First Seeds

Following the method Rena had taught him, Brandon spent 3 Knowledge Points.

A flood of knowledge on how to trigger, wield, and control rage rushed into his mind.

[Sense the source of rage within the body; remain rational and calm throughout]

[Take deep breaths and stabilize your state. Let the energy flow through your entire body, circulate through your chest and abdomen, and guide inner energy of varying intensities to the corresponding areas, gradually transforming it into rage that can be summoned and controlled]

[Adjust the intensity and follow specific meridian pathways, making it easier to imbue combat skills with rage at any time]

[...]

Each relevant training point was laid out step by step, with goals for every stage.

It was practically hand-holding him through cultivation!

The old Brandon had never seen knowledge this comprehensive and detailed!

He had eavesdropped at the Warriors' Guild before, but their teaching style was all about brute force producing miracles. There were no specific methods at all. They merely told people to find a way to enter a state of surging rage, and that once they could keep that rage from dissipating and use it to increase the power of their combat skills, they had officially entered the warrior profession.

As for exactly how to keep it from dissipating?

How exactly to use rage to increase the power of combat techniques?

Sorry, but even those who had already become warriors could not explain it clearly.

They could only describe it as a feeling, saying that once you felt it, you would understand, and then it would become instinct.

At the Warriors' Guild, one could often see people holding their breath until their faces turned red, looking constipated.

There was no other reason—they were all wrestling with their own rage.

With such a vague method, the vast majority would fail before finding that "feeling," unable to cross the threshold.

But Brandon discovered that the method bestowed upon him by the God of Knowledge told him precisely how to find that "feeling" and wield rage!

With a practical method in hand, Brandon was instantly filled with boundless motivation!

First attempt, progress 1%, failed. Unable to trigger a stable source of rage.

Second attempt, progress 2%, failed. Unable to trigger a stable source of rage.

Third attempt, progress 6%, failed. This time, he found the rage within his body, but his emotions fluctuated slightly, causing the rage to dissipate.

Seventeenth attempt, progress 31%, failed. When guiding the rage to his chest, he failed to control the speed properly, and the rage dissipated.

Although every attempt ended in failure, each for a different reason, Brandon only became more driven!

It was not that he had never worked hard in the past. He simply could not find the right direction for his efforts!

He had poured in so much time and energy without seeing any results, so naturally he had become discouraged.

But this time was different!

He could clearly see that every effort he made produced results!

At first, he would fail even at the simplest step of triggering rage.

Now, he could already sustain the flow of rage for a time. He could clearly feel as though a flame were burning inside him.

That vigorous rage was ready to burst forth, yearning to unleash its devastating power.

A few hours of effort surpassed ten years of his past fumbling!

How could he not be excited?

The sky was gradually brightening, and sunrise was about to arrive.

If his physical strength had not been nearly exhausted from training, Brandon would have wanted to push his progress all the way to 100% in one go!

Because that would mean his dream was about to come true—he would become a warrior.

Though his body was utterly exhausted, Brandon's spirit was more exhilarated than ever.

"Thank you, God of Knowledge!"

"I have never seen an existence as great as You. Please accept the most devout gratitude of Your follower!"

Brandon practically wanted to kowtow to the God of Knowledge!

When he looked again at the surroundings of the underground wine cellar and at Rena, who had guided him into believing in the God of Knowledge, his perception had completely changed.

The wine cellar, which had originally seemed dark and mysterious, now appeared incomparably sacred.

How was this some secret gathering place? It was clearly a holy land where he could fulfill his dream and be reborn!

What unknown young woman? What nameless, sinister cult?

These were his brothers and sisters from different fathers and mothers!

Having tasted the benefits, Brandon had now become one of the God of Knowledge's staunchest supporters.

Seeing that the sky had brightened, Rena followed the "script" Pete had prepared for her and reminded everyone:

"Everyone, the God of Knowledge is a special and great existence. He has only just awakened from a long slumber, and we are His first followers in this era. We should spread His truth."

"Every Tuesday at midnight, we will hold an exchange gathering here. More fellow travelers are welcome to join us."

"The God of Knowledge has granted us precious knowledge. Please make good use of it."

"The Lord is watching."

With the number of followers rising from two to six, Noven was very satisfied.

Pete and Rena's preaching this time had achieved a 100% success rate.

Anyone who had been intrigued by the notes and come to Moni Brothers Tavern to investigate ultimately chose to offer their faith to Noven under Pete's "guidance."

Of the four newcomers, Brandon chose the warrior training path.

The other three all chose the mage profession, regardless of their affinity with the various patron gods of the professions.

For this, Noven spent a small amount of divine power and used his authority to obtain the relevant foundational cultivation knowledge.

This gave Noven introductory knowledge of three professional paths.

If new followers wished to become warriors, rogues, or mages in the future, Noven would no longer need to expend divine power. He would only need to copy and paste the knowledge he already possessed for them.

As for why all three new followers chose to become mages?

The reason was simple.

Mages were currently the most sought-after profession on the continent.

Even without answering summons to eliminate monsters corrupted by evil gods, or becoming adventurers or mercenaries and accepting commissions—

As long as one had third-rank mage certification, one could become a magical adviser to many nobles and earn a stable income.

At worst, they could work as magical laborers, copying magic scrolls every day and still earn quite a bit of money.

Therefore, when given the chance to choose, the first thought of these ordinary people was to become mages.

Of course, Noven understood one thing clearly.

He could not turn every follower into a legendary warrior or an archmage.

Although granting followers knowledge acquired through his authority allowed them to freely choose the path they wished to walk without being restricted by faith—

People's talents differed.

Take Rena and Brandon, for example.

Rena had an extremely high affinity with the God of Shadows.

In Noven's understanding, this meant that the shadow power governed by Murphy, the God of Shadows, favored her more.

Thus, when it came to the rogue's entry requirements, Rena had spent only a little over one night and fewer than ten attempts to fully master the [Stealth] combat skill.

Brandon's talent was considerably worse.

After more than a dozen attempts, his progress in wielding rage had not even reached one-third.

Noven estimated that Brandon would need at least another two or three days before he could possibly wield rage successfully and complete his warrior entry training.

The difficulty of advancing in professions afterward would be even greater, requiring more time, and the gap between them would only widen.

What Noven could do was tell each of his followers how they should strive—and how far they still were from success.

Now that he had this group of followers as "seeds," Noven believed they would soon take root and sprout in Greenport Lower City, and then...

Spread outward!

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