Adaptation Period

The rain was falling slowly. Outside, the downpour was still spreading, but it had already reached its end.

"The rain's about to stop!"

Watching the sky outside, the warriors keeping watch in the camp raised their heads and shouted.

Before long, after the rain gradually subsided, a troop of cavalry rode out from the camp and galloped swiftly in one direction.

Among them, Arthur rode a tall white horse, silently following at Knight Flar's side. He said nothing, merely pressing onward in silence.

The entire group consisted of mounted warriors. Riding at full speed, they traveled quickly. Before long, a village came into view in the distance.

It was a small village built beside the forest. Thick smoke was slowly rising above it, seeming to foretell something.

"Stay alert! Prepare for battle!"

Seeing the smoke rising ahead, Flar's expression turned cold. He drew the sword hanging from his horse and shouted.

For a moment, the sound of swords being drawn rang out without end, swallowed beneath the thunder of hooves.

They quickly charged to the outskirts of the village and saw the scene within.

Inside the village, wreckage lay strewn across the ground, with faint flames flickering among it.

Beyond the wreckage, a band of brigands dressed in all manner of clothing was running rampant, not yet having had time to withdraw.

At a glance, they were clearly a ragtag mob. When they saw the approaching troops in the distance, their first reaction was not to prepare to resist, but to flee at once.

They quickly ran into the nearby forest, clearly very familiar with the terrain around here.

The battle ended swiftly.

In the center of the village, Arthur entered one of the rooms.

Inside, Flar stood quietly before a wooden table, studying the map spread out before him in deep thought.

"Lord Flar, we've more or less gotten the full story."

Looking at the tall knight before him, Arthur spoke slowly. "Something happened to this village this morning. According to the survivors, some wandering Orcs came over and wiped out all the warriors stationed in the village. Only then did those brigands follow close behind to loot the place."

Hearing Arthur's report, Flar frowned instinctively. "A coincidence?"

"It should be," a voice suddenly said from the side.

Standing beside Flar, a middle-aged warrior who had been waiting there spoke. "According to news from the surrounding areas, those wandering Orcs should have just come from Baron Afara's territory. Judging by the time and distance, it all lines up."

"Find a way to locate where those Orcs are stationed." Flar rubbed his forehead, looking somewhat helpless. "Recently, more and more brigands and Orcs have been sneaking across from the border. Warriors are in short supply everywhere. We have to settle things here as quickly as possible and move on to suppress the next place."

As he said this, he seemed to recall something and continued, "Has Lord Arcadia sent back any news from the front lines?"

"Yes." The middle-aged warrior nodded. "The battle at the front is nearly over. According to the man Lord Arcadia sent back, he'll be able to return with his men in at most another month."

"That's good." Flar secretly breathed a sigh of relief, a trace of joy appearing in his eyes. "With his Black Knight Order here, we won't have to hold on so painfully."

The Black Knight Order was one of the strongest armies in Count Polia's territory. Personally commanded by Arcadia, reputed to be the strongest knight of the northern lands, it was specifically responsible for campaigns beyond the borders.

Under Count Polia, the only force that could rival this army was the personal guard that had been stationed in the castle year-round and was personally commanded by Count Polia himself.

However, the personal guard had to defend the castle throughout the year and could only be mobilized by Count Polia personally. Thus, in practice, the Black Knight Order was one of the absolute main forces of the territory. In this campaign, it had been deployed to the front lines, leading the allied noble forces against the Orc alliance.

As the commander of the castle's personal guard, Flar could in truth only mobilize a small number of its elite. There was simply no comparison between them and the Black Knight Order.

Time passed swiftly.

By nightfall, Arthur sat quietly in an open space, silently looking over his physical data.

Name: Arthur Falkus. Strength: 4.2 (5.5). Agility: 4.1 (5.4). Constitution: 4.2 (5.7).

After several days, under the Crystal Core's ceaseless effects, Arthur's physical qualities had improved greatly once more. Moreover, nourished by that unknown power, his injuries were recovering rapidly as well.

By Arthur's own estimate, in another four or five days at most, the injuries on his body would heal completely.

Thinking of this, he extended his left hand and opened the fist he had been keeping clenched, revealing a black Crystal Core within.

The black Crystal Core was nearly depleted now. After days of continuous absorption, only a grain-sized fragment remained.

"It's almost used up."

Looking at the grain-sized Crystal Core in his hand, Arthur sighed softly.

Compared with the one he had used before, this Crystal Core had brought him noticeably fewer gains.

Naturally, this was because it contained far less energy, but it was also because Arthur's physical qualities had now risen to another level. If he wanted to improve further, he would need to consume even more energy.

Of course, the injuries on his body were surely another reason. If not for the need to swiftly heal the aftermath of the Life Seed's eruption, the improvements Arthur could have gained would have been far greater than this.

After standing there and thinking for a moment, Arthur took another black Crystal Core from his waist and clenched it in his left hand.

The familiar warm current intensified in an instant, continuing to flow into his body.

Arthur rose to his feet, picked up the sword beside him, and trained on the spot for a while, sensing the changes in his body.

During this time, he could clearly feel the changes within his body. New power seemed to be budding inside him, affecting his body.

According to the Chip's scans, some new, delicate organs were slowly growing within him. The Life Energy in his body was stimulating an increase in life activity, and he was about to enter a new Metamorphosis Stage.

This was the adaptation process before a knight broke through to become a Great Knight. The body was slowly adjusting, undergoing a transformation in its Life Essence.

"Chip! Check my physical data and analyze the time required for the adaptation period."

After training ended, Arthur stood where he was and issued an order to the Chip in his mind.

In an instant, the Chip in his mind responded.

Streams of data flashed before his eyes, flowing rapidly and ceaselessly. In the end, they formed a three-dimensional image before him, marked with the various organs in his body and detailed data analysis.

"Estimated time remaining until the transformation is complete: six days and seven hours!" After a while, the Chip's mechanical voice rang out in his mind once more.