Chapter 381 Coin Collection, Dagger

The sudden, peculiar changes to his Attribute Panel took Xia Nan by surprise.

He had gone through a class path selection once before, right after reaching the Novice level in [Gravity Control] and meeting the promotion requirements for a Class Holder.

Because of that, he already knew his golden finger possessed this function on top of inspecting equipment and items.

In fact, back when he had felt lost about his class progression because finding compatible combat techniques was too difficult, he had even pinned his hopes on the panel, praying it would help him pick up a secondary class and advance just like it had before.

But he never expected it to happen so soon. He was only at Level 3, two entire levels away from maxing out [Meteor Blade Hunter] and fulfilling the secondary class requirement.

Yet the Attribute Panel had activated its search function early, listing out all the suitable secondary classes alongside their compatibility rates, core elements, and even their specific promotion requirements.

It certainly lived up to its identity as Xia Nan's "golden finger."

After all, no other Class Holder in this world could peer into their viable advancement routes at Level 3 and gradually tailor their growth toward them.

The vast majority of those without any background had to rely on classes like [Warrior] and [Rogue], which were relatively easier to advance in and possessed abundant combat technique resources. They would scrape by, cobbling together several entirely unrelated, unsystematic combat techniques to arduously reach Level 10, only to end up permanently stuck at the threshold of the Transcendent Tier.

If someone accidentally took on a niche class with a maximum cap of Level 5, much like Xia Nan had, their path upward would be completely blocked. They wouldn't even be able to find suitable combat techniques.

Even those who possessed resources and a solid background usually had a detailed plan for their future mapped out during their rookie phase, well before they ever became a Class Holder. They would dedicate themselves entirely to advancing toward one or two specific classes.

Very few ever enjoyed as many advancement options as Xia Nan.

This lifted a considerable weight off his chest. The anxiety he had felt over his murky future dissipated, replaced by a much stronger sense of security.

At the same time, looking at the five vastly different progression routes before him, a few questions bubbled up in his mind.

'These classes are compatible with... the current me, right?'

If he managed to master a few more combat techniques of varying styles on his journey from Level 3 to Level 5, or if he explored a few highly rewarding secret realms, or even obtained a high-tier combat technique of the same quality as [Gravity Control]...

Would the class options currently displayed on the Attribute Panel increase or decrease accordingly?

The Attribute Panel didn't possess a dialogue function, so naturally, it couldn't answer his question.

But based on his understanding of his "golden finger," the probability of that happening was likely much higher than he imagined.

That was a matter for the future, though.

For now, Xia Nan only needed to steadily follow the direction pointed out by the panel to smoothly break through the Level 5 limit of [Meteor Blade Hunter] and secure his new secondary class.

Among the choices, [Armor-Shattering Oathkeeper] and [Wind Roamer] both boasted compatibility rates above sixty percent. He already met almost all their promotion requirements, lacking only the necessary Class Level of Level 5.

They were essentially two extremely safe fallback options.

As long as his Class Level was high enough, Xia Nan could simply pick either of the two to complete his secondary class transition.

It was rather amusing when he thought about it. The requirements for these two classes might be considered harsh for ordinary Class Holders, but they suited him perfectly.

He figured the Attribute Panel had scanned through countless class paths and deliberately brought these two to the forefront.

One class required an armor destruction rate in combat higher than eighty-five percent of all Class Holders below Level 5 across the Aifala Continent.

He felt a bit embarrassed about it, but he could swear he usually took great care of his equipment, maintaining it every single day. The absurdly high intensity of his battles was the only reason his gear ended up shredded so often.

He hadn't expected to meet this class's requirement by a twist of fate.

As for [Wind Roamer], its requirement of accumulating fifty miles of movement distance during combat was something he could fulfill entirely thanks to [Fang Hunt].

Given his combat style—which prioritized high mobility, kiting, and skirmishing—the sheer amount of ground he covered in every fight was staggering.

It was a good thing his Constitution attribute was reasonably high. If it were any other adventurer, they probably would have collapsed from exhaustion after running two laps alongside a roaring wolf.

Although he didn't know the exact power levels of [Armor-Shattering Oathkeeper] and [Wind Roamer], judging by their names, their core guides, and their associated elements, they definitely wouldn't be weak. Their compatibility rates were impressively high, too.

Regardless of which one he ended up taking, either would be an acceptable choice.

As for the other three classes...

Coincidentally, all of them featured incredibly demanding requirements.

The second option, a special class guided primarily by [Bronze Sinews and Iron Bones] and the [Fate Coin], involved highly esoteric elements like [Destiny] and [Temperament].

Its prerequisites even demanded that the advancing candidate possess "Novice" level knowledge of Eastern mysticism, along with a fate-based combat technique.

Xia Nan hazarded a vague guess that this class functioned somewhat like a diviner with a certain degree of physical strength and defensive capability, though leaning more heavily toward the magic system.

He had to admit, even though he had transmigrated to another world, seeing vocabulary intrinsically tied to his past life's cultural background still made him lean slightly toward it.

'Maybe I should keep an eye out in the future and see if there are any avenues to learn a divination or fate-based combat technique?'

The origins of [Molten Steel Knight] were much clearer. Guided by [Ember Echoes] and [Ember Fall], it was undeniably a rare class derived from secret realm-related powers.

His mind couldn't help but recall the vision he'd seen when he first reached Novice in [Ember Echoes]: that ruined, desolate church, the extinguished sun, and the shattered knight.

If he really got the chance to take on the [Molten Steel Knight] class, its sheer power might actually exceed his expectations.

However, its prerequisites were even more baffling than those of the Eastern-themed class.

If his fulfilled "Eastern Mysticism Knowledge (Novice)" and "Death" requirements stemmed from his upbringing prior to his transmigration and the massive truck that had sent him to this world, respectively...

Then Xia Nan truly had no clue what the [Molten Steel Knight]'s additional requirement of "Igniting the Kindling" meant.

It absolutely couldn't mean literally starting a fire. He guessed that it might require him to do something with his "Ember" state while under the effects of [Ember Echoes].

But that was just a guess. Considering the thirty-day cooldown of [Ember Echoes]—though the special effect of the [Ember Fall] straight sword while in the Ember state had granted Xia Nan a cooldown reduction after killing the crystallized cleric, meaning the actual cooldown right now was just over twenty-eight days instead of a full thirty.

Trying to "Ignite the Kindling" using an opportunity that only came around once a month would likely just come down to luck.

Taking everything into account, even though its compatibility rate was slightly lower, as long as it was strong enough, Xia Nan wouldn't rule out choosing [Molten Steel Knight] as his secondary class.

Finally, there was his current top choice: the unknown class with a staggering compatibility rate of 117.96%.

To be honest, the moment he saw a compatibility rate exceeding one hundred percent on his Attribute Panel, his mind was already made up.

Strength was obviously important, but compatibility was an unavoidable factor to consider.

After all, the compatibility rate for [Meteor Blade Hunter] back then had only been 120%, and Xia Nan had deeply experienced just how overpowered that class was over his past few hundred days as an adventurer.

Not to mention, judging by the elements and core guides associated with this unknown class, there was no way it lacked strength.

It even had one more prerequisite for taking it as a secondary class compared to the others.

Aside from the Class Level requirement, he needed to raise [Gravity Control] to Level 2, slaughter a specific number of creatures, and finally, hold a large-scale ritual meant for intimidation.

Thanks to the selfless contributions of the goblins, Xia Nan had already met the required creature kill count.

The difficulty of gaining proficiency in [Gravity Control] was indeed a bit steep, but the promotion only demanded Level 2, nothing higher.

Once he found the encryption key for the [Dream Weaving Corridor] and stored up a bit more energy, he would eventually get the chance to level it up.

As for the only remaining difficulty, that large-scale intimidation ritual...

He had to admit, a few ideas were already brewing in his mind.

Of course, the specifics were still taking shape; he needed to wait until the conditions were ripe.

Regardless, his original plan remained unchanged. The trip to the Southern Archipelagos was still on.

Whether or not he could find the encryption key for the [Dream Weaving Corridor] was immensely important, both for his current self and his future post-transition self.

However, during the mission, Xia Nan also intended to start planning for his secondary class.

He didn't necessarily have to lock himself into grinding for one specific class.

While training as much as possible to increase his proficiency in [Gravity Control], he could also ask around for news regarding divination combat techniques on the way, while simultaneously searching for a chance to ignite the kindling.

Developing along three paths at once.

That way, once he raised his Class Level to Level 5 in the future, he was bound to meet the requirements for at least one of the three classes, right?

And even if his luck was truly rotten, he still had [Armor-Shattering Oathkeeper] and [Wind Roamer] as fallbacks to choose from.

Thinking this over, although his upcoming journey now involved a lot more tasks to juggle, Xia Nan didn't feel any pressure or burden whatsoever.

Instead, the clearly defined path forward left him feeling relieved, and the anticipation in his heart multiplied.

Dismissing the Attribute Panel floating in the empty air before him, Xia Nan looked around as if searching for something.

His gaze soon stopped at a spot on the floor ahead.

Taking a few steps forward, he carefully picked up the dropped [Fate Coin]. He pulled a piece of gauze from his waist pouch and patiently, meticulously wiped it clean.

Only then did he solemnly tuck it safely away against his body.

It was a pink-quality, ultra-rare item imbued with the divine power of Tymora, the Goddess of Luck.

Even though all three of its uses had been exhausted and it now seemed no different from an ordinary coin...

The sheer contribution it had made to Xia Nan's survival alone made it worth cherishing.

A total of three coin tosses.

The first time, it had plucked that fleeting Gravity Core straight out of the space-time turbulence, helping Xia Nan dispatch a powerful enemy while allowing him to evolve the "Gravity Compression" he'd learned from the Wild Mage Notebook into [Gravity Control]. This met the promotion condition, finally granting him a Class Level.

The second time, while facing two formidable, veteran Class Holders in a near-fatal trap, the luck brought by the coin allowed him to open the [Dream Weaving Corridor] for the first time. He maxed out [Fang Hunt], leveled up his Class Level, and even gained an extra feat on top of it all.

The third and final time, having deduced how the coin worked from his past experiences, Xia Nan exploited the mechanics of the [Fate Coin] to intentionally—or perhaps unintentionally—pull off an outrageous "Triple Miracle."

He triggered the physical damage immunity of [Bronze Sinews and Iron Bones] while using an orange he'd casually grabbed to seize a fleeting opportunity, completely killing his enemy, and then grasped the last possible moment to activate the [Dream Weaving Corridor] before the coin even hit the ground.

To a certain extent, the [Fate Coin] played a massive role in allowing him to make it this far.

Even if it truly had no further use, Xia Nan's personality meant he would never casually throw it away, let alone sell it using the "Goddess of Luck's" name.

Instead, he would keep it for himself as a collectible.

That way, once he retired in the future, occasionally glancing at this coin would remind him of everything he had been through.

After safely stowing the [Fate Coin], Xia Nan raised his right hand and slightly twisted the Silver Ring on his ring finger.

With the dream over, the one hundred and seventy-plus proficiency points had dragged [Gravity Etching] straight from Level 3 to maxed-out Level 5.

The [Dream Weaving Corridor]'s remaining energy of 9.27% had been drained alongside it, leaving behind a pitiful 0.12%.

He was already satisfied. For a combat technique of [Gravity Etching]'s caliber, taking less than ten percent energy to jump two whole proficiency levels was something Xia Nan couldn't possibly be unhappy with.

The only slight pity was that reaching the "Mastery" level in [Gravity Etching] didn't yield a special feat like [Spinning Slash] and [Fang Hunt] had.

But considering that a "feat" itself was far from a common occurrence for Class Holders in this world...

Many Transcendent Tier powerhouses with Class Levels above Level 10 probably didn't even have more useful feats than they could count on two hands.

Yet he was only at Level 3, and he had already accumulated seven feats.

With that in mind, the minor disappointment over [Gravity Etching] suddenly seemed much more acceptable.

What was more, if things went as he'd predicted, once he found the encryption key for the [Dream Weaving Corridor] and saved up a bit more energy, the combat technique itself might even have a chance to evolve further...

Thoughts flashed through Xia Nan's mind.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he turned and looked at the Goddess statue crafted entirely from pink crystal.

He walked up briskly, tapping the surface of the statue with the finger wearing the Silver Ring.

The stone felt slightly cool against his fingertip, but the familiar mechanical voice never rang out in his mind.

He looked up slightly, staring into the frozen eyes of the Goddess's stone sculpture.

The statue, which had been blooming with blinding light just moments before, had grown dim and lifeless following the cleric's death. It no longer possessed its previous dazzling brilliance.

Unwilling to give up, and just to be safe, Xia Nan walked over to Moin's corpse.

Stepping closer, he leaned down and touched the gemstone on his chest.

Still nothing.

He couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment.

But just then, a brownish object at the cleric's waist suddenly caught his eye.

—A small, wooden-hilted dagger wedged tightly into a leather sheath.