Although he was eager to return to the manor, Roland was already exhausted in both body and mind after consecutive wilderness explorations and battles.
Setting out on the return journey in this condition would make it difficult to deal with any unexpected situations.
Moreover, it was already late. For safety's sake, Roland decided to rest in Pine Wood Town for a day and set out again at dawn the next morning.
Lying on the soft bed at the inn, Roland finally had time to open the Profession Panel and examine it carefully.
When he noticed the changes in the attribute section, he couldn't help letting out a soft exclamation.
"Strength and Agility actually increased by 0.2 each?"
After thinking it over, Roland gradually arrived at an answer.
Compared with his previous battles against monsters, the greatest difference this time was that his opponent had been a Winged Kobold.
Although he had encountered Blood Scale Kobolds in the village before, the methods of fighting in the two battles had been entirely different.
In his previous battle against the Blood Scale Kobold, Peyton and John had mainly restrained it from the front, while Roland had delivered the final, fatal blow.
But when facing the Winged Kobold this time, Theresa had been injured, so he had borne at least seventy percent of the monster's attacks by himself. It had fully counted as a head-on clash.
"I see."
Roland stroked his chin thoughtfully, a glimmer of understanding flashing through his eyes.
"Compared with daily training, actual combat to the death is far more effective at improving attributes."
As his gaze slowly moved downward, Roland noticed that an eye-catching exclamation mark had suddenly appeared beside the extra boost, [Ecological Scholar], triggered by Scholar and Hunter.
"Did I obtain Ecological Notes?"
As he silently focused on the thought, the transparent panel before him suddenly changed.
Three-dimensional models of a kobold and a goblin materialized from thin air, appearing lifelike before him.
Detailed written explanations were provided beneath each model.
"Kobolds, subterranean reptilian humanoids."
After the concise species introduction, the kobold's strengths and weaknesses were listed in detail.
Most eye-catching of all, the weak points had been clearly marked in bright red on the three-dimensional model.
"This is..."
Roland shifted his gaze to the left.
The Ecological Notes for goblins likewise contained a complete three-dimensional model, detailed explanations, and an analysis of their weaknesses.
He carefully compared the contents of the notes with the information he had obtained during actual combat, then nodded lightly.
"The information recorded in the notes not only matches what I observed in battle, but is even more detailed. In that case..."
Roland's eyes lit up.
"If I can collect the Ecological Notes of a certain monster, I can respond more effectively the next time I encounter it. This is indeed an extremely practical boost!"
"What a pity. I killed at least a hundred goblins and dozens of kobolds before triggering the Ecological Notes for these two monsters. It seems the activation rate of the Ecological Notes isn't very high."
After shaking his head regretfully, Roland exited the Ecological Notes and browsed through the Profession Panel once more. Only after confirming that there were no other changes did he close it.
Lying on the soft bed, Roland's thoughts involuntarily returned to that dangerous battle with the Winged Kobold, and his brows gradually furrowed.
With his current strength, he could defeat such a mutated monster alone, but the process was far from easy.
First, the battle often required prolonged entanglement and consumed a tremendous amount of energy.
Second, his primary means of attack still relied on the combat technique, [Momentum Slash].
However, this technique was also quite risky.
If he successfully landed the hit, he could naturally heavily injure or even kill his enemy.
But if he missed, he would briefly lose his strength, leaving him completely unable to dodge the monster's counterattack.
"Besides..."
Thinking of the stark differences between the Blood Scale Kobold and the Winged Kobold, Roland's expression grew even more solemn.
"It seems Mister Bronson was right. As the Magical Essence gradually recovers, these monsters are constantly evolving—or perhaps recovering the power they possessed at their peak."
"First there was the Blood Goblin that could cast magic, and now there are kobolds with wings. This proves that these mutated monsters aren't isolated cases. As time passes, there will probably be more and more powerful variant monsters like them..."
At this thought, Roland clenched his fists and made up his mind.
"I must improve my strength as quickly as possible!"
"At present, only one condition remains for changing class to [Warrior]: reaching the maximum level in combat techniques and meeting the attribute requirements. After returning to the manor, I can slowly achieve that through the [Battle Readiness] trait and daily training. It will simply take more time."
"Besides, I need to step up my practice of equestrian skills and see what new professions and boosts I can unlock. I also can't delay my plans to learn sleight of hand and that mysterious writing from Mister Bronson..."
"I wonder how the research on those Magic Runes is progressing."
As his thoughts churned, Roland's eyelids gradually grew heavy.
Before he knew it, his breathing had steadied, and he sank into sleep.
Early the next morning, just as the sky began to brighten, Roland opened his eyes.
He nimbly rolled out of bed, washed up quickly, then went downstairs and ate a meager breakfast for a few copper coins. Afterward, he mounted Black Wind and galloped toward the manor.
The journey passed without incident. At noon, the familiar outline of the manor finally appeared before him.
At the sight, the tension that had remained in Roland's nerves finally relaxed completely.
He lightly tugged the reins and slowed his horse. After undergoing the guards' routine inspection, he entered the manor without trouble.
After settling Black Wind at the stable, Roland first went straight to the Blacksmith shop to report his safe return to Hawk, then hurried toward that secluded wooden hut.
But this time, as soon as he reached the door, before he could even raise his hand to knock, the mottled wooden door creaked open from within.
Mister Bronson's face, even thinner than usual, emerged through the opening. Ardent flames danced in his sunken eye sockets.
"Ha! Roland!"
He waved his somewhat bony arms excitedly.
"I knew it was you from the sound of your footsteps alone! When did you get back?"
Without waiting for an answer, he stepped aside to clear the way and beckoned impatiently.
"Come in! My research has made another major breakthrough!"
Roland had long since grown accustomed to Mister Bronson's occasional fits of madness, so he said nothing more.
The moment he stepped inside, Mister Bronson's incessant rambling rang in his ears.
"I made some minor adjustments to the Magic Runes. Guess what? The speed at which they absorb Magical Essence has increased threefold! Of course, the trade-off is that their capacity to store Magical Essence has decreased, but it's completely worth it..."
Ignoring Mister Bronson's excited gestures, Roland cautiously surveyed the surroundings.
After confirming that it was safe, he closed the door behind him, then efficiently swept the scattered parchment on the table aside.
"No! Roland!"
Mister Bronson clutched his head and let out an exaggerated wail.
"Those are all the fruits of my labor! How could you..."
His complaint abruptly stopped, because Roland had already untied the leather pouch at his waist.
"Bang!"
With a soft thud, the pouch was spread open on the tabletop, revealing the mysterious bones inside, white and lustrous as jade.
"This is..."
Although he had not touched them yet, Mister Bronson, a scholar who had once studied at a tower, keenly sensed the extraordinary aura emanating from the bones.
"Do you remember the giant creature's skeleton I mentioned before—the one I discovered in the forest, being fought over by the Blazing Sun Church and the goblins?"
"You mean..."
"That's right. Based on my deduction..."
Roland had traveled the entire way without stopping or resting.
When his throat began to feel hoarse, he removed his waterskin and tilted his head back to drink deeply.
Only after casually wiping the droplets from his chin did he let out a long breath and speak slowly.
"This bone is very likely a part of that giant creature's remains."
"I..."
Mister Bronson's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, his voice slightly hoarse with excitement.
"May I examine it carefully?"
"Please."
Roland wearily leaned back in the wooden chair, trying to dispel the fatigue of the journey.
"In fact, I was hoping to use your professional knowledge, Mister Bronson, to identify the true origin of this bone."
After receiving permission, Mister Bronson immediately stepped forward, not even bothering about the parchments he considered precious research material lying scattered across the floor.
He carefully lifted the pale bone in both hands, raised it before his eyes, and began examining it with complete concentration.
The wooden hut instantly fell silent.
After a moment, Mister Bronson suddenly trembled all over with excitement, his voice unconsciously rising.
"This bone actually..."
Noticing Roland holding a finger to his lips, the somewhat crazed scholar abruptly lowered his voice, though the fervor in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
"It stores Magical Essence inside it!"
Roland was not surprised, having already anticipated this. He merely asked calmly,
"Is it similar to the Magic Runes you study, or to Magic Crystals?"
"No, no, there are still some differences."
Mister Bronson held the bone in both hands and examined it repeatedly.
"As I mentioned before, Magic Crystals only exist inside monsters and are purely single-use consumables. Although my Magic Runes can continuously draw in Magical Essence from the environment, their effectiveness decreases dramatically without a suitable vessel."
He suddenly closed his eyes and slowly ran his fingertips over the bone's rough surface. After a moment, he opened them again, an incredulous expression appearing on his face.
"But this bone—the Magical Essence it has absorbed is actually purer than that in my Magic Runes."
"And even though it bears Magical Essence of such high purity, this bone shows no sign of damage whatsoever..."
After realizing this phenomenon, Mister Bronson muttered to himself, his voice a mixture of shock and unwillingness.
"But how is this possible? A piece of biological remains can actually surpass the Magic Runes I have studied for so many years..."
Hearing this, Roland's eyes flashed sharply. He ignored Mister Bronson's self-pity.
He rose and stepped forward, then lightly tapped the bone with a crooked finger.
"Dong!"
Amid the dull resonance, he licked his dry lips, his voice carrying barely restrained excitement.
"Mister Bronson, perhaps... we could try engraving Magic Runes onto it. What do you think?"
Before you continue