Macken cleanly dispatched one of the three wild boars that had charged the camp. Seeing their disadvantage, the other two turned and fled into the mountain forest, too deep to pursue safely.
The swift and clean battle drew loud cheers from the Guards watching nearby.
Ronin sized up the massive creature, which was nearly five feet long and weighed hundreds of pounds. He was amazed, but not stingy. He promised that starting the next day, the Guards would get an extra piece of meat and a bowl of broth with every meal.
This would not only improve the Guards' physical condition and give them more energy for training, but it would also further boost their morale.
After the boar's carcass was handed over to the Guards for processing, Macken approached Ronin.
"My lord, I've remembered a few things since my breakthrough," he said respectfully.
Ronin paused. "Oh? Go on. What did you remember?"
"A few Combat Skills."
As Macken explained, he crouched down and slammed a fist into the ground. Ronin sensed a wave of Energy spreading through the earth.
WHOOSH!
In front of them, a sharp Long Spear formed from condensed dirt shot up from the ground with incredible speed.
Ronin was certain that such an Earth Spear posed a massive threat to an ordinary person. Anyone who failed to dodge in time would surely be impaled.
"This is a Combat Skill?"
Ronin was confused. "Isn't that Earth Magic?"
"Magic?"
Macken shook his head. "Apologies, my lord, I don't know much about Magic. What I just used was an Earth Attribute Combat Skill: Conical Earth Spear."
A look of regret crossed his face. "They say that at higher levels, a single use of the Conical Earth Spear Combat Skill can make a whole patch of ground bristle with spears. Unfortunately, my Fighting Qi reserves are too low right now. I can only summon a single Earth Spear."
Ronin nodded slowly. 'So that's how Combat Skills can be used.'
'I thought Knights only used Combat Skills for hacking and slashing with a Knight's Sword, or maybe shooting Light Waves,' he mused. 'I never expected they could actually alter their surroundings.'
'It seems Fighting Qi and Magic in this world are different from what I imagined.'
"It seems that as your strength increases, you'll awaken parts of your memory."
'It's a bit like a character in a game unlocking specific Skills when they level up,' Ronin thought. "How many Combat Skills can you use right now?"
"Besides that one, I can also use the defensive Combat Skill, Earth Wall."
Macken explained, "It raises an Earth Wall in front of us that can block attacks like Arrows."
'No wonder they say a Knight's power increases dramatically upon reaching the Intermediate Knight Level. It really seems to be true.'
The two Combat Skills Macken had mastered—one for offense, one for defense—were both quite useful.
"I don't have any other Earth Attribute Combat Skills at the moment, but I'll find some for you when I get the chance."
Ronin offered Macken some encouragement, then slipped into his tent.
The incident got him thinking about Combat Skills and Magic.
'I have a Dual Attribute of Wind and Fire, and the Wushan Clan is a Fire Attribute family. I should have asked Lurans or Wiggin for a couple of Combat Skill books before I left.'
'And Magic... where am I supposed to get Magic Books to study?'
Mages were rare; even a Marquis Clan wouldn't have many sworn to them. At the very least, Ronin's predecessor had never encountered one.
'I wonder if the Wushan Family has any Magic Books for the Wind and Fire Attributes.'
'I'll have to return to Wushan Castle eventually, but there's no hurry. I'll think about it after I break through to the Intermediate Level. For now, I should head to Mountain Forest Town and assess the situation.'
Besides, the seventh-day login reward was a Light Attribute Mage. Ronin should be able to learn more about Magic through him.
As for Combat Skills, the first-purchase bonus was a Fire Attribute Knight. He could learn from him when the time came.
「The night passed without incident.」
The next day, the Guards' enthusiasm for training skyrocketed.
For one, Ronin provided them with ample food. In addition to their usual bread, every meal now included a piece of meat and a bowl of soup, giving them plenty of energy for training.
Secondly, and most importantly, Ronin had deliberately led them to believe that these exercises could increase their chances of awakening a Fighting Qi Spirit Seed. As a result, the Guards under the age of eighteen trained with particular diligence.
Of course, diligence was one thing, but people were still prone to fatigue and the temptation to slack off.
So, Ronin implemented a series of punishments, such as push-ups and squat jumps. Anyone caught slacking would be disciplined.
As for Ronin himself, he didn't practice standing at attention or marching drills. Instead, he focused on his Swordsmanship and sparred with Macken whenever he had a spare moment.
Even though he was usually on the losing end, his combat techniques were improving rapidly.
Two more days passed in this manner, with Ronin's retinue advancing, training, and resting as they went.
It was monotonous, but the rewards were significant.
At the very least, after three days of training, the Guards could now understand and follow commands.
By punishing an entire row for a single person's mistake, he had instilled in them a budding sense of collective responsibility.
'With a little more training,' he thought, 'the results will be even better.'
As for Ronin himself, perhaps he was a genius at Swordsmanship. He could now last over a dozen rounds against Macken (though naturally, Macken was holding back his strength).
Beyond that, Ronin had also received his fifth and sixth-day login rewards.
The fifth day's reward was a Magic Weapon called the Flowing Flame Sword. In addition to being incredibly strong and sharp, its blade was also engraved with Magic Patterns.
According to its description, when infused with Wind or Fire Attribute Fighting Qi, the sword could produce scorching-hot flowing flames, making it immensely powerful.
Unfortunately, Ronin's current strength was too limited. Not only could he not use this ability, but the sword was also too heavy for him to wield for long. He had no choice but to store the Flowing Flame Sword in his Space Ring for now.
The sixth day's reward was a Magic Beast Contract Scroll. Supposedly, as long as a Magical Beast didn't resist, the Scroll could be used to establish a Master-Servant Contract, forcing even the fiercest Magical Beast to serve him.
It was an extremely precious item, likely impossible to find on the open market. However, Ronin had no immediate use for it, so he could only store it in his Space Ring.
'I can claim the seventh day's reward in just a few more hours.'
Ronin was filled with anticipation. Soon, he would have a Light Attribute Mage among his subordinates.
Mages were rare enough as it was, but those with the Light Attribute were even rarer.
He'd heard that in other duchies, Light Attribute Mages had saved countless commoners and nobles with their Magic, and had even established something called the Light Church. He wondered if the stories were true.
'Unfortunately, once I claim this reward, the seven-day login event will be over.'
This meant that afterward, Ronin's only remaining source of a guaranteed loyal subordinate was the first-purchase bonus. If he wanted to expand his retinue further, he would have to recruit and train people from this world.
If Ronin wanted to raise his Noble Title and achieve his grander ambitions, relying on just the three Transcendents from his Golden Finger was far from enough.
Thinking of this, Ronin placed his hopes on the younger Guards in his retinue. He had witnessed their progress over the past few days of training with his own eyes.
"Macken, find a suitable place up ahead to make camp."
"Yes, my lord!"
Macken spurred his horse to the front of the column, scanning both sides of the road as they advanced.
A suitable place to rest for the night had to meet one of two conditions: open terrain or proximity to a water source. Since they had water supplies on the wagons, either would suffice.
However, Macken had been observing this stretch of the road, and it seemed there were no particularly suitable locations.
As the convoy moved forward, he suddenly reined in his horse, signaling for the Guards behind him to halt the wagons.
"What is it, Captain Macken?" one of the Guards behind him asked, confused.
"It sounds like there's fighting up ahead." Macken listened intently, then turned his horse around to head back.
"Stay here. I'm going to report to the Baron."