Training Ends

After hitting the target with that arrow, Duke gradually got the feel for it and landed several more shots.

He discovered that his Archery proficiency only increased when he hit the target.

Duke also tried shooting from close range, where he could hit the target every time, but found that his proficiency did not increase at all.

He slowly backed away and kept trying. In the end, he discovered that he had to shoot from at least fifteen meters away for his proficiency to increase.

Duke practiced at that minimum distance, slowly grinding up his proficiency level.

There were no restrictions on training time at the manor. There were plenty of targets, and anyone willing could keep practicing archery for as long as they liked.

By dusk, Duke still had not raised his Archery level.

He was not in a hurry. The progress bar was visible, and he could continue tomorrow.

After dinner, Duke continued practicing the Breathing Method outside. Aside from eating and sleeping, his life was completely filled with all kinds of training.

Not long after he began training outside, Xiwen came out as well and practiced beside him, as though the two were competing.

The others in the house looked at each other. They suddenly felt a little awkward, as if resting inside carried a sense of guilt.

When they saw the two figures outside diligently holding their stances, that guilt only grew stronger.

Ten minutes later, several more people had joined them outside to hold their stances.

Soon, the month-long selection for personal guards came to an end.

Duke greatly enjoyed this period. The manor provided all his food and drink, and he did not need to worry about safety. All he had to do was focus on grinding proficiency.

After relentlessly grinding proficiency during this time, Duke's skills in every area had improved.

[Scythe: LV5]

[Basic Swordsmanship: LV4 (553/1000)]

[Whale Breathing Method: LV1 (247/1000)]

[Riding: LV5]

[Archery: LV5]

[Constitution: 7.1]

[Strength: 7.7]

[Agility: 7.2]

[Spirit: 8.1]

[Free Attribute Points: 2]

During this period, Duke had easily grinded both Riding and Archery to max level. Aside from slight improvements to his physical attributes, he had also gained two free attribute points.

He had not yet decided to use those two free attribute points. For now, it seemed more worthwhile to use them later.

However, the Whale Breathing Method was still progressing very slowly. Even though he spent a great deal of time and effort practicing every day, he had only gained a little over two hundred proficiency points. Leveling up still seemed far away.

He only trained Basic Swordsmanship occasionally during his spare time, while practicing the Breathing Method took up most of his time.

After this training ended, five people in total, including Duke, became low-rank knight attendants and joined the Nightingale Corps.

Xiwen had also successfully gotten started with the Breathing Method. He had only just succeeded yesterday, practically making it in on the final day of training.

The five of them, including Duke, did not need to take the personal guard selection test. They simply watched the assessment process from the side for an entire day.

The assessment was held within the manor and consisted of Riding, Archery, and combat.

Out of more than a hundred people, only around fifty ultimately passed the assessment and became Count Hardy's personal guards.

With these new recruits, Count Hardy's personal guard force finally exceeded two thousand men.

Even while watching the assessment, Duke silently practiced the Breathing Method off to the side, leaving Xiwen and the others speechless.

Duke paid them no mind. He did not care what irrelevant people thought. He only needed to do his own thing well.

After the assessment ended, Duke and the other four saw Vivian again.

Vivian was still clad in full armor and wore a helmet, hiding her face from view.

Duke was very curious about what she looked like beneath that helmet. He had always heard that Vivian was the most beautiful girl in all of Jade Province, but he had never had the chance to see her true face.

At least her voice was indeed lovely, like a nightingale's.

"From now on, you are members of the Nightingale Corps. When you have no assignments, you may move freely, but do not go too far from Maple Hill City. If you need to travel a long distance, inform George in advance..." After briefly explaining a few things, Vivian left.

To her, this was merely a formality. She only needed to show herself before the newcomers; she was not responsible for daily management.

Vivian had only one comment on this selection: "A pity there were no surprises."

She had originally held some hope for Duke, but unfortunately, he had not reached the second level of the Breathing Method by the end of training.

At that pace of cultivation, he was destined to have difficulty becoming a formal knight.

After Vivian left, George explained the Nightingale Corps' internal rules to them in detail.

Under normal circumstances, the Nightingale Corps did not have many routine missions. They were more often tasked with handling difficult matters within the territory or carrying out missions of great importance.

For example, the previous attack on Enderland Town had been a rather urgent mission, which was why Vivian had personally led the Nightingale Corps into action.

Members of the Nightingale Corps could live in Habs Manor, where each person had their own private room. They could also choose to live elsewhere, entirely according to their own wishes.

The manor's training facilities could all be used freely, with no restrictions placed on members of the Nightingale Corps.

Count Hardy's requirement for the Nightingale Corps was that they improve their strength as much as possible in ordinary times, so they could be useful at critical moments.

Duke's monthly salary was one gold coin, the lowest salary within the Nightingale Corps. His treatment would improve once his strength increased.

In fact, such treatment was already an astronomical price in this era. Few jobs could offer such high pay.

Duke also received a set of fine leather armor, exquisitely crafted and equipped with shoulder guards, bracers, and more. Its protective ability was also far better than his previous leather armor.

A nightingale emblem was carved onto the leather armor. It was the symbol of the Nightingale Corps.

As for full-body armor, it was not something everyone could be equipped with.

After the busy days of training ended, Duke left Habs Manor for the first time, intending to visit Maple Hill City.

Habs Manor was located east of Maple Hill City. Once he left the manor, he could see the distant silhouette of the city.

Maple Hill City had existed for three hundred years. It had endured the trials of countless wars, and the towering walls surrounding it had shielded the city from innumerable enemies.

Maple Hill City was divided into an inner city and an outer city. The inner city was actually a fortress, the castle where Count Hardy lived.

In fact, the entire outer city had been built around that castle. Protected by two layers of defense, the fortress was as solid as a rock, as difficult to breach as a turtle shell.

Not just anyone could enter the inner city. Even though Duke was already a member of the Nightingale Corps, he still could not enter without permission.

The outer city was different. Aside from a simple inspection at the gate, there were no further requirements.

Once Duke entered the city, the first thing he saw was a broad avenue. Many people traveled along it, while several lavishly decorated carriages struggled to make their way through the crowd.

Cries of vendors rose and fell all around him without pause. Hawkers on both sides of the road shouted with all their might, hoping to catch the attention of passersby.