At night, several burning bonfires brightly illuminated the main road through the wilderness.
After dinner and a brief rest for a few dozen minutes, Ronin had the Guards assemble and began teaching them commands like marching in step, goose-stepping, and standing at attention.
It had been four years since his university military training. He didn't know the technical terms for these movements, but he still remembered the basics of each action.
Teaching as he recalled, it took him well over half an hour before all the Guards, including Macken, had grasped the basics of the movements.
"Alright, from now on, you'll train in rows of five. Those who aren't marching, keep your eyes peeled! Watch the others, learn from their mistakes, and correct your own form!"
Ronin looked to his Guard Officer. "Macken, you're in charge. You call out the commands. I'll inspect the results during morning practice tomorrow!"
"Yes, Sir!"
Apprehensively, Macken walked to the side of the formation. "First row, on my command... Attention!"
After handing the training over to Macken, Ronin returned to a bonfire and sat down, noticing his manservant Chahar grinning foolishly as he added firewood to the flames.
"What's this? You want to join the training too?" Ronin asked with a smile.
Chahar immediately looked away, chuckling awkwardly. "Master, I just find their training very interesting."
"Haha!"
Ronin said with a smile, "If you want to go, then go. There's nothing else to do right now anyway."
Chahar hesitated for a moment, then steeled himself, stood up, and said excitedly, "Thank you, Master!"
With that, he ran toward the formation and, after getting Macken's approval, joined the last row.
Ronin couldn't help but shake his head at the sight. 'Tomorrow, I'll ramp up the intensity, add some punishments, and teach them military combat forms. We'll see if Chahar is still so eager to train then.'
He rested for a bit, drank some water, then drew his Longsword and started practicing several common attack moves like slashes and thrusts.
His predecessor's skill in this area was practically zero. Just like those Guards, he too had to apply himself and learn diligently.
Absorbed in their study and training, the men completely lost track of time. Ronin only stopped practicing with his sword when his arms grew sore and he was gasping for breath.
He glanced back at the Guards, who were still training. Although they kept practicing under Macken's discipline, he could see signs of their exhaustion.
"That's enough for today."
After giving the order, Ronin walked to the side, doused himself with two buckets of water for a quick bath, and was the first to return to his tent to lie down and rest.
His was the only tent in the entire company; the others had to spend the night by the bonfires. Fortunately, it wasn't winter.
Hardly any of the dismissed Guards bathed; they went straight to a bonfire, plopped down, and started resting.
Macken, after arranging the night watch, stood guard outside Ronin's tent.
The entire camp soon fell silent, leaving only the CRACKLE of burning firewood and a chorus of uneven snores.
Ronin really wanted to sleep, but he forced himself to stay awake. He was waiting for midnight to arrive.
Time ticked by. Finally, just as Ronin could barely stay awake, the familiar text appeared:
[Check-in successful, Attribute Points +1]
Ronin looked at the seven-day login panel, and with a thought, he collected the fourth day's reward.
Instantly, a premium package opened with a flourish in his vision, bursting with light. Then, two lines of text appeared:
[Attribute Points +60]
[Energy Essence +100]
Ronin had prepared himself for the premium package to contain nothing of value. But upon seeing the number of Attribute Points and the amount of Energy Essence, he couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.
He looked at his Attribute Panel:
[Level]: 1 - Basic Level Knight (32/100)+; 1 - Basic Level Mage (0/150)+
[Attribute Points]: 61
[Energy Essence]: 100
With these Attribute Points, Ronin's Warrior Level progress was only seven points away from Perfection. Unfortunately, due to his Constitution's limitations, he had to advance both of his classes at the same time and couldn't raise his Knight Level to Intermediate first.
'Although I can't break through, Macken can!'
Macken's Knight Level progress was already at 80/100. It would only take 20 points of Energy Essence for him to break through and become an Intermediate Knight.
Although only a single level apart, the jump from Basic to Intermediate was a qualitative leap for a Knight.
For an Intermediate Knight, their Fighting Qi erupts from its Spirit Seed, allowing them to use it for attacks and vastly expanding a Professional Knight's offensive options.
Just then, a loud RUSTLING came from the forest to the north, accompanied by the sound of muffled grunts.
Ronin's expression tensed. He was wide awake and immediately sensed something was wrong.
The second person to notice was Macken, outside the tent. His sharp gaze shot toward the source of the sound, where he saw several large shadows growing clearer in the night.
"Agh! Magical Beasts! Magical Beasts are here!" the Guard on night watch yelled, having also spotted the disturbance.
The panicked cry spread through the camp. The sleeping Guards jolted awake, grabbing their weapons and assuming defensive stances.
The bonfire light revealed the forms of the three massive creatures.
They weren't Magical Beasts at all, just three large wild boars.
"These things aren't afraid of fire?"
Ronin walked out of his tent, marveling at the wild boars, which were each the size of a small calf.
These three big wild boars didn't seem to fear humans. They were staring intently at the carriage, attracted by the scent of grain and vegetables coming from it.
"Sir, let me handle these beasts!"
Ronin grunted in assent and simultaneously used all 20 points of Energy Essence.
WHOOM—
At that moment, it felt as if something inside Macken had shattered. An earth-yellow energy burst from his heart and surged through his entire body.
"What is this?"
Macken felt the Fighting Qi inside him with astonishment. In utter disbelief, he realized he had broken through.
He knew this was his master's doing, yet he was still astonished that Ronin possessed such power.
"Go. End this battle as quickly as possible. Let the Guards witness your might!"
"As you wish, Sir!"
With a determined gaze, Macken drew his Longsword and leaped forward, his speed astonishing the Guards.
The wild boars squealed, and instead of retreating, charged toward Macken.
"Let's go, help Captain Macken!"
The Guards didn't hesitate either. Raising their Longswords, they charged in as well.
But just then, a brilliant light flared. Macken swung his sword, and a blade-like arc formed from Fighting Qi shot across several meters, landing precisely on a boar's head.
The Fighting Qi Slash tore through the boar's tough hide, and the immense force of the impact dazed the beast, sending it crashing to the ground.
"Fighting Qi Release!"
A more experienced Guard shouted, "Captain Macken is an Intermediate Knight!"
The Guards who had trained year-round all knew the sign of an Intermediate Knight. The moment they saw the Fighting Qi Slash, they knew Macken's Level.
At his shout, all the charging Guards froze in their tracks.
An Intermediate Knight dealing with three ordinary wild boars didn't need any help from them at all.
Then, someone asked in confusion, "When the Captain introduced himself during the day, didn't he say he was only a Basic Level Knight? How is he an Intermediate now?"
A know-it-all explained, "You don't get it. Knights often hide their strength, deliberately understating their level to confuse opponents in battle."
"Oh, so that's how it is!" the person replied, seeming to only half-understand.
Ronin stepped forward at this moment. "No, during the day, Macken was indeed just a Basic Level Knight."
His words instantly captured the attention of all the Guards.
Ronin gave a mysterious smile. "He just diligently practiced the drills I taught him and broke through after training ended tonight."
The main reason he said this was to boost everyone's motivation for training.
In this world, who could resist the temptation of becoming a Transcendent?
These Guards, especially those under eighteen, were just ordinary infantry in a Knight Squad with limited prospects.
If they wanted to climb higher, their only hope was to awaken a Fighting Qi Spirit Seed and become a Professional Knight.
Normally, this was a difficult dream to achieve.
But now Ronin had offered them an explanation, and they had seen with their own eyes Macken, a Basic Level Knight by day, become an Intermediate Knight by night.
What did this prove?
Ronin didn't explain it directly, but the Guards made the connection themselves: as long as they diligently practiced the drills their lord taught them, they could get stronger!
In that instant, Ronin sensed a change in the Guards' eyes. It was a hunger for Extraordinary Power.