Translator: CinderTL
"Darco!"
Even before he arrived, his voice rang out.
Roland looked up to see Baron Forslin, usually so composed, hurrying toward them. In moments, he stood before Darco.
When he saw his son covered in blood, his lips trembled violently. After a long moment, he managed to rasp out, "My child... what happened to you?"
"Father, we were ambushed by goblins in the forest..." Darco began to explain, supported by a servant, but the Baron raised a hand to stop him.
"Don't speak yet. Not yet."
Baron Forslin's voice was filled with unprecedented panic. "You need rest now. Someone! Help the young master back to his room! And..."
He paused, then abruptly changed his mind. "No, I'll fetch the physician myself!"
Before the words had even left his mouth, the usually unflappable noble stumbled away.
As the family's sole heir, Darco's severe injuries had completely shattered the Baron's composure. His usual calm had vanished entirely.
"Father! Father!"
Darco called out several times, but Baron Forslin hurried away without looking back.
He sighed helplessly and turned to beckon Roland over, his face regaining some color.
Back at the manor, the young noble's spirits seemed to have improved considerably.
"Roland, are you injured? Would you like to see the physician with me?"
"No need," Roland replied, waving his hand.
Though his clothes were stained with blood, most of it was from the goblins. Those weak demonic beasts hadn't been able to harm him.
"Alright, I'll come find you again tomorrow morning."
After saying goodbye to Darco, Roland turned to Captain John and asked in a low voice, "What exactly happened in the Black Cedar Forest?"
"The Black Cedar Forest..." John seemed momentarily dazed, still reeling from Darco's friendly treatment of Roland.
He collected himself, his brow furrowing. "The battle isn't going well. Lord Beckham has sent word back requesting reinforcements."
"The demonic beasts there are too strong for even knights to handle?"
Roland frowned slightly.
"I don't know the specifics," John said hastily, glancing at a guard gesturing to him in the distance. "Just... go rest. Don't worry, the reinforcements are already preparing to depart. Everything will be fine."
With that, he patted Roland on the shoulder and hurried away.
Watching John's retreating figure, Roland's frown deepened.
Rest?
How could he possibly rest now? The eerie encounter in the forest still haunted his thoughts.
He turned and walked back to the secluded wooden cabin. Perhaps Bronson was the only one who could answer his questions about the Blood-Colored Goblin.
As for telling others... Roland didn't want to be ridiculed as a fool.
If Bronson was right, magic had vanished from this continent centuries ago.
Goblins? Fireballs?
No one would believe his story.
Bang, bang, bang!
The sharp knocking echoed loudly through the silent manor, but the closed wooden door remained firmly shut.
"Mr. Bronson?"
Roland called out several times, but there was no response from within the dilapidated wooden cabin.
"Strange."
Just as he was pondering this, he caught sight of a servant passing in the distance. Roland quickly approached and stopped him.
"Excuse me," he said, pointing to the cabin. "Do you know where Mr. Bronson has gone?"
"Bronson?" The servant frowned, lost in thought for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, you mean that tall, skinny weirdo? He went out early this morning and hasn't returned yet."
"Hmm?"
This answer startled Roland. Though he had only known Bronson for a short time, he was well aware of the scholar's habits. The reclusive academic rarely left his cabin, spending almost every day shut inside except for the few chores Baron Forslin assigned him. Why would such a man suddenly go out? And why hadn't he returned yet?
But these questions were clearly beyond the scope of a mere servant's knowledge. Roland could only bow slightly in thanks before returning to his quarters, his mind filled with doubt.
Sitting on the creaking wooden bed, the events of the past few days flashed through Roland's mind like a carousel.
Crystals of solidified Magic Element.
The desperate situation in the Black Cedar Forest.
Well-trained warriors of the Blazing Sun Church.
The massive remains of a creature.
And the Blood-Colored Goblin, wielding a white staff to summon fireballs from thin air.
"It seems Mr. Bronson's prediction was correct," Roland muttered to himself, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the edge of the bed. "Magic Element is indeed slowly awakening on this continent."
"If that Blood-Colored Goblin wasn't an isolated incident, even this manor's formidable defenses might not be enough to withstand their attacks."
The thought tightened his throat.
Roland took a deep breath, trying to calm the churning anxiety in his chest. The cold air filled his lungs, gradually clearing his mind.
"I must become stronger, and quickly."
With that thought, he silently opened his Job Panel.
"Even with the Combat Readiness trait's bonus, improving my combat skills will still take time. Perhaps..."
Thinking of this, Roland turned his gaze to the bundle of herbs on the wooden table.
The remaining herbs were enough for one more round of the Mithril Body Tempering Technique.
Sorting the herbs, grinding them into powder, adding Silver Dust, and applying the mixture to his body.
With the experience of the previous two sessions, the entire process flowed seamlessly, like second nature.
As the searing pain intensified, lines of golden text flashed before his eyes:
You have successfully cultivated the Mithril Body Tempering Technique once. You have gained 1 experience point.
You have successfully cultivated the Mithril Body Tempering Technique once.
You have successfully cultivated...
He didn't know how long had passed when the golden text in his vision suddenly changed:
Mithril Body Tempering Technique has reached its maximum level.
Detection complete: Reaching maximum level in any tempering technique/body tempering technique allows you to qualify for the high-tier class: Warrior.
Requirements: Strength 9, Agility 6, five Basic Combat Skills at maximum level (1/5), kill 0/100 hostile creatures.
Host does not meet the requirements for class advancement.
"Warrior? Another high-tier class!"
Seeing the class advancement prompt, Roland wiped away the remaining secret medicine fragments from his body and examined the information carefully.
"Nine points in strength, six in agility... tsk."
Roland glanced at his Job Panel, where the numbers 7.5 and 4.6 followed strength and agility, and clicked his tongue.
"The Mithril Body Tempering Technique is maxed out, meaning it'll be tough to raise my stats quickly. Looks like I'll have to rely on basic daily training to slowly accumulate the stats needed to qualify for the warrior class."
"Compared to that..."
Roland looked at the Basic Swordsmanship skill, which was already maxed out at second-tier, and slowly stroked his chin.
"If all Basic Combat Skills max out at second-tier, then meeting the requirements for five maxed-out combat-related skills shouldn't be too difficult."
"Given my current relationship with Darco, getting him to find me a veteran to teach me other weapon techniques shouldn't be a problem. As for..."
His gaze drifted back.
"The requirement to defeat a hundred hostile creatures... if we take it literally, passive creatures like the rabbits and roe deer I hunted before probably don't count as hostile."
"It has to be demonic beasts like goblins or kobolds that actively attack humans. But where am I supposed to find them?"
While he had fought both kobolds and goblins before, John had repeatedly complained about how cunning these demonic beasts were.
Not only did they evade scout patrols every time, vanishing into dense forests or mountain ranges, but they also appeared suddenly and mysteriously in any location. Without a sufficient number of scouts, tracking these demonic beasts' movements was impossible.
"We can't just stumble blindly into the mountains or forests like headless chickens. If we encounter ordinary goblins and kobolds, it's one thing, but if we run into Aberrant Kobolds or Blood-Colored Goblins..."
Roland shook his head, then couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret. If he had triggered this class change back in the forest, even without actively hunting them, he would likely have completed most of the kill count just by escaping.
"That's right!"
Lost in thought, Roland suddenly remembered the Adventurer's Guild Darco had mentioned earlier. Though his former village lacked such an institution, his past-life experience suggested it should offer various bounty quests for demonic beasts. These bounties would likely include the general locations where the creatures were sighted.
"Tomorrow, I'll ask Darco for more details. And I need to remind him about the combat techniques he promised to teach. Also, there's Mr. Bronson's matter..."
A full day of intense combat had completely drained Roland's energy. He collapsed heavily onto his bed, his mind still racing with thoughts. Before long, he drifted into a deep sleep.
(End of the Chapter)
Translator's Corner
Massive Content Drop! 💥
(Across Cinder & Anubis)
I've uploaded 300,000 words in just seven days—that's a staggering 42,000 words every single day. We're talking roughly 230 NEW CHAPTERS(@1300 words/chapter) ready for you to binge right now.
🔥 Bonus: Every single premium chapter of Firearms Fantasy is now totally FREE!
🔓 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦 — 13 Series (7 Ongoing) | 14+ New Chapters Daily | 7,200+ FREE