Moonlight poured down like water as Roland walked slowly through the mottled shadows of the trees. His brow was furrowed, his mind heavy with doubt.
'Silver Dust is a common material for alchemy. Bronson not only knows about it but also has some on hand. Doesn't that mean he has considerable knowledge of Alchemy Skills?'
'But alchemy...'
Scattered memories of alchemy surfaced in his mind. The only thing Roland could associate it with was the image of the Wizards from knight novels, who often appeared as mentors or ultimate villains.
But when he thought of Bronson's destitute and timid appearance, he found it impossible to connect him with a mysterious figure like a Wizard. Besides...
'How could a Wizard possibly work for a noble?'
While a relationship resembling employment might exist between Knights and nobles...
...a Wizard, whose Power is greater than a Knight's, would surely interact with nobles from a position of superiority, if they interacted at all.
'There's just too little information to be had in a remote place like this...'
'Forget it. Even if Bronson really is a Wizard, it has nothing to do with a small fry like me.'
Sighing softly, Roland set these suspicions aside for the moment and opened the cloth bag in his hand.
The Silver Dust, like crushed diamonds, glittered in the moonlight.
'I have the Silver Dust. All that's left is to go out and buy the medicinal herbs, then I can start cultivating the Secret Silver Body Tempering Technique.'
'But before that, I need to make sure I can pass the knowledge assessment...'
Although the sudden acquisition of a Body Refining Technique was exhilarating, Roland never forgot the most urgent matter at hand.
Passing the assessment to become an official Blacksmith Apprentice.
In the rigidly stratified Golden Valley Kingdom, even if he succeeded in Body Tempering and increased his Power, without an official status, he would be nothing more than a high-grade disposable.
Besides, his Body Refining Technique was an incomplete version, lacking a complementary Breathing Technique.
As for the path of earning merit in the military...
With his current abilities, he had more than enough skill to protect himself, but he was far from ready to fight and kill on the battlefield.
Unless it was a last resort.
Otherwise, until he possessed absolute strength, he had no interest in following a Knight to achieve fame and fortune. And as for increasing his strength...
'Right, when I acquired the [Student] Profession, I was so focused on researching the [Concentration] state that I don't think I checked if this new Profession had any synergy with my other two!'
Lightly tapping his forehead, Roland hurriedly opened his Professional Panel.
At the very bottom, a new line of text had appeared.
[New Recruit + Student]
[Extra Benefit Gained: Theory and Practice]
[Theory and Practice: When fighting enemies, you can keenly perceive details in combat, thereby gaining additional experience.]
'Doesn't this mean that for combat-related Skills, I can gain experience not only from self-training, but also from fighting others?'
'I just don't know how much experience it provides, or if it can stack with the [Preparation for War] Trait...'
After analyzing the description for the [Theory and Practice] Trait, Roland looked further down.
[Blacksmith Apprentice + Student]
[Extra Benefit Gained: Standardized Production]
[Standardized Production: When repeatedly crafting the same piece of equipment within a short period, success rate and equipment quality will both increase.]
Roland's eyes lit up when he saw the description for [Standardized Production].
Even an experienced Blacksmith still needed a bit of luck when forging items.
Lack of stamina, substandard ore quality, or even damp charcoal could all affect the quality of the final product.
'But if the description for [Standardized Production] is correct, I can completely ignore these external factors when I'm forging items.'
'As long as I keep forging the same item, the success rate will get higher and higher, and the quality of the final product will get better and better!'
At this thought, Roland couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
'It's a shame Mr. Hawke said we only get one forging attempt in the final assessment. If I could try a few more times, passing would be a sure thing with this Trait, wouldn't it?'
'Then again, as long as I pass the assessment and become an official apprentice, this Trait will absolutely make Mr. Hawke see me in a new light! My progress toward becoming a true Blacksmith will surely speed up considerably then.'
With this in mind, Roland walked toward the dormitory with a spring in his step.
In the days that followed, he maintained his usual study routine, listening intently to Bronson's every instruction.
It was as if their secret transaction had never happened. They maintained a perfect teacher-student distance, neither too distant nor too familiar.
During this period, Roland began to consciously use his [Concentration] Trait.
Through repeated trials, he figured out the optimal rhythm for using it.
He would activate it for three minutes, then rest for half an hour, repeating the cycle.
Although the duration wasn't long, the feeling of complete, distraction-free immersion while in the [Concentration] state made his learning efficiency grow exponentially.
After just half a day of focused study, the number of words he mastered far exceeded the total from the previous three days combined.
With this astonishing learning efficiency, ten days flew by in the blink of an eye.
In the early morning, bathed in the cool sunlight, Roland gently unfolded a yellowed piece of cloth. As his fingertips brushed over the neat text, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled into a smile.
"The Black Iron Ore Trading Contract..."
He read the title in a low voice, the sound exceptionally clear in the empty dormitory.
"Party A: The Gray Rock City branch of the Blacksmith Guild. Party B: The Northern Mining Association..."
Each word flowed from his mouth as naturally as a trickling stream.
The symbols that once looked like strange, squiggly tadpoles were now completely familiar to him.
When he read technical terms, he would even reflexively picture the corresponding ore diagrams in his mind.
"...If the ore's sulfur content exceeds the standard value, the buyer has the right to proportionally deduct from the payment..."
Reading this, Roland suddenly chuckled.
'It seems this [Concentration] Trait is far more powerful than I imagined. These clauses used to be like riddles, but in just ten days, I can not only read them fluently but even understand the business logic behind each one. It's incredible...'
'My current level of knowledge is more than enough to handle Mr. Hawke's assessment. But first, I should ask for leave to go out and buy those medicinal herbs. As for Marco...'
Roland set down the piece of cloth. As he thought of the Blacksmith's ever-sullen son, the corner of his mouth lifted into a slight smile.
It wasn't that he was naive enough to think the other boy had a change of heart; Marco had simply been too preoccupied to bother him lately.
The few sons of Blacksmiths who had passed the knowledge assessment were every bit as skilled as Marco in Forging Skills. They were currently forcing him to train frantically, leaving him no time to cause trouble for Roland.
Besides, in Marco's eyes, a failure who hadn't even passed the knowledge assessment like him had likely already been written off as one of the "eliminated."
Even if Marco still held a grudge from their last conflict, it was impossible for him to pull the same trick again—hiring an assassin—within the confines of the estate.
Roland knew very well that the last assassination attempt was purely Marco's own deranged act.
If Marco's family had truly wanted him dead, with his father's influence in the Black Water Territory, Roland wouldn't even know what hit him.
Therefore, going out now was actually the safest option.
Thinking of this, Roland hesitated no longer.
He quickly washed up, then pushed open his door and headed for the Blacksmith Shop.
Before he even got close, the CLANG CLANG of hammering, mixed with Hawke's roars, reached his ears. Hearing the familiar voice, Roland cleared his throat and walked slowly inside.
"Hm?"
Noticing Roland, Hawke stopped shouting, crossed his arms, and turned to face him.
"Roland? What are you doing here?"
"It's nothing important, Mr. Hawke..."
Roland said, wringing his hands nervously and feigning reluctance.
"I just... wanted to ask for three days of leave."
"Leave?"
Hawke's booming voice immediately drew the attention of the other boys in the Blacksmith Shop.
"Yes, Mr. Hawke. I have some personal matters to attend to..."
As he spoke, Roland watched Marco's reaction from the corner of his eye.
It was just as he'd expected.
Marco merely snorted in disdain and went back to swinging his hammer. The resentful glare he used to have was long gone.
"Have you learned enough words yet?"
When Roland silently shook his head, a flash of disappointment crossed Hawke's eyes.
"Kid, let me be clear. You've got talent, but if you can't pass the knowledge assessment, I'm not letting you take the official assessment in a month."
"I understand, Mr. Hawke, it's just..."
"Fine! You can have three days. But when you get back, you have to... Never mind..."
Hawke mistakenly thought Roland was looking for an excuse to avoid the assessment, so he just waved his hand dismissively and turned to instruct the other apprentices.
"Thank you, Mr. Hawke."
Seeing the matter was settled, Roland said no more.
After leaving the Blacksmith Shop, he shouldered the bag he had already prepared and headed straight for the estate gates.