Trait Combat Skills

The two of them released their fingers at the same time and twisted their bodies aside. Their arrows grazed different parts of each other's bodies before burying themselves in the ground behind them.

"Just as I expected." Sean seemed to grin excitedly behind his visor. "You really are strong."

"Then let's go again." Kano nocked another arrow.

Sean's firing speed was slightly slower than his, though their accuracy was evenly matched.

That slight difference gradually widened Kano's advantage.

At first, both Kano and Sean had to dodge while shooting. Gradually, Kano no longer needed to make large movements to maintain his attacks, while Sean had begun twisting back and forth on horseback like an acrobat.

After firing an arrow while hanging off the side of his warhorse, Sean flipped himself back into the saddle.

"Pause for a moment, Kano." He lifted his visor. "I'll count this round as my loss. I didn't expect you to be this strong without even activating your trait."

Kano looked at Sean in confusion. "What trait?"

"You don't know? Never mind. I'm activating mine now, though it'll only last a little while." Sean lowered his visor, and the magic power around him began to surge.

The watching students all stepped back, chattering excitedly at the same time.

"Sean's using his trump card."

"He has no opponents left in fifth year. Once he activates his trait, he can even trade a few moves with a real knight."

"I wonder if Kano can hold on. Sean only has the strength for five minutes."

"Kano... maybe he can activate a trait too?"

At that moment, Sean's magic power had taken on a faint red hue. His gaze swept over Kano, who felt a sharp, piercing aura.

"It's begun."

Sean drew his bow and nocked an arrow. Kano did the same. Their arrows flew at the same time, and this time, Kano used his full strength.

Yet Sean's arrow was now wrapped in red magic power. In midair, it directly snapped Kano's arrowshaft and flew straight toward Kano's chest.

Kano swiftly flattened himself against his horse's back. Sean's arrow skimmed past his back, throwing up a trail of sparks.

The firing speed had increased, and the force was stronger too.

Kano assessed Sean's abilities in his mind as he continuously exchanged arrows with him.

During the first semester, the nameless knight from the Knights of the Round Table had once told him that one of Tristan's signature techniques was Intercepting Arrow—using the same arrow to break an opponent's incoming arrow while continuing on toward the opponent. Offense and defense as one, overcoming the enemy in a single stroke.

Kano had once thought he simply had not trained enough to use such a technique. But now, he sensed that it seemed related to Sean's current state.

After several breaths, Kano had no choice but to abandon his bow and raise his shield. He no longer had time to shoot back.

Sean's arrows still lacked the force of that nameless knight's. They could not pierce Kano's magic-enhanced shield.

Thus, Kano was able to advance toward Sean step by step behind his shield, his longsword in his right hand constantly knocking aside arrows coming from tricky angles.

"Sean doesn't seem able to take Kano down quickly?"

"If that's the case, does that mean he'll lose?"

The students chatted as they watched. As they spoke, Kano urged his horse into a charge, his shield moving so fast it left afterimages. Sean's arrows struck the shield with repeated bangs, and several even embedded themselves directly into it.

Kano gauged the distance between himself and Sean, preparing to risk everything. Suddenly, Sean's rain of arrows stopped.

"I surrender!"

Kano lowered his shield in surprise. Sean, standing before him, was drenched in sweat and looked completely exhausted.

Everyone swarmed forward to help Sean remove his heavy armor. Kano also dismissed his own gear and curiously moved closer.

Sean mumbled a few words, but Kano could not understand a thing. Then Sean's head lolled to one side, and he passed out completely.

"Uh, what happened to Sean? Is he alright?" Kano grabbed a student beside him and asked.

"He's fine. We're used to it. He isn't a real knight yet, so activating his trait now is bound to leave him exhausted." The student answered Kano casually.

Kano could not help but question his life. Why had no one ever told him about something like this?

He had fought the Knights of the Round Table for nearly a year and defeated more than thirty knights. Though their rankings had not been high, every one of them had been formidable.

Why had none of them activated their traits for him to see?

Kano watched as the students and teachers of Cornwall Magical Academy rubbed the unconscious Sean's chest and pounded his back. Thomas cast Quick Revival one after another with his wand, while the female doctor from the school infirmary skillfully took out a row of potions and poured them into Sean's mouth bottle by bottle.

They seemed extremely practiced at this. Apart from Sean's pained expression while being force-fed potions, no one else could even be bothered to show a reaction.

That night, Sean suddenly sprang up from his bed, rubbed his stomach, and spotted Kano sitting nearby.

"Hey, it's this time again." He looked calmly out the window. "Time for dinner."

"Could you stop acting like nothing happened?" Kano helplessly put down the book he had borrowed from the library. "What exactly is going on? Explain what a trait is."

Sean stretched his limbs a few times, then led Kano out of the dormitory and straight to the dining hall.

The dining hall for the knight department was open twenty-four hours a day. The two ordered a Stargazy Pie and a large grilled steak each.

"Actually, not everyone has a trait." Sean wolfed down his steak in one go, wiped his mouth, and said, "We're both only knight attendants right now. Have you ever thought about when we'll become real knights?"

"Once we're knighted by a higher-ranking noble, we'll naturally become knights." Kano replied strangely. Gawain had wanted to knight him long ago, but Morgan had always refused.

"No, no, no, that's knightly status. Status and strength are two different things."

As Sean spoke, he cut the shepherd's pie in half.

"Like these two halves of pie—two different things." He forked one piece onto a plate. "Only after you awaken your own trait can you truly be considered to possess knight-level strength."

"Then what's with you?"

"A test model, an early-access version—call it whatever you like," Sean said casually. "I'm just exceptionally talented. I awakened my trait before gaining the strength of a knight. But I can only keep it up for five minutes before I overdraw myself."

"For a real knight, that state is permanent."

Kano recalled Sean's final barrage of arrows, as fierce as a raging storm, and could not help but sigh. "That really is impressive."

"Of course. My trait is the same as my ancestor Tristan's: Eagle Eye," Sean said proudly.

The book Kano had just read explained the effects of knight traits. So-called Eagle Eye was not limited to archery.

This trait allowed every muscle in the body to coordinate perfectly. With enough practice, one could hit whatever one aimed at. This included, but was not limited to, archery, swordsmanship, spearmanship, and so on.

"Then how do you awaken a trait?" Kano hurriedly asked.

"That, I don't know either." Sean pursed his lips.