[You have learned Flowing Slash. Current Level: 1.]

Looking at the golden text that appeared before him, Roland couldn’t help but savor the memory of that mystical sensation, as if he could cleave through anything.

"With power like this, not even the impenetrable Scale Armor of a Mutant Dogman could withstand it."

The thought sent an irrepressible wave of joy through Roland’s heart.

He collapsed onto his back, his chest heaving violently. It took a long while for his breathing to return to a steady rhythm.

As he managed to push himself up on his still-trembling legs, the memory of that utter exhaustion—of having all his strength instantly drained—was still fresh.

’But at my current strength...’

Roland shook his head helplessly.

’Without entering the Concentration state, I probably can’t even execute a complete Flowing Slash. Plus, after every use, I’ll fall into a temporary period of weakness.’

’It seems this Combat Skill can only be used as a last resort, an ace up my sleeve. I can’t use it rashly.’

Despite this, Roland didn’t feel the slightest bit of regret or frustration.

Mastering this Combat Skill meant his strength had reached a whole new level.

’What I need to do next is practice repeatedly, striving to use Flowing Slash freely without relying on my Concentration Trait!’

With this newfound determination, Roland dragged his slightly unsteady feet back to his dormitory.

The moment he touched his bed, he fell into a deep sleep, not even bothering to wash up.

The next morning, Roland went to the Blacksmith Shop as usual to finish the work Hawke had assigned him.

After lunch, just as he was planning to find Dalko and ask about the Adventurer’s Guild, the young noble master unexpectedly came looking for him first.

"Hey! Roland!"

Although his leg injury hadn’t fully healed, Dalko was still in high spirits.

The sunlight cast a brilliant halo on his dazzling blond hair, making him seem to glitter.

"Haha..."

Seeing Dalko’s bright smile, Roland’s mood couldn’t help but lighten up as well.

"Your injury isn’t healed yet. Why aren’t you resting in bed?"

"Don’t even talk about it..."

Dalko waved his hand dismissively, squeezed into the room as if he owned the place, and plopped down on the edge of the bed.

He tossed his oak crutch aside, stretched lazily, and complained.

"I’ve only been lying down for a day and I’m already about to die of boredom. What about you?"

As he spoke, he gestured with his chin toward the Combat Skill scroll, which was already rolled up on the table.

"How’s your research on Flowing Slash coming along?"

’Research? It’s more than that.’

’I can already successfully execute it.’

Though he thought this, Roland didn’t say it out loud.

After all, he had personally experienced how difficult it was to learn Flowing Slash.

The fact that he had managed to grasp it was largely thanks to the assistance of his Concentration Trait.

So, despite his good friendship with Dalko, Roland chose to remain low-key.

It wasn’t that he was worried about Dalko’s jealousy, but that excessively astonishing talent often attracted unwanted attention.

This was different from his previous Forging Skills and Swordsmanship.

The combined difficulty of those two skills was probably less than half that of Flowing Slash.

So Roland simply shook his head and smoothly changed the subject.

"You’ve come at the perfect time..."

He took out a new cup, filled it with water, and handed it to Dalko.

"There’s something I was hoping you could help me with."

"Help? Of course! Whatever you need..."

Dalko replied cheerfully, but stopped abruptly mid-sentence.

As if remembering something, he scratched his head with a hint of embarrassment and changed his tune.

"Er... why don’t you tell me what it is first?"

Although Roland noticed Dalko’s unusual hesitation, he didn’t press the matter and simply stated his request.

"I’d like you to help me find a few experienced veterans so I can learn Combat Skills from them."

"Combat Skills?"

Dalko’s gaze unconsciously drifted to the Iron Sword in the corner.

"Forgive my frankness, Roland, but your mastery of Swordsmanship is already quite outstanding. I doubt even my former Swordsmanship instructor could compare to you."

"Not Swordsmanship..."

Roland poured himself a cup of water as well, sat down in the wooden chair, and explained calmly.

"I mean techniques for other weapons, like short weapons such as the Dagger, or Long-Handled Weapons like the Long Spear and War Axe."

"This..."

Dalko looked puzzled.

According to the education he had received, these weapons were mainly used on the battlefield.

He could understand using a Dagger for self-defense, but a Long Spear and a War Axe...

’Is Roland planning to join the army?’

Although he was full of questions, Dalko still clapped his chest magnanimously.

"Leave it to me! I’ll order my servants to find some experienced veterans right away."

Seeing Dalko agree so readily, the weight on Roland’s mind finally lifted.

Right now, there were only two paths he could take to learn Combat Skills.

The first was to leave the manor and seek instruction at training grounds run by retired veterans.

But this would not only cost a lot of money but also require him to travel for long periods, which would be a huge waste of time.

The second was to ask his close friends, like Peyton and John, for guidance.

But not everyone had a Professional Panel like him that allowed for rapid skill acquisition.

Although Peyton and John were experienced, a person’s energy is ultimately limited.

One of them specialized in Swordsmanship, while the other excelled at Archery. They only had a superficial understanding of other weapons, far from the level required to teach others.

Now that the matter of learning new skills was settled, Roland moved on to his second question.

"Dalko, about that Adventurer’s Guild you mentioned before..."

"Ah, that!"

Dalko, clearly pleased that he could be of help, tilted his head back and drained the water in his cup.

"But I only heard about it from the Guards at the manor."

"Apparently, a few years ago, Demon disturbances became frequent everywhere. Although Lords like my father would dispatch troops to eliminate them, their forces were limited, and there were inevitably places they couldn’t cover."

"Then, at some point, this organization called the Adventurer’s Guild suddenly appeared."

"They specialize in posting bounties, gathering idle Mercenaries and Adventurers to subjugate Demons."

At this point, Dalko rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I really don’t know who’s running the Adventurer’s Guild from behind the scenes. Paying people to eliminate Demons... that must be a huge expense."

"I heard that when the Adventurer’s Guild was first established, many people treated it as a joke, and Merchants predicted they would go bankrupt sooner or later."

"But no one expected that after all these years, not only has the Adventurer’s Guild not disappeared, it’s actually popped up all over the country. It’s truly fascinating..."

Roland wasn’t interested in why the Adventurer’s Guild had managed to survive or why it had spread across the country. He simply made a mental note of the information, nodded slightly, and continued his questions.

"Dalko, do you know where in Black Water Territory there are Adventurer’s Guilds?"

Although he didn’t understand why Roland was suddenly asking about this, few people in the manor would chat with him about such things like a friend.

So, after a moment’s thought, Dalko enthusiastically held up two fingers.

"As far as I know, because Black Water Territory is so remote, there are only two Adventurer’s Guilds in the entire territory."

"One is in Wuxi Town, near the Black Pine Forest, and the other is in Songmu Town, not far east of the manor."

"Wuxi Town... Songmu Town..."

Roland repeated the two place names under his breath and quickly made a decision. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Even though his strength had greatly increased after learning Flowing Slash, he still couldn’t compare to powerful individuals like Knights, who possessed Extraordinary abilities.

And Black Pine Forest, which was right next to Wuxi Town, was a place where Demon disturbances had not yet been quelled, even reaching a stalemate, despite the presence of Knight Beckham.

This was enough to illustrate how dangerous it was.

Roland just wanted to complete his Profession change to Warrior, not seek his own death.

Therefore, after a brief moment of consideration, he made up his mind.

For the remainder of their time, Roland asked Dalko for details about the area around Songmu Town.

Fortunately, Dalko was a bona fide hunting fanatic who often roamed the areas near the manor with his guards, so he was quite familiar with the nearby Songmu Town.

Through their back-and-forth questions and answers, Roland quickly gained a preliminary understanding of Songmu Town as the sky outside gradually darkened.

"Alright, Roland..."

His throat dry from talking, Dalko drained the water in his cup and wiped the droplets from his chin.

"It’s getting late. If I don’t go back now, my father will be furious..."

He couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of Baron Fosling’s enraged face.

"As for finding veterans to teach you Combat Skills, don’t you worry. If all goes well, it’ll be settled in the next day or two."

"Thanks a lot then, Dalko."

"Hey! There’s no need for thanks between friends!"

Dalko stood up, leaning on his oak crutch, and clapped Roland’s shoulder firmly, his face beaming with a sincere smile.

After seeing Dalko off, Roland closed the door and sat at the wooden table, lost in thought.

As the saying goes, a craftsman must first sharpen his tools if he is to do his work well.

His weapon was less of a concern; at least he had an Iron Sword.

But he absolutely could not go adventuring in these tattered clothes, knowing he would be fighting Demons.

Of course, he could have asked Dalko to help him get a suit of armor.

But firstly, Baron Fosling’s domain was limited, and fine armor was inherently precious.

Secondly, the battle in Black Pine Forest was tight, and even the frontline troops were short on equipment. How could any be spared for him?

Even with Dalko pleading on his behalf, it would likely be useless.

From his observations during this period, Roland was well aware that while Baron Fosling lived extravagantly, he was never ambiguous about important matters. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be continuously supporting Knight Beckham’s campaign to eliminate the Demons.

Moreover, the reward for saving Dalko had already been paid in the form of the Combat Skill. Baron Fosling would certainly not grant him armor for no additional reason.

Thinking of this, Roland began to ponder carefully.

’Regarding the knowledge of forging armor, Mr. Hawke hasn’t taught me that yet, and ore has been scarce recently...’

’But... maybe I could craft a suit of Leather Armor?’

’I can ask Mr. Hawke about it tomorrow... If it’s too difficult to make, I’ll have to think of another way...’

Having made up his mind, Roland cleared his head of complicated thoughts, picked up the Iron Sword beside him, and practiced Flowing Slash repeatedly without his Concentration Trait until he collapsed from exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, just as he was about to head to the Blacksmith Shop, Matthew brought him some news.

Bronson was back.

But the scholar’s condition appeared to be quite terrible...