A New Day

The dilapidated manor's back courtyard in Changhe City once again became the place where Xia Lin trained until he was drenched in sweat.

But this time, he wasn't focused solely on attacking.

The kobold Chosen of God's impenetrable golden hide and unreasonable strength had taught him a hard lesson.

"Being able to swing a sword isn't enough. You have to be able to stand your ground first." Xia Lin panted, holding his wooden sword across his body as he practiced a block.

He imagined a fierce slash coming at him.

He didn't meet it head-on. Instead, he turned his wrist slightly, bringing the "strong part" of his wooden sword—the section near the guard—against the "weak part" of his imaginary opponent's sword—the section near the tip—at a clever angle.

"Clang!" He imitated the sound of weapons colliding.

He let his wrist guide the motion, stepping forward with his left foot as his body slid away from its original position like a civet, making the imagined attack miss. This was the so-called "way of warding off an enemy."

Then, while his imaginary opponent's strength was spent and their next blow had yet to take shape, Xia Lin reversed his wrist and thrust the wooden sword forward like a venomous snake, aiming straight for the opponent's chest.

A textbook [Block Counterattack].

He repeated it over and over.

Sometimes he used the flat of his blade to deflect an attack, turning with its force and following with a quick backhand slash. Other times, he met the attack head-on, pinning the opponent's weapon with his blade before turning his wrist to find an opening for a thrust.

These movements were far more complicated than simple slashes. They required precise coordination between his body, footwork, and wrist.

He often struggled to manage everything at once. Either his block came half a beat too late, or his counterattack lacked strength.

[Block Counterattack Proficiency +1]

The notification that appeared in his vision was insignificant, but the sweat on his brow and the ache in his arms gave him a little peace of mind.

At least he was working toward the right goal.

Between bouts of sword practice, he would also sit cross-legged and try to "commune with the Magic Net," as mentioned in Old Green's notes.

"Empty your thoughts, sense the flow of the aether, and let your mind's tendrils drift away like dandelion seeds."

"What kind of nonsense is that?" Xia Lin couldn't help complaining every time.

He closed his eyes and tried to empty his mind, but either his stomach growled with hunger or he simply fell asleep.

"Completely useless." He opened his eyes and dusted off his backside. "Old Green must've hidden the most important part—or he only half understood it himself."

He had seen the power of magic in Lila, and had learned its force from that damned candle and the mutated kobold.

The shock of using arcane energy to enchant a weapon and successfully pierce the Chosen's defenses had been greater than he could have imagined.

"I have to find a way in." Xia Lin clenched his fist. "Brute strength alone won't cut it. If I run into another monster like that, I'll die without even knowing what hit me."

Unfortunately, in Changhe City, a reliable magic teacher was harder to find than an honest ratman.

"Forget it. I'll go get my new toy first." He stretched, his bones cracking in a series of pops, then pushed open the heavy oak door and stepped back onto the streets of Changhe City.

As he passed an alchemy shop with a sign depicting a mortar and herbs, Xia Lin wondered whether he should grit his teeth and buy a potion or two for emergencies.

If Kasimir and Liana hadn't given him medicine in time in the mine, the grass on his grave would probably have grown waist-high by now.

No, he had to be prepared.

He counted out five heavy silver coins. When he placed them on the counter, he felt his heart bleeding.

Xia Lin carefully tucked a potion into his Space Bag, feeling as though the bag had suddenly grown much lighter.

Spending those five silver coins had really taken a toll on him.

It also made it easy to imagine how much Barrett and the others must have spent last time.

Anvil Alley, Stonefist's smithy.

Glen Stonefist was famous throughout the alley for being a stubborn old coot.

They said he'd been a skilled mountain-dweller in his youth, but had left his people over some damnable business and come to this godforsaken corner of Changhe City to open a shop.

He didn't like to talk. All he cared about was good forging and money, and his only real pleasure seemed to be hammering glowing-hot iron with a clang.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The deafening ring of hammer on anvil reached Xia Lin from far away, mingling with the smell of coal smoke and hot metal.

Xia Lin pushed open the creaking wooden door and went inside.

"Old Man Stonefist, I'm here to pick up my order!" Xia Lin called to the Dwarf bent over his work.

Glen turned around. His bushy eyebrows knitted together as he looked Xia Lin up and down with his small, bloodshot eyes.

"Hmph, still alive? You're a tough one, kid." He spoke in a deep, gruff voice, though the corners of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly. "It's ready. Come with me."

The Dwarf led Xia Lin to a somewhat tidier workbench at the back of the shop.

A suit of leather armor and a brand-new longsword lay neatly arranged on it.

The hard leather armor had a distinct dark-golden sheen across the chest, shoulders, outer forearms, and other vital areas.

Several irregular golden scales marked with strange patterns had been firmly embedded and riveted to the leather with some special technique, blending seamlessly with the original metal plates.

[Item: God-Chosen Scale Reinforced Hard Leather Armor]

[Durability: 75/75]

[Evaluation: A curious combination of Dwarven craftsmanship and unknown divine power. These things are impossibly hard. They'll at least let you last a few more minutes while being beaten by a monster of your own level.]

"Heh, what do you think?" Glen proudly patted the breastplate as if it were his sweetheart. "These weird scales are harder than Mithril! I nearly ruined my tools working on them! Took me a lot of effort to get them on."

He picked up the longsword beside it and handed it to Xia Lin. "Here. As promised, it's free. Made to suit human tastes. The balance is good, so give it a try."

Xia Lin took the sword. It felt slightly heavy in his hand, its long blade glinting with a restrained, cold light.

He gave it a casual flourish and found it far easier to handle than his previous standard-issue mercenary sword.

[Item: Stone Fist Fine Work Longsword]

[Durability: 100/100]

[Kill Count: 0]

[Evaluation: Sturdy and dependable, with no tricks. Made by Glen Stonefist. Everyone who's used one says it's good—mainly because anyone who says otherwise gets hit with his hammer.]

"Thanks, Old Man Stonefist." Xia Lin nodded in satisfaction, then began taking off his battered old armor and putting on his shiny new gear.

"Enough talk!" The Dwarf waved him away, picking up the two remaining golden scales. His eyes gleamed as he examined them closely. "These two are mine! I've lived nearly two hundred years and never seen anything like them. I'll have to study them properly."

Once he was fully dressed, Xia Lin felt much safer. He patted the Dwarf's sturdy shoulder. "I'll come to you again if I find anything good."

"Get lost! Bring me something normal next time!" Glen yelled without looking up, his attention entirely on the two scales.

After leaving the smithy, Xia Lin headed straight for the Adventurer's Guild.

The hall was just as it always was: noisy and chaotic.

He elbowed his way over to the low-level quest board and quickly scanned the pieces of parchment.

"Clear out the goblins harassing the farms south of the city. Reward: 20 copper..." Too little money. Not interested.

"Missing person: My daughter Susanna ran off with a traveling bard! Bring her back, and I'll pay 2 silver!" Relationship trouble. Too much hassle.

His gaze finally settled on a quest notice scrawled in messy handwriting, its ink noticeably fresh.

"Escort Quest: Adventurers wanted to escort the Golden Wheat Ear caravan to the provincial capital of Orlando. Requirements: in good health, bring your own weapons and armor, and carry at least three days' worth of rations. Applicants will be screened before departure. The round trip will take about five days. Pay: 4 silver coins. Departing immediately."

The provincial capital of Orlando? Xia Lin rubbed his chin.

He remembered the road. Back when he was still the young master of House Toremo, he had accompanied his father's caravan to the provincial capital a few times.

The road was in decent shape, and most stretches were relatively safe. At worst, they might run into a few insignificant bandits, or the occasional foolish goblin trying to rob them. They posed little threat to an armed caravan and its guards.

Should he try his luck in the provincial capital?

Xia Lin's mind began to race. Changhe City was, after all, just a small border town.

The provincial capital of Orlando was the center of the region, more prosperous and full of more opportunities.

Maybe he could find better-paying work there—or even a way to learn magic?

Besides, wasn't his never-before-seen, useless little sister—the one who only existed in the bills the family sent home every week—studying at the Mage Tower in Orlando?

His family said that, apart from being good at spending money, the girl had spent several years there and had barely managed to learn a [Light Spell] that wasn't much use. Still, she was at least a way for him to get a foot in the door of the magical world.

With that thought, Xia Lin made up his mind. He reached out and decisively tore the escort quest notice from the board.

He walked to the counter and slapped the notice down on it.

The same expressionless middle-aged man stood behind the counter, looking as if he could fall asleep at any moment.

He raised his eyelids, picked up the notice, and glanced at it. Then he looked Xia Lin over, taking particular note of the faint golden sheen on his chest and shoulders.

"An escort job to the provincial capital? Heh, doing pretty well for yourself, kid. Looks like you've upgraded your gear." The man slowly pulled out the registry. "You need to register your name for this one."

As he filled it out, the man asked in the same bored, routine manner without looking up, "Name?"

"Xia Lin · Toremo."

The man's pen paused. The surname seemed vaguely familiar to him, but he didn't ask about it and quickly finished the registration.

"The Golden Wheat Ear caravan will meet outside the east gate. Hurry up. They're probably about to leave."

Xia Lin collected his receipt and turned to leave the Adventurer's Guild.

The road ahead seemed a little clearer, but it was full of unknowns.

Whatever happened, he'd earn those four silver coins first.

He tightened the straps of his new leather armor, gripped the longsword at his waist, and headed toward the east gate.

A new day had begun.