novelraw Chapter 75 : Attack Skills
Chapter 75 : Attack Skills
Chapter 75: Attack Skills
“Bang, bang bang……….”
From outside came the faint sounds of ceremonial cannons, yet Levi only sat in his chair, looking utterly lazy.
Although today was the inauguration ceremony of the Imperial Bridge, as well as the unveiling of the Empire’s strongest warship, for Levi, there was nothing worth watching.
After all……… he really was too lazy to bother.
Once he had taken out all those skulls, Levi’s work was reduced to merely wrapping things up, which was not difficult in itself.
After all, the issue of the Imperial Bridge being sabotaged was extremely serious.
Following interrogations of the workers and engineers who had been responsible at that time, the origins of those skulls were finally revealed.
How should it be put……… if Levi were to judge, it was indeed rather creative.
At first, everyone thought that the murderer had taken advantage of a moment’s carelessness, stuffed the corpses inside, then sealed up the wall.
But Levi immediately dismissed this speculation.
The reason was simple: if one directly buried corpses inside, they could not have turned into bare bones so quickly.
Moreover, if the bodies had rotted, the stench would have been overpowering and easily detected by the workers.
After all, apart from construction, a building still required interior decoration, furniture arrangement, all sorts of wiring and configuration—countless troublesome matters—and it was not always the same group of workers handling them.
If corpses had simply been stuffed inside, they would have been discovered easily.
The investigation confirmed Levi’s judgment.
According to the workers who had built it, that section had indeed been sealed for a time, but the explanation given was that the Holy Lord Church wished to bless the Tower Bridge, requiring a blessing ritual on that wall.
Therefore, only priests of the Church had been present.
That solved the problem.
Through interrogating the priests of the Holy Lord Church, the truth about the skulls finally came to light.
In fact, it was quite simple.
The Church was in charge of managing cemeteries, and cemeteries abounded with corpses—particularly those of children who had tragically died young.
Others might not know where to find them, but for priests overseeing the churches, it was perfectly clear.
“Relying on the mountain to eat from the mountain, relying on the water to eat from the water”—the Church simply relied on the graveyard.
There was no need to kill anyone; they only had to gather a batch of skulls of four- or five-year-old children, bury them in the wall, and the matter was done.
The others also had not gone to watch the ceremony in person.
Although attendance was by numbered seats, ordinary citizens outside were not prohibited from watching.
But clearly, like Levi, no one was interested in squeezing into the packed crowds, so they all idled away their time in the editorial department’s lounge.
Hearing the cannon fire outside, Henry frowned, his face dark.
“Never expected those bastards to commit such vile acts. They’ll never be forgiven!”
“Don’t worry.
Those guys are as good as dead.”
Lounging on the sofa, Anthony yawned.
“Desecrating corpses is a capital crime. For clergy to abuse their duties is an even greater sin. Once the ceremony ends and the foreign representatives leave, we’ll soon see their corpses swinging from the gallows.”
“Will the ceremony go smoothly?”
Katie propped her chin in both hands, staring blankly out the window, murmuring to herself.
Hearing her words, Anthony shuddered.
“My lady, best not to say that. Let’s hope everything goes smoothly. If it doesn’t, we’re finished! But since the boss already guaranteed no problems, it should be fine, right?”
Speaking, Anthony turned toward Levi, eyes filled with expectation.
“Should be.”
Levi nodded.
After clearing all the skulls hidden in the walls, to be safe, he and Katie had sailed through again.
This time everything went smoothly, without incident.
As for what happened in the other world, Levi simply wrote up a report and submitted it.
Whether they believed it or not was their problem.
In any case, he had done his part.
Would trouble arise again……… who knew?
That was also one reason Levi and the others had gathered here.
If something did happen, they could rush to the scene immediately.
Hopefully, nothing would happen.
Levi sipped his tea while fiddling with the system before him.
This mission had not only been highly dangerous, but its puzzle-solving aspect was also exceptionally tricky.
Levi had not expected the clue to come from a nursery rhyme, and he had almost been ready to pack up and flee.
Moreover, the enemy this time was far more terrifying than before, harder to fight.
Levi had never imagined he would one day battle against characters out of a Disney animation.
If not for Katie being such a powerful MT, with only his meager skills, it would have been tough to handle.
But effort and reward were proportional.
【Mission 《Chasing Secrets》 complete】
【Time spent: S】
【Investigation efficiency: S】
【Impact: S】
【Overall evaluation: SSS】
【Lifespan +150, bonus +50】
His total lifespan days now exceeded 500—about a year and a half.
Life was becoming ever more leisurely.
【Acquired extra skill ——— Trace Inspection (LV1)】
This 【Trace Inspection】, when Levi tried it, turned out to be much like the great detectives in detective novels.
Just like Holmes, with a glance he could know what the other person did.
From footprints he could tell whether one was male or female, how tall, gender, whether walking calmly or in haste……… and so on.
Not only that, the knowledge of how such conclusions were derived would surface in Levi’s mind, rather than simply spitting out a result with a 【process (omitted)】.
Otherwise, that would have been troublesome.
For Levi, this skill was extremely useful.
Furthermore, it was one of only two skills he possessed that did not consume lifespan.
Of course, like 【Puppeteer】, its proficiency improved very slowly.
And at this current level, Levi could only obtain the most basic information.
To sweep one glance and uncover someone’s entire household register like Holmes—that he still could not do.
But it was fine.
This skill was easy to practice; he could just keep it on and observe people anytime, anywhere.
【Mystery Resistance +20%】
Another boost to his Mystery Resistance.
Excellent.
If it eventually reached 100%, then he would never again fear magical curses or the like.
But he was still vulnerable to physical attacks.
Next came the ever-popular “+skill time.”
【Shooting skill increased】
【Piercing Shot / Ricochet Shot / Burst Shot】
This was Levi’s first true offensive skill, so he carefully examined the descriptions to decide his future path.
【Piercing Shot】 specialized in armor penetration and breaching—perfect for ambushes, breaking through armor or walls.
【Ricochet Shot】 was akin to billiards—bullets bouncing and colliding to alter trajectory, achieving effects like “my bullet can turn a corner” or “one bullet hitting several people,” straight out of movies.
【Burst Shot】—simply put, emptying the magazine in one go for massive damage.
Even a pistol could achieve the effect of a shotgun.
Among the three, Levi immediately discarded 【Burst Shot】.
Not that it lacked power—in fact, with his 【Eye of the Reaper】, combined with 【Burst Shot】, his one-turn damage would skyrocket, possibly hitting 99999 like in a game.
The reason he refused it was simple:
The skill consumed too many bullets.
Levi calculated: to supply 【Burst Shot】 with enough ammo, he would have to lug around a full ammo box daily like a Saint Seiya.
What nonsense.
Reality was not a game.
One could not possibly carry hundreds of bullets at all times.
For a soldier like Henry, maybe—but Levi was a detective.
He could hardly walk around armed to the teeth with endless ammunition every day.
What would that even look like?
Similarly, Levi rejected 【Piercing Shot】.
For breaching walls or armor, he could simply ask Benjamin to procure stronger armor-piercing rounds.
If technology could solve it, why waste precious skill points?
Thus, Levi ultimately chose 【Ricochet Shot】.
His reasoning was simple: first, he could shoot like billiards—bullets bouncing around corners.
That meant he could kill an enemy hiding just around the wall without exposing himself.
Second, reality was not a game.
It was not that pistols were too weak to kill.
In real life, anyone grazed by a bullet would not just “lose HP” but would collapse, screaming in agony.
Used well, 【Ricochet Shot】 could disable a whole group with a single bullet.
Its cost-effectiveness and deterrence were maxed out.
The only drawback was that although 【Ricochet Shot】 did not consume lifespan, it could not be upgraded.
It was simply an advanced technique, its range and power depending on the bullet itself.
What Levi had gained was merely the method of using it—a small flaw.
Then came……… the familiar 【Skill Level +1】
This mission had truly been a feast, worth every drop of blood spilled against the Imperial Bridge.
Without hesitation, Levi invested the point into 【Puppeteer】, raising it to LV3.
During the battle at the Imperial Bridge, he had relied on 【Puppeteer】, manipulating the bridge through its model to finally bring it down.
Having tasted its benefits, Levi decided to continue down this path to the end.
Finally……… well………
Levi silently looked at 【Soul Fragment +2】, speechless.
Without asking, he knew these came from destroying the two cores of the Imperial Bridge—his ring had once again stolen them while he wasn’t looking.
But what exactly were these soul fragments for?
The system still gave no answer………
“Woooooo………!”
Just then, a loud steam whistle echoed from afar.
Hearing it, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
They knew it meant the battleship had successfully passed through the Imperial Bridge, saluting with its horn.
This also meant the ceremony had ended successfully.
The Imperial Bridge had not collapsed, the Queen was safe, all was well.
“All right.”
Levi casually dismissed the system, stood up, and picked up his hat.
“Everyone, go back and rest.
We’re no longer needed.”
At last, he could finally rest properly.