Knight: from Apprentice to the Almighty

"Roland..."

As they walked out of the Adventurer’s Guild, the blinding sunlight made Avril squint and frown.

"That woman, Lilith... I have a feeling there’s more to her than meets the eye. But..."

In the next instant, however, the Elf Maiden was suddenly back to her usual cheerful self.

"I don’t have any problem with getting certified by the Guild and becoming an A Level Adventurer Group!"

She clasped her hands behind her head, her eyes curving into crescents.

"That way, we’ll be able to stay in the best inns everywhere without a reservation!"

As if already feeling the fluffy mattress, she snuggled contentedly against the air.

"Mr. Roland..."

Once the Elf Maiden finished, Teresa elegantly tucked her long, silver hair behind her ear and spoke.

"I have no objection to the certification either. Just as that governor lady said, the Guild won’t force us to take on commissions, so all those so-called exclusive services are essentially free. Of course..."

At this point, the silver-haired woman gazed gently at Roland.

"Ultimately, the decision is yours. I will follow your lead completely."

Hearing this, Avril’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

She shot a sideways glance at the silver-haired woman, a flash of surprise in her eyes.

"Thank you for your trust, Teresa."

Roland smiled and nodded.

"But we still need to ask for Galvis’s opinion. After all, we’re a four-person team."

"Of course, Mr. Roland."

Teresa replied softly.

Watching their seamless interaction, Avril suddenly snorted.

"Why bother asking that guy’s opinion? He’ll definitely start rambling on about Heroic Epics, slaying Demons, impromptu arias, and all that..."

She made an exaggerated gagging face.

"Just thinking about it makes me sick."

"Alright, Avril..."

Watching the Elf Maiden’s uncanny and exaggerated imitation of the Minstrel, Roland didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he patted her shoulder.

"Anyway... let’s talk about this later."

Roland stretched his arms out wide.

"For now..."

He rubbed his slightly sore shoulders.

"Let’s head back to the inn and rest. We’ve been on the move for so long, I’m getting pretty tired."

The three of them chatted idly on their way into the inn, then went to their respective rooms.

As the door clicked softly shut, the clamor of the outside world was instantly sealed away.

Roland sat on the edge of his bed, frowning in deep thought as he recalled everything that had just happened at the Adventurer’s Guild.

Just as Avril and Teresa had said, he wasn’t against getting certified by the Guild either.

Galvis probably wouldn’t object either.

What truly concerned him were the specific details of the commission to eliminate the Wolf King.

Some of the information revealed in the commission was unknown even to Avril, a member of the Shadow Veil Organization.

This was enough to prove that the Adventurer’s Guild had close ties to the Merchant Faction or aristocratic factions of the River Domain.

What was even more concerning was that the description of the anomaly in the Land of Mist perfectly matched his earlier speculations.

’Is it really a mutation caused by an over-concentration of Magic Elements?’

’But according to the intel, those guys under the Wolf King who are plundering the merchant caravans aren’t affected by the high concentration of Magic Elements, and they show no signs of Crystal Cluster infection. Could it be...’

A terrible theory surfaced in his mind.

’Have the Truth Church’s forbidden experiments... had a breakthrough?’

Roland shook his head lightly, refocusing his thoughts on the "choose your own reward."

’Judging by how confident that woman Lilith looked, she probably wasn’t lying...’

’Which means the Adventurer’s Guild really does have a way to obtain the promotion methods for other Extraordinary Professions...’

At this thought, Roland’s heart couldn’t help but race.

But the thrill was fleeting. He quickly calmed himself, not letting his desire for Power cloud his judgment.

After all, even a power as great as the nations of the River Domain had to plan meticulously to subjugate the Wolf King of the Mist Forest.

And although his own strength was considerable, and Avril and the others were elites among the Extraordinary...

...it was ultimately unrealistic to think the four of them alone could take down the Wolf King.

However, Roland wasn’t discouraged.

Right now, just practicing the Knight’s Breathing Technique took up almost all of his time.

Before he officially advanced to Knight, he didn’t have a desperate need for the promotion paths of other Extraordinary Professions.

Besides, with the help of his Professional Panel, his strength was already increasing far faster than an ordinary person’s.

As Magic Elements gradually resurged, anomalies like the Land of Mist and powerful enemies like the Wolf King would only become more common in the future.

There was no need to worry that if he missed this chance, another commission of this difficulty would never appear again.

’So I can just wait until after I advance to Knight... when I’m strong enough. Then I can complete these high-difficulty commissions and get the promotion methods for other Extraordinary Professions.’

Thinking of this, he suddenly remembered something and summoned his Professional Panel with a thought.

’After successfully taking the [Apprentice Knight] Profession, the requirements for becoming a full Knight didn’t trigger. Maybe... is it because my [Nameless Breathing Technique] isn’t a high enough Level?’

Gazing at the Level Three [Nameless Breathing Technique], Roland fell into thought.

As the core Secret Technique for the training of an Extraordinary Professional Knight, the Breathing Technique was clearly different from basic Combat Skills. Its cap was definitely not just Level Three.

It could go as high as Level Five, or even Level Ten.

After all, the depth of one’s mastery over a Breathing Technique had always been a key standard for measuring a Knight’s strength.

After making this deduction, Roland’s gaze shifted to the Race column.

[Human Race + Dragon Race]

[Current Bloodline Fusion Level: 3%]

’Just as I thought...’

Noticing that his Bloodline Fusion Level had increased by another two percentage points since his initial Awakening, Roland recalled his two recent intense battles with the Bear Goblins and nodded slightly.

’Whenever I activate [Fermented Battle Intent] and circulate my Breathing Technique with all my might, the bloodline fusion accelerates. And...’

He looked down at the skin on his arm, which was still as smooth as ever, and a smile touched his lips when he confirmed there were no abnormalities.

’The Professional Panel really does block the side effects of bloodline fusion. Otherwise, as the Bloodline Fusion Level increases, there’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed anything.’

This discovery was a great relief.

After reviewing the entire panel again, Roland began to think carefully about his future plans.

’Next, I need to keep honing my [Basic Forging Skill] and [Magic Basic Theory] to become a High Tier [Enchanter] as soon as possible. Then I can see what kind of Extra Benefit is triggered when High Tier Professions resonate with each other.’

’And while I continue practicing my Breathing Technique, I also need to find time to practice the sea survival skills Hobbit taught me to pave the way for becoming a Pirate.’

With his plan set, Roland let out a long breath and took the Sheepskin Scroll gifted to him by Lilith, the one that recorded a Combat Skill, from his waist pouch.

In the bright sunlight, he slowly unrolled the scroll on his tabletop, squinting to examine it carefully.

There, on the yellowed parchment, were three large, striking words.

[Martial Combat Step]