Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 190 Upgrade Requirements and Job Change Needs

The catalog itself isn't particularly well-made, but judging from the revision dates marked on the cover, it seems to be frequently updated.

Opening the book cover, there was no preface or anything like that I had seen in my previous life. Instead, there were rows of text representing the categories of combat skills.

Combat Skills Catalog (Adventurers' Guild, Riverdale Branch)

1. Warriors…………(1-13)

2. Wandering Knights…………(13-21)

3. Barbarians…………(22-32)

4. The Mechanist…………(32-40)

……

12. Miscellaneous…………(132-197)

……

"Goodness, the table of contents alone is nearly two hundred pages long?"

Feeling the thickness of the book between his fingers, Xia Nan couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement, marveling at the profound heritage of the Adventurers' Guild.

If we're talking about a super-giant organization whose influence extends across the entire continent, the sheer depth revealed by this "Combat Techniques Catalog" already surpasses the combined strength of countless seemingly powerful small and medium-sized forces, right?

Moreover, you should know that the combat skills listed in the catalog are all genuine and can be learned, unlike those junk books sold in baskets where you might not find a single usable one out of hundreds of books available.

It is a precious path to advancement that countless adventurers at the bottom dream of, yet cannot obtain even after spending half their lives on it.

After going through countless twists and turns, inquiring about numerous sources, and searching through countless channels, I finally managed to gather the combat skills necessary for a professional, thanks to a bit of good luck.

At this moment, it was laid bare before him.

This left Xia Nan with an indescribable feeling.

Judging from the notes on the book cover, the association seems to be adding new combat techniques every year, keeping it updated.

The "Association River Valley Town Branch" specifically marked at the end of the catalog clearly indicates that even if the combat skills included by different adventurer associations in different regions across the continent overlap, there will definitely be differences in the specific number and content.

The catalog for the Misty Forest alone has over a hundred pages; if you add the combat skills from other areas...

"Tsk."

Xia Nan clicked his tongue, said nothing, and simply turned to the first page belonging to the "Warrior" class.

What comes into view are dense lines of small text:

[Iron Wall Support] - 170 points
[Disarmament] - 120 points
[Patience] - 100 points
[Spear Chain] - 140 points
[Powerful Strike] - 150 points
【…】

To put it simply, just from the perspective of the names, the combat skills listed in the catalog are completely different from the flashy fakes in the general store's junk bin.

It's simple and clear, and looks like something you can practice; it's quite practical.

The points required seem reasonable, not too excessive.

According to the bounty missions Xia Nanfang had just seen on the mission wall, even though he had just obtained his professional level and had only recently become a professional, he was still able to complete them.

If you want to accumulate enough points to exchange for a regular combat skill that costs 100 points, with a little effort, half a year should be enough.

And that’s just the next step.

Most importantly, compared to before, there is now a clear and defined path to advancement. Doing tasks is not just about earning coins; you know which direction to strive for.

but……

Xia Nan unfolded the book and looked at Jasmine, the blonde girl who stood quietly beside him, not daring to disturb him.

Pointing to the scoring criteria following each combat skill, he asked the other party:
"Why isn't there a standard for the points required to exchange for these combat skills?"

Is it because their strengths are different?

Even on the page he's currently turned to, the exchange points for the listed combat skills have subtle differences.

The points range from a minimum of 100 to a maximum of 180.

This left Xia Nan puzzled.

Jasmine paused for a moment after thinking about it before nodding hesitantly.

"The pricing of the points required for combat skills is determined annually by the association through discussions among professionals."

"We mainly consider a variety of factors, including the learning threshold of the combat skills themselves, their growth potential, the difficulty of countering them, and the cost of the actions."

"Under normal circumstances, the fluctuation of fifty points is not particularly related to the strength of the combat skill."

"It all depends on how well the user adapts to the exchange."

"But if it's this kind of..."

As she spoke, Jasmine stepped forward and turned two pages of the table of contents for Xia Nan.

Tap lightly with your fingertips.

[Rock Blade Entangling Shot] - 500 points
"The type of combat skill that requires significantly more points than other combat skills should also have a corresponding increase in strength or practicality."

Hearing what the other party said, Xia Nan understood.

Simply put, the combat skills in the association that are similarly priced are also roughly the same in strength. How much they can be effectively utilized depends entirely on the user.

But if it's three or four times more expensive, or even if the exchange price has an extra zero, then regardless of the specific type of combat skill, it definitely has something special about it.

He couldn't help but think of the combat skills he possessed.

Leaving aside the [Whirlwind Slash] for now, the [Fang Hunt] should at least be in the 500-point range.

After all, it is really easy to use.

The speed and mobility it brings have almost directly laid the foundation for his gradually taking shape fighting style.

As for [gravity control]...

He couldn't say.

In any case, unless someone is a saint, they probably wouldn't put this level of combat skill on a list for people to exchange and learn.

"There's one more thing." Xia Nan flipped directly to the last page of the catalog. "What does this so-called 'miscellaneous' section mean?"

"Are all the combat techniques inside unclassified?"

Jasmine was clearly prepared for these fairly standard questions and answered them quite fluently.

"That's partly true."

"You should have heard before that there are almost as many combat techniques circulating on the mainland as there are leaves in the misty forest."

"Among these, although there are quite a few combat skills belonging to basic professions such as 'warrior' and 'rogue,' there are still a large number that we cannot identify as specific, or that are simply branches of a niche or unpopular profession."

"Therefore, they are all categorized under 'Miscellaneous' and made available for adventurers to exchange if needed."

As she spoke, Jasmine cautiously added a reminder:
“Mr. Xia Nan, I… uh, the association suggests that if you are not entirely sure and your points are not plentiful, please carefully consider when exchanging for combat skills under the ‘Miscellaneous’ category.”

"After all, there are many combat skills inside, which you can't use just by redeeming them. Some may even have prerequisites or class restrictions, which may waste your precious points."

Xia Nan nodded in understanding. He thought to himself that if his [Gravity Etching] was also included in the association, it would most likely be classified as "Miscellaneous".

Then he suddenly recalled the energy fluctuations and guidance methods when [Gravity Etching] was performed.

I'm guessing that [Gravity Control] is most likely the core prerequisite for this class's companion combat skill.

Even if someone does manage to master the training method for "gravitational etching" through some means, without the ability to manipulate and influence "gravity," they most likely won't be able to train anything significant.

My thoughts gradually extended along this idea, and my mind processed the information given by Jasmine.

Suddenly realizing something was amiss, Xia Nan frowned slightly, closed the catalog in his hand, and asked the other party:
"Let's make a hypothetical scenario: if my profession is 'Monk,' but I somehow learn a combat skill belonging to the 'Ranger' profession, what would be the impact?"

"Or is it simply impossible to learn it?"

That's a bit beyond the scope of the curriculum.

Although Jasmine was a receptionist who had received professional training from the association and had served several professionals... at least the new professionals she had encountered often only asked a few basic questions before being tempted by the various items on the second floor and hurriedly accepting tasks and making preparations.

Such details are rarely asked.

In an instant, the expression that had just relaxed slightly because of the fluent answer tensed up again.

"Please, please wait a moment..."

He then pulled the booklet out of his pocket and hurriedly flipped through it.

Just then, a kind, mature male voice suddenly came from not far away.

"You can learn combat skills from other professions, but the training progress will be very slow, and in most cases, they are not very useful."

Turning his head, Xia Nan looked in the direction from which the sound came.

What came into view was a middle-aged man with a muscular build, dressed in scale armor.

His short, dark brown hair lay flat against his scalp, with extremely thick roots resembling insect legs; his skin was a bronze color from long-term exposure to sunlight and sea breeze; and his calf muscles were exceptionally well-developed, making his pants look taut.

He wore an inconspicuous brass earring on his left ear, which only occasionally reflected a few glimmers of light under the lamplight when the angle was right; a sharp spear made of bluish-gray rock was slung diagonally behind him.

What's most striking is the man's unusual tattoo, which extends upwards from deep within his collar, covering half of his face.

The tattoos themselves aren't particularly exquisite, but the patterns that resemble overlapping waves, gales, and seashells create a strange and exotic beauty.

With a perception far beyond that of ordinary people, Xia Nan instinctively noticed all sorts of details the moment he saw the other person's figure.

If this information he had collected were given to a learned professor or an adventurer with extensive travel experience, they would probably be able to immediately determine the other party's origin, identity, background, and even their clan status and specific surname.

But for Xia Nan, who had spent a long time in the tavern enduring the verbal bombardment of adventurers, the deepest knowledge he possessed about this world was the insulting and derogatory terms used by various races and the swear words spoken in different languages.

All he could analyze was that the man in front of him was a skilled and experienced adventurer from the eastern or southern coast, who had probably been a sailor for a period of time, or was simply a fisherman.

The man nodded to Xia Nan, who was looking over, and offered to answer his questions:

"After you obtain a professional rank, there are no restrictions on the combat skills you can learn. You can learn them before, and you can learn them now."

“However, there is one thing.” He raised his index finger towards Xia Nan, vaguely revealing the rough calluses at the base of his finger and the web of his hand.

"Training in combat skills that are not part of your chosen profession will be very inefficient, and it will only waste time and energy when it comes to later upgrades and job changes, which is not worth it."

"Therefore, unless it is a special plan required for changing jobs, few people will learn combat skills outside of their own profession."

Upgrade? Change job?
Catching the key words in the other person's words, Xia Nan's eyes lit up. He didn't care that they had only just met and hadn't even exchanged names, and politely said:
"Could we discuss this in more detail?"

The man, just as before, was exceptionally friendly and didn't refuse, temporarily taking over Jasmine's task and explaining it to Xia Nan:
"After successfully securing a job, how can I advance my professional level?"

There is one and only one way.

"Train and improve the combat skills of your profession to the 'Master' level."

"For each combat skill you master, your class level will increase by one."

"As for how to change jobs, and the specific direction of the job change..."

"Actually, there is no fundamental difference between this and becoming a professional."

"It's determined by combat skills!"

"Taking 'Warrior' as an example, from lv1 to lv10, it means that including the one you previously used as a condition for advancement, you need a total of 10 'Mastery' level combat skills."

"And the specific type of these 10 combat skills will determine your advanced class after you change jobs."

"Therefore, many adventurers with connections and backgrounds often plan their career paths before they even advance in rank."

"With a goal of becoming a powerful advanced profession, I have planned out which combat skills I need to learn in the future, step by step."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but grin.

"Of course, you can just listen to these words without really understanding them."

“For low-level workers like us, it’s good enough if we can live to retirement. Level 10, extraordinary professions… are still too far away.”

The man smiled and stepped forward, extending his hand to Xia Nan.

“Kash, captain of the ‘Seathorn’ adventure team.”

The other party helped him solve the problem he was most concerned about at the moment, so there was no reason for him to neglect them.

Xia Nan stood up.

A handshake and introductions.

"Hello, Xia Nan."

He noticed the other person's gaze sweeping over his thin shirt and the two long swords behind him.

The man named "Kash" still wore that gentle smile.

"Grey Sword? I've heard of him in the tavern. I thought he was an old guy like me. I didn't expect him to be so young."

Feeling slightly embarrassed when someone calls out your nickname to your face, you maintain a calm demeanor and express your gratitude.

Seemingly quite busy, after only a few brief pleasantries, Cash expressed his intention to leave.

"My teammates are still waiting for me at the tavern, so I'll talk to them later."

"Let's work together in the future if there's an opportunity."

After saying that, he carried his bluish-gray stone spear on his back and walked towards the stairs leading to the hall below.

Looking around, Xia Nan pondered for a moment, then bid farewell to Jasmine beside him:
"Thank you for your hospitality today. I just returned to River Valley and I still have many things to take care of."

"I might have to come and bother you again in a couple of days, once everything is mostly sorted out."

"It's alright, just call me anytime. It's my pleasure to serve you," Jasmine said warmly.

What Xia Nan said wasn't a lie.

Currently, we have information about the second floor of the association, as well as information about promotion and job changes.

He needed to go back and carefully process the intelligence he had gathered today, deal with the loot, crystals, and the enchanted equipment he had commissioned to be crafted at the "Rockhammer" blacksmith shop, before making any further plans.

(End of this chapter)