Early the next morning, Roland washed up simply and left his room.

Because Sean had night duty at the barracks, he had not returned all night.

Without his close friend's thunderous snoring, Roland had slept unusually well.

"Good morning, Mr. Roland."

"Good morning, Miss... Teresa..."

Looking at yet another pile of plates stacked in front of Teresa, Roland fell into thought.

"Was that silver coin I gave Uncle Peyton yesterday really enough to pay this lady's meal bill?"

While he was thinking, Gary walked out from the kitchen.

When the honest, burly man saw that the food he had cooked had been swept clean, heartfelt joy once again appeared on his face.

"You're up, Roland. Come eat breakfast!"

"All right, Uncle Gary."

Shaking away the stray thoughts in his mind, Roland swiftly finished breakfast.

After patting his stomach in satisfaction, he rose and called out,

"Let's go, Miss Teresa. The sooner we complete the commission, the sooner you can receive the reward."

"Yes, Mr. Roland."

"Right, that monster camp is..."

As the two spoke, they had already arrived outside.

Roland mounted, then extended a hand toward Teresa.

Seeing the confusion on her face, Roland explained,

"The camp isn't exactly close. You weren't planning to walk, were you?"

"I... I..."

Teresa fiddled with the silver hair by her ear.

"Mr. Roland, my walking speed..."

"Enough talking."

Before she could finish, Roland leaned down, grasped her fair wrist, and with a slight exertion, pulled her onto the horse.

"Hold on to me and sit steady."

After giving the reminder and feeling the hands grip his waist, Roland tightened the reins.

"I'll trouble you to give me directions according to the commission."

"Understood."

Although her tone remained calm, the faint tremor in her voice betrayed her emotions.

Roland did not notice the red at the tips of the silver-haired woman's ears. His mind was fully occupied with planning how to clear out the monsters.

"If the camp is in dense forest like last time, fighting on horseback may be inconvenient..."

He was not worried that the monsters would pose a threat. He was mainly afraid the horse's movement through the forest would be limited, allowing monsters to escape.

In Mist Creek Town, where commissions were scarce, every monster was precious.

After all, completing the [Squire] advancement required killing a full one hundred monsters.

Even letting one escape would be enough to make his heart ache for quite some time.

As his thoughts turned, Blackwind had already raised his hooves.

Amid a burst of clopping sounds, they headed out of town.

Not long after Roland and Teresa left, the tavern's wooden door was knocked open.

Sean strode in with heavy steps, his face grave.

"Yo, brat!"

Peyton had just been about to greet him with his usual grin, but after seeing Sean's expression, he immediately restrained his smile.

He handed over a cup of clean water and asked with a frown,

"What happened?"

Sean took the cup and drained it in one gulp, then spoke directly.

"The monsters in the Black Fir Forest have shown abnormal movement again. Lord Beckham sent me to bring people back and notify the townsfolk to prepare for evacuation at any time."

"This time it's that serious?"

Hearing this, Gary walked out from the kitchen, wiping the grease from his hands with a rag while frowning.

"Even Lord Beckham can't hold back those monsters?"

"I don't know the specifics either."

Sean shook his head, looked around, then asked,

"Right, Old Man, Uncle Peyton, where did Roland go?"

"That kid left early this morning with a pretty girl. Said he was going to subjugate some monsters..."

Halfway through speaking, Peyton noticed Sean's expression grow tense. Having fought alongside Roland before, Peyton waved a hand dismissively.

"Don't worry. With that kid's ability, ordinary monsters can't hurt him at all."

"Besides..."

Peyton added,

"I looked at that commission. The location isn't the Black Fir Forest. It's in the dense woods east of Mist Creek Town, more than a day's journey from the final line of defense Beckham set up. It definitely won't be affected by this disturbance."

Only then did Sean release a long breath.

"That's good. When Roland returns, please have him stay in town for now and not go anywhere."

"Understood."

After watching Sean hurry away, Peyton and Gary exchanged a glance.

Having experienced the Kobold attack on their village, they knew perfectly well that Knight Beckham's warning was no joke and immediately began preparing their luggage.

Meanwhile, Roland, who knew nothing of this, was riding Blackwind with Teresa as they galloped toward the commission site.

In less than half a day, they arrived at the edge of a dark forest.

The faint noise coming from within made the two exchange an alert glance. They dismounted and softened their steps as they moved forward.

After pushing aside the shrubs before them, the scene deep in the forest came fully into view.

The originally dense woods had been cleared into a huge circular open space, the cuts along the edges clean enough to look made by a blade.

The exposed earth seemed to have been pressed flat by some power. Not even a tree stump remained, and it was as smooth as a polished stone slab.

In this cleared space, more than a hundred monsters of various shapes were orderly transporting supplies.

Hunched Goblins carried wooden crates. Short Kobolds pushed crude carts. Tall Gnolls shouldered whole sacks of grain. All of them moved toward the depths of the forest.

The sight brought completely different reactions from the two of them.

Teresa stared at the densely packed monster horde in the clearing, gravity flashing through her silver-gray eyes.

Her slender fingers tightened around the hilt at her waist.

Although her strength was considerable, facing the simultaneous assault of more than a hundred monsters would inevitably be beyond her ability.

But excitement burned in Roland's eyes.

"One, two, three..."

He counted softly, his tongue wetting his dry lips.

"More than one hundred thirty monsters!"

This number made his heart beat faster.

"I didn't expect a single commission to satisfy the [Squire] requirement for killing hostile creatures!"

But excitement did not cloud his mind.

He signaled Teresa to follow him, and the two circled the clearing in silence to scout.

After confirming there were no mutant monsters or hidden problems, Roland cast Teresa a grateful look.

That look made the silver-haired girl pause.

"Mr. Roland, there are far too many monsters..."

Teresa lowered her voice and pointed toward the monster patrol teams moving regularly on both sides of the clearing.

"They've also set up a tight patrol net. Even if we want to silently..."

Before she could finish, Roland had already mounted.

He weighed the long-hafted axe in his hand, and the sharp blade flashed coldly beneath the sunlight.

"As agreed, you handle intercepting any monsters that flee."

Roland's voice was steady and firm.

"If you encounter danger, shout a warning."

With a shake of the reins, Blackwind immediately understood his master's intent.

The warhorse raised its head and let out a neigh, front hooves lifting high. Then it charged toward the monster horde like an arrow loosed from the string, dust flying wherever its iron hooves passed.

The long-hafted axe in Roland's hand drew lethal arcs beneath the sunlight. Each swing brought up a spray of blood.

The patrol Goblin team suffered first.

They did not even have time to sound an alarm before the howling axe blade cut them in half at the waist.

Broken green limbs flew up, tracing strange parabolas beneath the sun.

"Gahgagu!"

A Gnoll guard finally let out a roar, but its warning lasted only an instant before cutting off.

Roland swung the axe backhanded, and the sharp blade split its throat with precision.

Blood gushed out, forming red rain in the air.

Several Goblins hurriedly threw stones from their hands, but the stones could not even touch Blackwind's mane.

Roland rode through the monster horde, the long-hafted axe like Death's scythe. Wherever it passed, monsters fell one after another.

A Kobold trying to ambush him had only just raised its short blade before a hoof crushed its skull.

The clearing instantly fell into chaos.

The monsters abandoned the supplies they were carrying and fled in every direction, but their speed was far inferior to Blackwind's.

Roland charged back and forth through them like a man harvesting wheat. Each turn of the horse brought another wave of screams.

The sound of axe blades splitting flesh, the crisp crack of shattering bone, and the dying wails of monsters intertwined across the clearing into a symphony of death.

Teresa stood in place, silver-gray pupils contracting as she stared in disbelief at the slaughter before her.

Her slender fingers clenched around her sword hilt, knuckles whitening from the force.

"Is this... truly strength a human can reach?"

She stared at every one of Roland's movements and murmured inwardly.

Every trajectory of the axe blade was shockingly precise. The timing of every charge was grasped to perfection.

Those groups of monsters that, in her eyes, required cautious handling were as fragile as wheat stalks before Roland.

What shocked her even more was Roland's composure in battle.

No flashy moves. No unnecessary motions. Every swing of the axe was as natural and smooth as breathing.

Teresa even noticed that at the instant Roland killed a Gnoll, he still had spare attention to adjust the angle and avoid letting the blood splash onto the mane of the horse beneath him.

"How many battles has he experienced?"

Teresa bit her lower lip.

As a traveler who had roamed far and wide, she had seen many powerful warriors, but she had never seen anyone carry out slaughter with such... elegance.

Every movement Roland made seemed to have been tempered through countless trials, carrying a rhythm almost artistic.

Suddenly, an ear-piercing shriek interrupted her thoughts.

A Kobold that had slipped through the net was pouncing toward her.

Teresa had just been about to draw the thin sword at her waist when a flash of silver cut past.

At some point, Roland had already turned his horse around. The long-hafted axe left his hand and pierced through the Kobold's chest with precision.

The axe blade's momentum did not fade, carrying the corpse with it and pinning it to the tree trunk behind.

"Sorry. According to our agreement, Miss Teresa, you can't make a move."

Roland's voice came from afar, relaxed, like he were discussing today's weather.

He galloped over at high speed, reached out, and pulled the bloodstained long-hafted axe free. The movement was so smooth it looked like he was simply taking a tool from a rack.

Then he turned back and charged into the slaughter again.

Teresa watched Roland's cloak, dyed red with blood, and those eyes that remained as calm as still water.

At this moment, she suddenly realized something.

This seemingly easygoing young man before her hid far too many secrets she could not see through.

After obtaining the divine power to see into others' pasts, for the first time, uncontrollable curiosity toward a person surged in her heart.

...

...

The battle held no suspense.

Beneath the glaring sunlight, the clearing had become a mess.

Aside from Roland and Teresa, only severed monster limbs and blood across the ground remained.

"Huff..."

Feeling the pungent scent of blood at the tip of his nose, Roland released a long breath and weighed the long-hafted axe in his hand.

Although he had slaughtered all the monsters just now, he had relied more on his physical strength. In terms of the technique of killing enemies while mounted, he was still somewhat lacking.

Even though he had already trained Riding and several long weapon techniques to max level, when he drove Blackwind to charge just now, there had still been some awkwardness in the instant of charging or stopping suddenly.

However...

"The requirements for becoming [Squire] are finally all complete."

Looking at the job change requirements for [Squire] on the occupation panel, Roland's mouth lifted.

"I wonder what trait [Squire] will have, and what extra buffs it will produce after resonating with other upper occupations..."

Just as thoughts moved through his mind, a clear voice interrupted him.

"Mr. Roland..."

Following the sound, he saw Teresa shaking the blood from her thin sword and walking over.

She looked up at the tall young man on horseback, recalling the way he had swept through the battle just now. The shock in her blue eyes had not fully faded.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Roland. According to our agreement, I shouldn't have attacked the monsters, but..."

"It's fine."

Roland waved a hand generously.

There had been more than one hundred thirty monsters in the field. Even with Blackwind, there had been no way he could kill every last one before they scattered and fled.

It was only reasonable for Teresa to clean up some stragglers at the edge.

"How is it? Are the goods mentioned in the commission here?"

"No."

Teresa gently shook her head.

"I carefully searched this clearing just now. None of the scattered goods here had the mark of that merchant caravan."

"Then let's search farther ahead."

Roland dismounted and lightly stroked Blackwind, who was panting constantly after the fierce battle.

After activating [Driver's Eye] and confirming that his mount was only a little fatigued, he took some grass cakes from the pack on the horse's back and fed them to it.

"I noticed just now that those monsters were carrying the goods forward."

Roland suggested.

"All right."

After witnessing Roland's strength, Teresa naturally followed his suggestion.

After cutting off all the monsters' ears and placing them into the pouch prepared in advance, Teresa followed behind Roland.

Ahead, the monsters had already opened a wide road through the dense forest, and the two passed through without much effort.

As they went deeper, a huge cave entrance appeared.

"This should be..."

Looking at the cave entrance before him, tall enough to fit three of himself, and the various goods scattered around it, Roland frowned.

"The monsters' storage stronghold."

Teresa quickly looked around. After confirming there were no traces of other monsters and no noise coming from the depths of the cave, she nodded.

"Mr. Roland, please keep watch at the entrance. I'll go inside and search carefully."

"No problem."

Although the battle just now had not consumed much of Roland's stamina, resting a little was not a bad thing.

Besides, he could use this time to complete the [Squire] job change.

Teresa's strength was far inferior to his, but dealing with ordinary monsters was more than enough for her.

Thinking this, Roland reminded her,

"If you encounter danger, don't force it. Retreat immediately, and we'll handle it together."

"I understand."

Watching Teresa disappear into the depths of the cave, Roland impatiently opened the occupation panel.

He held his breath, focused his mind, and silently recited,

"Change occupation to [Squire]!"

[Upon inspection, you qualify for the upper occupation: Squire]

[Requirements: Strength 8, Agility 8, 2/2 max-level horse-taming-related skills, 3/3 max-level short-weapon-related skills, 3/3 max-level long-weapon-related skills, 1/1 max-level ranged-weapon-related skills, kill enemies from horseback 100/100]

[Proceed with job change?]

"Confirm job change!"

[Job change successful. Current occupation: Squire]

[Attribute bonus gained: Strength +3, Agility +3]

The text had only just appeared when a scorching warm current surged through his entire body.

But perhaps because his current attributes were already relatively high, Roland's body did not undergo any obvious change like when he had become [Warrior].

Yet his body seemed to have been reforged by invisible hands, every inch carrying a dense solidity like refined iron.

He flexed and extended his arms, discovering that the almost imperceptible stiffness in his movements had lessened, like a rusty hinge being given fresh oil.

Before Roland could carefully experience the changes in his body, another line of golden text appeared before him.

[Upon inspection, Host has mastered three long-weapon-related combat skills. Merging...]

A moment later, this line of text quietly changed.

[Merge complete]

[You have learned Long Weapon Mastery. Current level: Lv.1]

As the text dissipated, the situation was just like when he had taken up [Warrior].

The techniques and knowledge of several long weapons surged into his mind like a tide.

In only an instant, techniques that had once required repeated practice to master became as natural as breathing.

"[Short Weapon Mastery], [Long Weapon Mastery], plus [Steel Heart Resonance]... Doesn't that mean I can now easily master and use every melee weapon?"

Just as he was thinking, the text for the occupation trait appeared.

[Trait gained: Riding Posture Synchro]

[Riding Posture Synchro: During mounted combat, your mount's movement and your attacks become one seamless whole. Weapon swings, parries, blocks, charging thrusts, all are as steady as if on flat ground and unaffected by jolts, turns, or sudden stops. When your mount charges, your spear can borrow its momentum to thrust. When your mount sidesteps, your blade follows through in a sweeping cut. Even when your mount suddenly rears, your chop can instead use that force to increase its power. Whether an ordinary warhorse, a violent magical beast, or a mechanical vehicle, as long as you can ride it, you can make its movements an extension of your combat.]

"This trait is excellent!"

Thinking of the slight awkwardness he had felt during mounted attacks just now, Roland clenched his fists excitedly after seeing this trait.

"And this mount isn't limited only to horses! If I can use the [Driver's Eye] trait in the future to capture a powerful mount..."

While he was thinking, Teresa walked out of the cave and waved at Roland.

"Mr. Roland, I found the goods from the commission inside the cave, and they are preserved quite well. Counting it this way..."

Thinking of the generous reward she was about to receive, the silver-haired woman, whose expression was usually cold, also had the corners of her mouth lift slightly.

"In that case..."

"ROAR!!!"

At that moment, a sound exploded from far away, like thunder tearing through the sky, and like a furious roar from the abyss.

It carried an almost tangible shockwave that brutally drilled into their eardrums and made their skulls buzz.

"What is that sound?"

Roland frowned tightly and dug at his ear. Before he could determine the source, Blackwind beside him suddenly let out a neigh and crashed to the ground, white foam spilling from its mouth as its limbs convulsed violently.

"Blackwind!"

Roland's heart sank. Just as he was about to bend down and examine it, the pouch at his waist began to tumble.

Opening it, he saw Joe, who had been quietly nibbling food, with the whites of his eyes showing, unconscious.

"Joe? Joe!"

Just as panic stirred in Roland, a suppressed groan of pain came from behind him.

"Ugh!"

Roland turned sharply and saw Teresa already kneeling on the ground.

Her hands covered her ears, knuckles white from the force. Her beautiful face was twisted by intense pain, her heroic brows locked tight, veins bulging at her temples, silver hair messily sticking to her sweat-damp forehead.

"Teresa? Teresa!"

Seeing this, Roland hurried forward and gently held the silver-haired woman's shoulders.

"Hey! Can you hear me? How do you feel..."

Just as Roland was shaking Teresa's body...

"Rumble!"

In the next instant, the earth beneath his feet violently heaved, collapsed, and split apart, like a giant beast imprisoned for ten thousand years suddenly turning over.