"Yes, Father! I'll find a way to earn money. I won't touch our family's treasury."
Jiang Ning's voice was firm. In his last life, he had learned how quickly wealth could vanish once the empire began to crumble. But now, with the memories of a decade ahead, he already knew where to find hidden caches of old war materials, and which small workshops would one day grow into powerful trade houses. Earning coins wouldn't be difficult.
"You don't need to feel pressured. If you need help, don't hesitate to ask," Baron Ren Ning said before turning back to his drills. His heavy blade sliced through the air, sending a low hum across the yard.
Jiang Ning bowed deeply, gratitude rising in his chest.
He turned toward Ronan Vale, who stood beside him like an unmoving wall of iron.
"Ronan, you can train on your own here. You'll find spare weapons and targets along the racks. Be careful not to hurt anyone while practicing."
Ronan inclined his head. "Understood, my lord."
He walked off toward the weapon stands, pulling a long steel blade from the rack with an ease that made the metal groan.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ning stepped closer to the weapon rack himself and chose a training rifle fitted with a dull-edged bayonet. The steel glinted faintly in the sunlight.
He had awakened the SSS-Class Marksman Talent, and though he wanted to test it with live fire, that was impossible in the courtyard. The bayonet drills would have to do. He gripped the weapon firmly, feeling the balance of its weight and the fine control in his hands.
A few of the household guards paused to watch. Jiang Ning rarely trained openly, and curiosity flickered in their eyes. Normally, apprentices focused on strength drills or sword forms, while knights honed both mana flow and combat stances.
Jiang Ning, however, began with something none of them had ever seen.
He stretched lightly, rolling his shoulders and neck. Before he could start, a soft chime rang in his mind, and the translucent blue screen appeared before him again.
No one else reacted. It seemed invisible to every eye but his own.
So I'm the only one who can see this thing.
He wasn't surprised anymore. He had already decided that the strange system was a gift from forces beyond his understanding, and he would make full use of it.
Daily Mission
100 push-ups
100 sit-ups
100 pull-ups
10 km run
100 vertical strikes
100 diagonal strikes
100 horizontal strikes
100 thrusts
Rewards: 10 Battle Points, 1 EXP, 1 Stat Point
Penalty for failure: -1 random stat point
"What in the world…"
He frowned at the list, but each task had a moving image beside it, a short demonstration of perfect form. His instinct told him that something good would come from following it.
"Alright then," he muttered. "A hundred push-ups first."
He dropped to the ground and started.
The guards blinked in confusion.
"What's Lord Ning doing?"
"I've never seen that kind of exercise."
"It looks strange, but it seems hard."
Even Baron Ren Ning stopped for a moment, resting his sword on his shoulder as he studied the movement.
That exercise presses the arms and shoulders evenly, the baron thought. The motion engages the core. Where did he learn it?
Jiang Ning ignored their gazes and continued. At first, it seemed easy, but by fifty, his arms trembled and sweat ran down his temples. By the hundredth, his muscles burned.
100 push-ups: complete.
He collapsed onto the ground, panting. After a short rest, he began the next.
100 sit-ups: complete.
100 pull-ups: complete.
10 km run: complete.
After nearly an hour, he was drenched in sweat but driven by something fierce inside him. The blue screen updated in the corner of his vision, marking progress in crisp lines of light.
Now for the weapon drills.
He picked up the rifle again. The tutorial for vertical strikes showed a simple motion, clean, precise, without wasted effort.
He followed it, striking downward again and again.
Swish.
Swish.
Swish.
Each motion grew sharper, his body adjusting naturally to the balance and rhythm. The bayonet's tip cut faint lines through the air.
"That looks incredible," one guard whispered. "Is that a new combat form?"
"It's simple, but every movement looks perfect."
Even the baron's eyes narrowed slightly. The posture Jiang Ning used was more natural than any stance taught in the barracks. The power came not only from his arms but from the entire flow of his body.
100 vertical strikes: complete.
100 diagonal strikes: complete.
100 horizontal strikes: complete.
After half an hour, he was soaked in sweat from head to toe. His arms shook, but he kept going.
Only one task remained.
One hundred thrusts.
He steadied his breath and began. The moment his body moved, the SSS-Class Marksman Talent guided him, each thrust landing with perfect control and precision. It felt less like training and more like instinct.
Ten minutes later, the last strike landed.
100 thrusts: complete.
The blue screen shimmered.
[You received 10 Battle Points.]
[You received 1 EXP.]
[You received 1 Stat Point.]
Jiang Ning — Apprentice Cadet
EXP: 71 / 100
Potential: B
Talents: Horseback Riding (D), Marksmanship (SSS), Close Combat (D), Tactics (E)
Strength: 17 +
Stamina: 18 +
Agility: 15 +
Vitality: 17 +
Will: 17 +
Focus: 3
Battle Points: 10
Stat Points: 1
He blinked at the data. The changes were small, but the difference was real, he could feel it in the steadiness of his arms.
"What's this EXP?" he wondered aloud. "Will I advance when it reaches a hundred?"
He had only become a true knight in his late twenties in his past life. Could this system shorten that path?
He noticed plus symbols beside each stat and pressed one at random.
[+1 Strength]
The number rose to eighteen, and the Stat Points counter dropped to zero. His arms instantly felt a little heavier, a little stronger.
He grinned to himself. "So it really boosts my body."
He tested it by lifting a practice weight, surprised at how light it felt.
"Sweet," he murmured under his breath.
"Jiang Ning!"
His father's voice carried across the yard.
Jiang Ning quickly set the weight down and turned. "Yes, Father?"
Ren Ning approached, his expression thoughtful. "Those exercises you performed, where did you learn them?"
Jiang Ning scratched his head, forcing a casual smile. "I made them up. I thought they might help build endurance and balance."
"By yourself?" The baron sounded unconvinced.
"Yes. I figured I should develop a training method that fits my own strengths."
Ren Ning studied him silently. "And those new stances with your weapon?"
Jiang Ning hesitated only a moment. "The usual stances rely too much on brute strength. In real combat, stamina matters more. I adjusted the posture to make it less tiring."
Ren Ning's eyes gleamed with quiet pride, though doubt lingered behind them. He's hiding something, he thought. But whatever it is, he chose to train openly. That alone means he has confidence.
"I see," the baron said finally. "We'll speak again later."
He waved a hand dismissively. "You may go."
Jiang Ning bowed slightly and motioned for Ronan to follow. They left the training ground together.
Once they were gone, Baron Ren Ning stood in silence for a moment. Then he lifted his own heavy sword, closing his eyes to recall his son's form.
The guards stepped back as he raised the blade.
A deep breath. A single swing.
The air split with a sharp hum, the force scattering dust from the ground.
Ren Ning stared at his blade, astonished by the power in that one strike.