Translator: CinderTL
"Boy, you sure sleep soundly!"
Roland wasn't fully awake when a low, gruff voice snapped in his ear.
He looked up in a daze and saw Peyton dragging his blood-soaked body toward him.
Under the bright moonlight, Peyton was drenched in blood, dark red droplets clinging even to his beard. He wiped his face casually, smearing the blood into a grotesque mask.
"Stop gawking and grab your weapon!"
Roland scrambled to his feet, caught the pack Peyton tossed him, and drew his iron sword.
"Uncle Peyton, what's happening?"
"What do you think?" Peyton spat, swinging his iron sword violently to leave a glaring crimson streak across the ground. "Those Dawn Territory monsters are attacking. Damned mongrels."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a sharp crack echoed from beyond the fence.
Three hunched figures vaulted over the barrier, their yellow, vertical pupils glowing eerily in the darkness.
Roughly half-human in height, they were covered in coarse brown fur, their necks topped with snarling dog heads.
"Kobolds!"
Roland's heart pounded as he stared at the humanoid, dog-faced demonic beasts before him.
Though he had heard countless tales of these creatures since his arrival in this world, this was his first actual encounter.
"Kid, take the one on the right. I'll handle the other two!"
Before Peyton finished speaking, he had already charged forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Seeing this, Roland took a deep breath, fixed his gaze on the kobold before him, and slowly shifted his feet, maintaining a safe distance.
He raised the tip of his sword slightly, assuming the standard starting stance of Lion Swordsmanship.
The kobold hunched over, its rough claws gripping a rusty short axe. It tilted its head, observing the human's strange movements.
Then, with a sudden roar, it lunged forward, its axe whistling through the air as it swung down.
Roland swiftly sidestepped to parry the blow.
The moment the iron sword clashed against the axe blade, a jolt ran through his hand, nearly causing him to lose his grip.
"Incredible brute strength!"
Roland was stunned. He immediately retreated half a step to widen the distance.
But the Kobold showed no mercy, unleashing three consecutive axe strikes.
Roland retreated while parrying, deliberately easing his strength on the third block to use the recoil to spring lightly backward.
This guy...
Noticing the Kobold's labored breathing after each swing and its clumsy turns, Roland's eyes gleamed with insight.
Strength to spare, but agility lacking.
Recognizing the Kobold's weakness, Roland immediately shifted his strategy.
When the next axe blade came slashing down, he no longer met it head-on. Instead, he ducked under the blow, simultaneously flicking his sword upward to leave a bloody gash across the Kobold's ribs.
Roaring in pain, the Kobold intensified its assault, but its attacks grew increasingly chaotic.
Roland, moving like a matador, danced around the frenzied strikes. The lethal efficiency of Lion Swordsmanship flowed through him, devoid of flashy moves—every strike aimed directly at vital points.
When the Kobold's next full-force swing missed its mark, Roland seized the opening, his sword darting forward like a venomous snake to pierce the creature's throat.
As warm blood splattered across his face, golden subtitles materialized before his eyes.
When you engage in combat with enemies, your comprehension improves, and Lion Swordsmanship gains three experience points.
"Is this... the effect of the bonus 'Theory and Practice'?"
The thought flashed through Roland's mind as he quickly glanced to the side.
He saw Peyton retreating under the relentless assault of two Kobolds, barely managing to parry their attacks.
Witnessing this, Roland took a deep breath and stepped forward.
One of the Kobolds sensed the movement and turned, only to be struck across the shoulder by Roland's diagonal slash.
The Kobold let out a piercing howl, and its companion immediately abandoned Peyton, charging at Roland with a spiked mace.
Drawing on his recent experience fighting Kobolds, Roland nimbly sidestepped the heavy mace, his sword slicing precisely across the Kobold's knee.
As the creature staggered and fell to its knees, Roland followed through with a backhand slash, the razor-sharp blade severing its throat.
The wounded Kobold tried to ambush him, but Peyton, having caught his breath, stabbed it through the heart from behind.
"A brilliant counterattack!"
Peyton cheered loudly, but his eyes betrayed his shock.
The sixteen-year-old boy before him had not only mastered Lion Swordsmanship in a remarkably short time but also applied it flawlessly in combat, maintaining unwavering composure against the ferocious demonic beasts.
Compared to this, Peyton felt his decades of experience had been utterly wasted.
Watching Roland's upright figure, Peyton chuckled bitterly to himself before offering guidance.
"You could have attacked its armpit just now. That would have temporarily immobilized it."
Hearing this, Roland reviewed the battle in his mind and nodded thoughtfully.
While his awakened skills and enhancements allowed him to grasp the fundamentals of techniques quickly, they couldn't grant him practical combat experience.
Thus, despite fully understanding the essence of Lion Swordsmanship in theory, his actual combat techniques still lacked fluidity, adaptability, and improvisational skill.
After delivering a final strike to each of the three Kobolds to ensure their deaths, Roland slowly approached.
Under the moonlight, Roland finally noticed a deep, bone-exposing wound on Peyton's left arm, the sleeve already soaked through with blood.
"You're injured?"
"Just a scratch from those mutts earlier. Nothing to worry about," Peyton spat, but before he could elaborate, several dog-like howls echoed from the distance.
Hearing the howls, Peyton's face paled. He grabbed Roland and dragged him into the house.
Gary had already packed his belongings and was guarding the door with his hunting bow. Seeing them enter, he immediately bolted the door shut, his voice trembling slightly as he said, "The granary in the east is on fire. At least twenty Kobolds are raiding the market."
"Far more than that," Peyton said, tearing off a strip of cloth to hastily bandage his wound. "These mutts are clearly organized. There must be a big one calling the shots."
Peeking through a crack in the window, Roland's stomach churned.
The entire village was engulfed in flames, a dozen fires painting the night sky blood-red.
On the streets, Kobolds swarmed in small groups, breaking down doors. An elderly man who had fallen behind was pounced on by three demonic beasts, his screams quickly dissolving into the chilling sound of gnawing.
Further away, a group of young and middle-aged villagers were desperately fighting back with pitchforks. Suddenly, a Kobold wielding a rusty iron sword charged into the crowd. With a series of dull thuds, the defenders fell one after another into pools of blood.
"Damn it!" Gary cursed, slamming the bedboard open and dragging an old wooden chest from the hidden compartment beneath.
He deftly pried open the lock and retrieved two gleaming hunting knives, tucking them into his belt.
"The back door is temporarily safe. What's our next move?"
"Head to the village entrance and flee toward the manor!" Roland declared, cutting off Peyton before he could speak. He tore his gaze from the window and spoke first.
"The manor will definitely have regular troops stationed there. With its high walls and fortifications, the Kobolds have no chance of breaching its defenses!"
Having trained at the manor, Roland knew its layout like the back of his hand.
More than a manor, it was a small fortress.
Towering stone walls, staggered arrow towers, and meticulously planned defensive works all spoke to its impregnable nature.
With their crude weapons and disorganized attacks, the Kobolds stood no chance of breaking through the lines held by the manor's well-trained standing guard.
"Do as the kid says!" Peyton gasped, nodding at Gary.
With their plan agreed upon, the three quietly slipped out of the house.
Seeing the Kobold corpses piled up in front of the house, Roland understood how Peyton had gotten the wound on his arm.
Under the cover of thick smoke, they hugged the walls and moved swiftly.
Whenever they encountered Kobolds, Roland and Peyton worked together seamlessly, dispatching them with practiced efficiency.
Through constant combat, the special effect of Theory and Practice gradually manifested.
The Lion Swordsmanship in Roland's hands shed its initial clumsiness. His movements flowed more smoothly, each strike becoming more precise and lethal.
After rounding two street corners, Roland suddenly pulled the others to a halt.
At the crossroads ahead lay seven or eight corpses, a mix of villagers and Kobolds.
Nearby, several standing soldiers in chainmail charged toward an unusually large Kobold, swords drawn.
Under the clear moonlight, Roland noticed the Kobold's distinctive features.
Its entire body was covered in crimson scales, each one gleaming with an eerie, cold light in the moonlight.
(End of the Chapter)
Translator's Corner
Read [Wizard in a Cultivation World!?] exclusively on the site. Upto 80+ Chapters Available!
🔓 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦 — 13 Series (7 Ongoing) | 14+ New Chapters Daily | 6,100+ FREE