NOVEL NEXT Chapter 58: Not as Impressive as I Imagined
Chapter 58: Not as Impressive as I Imagined
“Don’t you two know? Eye of the Observer is a rather special ability, one of the few innate powers. This ability can only be possessed from birth; there’s absolutely no way to acquire it later through other means…”
The City Lord settled back into his sofa, sipping his red tea while explaining the effect of this ability to the two of them.
According to the books, anyone with the Eye of the Observer can learn and apply the combat techniques of others in an instant just by watching their battles. Be it ninjutsu, martial arts, or swordsmanship, as long as it’s a skill that purely relies on the body, it can be effortlessly mastered.
“Whoa, this ability is way too unfair!”
After hearing the City Lord’s explanation, Aierjisi exclaimed in shock. So does this mean anyone with this ability can instantly learn their opponent’s battle skills just by fighting them? Sounds a bit broken, right?
“Wait, I actually have this ability? How did I not know?”
Yake frowned in deep thought. This was the first time he realized he had such a special ability. Looking back, he had indeed been learning combat skills at a ridiculous speed, but whenever it came to studying knowledge from books, he would get a headache.
“That’s probably because Mr. Yake has fought very few times against others. If I remember correctly, you both should primarily identify as Adventurers, right? So your main opponents would be those pesky Monsters, and the Eye of the Observer doesn’t work on them.”
The City Lord pinpointed the reason why Yake, despite having such a powerful ability, was still pretty weak.
Not only does it not work on Monsters, but the Eye of the Observer isn’t exactly as useful as one might think. It can only learn combat methods—nothing more. If the opponent is a Mage using magic by channeling their magic power, or a physically strong opponent, those special traits are impossible to mimic.
If this were back on Earth, the Eye of the Observer would indeed be a game-changer. However, the catch is, this is a fantasy world of swords and magic, where the ability’s effectiveness takes a significant hit.
“Hmm. So it can only learn physical combat methods? But even so, that’s still an impressive ability!”
Aierjisi turned to look at Yake, remembering how she saved him because she admired his bravery. Who would have thought he had such a special ability? She felt like she had hit the jackpot! After all, this was the skill to easily learn others’ combat techniques!
“Looks like I need to engage in more battles with humans to learn all their combat skills!”
Yake was already plotting how to utilize this ability. Now that he knew he could easily pick up others’ skills, there was no reason to waste it. He couldn’t continue being a burden to the Little Princess any longer.
“Oh? I didn’t know you were this motivated, Yake! I thought once you learned about your special attribute, you’d just sit around and do nothing!”
“How could I be that kind of person?”
“Uh-huh? Were you not the one who said you wanted to relax in the City Lord’s Mansion when I took you out?”
“That was… because back then I didn’t know I had this ability!”
Feeling a bit embarrassed by Aierjisi’s remark, Yake scratched his head.
Before knowing about his ability, Yake thought that if he fought others, he would get beaten up and tossed into a dumpster! He was really not good at fighting humans since he had mostly been battling Monsters.
“Well, being motivated is a good thing. But with only a few days until the party, you should think about fighting some skilled opponents and learning their techniques. Hmm? Speaking of which, Miss Yin would be a perfect candidate for that! Let’s go, Yake, we can find her! She should still be in the City Lord’s Mansion courtyard!”
Aierjisi grabbed Yake’s hand and pulled him along to the garden to look for Yin and learn from her.
“Oh my, the youth has such energy; that’s nice! Unlike me, I feel every little movement is a struggle.”
Watching the two head off, the City Lord attempted to stretch his own body. Being cooped up in the City Lord’s Mansion for a long time had left him weak from lack of exercise.
“Ah! My back… Someone, get help…!”
Just when he thought to move about a bit, he suddenly pulled a muscle in his back and had to call out hoarsely for someone to come and help him massage it.
“Ah, there she is! Found you, Miss Yin!”
Meanwhile, Aierjisi discovered Yin enjoying some sunshine leisurely in the garden, apparently taking a nap on the grass.
“Miss Aierjisi, Mr. Yake. Good afternoon! What brings you two here all of a sudden?”
It seemed Aierjisi’s earlier shout had woken Yin up, as she sat up and greeted them.
“Actually, we wanted to ask Miss Yin for a favor.”
Before Aierjisi could speak, Yake bowed his head and spoke first.
“You want to ask me for a favor? What is it? As long as I can help, I’ll do my best.”
“Actually, I’d like to ask Miss Yin to teach me swordsmanship.”
“Eh? Swordsmanship? But my swordsmanship isn’t something that can be learned easily. It takes at least several years! Plus, I’m not good at teaching others.”
After hearing Yake wanted to learn her swordsmanship, Yin glanced at his sword hanging by his waist, then at her own sword. Thankfully, neither was a heavy sword, so their techniques could be compatible. But did Yake really want to learn her swordsmanship? That was not an easy feat.
“No worries at all! As long as Miss Yin and I spar, I’m confident I can learn all of your swordsmanship within three days!”
“Three days?! Are you kidding?! My swordsmanship took me twelve years to master! You think you can reach my level in just three days?”
Yin looked at Yake in disbelief when he boldly claimed he could master all her sword skills in such a short time.
“Of course! I just learned today that I have a unique ability that many others don’t. It’s called the Eye of the Observer.”
Yake openly confessed his special ability to Yin.
“Eye of the Observer. I see! If you have that ability, then it makes sense that learning my entire sword style in three days isn’t that unusual.”
Now understanding Yake’s unique ability, Yin finally realized why he was so confident. He indeed had the credentials to be that cocky!