The game world and the real world have opposite day and night cycles. Just as night was falling in the real world, dawn was breaking in the game world. For someone who wants to become a professional player, this precious morning time is naturally best used to level up as quickly as possible.

Before leveling up, one must find the rogue trainer to learn basic skills.

“This trainer is really well hidden.” William Carter searched all over Tabak Town before finally finding a sleazy old man in a dilapidated house. The system indicated that this sleazy old man was indeed the rogue trainer.

The old man was hunched over, wearing a tattered cloak, looking gaunt, with hands like old tree branches. At first glance, one might think he was a zombie that had just crawled out of a coffin. His pale blue eyes were vacant and unfocused. It was hard to imagine that he would be a rogue trainer.

William Carter did not underestimate this old man, mainly because of his hands. Though thin and bony, they were full of strength, like eagle talons. From William Carter’s professional perspective, these long, dexterous fingers would be extremely agile with small weapons. Coupled with the rogue’s class characteristics, this old man was clearly not simple.

“Hello, I’m a newly minted rogue, here to learn rogue skills from you.” William Carter said politely. This was all knowledge gained from the internet: every NPC is intelligent, so they must be treated with respect.

William Carter was somewhat introverted by nature, but for some reason, communicating with these NPCs felt very natural, which surprised William Carter.

The old man glanced casually at William Carter, a beam of light swept over William Carter, and he said, “My name is Alden, I am the rogue trainer of Tabak Town. You can learn basic skills from me. Basic skills are free; you can choose which skills you want to learn from the skill list. However, if you want to upgrade your skills, I will charge a certain fee.”

“Thank you, trainer,” said William Carter. Opening the skill list, William Carter checked the skills currently available to learn. A level one rogue could learn seven basic skills: Sap, Stealth, Backstab, Reverse Backstab, Kick, Ambush, and Eviscerate. These were all essential rogue skills, and learning them was free, so William Carter chose to learn them without hesitation.

Stealth is an invisibility skill, the most important skill for rogues. Sap and Ambush are stun skills, both requiring Stealth as a prerequisite. Kick is an interrupt skill; rushing up to a caster and using Kick can interrupt and prevent them from casting spells. Backstab, Reverse Backstab, and Eviscerate are all damage-dealing skills, but the descriptions left William Carter a bit confused. Reverse Backstab and Eviscerate are finishing moves, while Backstab is a combo skill. The difference between finishing moves and combo skills puzzled William Carter.

“Excuse me…” William Carter was about to ask the rogue trainer Alden, but the rogue trainer Alden interrupted Henry Carter.

“I will not explain how to use these skills. You must comprehend them on your own.” The rogue trainer Alden said indifferently.

Hearing this, William Carter swallowed his question. He would have to gradually master these skills through practice, William Carter thought.

There were also weapon skills to learn. Rogues could use daggers, thrown weapons, one-handed swords, bows, crossbows, one-handed maces, fist weapons, and so on. After considering, William Carter learned Dagger Specialization and Crossbow Specialization. Learning Dagger Specialization allowed William Carter to use daggers. Daggers are short weapons; although their attack range and damage are somewhat weaker than one-handed swords, they are more agile and have a faster attack rate, making them the favorite of most rogues. As for bows, crossbows, and thrown weapons, at least one must be learned for ranged attacks and pulling monsters.

“This is for you.” The rogue trainer Alden tossed William Carter a one-handed dagger.

William Carter caught the one-handed dagger thrown by the rogue trainer Alden. The dagger was made of some dark metal, and its blade was even a bit chipped.

One-handed Dagger: Attack 7–15

Although it was pretty lousy, it was better than nothing. As soon as William Carter gripped the dagger in his right hand, a familiar feeling surged up. William Carter flexed his fingers, and the dagger spun a perfect arc in William Carter’s hand before landing steadily in his palm. Holding the dagger, for some reason, a strong sense of confidence welled up inside.

“Rogue.” William Carter murmured. This class seemed as if it was made for him.

The dagger spun as if dancing between William Carter’s fingers. The skillful technique even surprised the rogue trainer Alden, who gave the young man another look. Several rogues had come to him to learn skills earlier, but few had caught his attention.

“Go on, good luck. May the ancestors be with you.” After teaching William Carter the skills and handing over the weapon, the rogue trainer Alden closed his eyes to rest. Seeing that the rogue trainer Alden was dismissing him, William Carter bowed respectfully and then walked out of Tabak Town.

Outside Tabak Town was a barren desert, but now, this once desolate place had become a bit livelier. From time to time, one or two busy players would pass by—they were all new players eager to level up after just entering the game.