Give more to those who already had it; impose more restrictions on those who did not.
Like this basic extraordinary swordsmanship, Evan did not think much of it, and those "Insignia Trainees" who had left early had practically discarded it like an old shoe. Yet new recruits had to trade their lives and achievements for it bit by bit throughout their service.
They would not even be told of the existence of the Extraordinary world unless they reached a certain rank and served for a certain number of years in the navy.
Evan still remembered Eugene speaking to him solemnly.
This was not merely to safeguard the stable rule of the upper classes. It was also because the world humanity lived in was far less simple than it appeared. Beyond the civilized world lurked horrors beyond ordinary imagination. Ignorant seekers of hidden secrets would bring about loss of control and disaster, and the Witch Hunt Movement that the major churches had been loudly promoting was by no means without cause.
However, no matter how strict the rules were, there were always exceptions. After quietly obtaining Major Eugene's permission, Evan called Gary out alone.
"Young man! I see that your bones are extraordinary. You must be a martial arts prodigy, and the great responsibility of upholding justice and peace in the universe shall fall to you! I have a copy of the Tathagata... cough, cough, the complete Military Swordsmanship. I'll sell it to you cheap."
There was a saying at sea: "No matter how strong a sailor is, he cannot set even the smallest sailboat in motion by relying on his strength alone."
It would not have mattered if Evan had aspired to be a lone wanderer fighting alone. But this was the great Age of Exploration. Whether he sought power and influence or greater strength, reliable companions were indispensable.
After nearly two months together, Evan believed he understood this toweringly muscular "young man" very well. Gary looked rough and possessed extraordinary talent, yet he had a pure heart. If Evan properly nurtured him while he was still inexperienced in the ways of the world, he might become a powerful right-hand man.
At the same time, Evan had full confidence in his Data Vision and believed that the data it observed would not deceive him.
Then again, if Gary could disguise even his breathing, heartbeat, and pupil movements under Data Vision's surveillance, then such a master would be worth Evan bowing his head and acknowledging as his superior.
Evan was willing to invest in his only underling for now and give him an opportunity.
But even Evan had not expected Gary's compatibility with Military Swordsmanship to be so high!
When he had first learned sword forms alongside the other recruits, it had not been particularly obvious. At most, his attacks were more forceful than others'. During sparring, he even struggled to control his strength, and fights often ended with him relying on brute force to send both his opponent and the opponent's sword flying.
For that very reason, the recruits of his cohort and Instructor Eugene had given Gary a rather unpleasant nickname: "Boar Warrior."
After all, even if he won all ten of ten sparring matches, the recruits who had already come to regard Military Swordsmanship as sacred found it difficult to accept such a savage fighting style.
But once Evan taught Gary the breathing technique that accompanied Military Swordsmanship and let him slowly learn to use the peculiar power contained within his body—to regulate his breath and temper himself inside and out—it was as though he had found the perfect method to control his Innate Divine Strength. His progress became astonishingly rapid.
In just one week, Gary's body had shed its appearance of being big but not strong, powerful yet clumsy. Even his physique had tightened slightly. Rather than making him look thinner, it gave him an impression of lean strength and danger, like a jungle predator.
The two stood facing each other with swords in hand in a remote corner, beginning their daily sparring routine.
"Gary, come at me!"
"Yes, Boss!"
"Whoosh!" A fierce, violent slash came roaring in on a gust of wind. It was only a simple downward chop, but in Gary's hands, it carried an entirely different flavor.
Smack!
Evan twisted aside to evade, then swung the wooden sword in his hand. Its sword spine struck Gary's shoulder, knocking him back half a step.
"Attack again!"
Smack! He knocked Gary's thrust aside from the flank, and his blade slid along with the motion before stopping beneath Gary's armpit.
"Attack again!" "Again!"...
Only when Gary was utterly exhausted, sprawled on the ground with his limbs spread wide and gasping for breath, did Evan leisurely sheath his sword and open the latest data he had collected.
Name: Gary Farman Gender: Male Identity: Naval Recruit Attributes: Constitution 0.7 Strength 0.65+0.06 Agility 0.4+0.12 Intelligence 0.4 Skills: Faletis Sabre Art (Beginner, includes swordsmanship and breathing technique), Navigation Knowledge (Beginner), Basic Military Training
Merely gaining an introduction to the breathing technique had increased Gary's strength by 0.06, bringing the total to 0.71. His speed increase was even more outrageous, leaping directly from 0.4 to 0.52. Though it still lagged behind his other attributes, it had greatly compensated for his shortcomings and now far surpassed that of an ordinary adult.
His Constitution data had not changed, but it was the most crucial attribute for an Extraordinary person on the Knight's Path, as well as the foundation determining whether the other attributes could be fully utilized. It would inevitably require him to put in greater effort.
It was like a rich second-generation heir who had inherited the family fortune. Only after learning how to efficiently allocate and manage that wealth would he consider how to expand its total amount.
Gary's situation was the same. By getting started with the breathing technique, he would improve rapidly for a time. But if he wanted to gradually cross the threshold into the extraordinary, he still had a long road ahead and needed to keep his feet firmly on the ground.
"All right, stop playing dead. Remember your current limits. There's still one month left. Try to fully tap the potential of your inborn physique by then."
"Got it, Boss!" The more Gary truly began training, the more he revered Evan. His Constitution, strength, technique, and knowledge all utterly surpassed Gary's. Not to mention the life-changing favor of teaching him the breathing technique—Gary had now completely become Evan's biggest fan.
To Gary, he might still hesitate over something an instructor said, but if Evan said it, he would go through fire and water without a second thought.
Thus, over the next month, aside from the necessary training subjects and spending time in the library, Evan often set aside time to drill Gary with moves. They would soon officially board a ship, and Evan had no intention of seeing his newly acquired underling get cut down by pirates in the blink of an eye.
Knock, knock, knock...
"Come in!"
Evan pushed open the door and entered Major Eugene's office. After saluting, he asked,
"Instructor, you wanted to see me?"
"Quit pretending to be so serious. Close the door and come sit!" Over the past three months, Evan had truly helped Eugene with quite a few matters. As Eugene came to see through his true nature, the two had also grown much closer.
"What exactly is your family thinking? I still haven't received your transfer notice. You can't really be planning to let them assign you to just any warship, can you?" Eugene asked casually, one leg crossed over the other.
Evan could only smile bitterly.
He knew that recruits from the same cohort all had to serve aboard ships after training was completed. Barring unexpected circumstances, many of them might spend their entire naval careers aboard that very warship. Calling it a shared fate would not have been an exaggeration.
Therefore, which warship one joined was a choice of destiny for a naval sailor—something requiring even more caution than choosing a wife.
After all, the ship one boarded affected not only how easy future promotion would be, but also one's very life. If one was assigned to an overlooked sixth-rate patrol ship or Dispatch Vessel, one could only slowly accumulate seniority. If one boarded an outdated cannon-fodder ship, one had better pray for Goddess's Blessing and hope to make a safe return voyage. But if one could board a main-force warship in a single step, the risks would be greater, but achievements would accumulate more quickly as well.
However, recruits did not get to decide which warship they joined. The higher-ups assigned them directly.
The children of the elite with connections had long had their futures arranged by their families. The "Insignia Trainees" from Evan's cohort had left one after another during the first month because the ships arranged for them had returned to port, allowing them to board early.
If Evan truly had a family behind him, they certainly would not have allowed him to waste three months in the training camp. Arrangements should have been made long ago.
That was also what puzzled Major Eugene.
Seeing Evan's expression now, Major Eugene, who was skilled at filling in the blanks, immediately imagined bizarre plots involving infighting among wealthy families, struggles for power, neglected collateral descendants, and the like. Too lazy to ask further, he simply waved his hand.
"Fine, fine. I'll arrange it for you. Now get out!"
"Yes, Instructor!" Evan gave a cheeky thanks, saluted, and turned to leave. Just as he reached the door, he suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, right, Instructor, Gary..."
"Get out already!!!"
As Evan left Major Eugene's office, the weight in his heart eased by half. Just after setting out into the world, he had encountered several good people who seemed cold on the outside but were warm-hearted: Viscount Andrea's recommendation and Major Eugene's support. Without them, even spending several years stumbling about in ignorance would have been the least of his troubles.
Though they might each have had their own motives, he could not casually forget the benefits he had received. Once he had the ability, he would definitely repay them. Otherwise, he would never be at peace with himself.
As for the novels he had read in his previous life, where the protagonist emerged as a blank slate and immediately slaughtered all opposition, battling wits and courage against countless villainous old foxes full of malicious intent and still defeating them—such things were not impossible. They were simply far too fantastical.
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