Knight: from Apprentice to the Almighty

Although ordinary ironware couldn’t withstand the surge of Elements within and could only manage a single use of the Enchantment, this was still a huge boost to Roland’s strength.

After all...

Looking at the iron post at his feet, now broken in two, Roland nodded lightly.

With that last strike, he had deliberately not used any of his Traits, nor had he activated his Breathing Technique. He had even suppressed his own Power.

It was just the simplest, most basic of slashes.

Yet, an ordinary Iron Sword had sliced through the iron testing post as easily as if it were rotten wood.

This kind of power was comparable to some Low Tier Spells.

In that case...

’What if I were to apply an Elemental Imprint to an Arrow?’

Even if the arrow shaft had poor Magic Conductivity, and even if the wood itself had slightly insufficient Elemental Affinity.

’As long as I can channel Elemental Energy into it the moment it’s fired...’

’As long as it holds together until the moment it hits the target before erupting...’

Roland speculated that while its power wouldn’t match the Flaming Arrow he had now mastered, it would still be quite considerable.

Moreover, the Spiritual Power consumed by channeling Magic Power into a pre-inscribed pattern was far less than what was needed to cast Flaming Arrow at full strength.

This way, he would possess an extremely stealthy and surprising method of attack.

An enemy facing him for the first time would likely never expect a seemingly ordinary Arrow to erupt with Magic-like destructive power.

Of course, this method was not without its costs.

The main drawback was the high cost.

The wood typically used for making Arrows clearly couldn’t withstand the brief surge of Elements within.

Furthermore, these Arrows, imprinted with Magic Elements, were purely single-use consumables with absolutely no possibility of being recovered and reused.

However, for Roland, this disadvantage was almost negligible.

With the wealth he had currently accumulated, as long as he wasn’t using hundreds of these special Arrows in every battle, he could completely afford it.

’Ordinary Wooden Arrows definitely won’t work...’

Roland mused to himself as he silently cleaned up the iron filings and the broken post from the floor.

’Perhaps... I could forge Arrows out of iron? And it would be best to pair them with a sufficiently powerful Longbow.’

With his current physical condition, firing an Iron Arrow should be no problem.

’And besides Arrows...’

Recalling the throwing techniques he had mastered, Roland’s mind raced.

’I could also forge some Short Spears or Short Knives...’

After restoring the Testing Field to its original state and extinguishing the lights, Roland turned and left the Blacksmith Guild.

’The item with the best Magic Conductivity I have right now is probably this Secret Silver Longsword.’

His fingers unconsciously caressed the hilt at his waist. Roland’s pace didn’t falter as his thoughts churned.

’It’s incredibly durable and has a strong natural affinity for the Wind Element, but...’

He recalled the sight of the well-made Iron Sword shattering in an instant and shook his head lightly.

Until he knew the limits of Mithril’s tolerance for a surge of Elements, he was unwilling to risk the only Secret Silver Longsword he possessed.

What if, after the inscription was complete, it was utterly destroyed after just a few battles...

That would be an incalculable loss for Roland.

With his current Power, ordinary iron weapons simply couldn’t withstand the full force of his attacks in an intense battle.

If his weapon were to shatter at a critical moment of life and death, the consequences would be unimaginable.

’Mithril... I’ve heard that veins of this rare metal are only found deep within the Dwarf Kingdom.’

Roland pondered.

’Perhaps... I could visit Master Griffin first thing tomorrow morning and see if he has any channels for acquiring Mithril. If I could secure a stable source...’

The thought of a future where he might be equipped with Armor and weapons meticulously forged from Mithril, all fully imbued with Elemental Enchantments, caused an irrepressible feeling of anticipation and joy to rise quietly in Roland’s heart.

’However...’

Shifting his gaze back to the Secret Silver Longsword, Roland’s eyes held a hint of scrutiny.

Under the effect of Material Synesthesia, he could clearly perceive that the spine of the Longsword bore traces of having been damaged and subsequently repaired.

’To be able to damage a Secret Silver Longsword... just what kind of intense battles did its previous owner go through...?’

With that thought, Roland walked out of the Blacksmith Guild.

A cool, slightly salty sea breeze washed over him, invigorating his weary Spirit and gradually calming the excitement that had stirred within him from becoming an Enchanter.

"Right!"

Roland slapped his forehead lightly and then opened his Professional Panel.

’I almost forgot to check what kind of resonance benefit I’d get between Apprentice Knight and Enchanter.’

As he thought this, his gaze focused on a new line of text that had appeared on the panel.

[Apprentice Knight Profession detected. Professional Resonance can be triggered.]

[Professional Resonance]

[Apprentice Knight + Enchanter]

[Extra Benefit Gained: Echoing Forge]

[Echoing Forge: When an Apprentice Knight activates "Embers Echo," the golden embers born from the heat of battle not only nourish allies but are also drawn by the Enchanter’s "Material Synesthesia" instinct. They flow like a liquid battlefield will, covering the allies’ equipment. This is not a simple adhesion but a deep tempering of Energy and matter through the Synesthesia talent. The embers instinctively smooth out minute metal fatigue, mend latent cracks in leather, and, based on the material’s own Magic Affinity, temporarily imbue it with sharpness, toughness, or Elemental Affinity.]

"Whoa!"

Roland’s eyebrows rose slightly after carefully reading the description.

’Embers Echo is a group buff that significantly boosts allies’ stamina and combat will, while Echoing Forge is a group Enchantment... Doesn’t that mean...’

He rubbed his smooth chin subconsciously as he walked toward home.

’After activating Embers Echo, the overall strength of my nearby allies will increase by leaps and bounds? I just don’t know... how effective the temporary Enchantment effect granted by Echoing Forge on equipment will be.’

’It couldn’t be that their weapons and Armor will all shatter after a single clash because they can’t handle the torrent of Elemental Energy, could it...’

The thought of the potentially awkward scene of equipment collectively disintegrating made the corner of Roland’s mouth twitch imperceptibly. He shook his head lightly and refocused his gaze on his Attributes panel.

[Power: 27.5]

[Agility: 25.5]

[Spirit: 18]

’Back when my Power and Agility both broke ten points, I stepped into the Extraordinary Domain, surpassing the limits of a mortal.’

’So, if I use the Attributes on the Professional Panel as a reference, what’s the attribute threshold for an Extraordinary Professional? Is it thirty? Or forty? And...’

His gaze lingered on his high Spirit Attribute of 18. Roland couldn’t help but recall the strange sensation he felt when he gained six points in Spirit from becoming an Enchanter.

’That impenetrable barrier my Spiritual Perception touched back then... could that have been the barrier to the Deep Sea of Consciousness mentioned in the ancient texts?’

This was completely different from the feeling of awakening the Consciousness Shallows by taking the Spirit Summoning Potion.

He remembered clearly that for a Wizard to cast Ring Tier Spells, which were above mere Tricks, they usually needed to cultivate a specific Meditation Technique to open a Deep Sea of Consciousness in their spiritual world—one stable enough to bear complex Rune structures.

’The main purpose of practicing a Meditation Technique is to increase one’s Spiritual Power. So, does that mean... you don’t actually need a special Secret Technique to open the Deep Sea of Consciousness? As long as your Spiritual Power accumulates to a certain intensity and reaches a critical point, you can naturally break through that barrier?’

After all, unlike ordinary people who could only rely on fortuitous encounters or arduous Meditation to increase their Spiritual Power, he just needed to continuously take on new Professions. Through the accumulation of professional Attributes, he could steadily grow his Spiritual Power with almost no bottlenecks.

’Perhaps... a Spiritual Attribute of twenty is the threshold for opening the Deep Sea of Consciousness?’

After making this bold speculation, Roland’s steps involuntarily became lighter.