—


    As Kieran estimated, by the time he wiped the Colossal Mother Worm’s body clean, his tradeskill underwent aplete overhaul.


    〈System: Your tradeskill ?Harvest? has improved to Intermediate-Apprentice. You have gained the Ability ?Auto-Loot?!〉


    Kieran was familiar with this ability, but it was only valuable if you held the role of Party Leader. Auto-Loot allowed the Party Leader to manipte the Loot Table and retrieve all loot at once. However, using this option revealed the collected loot to everyone in the party.


    This design naturally existed to thwart those treacherous Party Leaders who loved to withhold certain valuable drop information.


    After collecting and divvying up the loot, equally sharing 12.5% of the dropped coins between the remaining eight party members, the entire party returned to the caravan for a soothing seat.


    “We get to take a break, right? I’m beat! I need to rest. Also, did you bring anything to snack on? My Satiety Bar has fallen into the yellow,” Bastion asked. The thought of stocking his inventory with food slipped his mind.


    “Don’t worry. I’m prepared for this trip.” Ezra retrieved bread, dried jerky, and refreshing water from her inventory and distributed them.


    Kieran looked at Ezra with a slight grin as she bent down and handed him his portion. “How thoughtful of you. No wonder you’re the Guild Master of Eclipse.”


    “I’d been on a few hikes and other long journeys, so I understand the basic requirements of long trips. Besides, I can’t let you little cuties starve after working so hard.”


    Bastion and Nemean gulped while looking at each other in disbelief. Were they flirting right now?!


    “I hate my life,” Bastion whispered.


    “Me too,” Nemean agreed with a defeated grimace._.


    However, these two perked up when Ezra distributed their portion with a pleasant smile.


    “She’s like a motherly angel,” Bastion sighed with tears in his eyes while cradling the food.


    “She deserves the world,” Nemean choked and sniffled.


    ?[0)??? Kieran could only shake his head but revealed a genuine expression. ‘These guys…’


    Eventually, the small area was filled with subtle slurping and munching sounds. However, while the others minded their food, Ezra inched closer to Kieran on the ground.


    Alice noticed this action and squinted. ‘What is this minx up to?’


    “Aatrox,” Ezra called out, gaining his attention. After a short pause, she continued. “That training session—is it possible to do it in a little bit? We’ve dealt with the monsters, and I doubt they’ll respawn anytime soon.”


    “Training session?” Kieran fell into deep thought while brushing his finger past his lip. ‘It wouldn’t be a bad time considering we’re far ahead of schedule. While I don’t know how long the brigand eradication will take, it shouldn’t be more than a day or two.’


    “Please?” Ezra gave a pleading look that made Lux and Cam sputter. Since when did their headstrong Guild Master grow so docile? This was the first time they heard the word please escape those sensual lips.


    Kieran nced in her direction, his eyes sweeping up and down from her eyes to lips. Ultimately, he agreed, but it wasn’t a private training session as she expected.


    “I suppose I’ll teach you all something helpful. Well… aside from Cam, Sera and Alice. Your issues stem from Mana Flow, whereas these are bodily actions. Ah, I suppose you can also benefit from it, Lux.”


    “Me?” Lux pointed to his face in confusion.


    “Yes,” Kieran answered. “You may be a ranged fighter, but it wouldn’t hurt if you learned movement techniques.”


    Lux saw Kieran’s point and agreed to partake in the training session.


    ‘I probably shouldn’t do this, given my current condition. But…’


    Kieran looked at an item in his possession.


    「 Auto Technique Creation Scroll (Special Item)


    Item Rank: Special


    Item Level: N/A


    Item Usage: Instantly activates ?Technique Creation?, removing the need for countless repetitions. While this item is active, the user only needs to perform creation-triggering actions twice. However, the execution must be perfect.


    Description: A special item rewarded to the first yers to create an aspect. It seems to touch upon a legendary item’s basis. 」


    Once everyone rested for a while, Kieran ripped the Auto Technique Creation Scroll, activating its effects.


    〈System: ?Technique Creation? has been activated. Pleasemence the movements to record the Technique’s foundations.〉


    “This first move I’ll teach you is known as Surge Step. It has other names such as sh Step or Burst Step, but my application will be slightly different.”


    Kieran walked forward until he stood approximately 100 meters away from everyone else.


    Afterward, he closed his eyes and exhaled. He started his movement by using el Shift to rotate on an axis, but at the quickest point in his step, Kieran suddenly appeared 50 meters closer.


    Even Ezra, who was familiar with the concept of Burst Step, blinked. ‘I wasn’t mistaken. His Burst Step is abnormal, almost as if….’


    “Did you borrow the momentum of your first step?” Ezra suddenly asked.


    Kieran beamed and nodded as a result of Ezra’s acute realization. “Exactly. That’s why I said mine is a little different. Normal Burst Steps start from zero, but my mine grasps the quickest part of my movement and utilizes it.”


    “Incredible. Can you perform it again?” Ezra requested. This time, her expression was unusually focused as she didn’t dare blink or avert her gaze.


    Kieran repeated his actions, albeit slightly faster this time.


    〈System: ?Technique Creation? has registered a new Technique. Please name it to finalize the results.〉


    “Second Drive: Surge Step,” Kieran called it.


    「 Technique Name: Second Drive: Surge Step


    Grading: ★★


    Description: The user gains a 400% increase in movement speed for a quick linear step. If used in conjunction with ?First Drive: el Shift? the boost varies from 500 to 600%, depending on the perfection of execution.


    Consumption: Stamina and Focus 」


    ‘Neat. It’s considered a 2-star Technique just as I hoped,’ Kieran noted.


    Despite Kieran’s second demonstration, most of the party’s expression wasplex.


    “H-how did you think of such a thing? No! Where did you even learn that such a thing is possible?” Luna gulped.


    “Because I had an unusual experience with my ss. Initially, I believed it to be unthinkable, but you guys remember that fight against Rautori?”


    “How can I forget about it? It was insane! I still have dreams about it to this day,” Nemean eximed.


    “Turns out my character wasn’t the only thing affected. The power I drew upon directly affected my body, which is why I warned you all to be very careful. If you haven’t noticed, I haven’t activated that power since. I need to understand it further before I’m willing to use it again,” Kieran spoke truthfully without withholding his findings.


    It was their right as yers to know this crucial information.


    “That’s not all. I think I’ve experienced something simr already,” Nemean’s expression was solemn. “I logged out and performed some daily training. But, my movements were more refined. But, more importantly, I felt inclined to follow my ss’s striking pattern.”


    Kieran narrowed his eyes as he thought about Nemean’s experience. ‘This is normal. It’s why psionic weapons appeared in the first ce. Many people realized they grew more lethal than the average person.’


    “It’s safe to assume Zenith Online isn’t simple. Despite its difficulty, once knowledge of advancedbat training is revealed to the world, there will be an influx of professional fighters.”


    “How do you figure?” Ezra questioned.


    “It’s simple, really. If these fighters face a teau in the real world and learn of normal people growing so lethal they outss professional fighters by ying this game, what will be their response?” Kieran countered rather than directly answering.


    “Ah, I understand. They’ll turn to Zenith Online as their only alternative.”


    “Precisely. I just hope they don’t find themselves in a predicament that requires X-hancers,” Kieran said. It seemed X-hancers only circted through society’s upper echelon.


    And, as far as Kieran knew, the world’s entire upper echelon would soon pour into this game. This included individuals who previously held zero interest in games.


    Nevertheless, Kieran soon changed the subject. “Anyway, you all should practice this Technique. Once you master it, I’ll teach you another Technique.”


    Within minutes, the spacious area plunged into a scene of intense training. Everyone tried to grasp Kieran’s el Shift as it was the basis of learning his Surge Step.


    However, Ezra, who was skilled in Burst Stepping, fared better than the rest. She paid close attention to Kieran’s first piece of advice.


    ‘My hips…’ Ezra touched her wide hips as a shade of pink graced her cheeks. ‘If it weren’t for our situation, I’d think Aatrox wasplimenting me.’


    After clearing her thoughts, Ezra used her hips as the focal point of her movement.


    Finally, after attempting to el Shift hundreds of times, she aplished her first sessful el Shift, but it felt slower and unrefinedpared to Kieran’s movements.


    “You’re stuttering. Shifting is all about fluidity and envisioning where you’ll end up,” Kieran corrected.


    A few momentster, Ezra exhaled and executed another el Shift, but this time, she tried to add in a premature Surge Step, but her legs buckled, and she tumbled forth.


    However, just before hitting the ground, Kieran caught her waist and held her in ce.


    One thought flowed through Ezra’s mind as she stared into Kieran’s deep ck eyes with a hint of red coloring. ‘Strong…’