After a few more unlucky Beach Fishmen were turned to Ashes.
Li Miao once again turned his gaze to the newbie, Poems and the Faraway Place.
"That should be about enough. Let’s try some real combat. You give it a shot, and I’ll watch over you from the side."
Li Miao said.
Faraway nodded, then, under Li Miao’s watchful eye, he picked up a stone. After aiming for two seconds, he threw it toward a Beach Fishman.
’That looks a little off, it’s probably going to miss...’
Li Miao shook his head inwardly. Pulling monsters by throwing stones wasn’t as simple as it looked. It had taken him quite a few throws to get his aim right.
However, something unexpected happened.
Just as the stone, which had been on a trajectory to fall short, was about to miss, the wandering Fishman in front of it suddenly paused, then turned and took a step.
And with that, it walked right into the stone’s path.
’It actually hit?’
’Faraway’s luck is pretty good, huh...’ Li Miao couldn’t help but think.
But he quickly refocused his attention on the Beach Fishman that was now lunging at them in a rage.
"Remember to roll! If it tackles you, you won’t last more than a few hits!"
Seeing that Faraway hadn’t moved yet, Li Miao couldn’t resist shouting a reminder.
The ferocious Beach Fishman grew closer and closer.
Li Miao subconsciously raised his blade, wanting to help.
But in the next moment, he found himself frozen in place, stunned.
Faraway hadn’t performed a roll.
Facing the Beach Fishman that was now just inches away, his eyes were incredibly calm, as if he had already rehearsed the entire scene in his mind countless times.
The next moment, he rose onto the balls of his feet and, with a slight sidestep, dodged the Beach Fishman’s lunge!
And that wasn’t all!
Before Li Miao’s shocked eyes, Faraway brought his Dagger around in a reverse grip—a Dagger he had clearly been holding in wait—and plunged it viciously and accurately into the Beach Fishman’s neck!
SQUELCH. The Fishman was still struggling.
Seeing this, Faraway frowned slightly, twisted his wrist, and violently widened the wound.
This seemed to be the only thing he hadn’t anticipated.
[You have killed a Beach Fishman]
[Obtained: Wax Oil x1]
’Looks like the Dagger’s light weight comes at the cost of reduced killing power...’
After that thought flashed through his mind, Faraway picked up the Wax Oil.
By now, Li Miao was completely dumbfounded.
"..."
Li Miao: =͟͟͞͞(꒪ᗜ꒪‧̣̥̇)
Li Miao was utterly gobsmacked, completely unable to believe what he had just seen.
"Ho... ly... shit!!!"
Seriously, dude?!
You call this a newbie?
My first time in real combat, I was almost torn into Wax Ash by a Fishman, and you’re treating this thing like a toy on your first try?
The thought struck Li Miao like a physical blow, as if a knife had been plunged into his heart.
"Faraway, you... are you really a newbie?"
Li Miao couldn’t help but ask cautiously.
"Yeah, why?" Faraway glanced at him, a little confused.
Hearing this, Li Miao’s mouth twitched. "Never mind that sidestep Dodge, the way you stabbed its neck with that Dagger looked more practiced than my neighbor who’s been butchering pigs for over a decade..."
’If you’re a newbie, then what am I? A piece of trash that knows how to talk?’
Hearing this, Faraway seemed to realize that his performance might have indeed been a bit unusual. He offered a possible reason in earnest, "I was just watching you fight and absorbing the experience."
"Plus, I’ve always been pretty brave, and I guess my luck is good. It just worked out on the first try."
After listening to Faraway’s explanation.
Li Miao’s shock began to subside slightly... like hell it did!
Who becomes a master just by watching someone else fight?
Take a simple example: the moves in some video bloggers’ videos look smooth, simple, and cool. You watch the video once and think you’ve got it, but when you actually try it...
Eyes: I’ve got it. Brain: I’ve got it, too.
Body: If you’ve got it, you do it!
Li Miao wasn’t an idiot; he wasn’t so lacking in common sense that he wouldn’t understand something so basic.
"Are you some kind of insider for this game?"
’Or... someone who does this kind of thing often in real life...’
Li Miao’s heart tightened as he asked his probing question.
Realizing his analysis probably wasn’t getting through to Li Miao, Faraway shook his head and tried another explanation. "Perhaps you could say I have a bit of a Talent for this."
Li Miao thought for a moment and was suddenly reminded of Faraway’s [Diligence] Talent. ’Maybe that really is part of the reason.’
Of course, Faraway’s own innate Talent couldn’t be ignored either.
"Your Talent is truly... terrifying."
While Li Miao felt a bit crushed, he couldn’t help but feel relieved.
Good thing he hadn’t put on any airs or acted all high and mighty at the beginning. Otherwise, wouldn’t he have gotten his face slapped raw?
"Brother Miao, let’s keep killing monsters to raise our Level," Faraway said.
Hearing him say "Brother Miao" at this moment made Li Miao feel unexpectedly flattered. "...I feel like I should be the one calling you Faraway Lord..."
And speaking of Level...
Li Miao suddenly remembered that Faraway hadn’t even assigned his points when he left. All his Attributes except Spirit were at 5...
The thought made Li Miao feel even more crushed...
But what Li Miao didn’t expect was that this combat Talent seemed to be just the tip of the iceberg of Faraway’s abilities...
Time passed without them noticing as the two of them pulled and killed monsters.
Li Miao’s reaction to Faraway’s borderline-impossible fighting style went from shock to amazement, and finally, to acceptance...
His theory was correct. Faraway was either an insider or his Talent was terrifyingly strong!
His every battle was like it had been rehearsed countless times, and his proficiency was increasing at a speed visible to the naked eye!
Moreover, he wasn’t satisfied with just a single fighting style. He was actively trying to expand his repertoire.
Take the Dodge Skill, for example. He would proactively try Rolling, Jumping, and crawling in all sorts of directions and postures, not even fighting back, just focusing on dealing with the Fishman’s Attacks.
Before him, the Beach Fishmen truly became toys, played with in the palm of his hand...
And it didn’t look like he was playing, more like he was... experimenting?
"...You’re not even hurt. Why do you keep running back to the cave?"
Seeing him run back and forth tirelessly, Li Miao couldn’t help but ask.
"I’m testing the effects of each Attribute."
Faraway replied concisely.
"What?"
Li Miao was stunned for a second, and it took him a while to process that.
’He really is testing all his theories!’
"So your tests... did you find anything?"
After a moment of silence, Li Miao asked.
Faraway nodded. "I’ll explain it all to you in a bit."
Hearing this, Li Miao quickly agreed and even shuffled to the side to go mess with the Fish People on the other side, afraid he might disturb him.
’I’m still trying to figure out how to kill monsters efficiently, and he’s already researching the deeper mechanics of the game...’
Li Miao lamented inwardly.
By now, his earlier feelings of defeat and frustration were gone. Instead, he was looking forward to Faraway’s results.
’This guy is clearly a powerhouse. I’ve got to latch on and not let go!’
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