Even though it was the child’s first time using such an exotic weapon, there was no sense of unfamiliarity.
This was because elven swordsmanship was inherently meant to be executed with such a weapon.
This blade ring, according to Bofis, seemed to be called a ’Ring Blade’.
From its appearance, it looked somewhat like a hula hoop with blades on the sides, a handle on the back, and an opening at the front. Because it was circular, it could easily parry and deflect an enemy’s attacks. With skilled technique, it could even hook the enemy’s weapon with the inner blood groove and disarm them.
The edges on both sides were sturdy for parrying, while the inner edge was sharper and more delicate. If one approached an enemy from behind, they could slip the enemy’s neck through the opening at the front and, with a strong right hand and a kick, decapitate them.
—Without a doubt, this was a weapon that severely tested both comprehensive attributes and proficiency.
One needed sufficient strength to realize its parrying capabilities, to make use of the weapon’s characteristics for disarmament, or to sever the enemy’s limbs or head; and enough agility to keep it deftly spinning, and to accurately grasp its handle rather than its blade as it rotated... and because of its unique construction, it was also more tiring to use than a normal weighted sword.
It was obviously a weapon suitable for Transcendents who had evenly distributed points.
But due to its high requirements for attributes, under the same strength conditions, it was much stronger than normal swords.
After all, it made full use of the three attribute systems...
However, this was much more handy than that foil.
With such a ring blade in hand, perhaps I could join in close combat myself.
...After getting out of the nightmare, I should ask Annan to forge such a weapon for me.
The child had this thought emerge in his mind.
His hands continued to move even as his mind wandered.
He lifted the ring blade, flexing his fingers forcefully.
The ring blade in his hand began to spin rapidly in the air with a whirring sound—
In front of him, the surface of a tree nearly two meters in diameter was quickly entwined with dark green, pliable vines. In less than two seconds, the vines had wrapped around the tree in layers, even binding the branches inward with creaking wooden noises.
At the same time, the child felt very clearly that the mysterious power within him was rapidly depleting. The overall efficiency was as if he was using more than three Vine Strike Techniques at the same time.
...Why is it so efficient?
Even the child was startled.
But he quickly realized—if the ring blade was the designated weapon for a Jungle Walker, then the vertical or horizontal ’swinging’ required by techniques like the "Vine Strike Technique" should be accomplished with the ring blade.
Every rotation was equivalent to two or three vertical sword swings.
An idea suddenly flashed through the child’s mind:
If, during an encounter with Jude, I had a ring blade in hand instead of a foil, I might hold out for a longer time...
...Of course, it’s also possible that my stamina would drain even faster.
"That’s enough, Julian."
The woman nodded with satisfaction, "It looks like you haven’t been idle."
Then she glared at Bofis, "You’re the one always slacking off!"
Bofis protested in a low voice, feeling wronged.
This scene felt very familiar to the child.
Will there come a day when I can be someone else’s child too...
After casually admonishing Bofis, the woman turned to the child and said, "Julian, you have mastered the Rock Strike Technique, Water Strike Technique, and Vine Strike Technique, right?
"Then it’s time to teach you the next phase of swordsmanship. You must become a Wind Dancer after you step into the position of Condensation... Start by trying to connect with the power of the atmosphere.
"This is my original Extended Swordsmanship—[Sky Strike Technique]."
"—Fantastic, this guy..."
Annan, who was on his way, was infected by the child’s awkwardness and couldn’t help but hiss several times while watching the live broadcast.
This guy... is really something.
Even though the child’s live stream on the forum was cut off after entering the nightmare, Annan could still directly see the child’s situation from the backend.
And then Annan was shocked.
When the child talked to Bofis, the topics he brought up made Annan’s scalp tingle.
After playing the weather conversation card, he added, "Do you have a favorite kind of weather?" followed by "What did you eat this morning?" and "Do you have anything you like?" and then abruptly switched to "Have you heard of the Frostspeaker?"
Annan thought he was interrogating her.
It was that kind of interrogation technique where a bunch of questions are asked before suddenly dropping a core question.
"...This is beyond the level of a virgin, right? Could he be suffering from social anxiety or gynophobia?"
But why aren’t you nervous when talking to Bofis’s mother?
Are you actually just craving for Bofis’s body?
Or do you think her mother isn’t attractive?
Compared to him, Miss Bofis is as gentle as an angel.
Facing these nearly provocative weird topics, she didn’t get angry but instead tried hard to find topics to avoid making the child feel too embarrassed...
Although this gentleness was not meant for the child but for "Julian" he was pretending to be... it still showed she was indeed a good kid.
"In that case, it’s indeed possible to guide Xitan Pulan to learn the ’Dance Partner of the Throat of Death’ Divine Art," Annan mused and nodded.
It wasn’t for any other reason.
Bofis should be able to bring the method of transitioning to the silver-rank profession that allows one to freely fly by stepping on the void, the ’Wind Dancer’.
This would provide other players with more options for advancement.
Is this the ancient version of ’Wind Walker’?
Or is it still the same profession, just with its name changed due to the different eras?
On the other hand, Defu and the four Mahjong tiles finally entered the Fog Gate.
Like Xitan Pulan, they didn’t enter the nightmare but successfully arrived inside the ruins.
But then, a strange situation occurred with Defu...
Defu lifted a paw and scratched vaguely at the void.
She clearly saw a huge young girl sitting beside her, sniffing close to her, then licked her forehead.
On the side, the four Mahjong tiles looked over in confusion, "Defu, what are you...?"
Before he could finish, "Defu" suddenly stood up from the ground, sniffing close to his chest.
This overly intimate action silenced the four Mahjong tiles instantly.
He tried to gently push "Defu" away but was bitten on the hand by "Defu."
Four Mahjong tiles: ???
"Meow—" Defu shouted loudly, grabbing at the four Mahjong tiles, then started frantically mentioning the four Mahjong tiles in the forum.
It took a while before the four Mahjong tiles finally realized someone was mentioning him.
"—Help, I’ve swapped bodies with a cat!"
Defu loudly complained, "Is this a bug? It’s got to be a bug! How do we switch back?"
After passing through the Fog Gate, Defu didn’t know if she triggered some strange condition.
After a strong dizzying feeling, she unexpectedly swapped bodies with her animal companion—the jungle cat she named "Chocolate."