Combat Teacher and the Banquet

A few days after the incident, Luther was once again called into the office by Dunn.

"Lanerius swindled over ten thousand pounds. If not for you, I'm afraid many citizens in Tingen City would have gone bankrupt overnight." He said to Luther, while handing over ten 10-pound banknotes. "Although a small portion of the cash hasn't been recovered, the victims still wanted to express their gratitude to you. They pooled together a total of 100 pounds and hope you will accept it."

Luther took the banknotes and counted out five of them to return to Dunn. "Captain, I have a favor to ask. Please pass this money on to the family of the guard who died."

Because of Old Neil's property and his regular salary, he wasn't short on money lately, so he decided to be generous and show some support for the unfortunate guard who had lost his life.

Dunn looked at Luther deeply and took the money back. "I understand."

He suddenly gave a low laugh. "Heh, it's truly ironic. I told you before that Tingen was very safe and that we rarely saw more than a few cases a month, yet you haven't even been on the job for a few days and you've already encountered consecutive Beyonder incidents..."

Luther was also speechless. Could it be that he had some innate constitution that attracted Evil Gods? He hadn't been transmigrated for long, yet he was constantly being chased and entangled by the subordinates of various Evil Gods.

"As expected, for the sake of self-preservation, you really should learn some close-quarters combat. If you had known how to fight, this time wouldn't have been so dangerous." Dunn said. "As it happens, Klein is also undergoing training, so you can just go with him."

"Alright, Captain."

Luther also had an urgent desire to become stronger, so he nodded immediately upon hearing this.

"Is there anything else?"

After the conversation, he didn't get up, but instead continued to ask.

"Hmm..."

Dunn rubbed his temples and pondered for a moment. "We have a team tradition in Tingen City: after a newcomer joins, they must independently complete a mission to earn the recognition of the team members. Given that you basically completed this incident on your own and made a significant contribution, I will treat it as your independent mission. I assume the others won't have any objections."

So that means there was originally a solo mission, but now I don't have to do it, right?

Luther nodded thoughtfully.

But he still didn't move, instead sitting in his seat and looking at Dunn, as if silently asking him, "Anything else?"

Seeing this, Dunn couldn't help but smile bitterly. "There really is nothing else."

"Teacher Gowen was once a knight, and his personality is quite strict. Don't try to challenge him; just do as he asks."

In the afternoon, on the way to the combat instructor's residence, Klein gave this advice. He had started training a few weeks earlier than Luther and was already familiar with the instructor's temper and personality.

"What if he gives me a hard time?"

"It won't be 'giving you a hard time,' Teacher Gowen is just very strict."

Klein seemed to recall something, a smile appearing on his face. "By the way, there's a welcome banquet for you tonight. Remember to eat plenty."

Because of the pursuit of Lanerius, the banquet originally scheduled for Friday had been moved to tonight. The venue for the dinner was the Old Weir Restaurant where they usually ordered food, with the costs covered by the team's public funds.

It's just a meal, is there any need to be this happy?

Luther looked at Klein with a strange expression and nodded.

Soon, they arrived at their destination, a two-story building in the suburbs of the North District. The exterior of the house was not very attractive, and the garden and lawn had not been tended to for a long time, with weeds growing lush and wild.

Pushing open the rusted iron gate, they walked along the path wide enough for two people to the front door of the house. Pushing it open and entering, a tall man was standing with his back to them, staring at the empty fireplace.

Hearing the door open, Gowen turned his head, first glancing at Klein, then looking at Luther.

"Who is he?"

He was already quite old, with gray hair at his temples and very prominent nasolabial folds on his face, but his eyes remained extremely sharp. Under his gaze, Luther felt a sense of crisis, as if he were being stared at by an old lion.

"Teacher, his name is Luther Rondal, our new colleague." Klein explained. "I hope you can honor the contract and teach him combat techniques, just as you did for me."

Gowen looked Luther up and down for a while and snorted coldly. "He's even thinner than you!"

What's wrong with being thin? Can you really expect a mental patient to work out?

Luther thought to himself, meeting his gaze openly.

After finishing his assessment of Luther, Gowen suddenly asked, "If I were to suddenly attack you right now and try to kill you, how would you respond?"

"Shoot you."

Luther answered immediately.

"Assume you don't have a gun."

Gowen frowned.

"Run to the street immediately and shout for help."

"You are not allowed to leave the house! Assume the two of us are in this room, and you must fight me!"

Gowen said in a rush of anger.

"Then I definitely wouldn't be able to beat you." Luther said calmly. "I would only try to create distance, use a long weapon to entangle you, and prioritize attacking your weak points, like your crotch, eyes, etc... If I really couldn't win and you were truly going to kill me, I might open the gas valve to release the gas and then light a fire to take us both down with me. I've already observed that your gas valve is an old-fashioned one; it's very easy to open."

He stated his plan plainly, and the expression on Klein's face, who was standing to the side, shifted from watching the show to gradual astonishment.

Gowen stared at him coldly, and after a moment, gave a contemptuous smile.

"Only capable of despicable acts... Heh, but, the fact that you dare to risk your life against an enemy is still somewhat acceptable."

"So, I can stay, right?"

Luther asked.

Then he saw Gawain point toward the other side of the living room, "There are practice knight uniforms over there. Once you've changed, go do the most basic strength training... as for the specifics, let your colleague tell you. Do you understand!"

Gawain suddenly raised his voice, shouting with extreme majesty.

"Yes!"

The two of them couldn't help but stand at attention instinctively and answer loudly.

And so, for the next three hours, under Klein's guidance, Luther began his intimate contact with dumbbells and jump ropes...

That night, at Old Weir Restaurant.

Except for the team members guarding Chanis Gate, all members of Blackthorn Security Company were present, including the clerical staff and the Night Watchers.

Appetizing delicacies were beautifully arranged on plates, covering the entire dining table, with everyone's place setting completely full.

Unfortunately, Luther had no appetite. For three whole hours that afternoon, he had been subjected to high-intensity training, and his body was filled with exhaustion and fatigue. Just seeing these delicacies and smelling their aroma made him want to vomit.

Only then did he realize what that meaningful smile of Klein's had meant earlier.

"Come, let us welcome our newest official member, Luther Rondal. He has just joined the team and has already made a great contribution to our Tingen City Night Watcher squad. Let us all thank him. Cheers!"

"Clink!"

Everyone's glasses touched together, emitting a pleasant sound.