How Am I Still Alive?
Chapter 40 - 40 32 Stability

40: Chapter 32: Stability 40: Chapter 32: Stability Anything can be postponed, but not investment dividends.

Ever since Lu Ping’an awakened his Investing ability, every day has been fully booked.

Yesterday, he gave one to a cat, one to Senior Zhao Ying, and one to the mercenary, Xue En, in front of him.

[Starting to calculate yesterday’s investment returns from the invested individual, Xue En.

Please keep the host in stable condition.]

[Obtained a small amount of comprehensive combat experience, a small amount of reconnaissance experience, a small amount of taboo knowledge (Dao techniques), a small amount of weapon usage experience, a minute amount of fate perception experience, a small amount of swimming experience, a small amount of running (jungle) experience…]

Lu Ping’an felt a mixture of surprise and shock.

“…Isn’t he just a boxer and a soldier?

Four or five professional skills at best, why suddenly a full screen of sixteen?!

That’s too exaggerated.”

The large amount of experience shared by Xue En has greatly expanded Lu Ping’an’s skillset, suddenly adding many unseen Lv1s.

The biggest surprise was that the comprehensive combat experience boosted his fighting skill to Lv3, which can be regarded as a master in the realm of mortals…

despite him rarely engaging in actual fights.

“Combat fighting, huh?

Out of the few Combat Series professions, this is the core skill.”

Lu Ping’an did not have a related profession yet, so it wouldn’t count as a professional skill and he wouldn’t be able to use it to enhance his combat power.

But if later he considered supplementing it with a close combat system, it would be a done deal.

Lu Ping’an’s view of him has changed, this is not just any unlucky skinny man, he is clearly the highest quality ‘leek’ in history.”

Even taking into account the enhancement from the Secret Realm, such a huge dividend still puzzled Lu Ping’an.

So, he asked the “Master” who was with him.

Hearing Lu Ping’an’s recount of the system panel, Chris thought for a moment before replying.

“…

He is indeed 1-Tier, but he is at least a 1-tier Soldier, a 1-Tier Detective, a 1-Tier Daoist (like a scholar), and a 1-Tier Boxer.

This guy is accumulating experience.

That’s how those who have obtained an inheritance system from a secret path like to do it.”

Lu Ping’an raised another question out of curiosity.

“…

His ability is very special, it seems to be a familial curse disease caused by a powerful pollutant.

Most likely, a ‘secret path’ that can reach at least fifth-tier is in the hands of his family.

He is now gathering parts, once the parts are ready, several 1-tiers will jump straight to 2-tier, a few 2-tiers will jump to 3-tier, and finally jump to their unique professional path.”

That already involved other people’s privacy and was irrelevant to himself.

Lu Ping’an just wanted to understand a bit more, and then lost interest in asking more about it, but Xue En himself couldn’t calm down…

Xue En, looking incredulously at the midday sun in the sky, said.

“…

I, for a whole day yesterday, was actually not that unfortunate, actually spent a whole day in peace…..”

No, no, no, you were dragged away by a python, bombed by bird droppings, stepped into a quagmire, and were hit by an Achilles bull rushing out of the blind spot, far from a peaceful day!

Or, how hellish is your everyday life, that consistently being struck by misfortune yesterday felt like heaven to you?

“…..I can feel it, my training has been fruitful.

But more importantly, I actually had a good sleep yesterday!

Lu Ping’an, your BUFF ability is too great!”

Following the “Stamina Potion”, “Stimulant”, and “Super Fertilizer”, Lu Ping’an’s investment ability gained an additional “Sleeping Pill” function.

The more exhausted a person is, the more they tend to think, and the more they deliberately try to suppress “negative emotions”, the more likely they are to explode.

Being under the effect of “double vitality”, Xue En is always in the most relaxed state and finally had a good sleep.

“If possible, I would like to have it for the next few days…

this BUFF is expensive, right?

I have already taken advantage of you for a day.”

Xue En was very uncomfortable, he really wanted Lu Ping’an’s Buff, but he was really broke.

The seven hundred per day that Lu Ping’an gave was already very low.

If he had to buy the buff himself, he might have to pay extra.

Abilities have a price, naturally, they have a cost.

Experienced users know this, such a strong BUFF definitely has a high cost, they wouldn’t offer to “give BUFF for free”.

But how could Lu Ping’an let go of such a high-quality ‘leek’.

“…I’ll give you Buffs for free for the next few days.

When you’re in a better condition, you’ll be better able to help me.”

Lu Ping’an paused for a moment before laughing.

“If you feel uneasy about it, you can teach me some tricks, tips, and anything else because as you can see, I’m a complete newbie and need a veteran to guide me.”

Xue En nodded his head, nodding vigorously.

“….Oh, you’re in your second year of Ancient City University?

I’m also planning to go there, perhaps, I should start by calling you senior brother, Brother Xue…”

“So, recognizing one’s own role is the most important thing in combat?

Brother Xue, how do ordinary Gardeners fight?

Do they hire fighters?

Eh, there aren’t any combat-oriented ones?

There are, but not among the low tiers?”

“So high-level Gardeners like to fight positional battles?

I see, that can indeed reduce my consumption.”

“I should always carry a long-range weapon?

Always?

I understand, I’ll go and buy it right away.

Are there any other tools that need to be prepared at all times?

You can talk slower, I’ll make a list.”

The enthusiasm of a guide who is paid to lead and a veteran who actively helps newcomers is naturally different.

Lu Ping’an is taking the money usually offered to noob mercenaries to hire a dedicated novice advisor with unique inheritance.

He is learning and practicing at the same time.

At this moment, standing inside a small fence made of monkey shield tree stumps, Lu Ping’an smiled at the Achilles outside, waiting for it to stumble into the trap.

The just-born magic monster, with limited experience and rigid action patterns, was nothing like the one they had encountered before.

The poison-laden evergreen vine tangled around it, instantly paralyzing it.

The fallen creature gradually turned into dispelled fog.

From the sky, a flock of peculiar birds swooped down in large numbers.

“Boom!”

An explosion suddenly sounded causing them to scatter and flee.

This was not Lu Ping’an’s plant grenade, he wasn’t that extravagant yet.

Always carrying a tool bag of sound-burst bombs, lure bombs, and the like, following Xue En’s advice, Lu Ping’an had specifically restocked once.

Against the scattered flock of birds, Lu Ping’an simply used a handmade crossbow to easily harvest prey.

The bird fell to the ground, its beak hooked, the fluffy face looked surprisingly like a mini gryphon.

“The Wine Lake Bird, a bizarre creature with three entities, killing one will not solve the problem.

But if one falls, the remaining two would definitely come to rescue.”

Lu Ping’an did not even glance at the fallen and rescuing birds, this place had long been his “battleground”.

When a clone bird fell, the poisonous vines spread on the ground would finish them off.

“Hunting in the Safe Secret Realms has always been the most unfair form of combat.

We know their battle patterns and specialties.

It’s never difficult to devise a targeted way of battle.”

“So, are there unsafe Secret Realms?”

“Most wild Secret Realms are not governed by the power of Gods, and naturally do not follow any concept of safety.

The greatest risk is actually the unknown monsters and rules inside.

Scouts and pioneers are always the first to die…”

Lu Ping’an nodded silently, worrying that he might accidentally rush into a dead-end.

Big Cat had forced him to study this knowledge, and spoke much more thoroughly than Xue En.

Each Secret Realm is actually a super-strong pollution source, a self-contained small world that could erode the surrounding world.

Successfully occupying the core with the help of the power of the Gods does not mean that “It” will not produce new pollution.

Instead, its “pollution” has been filtered and regulated by the power of Gods, only appearing in the way that Gods crave.

For instance, the present Achilles and Wine Lake Birds all have mythological originals and they’re all from European folklore.

One was a giant elk with the same name, which also possesses a fatal weakness: its legs cannot bend, and falling means death.

The three-in-one Wine Lake Birds are the same, though much weaker than their mythological originals.

The Lady of the Forest enabled the local pollution to emerge in a modular fashion to spawn magic monsters.

The monsters, born not long ago, were then quickly slain by the newcomers of the Secret Keepers, naturally reducing the local Realm’s pollution.

“They’re a bit silly, this is clearly a trap ….”

“Newborns mainly depend on instinct.

They have some innate experience and battle instincts.

But for us, this is a good thing.”

Having basic battle skills and instincts is a good thing?

Lu Ping’an was startled at first, then understanding after noticing the silly assaulting birds.

“The things that newborns know, their instincts to deal with emergencies are similar, making it convenient for us to kill them en masse using the same methods?”

“This can be considered a perk of the newcomer Secret Realm.

In slightly larger Secret Realms, many magic monsters live quite a long time and then become extremely cunning and difficult to deal with.

They might even evolve to have strong abilities.”

Lu Ping’an nods.

He remembered the over four-meters-tall Achilles from yesterday, and compared it with the less-than-two-point-five-meters-tall Achilles, lacking “foggy eyes,” it was simply not the same level of difficulty.

“Yesterday’s one?

It lived for at least a year with two evolutions, allowing a 1-tier Achilles to reach the strength of a near 2-tier.

This kind of old creature, what most newcomers call the ‘Black Death God,’ indeed, is a magic monster that is a killer for newcomers.

I remember, this kind of ancient beast tends to hide in the most dangerous mountain ranges, they are not in large numbers.”

Then why was it so coincidental that it crossed a large area, appearing right in front of me, a newcomer?

Lu Ping’an glanced at Xue En and then fell silent.

“…I admit, I might have thought that we would encounter it at the time.

But the result was good, really good.

Haha, we can even claim the extra bounty for the old beast, though it’s not much, just a few dozen.”

After spending a lot of time together, Xue En has become much more enthusiastic, and he’s still able to persevere for now.

But seeing the spirited Lu Ping’an, he was somewhat uncertain.

Considering zero-order, killing so crazily like this, a 1-tier Combat Series would’ve overloaded long ago, but this young practitioner seemed as if nothing had occurred.

But when he thought about how his pollution tolerance had also risen a level after having his buff placed on him by Lu Ping’an, and seeing that his mental state was quite good now, he stopped his complaints.

Only Lu Ping’an is a bit restless.

When he asked Chris whether he should be cautious about this aspect, he received an unexpected answer.

“Can a small river pollute the sea?

I’ve said it before, the bracelet for detecting pollution is meaningless to you, Lu Ping’an.”