Chapter 3 Knight After apologizing, the girl scurried away like a startled fawn, leaving nothing behind but a faint trace of fragrance in the air.
Watching the hem of her red garment vanish from sight, Leilin was somewhat baffled. "I was the one who was flirting with you, so why are you the one apologizing? Is something wrong with her head?"
He then felt the vial in his hand. "Could I have misjudged earlier? Maybe this Besta is actually a kind-hearted girl after all!"
Leilin eyed the small glass bottle with growing curiosity. "They can already produce glass! The craftsmanship is still rough, but it's not bad!"
He opened the stopper, and a medicinal fragrance wafted out.
The habits of his previous life prompted him to say: "Chip, scan the potion! Analyze its components!"
"Beep! Task established! Scanning now!"
"Unknown compound detected. Initiating simulation experiment!"
"Experiment complete! Effect of unknown potion: intense numbing and itching sensation! Duration: seven days!"
"Ugh!" Staring at the results, Leilin was speechless for a long moment. "I take back what I said earlier. This girl really does have a dark heart."
But then he felt the way an adult might feel watching a mischievous child's prank.
"She's still just a kid after all! She doesn't have the stomach for anything truly vicious. Give her a few more years, and what's inside this vial would probably be lethal poison!"
Leilin looked at the glass bottle in his hand, thought for a moment, and tucked it into his robes. "I'll keep it. It might come in handy someday."
After Besta's visit, no one else came to bother him.
Leilin lay back down as if he were sleeping, but his mind was racing.
"Going to the
"But the rumors say the wizards there are embodiments of cunning and cruelty. According to what Viscount John found out, while killing fellow students is forbidden inside the academy, competition among those of the same rank is still extremely fierce. I need to find something to protect myself!"
With that thought, he pulled out the ring hanging from his necklace and held it in his hand.
The ring was dark and unremarkable. On the inner band, there was a small "Y" symbol surrounded by intricate patterns.
"At medieval standards, carving such complex patterns onto a ring is absolutely unbelievable! But anything connected to wizards—no matter how bizarre—wouldn't be the least bit surprising!"
Leilin murmured, then issued another command. "Chip! Scan the ring in my hand!"
"Beep! Task established! Scanning initiated!"
"Unknown metal composition detected. Cross-referencing with database… Insufficient data! Analysis failed!"
"As expected! The Chip's current level is still too weak to analyze items left behind by wizards!" Leilin sighed, but tucked the ring away carefully.
"How can I increase my strength? This body is far too weak! I can't even compare to others my age—how can that possibly work?"
"In my previous world, genetic modification was an option, but that's clearly impossible here. Let me go through Leilin's memories instead—maybe there's something useful…"
With that thought, Leilin settled into the most comfortable position he could find, lay down, and spoke in his mind. "Chip! Organize and back up all of Leilin's memories!"
"Beep! Task established! Organization in progress!"
In Leilin's previous world, the scientific community had always believed that most of the human brain remained undeveloped, and within that untapped portion lay every memory from birth to the present!
Some memories, even if the person themselves could no longer recall them, still existed somewhere in the mind!
Now, as Leilin issued the command and with the Chip's assistance, every moment of Leilin's life—from birth, to being selected as a Wizard Apprentice, to embarking on the journey—flashed before his eyes in perfect detail.
Even what he had eaten at every single meal and how it had tasted was displayed in his mind without omission.
These memories were far too numerous and cluttered with useless information. Previously, Leilin had only extracted a few pieces he urgently needed and left the rest untouched.
Now, with the Chip's help, they were all being sorted out one by one!
"Data organization complete!" The Chip's notification tone sounded.
"Create a new file, name it 'Leilin Farell,' and save!" Leilin issued his next command.
"Beep! File 'Leilin Farell' created!"
"Establish a task: search for methods that will allow the subject to increase strength as quickly as possible!"
"Beep! Task established, searching!"
Countless data streams flowed before Leilin's eyes, forming a beautiful curtain of light.
"Search complete! 453 methods discovered!"
"That many?" Leilin murmured in thought. "Remove all methods with less than 50% viability, and add the condition: immediately actionable! Re-filter!"
"Beep! Filtering complete. Remaining methods: 2!"
"Display all!"
"Option One: Become a Wizard."
"Option Two: Undergo Knight training."
"Hmm! Option One isn't realistic right now. Without reaching the Wizard Academy, how could I become a Wizard? And what exactly is this Knight training?"
Leilin muttered to himself, then issued a new command. "Chip, compile all memories related to Knight training and transfer them into my mind!"
As the data streamed in, Leilin finally understood what this so-called Knight truly was.
This world was filled with mysterious powers, but what ordinary people encountered most frequently were Knights!
A so-called Knight referred to a powerful warrior who, through grueling training, had awakened the Life Energy within their body, granting them physical capabilities far beyond those of any normal person!
Becoming a Wizard required a specific innate talent — among tens of thousands of people, there might not be even a single one who possessed it. Knights were different. As long as one was willing to put in the effort, anyone could become a Knight!
These Knights not only possessed physical strength several times that of ordinary people, but were also proficient in various methods of wielding weapons and techniques of killing. Some Knights had even mastered secret arts that allowed them to unleash devastating power in an instant!
All Knights formed the noble class, and served as the ruling foundation of the secular kingdoms.
The Farell family to which Leilin belonged was also a Knight family. Its founding patriarch had followed the King through countless campaigns, earning meritorious deeds, and had only then been granted the current Viscount's fief as his territory.
After absorbing the general overview, Leilin recalled a scene.
It was in the small grove of the Viscount's manor. Viscount John Farell, dressed in a warrior's garb, his expression stern, had spoken to the still-infant Leilin: "Today, I will teach you the Farell family's secret Cross Sword technique and its accompanying Breathing Technique. You must remember it well and never pass it on to outsiders!" At that moment, Viscount John's expression had been more solemn than ever before!
But young Leilin, still just a child, had clearly not taken the matter to heart. He watched and forgot. In the years that followed, whenever Viscount John tried to force him into training, Leilin would complain of hardship and weariness, and nothing ever came of it.
"Alas! A doting father breeds a spoiled son!" Leilin finally understood how the original body's profligate temper had been cultivated.
Although the young Leilin had been nothing more than a playboy who squandered his youth and forgotten every last detail of the family's secret Knight cultivation method, the Chip meticulously reconstructed everything before his eyes without missing a single detail.
Cross Sword basic techniques: horizontal slash, vertical slash, straight thrust, diagonal cleave...
Footwork: advance, retreat, dodge...
And the accompanying Breathing Technique—all of it appeared in Leilin's mind, along with the teaching experience of Viscount John.
The last image that lingered was Viscount John exhaling a plume of white breath as he swung the Cross Sword and cleaved a millstone-sized boulder clean in two!
"Hiss… Knights are merely the bottom rung of the mysterious powers, yet already this formidable! Then what realm must a Wizard—someone above them—truly be?"
Leilin's eyes burned with fervor.
"Sigh! Let me start by examining the Knight Breathing Technique first! After all, Knight training and Wizard studies aren't mutually exclusive—it could even give me a sliver of ability to protect myself."
Upon careful study, Leilin discovered that this world's so-called Breathing Technique bore some resemblance to the internal energy cultivation of his previous world, only far cruder, relying entirely on external stimuli to trigger Life Energy activation.
"According to the rumors, if someone undergoes Knight training and still fails to awaken the energy within their body, then their only remaining path is to take the battlefield—through brutal, bloody combat, they might have a chance of triggering Life Energy and becoming a Knight!"
"Chip, transmit the Cross Sword techniques first!" Leilin ordered.
Immediately, a massive amount of knowledge regarding sword technique cultivation flooded into Leilin's mind, firmly etching itself in his brain as though he had undergone painstaking training since childhood.
"Separate the Cross Sword techniques into an independent document—create a new file and name it 'Cross Sword Basics'!"
"New file 'Cross Sword Basics' created!"
As the Chip's voice sounded, a smile crept onto Leilin's lips. With the Chip, his learning speed would make any so-called genius hang their head in shame!
"The memories are in place. Next I need to find a Cross Sword for actual practice. Give me ten days, and I'm confident I can elevate my Cross Sword technique to Viscount John's level!"
"These sword techniques are merely the art of killing. The most critical part of Knight training is the accompanying Breathing Technique!" Leilin muttered to himself.
"Chip! Based on my current data, construct a model for cultivating the Breathing Technique!"
"Task initiated! Character model constructed! Commencing simulation…"
With the mechanical voice, a three-dimensional humanoid figure materialized before Leilin's eyes—translucent and suffused with a blue glow, identical to him in every way.
It was a Western youth of thirteen or fourteen, with brown hair and thick eyebrows over large eyes.
The three-dimensional figure breathed continuously, adjusting specific frequencies and intensities. Gradually, a red line began to travel through the model's interior.
After a few minutes, the simulation ended. The Chip's voice rang out: "Simulation complete. The Breathing Technique accompanying the Cross Sword requires 30 minutes per cycle. After ten cycles, the host's Strength will increase by 0.05, Agility by 0.06, and Constitution by 0.03—this effect diminishes with each subsequent use. Training via this method will cause lasting damage to the body. The host is advised to proceed with caution!"
"Whew! I suppose this really is a Knight's training method—no wonder it's so effective. As long as I keep at it, I'll be able to grasp power in no time. But this hidden damage… is there any way to eliminate it?"
Leilin said with a smile.
Just then, the Chip's voice sounded: "Would you like to optimize the Breathing Technique? Yes or No?"
"The Chip can do that too?" A look of delight suddenly appeared on Leilin's face.