Chapter 5, The Puppet Master

It is important to understand that murdering a noble is a very serious crime; once exposed, the Akron gang would undoubtedly face annihilation. Even if Marvin is merely a fallen noble who has lost his territory

Blood gushed forth, and before long, the convulsing gang enforcer met his untimely demise

With the increase in level, his health points increased by 13, totaling 50 health points. Meanwhile, the newly added professional skill points are 24, with no free attribute points. Free attribute points are a valuable resource that can only be obtained by advancing two professional levels for one point.

Avoiding the main road, he walked through the narrow alleys at night with ease, successfully evading the patrolling guards and the unknown dangers within the city. However, when he circled to the back door of the Fierce Horse Inn, he discovered a sneaky figure.

Marvin was momentarily taken aback; he had never heard such a statement before

If you repeatedly use a standard technical action in battle, and its similarity to the Phantom Assassin's professional skill "Throat Cut" exceeds 98%, you can transform it into your personal exclusive skill by spending 500 points of kill experience

He quietly circled to the front door and indeed discovered two hidden sentries. However, these sentries were far too unprofessional; although they were all professional thieves and possessed some rudimentary hiding techniques, in Marvin's eyes, they were riddled with flaws

The power is suppressed, unable to break free

Marvin rubbed his painfully throbbing wrist, thinking that the strength of this knife hand was estimated to be above 16 points. Unfortunately, his combat experience was truly too weak

Killing him does not yield anything. The risks and rewards are not proportional, which is quite strange

At the same time, this main task has also added a side quest titled "The Hidden Manipulator," which essentially requires Marvin to uncover the hidden mastermind behind everything.

As for the last type, the personal specialty awakened the day after tomorrow, it is quite rare. Marvin never expected this, although it is clearly stated in his race that he is "Human / ?", which implies that he possesses the bloodline of other races, albeit very faintly.

Over time, the level of combat will surely improve

Using a machete, gang members, who possess both agility and strength, are mostly classified as "gang knife fighters". This special first-tier profession is a variant of the warrior class, but it leans more towards offense, with average physical constitution.

However, for Marvin, it is merely a slight matter. Now that only the other party remains, his pressure has eased significantly.

This is illogical

Ma Wen's anger flared as he gripped the curved dagger, activated his stealth, and slowly approached the thief who was watching at the back door

Once entering the city, one must be cautious of the patrolling guards, as these individuals are not to be trifled with. Being sent out to patrol in the dead of night by the lord of the city already fills them with resentment. If caught by them, the consequences would be dire. As for resistance, please, these guards are at least second-tier professionals, and the leading duty officer might even be at the third tier, far beyond the capability of someone like Marvin, who has just started his career.

Ma Wen quickly glanced at the data panel. He had just killed four members of the Akron gang, earning 59 points of kill experience, while a level 2 ranger requires 50 points of experience

At that moment, he suddenly noticed that the soul-bound task in the taskbar had undergone some changes

24 professional skill points, he allocated four points to stealth, while the remaining 20 points are temporarily reserved

The knife wielder was caught off guard, staggered back a few steps from the collision with Ma Wen, and nearly lost grip of the machete in his hand

Go die!

On the way back to the city, he carefully chose a secluded and safe path, avoiding any potential members of the Akron gang.

... ...

He knew that in cities like Riverbank City, there were not many stubborn monster forces in the surrounding area, and the city walls usually had some places that had fallen into disrepair over the years. After carefully searching along a section of the city wall, he found a suitable gap. His small stature barely allowed him to squeeze through.

He searched briefly and found that the gangster had quite a bit of wealth on him, totaling 29 silver coins, along with some scattered items, though they were of little value

Marvin also noticed that the higher the similarity between the repeatedly used standard technical actions and the original skills, the less killing experience is required. Throat-cutting and Shadow Step are both signature skills of the Phantom Assassin, yet the killing experience required for the two is vastly different

In the next moment, a sharp pain surged through Marvin's right hand as the knife wielder sneered, gripping Marvin's wrist with both hands

Marvin remained unfazed, exhibiting remarkable calmness. With a relaxed and effortless evasion, he maneuvered behind a large tree

Right now

He wants to split Marvin in half

Regardless, it is certainly a good thing to develop expertise. Expertise, beyond attributes and skills, is a valuable asset that can assist adventurers

Do you really think you can hurt me

... ...

The knife wielder roared fiercely, his face contorted with rage. He exerted all his strength to pull out the cleaver, but at that moment, Ma Wen suddenly lunged forward and crashed into his embrace!

500 points of killing experience

Hastily disposing of the bodies of these five individuals, Ma Wen had no desire to go crab-catching anymore. He prepared to return to the riverside city to ascertain who wanted to kill him

Quickly allocate 50 points of killing experience to the ranger, a surge of heat flows through him, and he immediately becomes a level 2 ranger

Ah!

Level 3 Practitioner

Why would a gang target a destitute nobleman who is completely impoverished?

The following text has been added to the task description section

What surprised him somewhat was that he found several entries in the battle records:

Is someone watching? Ma Wen's heart stirred; this was quite unusual. It is said that the owner of the Fierce Horse Inn has a background so formidable that no one dares to act recklessly on her territory

Bang

To understand, personal expertise is divided into three types: innate mastery, acquired training, and the awakening of innate talent. The body of Ma Wen is quite ineffective, lacking any innate personal expertise, and can only be enhanced through acquired training. For instance, the personal expertise that is currently being developed is mostly of this type

Unfortunately, Marvin did not find any information on the bodies of these Akron gang members regarding why they were killed by their own.

The knife wielder let go with both hands and fell to the ground in a state of utter panic

He repeatedly checked and ultimately confirmed that there were a total of three thieves watching the Fierce Horse Inn. Two at the front door and one at the back door

However, he soon realized that it was likely not that simple. The battle records state clearly that one must repeatedly use a "standard" technical action, and the similarity must exceed a certain level in order to convert it into one's own personal exclusive skill by spending combat experience. Personal exclusive skills cannot be increased through skill points; they can only be gradually improved through continuous practice, slowly enhancing the skill level.

Is it possible to transform skills from other professions into one's own personal exclusive skills?

The knife wielder struck again with a reverse slash! Ma Wen jumped back, and the blade struck directly onto the book, splintering the bark and sending wood chips flying!

He walked while reviewing the battle records. This is a good habit, as it allows for a post-battle analysis, calculating gains and losses, and summarizing issues

However, this issue has not yet reached a point where it must be resolved, as he currently has only a mere 39 unallocated kill experience, which is still far from the significant threshold of 500

Just as the knife wielder was feeling triumphant, Ma Wen's left hand, resembling the most ruthless of snakes, appeared near the knife wielder's neck

It has become somewhat troublesome

The pursuit near the banks of Songzi River has made you suddenly realize that something is amiss. Someone wants to kill you, and this is likely related to the group of strange werewolves that have appeared around your territory. The city of Hetan is filled with all sorts of people, yet regardless of who the mastermind is, as long as he still wishes to achieve his goals, there will always come a day when the truth will be revealed.

What concerns him even more is that personal expertise; in his previous life, he had not heard of any specialization formed by repeatedly using skills from other professions

[Normal attack failed, right wrist captured, resistance assessment in progress ... ... ]

In the past, when Ma Wen was the Lord of the Night, it was easy for him to enter the city at midnight by scaling the walls with his acrobatic skills and some special magical devices. As for now, he can only look for some loopholes.

Damn it, wanting to kill me, and still thinking about Sister Anna?

At this time, it is already late at night, and the riverside city has implemented a partial curfew. Although the city gates close relatively late, no one is allowed to walk the streets after midnight. The city gates are tightly shut, and those wishing to enter the city must resort to some extraordinary means

A piercing scream shattered the night sky, while Ma Wen ruthlessly slashed his throat

The rewards for side quests are also substantial, offering 100 universal experience points. In any case, Marvin will definitely uncover the truth of the matter, so this 100 universal experience points is practically a gift.

Dying at the hands of the former ruler of the dark night is not entirely unjust.

A cold light flashed, and the curved blade sliced horizontally, striking towards the waist of the swordsman

Even under high-speed movement, he is still able to make various combat-related judgments swiftly; this is a form of combat instinct

The gang's enforcer comes on strong, delivering a powerful and forceful slash

Marvin did not speak; he ignored the pain and also disregarded the frequently flashing battle records

Marvin saw this sign just one hour ago

Their commonality lies in the fact that a blood-dripping dagger is embroidered on their cuffs. Although the craftsmanship leaves much to be desired, it at least achieves a sense of uniformity.

He held a dagger in his left hand. This was one of the barely usable items among the spoils left by that thief

Due to your repeated use of techniques from other professions in battle, one of your personal specialties will begin to align with this direction. Progress of personal specialty formation: 9 / 100

Akron Gang

To be honest, Ma Wen felt somewhat moved, yet there was also a hint of bitterness. Killing experience is extremely difficult to obtain; it is a form of experience at the highest level. If he were to spend his killing experience in this regard, it would undoubtedly hinder his speed of leveling up

If you repeatedly use a standard technical action in battle, and its similarity to the Phantom Assassin's professional skill Shadow Step exceeds 95%, you can transform it into your personal exclusive skill by spending 2000 points of kill experience