Today was a long day. Meeting the Neutral Duke was definitely not on my check list.
Duke Lucien Valencrest. His presence was akin to that of someone who has led and won countless wars. Seeing that type of strength in reality is so different than seeing it on a screen. Even though I was scared out of my wits, a part of me felt excited. I want to become that strong.
No. This won't do.
I won't get strong by just laying down on my bed. I should go train my stamina some more. After all, every type of build in this game requires a decent amount of stamina, even more so in the case of warrior builds. To achieve the class I wish to get, I must train harder.
(3 Hours Later)
|Dexterity has increased by 0.1 (9.2->9.3)|
I'm tired. I feel like my legs will fall off. I can't afford to buy dexterity potions each time to train either.
However, I still love this feeling. Being able to run till my legs gave out. That's something I never thought I'd be able to do again, since that incident.
As I sat on the ground to rest, I saw a man standing a short distance away, facing one of the training dummies.
He wasn't moving.
At first, I thought he was simply observing it—perhaps lost in thought. His posture was relaxed, almost too relaxed for someone in a training ground. One hand rested loosely by his side, the other hanging at ease. There was no weapon in sight.
And yet…
Something about him felt… sharp.
Like a drawn blade hidden in plain sight.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to make sense of it. There was no aura I could see, no visible movement, nothing that suggested he was about to act—
—And then it happened.
The dummy split cleanly in half.
No sound. No warning. No movement I could track.
One moment it stood intact, and the next, its upper half slid off and crashed onto the ground with a dull thud.
My breath caught in my throat.
What…?
I stared at the remains, trying to piece together what I had just seen—but there was nothing to grasp. No swing. No projectile. Not even a gust of wind.
Just… a clean cut.
The man finally moved.
He turned slightly, as if he had already noticed me long ago. His gaze met mine—calm, steady, and far too aware.
For a brief moment, neither of us spoke.
Then, he inclined his head ever so slightly.
"Sir Cain."
His voice was firm, respectful… but not surprised.
"I did not expect to see you here."
"You know me. Who might you be?"
"Apologies for the late introduction. I'm Malthus Vale, Captain of the Aegis Knights of House Valencrest. And only a demon wouldn't know of Sir Cain, the Knight of Light."
Aegis Knights! Those are the super strong NPCs that I would sometimes see in some side quests. So they belonged to Valencrest...
"You flatter me. Anyways, I was wondering. What technique did you use to cut that dummy without a sword?"
Malthus studied me for a brief moment.
Not openly. Not rudely.
But there was a flicker of something in his eyes—something sharp, measuring.
"…You truly do not know?" he asked.
A pause.
I let out a small breath, forcing a faint smile.
"I relied on divine power for most of my combat. Techniques like these weren't something I needed to learn."
Silence lingered between us for a second longer than it should have.
Then—
"I see."
He didn't question it further.
But he didn't fully believe it either.
Malthus turned his gaze back to the split dummy, his expression returning to its usual calm.
"What you saw was not a physical strike," he said. "It is a technique that utilizes aura."
"Aura…?"
"A manifestation of will," he continued. "Shaped, refined, and controlled. With enough mastery, it can take form—even that of a blade."
My eyes drifted back to the clean cut.
So that wasn't invisible…
I just couldn't see it.
"As you are now," Malthus added, "you wouldn't be able to perceive it."
That stung a little.
"Then how do I?"
"For now…" he paused, as if choosing his words carefully, "…you don't."
Malthus remained silent for a moment, his gaze still fixed on the ruined dummy.
"…Even so," he finally said, "your foundation hasn't disappeared."
I blinked.
He turned to look at me again, his expression as composed as ever.
"Strength is not something so easily lost. It can be dulled… buried… but not erased."
For some reason, those words hit harder than I expected.
Before I could respond, he continued.
"If you require guidance—whether it be training, or otherwise…"
A brief pause.
"…you may seek me out."
His tone didn't change. It wasn't exaggerated, nor overly formal.
Just a simple statement.
"I will lend you my strength."
I let out a small breath.
"…I'll keep that in mind."
By the time I left the training grounds, the sky had already darkened.
The cool air of the night brushed against my skin as I made my way back through the estate. The halls were quieter now, most of the servants having long since finished their duties.
Aura.
I still couldn't fully wrap my head around it.
As I entered my room and shut the door behind me, the silence settled in once more.
…Right.
The system.
I dropped onto the bed, letting out a tired breath as I pulled up the interface.
|Displaying status screen|
|HP: 38/40
|STR: 8
|DEX: 9.3 (9->9.3)
|AGI: 6.5
|Int: 3.7 (3.5->3.7)
|Mana: 37/37 (35->37)
|Luck: 3
|Stat points remaining: 4
My stamina has gone up by 0.3 today, which is pretty impressive honestly, since that normally takes atleast two-three days of grinding. But at the same time, it feels underwhelming after witnessing those two monsters.
I will just focus on getting all my stats to 10 for now. I do have those extra stat points. But those are so rare that it feels like a waste to use them right now. Besides, I was transmigrated in the story past the point that I know. This means I have no future information that I can use. I still know some good treasure spots, but I don't know what lies in the future at all. There's no demon king anymore, but that doesn't mean there's no danger to humanity anymore.
Oh right, I upgraded the market earlier today.
"System, open the market."
|Market Lv 2|
|Potions| |Weapons| |Skills|
|Please choose a category|
"Just show me the newly added items."
|First Aid (F) – 500 Coins (Skill)
Scouting (F) – 500 Coins (Skill)
|Pain Resistance (F) – 450 Coins (Skill)
|Cleaning (F) – 500 Coins (Skill)
|Iron Sword - 100 coins
|Iron Spear - 100 coins
|Crossbow - 75 coins
...I can't afford anything here. Sigh.
After a while, I let my arm fall over my eyes.
My body was exhausted, but my mind refused to rest.
Strength.
Aura.
Survival.
…What am I even aiming for?
And then—
A chill ran down my spine.
My eyes snapped open. Something was… off. No—not just off. Dangerous.
A faint, suffocating sensation pressed against my senses.
Like something was watching me.
Waiting.
Very close.
I didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
|Warning|
|Killing intent detected|
I knew it.