Chapter 497: Chapter 254: Night Mother’s Gaze
"The dream is over."
"Returning..."
Swoosh—
The stagnant space-time instantly returns to its original state.
Accompanied by the moist, bloody scent entering his nostrils, the thunderous sound of the storm resounds once more beside his ears.
Xia Nan half-lies on the ground, leaning against the tree trunk.
His pitch-black eyes stare straight ahead, gazing into the void.
He appears somewhat dazed.
It’s naturally due to the massive influx of memory images from the Dream Weaving Corridor, simulated in his mind.
From a real-world perspective, perhaps only a thousandth of a second has passed.
But for Xia Nan himself, it seems that in this instant, he has undergone the complete process from the encounter and acquaintance with the Winter Wolf "Kalosh" and the barbarian "Grom" to their eventual parting.
Of course, the memories of simple things like eating and sleeping, including the two years of Kalosh’s disappearance, are as fleeting and fuzzy as recalling a dream after waking.
Yet even the remaining "essence," compressed into less than a second, feels like hundreds of days of dense "substance" poured into his mind, enough to leave him mentally unfocused and lost in thought.
Throughout this entire process, he even forgets his own identity, briefly unaware of the dangerous situation he is currently in.
He truly becomes that exceptionally gifted barbarian master "Grom," in the howling wind and snow of Splitfang Highlands, hunting alongside the black wolf "Kalosh," and ultimately comprehending the combat skill called "Tooth Hunt" after a swift and decisive battle carefully orchestrated for a long time.
Xia Nan can clearly recall "his" every moment spent with Kalosh.
It stealthily lurks in the shadows, the way the power flows and accumulates; when leaping, the outline of muscles moving under the dark mane; and even while pacing, that rhythm seemingly imbued with some wondrous melody...
Even to the last battle in his memory, at the story’s end, amidst the flames of revenge, the fallen body of the Centipede Demon and the lightly landing figure of the black wolf.
Discovering the soul of the battle skill, "Tooth Hunt" finally takes form.
From its inception as just an idea to becoming a combat skill, Xia Nan undergoes a complete journey.
He thus understands it entirely.
Whether it’s the whimsical thoughts abandoned for being impractical, or some clever ideas meant to be part of the combat skill but temporarily set aside due to their high difficulty.
Success, failure, maturity, naiveté...
His understanding of "Tooth Hunt" is rising at an exaggerated pace.
Previously, it required countless practices, blending sweat with inspiration, to gradually transform it into visible skill level improvement.
Now, due to the "moment of revelation" kind of wondrous experience of this Dream Weaving Corridor, a significant boost occurs.
"Skill level +1"
"Skill level +1"
"Skill level +1"
"..."
The translucent information prompts visible only to him have not ceased refreshing since he entered the dream.
And at the moment the dream ends, a burst akin to the screen flood takes place.
"Skill level +48"
"’Tooth Hunt’ lv4 (100/100) → ’Tooth Hunt’ lv5 (MAX)"
"’Fallen Blade Hunting’ lv1 → ’Fallen Blade Hunting’ lv2"
"Strength +1, Agility +2"
"Specialty ’Night Mother’s Gaze’ unlocked"
...
"Night Mother’s Gaze"
Category: Specialty
Effect:
When you use "Tooth Hunt," the enemy must pass a will check (perception-oriented);
If the check fails, they enter a "Fear" state; if successful, they are briefly exempt until the next "Tooth Hunt" is unleashed.
Introduction:
Ancient memories from the creator of combat skills have subtly altered your "Tooth Hunt."
Note:
"Kalosh, ominous shadow, tears of the night solidified."
...
"Sizzle!"
Wrapped in bright red, the silver-white venom is forced out from the central wound in his chest, falling onto the grassland beside him, emitting a corrosive sound.
Fleshy tendrils wriggle and entangle, healing the wound at a visibly fast rate, the scabs fall off, revealing the smooth, scarless skin beneath.
Overflowing strength erupts from some unknown place within his body, surging through him like a spring.
Silently, his muscles become tougher, extraordinary explosive power far exceeding previous levels accumulates and brews within;
The world before his eyes seems to suddenly slow down, allowing him to even see each drop of rain’s falling trajectory in his view.
It’s the attribute points increase following the skill upgrade, resulting in a new, unparalleled perspective due to the "8" points boost in strength and "10" points in agility.
Boiling blood roars within his veins, unprecedented majestic power surges throughout his body.
The injuries completely heal.
Currently, Xia Nan is at the peak state he has ever achieved since coming to this world.
Slightly lowering his head, the oval-shaped silver-white metal Dream Weaving Corridor has disappeared.
Replacing it, a smooth, flawless silver ring snugly encircles his right ring finger, closely beside the index finger’s Dead Line.
After activation success, akin to the "manual recognition ceremony" of novels from his past life, the Dream Weaving Corridor automatically shifts from its cumbersome, slightly awkward, portable oval form into a ring accessory, resting on his finger.
His five fingers gently curl, the silver rings on his index and ring fingers reflect a faint light under the rain’s shroud.
"Clang!"
Not far ahead, a crisp sound of metal weapons fiercely clashing resonates.
His pitch-black eyes subtly shift, turning towards where a long sword of iron-gray is picked up from the muddy ground.
Hoo—
A soft wolf howl erupts, the surrounding rain momentarily stagnating, swiftly being propelled by airflow to form a gradually solidifying wolf head.
Yet compared to its previous fierce roar, this phantom now appears more reserved and composed, the wolf’s muzzle tightly shut, only its blurred eyes flicker amidst the sparkling rain, seemingly concealing all the murderous intent and energy within.