Knight: from Apprentice to the Almighty

"You must be familiar with this area. Is there anywhere nearby we can hide for a while?"

"Hmm... Let me think..."

As his excitement subsided, the pain in his body returned.

Dalko leaned on a rough tree trunk, his brow furrowed in thought.

A moment later, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"I’ve got it! Roland, follow me."

The young noble said, limping as he shuffled toward a path on the left.

"Last winter, I took some Guards to a cave not far from here and hunted a brown bear. The cave is quite spacious, a perfect place to rest."

Perhaps because he saw that Roland was unharmed, Dalko’s once-staggering steps became a little lighter.

However, the path to the cave was not a peaceful one.

Although it wasn’t far, the two of them ran into several goblin patrol teams one after another.

Fortunately, Roland was quick to react. Whenever he spotted goblins, he would be the first to strike, cutting them down with his sword.

But the sound of clashing blades inevitably alerted nearby enemies, drawing more pursuers.

The two had to fight and retreat, weaving and hiding through the dense forest.

After much difficulty, they finally broke through the encirclement, passed through layers of dense bushes, and arrived at a hidden cave.

"HUFF..."

The prolonged fighting had rapidly drained Roland’s stamina, and he couldn’t help but gasp for breath.

Holding up a hand to signal Dalko to stop, Roland took a moment to recover before entering the cave first to inspect it carefully.

Just as Dalko had said, the inside of the cave was very spacious, large enough for seven or eight people.

After confirming there were no recent signs of any living creatures, Roland returned to the entrance. He carefully helped Dalko into the cave and had him sit against the rock wall to rest.

"HISS..."

The movement of sitting down pulled at his wounds, and Dalko couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.

Roland looked at the wounds covering his body, especially the makeshift bandage on his leg that was soaked through with blood, and his brow furrowed tightly.

’Such injuries aren’t fatal, but if we delay any longer, his life could be in danger.’

Thinking of this, he spoke softly.

"Young Master Dalko, let me re-dress your wounds."

"Just call me Dalko, Roland..."

Dalko adjusted his posture, forcing a bitter smile.

"Alright, Dalko."

Seeing his sincere expression, Roland raised an eyebrow but said no more, simply tearing off a few clean pieces of his inner lining.

Compared to the rush during the goblin attack earlier, they had much more time now.

Roland recalled the simple first-aid techniques he had learned before he transmigrated, meticulously treating the wound as he asked in a low voice.

"Dalko, have you ever encountered Demons when you came here to hunt before?"

"No."

Dalko gritted his teeth against the pain, his voice trembling slightly.

"If there were really Demons here, my father would never have allowed me to come."

"Is that so..."

Roland used the clean water from his waterskin to rinse the wound, his mind replaying their earlier encounter. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke again.

"I can’t shake the feeling... that those goblins are searching for something."

"Searching?"

"That’s right."

Roland nodded solemnly.

"If we were their target, they would have chased us relentlessly. But look at what they’re doing now—patrolling everywhere in the forest, setting up watchposts... They’re clearly looking for something..."

"You’re right..."

Dalko replied thoughtfully.

He recalled the group of goblins that had given up the chase halfway and turned back, and he couldn’t help but frown.

He tried to make sense of it, but after a moment, he could only shake his head and give up.

"But I can’t imagine what they could be looking for in this forest. Believe me, Roland, this godforsaken place has nothing but wild beasts. Besides..."

Dalko obediently turned his body to help Roland’s bandaging, cursing under his breath at the same time.

"What I’d really like to know is what the hell that old coot Beckham and those Guards at the manor are getting paid for! To actually let so many Demons appear so close to the manor!"

Roland’s hands didn’t stop. He continued to bandage Dalko’s wounds with the torn lining, but his brow slowly tightened.

It wasn’t that he disagreed with Dalko, but he detected something unusual in his tone.

Dalko spoke of Knight Beckham, the only Knight in Black Water Territory, with a hint of disdain and contempt.

This surprised him.

Ever since he transmigrated, everything he had heard—whether through rumors or from people close to him like Sean and John—was filled with respect and admiration for Beckham.

It was a stark contrast to the contempt Dalko was showing now.

In the Golden Valley Kingdom, it was true that nobles technically outranked Knights in status. But this was, after all, a world with Extraordinary Power.

’At least, I think that even the highest-ranking noble should show proper respect to a Knight like Beckham, who wields Extraordinary Power.’

Yet Dalko’s attitude was as if he were dealing with an insignificant subordinate.

’It seems a bit unreasonable.’

But since it had nothing to do with their current situation, Roland chose not to ask.

He just carefully bandaged the last wound on Dalko’s body, his movements gentle yet efficient.

As he treated the wound, he said in a low voice.

"Your injuries, especially the one on your leg, can’t be left any longer. I’ve done some basic bandaging, but without proper medicine, you could suffer permanent damage."

He paused, and thinking of the goblin patrols constantly moving through the dense forest outside, he lowered his voice even more.

"Besides, the goblins’ search area is shrinking. It’s only a matter of time before they find this place. By the time the manor realizes what’s happened and sends Guards to rescue us, it’ll probably be too late... I suggest we rest for a bit and then move immediately. What do you think?"

"You’re right, but..."

Dalko’s brow was knitted tight as he recalled the scene in the forest.

"You saw it too. There are too many goblins. The moment we’re spotted, they’ll swarm us from all directions..."

"Unless... we can predict their movements in advance, I’m afraid it’ll be hard to avoid those bastards."

Roland nodded grimly.

With his current strength, dealing with a few goblins and escaping this jungle on his own would be no problem, but bringing an injured Dalko along was another matter entirely.

Just as he was pondering this, he tied off the last bandage.

The next moment, a line of golden text suddenly appeared in his vision.

[Emergency Treatment Mastered, Current Level: Lv.1]

’Emergency Treatment...’

Looking at the golden text before him, Roland ignored the drowsy Dalko at his side and opened his Professional Panel instead.

When he saw that the required survival skills for the Hunter Profession had changed from 1/2 to 2/2, Roland slowly let out a breath.

’That was surprisingly easy...’

’Become a Hunter.’

As he thought the words, the text before his eyes began to change.

[Analysis complete. You are eligible for the Basic Profession: Hunter.]

[Requirements: Power: 1, Agility: 2, any Lv.1 Archery-related skill, two survival-related skills (2/2)]

[Change Profession?]

’Confirm Profession!’