"So you're... Roland?"

At the Knight Academy training ground.

Reggie, the instructor responsible for teaching combat techniques, raised his gaze from the card in his hand and carefully examined the young man before him.

"Yes, Instructor Reggie."

Sensing the unusual look in the man's eyes, Roland felt a little puzzled.

"Have you... heard of me?"

"Of course."

Reggie handed the card back to him and spoke in a deep voice.

"When this term began, Mr. Colin recommended a full fifty-six people to Mr. Nielsen, but only you... received Principal Graham's approval."

Fifty-six people?

Hearing that number, the corner of Roland's mouth twitched.

As far as he knew, although the Knight Academy of the River Kingdoms did not limit admission by status, the assessment had become far more difficult because of that.

Only a few hundred people could pass the assessment and enter the academy each year.

Fifty-six people...

That was nearly half the normal admission number.

No wonder Principal Graham had shown such resentment and contempt that day when he heard Roland was someone Colin had recommended.

So this great merchant's way of recommending "talent" did not rely on discernment, but purely on quantity.

"However..."

Reggie's broad palm suddenly slapped Roland's shoulder.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The dull impacts rang out, and the force behind them made Roland's heart tighten.

His eyes narrowed, and for the first time, he truly sized up the man before him.

Reggie had a robust physique, but the exposed muscles did not bulge in an exaggerated way. He was not tall either, merely around the level of an ordinary Human.

His appearance was even plainer.

Only the obvious old scars on his face and shoulders added proof of hard experience to that ordinary face.

Yet this seemingly ordinary man had just displayed power that startled Roland.

If Roland did not activate any Traits and compared only pure physical strength, he suspected he was still slightly inferior to the other man.

"Just an instructor at the Knight Academy has already reached the Transcendent level? In terms of physical strength alone, he may even be somewhat stronger than me..."

Realizing this, the faint arrogance that had risen in Roland's heart because of his strength vanished at once.

Reggie paid no mind to Roland's faintly furrowed brow. His voice rolled low and heavy.

"However, even if you obtained Principal Graham's approval, in my class, you still need to behave yourself!"

"As for those combat techniques you want to learn, you will follow my course arrangements. And..."

He stared into Roland's eyes and enunciated each word.

"Don't imitate those bastards from before and think that just because you've latched onto Mr. Colin, you can run wild on my turf! Do you understand?"

"Understood!"

Facing the invisible pressure radiating from the man, Roland had no doubt that if he truly crossed the line, Reggie would swing his fist without hesitation.

Although Roland might be superior in overall strength, his purpose here was to learn techniques, not provoke a pointless conflict.

"Good!"

Seeing Roland's obedient attitude, Reggie nodded in satisfaction and pointed toward the shade nearby.

"Go stay over there for now. Once the other students have arrived, instruction will begin."

"Understood, Instructor Reggie."

After briefly asking about the key points of the class, Roland walked toward the shade.

Before long, noisy footsteps and low conversation drew closer.

The students arrived at the training ground one after another.

Humans were the most numerous, but Elves, Orcs, Dwarves, and other races with distinct features were mixed in.

The Halfling Avril had mentioned was also among them.

But there was only one.

Looking at that short, thin figure, Roland grew curious about the contents of the Knight Academy's assessment.

A Halfling whose physique was clearly inferior to the other races had actually managed to pass?

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Just as Roland was quietly speculating, three crisp claps rang out, drowning out all other sounds.

"All of you, quiet!"

Reggie's voice swept across the field.

The training ground instantly fell silent.

Many students even looked at him with a touch of fear in their eyes.

"Now we begin today's first lesson..."

This sturdy man with an unremarkable appearance casually drew an unsharpened iron sword from the weapon rack.

Sunlight fell on the blade, reflecting a hard, cold gleam.

"The basic techniques of using a longsword!"

As soon as his words fell, Reggie keenly caught several disappointed gazes in the crowd.

He suddenly drove the iron sword into the ground!

Bang!

After the dull impact, his resonant voice echoed outward.

"I know! Some of you may have learned a few sword techniques elsewhere! But here..."

His sharp gaze swept across the entire field.

"You all start from the beginning!"

"Want to skip this class? Want an exemption?"

Reggie's voice rose sharply, carrying unquestionable pressure.

"Same old rule! Knock me down first! Otherwise..."

He was practically roaring.

"All of you will practice honestly! Did you hear me?"

"Y-yes!"

The students answered in unison. Many of them trembled, clearly having already experienced Reggie's methods.

"Good! Next..."

After nodding in satisfaction, Reggie began waving the iron sword in his hand and explaining the key points of the movements in detail.

Roland did not treat it perfunctorily. Instead, he stood among the crowd and listened seriously.

Although [Short Weapon Mastery] had already allowed him to grasp everything Reggie was teaching, the other man's simple yet thorough method made Roland compare him with Peyton and the soldiers of Blackwater Territory.

Compared with them, Reggie's teaching was not only clear and easy to understand, but also built each point upon the last.

At least in terms of instruction, he far surpassed the experience-based advice of those mercenaries and veterans.

"If someone like this had taught me techniques back then, my strength might have improved even faster. As expected of an instructor from a proper Knight Academy..."

Just as Roland was thinking this, Reggie stopped demonstrating.

"All right! Same old rule. Now choose opponents yourselves and fight in pairs! Winners will have their class performance counted toward credits!"

As soon as his voice fell, the crowd scattered like a receding tide.

Amid the flow of people, Roland keenly noticed that everyone was deliberately avoiding one person.

When passing by that person, many students avoided eye contact and showed obvious fear. Their steps also quickened, like they were trying to avoid trouble before it found them.

After noticing this abnormality, Roland looked up.

A lone Orc stood there.

However, he was completely different from the other green-skinned Orcs.

His skin was an ominous blood red, and on his ferocious face, the tusks protruding from the corners of his mouth gleamed coldly.

When Roland's gaze fell on him, the red-skinned Orc turned his head as well.

His eyes made Roland feel a little strange.

Beneath a calm and gentle surface surged unmistakable bloodthirsty brutality.

After only a moment, only Roland, the lonely Halfling, and the blood-red-skinned Orc remained in the once-crowded center of the field.

"In... Instructor Reggie..."

The Halfling anxiously twisted his fingers, nervously glanced at the frightening red figure beside him, then quickly withdrew his gaze and pointed carefully at Roland.

"Can... can I choose him as my opponent?"

"Him?"

Reggie glanced at Roland and the Halfling, whose physiques were vastly different, and shook his head.

"Forget it, Hobby. You come practice with me..."

Seeing the Halfling become even more nervous after hearing this, Reggie added helplessly, "Don't worry. I won't use my full strength. You only need to display what you just learned."

His gaze turned to the red-skinned Orc.

"As for you, Freddy... practice with him. His name is Roland."

"Understood, Instructor."

The red-skinned Orc Freddy's voice was somewhat dull.

Seeing this, Reggie rubbed his aching temples, shifted to Roland's side, and lowered his voice.

"Be careful, boy. This little fellow... doesn't know how to hold back. See those people over there?"

He indicated several students in the field who were currently sparring but had bruised and swollen faces.

"All his 'masterpieces.' Still..."

The sturdy man patted Roland's shoulder.

"Since you earned Principal Graham's praise, I imagine dealing with this little fellow shouldn't be a problem for you. Don't disappoint me..."

Looking at the meaningful look in Reggie's eyes, Roland sighed inwardly.

It seemed that even after gaining Graham's recognition, his identity as someone who had entered through connections still colored the academy instructors' view of him.

"Still, this is fine..."

Roland casually took an unsharpened iron sword from the weapon rack.

The blade felt slightly heavy in his hand, but under the support of [Steel Heart Resonance], this unfamiliar weapon instantly became as easy to command as his own arm, like it had accompanied him through years of battle.

"If I reveal a little strength, asking this instructor for guidance on techniques later may go more smoothly."

As this thought turned in his mind, Roland looked up at the red-skinned Orc before him, who was also weighing an iron sword in his hand. The corner of Roland's mouth lifted in a gentle smile.

"Freddy, right? Hello."

"Hello, Roland..."

Unexpectedly, the Orc's response was not as rough as imagined. Instead, it carried a hint of awkwardness.

He tightened his grip on the sword hilt and asked in a muffled voice, "Can we... start now?"

"Of course..."

Before Roland finished speaking, a dull stomp sounded.

The next moment, Freddy's figure had already appeared before Roland, wrapped in a gust of wind as he swung the iron sword.

Clang!

A violent metallic collision far louder than the other students' sparring rang out.

The immense force transmitted through the blade made Roland raise an eyebrow.

"As expected of an Orc... this strength is truly astonishing!"

As his thoughts flashed, the heavy sounds of exchange had already become continuous.

Bang! Clang! Bang!

In only a few breaths, metal rang against metal over a dozen times in rapid succession.

Although the scene appeared evenly matched, there was not the slightest solemnity on Roland's face.

The iron sword in his hand flew and turned while his steps shifted lightly. Inwardly, he analyzed everything with ease.

"In terms of pure physical ability, his strength and speed are almost equal to mine. No wonder those students were beaten black and blue. But..."

The sword's spine angled slightly, once again guiding away the Orc's heavy yet straightforward chop with precision. The corner of Roland's mouth rose faintly.

"His combat technique... is far too rough."

His duel with the red-skinned Orc Freddy reminded Roland of when he had encountered the Mutant Kobolds.

They likewise possessed powerful bodies and knew nothing of combat technique.

In their hands, whether an iron sword, dagger, or spear, each weapon seemed no different from a swinging club. There was no technique to speak of, only fierce, disorderly attacks relying entirely on strength and speed far beyond ordinary people.

Such a fighting style might gain a temporary advantage against ordinary people, but before Roland now...

Before anyone noticed, the noisy training ground quieted down.

All the students who had been sparring stopped moving. Even Reggie folded his arms and drew closer with the students, watching the contest of strength and technique at the center of the field without blinking.

At the center of the training ground, metal clashed with the density of a storm.

Every heavy collision made the watching students' hearts tremble, and they held their breath.

The two figures in the field crossed at extremely high speed. The clash of strength and speed stirred up currents of air visible to the naked eye.

"Gods above..."

A Human student murmured, eyes fixed on that red figure moving as fast as lightning.

"That monster Freddy... has his strength gotten even greater? When he beat me last time, it didn't feel this terrifying!"

"No kidding! Look at that movement!"

Beside him, an Elf student with bruises still on his face rubbed his arm with lingering fear.

"That red-skinned brute is practically a humanoid weapon! Every sword swing carries wind. If you take one hit, several bones would break! That newcomer can actually last this long?"

"Last? Looks to me like he's being suppressed!"

A strongly built student who clearly also walked the path of strength crossed his arms. His tone carried barely detectable jealousy, but even more recognition of Freddy's strength.

"That boy's footwork isn't bad, and he dodges fast enough, but the gap in strength is too great! He's barely supporting himself in Freddy's storm of brute force. Look, he isn't clashing head-on with Freddy at all!"

"Exactly!"

Another voice chimed in, carrying reverence for the strong.

"Freddy's freakish strength is absolutely unique in our year! Last time he sparred with 'Boulder' Barton, he dented Barton's fine steel shield in three strikes! Barton is still lying in the infirmary now! This newcomer... tsk, if he can last ten rounds, he's already impressive."

"Instructor Reggie specifically made Freddy spar with him. Could he be trying to give this backdoor kid a lesson?"

Someone guessed in a low voice, glancing toward Reggie, who stood at the edge of the field with arms crossed.

"With that build, he's a full size smaller than Freddy. How could he possibly win?"

"Definitely! Instructor Reggie hates people who rely on connections the most!"

The Elf student from before spoke with certainty.

"Just wait and watch. When Freddy goes wild, he doesn't know what it means to stop at the right point. That boy might have to be carried out soon!"

Unlike the many students, however, Reggie, standing at the edge of the field with folded arms, showed surprise in his eyes.

His gaze locked onto Roland, who appeared suppressed yet remained firm as bedrock, and on those eyes that stayed calm and sharp amid the fierce exchange.

Just as the whispering around them gathered into a buzzing wave, and almost everyone had already decided the outcome of this battle...

Clang!

A crisp, ear-piercing sound, completely different from all the previous dull impacts, suddenly tore through the air.

Immediately after, an iron sword shot out from the heart of the fierce battle like an arrow launched by tremendous force. It whistled through the air in a flash of cold light, then sank deep into the solid ground with a thud.

The blade continued to hum and tremble violently from the remaining momentum.

Before the students could see whose sword it was, another heavy sound exploded.

After losing his weapon, the red-skinned Orc Freddy did not pause at all. Instead, he stepped forward.

His huge fist carried a savage wind as it drove straight toward Roland's face.

Seeing this, Roland frowned slightly.

It was not because this punch brought him any great threat, but because the last remaining calm in Freddy's eyes had vanished. It had been swallowed by primitive, almost mad bloodthirsty brutality.

Without the slightest hesitation.

Roland's left hand braced the incoming heavy punch like iron tongs. His right hand instantly released the iron sword, and his body lowered smoothly with the motion.

His right fist flashed out like lightning!

Thud!

The dull impact landed precisely in Freddy's abdomen.

The brutality surging in the Orc's eyes was extinguished instantly, like a snuffed flame.

His eyes rolled upward, whites showing as he froze for an instant in the posture of throwing a punch.

The next moment, that blood-red body as sturdy as a small hill crashed to the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.