Chapter 390: Chapter 203: Advancement and an Unexpected Discovery

He glanced at the other person without any change in expression.

His breathing rhythm, however, subtly slowed down significantly.

“I wandered around the second floor twice, got held up for a while.”

“You’re still so young, why work so hard?” Sitting across the table, Cash picked up the conversation, “You should enjoy yourself; it’s alright to indulge a little.”

“I remember when I first earned my professional level, exaggerating a bit, I felt like I was walking with my eyes to the sky.”

“It was only after taking on a few tasks and encountering some situations that I calmed down.”

“With your current income, even if you only earn for three or four months a year, you could live quite comfortably holidaying in Neum the rest of the time.”

“If I had become a professional at your age, I’d be dying to…”

Filtering out Cash’s bragging in his mind, Xia Nan leaned back against his chair, pondering.

Over time, he could clearly feel a subtle change in how the two people treated him.

On the surface, they remained enthusiastic, just as before, even seeming closer due to his performance on tasks, as if they truly regarded him as a reliable teammate.

Yet in certain details, a sense of distance and wariness became apparent.

For instance, they never arranged for him to keep watch alone; each night, it was either Cash or Vireis accompanying him.

When traveling daily, even though he was always positioned last, neither of them stood directly ahead with their backs fully exposed to him, often having Mint in between or simply moving along the side of the team.

And all these changes seemingly started on the night he slew the Night Wolf Leader in front of everyone.

Xia Nan understood the reasons behind it all too well.

Perhaps they were secretly wary of him?

Admittedly, although he had teamed up with the Half Elf guard “Wood” before, it was for only a short period, and the so-called “professionals” left a lasting impression on the many low-level adventurers in the tavern.

Yet, spending all this time with the Sea Thorn Squad made him realize that under normal circumstances, “professionals” weren’t as strong as he had imagined.

With only the battle skills of [Vortex Slash] and [Teeth Hunting] reserved, much of his strength remained hidden, simply relying on his physical abilities to fight.

This already set him above average among low-level professionals in terms of strength.

Inwardly, he couldn’t help but marvel; so many specialties and attribute points on his panel were indeed not saved in vain.

He also realized once more that even among professionals with the same professional level, actual combat power varied due to differences in battle skill quality, equipment, and physical fitness.

And this disparity would only grow larger as professional levels increased.

From Level 1 to Level 10, there were only ten master-level battle skills, and he needed to choose wisely.

“You’re young and haven’t been on many long journeys, so you might not know.”

“Each region’s adventurer association not only has different categories of battle skills but also varies significantly in their decor and setup.”

At the table, they seemed to touch on Cash’s expert field.

He held a wine glass, brimming with enthusiasm.

“For instance, the association branch in River Valley Town uses oak from deep within the Mist Forest in its construction. Although there are shrubs and other green plants, the overall dark tone doesn’t make it very conspicuous, creating a mystical atmosphere of mist under a canopy of trees.”

“Meanwhile, the association in Suo Yu Bay has loads of fish specimens and coral decorations. The entire first basement floor is submerged in seawater, with one wall made of glass, giving a view of the passing fish and coral reefs.”

“I’ve been to a few branches near the Dark Territory too, with artificial cobwebs, fungi, skeleton specimens… hehe, it’s all quite interesting.”

“If you’re interested, it could be worth a trip to enjoy the scenery and experience it.”

Hearing this, Xia Nan couldn’t help but feel intrigued.

Since crossing into this world, it seemed he was constantly rushing, with unending tasks.

But in fact, he only bounced between River Valley Town and Neum.

Though he wasn’t much fond of traveling, having lived anew, if given the chance, he might seize a task requiring him to journey and explore outside, experiencing the local customs and traditions as a form of leisure.

“Tap, tap, tap.”

Slightly hurried footsteps sounded beside him, interrupting Xia Nan’s thoughts.

When he looked, he saw Mint jogging over to them.

In the deep winter season, she still wore that thin, plain, long robe, yet showed no signs of cold.

At least she was a genuine professional, with physical prowess stronger than the average person.

Any stout man pulled out from the tavern might actually have less strength than this seemingly frail, petite girl.

“Sorry, sorry.”

Mint apologized repeatedly.

“I stayed a little longer at the herbal medicine shop.”

She panted, the edge of her long robe stained with a bit of mud.

Xia Nan didn’t speak, shifting his chair to allow her to sit at the empty spot on the other side of the table.

His eyes naturally swept over her.

These days, Mint behaved just as usual, without any special traits.

She cast thorn spells in the rear during battles to support teammates and incapacitate the enemy;

After battles, she helped heal the wounds of a few in the team.

Controlling and healing, just these two tricks from start to finish.

She was definitely hiding something.

But everyone in the team was the same, so there wasn’t much to say about it.

Her origins, that piece of forest northwest of River Valley Town, and the so-called “Druid” mentor, were too distant to confirm.

There wasn’t any point worth doubting.

But precisely because of this, the more normal she appeared, the more her subtle nuances under his perception began to catch his attention.

However… it didn’t matter anymore.

Xia Nan shook his head slightly.

By now, regardless of what anyone’s thoughts or intentions were in the team.

All he awaited was the end of this task and to get the “Corpse Erosion Pattern Steel” as a reward, and everything else had nothing to do with him.

In the waiting interval, steamy mushroom soup was already brought over by the tavern attendant.

“All the preparations are done, right? We head out tomorrow morning.”

“We’ll be out for a relatively long time this trip, so prepare as many supplies as possible.”

Cash’s instructions echoed in his ears.

“The goal of this mission is to investigate the traces of beastmen in the eastern part of the forest, and we’ve discussed the detailed plan beforehand.”

“Before we depart today, let me remind you of a few points…”

Sitting at the table, Xia Nan focused, listening to the key points of the task being introduced.

The spoon in his hand absentmindedly stirred the soup in the bowl.

The slightly thick soup was decorated with green parsley leaves, which churned and rolled under the stir of the metal spoon.

Unmindful of his force, a small piece of brown mushroom flew out of the bowl and landed on the table.

Xia Nan returned to his senses, his dark eyes reflecting the table’s surface, with the mushroom slice encased in the sticky soup on top, frowning slightly.

As if sensing the gaze, he suddenly looked up.

He saw Mint beside him seemingly watching him.

Seeing him look over, that fair and delicate face first showed a hint of surprise, then quickly conformed to her role, bowing her head, moving her gaze away shyly to avoid making eye contact with Xia Nan.

Her previously flawless acting seemed to expose a fleeting flaw.

“What’s the matter? Is there something?”

He carefully recalled the change in her expression from just now and took the initiative to ask.

“No, nothing…”

Mint lowered her head, her lips moving as she replied softly.

Under the illumination of the light, her short, dark brown hair with a hint of green shimmered lightly, revealing her drop-shaped pale green earring.