NOVEL NEXT Chapter 111 Huge Increase, Good Things Come in Spades_1
Three Attribute Points.
Five Skill Points.
This was the first time Dean had ever been so wealthy.
After so many attempts, Dean had basically understood the effects of physical enhancement in various directions, but he had never tried it with his Spirit.
Let's give it a try.
A thought crossed his mind.
Attribute Points: 3→2.
Spirit: 11→12.
A cool sensation rushed to his head, and sleepiness surged. Dean wanted to fight it off but couldn't resist the instinct as his consciousness sank further. He had no choice but to lie on the bed and fall into a deep sleep.
Time passed.
A vast array of bizarre and surprising memories that had long been forgotten emerged as illusory dreams, constantly surfacing: fears from his past life, helplessness, human struggles, submission, venting, deceit... his previous self's joy, warmth, upheavals, depression, and defiance...
In areas imperceptible to him, countless minute neural connections within Dean's skull, stimulated by a mysterious force, were continuously activated from their dormant state...
It was unclear how much time had passed.
Dean's eyes snapped open, and he instinctively reached for the gun at his waist. Then his hand paused mid-air as he remembered he was in the midst of upgrading.
He checked the time on his phone. About half an hour had gone by. The slumber hadn't been long.
Only now did Dean notice that many past-life memories he had deliberately forgotten had resurfaced, and the memories he thought he had integrated from his previous self had also become much clearer...
My thinking seems a bit faster, but then again, maybe not...
Dean couldn't help feeling relieved that he hadn't prioritized enhancing his Spirit attribute before. As it stood, besides making his past memories clearer, there didn't seem to be any significant direct changes. Of course, it could have been because the enhancement was too slight.
Suddenly, Dean noticed that several new prompts had appeared on his panel:
[By reviewing the old, you understand the new. You have gained a slight understanding of the 'Micro-Expression Analysis' knowledge you've learned, reaching a critical point. Acquired Skill: Arkaz School - Micro-Expression Analysis L1]
[Note: This Skill can be combined with Arkaz School - Psychological Analysis L1 to form a special Skill: Arkaz School - Mind Reading Technique L1]
Reviewing the old to understand the new... Is this a hidden benefit of improving the Spirit attribute?
Dean smiled faintly as a thought crossed his mind.
The next moment, the 'Psychology' and 'Micro-Expression Analysis' Skills disappeared from the panel, replaced by a new Skill: Arkaz School - Mind Reading Technique L1.
Under this mysterious power, all sorts of knowledge and experience merged in Dean's mind, forming a mental instinct: to subconsciously analyze someone's current psychological state based on available information, their expressions, and movements.
That was the benefit of the panel. Others who learned such things might perform variably depending on their condition, but Dean's performance was always stable.
However, an L1 Mind Reading Technique was still lacking. There were significant gaps in his understanding and experience regarding this mental instinct, and it wasn't necessarily accurate. If faced with someone skilled at hiding their feelings, he could be misled. So, it could only be used as a reference for now.
With five Skill Points in hand, Dean was in no rush to immediately upgrade the Mind Reading Technique. Instead, he planned to enhance his Spirit attribute by one more point to see the effects.
Attribute Points: 2→1.
Spirit: 12→13.
The same cool sensation welled up in his skull. But this time, apart from a pleasant, de-stressing feeling, Dean didn't feel sleepy.
A few minutes later, Dean took a deep breath. His already clever mind felt even... lighter, as if a shackle had been removed. Whether it was contemplation, calculation, or logical thinking, all had noticeably improved.
He didn't know if his IQ had increased, but he was certain that the "hardware" of his brain had become stronger. He estimated that his capacity for rote memorization and similar tasks had significantly improved.
It seems that 13 points in the Spirit attribute marks the difference between an average person and a genius. No wonder when I upgraded it to 12 points, the changes felt almost imperceptible, aside from the benefit of activating forgotten memories.
Dean rubbed his chin, realizing that he also seemed to have gained better control over his body, and his perception had become sharper.
Hm?
An illusion?
Dean got out of bed, dressed, and secured his holsters at his waist and chest.
The next moment, his hands drew his guns, as fast as shadows.
Dean was elated! Not only had his control over his body become more nuanced, but he could also multitask mentally, and his perception was more acute!
He then realized that his neural reaction speed hadn't been fully exploited before. It was like a computer with powerful hardware that still couldn't run demanding games if the operating software was inefficient.
Now that his Spirit attribute was increased, it was a double boost. And with the addition of Skills, it would be a triple boost! That was undoubtedly terrifying.
Dean suspected that he could, in 0.1 seconds, instantly aim, calculate, lock on, and empty the magazines of both his pistols! If he had been in the United States back in the era of cowboy revolvers, he surely would have become the most legendary sharpshooter!
Excited, Dean experimented in the small room, indulging himself until he was content. Then he took a deep breath, ready to allocate his last Attribute Point to his Spirit attribute.
The next moment, his knees felt weak, and he sat back down on the bed.
The excitement faded. Dean then realized a sense of fatigue was emerging in his body. Such a feeling rarely overcame him unless he pushed himself to his absolute limits. After all, 9 points in Endurance wasn't low for an ordinary person; it was barely sufficient. But he had exerted himself overnight. Now, coupled with his vigorously active brain, fatigue was inevitable, like that of any person after a long day of work.
But Dean shook his head. Ordinary people rarely experienced combat. Once he was in a fight, he might need to give his all, and the increased speed of his thought processes would shorten his burst duration.
I need to upgrade Endurance!
Dean calmed down and, more rationally, put his last Attribute Point into Endurance.
Attribute Points: 1→0.
Endurance: 9→10.
The effects were instantly noticeable. Dean's previously tired body was rejuvenated with new vigor.
My breathing has become longer and deeper...
Feeling hungry due to his accelerated metabolism, Dean touched his stomach and shifted his attention to his Skills.
Currently, his three most practical Skills were: Pistol Proficiency, Ancient Muay Thai L3, and Arkaz School - Mind Reading Technique L1. The first two were his main combat Skills. The latter not only greatly assisted in solving cases but also made Dean feel increasingly adept in his daily life and social interactions.
Good steel should be used on the blade's edge.
Pistol Proficiency had reached its limit. Dean focused on Ancient Muay Thai and Mind Reading Technique, contemplating which to enhance first.
The next moment, he froze.
It seemed that because he had reached a certain Level, the panel now added prompts based on his thoughts:
[Ancient Muay Thai L3 → Ancient Muay Thai Mastery, consumes 3 Skill Points, enhances flesh and bones of specific body parts, accompanied by a Strength +1 increase]
[Arkaz School - Mind Reading Technique L1 → L2, consumes 2 Skill Points, slightly improves cognition, slightly improves thought experience]
This is quite pleasant.
Dean's already good mood improved even further. Knowing the effects of Skill upgrades in advance could prevent wasting Skill Points and allow for more cost-effective use of the hard-earned points.
However, the fact that Ancient Muay Thai also enhanced the Strength attribute was somewhat unexpected for Dean. No wonder this Skill, from L3 onwards, required more Skill Points than the pistol skill. Considering that strength involved the toughness of muscles and bones, the panel was quite scientific.
One consumed 3 Skill Points, the other 2. Dean didn't overthink it and upgraded them respectively.
After a familiar and vivid memory infusion, as if he had personally experienced it all, Dean touched his now even sturdier body. He joyfully took a final look at his current panel stats:
[Detective Panel]
Character: Dean
Level: 12 (1,000/2,200)
Spirit: 13
Strength: 14
Speed: 15 (Limit)
Endurance: 10
Skills: Pistol Proficiency Mastery, Ancient Muay Thai Mastery, Arkaz School - Mind Reading Technique L2, etc. (details).
Attribute Points: 0
Skill Points: 0
Cases completed: 10, see details...
His overnight accumulation had returned to square one, but the increase in strength was genuine.
One word: exhilarating!
To reach the next Level, I still need 1,200 Experience Points.
Dean could only lie back on the bed, feeling not quite satisfied, and force himself to sleep.
「The next day.」
The team, hungover from the night before, bid their farewells and returned to their posts.
Dean lazily propped his leg up as he flipped through the "Micro-Expression Analysis" book Anthony had left for him. This was cryptic knowledge passed down for years within the Arkaz School, obscure and difficult to comprehend. But today, as Dean read it, he felt comfortably at ease, like a fish in water. After reading a few times and pondering for a while, he could memorize the knowledge and gain a cursory understanding.
This could also be considered an indirect improvement in my intelligence.
Learning is indeed quite fulfilling, Dean couldn't help but feel.
Compared to his energetic self, Harry and Robert now looked like dead dogs, sprawled over their workstations with heavy dark circles under their eyes, as if utterly exhausted.
"Hey, were you two out robbing graves last night?" Daisy walked over, looking annoyed. "Also, why did the higher-ups send a memo saying the three of you received a 'special contribution' award with a reward of half a year's salary?!"
This was not fair at all. The three of them got it, but I didn't! That was half a year's salary—tens of thousands of US Dollars!
"Why Robert and I are like this, you'll have to ask Dean. Besides, the 'special contribution' award is hush money. Believe me, Daisy, you wouldn't want to know what happened," Harry said weakly.
Hearing this, Daisy deflated.
Dean also set his book down in astonishment. "What does your lack of sleep have to do with me?"
"You were 'battling' from 3:00 a.m. until after four! Do you think we could sleep, all alone hugging our blankets?" Robert said, his eyes filled with resentment.
"Exactly!" Harry was even more indignant. "The main thing is, you ordered girls for yourself but didn't get any for us. Dean, that's not very brotherly of you!"
Ah, this...
Dean's eyes darted around, and he said with a smile, "My mistake. I should've let you two sleep in one room. Then you wouldn't have been all alone. By the way, it's ten o'clock now. Why hasn't the deputy captain arrived yet?"
"The deputy captain took several days off yesterday afternoon. Now it's just the four of us left in the Fourth Squad," Daisy said, somewhat dejected at the thought of the tens of thousands of US Dollars she had missed out on.
Taking leave?
Something clicked for Dean. It must have been Mrs. Haas's matter that gave the deputy such a great shock he couldn't bear to return for now.
So be it. This is a good opportunity to solidify my position in the Fourth Squad. When Monet is discharged from the hospital, my promotion will be a natural progression!
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
That afternoon, Monet, still maintaining his scholarly elegance despite his physical ailment, arrived at the Fourth Squad with his right arm in a sling. He was accompanied by a plain-looking but intellectually sharp woman.
"Captain? And this is?"
Dean, noticing the others were sleeping like logs, quickly set aside his book and went to greet them.
"This is my wife," Monet said. He surveyed the office with a somewhat embarrassed look, muttered a few words to the woman behind him, then gave Dean a knowing glance before heading to the meeting room.
As Dean swiftly processed the changes in Monet's tone and demeanor before and after entering the door, a thought naturally surfaced in his mind: There's good news!
This was the effect of the Arkaz School - Mind Reading Technique L2. When a person was unguarded, he could fairly accurately discern their psychological state.
I'm just not sure what the good news is.
Dean shot Monet's wife an apologetic smile and swiftly followed the captain.