Skill Replication

The wind carried a faint smell of blood into the tent. Firelight flickered across the canvas walls, making the shadows waver.

Shien took off his boots, caked with blood and mud, and spread the personnel roster across the desk. His pen paused over Hans Croft's name, then decisively crossed it out.

Tonight's show of force had not been a spur-of-the-moment decision. He had planned it all in advance.

With the strength and resources he had now, hoping to accumulate Grace little by little through acts of kindness was a fantasy. It cost too much, took too long, and carried enormous risk.

Deep within the Kingdom, he could still use the Church's banner and the Holy City Army's might to keep things under control.

But once they entered the buffer zone around the Eternal Night Wall, the pressure of the approaching Blood Moon would keep mounting. The influence of outside powers would quickly fade, and every factor beyond his control would come to light.

Killing a rebellious Knights commander then would be courting death. He had little time to make his move.

That was why he had chosen the fastest, fiercest way to crush the unrest and rebellion within his ranks tonight...

He needed everyone to understand that he was their only leader.

What Shien had not expected was for a speech meant to establish his authority to send his Grace Value soaring.

The Convicts' values had risen on a large scale, but knights, warriors, and even Church Knights had gained Grace Value too.

That meant Grace did not depend solely on helping others or granting favors. An emotional jolt, a compelling story, or the instilling of belief could all stir it.

This went far beyond his expectations. There were more ways to strengthen his Golden Finger than he had thought, and that was undoubtedly good news.

Soft footsteps sounded outside the tent.

The old steward Griffin spoke with more respect than before. "Young master, I've brought the man you wished to see."

"Let him in." Shien set down his quill.

The tent flap lifted, and the burly Ivan ducked inside.

At nearly eight feet tall, he seemed to make the tent shrink around him. Firelight fell across him, making him look like a brown bear clad in iron, though his eyes held excitement and nerves.

Shien glanced at the number hovering above Ivan's head: around 440, the highest among every knight and warrior in the company.

He had noticed Ivan when they first set out. On the first day, when nearly everyone's value was gray or white, Ivan's Grace Value had shown a faint green.

After tonight's speech, that green had risen faster than anyone else's.

Passionate, easily inspired, and quick to find fulfillment. A knight driven by honor.

He was an ideal first subject for the Canon of Grace and Righteousness.

Ivan had no idea how thoroughly he was being assessed. His chest felt hot with nerves, and he did not know why the lord had summoned him.

He dropped to one knee, his movements clumsy as he tried his best to imitate the formal etiquette of noble knights. "Your... your subordinate Ivan has come as ordered."

Even kneeling, the towering man's eyes were nearly level with Shien's.

Shien noticed his rigid shoulders and the way he tried, with disastrous results, to speak like a noble.

So he gave Ivan a gentle smile, measured just right. "Relax, Ivan."

Ivan swallowed. His shoulders visibly loosened, though his face remained bright red. "Yes, my lord."

Shien made his voice even warmer and asked directly, "The name Corbin is hardly unknown in the Kingdom of Austeria. And a genius who entered the Resonance Realm at sixteen would not normally end up in my company."

Ivan flinched and lowered his head. "Three months ago, at a market in the Royal Capital, Count Greywood's second son... your brother, my lord, brought men to seize a farmer's daughter. I stopped him and punched him in front of everyone."

Hearing this, Shien thought that the Greywood family truly had raised a pack of vile vermin.

Most of his half brothers had rotten characters. The second son, in particular, was a worthless bully who relied on his status.

Ivan's voice was full of self-doubt. "I... I didn't save the girl in the end. To appease the count, my father personally ordered me into your expedition, my lord. I'm not afraid of going to the Eternal Night Wall..."

His next words seemed to squeeze their way out of his chest. "But these past few days, I've kept wondering... was throwing that punch a mistake?

"If I'd pretended not to see it, like everyone else, perhaps my father wouldn't have been humiliated. Perhaps that family could have lived on the money they were paid to stay quiet."

Shien watched him in silence, taking careful note of the emotions in Ivan's eyes. Only after he was certain that sincerity was no act did he speak.

"Ivan, most people kneel before darkness and call it a way to survive. To me, that is nothing but cowardice through and through."

He slowly reached out and rested his fingers on Ivan's shoulder armor. "Raise your head."

Ivan instinctively straightened his back and looked up, meeting Shien's deep-set eyes.

"Scum who torture the weak to display their power do not deserve your loyalty. Here, you deserve to be called a true knight."

Shien deliberately lowered his voice, speaking as though he were taking an oath before the Source Furnace. "From tonight onward, you are no longer an outcast. You are my chief guard, the last wall standing before me."

With that, he turned and took a silver-plated Refined Steel longsword from a wooden chest.

It was one of the few treasures he had brought from his family home.

Shien offered the sword to Ivan with both hands, making every word and movement part of the ceremony. "Take it. Let the Sacred Flame bear witness to your grace and righteousness. I promise you that one day, I will take you back to the Royal Capital.

"When that day comes, the sinners who defiled the light will kneel at your feet and pay for every evil they committed today."

The instant Ivan took the longsword in both hands, a chill raced from his palms up his spine.

This Third Tier knight, who could crush rock with his bare hands, trembled so badly he could barely hold a sword that was not particularly heavy.

Three months of doubting himself, the humiliation of being cast out by his kin, the way his faith in justice had wavered in the dark cell...

All of it became a blazing fire that threatened to burst through his chest.

He had never imagined that someone could see into his soul, let alone honor it as something sacred.

"My lord..." Ivan raised the longsword over his head and pressed his forehead against its cold blade.

At that moment, Shien was more than a lord to him. He was the only light in the Long Night.

"With this sword in my hands and the Sacred Flame as my witness..." Ivan closed his eyes, letting scalding tears strike the dirt. "From this day forward, wherever you point me is where I will lay down my life."

An indescribable reverence surged from the depths of Ivan's soul. In the next instant, the Canon of Grace and Righteousness blazed across Shien's vision!

The number above Ivan's head climbed wildly!

442... 570... 767... 812!

The bright green swiftly faded into deep blue: the color of loyalty so absolute that Ivan would entrust Shien with his life.

Shien steadied himself and called softly within his mind, "Sacred Canon, inspect."

Phantom text appeared at once:

[Activating Karmic Manifestation inspection. Reward Value cost: 50. Proceed?]

"Proceed."

The Sacred Canon slowly opened within his mind, visible to Shien alone.

[Canon of Grace and Righteousness · Karmic Manifestation]

[Target: Ivan Corbin]

[Current Grace Value: 812 (blue)]

[Available functions: covert inspection, intelligence gathering, skill replication]

As the Sacred Canon's pages turned, the skills Ivan had accumulated throughout his life became icons floating in Shien's vision.

[Skills currently available for replication]

LV.1 skills (Reward Value cost: 200): Knight's Footwork, Shield Block, Basic Battlefield Awareness, Basic Bandaging, Whistling...

LV.2 skills (Reward Value cost: 600): Short-Term Battle Aura Burst, Piercing Slash, Knight's Charge...

Shien focused on his remaining Reward Value. Tonight's bloody show of force had rapidly raised it to 932.

Just enough to replicate one LV.1 skill and one LV.2 skill. Shien's gaze swept over the skill icons.

Shield Block or Rock-Solid Stance would certainly help him withstand blows.

But neither suited his current fighting style. With his slight build, he could not yet meet attacks head-on like Ivan.

Piercing Slash and the other combat skills required long practice with a weapon.

Survival comes first. Shien made his choice with a clear head. At the Eternal Night Wall, danger could come from any shadow.

[Replication confirmed: LV.1 Basic Battlefield Awareness, LV.2 Short-Term Battle Aura Burst]

[Total Reward Value cost: 800. Remaining: 132. Replication beginning...]

Boom!

It was as though something had exploded deep inside his skull.

Shien's senses expanded in an instant. The moment Basic Battlefield Awareness took hold, the once-quiet tent gained startling depth. It was a combat instinct normally possessed only by Third Tier knights.

Without even trying, he could sense the rhythm of a candle flame flickering behind him, pick out Griffin's breathing outside the tent, and smell the lingering trace of blood in the distance.

Then a second force surged into his body. A violent wave of heat burst from his heart and burned through his limbs.

The technique of Short-Term Battle Aura Burst etched itself into every muscle fiber. Now, with a thought, Shien could multiply his strength within a fraction of a second.

The skills finished taking hold.

Ivan had no idea what had just happened. He only felt that his lord's gaze had become frighteningly deep for an instant before returning to normal.

Shien withdrew his hand and spoke with easy composure. "Rise, Ivan. Guard the tent tonight. Remember, your sword is my will."

"As you command, my lord!" Ivan answered firmly.

He backed out of the tent and took his post at the entrance. Firelight fell across his tall frame, making him look all the more imposing and solemn.

After tonight, anyone who wanted to enter the lord's tent would have to step over Ivan's corpse first.