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Chapter 93: 001: I know you
West of the Ramos Duchy, in a certain forest.
Late at night.
On the open ground, a campfire crackled and popped, its dancing flames illuminating the figures seated around it—a young girl, as beautiful as an angel, and a young man of the same age, whose large black-framed glasses gave him a scholarly air.
After days of hurried travel, Lynch and Avery had finally left the Saladin Kingdom earlier that morning without much trouble and had successfully entered the boundaries of the Ramos Duchy.
At last, they could breathe a little easier.
By the fire, Lynch was sitting cross-legged, breathing in a rhythmic pattern. Around him, milky-white mist stirred, occasionally surging into his body through his nose, clearly showing that he was cultivating the Knight Breathing Method.
Tonight, the Fighting Spirit was far more intense than usual, and the mist surrounding Lynch was almost tangible.
As the Knight Breathing Method reached a certain point in its cycle—
"Whoosh, whoosh!"
A sudden, fierce sound of wind-breaking arose, and the white mist around Lynch’s body condensed into two long, slender white dragons. Following his breath, they quickly surged into his nostrils.
Moments later, Lynch opened his eyes.
A bright gleam flashed through them, similar to the gleaming eyes of feline predators in the night.
Lynch stood up.
"Crack, pop!"
With just a simple movement, a string of crisp cracking sounds erupted from his body, like beans popping in a hot pan. His muscles emanated an intense feeling of power.
Lynch raised his hand and clenched his fist.
An unprecedented sensation of strength coursed through his entire body, converging into his palms. He felt confident that, if there were a stone in his hand at this moment, he could crush it to pieces.
He opened his system panel and took a quick look:
Knight Breathing Method Level 4: 3/30000.
He had finally leveled up!
Yes, at that very moment, Lynch had accumulated enough skill points through relentless effort to break through the barrier of the Low-level Knight and successfully advance to a Mid-level Knight!
It had not been easy!
It had already been three years since he’d become a knight. In the past three years, Lynch had never skipped a single day of training—the sweat he’d poured into his practice could practically be measured by the ton. Finally, he had endured long enough to reach this breakthrough.
Don’t underestimate the value of being a Mid-level Knight just because someone like Count Edmund, who possessed such power, was casually killed off. In truth, the strength of a Mid-level Knight is formidable.
Strength: 13.5, Agility: 13.8, Constitution: 13.2.
The average attribute coefficient had jumped from 8 to 13, an increase of 5 points, attaining a level 13 times stronger than the average human—a terrifying scale.
In terms of sheer strength alone, Lynch could now effortlessly lift more than 500 kilograms. If he wielded the Cross Sword, he’d be capable of dealing over 10 energy points in damage, equivalent to the power of Mid-level Apprentice Magic!
Such prowess rendered Lynch an unstoppable force on human battlefields, a fully armored and armed warrior capable of decimating a thousand-man army. A force to be reckoned with, indeed!
Bear in mind that thousand-strong armies were typically a feature of mid-to-large noble territories, emphasizing the might of a Mid-level Knight.
Achieving the rank of Mid-level Knight was no easy feat.
Take Lynch’s recently departed homeland, the Saladin Kingdom—there were thousands of knights across the kingdom, but those who had reached the level of Mid-level Knight numbered fewer than a hundred. Even within the Wizard World, Mid-level Knights could rival ordinary Refining System Mid-level Apprentices.
’The battlefield truly is the best training ground!’ Lynch thought.
Originally, Lynch had been a fair distance away from advancing to Mid-level Knight. With regular training, it would have taken at least another six months of hard work to max out his skill level.
But thanks to a series of recent battles, various facets of his knightly skills had seen substantial growth, allowing Lynch to achieve his breakthrough ahead of schedule...
"So? Judging by your look, you’ve broken through, haven’t you?" At this moment, Avery’s voice rang out.
Lynch withdrew his aura and smiled, "Just made some progress in my knight training."
Avery remarked, "I don’t quite understand why you’re so fixated on human martial arts. Wouldn’t it be better to devote more of your energy to magic? As for physical strength... if you’re craving it, you could make certain alterations—that’s your specialty, isn’t it?"
Lynch shrugged and said nothing, merely smiling.
The advantages of knights were evident to those who understood; for those who didn’t, explaining would be futile.
A trace of displeasure flickered across Avery’s brows—was she annoyed at being ignored?
Regardless, she said no more but suddenly walked over to Lynch, hands clasped behind her back. Standing close to him, she straightened up, stood on tiptoe slightly, and brought her face directly toward his.
This unexpected gesture of intimacy startled Lynch for a moment. Before he could react, Avery suddenly reached out and snatched something from in front of him.
Lynch felt a looseness on the bridge of his nose—his black-framed glasses were now in her hand.
He frowned, "What are you doing?"
Without replying, Avery tilted her head, studying him thoroughly. Soon, the corner of her mouth curled upward.
She grinned and said, "I knew I wasn’t mistaken."
Lynch asked, "Mistaken about what?"
Closing her eyes and smirking, Avery raised one hand, casually dangling Lynch’s glasses between two fingers before tossing them aside. "Back at the Dew Spring, I noticed your true appearance didn’t quite match your demeanor and aura."
"At first, I thought you were just wasting a handsome face by lacking any sense of style, but now I think I understand you."
Opening her eyes, bright with mischief, she asked, "Why are you hiding yourself?"
Snatching back his glasses and putting them on again, Lynch replied, "None of your business."
Understand me? We’ve only known each other for a few days, and you think you can claim this so boldly? Just because you caught a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg, you assume you’ve seen the whole of me?
Even I wouldn’t dare say I completely understand myself. Bold claim...
"Is it because of Alfred?" Avery abruptly asked.
Lynch looked at her with skepticism, "Up until now, you’ve never struck me as someone who enjoys gossip."
Nor as someone so chatty.
Avery shrugged, mimicking him. "Who knows? Maybe this is the real me."
After a pause, she continued, "Don’t change the subject. Is it because of Alfred? Are you disguising yourself to guard against him?"
Lynch smirked, mimicking her once more, "Who knows?"
"Haha!"
Avery burst into laughter, then mockingly declared, "Thirty years ago the river flowed here, thirty years later it flows there. Don’t think too highly of yourself—our difference is only temporary! Someday, I’ll surely surpass you!"
"Why?"
"Because of my effort!"
Tilting her head, her silky, auburn hair cascaded like maple leaves, and she smiled brightly, "That moment, I truly made a mental note." 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝒑𝙪𝒃.𝒄𝒐𝙢
Lynch twitched his lips—Really? You?
Turning away, Avery added, "But looking at it now, it was really just your glasses, wasn’t it?"
Her curious eyes fixed onto Lynch, "In that case, Avery Karina Tavendish."
"It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir."
With grace, she gave Lynch a bow, as if saying:
I’ve figured you out.
