Chapter 635 [Endtime Reverse Scale]

The [Proof of Diligence] was one of the most important pieces of equipment Xia Nan carried.

In a way, it was arguably his greatest reward from the trip to the Southern Archipelagos—second only to the [Dream Weaving Corridor] key, and edging out even the [Fate Glimmer] die.

After all, the special effects attached to this equipment belonged to one of the rarest categories in the world.

Even if it offered nothing else—if it were just a basic, statless bracelet—its two core effects, "+33% training efficiency" and "wearer enters a highly focused state more easily during training," would fetch an astronomical price at any auction house on the Aifala Continent. And that didn't even factor in its ability to effectively reduce physical fatigue during training and accelerate physical recovery.

Most importantly, the [Proof of Diligence] was a growth-type piece of equipment.

The bracelet featured nine slots designed to hold special matching charms.

If all nine slots had been empty when Xia Nan purchased the [Proof of Diligence] from that collector, he might not have thought much of it. He certainly wouldn't have made hunting down the charms a long-term goal, nor would the equipment have ranked so high in importance.

But as fate would have it, when he bought the piece, one of the slots already held a small, teardrop-shaped charm called the [Dust of Swaying Shadows].

And its effect—

+50% finesse-type combat technique proficiency acquisition speed.

There was nothing more to say. The number "50%" spoke for itself.

The exaggerated power of that effect was later proven by [Heavy Tide], which he had trained from Novice all the way to max-level Mastery in just a few short months under its boost.

Right now, this was the first time Xia Nan had ever felt a warm current actively surging from the [Proof of Diligence].

But he was no fool.

Even purely on intuition, factoring in the eight empty slots remaining on the [Proof of Diligence], he could easily guess the reason for the bracelet's abnormal reaction.

The facts proved him right.

Under the effect of his sharp Perception, it took only a few short seconds to locate the source triggering the [Proof of Diligence].

It was an odd-looking necklace draped over a crude neck mannequin, carefully carried into the room by a Bloodcast Keep garrison soldier.

Its style was wild and unconstrained.

The main body of the necklace was a black cord braided from some unknown, slender material. The craftsmanship was rough, yet the cord felt exceptionally tough, almost like iron wire.

But the most eye-catching feature was the dense cluster of unique trophies dangling from its lower edge, clinking softly as they swayed and collided.

Intact canine teeth from adult gray wolves, oxidized carved copper beads of unknown origin, irregularly shaped shards of broken bone, pitted and dented metal rings, heavily worn, strange silver coins—

As Xia Nan's attention fell on the necklace, its Attribute Panel materialized before his eyes.

[Howling Bone's Chain of Conquest]

Type: Necklace Grade: Common (White)

Effects:

1. The wearer gains advantage on Charisma checks when communicating with barbarians;

2. When the wearer possesses at least a one-quarter barbarian bloodline:

2-1. +5% health recovery speed;

2-2. Using roar-type combat techniques has a chance to stun the enemy (Perception check).

Description:

Howling Bone loved collecting trophies left behind by his defeated enemies. Evidently, his skills in equipment crafting paled in comparison to his outstanding combat talent.

Note: "Look closely!"

— Chief Appraiser of the Rock Gold Royal Auction House · Eye of Truesight · Siman. It was a perfectly ordinary necklace.

Its design was somewhat unique, but it didn't suit Xia Nan's aesthetic tastes.

Its effects were even more abysmal, ranking solidly in the lower-middle tier even among common white-grade equipment.

Barring exceptional circumstances, the advantage on Charisma checks when communicating with barbarians was basically useless.

Unlocking the remaining two effects required a barbarian lineage, or at the very least, mixed blood.

Normally, given Xia Nan's current wealth, he wouldn't spare a second glance at a necklace of this tier. It was entirely outside his considerations, sparking zero desire to purchase.

But right now, the situation was a bit different.

He stood perfectly still, his pitch-black eyes fixed on the barbarian necklace. His gaze swept carefully over the dense cluster of trophies dangling in the center, sensing the shifting warmth from the [Proof of Diligence] on his wrist like a radar.

Suddenly, his gaze snagged on something.

"Found you."

His attention firmly locked onto a dark red scale.

It was roughly the same size as the [Dust of Swaying Shadows] currently dangling from his bracelet—about the size of a fingernail.

The scale had a fine yet unpolished texture, its surface etched with faint, slender, curved striations. Its color was a gradient: the rounded base was the brownish-red of dried blood, slowly lightening toward the tip and culminating in an inexplicably striking scarlet at the very peak.

For the most part, the red scale remained dim and lusterless. Only on the rarest occasions, when the sunlight caught it at just the right angle, would a fleeting, faint scarlet gleam flash across its surface.

As he focused his attention, another line of translucent text popped up, hovering over the [Chain of Conquest]'s Attribute Panel.

[Endtime Reverse Scale]: +50% extreme-state combat technique proficiency acquisition speed

'Extreme-state combat technique?'

Xia Nan pondered to himself.

Taking it literally, the "extreme" in "extreme-state" likely meant extreme or final, while "state" referred to a situation or circumstance.

'Put together, does "extreme-state" mean an extreme situation?'

Recalling his current arsenal of abilities, an idea already began to take shape.

'If I'm really reading this literally, perhaps—[Ember Echoes] falls exactly into this category?'

After all, the prerequisite for using that combat technique was being gravely wounded and on the verge of death. It perfectly matched his understanding of an "extreme situation."

At this thought, Xia Nan's expression remained perfectly neutral, but his emotions surged instantly.

'Is this for real? A 50% boost to the leveling speed of [Ember Echoes]!?'

The proficiency acquisition for this high-quality combat technique was agonizingly slow—only slightly better than [Gravity Control]—making it one of the slowest to level up out of his entire repertoire.

Despite the long time that had passed since he first reached Novice back in Rivervale Town, it was still only at Iv3.

If the [Proof of Diligence] could accelerate that grind—given the quality tier of this combat technique, once he leveled it up to Mastery, the attribute point bonuses were guaranteed. On top of that, it was highly likely to grant him an additional, related Feat!

Furthermore, if his self-developed combat techniques ever stalled out, relying on [Ember Echoes] to push his Class Level up to Iv5 and unlock the cross-classing process was a completely viable fallback.

Even in the worst-case scenario—if [Ember Echoes] didn't actually count as an "extreme-state combat technique"—the charm's base effect would still exist. Who was to say he wouldn't learn a combat technique that matched it in the future?

'Even if I have to drain all ten thousand-plus gold coins I have on me, I have to get this!'

His decision made, Xia Nan rehearsed his words, maintained a perfectly level expression, and strode toward the young officer directing the soldiers with the cargo up ahead.