Chapter 35: Infinite Loop

"The Adventurers' Guild!?"

Xia Nan felt surprised by the half-elf's answer.

"How is that possible? I’ve been to the guild in River Valley Town several times and walked through almost the entire hall, but I never saw any skill books for sale."

"Could it be in..."

"Exactly," Haian nodded, raising his index finger and pointing upward. "On the second floor."

Hearing this, Xia Nan grew even more puzzled. He recalled his conversation with the alchemy shop owner a few days ago when he went to the guild to turn in a quest.

"Isn't the second floor of the guild restricted to those who have already become professionals?"

"That’s right."

"But without a combat skill, how am I supposed to become a professional?"

From Xia Nan's perspective, the other's answer was self-contradictory; it seemed to be a dead loop. The prerequisite to becoming a professional was to learn a combat skill, which could be purchased on the second floor of the guild, yet to get to the second floor, one had to be a professional.

Sitting beside the half-elf, Wood, clad in black leather armor, offered a pointed remark: "This world needs adventurers, but not that many of them."

Xia Nan pondered these words, countless thoughts flashing through his mind.

Seeing him seemingly heading toward a dead end, Haian quickly spoke up again. "Of course, that is not the only way to obtain combat skills."

According to the information provided by the half-elf, there were several main ways to master combat skills in the Kingdom of Sevia:

First, there were the large-scale organizations spread throughout the kingdom. Whether it was the temple churches, the alliance of guilds, or the military legions belonging to the kingdom itself, they all had complete and clear systems for advancement. They held vast reserves not only of the various combat skills needed for basic professions but also of the advanced professions necessary for becoming "transcendent." The price one had to pay was loyalty and faith.

Second, one could hire a "professional" who had already completed their training to help them master a combat skill. The cost was a massive amount of gold coins that could truly be called a "fortune," or other equivalent resources. This was the method used by the vast majority of nobles in the kingdom to learn combat skills.

Lastly, and this was the most widespread, most common, and most suitable method for ordinary commoners who lacked both wealth and background: gambling.

Much like the farmer family of his predecessor, who had no combat power to speak of, one could "snatch" half a so-called skill book from a traveling bard in exchange for lodging fees. Across the vast lands of the Kingdom of Sevia, countless "combat skill secret recipes" circulated. You could find an old man at the entrance of any village who might claim to have a "Knight's Training Manual" passed down from his ancestors. He might charge you a few copper coins, acting as if he were giving you a great bargain while excitedly bragging about his great-grandfather's glory.

Ninety-nine point nine percent of these "combat skills"—which were as common as toilet paper—were worthless "fakes" that had originated from who knows where. Even if you practiced them for years, you wouldn't make any progress. Not only would you waste a huge amount of time, but you could also ruin your body due to incorrect posture.

Only a very lucky few, provided they chanced upon a genuinely effective combat skill book, could spend a great deal of grueling and monotonous time training to have a chance at mastering a real skill and taking the first step toward becoming a "professional."

Of course, these three were merely the most common ways to obtain skills. Beyond them, there were other methods with certain barriers to entry, such as traditional master-apprentice relationships, patronage from nobles, wilderness treasure hunting, or auction house transactions (which were slightly more reliable than roadside stalls).

This made "combat skills" not particularly rare, at least among the group of "adventurers," who had to deal with various magical beasts and possessed certain channels and income.

Hearing this, Xia Nan finally understood why the two had been so surprised after learning about his predecessor's experience. It seemed his predecessor not only had good talent but also incredible luck. He had actually managed to master a skill from half a page of a book.

At the same time, he began to have a rough idea of how he should proceed in the future.

"By the way," Haian, who had told Xia Nan everything he knew about professional advancement, seemed to have thought of something. "I didn't mention it before because I assumed you had a mentor guiding you. But now, given the situation..."

As he spoke, the half-elf lowered his voice, casting a cautious glance at the executioner's longsword by Xia Nan's side. Fearing he might offend him, he tentatively asked, "The technique you used earlier... that should be in the 'Warrior' category, right?"

Xia Nan himself was not sure what profession "Spinning Slash" belonged to, but referencing the characteristics of the various professional skills Haian had just described, he replied hesitantly, "Perhaps? At the time, that half-page skill book didn't specify the origin of the technique."

Haian was not surprised by his answer. He nodded and looked at Wood beside him. "Although Wood is a professional, the 'Rogue' skills don't match the one you just demonstrated."

"Unless you are willing to start over from scratch and give up everything you have now, Wood wouldn't be able to provide much help."

"However... to be honest, that would be a terrible waste." The half-elf's gaze swept over the iron-gray blade of the longsword. "Judging by your performance in the fight just now, that combat skill is not far from being 'mastered.' It would be a real shame to give it up now."

He paused slightly, looking up, his silver-gray eyes meeting Xia Nan's. He said sincerely, "You saved me in battle, so I ought to repay you. Please, do not refuse."

"Even though I likely won't be able to come out for a while after returning to Nium... I have saved up quite a bit of money over the years."

"If you are willing, I can use my family's connections to hire a reliable professional to help you train in a 'Warrior' type combat skill."

"Though it might not necessarily be useful, but..."

Facing the half-elf's proposal, Xia Nan felt tempted. He hadn't helped Haian during the fight for the sake of a reward, but since the other party was offering such a return, it would be unrealistic to refuse.

After pondering for a moment, he nodded heavily and expressed his sincere gratitude. "Then I will leave it to you. Thank you very much!"

Hearing this, the half-elf visibly relaxed, a smile appearing on his face. "Good! Give me your address. After the mission is over and I return to Nium, I will write to you."

"It might take a few days, though. I have some family matters to attend to when I get back, and I also need time to find a suitable person."

"No rush," Xia Nan replied with a serious expression. "Take care of your own affairs first. I'll be in River Valley Town."