Translator: CinderTL
Detection complete: Host has successfully awakened the Awakened Consciousness Shoal. Eligible to advance to the high-tier class: Juggler.
Requirements: Strength 3, Agility 6, Spirit 5, Mastery of 3/3 tricks of any level, Total tricks performed: 100/100.
Would you like to advance?
"Confirm!"
Advancement successful. Current class: Juggler.
Received attribute bonuses: Strength +1, Agility +3, Spirit +3.
Compared to the Spirit attribute bonus Roland received upon advancing to the Adept class, the Juggler class's bonus was six times greater.
However, unlike the immediate physical changes of increased Strength and Agility, the enhancement to his Spirit attribute was far more subtle.
Roland only felt a cool stream of thought like a gentle trickle flowing through his mind. Fragments of memories that had been hazy suddenly became clear and distinct.
If he had to describe any other sensation, it would be that his thoughts seemed to flow more smoothly, and his energy felt more abundant.
After shaking his head, Roland focused on the next line of golden text.
Gained trait: Dazzling Charm
Dazzling Charm: When others witness you perform a trick, they will be struck by a mental shock, entering a controlled state such as charm or dizziness. The actual effect depends on the relative strength of your and your opponent's mental attributes.
"So it's a trait that imbues tricks with mental attribute attacks!"
After reading the description of Dazzling Charm, Roland clenched his fist in excitement.
He knew that aside from his Fire Arrow, which was greatly enhanced by his affinity for the fire element, the remaining three tricks were mere flashy parlor tricks that offered little help in improving his strength.
But with this trait, everything changed!
Mental shock! Charm! Dizziness!
This meant that even the harmless Light Spell, when cast by him, could now inflict mental attacks.
As for the last sentence of the trait's description—"The actual effect depends on the relative strength of your and your opponent's mental attributes"—Roland didn't pay much attention to it.
If he encountered an opponent far weaker than himself, he could defeat them without relying on this trait.
But if he faced an opponent of similar or slightly superior strength, even a momentary lapse in concentration caused by this trait could become the decisive factor in victory or defeat!
Imagining himself fighting surrounded by the Light Spell, Roland couldn't help but feel excited.
"A high-tier class truly lives up to its name! Compared to the traits of basic classes, it's simply far too powerful!"
As he marveled at this, lines of golden text reappeared before his eyes:
Detecting high-tier class warrior. Job resonance triggered.
Job Resonance
Juggler + Warrior
Obtained additional bonus: Twin Performance
Twin Performance: Body becomes fluid and flexible, capable of executing extreme dodges and joint-locking maneuvers. Simultaneously, both hands achieve perfect synchronization, with no distinction between primary and secondary. When dual-wielding weapons, precision and force are perfectly matched, even when performing completely different combat actions simultaneously.
Before the text fully appeared, Roland felt a strange heat surge from the base of his spine, snaking upwards like a serpent, weaving through his muscles and bones.
It wasn't pain, but an odd tingling sensation, as if every tendon was being reshaped by an invisible force.
"This is..."
He looked down, watching his fingertips tremble slightly.
In the next moment, the heat exploded!
His body stiffened violently, tiny arcs of electricity seeming to dance beneath his skin.
His bones emitted faint cracking sounds as his joints softened, stretched, and instantly reassembled, as if molded by some unseen power.
After the heat subsided, Roland stared blankly at his palm. With a mere thought, his finger joints folded like boneless tendrils, then instantly snapped back into place with an agility that bordered on the uncanny.
He turned sideways and whipped out his right arm like a whip. The muscles and joints of his entire arm seemed to have lost their rigidity, tracing a fluid arc through the air until his fingertips nearly brushed his back.
Then, his left arm twisted like a serpent, his elbow joint flipping outward as his palm effortlessly pressed against his shoulder blade, completing a movement no ordinary person could ever achieve.
"This... is too exaggerated."
Roland gazed at his body, now unnervingly flexible, and slowly released his palm.
As it gradually returned to its normal shape, an involuntary chill crept up his spine.
But the discomfort quickly receded like a receding tide, replaced by an irrepressible surge of excitement.
"This flexibility enhancement is completely undetectable from the outside. If I unleash it suddenly in combat, how could my enemies possibly defend against it? Right..."
Reading the final section of the Twin Performance description, Roland's eyes sharpened. He reached for his waist with both hands simultaneously.
His right hand drew his longsword, while his left hand reversed his dagger.
In the next instant, his arms mirrored each other as they spread wide, only to split into two completely different attacks in a flash.
With a sudden upward thrust, the longsword in his right hand arced a silver streak of deadly light, its force as fierce as a thunderbolt striking down.
Simultaneously, the dagger in his left hand darted forward like a venomous snake striking, its tip aimed with terrifying precision at the phantom enemy's throat.
The two attacks erupted in perfect synchronicity, without the slightest hesitation.
The heavy, crushing blow of the longsword and the sinister, stabbing thrust of the dagger seemed to be controlled by two separate minds.
Even more bizarre, the force behind both blades was perfectly balanced. Their crossing blades sealed off nearly all space in front of him.
With a sudden change in technique, the longsword's momentum, instead of retracting, transformed into a horizontal slash. Meanwhile, the dagger in his left hand followed through, dropping silently beneath the cover of the sword's light to target the phantom enemy's knee joint.
One strike was forceful, the other subtle; one bright, the other hidden.
These two contrasting rhythms of combat merged seamlessly in his hands, as if two completely different martial artists resided within his body, sharing the same killing machine-like physique.
As he brought the movements to a halt, both blades froze in mid-air, less than an inch apart, their tips perfectly still.
Like puppets controlled by invisible strings, their movements were chillingly precise.
"This feeling is simply exquisite."
After resheathing his longsword and dagger, Roland rubbed his smooth chin with lingering satisfaction.
"This level of dual-wielding proficiency is like suddenly gaining a second self. Working together, my left and right hands achieve a synergy that far exceeds one plus one!"
"The additional benefits from job resonance between high-tier classes truly didn't disappoint!"
Just as Roland was about to investigate the additional benefits between the blacksmith and the Juggler, a heavy footstep suddenly echoed from outside his door.
The untimely sound furrowed his brow, and he instinctively glanced out the window.
Thick night had already enveloped Far Ocean Port.
Based on his observations over the past few days, the inn's guests should all be asleep by now.
As he pondered this, Roland realized the footstep was growing closer, finally stopping right outside his door.
(End of the Chapter)