Chapter 31: Longing

It has been nearly a week since Li Si acquired the "Master of All Weapons" fighter class feat. This time has been incredibly fulfilling for him. Joining the Yael Adventuring Party was an unexpected turn of events, but Li Si has seized the opportunity to learn and train diligently. After all, it would be foolish not to take advantage of the chance to "leech" skills from his teammates for free.

He has gained many practical skills from Yael and Arsen, such as Charge, Soul-Shattering Strike, Hamstring, and Thunder Clap. From Lombos, he learned essential survival skills like Stand Fast, Shield Wall, Iron Armor, and Stamina Enhancement. He even managed to acquire the Iron Dwarf racial skill, Stoneform.

[Stoneform: When activated, grants immunity to bleed, poison, and disease effects, and increases armor value by 10%. Lasts 8 seconds, with a 3-minute cooldown.]

As for Elena, after getting to know Li Si and realizing he was not one of those disgusting nobles who keep elves as pets, their relationship improved significantly. At his request, she demonstrated several hunter class skills, such as Tracking, Trapping, and Windwalking, which Li Si successfully "stole" and mastered. However, he has yet to learn core hunter skills like Taming Beasts, which he suspects might remain locked until he acquires the hunter class specialization himself.

Comparing them to the dull, fighter-only guards of his family, Li Si sighed; they were simply incomparable in both quantity and quality. (The family guards: "Should we just leave then?") Although the group was curious about Li Si’s repeated requests for demonstrations of various class skills, he explained that he had rarely been exposed to other transcendent classes and wanted to familiarize himself with them to avoid being caught off guard in the future. He didn’t want to hide things from his teammates, but his "Omnipotent" talent was too significant; he had to be cautious until he possessed enough strength to protect himself. It is rare enough for someone to master skills across one class, but if he could master every single class, wouldn't that make it obvious that something was wrong with him? He decided that when acting under his own identity in the future, he would use fighter skills at most—or at worst, claim to be a Magic Knight! As for the other class skills, he would keep them under wraps unless absolutely necessary.

Meanwhile, after learning various skills and obtaining the "Master of All Weapons" fighter foundation feat, the extra experience bonus provided by his "Omnipotent" talent increased to 30%. The power of the "Omnipotent" talent is gradually being revealed.

Today, Li Si spent another long time sparring with Yael. Drenched in sweat and covered in dust on the villa grounds, he still held his longsword, continuing to practice. It must be said that Yael is truly worthy of being a future protagonist; despite her youth, both her strength and her combat experience and techniques far surpass those of the forty-something uncle, Welf! (Welf: "Should I leave too?")

"Alright, that’s enough. Come inside; dinner is ready!" seeing that the two had stopped, Arsen called out from the window.

The two stopped their banter, packed up their weapons, and returned to the house. Yael ran inside excitedly, shouting, "I'm so hungry! What are we having for dinner?"

"Ordered from the Purcell Restaurant. It might not be as good as Li Si's cooking, so just make do," Arsen said with a smile, greeting Li Si as he did so.

"You're too kind. I’m nowhere near as good as a restaurant chef," Li Si replied modestly. He had actually cooked many times over the past few days, having almost completely won over his teammates in the Yael Adventuring Party.

Arsen waved his hand without saying more. In his view, Li Si was indeed strange—a noble who was exceptionally skilled at cooking and a mage who spent his time practicing melee combat with Yael. Yet, after getting to know him, he felt that Li Si was a decent person, unlike some stuffy old aristocrats who were always full of themselves. He was well-informed, could offer insights on many things Arsen didn't understand, and was quite pleasant to be around.

It was rare for all members of the Yael Adventuring Party to be together. As they enjoyed their meal, Arsen tapped the table. When everyone turned their attention to him, he cleared his throat and said, "It’s been a long time since we completed our last commission, and with Li Si joining us, I think it’s time we head to the Mercenary Guild to pick up a new task, don't you?"

As one of the few Gold-tier adventuring parties, the Yael party was a vital force for high-level commissions at the guild. The guild had already sent word asking if they were ready for high-level work, not to mention that this was also a mission assigned to him from above. Miss Yael had reached a certain level of strength; what she needed now was to broaden her horizons and gain experience. That was the very reason she traveled as a mercenary.

"Agreed!" Yael was the first to raise her hand, still clutching a chicken leg. She had been impatient for a long time; staying in the city every day was so boring.

"I have no objections!" Lombos looked at the ale in his mug; he had spent almost all the reward money from the last commission on drink, so he definitely needed to earn more for his bar tab.

Elena tucked a few strands of golden hair behind her ear and nodded in agreement.

Li Si was even less likely to object! Accepting a commission meant completing a high-level task, which meant a massive amount of experience! This was far too tempting for him right now.

"Good, then it’s decided," Arsen nodded. He essentially handled the daily affairs of the Yael Adventuring Party.

"Shall we head to the guild tomorrow morning to take a look?"

At this point, Arsen turned to look at Li Si and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Since this is Li Si's first mission with us, I think we should choose a simpler subjugation task to let everyone sync up first."

Li Si nodded; this was a reasonable approach. After all, he was only Bronze-tier, while his teammates were Silver-tier, and Yael was even a Gold-tier fighter. If they didn't coordinate well, his presence could even be a liability to the team. Subjugation tasks had a higher margin for error compared to exploring dangerous ruins, where threats could emerge from anywhere at any time, requiring much higher synchronization between team members. Arsen’s concern was quite thoughtful.

However, Li Si wasn't worried about being a burden. He couldn't say much else, but his practical combat experience in team coordination was rock-solid, honed through countless party wipes in his previous life. He didn't believe anyone else could have experienced death as many times as he had; ordinary combat could no longer shake his calm and composed fighting mentality.

Li Si’s current situation was like a clever housewife unable to cook without rice—he possessed the mature, seasoned combat experience and techniques of his past life, but lacked the corresponding strength. The speed at which he was improving his power wasn't enough; he still had a long way to go!

Through the sparring of the last few days, he had witnessed the chasm of strength between himself and Yael, the protagonist of this story. Even if he gave it his all, he couldn't land a single scratch on her.

Too weak!

Li Si clenched his right hand, his blood surging, his heart roaring. The desire to improve his strength had never been as intense as it was at this moment—even more so than when he had first been reborn as a Viscount and realized the death threats he faced.

That’s right!

Since he had arrived in this vast, magnificent world—this era of rising heroes—how could he be willing to fall behind, to be swept away by the tides of fate, or to be content with the status quo?

Not even the protagonist could stop him!

I am Li Si!

In this life, I will climb to the pinnacle of this world and ensure my name is remembered by all the races of this realm!