess I'll have to make sure to use it properly from now on."
Sol's smirk softened into something more predatory, her eyes glinting with promise. [Oh, you'd better, Arthur,] she murmured, closing the distance between them until her body was pressed against his once more. Her lips hovered near his ear as she whispered, [Because I'm done waiting. The next time you step into my space, I'm not letting you leave until I've had my fill of you.]
Arthur inhaled sharply, every word lighting him on fire, but he somehow forced himself to step back. "Not today," he said, his voice low but firm. "As tempting as this is, I've got other things I need to take care of. I am here for training remember?"
Sol pouted, but the lust burning in her eyes didn't waver. [Tch, fine. But don't make me wait too long, Arthur. I'm not a patient woman.]
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about it." He stretched his arms before glancing around the void. "So, how does this work? What exactly do I need to do?"
[It's simple. Just specify what kind of training you want—basic exercises, hunting, target practice, swordsmanship—whatever you need, just say the word, and it will appear.]
As Sol spoke, the surroundings changed instantly. The empty void transformed into a fully equipped gym, then shifted into a dense forest perfect for hunting. A moment later, it turned into a vast, open field with targets placed at varying distances, followed by a training ground filled with sword-wielding dummies.
Arthur's eyes widened as he watched the rapid shifts. "Holy shit, that's awesome!"
[So, what are your instructions?] Sol asked, her voice laced with amusement.
Arthur smirked. "You heard the professor's briefing about tomorrow's dungeon, right?"
Sol nodded in understanding. [Got it.]
In an instant, the scenery changed again. A lush forest emerged around him, the thick canopy casting eerie shadows. The sky above glowed a deep crimson, adding an ominous touch to the already unsettling atmosphere.
[This forest contains all the monsters mentioned in class. And don't make the mistake of thinking they're just simulations—they're the real deal.]
Arthur cracked his knuckles, anticipation bubbling inside him. "Now that's more like it."
Just as he was about to step forward, Sol's voice chimed in one last time.
[Oh, and one more thing—your skills are blocked here. You'll have to rely only on your swordsmanship. Have fun~]
Her teasing laugh echoed as she disappeared.
Arthur let out a small chuckle, gripping his sword tightly. "Perfect. Just what I wanted."
Arthur ventured deeper into the forest, his senses sharp as he scanned his surroundings. It didn't take long before he spotted small green creatures roaming in the distance.
Goblins.
Standing barely a meter tall, the creatures wandered about aimlessly, oblivious to the predator closing in on them.
Arthur summoned a simple steel sword from his inventory. No fancy artifacts, no enchantments—just a plain, reliable blade.
Gripping the hilt tightly, he dashed forward in an instant, closing the gap before the goblins could react.
Slice!
A sharp cutting sound filled the air. A deep gash appeared across one goblin's face, its beady eyes widening in shock before it collapsed lifelessly.
Then, a familiar system notification popped up.
[Vertical Slash (D) (Mastery 4.3%)]
Arthur blinked, then let out a low chuckle.
"Oh, right. I forgot I could gain mastery like this too."
A sinister grin stretched across his face as he eyed the remaining goblins.
"Ha Ha Ha! It's time to farm skills."
The goblins, still reeling from his sudden attack, snapped back to their senses. But the moment they saw his menacing expression—his eyes gleaming with an almost predatory excitement—terror gripped them.
Some instinctively turned to flee.
Too late.
Arthur lunged, repeating the same motion over and over, his blade carving through flesh with ruthless precision.
Within minutes, the ground was littered with goblin corpses, each one cleanly sliced from head to toe.
Arthur exhaled, glancing at his mastery progress.
[72.6%]
"One more group should be enough to max it out."
Determined to grind as many basic skills as possible before tomorrow's expedition, he continued his hunt.
Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long.
A larger group of goblins soon came into view.
And the massacre began anew.
From a third-party perspective, Arthur didn't resemble a warrior fighting monsters—he was the monster. His relentless assault showed no hesitation, no mercy. Anyone witnessing the scene would find themselves sympathizing with the goblins instead.
Meanwhile, Arthur was completely immersed in the thrill of skill mastery.
[You have gained a deep understanding of Vertical Slash.]
[Congratulations! You have mastered Vertical Slash (D).]
A grin spread across his face. Without hesitation, he switched from vertical slashes to horizontal strikes, increasing his pace.
Moments later, another message appeared.
[You have a high level of understanding of Horizontal Slash.]
[The system is evaluating your skill.]
[Congratulations! You have mastered Horizontal Slash (C).]
His attacks flowed effortlessly. After Vertical Slash, he had now mastered Horizontal Slash, and this time, the skill rank was even higher—C-rank.
Encouraged, Arthur thrust his sword forward like a spear.
[You have a high level of understanding of Thrust.]
[The system is evaluating your skill.]
[Congratulations! You have mastered Thrust (C).]
Nice. This is faster than I expected.
Testing another motion, he swung his sword diagonally.
[You have a high level of understanding of Diagonal Slash.]
[The system is evaluating your skill.]
[Congratulations! You have mastered Diagonal Slash (D).]
Arthur let out a sigh, cutting down yet another goblin—his 197th.
"Damn… this is getting boring," he muttered.
As much as he enjoyed grinding skills, slaughtering weaklings without challenge was dull.
Then, a new sound pierced the air.
"Keeee...!"
"Kiiiii...!"
The eerie screeches were different from the usual goblin cries. Arthur turned toward the noise and saw two red-skinned creatures approaching.
His lips curled into a smirk.
Finally. I was getting bored.
He recognized them instantly.
Hobgoblins.
Unlike regular goblins, they were taller, bulkier, and far more aggressive. Their crimson skin and bloodshot eyes made them look even more menacing. Just as the professor had described in class.
Arthur tightened his grip on his sword.
"This should be fun."