Knight: from Apprentice to the Almighty

The Purple-haired Witch’s gaze shifted between the two, a flicker of amusement in her eyes.

She had noticed the Elf’s wariness, as well as her affection for Roland.

"Commander Avril."

Vanessa’s voice carried a unique cadence. Her smile was poised and elegant, yet her gaze drifted back toward Roland.

"Mr. Roland mentioned that you and your team encountered some... directional difficulties in the mist? It is my honor to be of some assistance."

She deliberately emphasized the words "Mr. Roland mentioned," her voice carrying a subtle, almost imperceptible intimacy, as if sharing a secret.

Avril’s back straightened. She maintained her smile, but her eyes grew sharp.

"Thank you. It’s just... the mist is treacherous. Is your method reliable?"

"Rest assured. It’s as reliable as Mr. Roland’s trust in me."

The Witch once again brought Roland up, satisfied as she watched the little flame of wariness flare in Avril’s eyes.

Listening to their polite exchange, Roland felt the atmosphere was a bit...

Too formal?

’It’s probably just Avril’s sense of responsibility as a commander.’

At this thought, he cleared his throat and cut in.

"Don’t worry, Avril. Miss Vanessa is trustworthy. Let’s just focus on finalizing the route for now."

The moment the words left his mouth, Avril withdrew her gaze from Vanessa. When she turned to Roland, her eyes instantly brightened with focus, and her tone reverted to its usual cheerful cadence.

"Okay, Roland!"

Vanessa, seeing this, raised a delicate eyebrow.

She watched Avril’s expression change in an instant, then glanced at the oblivious Roland, who was hunched over the table, carefully studying the map. A mischievous glint appeared in her purple eyes.

’It seems this Mr. Roland... is even more interesting than I thought...’

With Vanessa acting as their living map, the planning went exceptionally smoothly.

Before long, the group had finalized their route.

After staying to help Avril with some miscellaneous tasks around the camp, Roland was led by Dylan to a rather shabby-looking tent.

"My apologies, Sir..."

Dylan looked at the hole in the tent and scratched his head, a bit embarrassed.

"This is the best tent we have on hand."

"It’s fine, Captain Dylan."

Roland shook his head lightly, not caring about the living conditions.

After all, during his days of travel in the Land of Mist, he often slept out in the wilderness.

Compared to that, this tent that could shelter him from the wind and rain was already quite a decent place to stay.

"It’s just... I’ll have to trouble you to stand guard tonight."

"Don’t you worry, Mr. Roland!"

Seeing no dissatisfaction on Roland’s face, Dylan breathed a sigh of relief and patted his sturdy chest firmly.

"Leave it to me!"

The two exchanged a few more words, then Roland bid Dylan farewell, lifted the curtain flap, and entered the tent.

The interior was as simple as the exterior, but it was kept very neat and tidy.

After briefly organizing his belongings, Roland lay down on the somewhat cold bed and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Roland."

Just as he was about to close his eyes and rest, Tress the Pikachu carefully poked her head out of his waist pouch. After looking around to make sure no one was there, she flew out lightly.

"Are you planning to follow this army to find that... person named Graham?"

"That’s right."

Roland replied while stretching his sore muscles.

"But you don’t need to worry, Tress."

"You heard earlier, our destination is Cuiyan Forest. Once we get there, you’ll have a chance to look for your kin."

"Mmm..."

Tress nodded lightly.

"Thank you, Roland."

"What’s there to thank me for?"

Roland chuckled and reached out to gently rub the Pikachu’s small head.

"But once we get there, I need to make sure I’m in a safe position myself before I can help you find your kin. As for saving your homeland..."

he added.

"Graham is a powerful Extraordinary Professional, and the reason he came here is to vanquish the cause of the mist that pervades this land—the Wolf King."

"So, as long as the battle is won, your homeland will naturally be saved. Does that arrangement work for you?"

"Of course!"

Hearing these words, Tress’s voice was full of hope.

After chatting for a few more moments, once he felt his stamina had mostly recovered, Roland sat up and slowly closed his eyes.

The next moment, a familiar searing heat quietly reawakened within him, then swiftly circulated throughout his body.

Although he had met with an accident in Wailing Gorge and ended up stranded in the Land of Mist, Roland had never slacked off on his Breathing Technique training while dealing with the various crises.

He knew full well that in this dangerous world, great strength was the only foundation for survival.

And for him, the [Nameless Breathing Technique] was the very cornerstone for building that strength.

Therefore, no matter the circumstances, he had not been the least bit complacent in his training.

Having been tempered by many battles, Roland’s use and mastery of the Breathing Technique had become more and more proficient.

In just a few moments, a complete cycle of the Breathing Technique was finished.

This was a stark contrast to the difficult, awkward, and repeatedly failed attempts when he first started training.

But Roland didn’t stop.

He circulated the [Nameless Breathing Technique] within his body again and again, letting the searing current flow through his limbs and bones.

After an unknown amount of time, only when the light perceived through his eyelids had completely vanished did he slowly open his eyes.

Just then, a line of dazzling golden text abruptly entered his vision.

[Nameless Breathing Technique has been upgraded. Current Level: Level 5]

[Detecting...]

A moment later, Roland’s brow slowly furrowed.

Completely different from the usual speed at which the text instantly appeared, this time it seemed to be stuck, appearing abnormally slowly.

As if...

...the Professional Panel was struggling to think.

[Detecting host’s various Attributes...]

[Detecting host’s Profession...]

[Detecting host’s mastered Skills...]

[Detecting host’s possessed Traits...]

[Detecting host’s possessed Extra Benefits...]

The text scrolled like a rusty gear, getting slower and slower, until it finally froze completely.

Just as Roland thought the Professional Panel had encountered some unknown interference and might have even crashed...

The golden text before his eyes suddenly vanished.

Before he could react, a new line of text slowly materialized.

But its color was no longer the familiar gold, but a dark red that seemed to be soaked in blood, yet emanated a strange, faint glow.

It wavered like a reflection on the water’s surface before finally coming into clear view before Roland’s eyes.

[Detection complete. Available Extraordinary Profession: Knight]

"Knight! It really is the Extraordinary Profession, Knight!"

Roland’s breath caught in his throat, his heart feeling as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand.

However, when his gaze moved down and he saw the specific conditions for taking the Profession, the joyful surprise on his face instantly froze.

Because what was displayed before him was not the cold, mechanical text of the past, nor were there any clear conditions.

There was only a short passage...

...filled with a sense of epic grandeur.

[Plunge into a grand war of thundering steel and heaven-shattering war drums.]

[In the maelstrom of bugle calls and bloody fire, you must become victory’s edge, the deciding factor in the battle’s outcome. Furthermore, you must be the final survivor, the one to tread upon scorched earth and toppled banners, to descend from the hill of corpses.]

[Only then... can the Knight’s Heart be forged into your soul.]