Captain Macken cleanly dispatched one of the three Wild Boars that had invaded the camp. Seeing things go badly, the remaining two turned and fled into the mountains, making pursuit unwise.
Such a swift and decisive battle drew loud cheers from the watching guards.
Luo Ning examined the big guy, nearly one and a half meters long and weighing several hundred jin. Impressed, he did not skimp, promising that starting tomorrow, every guard would receive an extra piece of meat and a bowl of meat soup with each meal.
This would not only strengthen the guards' physical fitness and give them more energy for training, but also further motivate them.
After leaving the wild boar carcass to the guards, Macken came to Luo Ning's side.
"My lord, after my breakthrough, I remembered a few more things," he said respectfully.
Luo Ning was taken aback. "Oh? Tell me about them. What are they?"
"Several Battle Skills."
As Macken explained, he crouched and slammed his fist into the ground. Luo Ning sensed a wave of energy spreading through the earth.
Pfft!
Ahead of them, a sharp spear formed from packed soil burst from the ground at incredible speed.
Luo Ning was certain that such an earth spear posed a tremendous threat to ordinary people. Without a timely dodge, they would definitely be pierced through.
"This is a Battle Skill?"
Luo Ning was puzzled. "Isn't this Earth Magic?"
"Magic?"
Macken shook his head. "Sorry, my lord, I do not know much about magic. But what I just used was the Earth Attribute Battle Skill, Spike Earth Spear."
As he spoke, regret appeared on his face. "It is said that at higher levels, a single Spike Earth Spear can turn a vast stretch of ground into a forest of spears. Unfortunately, my current Battle Qi is insufficient, so I can only produce one earth spear."
Luo Ning nodded slowly. "So Battle Skills can be used like this."
He had assumed knights used Battle Skills by swinging Knight's Swords around or firing beams of light. He had not expected them to be capable of changing the surrounding environment as well.
It seemed that the Battle Qi and magic of this world differed somewhat from what he had imagined.
"It appears that as your strength increases, some of your memories awaken as well."
It was rather like certain card characters in games unlocking specific skills as they leveled up. "How many Battle Skills can you use now?"
"Other than this, I can also use the defensive Battle Skill, Earth Wall."
Macken explained, "It can raise an Earth Wall before us to block attacks such as arrows."
No wonder people said that a knight's strength rose dramatically upon reaching Intermediate Rank. It seemed to be true.
The two Battle Skills Macken had mastered, one offensive and one defensive, both had quite good effects.
"I do not have any other Earth Attribute Battle Skills right now. When I get the chance, I will find two for you."
After encouraging Macken, Luo Ning ducked into the tent.
After that disturbance, he began thinking about Battle Skills and magic.
He possessed both Wind and Fire Attributes, and the Wushan Family specialized in the Fire Attribute. When he left, he should ask Rulans or Wiggins for a couple of Battle Skill books.
"And magic... where am I supposed to find Magic Books to study?"
Mages were rare. Even a Marquis's family did not have many mages in its service; at least, Luo Ning's previous self had never encountered any.
"I wonder whether the family has magic books for the Wind and Fire Attributes."
He still needed to return to Wushan Castle, but there was no need to rush. He would consider it after breaking through to Intermediate Rank. For now, he should first see what Mountain Forest Town was like.
Besides, the reward for the seventh day of Seven-Day Login was a Light Attribute mage. Through him, Luo Ning should be able to learn some information about magic.
As for Battle Skills, the First Purchase Bonus would grant him a Fire Attribute knight. He could learn from him then as well.
The night passed without incident.
Starting from the next day, the guards' enthusiasm for training surged.
First, Luo Ning provided them with ample food. In addition to ordinary bread, every meal included a piece of meat and a bowl of soup, giving them the strength to train.
Second, and more importantly, under Luo Ning's deliberate guidance, everyone believed these exercises could increase their chances of awakening a Battle Qi Seed. The guards under eighteen years old trained especially earnestly.
Of course, being serious was one thing, but everyone had times when they grew weary and wanted to slack off.
Thus, Luo Ning arranged a series of punishments, including push-ups and squat jumps. Whoever dared to be lazy would be punished.
As for Luo Ning himself, he neither practiced military stance nor trained his marching steps. Instead, he practiced swordsmanship, and whenever he had time, he sparred with Macken.
Though he was beaten most of the time, his combat skills improved rapidly.
Another two days passed like this. Luo Ning's group traveled, trained, and rested as they went.
It was tedious, but the gains were substantial.
At the very least, after these three days of training, the guards could already understand commands.
By punishing an entire row for one person's mistake, he had also given them a slight sense of collective responsibility.
With another period of training, the results would surely improve further.
As for Luo Ning, perhaps he truly was a swordsmanship genius. He could now last more than a dozen exchanges against Macken, naturally with the latter holding back his strength.
In addition, Luo Ning received the rewards for the fifth and sixth days of Seven-Day Login.
The fifth day's reward was a magical weapon called the Flowing Flame Sword. Besides being sturdy and sharp, its blade was engraved with magical patterns.
According to its description, when powered by Wind and Fire Attribute Battle Qi, this sword could produce blazing streams of flame with formidable power.
Unfortunately, Luo Ning's strength was still too limited. Not only could he not use this ability, but the sword's weight also prevented him from wielding it for long. He could only store the Flowing Flame Sword in his Spatial Ring for now.
The sixth day's reward was a Magical Beast Contract Scroll. It was said that as long as a Demon Beast did not resist, the scroll could be used to establish a Master-Servant Contract, allowing even the fiercest Demon Beast to serve its master.
This was an extremely precious item, likely difficult to buy even outside. However, Luo Ning had no use for it for the moment, so he could only place it in his Spatial Ring.
"In a few more hours, I will be able to claim the seventh day's reward."
Luo Ning looked forward to it. A Light Attribute mage would soon appear among his subordinates.
Mages were already rare, and Light Attribute mages were even rarer.
It was said that in other duchies, Light Attribute mages had saved many refugees and nobles through magic, and had even founded the Church of Light. He did not know whether that was true.
"What a pity. Once I claim this reward, Seven-Day Login will be over."
This also meant that Luo Ning could only obtain one more loyal subordinate through the First Purchase Bonus. If he wished to expand his forces afterward, he would have to recruit and train people in the real world.
If Luo Ning wanted a promotion in rank and to achieve greater ambitions, the three extraordinary individuals brought by his cheat alone would be far from enough.
Thinking of this, Luo Ning placed his hopes on the young guards in the group. He had personally witnessed their progress over the past few days of training.
"Macken, find a suitable place ahead to set up camp."
"Yes, my lord!"
Macken rode to the front of the group, observing both sides of the road as he advanced.
A place suitable for resting at night needed to meet one of two conditions: either the terrain had to be relatively open, or it had to be near a water source. Since they carried a supply of water in the carriage, meeting either condition would suffice.
However, Macken had observed this stretch of road, and there did not seem to be any particularly suitable locations.
As the caravan moved onward, he suddenly pulled on the reins and signaled for the guards behind him to stop the carriage.
"What is it, Captain Macken?" the guards behind him asked in confusion.
"There seems to be the sound of fighting ahead." Macken listened carefully, then turned his horse around and rode back.
"Stay here for now. I will report to the Baron."
Before you continue