Knight: from Apprentice to the Almighty

In the depths of a dense forest.

The once-towering ancient trees had been mostly snapped in half, and the solid ground was a web of cracks, pockmarked with craters of all sizes.

Looking down from high above, a massive clearing had appeared out of nowhere in the center of the once-lush forest, a silent testament to the ferocity of the battle.

At the edge of the clearing, Roland flicked the blood from his Secret Silver Longsword and plunged the blade deep into the soil at his feet.

"Whew..."

Gazing at the corpse of the Bear Goblin, still oozing blood onto the ground, he let out a long breath.

’No wonder some Mercenaries and Adventurers, even after completing countless commissions and earning rewards a commoner could never hope to attain in a lifetime, still end up unable to make ends meet...’

Roland looked down at the Fine Iron Round Shield in his hand, which was now almost in pieces, and gently shook his head.

’Just the cost of repairing or replacing weapons after each battle must eat up most of the reward, to say nothing of all the other expenses during a mission...’

Due to the relative scarcity of mineral resources in the River Domain, even an ordinary Fine Iron Round Shield like the one in Roland’s hand cost several dozen Silver Coins.

If not for the backing of his patron, Colin, he would never be able to afford fighting so "luxuriously."

’With the resurgence of the Magic Elements, the enemies I face in the future will only get stronger.’

Roland mused.

’When I get back to the Royal Capital, I’ll have to find a way to get weapons and armor on par with my Secret Silver Longsword. If my gear breaks in the middle of a fight, it could lead to fatal consequences...’

While he was lost in thought, Teresa finished her inspection of the Bear Goblin’s corpse and walked over to Roland.

Her voice was grave.

"Mr. Roland, this Bear Goblin is like the last two. We found Crystal Clusters inside its body... and there are significantly more of them."

"I understand."

Roland stared at the Bear Goblin’s corpse, his brow furrowing.

A month had passed since their first encounter with this type of creature.

During this time, they stuck to their established strategy.

Teresa and Avril were in charge of gathering intelligence, and the four of them would devise meticulous battle plans together.

Although the next two fights were just as fierce, their prior experience and seamless teamwork allowed them to slay both Bear Goblins without any major issues.

However, the way these two battles unfolded was completely different from the first.

The first Bear Goblin had been cunning and cautious, even trying to retreat when it realized the battle was turning against it. Its intelligence was on par with a human’s.

But these last two were more like common, low-intelligence Demons.

Savage and frenzied.

As soon as they spotted Roland’s group, they charged mindlessly. Their attacks had no rhyme or reason; they relied solely on brute strength to rampage.

They were slightly faster and stronger than the first one, but their fighting style was so primitive that Roland’s group quickly found an opening and finished them with a single strike.

For that reason, these last two fights were actually much easier than the first.

’Is it because of the Crystal Clusters?’

Roland fell into thought, recalling the Bear Goblins’ frenzied attacks.

"Roland!"

Just then, a clear voice called out from behind him.

Before Roland could even turn, Avril was at his side, as swift as a gentle breeze.

In the dappled shade of the trees, the Elf Maiden’s short brown hair swayed with her movements, catching the light with a soft sheen.

"So? What did you think of my shot...?"

She playfully mimed drawing a bow, even making the sound of an Arrow whistling through the air.

"’WHOOSH!’ Right into the monster’s right eye!"

"You did very well, Avril."

Roland praised her generously, looking at the Arrow still quivering in the Bear Goblin’s right eye.

But then, an almost imperceptible flicker of doubt entered his gaze.

Over the past month, the two Bear Goblins they had slain had one thing in common.

Their lairs should have been crawling with other Demons.

But every time Avril went to scout, she would return with the same report: "No other Demons in the area."

This starkly contradicted Roland’s previous experience.

While completing the "Slay 100 Hostile Creatures with the Breathing Technique" quest, he had clearly observed that the Demons of the River Domain were all extremely territorial.

Even when facing a powerful foe like a Bear Goblin, those Low-Level Demons should have defended their territory to the death.

Yet when they arrived, not only were there no other Demons to be found, just as Avril reported, but there wasn’t even a single trace of a struggle.

’Could this... also be an arrangement by the Truth Church? Or maybe...’

Roland’s gaze drifted to the Elf Maiden, who was still giddy from the praise. A thought suddenly struck him.

’Did Avril clear out the surrounding Demons ahead of time?’

Just as he was pondering this, a sharp whinny broke the forest’s silence.

Galvis drove the carriage slowly toward them, his fingers stroking his Harp, drawing forth a melodious tune.

The Minstrel spread his arms wide, as if reciting an epic.

"Ah! Let us sing praises to this warrior, whose blade flashes with the brilliance of moonlight! A glimpse of such Sword Skills would make ancient elven trees tremble and cause even a Giant Dragon to sheathe its arrogant claws!"

"My dear hero, every slash of your blade is worthy of a sonnet! Every footstep deserves to be chronicled in golden verse!"

"That’s enough, Galvis..."

Roland pressed a hand to his forehead in exasperation, cutting off the Minstrel’s increasingly exaggerated praise. He smoothly pulled his Secret Silver Longsword from the ground, spun, and lopped off the Bear Goblin’s head with a single stroke, casually tossing it into his satchel.

"Tsk..."

Seeing Roland’s complete lack of reaction to his performance, Galvis lowered his arms in disappointment and pouted.

"So, Roland, what’s next?"

"Back to the Royal Capital."

Roland tossed the sack of spoils onto the carriage, signaling for Teresa and Avril to stay alert.

"We’re going back already? But..."

The Minstrel pulled a slightly yellowed notebook from his coat and flipped through the pages with a look of regret.

"My *Demon Slaying Aria* is still missing its final verse..."

"Just make something up, then."

"Hey! Roland!"

Galvis snapped his notebook shut, looking offended.

"I’m not like those third-rate Minstrels, you know! My stories must be based on true events, with just a tad... of artistic license."

"A tad... of artistic license?"

Roland’s mouth twitched.

He’d once had the misfortune of glimpsing the *Heroic Epic* Galvis had written based on him.

If he didn’t have a sober assessment of his own abilities, he might have actually believed he was some chosen hero destined to save the world.

"That’s enough, Galvis. The local Guard Team has already taken care of the other Bear Goblin. There’s no need for us to waste time hunting common Demons."

Roland gestured for Teresa and Avril to get into the carriage.

"We’ll go to the nearest town to report the completed commission, rest up, and then head back to the Royal Capital."

"Fine..."

Seeing that Roland’s mind was made up, Galvis could only sigh and crack the whip.

A few moments later, the carriage was pulling away from the devastated clearing.

Sitting in the jostling carriage, Roland felt a surge of excitement at the thought of the Combat Skills he would soon receive from the Adventurer Guild.

But what truly made his heart pound was...

[Detected: Host has learned a Knight’s Breathing Technique. High Tier Profession: Apprentice Knight, now available for unlocking.]

[Requirements: 20 Power, 18 Agility, 12 Spirit, Lv.3 Knight’s Breathing Technique (any), 1/1 Full Level Basic Riding Skill, 5/5 Full Level Short-Handled Weapon Combat Skills, 5/5 Full Level Long-Handled Weapon Combat Skills, 3/3 Full Level Ranged Weapon Combat Skills, 1/1 Full Level Shield Block/Defense Skills, Slay 100/100 hostile creatures using Breathing Technique, Command a squad (3+ members) to defeat a superior hostile target 3/3 times]

[Unlock Profession?]