The So-Called Knight

After some thought, Duke decided not to add that attribute point for now and save it for later.

He had already realized that Free Attribute Points were scarce. So far, he had only obtained a total of 1.1 points.

"What exactly does the mental attribute do?" Duke stared at his lofty 8.1 mental attribute, deeply puzzled.

He guessed that the mental attribute might be related to the brain, but he did not possess a photographic memory.

He could only leave that question for future exploration. The Skill Tree seemed to conceal many more mysteries.

After joining the Militia, Duke received an iron sword and a suit of leather armor.

Holding the heavy iron sword, he immediately felt safer. At last, he had a proper weapon to carry at his side.

The leather armor was dark yellow and stiff to the touch, made from tanned cowhide.

It had two layers of cowhide with linen padding between them, and the outer layer had been soaked in iron ore to increase its hardness.

This kind of leather armor was naturally far from comfortable to wear, but it offered plenty of security.

In this age of cold weapons, such leather armor provided decent protection against blades, swords, and arrows.

With his vital areas protected, combat became much safer.

Starting next month, Duke would receive a monthly salary of ten Silver Coins. With that money, he would basically never have to go hungry again and could even save quite a bit.

Naturally, taking money meant doing the work. Duke also had to fulfill his duties as a militiaman.

His usual task was patrol duty, divided into day and night shifts, taking turns with the others to stand watch at night.

Their patrol area generally covered the outskirts of Enderland Town and did not extend too far.

Patrols were usually conducted in teams of five, generally consisting of three veterans and two newcomers.

Duke noticed that after putting on his leather armor and carrying his sword through the town's streets, the other civilians looked at him differently. There was a little more fear in their eyes.

At night, by the town gate, a bonfire blazed fiercely, its light illuminating Duke's young face.

Night watch was dull and tedious. The frigid night wind pierced to the bone, and they could only huddle around the bonfire for warmth.

After warming himself by the fire, Duke drew his iron sword and continued practicing Basic Swordsmanship nearby.

The other four had long grown used to it. They knew Duke was extremely hardworking and trained whenever he had a spare moment.

In their eyes, practicing Basic Swordsmanship over and over again had little meaning at all.

The captain of their five-man team was Hansen, a retired veteran who had once participated in the war between the Vira Kingdom and the neighboring Gondor Kingdom. He was highly experienced.

Seeing Duke still training so diligently, he could not help saying, "Duke, this is useless. You only need to know Basic Swordsmanship. If you want to improve, you need real combat. Even if you practice it ten thousand times, you still won't have strength like Mr. Wood's."

"If you truly want to become stronger, you need to become a knight."

"Brother Hansen, how can I become a knight?" Duke put down his sword and asked respectfully.

Hansen sighed. "That won't be easy. To become a knight, you need to learn a Breathing Technique, but Breathing Techniques are all controlled by the nobles. Unless Count Hardy takes a liking to you and you become one of his knights, you won't be able to obtain a Breathing Technique."

Duke silently watched the burning bonfire, its flames reflected in his eyes as they flickered endlessly.

Winning Count Hardy's recognition would not be easy. Those who received a Breathing Technique inheritance were all exceptionally talented people.

Right now, Duke could only be considered relatively strong among the younger generation. He had neither qualifications nor connections and had no chance of entering Count Hardy's sight.

After thinking it over, he knew there was no use rushing this. All he could do now was continue grinding proficiency.

[Basic Swordsmanship: LV2 (420/500)]

Basic Swordsmanship was not far from leveling up. Sitting idly through the long night was a waste of life, so he might as well use the time to grind proficiency.

Seeing Duke continue practicing Basic Swordsmanship, Hansen and the others could only shake their heads and smile without saying anything more. In any case, it did no harm.

The night ended, and dawn broke.

The bonfire had already gone out, leaving behind only a pile of ashes that still retained some warmth.

Once the relieving team arrived, Duke and the others dragged their exhausted bodies home.

Duke was actually doing fine. Even after practicing Basic Swordsmanship all night, he did not feel particularly tired.

His attention was focused on the Skill Tree in his mind. The green leaf representing Basic Swordsmanship had turned into a white flower.

[Basic Swordsmanship leveled up. Agility +1]

Duke glanced at his personal attributes. Agility had now become his highest attribute apart from mental.

[Constitution: 5.7]

[Strength: 5.9]

[Agility: 6.1]

[Mental: 8.1]

[Free Attribute Points: 1]

The most immediate effect of increased Agility was that his body felt lighter. Walking along the muddy road, Duke only needed a light push from his feet to leap several meters forward.

At the same time, a vast amount of swordsmanship experience flooded into his mind, all of it practical sword techniques.

Duke could imagine that with his current strength, Agility, and swordsmanship experience, he could already defeat the vast majority of veteran soldiers.

After returning to Yining Village, Duke washed up briefly and fell straight into bed. His sleep quality had been excellent lately.

He trained intensely every day, and the Militia provided enough food to fill his stomach, so he no longer lay awake hungry in the middle of the night.

Duke woke to a burst of knocking, accompanied by a young woman calling out, "Duke! Duke, are you home?"

Still groggy, he got up and opened the door, only to find Loy, the daughter of Uncle John next door.

Loy worked as a maid in Count Hardy's gardens and generally returned only once a month.

Uncle John's family had gained some local reputation because they had a daughter working for Count Hardy, making it much easier for them to find odd jobs nearby.

"Sister Loy, what's wrong?" Duke asked.

Loy looked anxious as she said, "My father and mother went to work at the Southern Mine a few days ago. They should have returned two days ago, but when I came back today, they still weren't home. I asked around the village, but everyone said they hadn't seen my parents these past few days."

Hearing that, Duke also realized that Uncle John and Aunt Anna had been gone for quite some time and had yet to return.

The Southern Mine was one of Count Hardy's properties. It often hired nearby farmers for work. It was not mandatory, and they were paid for each day they worked.

Uncle John and the others had gone there many times before, usually returning after two or three days.

The work in the mine was extremely demanding, and ordinary people could not keep it up for long. At most, they needed to rest after two or three days.

Counting the days, Uncle John and the others had been gone for nearly seven days. That was truly abnormal.

Duke thought for a moment, then said calmly, "Sister Loy, don't worry. I'll go into town and find Mr. Wood. He might know something."