Chapter 121 - 2: Learning Never Stops

Chapter 121: Chapter 2: Learning Never StopsWhite salty stones? Could it be rock salt? Xiao Jie knew that goats liked eating salt, and many times they would climb very high mountains just to find salt to eat. This was easy to handle; Xiao Jie went directly to the general store, bought a bag of salt, and gave it to Big Horn. The goat was initially confused, as it seemed not to be the thing it usually ate, but after tasting it, it immediately let out cheerful calls, "Baa, baa! Tasty white stuff, baa baa." "What about that skill?" "Baa, I’ll teach you now, watch closely, human!" said the goat. After licking up the salt in just a few bites and smacking its tongue, it targeted a nearby small tree and rammed into it headfirst. [System Prompt: The goat Big Horn has imparted the Combat Skill—[Wild Goat Charge] to you.] Then it took Xiao Jie to a steep cliff. "Watch closely, human." The goat then began to climb along the cliff face. Faced with an almost vertical steep cliff, the goat climbed as if it was on flat ground, easily reaching the slope above. [System Prompt: The goat Big Horn has imparted the movement technique—[Mountain Climbing Step] to you.] In an instant, two skills were acquired. Xiao Jie hurriedly checked them. [Wild Goat Charge (Combat Skill) Use: Charge at a target, dealing 22 points of blunt impact damage to the target in front (the higher your head Defense, the greater the damage). If you hit the target’s head, it will stun the target for 1 second. Side effect: If the target successfully Blocks, has high Defense, or is too large in size, it causes 22 points of reflective damage to the user and produces a 1-3 second stun effect. Skill Description: A Combat Skill that imitates the way goats fight, by brutally charging at the enemy to inflict damage and attempt to stun them. However, the forces at play are relative, so remember to wear a sturdy helmet when using this skill.] Wait a minute, why do these two skills look so similar? It seems that aside from one knocking down and one stunning, there isn’t much difference; even the side effects are the same. There’s still a slight difference though. It seems Wild Goat Charge doesn’t require Charging up, you can just ram directly, but that’s about it. But thinking about it, there’s only so much variety in the combat techniques of beasts—clawing, headbutting, biting... The headbutt of a goat and that of a wild boar seem to have no significant difference indeed. The difference is that goats have higher bodies, so they generally like to hit the head of the enemy, while boars have lower bodies, so they usually hit the legs. Goats can stand on their hind legs to start ramming directly, while boars need to charge for a distance. But since the human stature is fixed, the effects when used, probably, would be the same—it’s all just as useless. Luckily, Mountain Climbing Step is somewhat useful. [Mountain Climbing Step (movement technique) Activation: Allows you to climb and move on steep cliffs. Side effect 1: Climbing consumes 1 additional point of Physical Strength per second. Side effect 2: Requires Concentration, if concentration is disrupted, you will fall off the cliff. Skill Introduction: A movement technique self-created by imitating the goat’s actions when climbing on rocks, which allows you to move flexibly by making use of tiny protrusions on the cliff. However, humans are not built the same way as goats, so there is a risk of making mistakes and falling when using it.] Well, it seems that the skills learned from beasts all come with side effects, not as easy and natural to use as the beasts themselves. Like this Mountain Climbing Step, which actually needs Concentration. That means you can’t fight while climbing, and any attack or eating will interrupt your concentration, possibly causing you to fall off the cliff. However, this skill could still be useful in some special terrains. After returning Big Horn to the pen, Xiao Jie walked around the village and finally arrived at the Hunter’s cabin. There was another skill Xiao Jie really wanted to learn, which was Sprint, but unfortunately, the useless Rou Qiu didn’t have it. However, Rou Qiu was a four-skill beast, so there should be something else to learn, right? Seeing Rou Qiu again, the creature had noticeably slimmed down, no longer the pudgy figure from before but appearing significantly more spirited and even somewhat imposing. Using Beast Recognition, Xiao Jie discovered that it had acquired a new skill, Beast Herd Leader LV1. It seems like it really became the leader of the dog pack. "How is it, enjoying your days as a Breeding Dog?" "Woof woof, so enjoyable, just a bit tiring, huff huff." Despite saying this, Rou Qiu didn’t seem to be complaining at all. "I want to learn a few skills from you. What can you teach me? Like, say, Beast Herd Leader or something?" "Woof, that won’t work. Becoming a Beast Herd Leader naturally comes with that skill; it can’t be learned." Xiao Jie felt some disappointment. It seemed that in the system’s judgement, humans didn’t count as wild beasts—otherwise, having an extra aura skill wouldn’t be too bad. "Woof woof, I can teach you Bark, Bite, and Tracking Technique." Xiao Jie’s spirit lifted upon hearing this—three skills, not bad. "Watch closely, old master—Woof woof woof!" [System Notification: Rou Qiu is imparting you with Combat Skills—[Bark].] As Xiao Jie glanced at the skill description, his eyelids twitched. Although he had expected it to be somewhat unreliable, he hadn’t anticipated it would be this bad. [Bark (Mystical Skill) Usage: Attract the attention of nearby enemies with frantic barking and possibly interrupt their Concentration state. Side effect: May cause NPCs’ favorability towards you to decrease. Skill Description: Mimic the barking of a hunting dog with unrestrained and noisy barking, disrupting the enemy with loud Dog Barks. It is a special skill that is hard to describe and might cause concern over your mental state.] Isn’t this just learning how to bark like a dog? Xiao Jie was at his wit’s end. But Rou Qiu, oblivious to Xiao Jie’s mood, earnestly said, "Old master, give it a try, I’ll check if you’re doing it right." Screw that! I’m not learning how to bark like a dog. "No need, I’ve learned it already." "That’s good, I also know Bite and Tracking Technique. Do you want to learn them?" Bite... Tracking Technique... Xiao Jie grit his teeth, "Learn." A free skill was not to be wasted. [System Notification: Rou Qiu is imparting you with Combat Skills—[Bite].] [System Notification: Rou Qiu is imparting you with Mystical Skills—[Tracking Technique].] Xiao Jie despondently looked at the newly learned skills. [Bite (Combat Skills) Usage: Bite the enemy in front of you to cause 5 points of damage per second (can only be used on nearby enemies), with a hit causing a secondary grappling effect on the target. Side effect: When an enemy breaks free, you may lose a tooth, and your Life Value upper limit permanently decreases by 1. Skill Description: Mimicking the combat technique where a hunting dog bites its prey, using your teeth to tear through the enemy’s flesh. Learning to use tools is the greatest distinction between humans and animals—perhaps humans exhibit atavistic traits occasionally.] [Tracking Technique (Mystical Skill) Usage: Determine the movement trajectory of nearby monsters by discerning their scents. Side effect: Due to your poor sense of smell, there’s a 50% chance of getting it wrong. Skill Description: Locating enemies by scent, the effectiveness of tracking depends on the sensitivity of your olfactory sense.] Rubbish... Xiao Jie was utterly at a loss for words. No matter, it must be because the beasts in Newbie Village are too feeble. Comforting himself, Xiao Jie thought that in the future, when he came across tigers, bears, leopards, and the like, he should be able to learn more impressive skills. If he encountered demon beasts or immortal beasts, perhaps, he might even learn magic skills. Looking at the time, it was already past five, and it was about to get dark. Having learned a bunch of skills, Xiao Jie decided not to linger and logged off.