Chapter 380 lv3 - [Heavy Tide] - Alternate Branch Path

"Dream sequence ended."

"Returning..."

The warm ashes drifting through the air crumbled into fine dust and vanished. The crimson sparks, carrying an inexplicable sense of sorrow, faded as the flames wreathing his body finally died out.

The battle was over, and the sixty-second duration of [Ember Echoes] had reached its end.

The scorching heat radiating from the hilt of [Ember Fall] faded from his palm. The longsword's blade, previously wreathed in fire, settled into a cold, dark gray.

Xia Nan stood rooted in place, his dark eyes a little glazed as he digested the massive influx of information that had flooded his mind.

'It was actually Moin...'

Perhaps his previous experience activating the [Dream Weaving Corridor] had given him the wrong idea.

He had assumed he would embody the creator of [Gravity Etching] like last time, walking side by side with them through deep, buried historical memories to witness the complete creation of the combat technique.

But to his surprise, the owner of the dream he had just experienced was none other than the crystal-corrupted old priest he had defeated moments ago.

His mind drifted back to the messages the [Dream Weaving Corridor] had displayed before the dream began: "retrieval failed," "dream weaver associated entity detected," and "commencing replacement simulation."

A thoughtful expression surfaced on Xia Nan's face.

'Why did the record retrieval fail?'

Did the [Dream Weaving Corridor] truly fail to find any dream memories regarding [Gravity Etching]? Or did this combat technique lack any memorable stories because so few people had mastered it? Or was some invisible force blocking the process?

He had just killed Moin; was that their so-called "association"?

And how exactly had the [Dream Weaving Corridor] extracted such meticulous memories—down to the precise embroidery on the bishop's robes—from the old man's mind to form a dream for him to experience?

Countless questions swirled in Xia Nan's mind, making this piece of foreign technology feel even more mysterious.

Fortunately, he wasn't the type to obsess over dead ends. Since he couldn't figure it out, there was no point in wasting his mental energy.

Besides, compared to questions he could slowly ponder later, the massive amount of professional knowledge force-fed into his brain right after the dream was far more important.

How to manipulate force field energy for stronger explosive bursts, how to apply [Gravity Etching] more efficiently on objects of different types and sizes, five little tricks to increase the casting speed of [Gravity Etching]...

It might not have sparked a mutation capable of granting a special feat like his dream experience with [Fang Hunt], but without a doubt, this infusion of knowledge allowed him to master everything there was to know about [Gravity Etching] at an absurd speed.

Reflected in reality, this took the form of translucent text scrolling rapidly through Xia Nan's mind:

"Proficiency +1"

"Proficiency +1"

"Proficiency +1"

"..."

"Proficiency +171"

"[Gravity Etching] lv3 (29/100) -> [Gravity Etching] lv5 (Ma)"

"Perception +1, Strength +1, Agility +1"

"[Meteor Blade Hunter] lv2 -> [Meteor Blade Hunter] lv3"

"Combat technique [Heavy Tide] unlocked"

Elevating another combat technique's proficiency to the "Mastery" tier allowed Xia Nan to take another step forward on his path as a Class Holder, while simultaneously granting him a full three attribute points!

His body, which had been feeling somewhat weak and unaccustomed after losing the 33% overall boost from [Ember Echoes], suddenly swelled with vitality as if he had just downed a powerful tonic.

Going from 11 to 12, his already sharp Perception improved even further. He could clearly hear the sound of blood gushing from the corpse's wounds on the ground ahead, smell the faint scent of orange flesh buried deep within the thick stench of blood in the air, and even see the slight mist rising from the residual heat at the charred edges of the shattered Church doors in the distance.

The boost to 9 points of Strength made Xia Nan feel as if his full set of heavy metal armor had instantly grown lighter, and the [Ember Fall] straight sword gripped in his palm seemed to shed some weight as well.

His muscles didn't bulge; instead, they condensed slightly inward, becoming firmer and packed with explosive power. Even through his clothes, the smooth, streamlined contours of his musculature were clearly visible.

His Agility had also reached 11 points, bringing a massive surge in his reaction speed, balance, and nimbleness.

Three attribute points might not sound like much on paper.

But one had to remember that on the Aifala Continent, the average value for a single attribute of an ordinary person was only 5 points.

Every point of improvement beyond that was by no means a simple one-fifth increase; it was a comprehensive boost factoring in a multitude of practical elements, scaling far higher than a mere twenty percent.

If two people who were otherwise completely identical arm-wrestled—one with 6 points in Strength and the other with 5—the latter would very likely be utterly crushed in less than a second.

For Xia Nan, the simultaneous increase in Strength, Agility, and Perception meant an explosive jump in his actual combat prowess.

Even when using the fully leveled [Spinning Slash] and [Fang Hunt], the backing of a stronger physique allowed him to unleash far more devastating power than before.

At the same time, progressing from lv3 to lv5 completed the final qualitative transformation on the standard advancement path for [Gravity Etching]!

Not only did it gain a massive boost in casting speed, combat power, and manipulation precision, but its original usage limit of 3/3 was also raised to 5/5.

Its maximum capacity had increased by two direct charges!

Its recharge time was also drastically shortened, dropping from one charge every 6 hours to just 4 hours.

It could fully recharge in less than a day.

This practically turned [Gravity Etching]—a consumable combat technique previously treated as a minor trump card—into one of Xia Nan's standard combat methods.

Five consecutive casts. If an enemy could really tank five hits of Mastery-tier [Gravity Etching], then unless they possessed a specific resistance to force field damage, it simply meant there was a massive gap in strength between them and Xia Nan.

If his current self were to go back in time to face the crystallized Moin again, with just a little better planning, he might not have even needed to activate Stage 2 of [Ember Echoes].

He could have defeated him relying solely on his enhanced physique and the two extra charges of [Gravity Etching].

Furthermore, Xia Nan's [Meteor Blade Hunter] class advancing from lv2 to lv3 had hit a critical milestone in the professional path, just as he had guessed. It granted him a brand-new, powerful combat technique perfectly tailored to the class:

—[Heavy Tide]!

Although combat techniques lacked physical form and weren't natively supported by the Attribute Panel, Xia Nan used the information in his mind to mock up a decent approximation based on his own habits:

[Heavy Tide]

Type: Combat Technique (Active)

Description: Channels gravity to imbue your next strike with a "heavy" momentum, dealing considerable damage and interrupting enemies.

Specific Effects:

1. The damage of your next melee attack is increased by 25%—100% (depending on the amount of gravity applied).

2. During casting, the gravity you apply will naturally interrupt the enemy's current action (such as lightweight spellcasting or attack wind-ups).

3. Upon a successful hit, there is a probability of inflicting the "imbalanced" state on the enemy (Agility check).

First, it had to be emphasized.

[Heavy Tide] had no usage limits!

Unlike consumable combat techniques like [Gravity Etching], it didn't need to be used selectively based on the battlefield situation and the enemy's condition.

[Heavy Tide] was a standard combat technique that could be used regularly in battle, just like [Spinning Slash] and [Fang Hunt].

Though it lacked a unique stance and couldn't serve as the core of a combat style like the other two, its versatile effect of utilizing gravity to increase attack damage meant it could integrate almost perfectly into every aspect of combat.

Punching, kicking, slashing with a sword, or bashing with a shield—as long as it was close-quarters combat, Xia Nan could attach [Heavy Tide] to every single attack.

Under these circumstances, combining it with other combat techniques was entirely natural and incredibly easy.

And even more terrifyingly, Xia Nan suddenly realized that the several combat techniques he currently mastered seemed...

Capable of being linked together.

While in the [Ember Echoes] state, he could use [Gravity Control] to reduce his body weight to increase the casting speed of [Fang Hunt]. Leveraging the resulting bodily momentum, he could swing his longsword and unleash a [Spinning Slash] empowered by both [Heavy Tide] and [Gravity Etching].

A single sword strike could synthesize a full six combat techniques.

Achieving an absurd burst of power in an instant.

At this moment, Xia Nan also gained a vague but deeper understanding of the [Meteor Blade Hunter] class itself.

'Traversal, mobility, burst—no wonder those were the core elements.'

'So this is how it works.'

Different from the attack-enhancing combat techniques of other classes, [Heavy Tide] not only allowed for flexible damage scaling based on the strength of the applied gravity, but it also possessed two additional special effects that were highly characteristic of the class:

Interrupting enemy actions, and an "imbalanced" check upon a successful hit.

Neither was difficult to understand.

But as for exactly what kind of impact they would have in battle, Xia Nan still needed to test them in actual combat.

To be honest, he was already starting to look forward to the beautiful experience of smashing a [Heavy Tide]-empowered fist into those Green-Skinned Goblins.

The grueling and tense battle was finally over. The increase in his Class Level, the enhancement of his physique, and the acquisition of a new combat technique filled his heart with an indescribable sense of satisfaction and reward.

The lingering suppression he had felt ever since arriving in Sheep Horn Town eased considerably.

Flexing his wrist, he lightly raised the longsword. His cold, stern face reflected on the smooth, clear surface of the blade as Xia Nan summoned his complete Attribute Panel for the first time in a while:

[Name]: Xia Nan [Class]:

Meteor Blade Hunter lv3

[Attributes]:

Strength: 9 (Muscle strength, athletic training, and unlockable physical potential)

Agility: 11 (Reaction speed, balance, and nimbleness)

Constitution: 8 (Endurance and vitality)

Intelligence: 5 (Memory, logic, and cognitive ability)

Perception: 12 (Observation and insight, also representing coordination with the surrounding environment)

Charisma: 6 (Personality and presence)

[Feats]:

Slashing Expert, Bronze Sinews and Iron Bones, Light-Bathed One, Tidal Stabilization, Heart-Guided Vision, Gaze into the Abyss, Night Mother's Gaze [Skills]:

[Spinning Slash] lv5 (Ma), [Fang Hunt] lv5 (Ma), [Gravity Control] lv1 (27/100), [Gravity Etching] lv5 (Ma), [Ember Echoes] lv1 (32/100), [Heavy Tide] lv1 (1/100)

[Equipment/Items]:

Deathline, Ember Fall, Azure Pine, Fate Coin, Darkscale Coiled Guard, Bone-Bound Iron Greaves, Tears of Spring Breath, Dream Weaving Corridor, Purgatory Pulse. It had been over a year since he transmigrated.

Looking at the Attribute Panel before him, now packed with dense text, he couldn't help but recall how empty it had been when he first arrived in this world.

A strong sense of accomplishment swelled in Xia Nan's chest.

For every attribute point, every feat, every combat technique, and every piece of equipment on that panel, he could clearly state its origin and recall the memories tied to it.

Filled with emotion and a satisfying sense of enjoyment, Xia Nan briefly browsed through it and was just about to dismiss the Attribute Panel to clean up the battlefield.

His movements subconsciously paused.

In the empty space before his eyes, the translucent text that had been scrolling by after his level-up still hadn't stopped.

He could see streams of chaotic characters continuously flashing past.

'What does this mean? It's still not over?'

Xia Nan was puzzled but not impatient, simply standing in place and waiting.

About half a minute later, the chaotic stream of characters gradually stabilized, turning into text he could understand: "Ding!"

"Conditions met: 1. [Class Level] lv3; 2. [Class Level Cap] lv5;"

"Automatically retrieving alternate branch paths..."

"Retrieval complete!"

1. [Shattered Armor Oathkeeper]

Compatibility: 66.66%

Core Focus: [Spinning Slash], [Slashing Expert], [Heavy Tide]

Elements: [Lightweight], [Oathbreaker], [Unarmored]

Class Requirements:

1. Class Level lv5 — [Incomplete];

2. Among Class Holders at or below lv5, combat armor damage rate ≥ 85% (Region limit: Aifala Continent) — [Completed];

2. [*]

Compatibility: 32.5%

Core Focus: [Bronze Sinews and Iron Bones], [Gilded Gourd Dewdrop (Hidden)], [Fate Coin]

Elements: [Fate], [Dharma Body], [State of Mind]

Class Requirements:

1. Class Level lv5 — [Incomplete];

2. Eastern Occultism Knowledge (Novice) — [Completed];

3. A divination/numerology combat technique — [Incomplete];

3. [Wind Roamer]

Compatibility: 86.7%

Core Focus: [Fang Hunt], [Spinning Slash], [Tidal Stabilization]

Elements: [Wind Element], [Evasion], [Roaming]

Class Requirements:

1. Class Level lv5 — [Incomplete];

2. Combat movement distance ≥ 50 miles — [Completed];

4. [Molten Steel Knight]

Compatibility: 26.65%

Core Focus: [Ember Echoes], [Light-Bathed One], [Ember Fall]

Elements: [Desolation], [Salvation], [Ember]

Class Requirements:

1. Class Level lv5 — [Incomplete];

2. Ignite the kindling — [Incomplete];

3. Death — [Completed];

5. [*]

Compatibility: 117.96%

Core Focus: [Night Mother's Gaze], [Gaze into the Abyss], [Gravity Control], [Heart-Guided Vision], [Heavy Tide]

Elements: [Tyranny], [Fear], [Slaughter]

Class Requirements:

1. Class Level lv5 — [Incomplete];

2. [Gravity Control] lv2 — [Incomplete];

3. Number of living creatures killed (Challenge Rating no less than 1/4) ≥ 999 — [Completed];

4. A large-scale ritual for deterrence and intimidation — [Incomplete]