Chapter 688: [Staccato / Echo]

"Ding!"

"Proficiency +1"

"[Staccato / Echo] lv3: (1/100)"

"Agility +1"

Translucent characters flashed before his eyes.

The inspiration he had accumulated finally underwent the qualitative change Xia Nan had long anticipated, arriving at the end of a highly intense, perfectly suited battle.

It had become a formal combat technique capable of appearing on his Attribute Panel—one possessing the true essence of a foundation for his professional advancement.

Before he even had time to examine it, Xia Nan felt a gentle, warm current surge from somewhere unknown. In an instant, it rippled through his entire body. It felt like bathing in a hot spring, a wave of comfortable relaxation washing over him from head to toe.

Going from "11" to "12" seemed like a mere one-point increase in attributes. In practice, however, the "reaction, balance, and nimbleness" represented by his Agility had shot up by a drastic margin.

With his newly enhanced base attributes alone, even without using the new combat technique, Xia Nan would no longer look so pathetic if he were to face the snake-man monster's torrential six-armed assault again. He might not instantly turn defeat into victory, but he would adapt much more easily from the start.

As his Agility was reinforced, the specific details regarding this combat technique named [Staccato / Echo] surfaced in Xia Nan's mind.

He knew his own limits. From the very beginning, when he was first inspired by the Barbarian Forgan and planned to create his own combat technique, Xia Nan had never expected to develop something on the level of [Gravity Control] or [Ember Echoes].

Given his accumulated knowledge, combat technique experience, and personal capabilities, attempting to independently develop a combat technique of that caliber was clearly unrealistic.

Xia Nan didn't have a clear plan for the specific type of custom combat technique at first, but his general direction was fairly set:

To perfect his already established combat style, to further enhance his prominent advantages, and to supplement his weaknesses.

And as it turned out, the final result of his efforts did exactly that.

It was different from the other combat techniques Xia Nan had mastered, whether learned under another's instruction or naturally acquired alongside his Class Level.

As a combat technique independently developed to suit his own practical abilities, [Staccato / Echo] was arguably something only he in the entire world possessed. It boasted an incredible degree of compatibility with his personal combat system, and its very form was noticeably unique.

This could easily be seen from its naming convention, which differed from other combat techniques.

The capabilities of the combat technique itself, exactly as its name suggested, were divided into two parts:

1. [Staccato]:

Instantly interrupts the caster's current action, clears the stiffness and any remaining backswing time of that action, and resets it to an initial transition state capable of executing any movement (no usage limit).

2. [Echo]:

After the caster completes a full attack action, they may choose to immediately execute [Echo], completely replicating the previous attack action while increasing its power to 1.25 times that of the original motion.

(3 uses / can be used consecutively / single charge takes 8 hours)

([Echo] is treated as an independent attack and calculates hit, block, and dodge effects separately)

([Echo] does not consume the resources of the original attack action, nor does it trigger any cooldown caused by the original attack action)

Without a doubt, the effects of this new combat technique had far exceeded Xia Nan's expectations!

It might look somewhat complicated on paper, but in practice, it was exceptionally simple to explain.

The first effect, [Staccato], was inspired by Zanfrey's earlier shield-stance combat technique. Its mechanics could be described in three words:

Cancel, reset, and loop.

Cancel meant aborting the action he was currently performing, regardless of whether he had just finished swinging his sword, had ended an attack and was stuck in a stiff backswing state, or was only halfway through a strike.

Next, reset.

This reset his original motion back to the state of free movement before the sword was even swung. Whether he launched his next strike, dodged, or parried was entirely up to him.

Finally, the loop.

Having no usage limit meant that as long as Xia Nan had enough stamina, he could apply [Staccato] to every single sword strike he made. This completely eliminated the backswing and stiffness between attacks, pushing his attack speed to the absolute limit and making his highly aggressive assault even more violent and swift.

If [Staccato] was still somewhat within expectations, the combat technique's second effect was entirely beyond Xia Nan's anticipation.

[Echo], going by its description, also seemed complicated.

But its essence was simply "copy and paste."

Just like the final sword strike Xia Nan had swung in the battle, [Echo] allowed him to launch two all-out strikes that practically overlapped at the exact same moment. This instantly shattered the snake-man's offensive, reversing the situation in a flash to secure an instant kill.

Most importantly, the strike copied and pasted by [Echo] didn't have its power diminished in the slightest—it was further enhanced.

The power of each replicated attack was 1.25 times that of the previous one, and it could even be continuously stacked.

This meant that if he encountered a special situation in the future and conditions permitted, Xia Nan could instantly unleash four consecutive sword strikes comprising an all-out attack combining [Spinning Slash], [Fang Hunt], [Heavy Tide], and [Gravity Etching], further boosted by [Layered Waves].

Under the empowerment of three consecutive 1.25 multipliers, the power of that final strike would practically double the already overwhelming force of his initial all-out blow.

With such an exaggerated burst of instantaneous damage, it was hard to imagine what kind of enemy could actually withstand it.

It also had to be remembered that while Xia Nan's current practical combat strength might be decent, his actual Class Level was still only lv4.

In the future, as his Class Level grew higher, his physical constitution gradually strengthened, and the number of combat techniques he mastered increased, the power of his so-called "all-out strike" would grow even more terrifying. When that happened, the bonuses granted by this combat technique would also multiply exponentially.

Furthermore, when using this combat technique, Xia Nan didn't even need to worry about skills with usage limits, like [Gravity Etching].

The description had already stated very clearly: "[Echo] attacks do not consume the resources of the original attack action."

The remaining usage count for [Gravity Etching] currently shown on his Attribute Panel proved this point.

This meant that if Xia Nan tacked on an [Echo] every time he used [Gravity Etching], then to some extent, the original 5 uses of [Gravity Etching] were effectively increased to 8, making it far more generous.

It was just a pity that [Ember Echoes] did not count as an "attack action" and could not trigger [Echo]. Otherwise, if even a Stage 2 explosive ability like that could be stacked twice or even multiple times, Xia Nan's combat strength would soar to truly absurd heights.

But even so, the successful development of the [Staccato / Echo] combat technique provided an absolutely massive boost to Xia Nan's practical combat ability—an upgrade arguably even greater than raising his Class Level another rank.

Suddenly remembering something, Xia Nan's attention returned to the panel prompts that had flashed by earlier, skimming over the translucent characters.

[Staccato / Echo] — lv3?

He couldn't help but feel a bit surprised, but a second later, he realized it made perfect sense.

After all, compared to the other combat techniques he had mastered, [Staccato / Echo] was something Xia Nan had genuinely built from the ground up—from a vague initial idea to gradually finding inspiration, and finally developing it himself through practical application.

The proficiency from lv1 to lv3 had actually been hidden throughout that entire development process; it simply hadn't manifested on the Attribute Panel.

Since it was a combat technique he had developed himself, starting at a higher proficiency level than those derived from others or the class system wasn't strange at all.

Drawing his attention back to reality, his gaze swept over the corpse of the snake-man monster in front of him.

Under the sunfire damage bonus of the [Green Pine] wooden sword, stacked with the two all-out strikes Xia Nan had unleashed nearly simultaneously, this monster—which had possessed terrifying regenerative abilities—was now dead beyond dead.

Its entire head and a small portion of its upper body had been completely obliterated by the combined effects of the sunfire and force field damage. Even though the fungal threads below were still spreading in an attempt to rebuild its form, without a brain as a core, they could only writhe powerlessly for a moment before slowly losing their vitality.

In the end, like worms that had finished feeding, they twisted and squirmed before melting back into the fungal carpet below, leaving nothing behind but a headless, heavily perforated snake-man husk.

Truth be told, the actual combat prowess of this six-armed snake-man monster far exceeded what ordinary adventurers could handle.

It had a powerful physique, horrifying regeneration bolstered by fungal threads, exaggerated attack speed and considerable proficiency with multiple weapons granted by its six arms, and even possessed a special ability akin to self-detonation.

If they were in the outside world, a normal Adventurer Squad like the "Shadow Crows," with an average Class Level around lv4, would end up entirely wiped out if they stubbornly chose to engage it in combat.

Xia Nan figured its Challenge Rating was much stronger than even the ordinary Shark Beasts they had previously encountered at Barracuda Bay. It was probably only slightly weaker than that final boss, the Bloodskin Shark Beast.

Even for himself, prior to acquiring this new combat technique, he would have needed to activate [Ember Echoes] just to defeat the creature head-on.

Now, comprehending [Staccato / Echo] had conveniently saved him a trump card.

His gains, of course, did not end there.

The [Hunting Arc] battle posture he had originally learned from seamlessly integrating [Spinning Slash] and [Fang Hunt] had now reached a deeper level of mastery with his acquisition of the [Staccato] technique.

Fast and slow strikes and the resetting of basic attacks had achieved a flawless union.

One could easily imagine how utterly miserable the experience would be for any enemy crossing swords with Xia Nan once he combined those two techniques in future battles.

Moreover—though not reflected on his Attribute Panel—thanks to the horrifying pressure of the six-armed snake-man's ferocious assault, Xia Nan's ability to chain different combat techniques together and control the rhythm of parrying and attacking in real combat had improved considerably, further fortifying his combat strength.

Of course, his losses were equally massive.

The Healing Potions he had consumed earlier were merely the most insignificant fraction of it.

When initially facing the six-armed snake-man's attacks, he hadn't fully adapted and had made many blunders while trying to parry and defend.

It was the [Scarlet Thorn] armor that had withstood those blows in his place.

Right now, although it was far from being completely ruined, it was heavily battered. Its surface was covered in every type of damage imaginable—blunt impacts, piercing strikes, and slashing gashes.

Setting aside whether Bloodcast Keep had a blacksmith skilled enough for the job, he reckoned that just the repair fees alone would be a massive expense by the time they returned to town.

Beyond that, what truly made Xia Nan's heart ache was the [Green Pine] wooden sword in his hand.

This rare blue-grade straight sword from the Snake Den Secret Realm had simply endured too much.

In a battle of such intensity requiring such high-frequency clashes, finding a window to swap weapons was incredibly difficult.

And Xia Nan had genuinely needed [Green Pine]'s sunfire damage bonus.

In combat, opportunities often appeared for only a fleeting instant; if he missed one, it was truly gone.

He couldn't wait until an opening to attack presented itself before quickly swapping out [Ember Fall] for [Green Pine]. Xia Nan's hands just weren't that fast.

Because of that, throughout the entire fight with the snake-man monster, he had exclusively used the wooden sword.

And precisely for that reason, during the final stages of close-quarters combat, [Green Pine] had been forced to violently clash and grind against the snake-man's numerous weapons over and over again.

Crossing blades, blocking, sliding parries—

Its hardness was already on the lower end among weapons of the same quality, so after round after round of such abuse, the wooden sword's surface was completely covered in all sorts of scratches and gouges.

Plus, due to [Green Pine]'s special otherworldly origins, the wood used to forge it likely couldn't even be found in this world. Even if Xia Nan wanted to repair it, he had no idea where to go.

He only felt an immense ache in his heart.

Fortunately, there were no obvious chips or cracks that would affect its usage, and its stats on the panel hadn't changed either.

Otherwise... even if this snake-man monster died ten more times, it wouldn't have been enough to compensate.

With the snake-beast dead, the blazing light that had wreathed [Green Pine]'s surface extinguished.

The dark brown ebony straight sword once again reverted to its simple, gentle appearance, leaving only a faint, searing heat in the surrounding air.

Taking a clean silk cloth from his belt pouch, Xia Nan carefully wiped the blade down several times. Only after finishing this temporary post-battle cleaning did he carefully sheathe the sword, planning to perform a proper, thorough maintenance routine once they returned to town.

He then shifted his feet and walked over to Zanfrey and the others at the edge of the battlefield.

"Mr. Xia Nan—"

The noble youth from the Shield of the Silver Lake family wore a complex expression, a trace of unconcealable shock still lingering faintly in his gaze.

Having witnessed the entire battle from start to finish, he had once again gained a visceral understanding of Xia Nan's true combat strength.

Even Winsor, whose disposition was usually cold and gloomy, could only stare at Xia Nan in temporary, speechless shock.

Xia Nan waved his hand, gesturing that there was no need for words.

He turned his attention to the guard, Ake. The man was slumped against the wall, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as his breath hitched weakly. Ake's eyes remained wide open, his gaze darting back and forth between Xia Nan and the snake-man's corpse behind him.

Stepping forward, Xia Nan extended his right hand, hovering it just above Ake's body.

A soft hum resonated as emerald light spilled from his palm.

It was the Lesser Healing spell from the [Tears of Spring Breath].

As it was only a 1st Circle Spell, its healing effects were limited. It couldn't cure the guard on the spot.

Still, it managed to stabilize Ake's breathing and prevented his injuries from worsening.

As long as they didn't encounter any more surprises, he should be able to hold on until they made it back to Bloodcast Keep.

Having stabilized the critically injured guard, Xia Nan signaled for Zanfrey and Winsor to clean and bandage their own wounds.

Xia Nan then turned back to the battlefield.

Considering the heavy toll this fight had taken, he needed to thoroughly scour the area for loot to make up for their losses.

Naturally, the most valuable prizes were the weapons previously wielded by the snake-man.

Its bodily materials had been infected by fungal threads, and Xia Nan didn't dare casually carry something like that around.

However, as he walked past the snake-man's corpse, his high Perception suddenly triggered. Something flashed in the corner of his eye, catching his attention.

"Hmm?"