In front of Duke was a burly man wielding a broad knife, who seemed indifferent to Duke charging towards him, not considering this young man worth noticing.
The burly man was muscular and powerful, raising the long knife and fiercely chopping down, intending to split Duke and his sword together.
However, this chop missed its target, as the person before him suddenly vanished.
His heart skipped, sensing something amiss.
Just as he was about to retract his knife to block in front of him, a longsword had already pierced through his throat.
Duke had not unleashed all his power and speed from the start, controlling his pace to match that of a normal adult male.
The moment the burly man's arm muscles moved, Duke's rich battle experience informed him of the man's potential next moves.
Coupled with the subsequent raising of the knife and other actions, Duke had already gauged the general direction and position of the chop.
At the moment the broad knife approached, he burst out with full speed, dodging the strike.
Following this, he effortlessly pierced through his throat with a sword.
In life-and-death battles, victory or defeat hinges on a single thought.
Duke also realized that in the future, regardless of the opponent, he must never underestimate them.
When a lion hunts a rabbit, it uses its full strength.
The burly man's strength might have exceeded Duke's; in a regular duel, it would surely be difficult to determine a winner quickly.
However, due to the opponent's complacency, thinking Duke was just an inexperienced lad, he suffered a downfall.
Yet, life isn't a game; there are no second chances.
Duke's maneuver stunned all those who witnessed it.
Some people were already on their way over, expecting Duke couldn't possibly withstand that strike, but who would have thought Duke's figure was remarkably light, dodging away effortlessly.
Duke's decisive and precise sword strike was exceedingly skillful, completely unlike a novice.
Wood, although also engaged in combat, was relaxed enough to keep an eye on others, especially newcomers.
On one hand, he intended to look out for these four newcomers, preventing them from getting harmed, and on the other hand, he wanted to observe their performance.
Initially, Wood used such drastic measures to kill that man, as a test for these newcomers, letting them acclimate to the situation.
Fear and terror are normal reactions for ordinary people and understandable.
But he hadn't expected Duke's adaptability to be so strong, merely frowning a little at it.
Not only that, Duke's subsequent sword strike surprised Wood even more.
Duke essentially executed a basic stabbing move from foundational swordsmanship, yet he wielded it with such proficiency, as smoothly as flowing water.
Drawing the sword, piercing the enemy's throat, retracting the sword, each action was extraordinarily standard and fluid, like repeatedly practiced movements on the training ground.
What's more noteworthy was Duke's expression that Wood kept observing, seeing that Duke's expression remained unchanged, his emotions showed no fluctuations from start to finish.
Duke's hand holding the sword was extremely steady, without any trembling.
If Wood wasn't already familiar with Duke's background, he might suspect him to be a seasoned veteran from the battlefield — he seemed far too experienced.
Wood could only conclude that Duke was naturally gifted with exceptional combat talent, psychologically far stronger than ordinary people.
Wood had encountered people like Duke before, especially in war times, where such individuals in the military often stood out.
Had Duke been born in wartime, he might have achieved remarkable feats.
The fight continued; after Duke swiftly dispatched the burly man, he immediately engaged another opponent.
This person also wielded a sword, was slender in build, and moved with exceptional agility.
Having witnessed the previous scene, he was exceptionally wary of Duke, handling movements with extreme caution without revealing any weaknesses.
Duke temporarily found himself in a tough battle with him; both sides remained vigilant, their longswords clashing with continuous metallic sounds.
After several minutes of stalemate, Duke had discerned his opponent's strengths and weaknesses.
Knowing that continuing would lead nowhere quickly; with the opponent cautious, Duke found it challenging to swiftly defeat him.
Glancing at his single free attribute point, Duke stopped hesitating.
"Skill tree, add point!"
Duke allocated this attribute point to strength, boosting his original 5.9 strength to 6.9, nearly two points above the average person.
In melee combat, strength is fundamental, with techniques built upon strength.
Provided strength is sufficient, it breaks through all defenses.
Upon enhancing his strength, Duke's physique remained largely unchanged, but his muscles and bones became tighter.
This change resulted in a greater effect, as his body appeared infused with endless power.
Duke wielded the iron sword once more, swinging it with immense force.
The slender man holding the sword felt his hands tingle from the powerful reverberation, nearly losing his grip.
He was instantly startled, baffled by how Duke's strength had suddenly increased so significantly.
Duke didn't allow him any respite, immediately launching a torrential and fierce offensive.
The slender man struggled to fend off these attacks, using both hands to barely hold onto the sword.
Within a few minutes, Duke managed to slice off a substantial portion of the slender man's shoulder, nearly severing his neck.
Duke realized the enhancement from one point of strength far exceeded his expectations, the increase seemed far greater than previous increments.
After eliminating the slender man, the battle was nearing its end.
Under Wood's leadership, the Militia Team had those people beaten terribly.
Finally, they counted that the group had a total of twenty-seven people, with more inside the mine.
However, this group lacked Knight-level experts, making it impossible to counter Wood; their annihilation was inevitable.
Duke heard that, typically, two to three dozen squads were needed to encircle and defeat a knight, requiring seamless cooperation to take down Knight-level warriors.
Under the surprise attack, they couldn't organize an effective defense in time, getting crushed by Wood and others.
Ultimately, only five were left alive, which was a manageable number for the Militia Team to control; more would increase unpredictability.
Through interrogation, it was discovered this group belonged to the Wild Wolf Robber Group.
The Wild Wolf Robber Group was a large gang within the Jade Province, known for rampantly pillaging and committing atrocities.
This group was merely a small faction, passing by the mine and coveting its wealth, killing the guards and seizing control.
During this era, iron ore is considered strategic material of high value, prompting them to plunder as much as possible before Earl Hardy's forces could react.
Initially planning to kill the miners and leave, their greed led them to dig for two more days.