Chapter 38: Spirituality, Wizard Apprentice

Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Spirituality, Wizard Apprentice

That night.

Ice Wolf Castle.

As usual, Roy spent several hours practicing the Iron Claw Bear Breathing Technique in Chaos Square. Afterward, he stopped and opened his Skill Proficiency Panel.

[Iron Claw Bear Breathing Technique: Tier Three (2367/3000)]

’Around this time tomorrow, I should be able to break through to Tier Four!’

Roy mused.

He closed the Skill Proficiency Panel and sat on the ground in Chaos Square to rest for a few minutes.

Afterward, his gaze pierced through the gray fog enveloping Chaos Square to check on his bedroom.

After confirming the room was empty, he vanished from Chaos Square with a thought and reappeared in his bedroom.

He stretched his body briefly, then opened the bedroom door and walked toward the dining room on the first floor.

Upon entering the dining room, he greeted Tony and Erin before taking his seat.

"How is your Ice Wolf Breathing Technique training going?"

Roy had just sat down when Tony spoke.

"It’s going well!"

"My Fighting Qi increases a little with every practice session, and the Ice Wolf Seed has also grown slightly."

Roy replied casually.

With his Skill Proficiency Panel, he could clearly track his progress with the Breathing Technique.

Tony and the others, however, could only judge their progress by whether their Life Seed had grown or their Fighting Qi had increased.

"You haven’t been practicing the Breathing Technique for very long. This is the period of fastest growth for your Fighting Qi and Life Seed."

"If you run into any problems with your training, feel free to ask me anytime."

Tony responded swiftly.

"Alright!"

Roy nodded.

After that, they chatted about the affairs of their domain and the recruitment of a new Official Knight.

The position of Captain of the Personal Guard had been vacant ever since Sir Adam left.

Although Roy was now an Official Knight himself, Tony had no intention of making him the Captain of the Personal Guard. Instead, he planned to recruit someone new.

In his opinion, making Roy his Captain of the Personal Guard would be a great disservice to Roy.

Roy had no objection to Tony’s plan to recruit an Official Knight as the new Captain of the Personal Guard.

For the Wesley Clan, which had few members and was not particularly powerful, it was perfectly normal to recruit an outsider as the Captain of the Personal Guard.

After all, the Old Baron had recruited Sir Adam in the same way years ago.

After dinner, Roy returned to his bedroom. He casually pulled a book from the shelf—one detailing the various nations of the continent—and began to browse through it.

His original plan was to read for a bit before entering Chaos Square to practice the Purgatory Dragon Meditation Method.

However, as he read, a sense of unease washed over him. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going to happen tonight.

After a few minutes, still unable to focus, he set the book down on his desk. He rose and walked to the window, and began to think deeply.

’Something’s wrong!’

’I must have overlooked something!’

He didn’t know where this sudden feeling of unease came from, but he chose to trust his intuition.

Or rather, he chose to trust his Spirituality, which was slowly awakening due to his increased Spiritual Power.

Spirituality originates from the spirit, and everyone possesses it.

But only when one’s Spiritual Power reaches a certain level does that Spirituality begin to awaken.

Spirituality is a special kind of energy that allows one to sense mysterious beings and information.

According to *Basic Potion Making: From Beginner to Expert*, one’s Spirituality begins to awaken after becoming a Wizard Apprentice.

Even though he couldn’t cast a single spell, the moment he successfully began the Purgatory Dragon Meditation Method, he had become an undisputed Wizard Apprentice.

’The Mutated Four-armed Demon Ape?’

’Could Count Rock Lion have sent more men to find the Mutated Four-armed Demon Ape?’

As Roy stood thinking by the window for several minutes, the thought surfaced in his mind unbidden.

To anyone else, it would seem that Count Rock Lion had no time to worry about the Mutated Four-armed Demon Ape right now.

But he had a different perspective.

Count Rock Lion knew the Mutated Four-armed Demon Ape held the secret of a Wizard; he would never give up so easily.

Even with Jeremy’s death, Count Rock Lion wouldn’t just forget about it.

Although he couldn’t be certain that his strange unease was related to Count Rock Lion and the Mutated Four-armed Demon Ape, Roy decided to verify it his own way.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he leaped from the window, already dressed in his Hunter’s Clothing.

A few moments later, he was clear of Ice Wolf Castle.

He didn’t head for Redwood City. Instead, he made his way to the edge of a forest about a kilometer from Ice Wolf Castle.

After scanning his surroundings, he picked a large tree. With a powerful push of his legs, he leaped onto a sturdy branch several meters off the ground and settled in to wait patiently.

From the spot he’d chosen, he had a clear view of both Ice Wolf Castle and the main road.

If anyone approached Ice Wolf Castle along the main road, he would be the first to spot them.

And if they approached from another direction, he could quickly return to the castle.

Time trickled by.

Roy leaned against the tree trunk, waiting with immense patience.

Less than ten minutes had passed before he heard the thundering of hooves on the main road.

In the dead of night, the sound of galloping warhorses was exceptionally clear.

Upon hearing the hooves, Roy immediately retrieved a black cloth from Chaos Square and used it to cover his face.

He then drew a plain, unremarkable Fine Steel Cross Sword.

Soon, the riders galloping down the main road came into view.

The riders hurtling toward Ice Wolf Castle were none other than Robinson and his men.

’Who are they?’

Due to the distance and poor light, Roy couldn’t make out the Rock Lion Family Emblem on their armor.

Still, the moment he saw them, he guessed they were Count Rock Lion’s men.

After all, besides Count Rock Lion, he couldn’t think of anyone else who would send five Official Knights to Ice Wolf Castle at this hour.

He didn’t waste time thinking. He immediately retrieved a bow and a quiver of arrows from Chaos Square.

Nock. Aim. Fire!

All in one smooth motion!

The arrow, wreathed in White Fighting Qi, shot toward Robinson at the head of the group!

WHOOSH!

The arrow was incredibly fast!

However, Robinson’s reaction was just as quick!

The moment he heard the arrow whistling through the air, Robinson instinctively released his Fighting Qi.

Simultaneously, he drew the Cross Sword at his waist and swung at the incoming arrow.

BANG!

The Cross Sword struck the arrow with precision, and the Fighting Qi enveloping it erupted in a sudden explosion!

’Impressively fast reflexes!’

Seeing Robinson so cleanly strike the arrow, Roy praised the man’s skill in his mind.

’As the saying goes, amateurs watch the spectacle, while experts see the skill.’

Robinson’s swing itself was nothing special—just a simple, clean cut.

But when combined with the speed of his sword draw, the release of his Fighting Qi, and the angle of his swing, it was clear he was a highly experienced Peak Knight.

Once he identified him as a Peak Knight, Roy quickly deduced his identity.

Count Rock Lion only had four Peak Knights under his command in total.

One of them, Medel, he had already killed.

Of the three remaining Peak Knights, only one was in his early forties with short brown hair: Robinson, the Captain of Count Rock Lion’s Personal Guard.

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