Knight: from Apprentice to the Almighty

Although Roland wasn’t sure how long it would take him to master the sailing skills Hobbit had taught him, he was in the habit of planning ahead.

So, even before setting sail, he had commissioned the Minstrel to gather information about Pirates in the nearby seas.

"You mean... news about those Pirates?"

An excited smile immediately blossomed on Galvis’s face.

"Hey, Roland! I forgot to ask before. You had me look into the Pirates... are you planning to... wipe them out?"

Seeing Roland nod gently, the Minstrel immediately strummed his Harp.

"I knew it! A hero’s work is never done! Oh, praise be to this—"

"Stop, Galvis..."

Roland rubbed his throbbing temples and tapped his fingers on the stone table before him. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Get to the point!"

"Alright, alright..."

Seeing that Roland had no interest in appreciating his impromptu performance, Galvis shrugged helplessly and then adopted a serious tone.

"From what I’ve heard, the Pirates near the River Domain have suddenly vanished. It’s been at least three months since there’s been any news of a merchant ship being plundered."

"There are rumors they’ve all been recruited by that ’Wolf King’ from the Land of Mist. But while the Land of Mist is quite large, its coastline is filled with reefs and cliffs, with no suitable harbors for ships to dock."

"So many Pirates must have a place to stay, right? But their main hideout has always been a mystery. A normal person would never be able to find them. However..."

Galvis’s eyebrows began to dance up and down wildly, his eyes gleaming with an undisguised desire to be questioned further.

Roland pressed a hand to his forehead in exasperation and slowly asked.

"So... you found out where they’re hiding, right?"

"Exactly!"

Accompanied by a rousing note from his Harp, the Minstrel proudly lifted his chin.

"They’re hiding in Wailing Gorge right now!"

"Wailing Gorge?"

The somewhat familiar name made Roland pause for a moment.

After a moment’s thought, he recalled why.

When he had met with the Half-Elf Captain, Trevor, the man had mentioned this place.

It was in Wailing Gorge that Trevor had encountered a strange Demon and nearly ended up as fish food.

If Teresa hadn’t intervened to save him, Roland probably would have never had the chance to meet the captain.

Thinking of this, Roland looked up and asked.

"Where’s Teresa?"

Since Teresa was on Trevor’s ship at the time, she would surely know the exact location and general terrain of Wailing Gorge.

This was crucial to Roland’s plan to eliminate the Pirates.

"That woman? Ha..."

Galvis sighed, glanced at the darkening sky, and spoke resignedly.

"At this time of day, she’s probably at the Adventurer’s Guild, picking and choosing a suitable commission..."

"I see."

Roland nodded lightly. As he placed his belongings on the stone table and organized them, he continued to ask.

"How are things with the war in the Land of Mist?"

It had been half a month since Avril left.

Although the Land of Mist wasn’t close to the Royal Capital, that was enough time for the vanguard to have engaged with the ’Wolf King’s’ minions.

"The situation... isn’t looking too optimistic."

The Minstrel’s tone was light, even holding a hint of imperceptible pleasure.

"Avril sent a letter. She said the environment in the Land of Mist is bizarre. The forces from the River Domain are advancing cautiously, but they haven’t even caught a glimpse of the Wolf King’s main force. It looks like they’ll be stuck there for a while and won’t be back anytime soon."

When he mentioned that Avril wouldn’t be returning anytime soon, a clear flicker of excitement and satisfaction crossed Galvis’s face.

Hearing this, Roland frowned deeply.

The River Domain might not cover a large area, and its military might was slightly inferior to the surrounding nations, but it should at least have a few Extraordinary Professionals stationed there.

’Even so, is the expedition’s progress really that slow?’

As if seeing through Roland’s doubts, Galvis leisurely set down his Harp, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

"Exploring the Land of Mist and defeating the Wolf King might be the top priority, but the rulers of the River Domain aren’t going to empty their coffers and ignore the safety of their own lands for it. So, as for the powerhouses they sent... there are some, but definitely not many."

Hearing this explanation, Roland nodded in understanding.

"In that case..."

Roland finished packing the personal items on the stone table and turned to leave.

"When Teresa gets back, tell her not to go out for a while. I have something to ask her."

"Mmm, no problem. But..."

Staring at Roland’s departing back, Galvis raised his voice.

"Roland! It’s already dark! Where are you going?"

"The Blacksmith Guild."

"What about my dinner?"

"Figure it out yourself."

Just as he was closing the courtyard gate, Roland added.

"Don’t forget to bring a portion for Mr. Bronson, too."

Ignoring the woeful expression that instantly fell upon the Minstrel’s face, Roland left without another word.

He took a small boat and headed toward the Blacksmith Guild.

As he passed a fork in the waterway, his gaze swept over the area that was still heavily guarded by layers of Guards.

He could feel that the concentration of Magic Elements within the sealed-off zone seemed even denser than before.

Roland’s brow furrowed slightly, but he eventually just shook his head and stepped through the doors of the Blacksmith Guild.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries with Noel, the Dwarf at the front desk, Roland eagerly slipped into his private room.

He laid out the necessary tools one by one, then completely immersed himself in the task of Engraving Spell Patterns onto the surface of the equipment.

Unlike the awkwardness of his first attempts, which took nearly a month, Roland’s speed at Engraving Spell Patterns was now a quantum leap forward, thanks to the significant increase in his various Attributes and the boosts from his many Traits and buffs.

With practice making perfect, he had finished the last few requirements for Engraving Spell Patterns needed to become an Enchanter before night had even fully fallen.

He opened his Professional Panel and confirmed that all requirements in the Enchanter category were met, then nodded in satisfaction.

As usual, he carefully destroyed all the equipment engraved with Spell Patterns before taking a deep breath and silently chanting in his mind.

’Become an Enchanter!’

In an instant, familiar golden text appeared before his eyes.

[Analysis complete. High Tier Profession available: Enchanter]

[Requirements: Power 4, Agility 3, Spirit 7, Basic Forging Skill Level MAX, Basic Magic Theory Level MAX, Successfully Engraved Spell Patterns on equipment (300/300)]

[Do you wish to take this Profession?]

’Confirm!’

[Profession change successful. Current Profession: Enchanter]

[Attribute Bonus received: Power +2, Agility +2, Spirit +6]

As the text appeared, a familiar warm current once again washed over his entire body.

However, perhaps because his base Power and Agility were already quite high, the two-point increase didn’t bring any significant change.

But the explosive surge of a full six points to his Spiritual Attribute made Roland’s mind feel as if it had been suddenly squeezed by an invisible hand.

An indescribable feeling welled up from the depths of his consciousness.

It was completely different from the usual experience of clear and transparent thought. This feeling...

It was as if his spiritual tendrils had suddenly extended, even faintly touching the edge of some invisible, resilient barrier.

"Hooo..."

An unknown amount of time passed before Roland slowly recovered from the strange impact.

He let out a long breath and carefully examined himself. After finding no obvious abnormalities for the time being, he turned his gaze back to the Professional Panel.

[Analysis complete. Host has mastered Basic Forging Skill Level MAX and Basic Magic Theory Level MAX. Now merging skills...]

A moment later, the text silently updated.

[Merge complete]

[Skill learned: Elemental Imprint Level 1]

Before Roland could even make out the details of the text, a torrent of vast, profound new knowledge was already surging into his mind.