How to Live as a Genius Knight in a Fantasy World

24

“Crack!”

Surprisingly, Rohan emerged as the victor of the clash.

While avoiding the embarrassment of losing his sword, his grip on the sword handle had torn slightly, blood trickling down.

Paying the price for underestimating the knight, he had struck back decisively.

“Unbelievable!”

The fact that the attack was directed towards Rohan, who still held a lingering sense of unease, was unbelievable. Once again, Lou intervened to stop the knight who was about to attack.

“What in the world are you doing? Not only attacking someone who is not a knight, but also risking your life? Is this how knights behave?”

Unable to refute Lou’s argument, the opposing knight gritted his teeth.

Though he was defiant and stood his ground, to a knight, honor was as precious as life itself.

If he continued to display such a despicable behavior, his reputation would plummet.

Seeing the disgraceful conduct of the knight they had appointed as a guard, even an unknown noble gave up on confronting Sophia and turned away.

“Well, it seems the spirit is broken. Behaving like a lowly wench.”

As the noble departed, Lou and Sophia breathed a sigh of relief.

Though the knight displayed a pitiful sight, the opponent was a noble with a more powerful influence than an easel.

Originally not on good terms due to belonging to opposing factions, they had not expected such a lowly approach.

Considering the possibility of facing a tough situation due to the knight’s numbers alone, Rohan managed to avert the crisis with timely intervention.

“Rohan, well done. You’re quite skilled. You’ll make a great knight soon.”

“Yes, Rohan. You were truly impressive!”

“Shouldn’t you address me as ‘Sir Knight’?”

“I was lucky. I didn’t intend to interfere, but my ears are sharp.”

Rohan chuckled slightly in response to Lou and the maids’ comments.

“…Thank you very much, Rohan.”

Sophia also expressed her gratitude in a soft voice.

Her face turning slightly red, Rohan couldn’t help but worry if the shock was too much.

“But were you wandering around alone, Rohan?”

“Oh, yes. Everyone had places they wanted to go.”

“Then would you like to accompany us?”

Upon Rohan’s mention of being alone, the two maids suggested joining their group.

It seemed like they had scored quite well from the recent incident.

After a brief hesitation, considering he had already roamed enough alone, Rohan accepted the proposal.

“Well, that sounds good. It was getting a bit boring wandering alone anyway…”

At Rohan’s response, a smile returned to the faces of the two.

Meanwhile, Sophia’s expression stiffened slightly.

“But… Are you really not feeling well, Miss?”

Feeling a slight regret that she had already agreed to join, she found it awkward to retract her acceptance.

Thus, the group with Rohan joined Sophia, and they enjoyed the festival enthusiastically.

Due to Sophia’s exceptional beauty, she felt the constant gaze of men upon her.

Initially worried if a similar incident like before would occur, thankfully, she did not face such situations twice and regained her composure by the end, making the effort to follow along worthwhile.

“Still, it’s quite exhausting.”

Whether resisting the urge to turn her gaze or being vigilant against others’ schemes, it wasn’t an easy task.

Lost in the festive atmosphere, they soon realized that the night was passing by.

After confirming the rest of the group entering a high-class inn, Rohan returned to his own accommodation.

“Should I have stayed there too?”

In fact, the viscount had also suggested to Rohan to stay together, but he had refused, feeling uncomfortable about receiving special treatment and not wanting to spend extra money unnecessarily.

However, once he stayed in an ordinary inn, he was curious about what the difference was.

“It’s too late to regret it anyway.”

Since he was still young, he knew he could come back to the capital anytime.

Rohan, lying leisurely on the bed, opened his status window to check his skills.

– Proficient Izel Basic Spear Technique (N) – 100% (increases the power of all spear attacks by 10%)

– Proficient Charles-style Practical Swordsmanship (SN) – 100% (increases the power of all sword attacks by 15%)

– Proficient Izel Shield Technique (N) – 100% (increases all resistances when holding a shield by 10%)

– Proficient Low-Rank Mercenary Sword and Shield Technique (SN) – 100% (increases all resistances by 10% and the power of all attacks by 10% when wielding a sword and shield simultaneously)

– Crude Throwing Spear Technique (N) – 97%

– Proficient Meditation (N) – 100% (increases recovery rate by 10%)

– Proficient Battle Breathing Technique (SN) – 100% (usable once a week, allows the use of ‘Breath of Blessing’)

– Ancient Warrior’s Swordsmanship (R) – 69%

– Barbarian Warrior’s Sword and Shield Technique (R) – 61%

– Warrior King’s Strike (R) – 36%

– Izel Advanced Swordsmanship (SR) – 18%

– Izel Advanced Aerial Combat Technique (R) – 61%

Rohan, satisfied with the now lengthy skill list, smiled contently.

Continuous training was essential, and his skill proficiency had significantly increased through wars and troll hunts.

“Anyway, I should quickly reach 100% in Throwing Spear.”

Although it had been a while since he acquired the skill, perhaps due to its low rank or the rarity of opportunities to throw a spear, he still couldn’t add the prefix ‘Proficient’ to it.

While he didn’t expect additional effects due to the low rank, it seemed wise to raise the proficiency for the chance to obtain feathers.

After deciding on the training plan by looking at his status window, Rohan finally drifted off to sleep in the warm embrace of his blanket.

The next day.

Plans were often best when set in advance, but they could also change unexpectedly at any moment.

Rohan’s plan was no exception, and his determination to spend the whole day throwing spears wavered in an instant due to Argent, a man from the guild.

“If you’re at your level, you should be able to participate sufficiently, right? You’ve even killed trolls. I seriously think you could aim for victory.”

Argent, who had come to find Rohan early in the morning, was suggesting that he participate in a martial arts competition.

Of course, Rohan promptly declined.

Despite the increase in his skill numbers and proficiency, he knew he was not at a level to compete with knights.

While he had skills that could be considered finishing moves, they consumed all remaining stamina at once and were techniques beyond the common knowledge of knights.

Therefore, even if he managed to show some skill, the limit would be enduring a few rounds, as he couldn’t use them publicly due to their nature.

However, Argent did not expect Rohan to have the strength to defeat knights.

The Founding Festival was the kingdom’s grandest celebration, and the martial arts competition was not just any competition.

In other words, there were competitions targeting those who had not yet gained a title.

And Argent genuinely believed that Rohan had a chance in this competition.

A sincere word always had the power to move a person’s heart.

It could be said that it was only natural for Rohan’s heart to waver under Argent’s persuasion.

Of course, what shook Rohan’s heart the most was the reward for the competition.

The first prize was a whopping 10 gold coins.

For a family of four, it was enough money to sustain their livelihood for at least ten years.

Moreover, it wasn’t just the first prize that had a reward.

The second prize was 5 gold coins, and the third prize was 1 gold coin.

With today being the last day for preliminaries, Rohan’s determination to focus on training was shattered.

After grabbing his ID and leaving the inn, expecting Argent, who had left after convincing him, Rohan found Argent waiting for him.

“Oh? Why have you been waiting until now?”

“Well, I’m also participating.”

“What? Even you, Argent?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty strong for a soldier, right? Winning might be out of reach with you around, but I still want to grab at least one gold coin.”

“Indeed, with Argent around, he won’t be easily defeated.”

From his height, build, to strength, Argent was overwhelming, making it difficult for soldiers who hadn’t realized his prowess to compete against him.

As Rohan headed to the stadium with Argent, he was taken aback by the huge crowd.

“Are all these people… participating in the competition?”

“No, not all of them. Some are here with family or friends, while others are just spectators. Still, there are really a lot of them.”

With so many applications, one would wonder when the competition would take place, but after waiting in line for a while, presenting their IDs cleared up the confusion.

“Rohan of Izel. Age… Fifteen? Are you really going to participate in this competition? You could get hurt.”

The receptionist, upon confirming Rohan’s age, immediately changed his tone and asked.

Since there were judges, fatal outcomes were rare, but losing an arm or leg was more common than one might think.

Especially young, hot-blooded participants like Rohan often found themselves in such situations due to overestimating their abilities and recklessly charging forward, prompting opponents to deliver strong attacks to stop them.

If one acquired a disability at a young age, the remaining long life would become a time of suffering, causing many young people to regret their wrong choices for a lifetime.

Despite repeated questioning and Rohan’s consistent response, the receptionist, taking a short breath, handed him an item resembling a bamboo segment.

“This is a Ironwood from the Treon Mountains. If your sword leaves a mark on it, you pass.”

“A mark? Really?”

“Yes. Everyone, not just you, has to go through this. It’s a tree that can only be easily cut by those who become knights, so leaving just a mark is enough to pass.”

Upon hearing the receptionist’s words, Rohan did not hesitate to draw his sword.

“Should I use Oler?”

He pondered for a moment but decided not to risk it unnecessarily.

Being considered a candidate for victory, failing even the first test would be too embarrassing.

Of course, he didn’t go as far as to insert Oler into the sword.

Since the competition was targeted at those who hadn’t become knights, just the fact that he used Oler would likely draw excessive attention.

“It stings a bit, but…”

The fact that he hadn’t become a knight, coupled with the fact that it cost too much to find his conscience, made him think twice.

Clang!

As Rohan struck the tree with his sword, a distinctly different sound echoed compared to the other participants.

Now, with the strength that had become as formidable as Argent’s, combined with the power of Oler, the tree couldn’t withstand it completely.

The supposedly tough Ironwood was cut halfway through.

“Ha, you pass!”

The receptionist’s gaze towards Rohan changed instantly.

While strength wasn’t everything, if it was overwhelming to this extent, it was a different story.

In the eyes of the receptionist, Rohan was no longer a young child but one of the strong contenders for victory.

After Rohan passed, it was Arhen’s turn.

Arhen, who seemed to possess an extraordinary strength at first glance, was handed a new spear by the receptionist without saying a word.

A slightly larger sword than Rohan’s swung lightly, and a slightly shallower wound was carved compared to Rohan.

“Pass!”

Seemingly a result not too surprising, Arhen showed a slightly disappointed expression, slightly lower in tension compared to Rohan.

On the other hand, the receptionist who disappointed Arhen was thinking something entirely different.

“What a waste!”

The iron spike just cut by the two hands was made of precious wood.

How precious it was, three silver coins in one piece.

It felt regretful even though it wasn’t his own, as it boasted an amount similar to a week’s worth of the receptionist’s wages.

While the receptionist cursed inwardly, the two of them carried the token of passing and headed to the arena.

“The match is tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, I’ll pray for good luck. Arhen.”

In response to Rohan’s words, Arhen smiled slightly and replied.

“Sure. See you in the finals.”

After exchanging greetings, he turned away, saying he had things to do, and Rohan belatedly headed to the inn.

“It took longer than I thought.”

Having left not long ago, the time he confirmed through the clocks standing in the castle walls was already three o’clock.

It was due to the long wait with many people.

Having missed lunchtime, he settled his hunger with a simple meal of meat and vegetables between bread slices.

After finishing his meal, Rohan searched the inn’s storage room and retrieved his spear from among the piled belongings.

It was collected separately because it was cumbersome and dangerous to store in the accommodation.

Although the backyard of the inn was narrow, it was not a big issue as the most important thing for improving spear throwing skills was the correct posture, based on his experience.

He made efforts to adopt a posture similar to the knowledge engraved in his mind, repeating the throws with minimal effort.

“As expected, the speed of advancing to N grade is fast.”

The proficiency level was rising at an unimaginable speed, not only for SR grade but even for R grade.

In the end, before having a late dinner, Rohan managed to fill all the proficiency levels for spear throwing.

“A 10% increase in spear throwing power…”

As expected of a low-grade skill, there wasn’t much to expect from additional effects.

“But does this overlap with the additional effect of spear techniques? If it does, is it calculated as simple interest or compound interest…”

Having been a gamer with a long career in a past life, it was a question that naturally came to mind, but Rohan’s status window was too unfriendly to resolve such questions.

“Still, I can’t ask someone else to test it…”

It was a truly ambiguous issue, but it was a problem that couldn’t be solved immediately anyway.

What mattered now was that he had managed to make one more skill ‘proficient’ and gained an additional feather.