Free Web NovelChapter 3: Chapter 3: Basic Swordsmanship
It was early morning, and the air was damp after a heavy rain.
Duane had been wide awake since he woke up, so he simply got out of bed to take a walk outside.
The Brian family’s castle was on the smaller side, built in a classic continental style.
Duane ran his hand along the wall, feeling its cool touch.
"Secret Binding Rock..."
This was a material produced in a Secret Realm. After being discovered by humans and mixed with sand and stone, it could be used to build houses and pave roads. Both its sturdiness and resistance to corrosion were top-notch.
It reminded Duane of cement, though Secret Binding Rock was of a slightly higher quality.
’A Secret Realm is a source of wealth. No wonder they fight over them.’
Duane sighed with emotion. After taking a couple of laps around the castle’s interior, he headed outside.
The "lake" in Lakefront Manor referred to Clear Water Lake.
The scenery here was beautiful, attracting many people to visit and go boating.
Furthermore, the lake was teeming with fish, which not only attracted the children of nobility for paid fishing excursions but also provided the Brian Clan with a profitable fishing industry. freewēbnoveℓ.com
’This place is truly a prime asset. It’s just a shame it won’t be mine for much longer!’
Duane felt a pang, as if he had just lost a fortune.
’If things hadn’t gone south, being a noble with a manor here would have been quite nice.’
Duane ambled along the lakeshore, stopping now and then to admire the beautiful scenery and breathe in the fresh air. Before long, he had wandered to the training grounds on the west side of the castle, from where he could hear the sounds of morning practice.
He looked over and saw several figures training on the grounds, letting out grunts and shouts.
’That must be Kaelon and the manor guards.’
Duane had already learned from Ralph that Kaelon had decided to follow him to Black Forest Island.
A man this strong and loyal was exactly the kind of trustworthy core follower Duane needed. He knew he should go and connect with him.
As he drew closer, he got a clear view of the situation on the training grounds.
Of a guard force that once numbered over a dozen, only three remained.
Kaelon, with a shield on his back and a one-handed sword at his waist, was diligently correcting the flaws in two young men’s Basic Swordsmanship movements.
Seeing this scene, images of the original owner practicing with his sword involuntarily surfaced in Duane’s mind.
But to Duane’s surprise, as he quickly ran through the memories of sword practice, a line of text actually appeared before his eyes:
[You have integrated partial Basic Swordsmanship techniques. Skill Level +5]
"Eh?"
Duane froze for a moment, then immediately called up his attribute panel.
[Strength]: 3.6
[Spirit]: 1.8
[Basic]: Basic Swordsmanship (Initial 5/100)
[Cooking]: Fire Source Beast Bone Soup (Initial 69/100)
[Attribute Points]: 0
A new [Basic] category had appeared on the attribute panel.
’So I can unlock new categories!’
Apparently, the entries on the attribute panel weren’t fixed; they could expand based on the things he came into contact with.
’Besides Cooking and Basic skills, are there others?’
’Like Magic?’
Duane guessed there probably were, but he needed to unlock them.
’More categories mean more ways to get attribute points. Getting stronger will become a bit easier.’
A smile appeared on Duane’s face.
From now on, besides increasing his Skill Levels, he could also explore what other categories he could unlock for his attribute panel.
’Finally, I don’t have to be just a cook.’
"Huh?"
Kaelon, who was correcting the guards’ Basic Swordsmanship forms, spotted Duane and immediately ran over.
"Good day, Young Master... oh no, I should be addressing you as Lord Baron now."
He had brown skin and a simple, honest smile. From the original owner’s memories, Kaelon had no ambition or cunning.
"Good morning, Captain Kaelon!"
Duane greeted him with a smile. "Sorry to interrupt your morning training."
"We’re just doing some casual practice, really."
Kaelon said, "When Ralph was leaving, he reminded me to get the formal calling card from you. I was afraid of disturbing your rest, so I planned to go later. I didn’t expect you to be up so early."
"I couldn’t sleep anyway, so I got up to stretch my legs."
Duane said, "The calling card is already written. You can go to my room and get it later."
As he spoke, he glanced at the two guards. "Are you three all that’s left of the guard?"
Although the guard was mostly composed of ordinary men, once equipped with armor and weapons and given some training, common folk wouldn’t dare to provoke them.
Moreover, an army of ordinary men should not be underestimated. If they were well-trained and coordinated, they could even wear down an Advanced Warrior to death.
Duane himself wasn’t strong. When he went to Black Forest Island, besides relying on Kaelon, it would be best to have a squad of guards as well.
"Those cowards heard a rumor somewhere that the Bloom Clan would settle scores with anyone who continued to serve you, so they got scared and ran off!"
Kaelon cursed, then glanced back at the two men who had stopped their sword practice.
"Thankfully, not everyone is a spineless coward. These two stayed. I think they have the potential to become Basic-level Warriors, so I thought I’d teach them a bit more."
Bloom was the surname of Earl Orlando. With such rumors circulating, it was only natural that these guards and servants would want to flee.
Duane looked at the two young men. "If they can become Basic-level Warriors, they’ll be very valuable to us."
Seeing the Baron looking at them, the two men appeared nervous and restrained. They hastily bowed while offering respectful greetings.
Although they were members of the Manor Guard, they rarely had the chance to interact with Carter or Duane, let alone speak with them.
The nobility held too much weight in their minds.
Duane was also getting a taste of the benefits of being a Lord.
Whether it was Ralph, Kaelon, or the others, they all treated him with great respect.
"What are your names?" he asked.
Kaelon waved them over, and the two men immediately ran up.
"My Lord, I’m Jack!"
"My Lord, John! I’m John!"
The two were about the same height and build. The only difference was that the former had short, curly brown hair, while the latter had short, blond hair.
"I’m very glad that you’ve chosen to stay and remain loyal to me!"
Duane had no experience being a lord, but he had watched plenty of historical dramas, so he knew what to say in this kind of situation.
"Train well under Kaelon. I will instruct the kitchen to prepare ample food to ensure you have enough energy."
He emphasized, "The Brian Clan will not mistreat any loyal follower!"
The two men excitedly dropped to one knee. Their family circumstances weren’t good, so hearing that the Lord would provide their meals, they spoke words of gratitude with great emotion.
In this era, as long as commoners worked hard and their lord wasn’t excessively exploitative, they generally wouldn’t starve to death.
However, not starving to death didn’t mean they could eat their fill or eat well.
Take meat, for example. Eating it even once every three months was considered pretty good.
Kaelon looked at the Baron before him, a little surprised. He felt that the young master’s personality was gentler than before, and he also seemed to have matured quite a bit.
Duane waved for the two to resume their sword practice, then told Kaelon his idea of recruiting more members for the guard.
Although temporary recruits wouldn’t have much combat strength, it was still better than trying to recruit people on Black Forest Island, a place where he was a complete stranger.
At least the people he brought from here would have to depend on him, which guaranteed a certain degree of loyalty.
"My Lord, the rumors outside are very unfavorable for us."
Kaelon looked troubled. "I’m afraid it won’t be that easy for us to recruit warriors."
Duane understood this.
The Brian Clan was now a disgraced family, their territory of Black Forest Island was a place most people were unwilling to go, and on top of that, there were threatening rumors from the Bloom Clan. Recruiting would not be easy.
"Let’s give it a try."
He thought for a moment, then instructed, "After morning practice is over, help me deliver the calling card to the Royal Palace. I need to see His Majesty the King before I leave."
"I’d be happy to be of service!"
After talking with Kaelon for a while, Duane left the training grounds. The entire way, he was carefully recalling the process of the original owner practicing Basic Swordsmanship.
[You have integrated Basic Swordsmanship techniques. Skill Level +15]
[You have integrated Basic Swordsmanship techniques. Skill Level +13]
[You have integrated Basic Swordsmanship techniques. Skill Level +9]
As he replayed the memories over and over, his Basic Swordsmanship Skill Level continued to grow, but the amount gained each time kept decreasing.
Toward the end, Duane had to recall the memories several times just to gain a single point.
Fortunately, after half an hour, the Skill Level was maxed out.
[Basic Swordsmanship Skill Level has broken through. Entry (0/200)]
[Attribute Points +0.1]
In that instant, a flicker of understanding seemed to dawn in Duane’s mind, and he felt more familiar with Basic Swordsmanship.
He looked at the attribute points he had gained and, without hesitation, allocated them to Strength. The feeling of strengthening his own body was incredibly pleasant.
’Now that Basic Swordsmanship has gone from Initial to Entry, just relying on memories probably won’t cut it anymore.’
Duane analyzed the situation. He felt that from now on, he would probably need to pick up a sword and practice for real.
’Right now, I’m just restoring my swordsmanship to the original owner’s level before he died, which is why the Skill Level is increasing so quickly.’
He guessed that if he practiced with a sword, the Skill Level growth probably wouldn’t be slow either.
Returning to the castle, Duane ate the breakfast prepared by Mara.
Two fluffy pieces of bread, a glass of warm milk, and a sweet sauce to go with it. It tasted pretty good.
Duane discovered that eating the bread and drinking the milk didn’t grant him any attribute points.
’Could it be that I can only gain points by eating food with magical properties?’
He secretly guessed that if this were true, it would be extremely expensive.
"My Lord, I’m about to start preparing the Fire Source Beast Bone Soup. Are you sure you want to do it yourself?"
Mara only asked out of respect. In her heart, she didn’t want Duane to go into the kitchen; after all, it was an activity beneath his station.
"Of course!"
Duane’s reply was firm and decisive. He emphasized, "Don’t touch anything. Leave it all to me!"
"O... okay!"
Mara reluctantly agreed. She didn’t understand why the once fastidious young master was suddenly so insistent on going into the kitchen.
