Pseudo-Mage Online

After seeing off Knight Shiludi, Hudson secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the envoy sent by Count Pierce wasn't a skilled diplomat, otherwise, he might not have been able to resist the temptation.

If it were a native knight, they would likely have accepted the tempting offer, even knowing it was a hot potato.

Ultimately, the competition was too fierce. Every year, countless new knights like Hudson emerged across the continent, but only one in ten managed to secure a fief.

Most knights died on the battlefield, with only a rare few fortunate enough to stand out.

Relatively speaking, Hudson was lucky. Before venturing out on his own, he managed to secure an opportunity to lead troops into battle.

No matter how useless the serf soldiers were, it was still better than starting from scratch. Without his family's backing and the serf soldiers, Hudson wouldn't have reached his current position.

While it seemed like he had ascended passively, hadn't he also been actively pushing things along? If he hadn't been willing, could anyone have forced him?

If he had joined the war as a wandering knight, he would have been front-line cannon fodder.

As far as Hudson knew, even the lowest-ranking centurions in Count Pierce's Crimson Knights were knights themselves. To stand out among them, one would need to experience at least ten wars.

And that was for an elite unit; the chances of advancement in regular troops were even lower. The probability of obtaining a fief from a liege lord was even more remote.

Most knights only held titles, not fiefs. If they served a generous lord, they might be granted a manor as sustenance.

Most ordinary knights only received meager stipends. To gain more, they had to seize it on the battlefield.

If Hudson's purse hadn't been so light, Knight Shiludi wouldn't have been so easily bought off.

The snail brigade set off again, and Hudson could clearly feel the transformation of the serf soldiers. After two consecutive victories, a hint of veteran presence finally appeared among them.

It was a shame that this unit was only under his temporary command; they would return to their respective homes after the war. No matter how well they were trained, it was all for someone else's benefit.

Having been attacked once, Hudson became even more cautious, sending scouts out five miles ahead.

During his leisure time, Hudson began to study his golden finger—the Mysterious Compass.

The Soul Fire from the five Silver Skeletons acted like five blood packs, greatly replenishing the compass, and Hudson benefited immensely.

Relying on his keen perception, he, a rookie archer, had evolved into a sharpshooter. His overall physical condition had also significantly improved.

Unfortunately, this external enhancement came at a price. Once the energy in the compass was depleted, he would revert to his normal state.

Before this, Hudson had already experienced a boost in his cultivation speed, but it hadn't lasted long before disappearing due to energy depletion.

Of course, it couldn't be considered a complete loss; his physical condition had still improved considerably, just not as much as when he was under the enhancement.

"Mysterious wind element, heed my call, Rippling Wind!"

After the incantation, only the leaves in front of him rustled twice. Whether it was caused by the magic release, or the spit Hudson expelled while chanting, or something else, remained unknown.

The onlookers were already accustomed to such scenes, knowing that the esteemed noble was practicing magic.

As for why the magic didn't manifest, they didn't know, and no one dared to discuss it openly.

As long as one had thick enough skin, embarrassment could be avoided. To become a great mage, Hudson was giving it his all.

Meditation posed no problem; he could always enter the state with the Mysterious Compass's assistance, and his mental power surged.

As for magic power, well, that was another story. While not completely resistant to magic, he wasn't much better.

The magic elements in the world never seemed to cooperate with him. Even though Hudson's mental power was already comparable to a novice mage, he still couldn't cast a single spell.

To be precise, through his own efforts, he couldn't cast any magic.

With the Mysterious Compass's assistance, Hudson could still cast spells. For instance, during the hunt at noon, he had cast the first-tier spell "Earth Arrow."

As a consequence, the only earth magic core he possessed turned to dust after more than ten casts of "Earth Arrow."

Compared to knight training, magic cultivation was incredibly picky. All magic incantations had to match the corresponding elemental magic to be cast.

The energy currently stored in the Mysterious Compass was converted from the Soul Fire of skeletons, clearly leaning towards the necromancy system.

Unfortunately, necromancers were too rare, and the incantations Hudson exchanged with Knight Chels did not include any necromantic magic.

Without the corresponding energy reserves, being unable to cast spells didn't stop Hudson from memorizing magic incantations.

Practicing them in advance would prevent him from panicking at critical moments. The speed of reciting incantations often determined the speed of magic release, which was why every great mage was a "fast talker."

Hundreds of failures hadn't shaken Hudson's determination to learn magic, at least outwardly.

He was forced into it; learning magic wasn't easy, and self-teaching without a mentor was even harder.

The sudden appearance of a mage would inevitably attract attention. Anyone who investigated would quickly notice something amiss.

The first thing people would suspect in such an unusual situation would be followers of an evil god. For example, the High Priest of the Skull Society released magic through the power of an evil god.

Hudson had now half-entered the noble circles of the Southeast Province, and he didn't want to be suspected of being a follower of an evil god.

Therefore, before establishing his persona as a magic prodigy, it was essential to add a backstory about his magic learning process.

At least theoretically, it had to be plausible and free from flaws. The soldiers around him were the best witnesses.

They knew nothing about magic and could be easily fooled. If he were in front of a group of nobles, Hudson wouldn't dare to play such games.

Reciting incantations while claiming to practice magic was somewhat acceptable. However, being unable to draw even a trace of magic element made him no different from Knight Chels, who had made no progress for decades, and certainly not a genius mage.

For the sake of being able to reasonably purchase Magic Crystal Stones in the future, Hudson was going all out.

The Fifth Army's plundering team, having failed multiple times, finally tasted success as the deadline approached. It turned out that Commander Chels's judgment was correct; the rebels were indeed transferring supplies to the rear.

They successfully ambushed a rebel transport team, seizing wheat, cloth, salt, tea, spices... and even several chests of currency.

The preliminary estimated value was no less than a hundred thousand gold coins, a truly bountiful harvest.