"Roland..."

When they walked out of the Adventurer's Guild, the glaring sunlight made Avril narrow her eyes. She frowned and said, "That woman named Lilith. I keep feeling she isn't simple. But..."

In the next instant, the Elf girl returned to her usual lively manner.

"I have no objection to passing guild certification and becoming an A-rank adventurer team!"

She folded her hands behind her head, her eyes curving into crescents.

"This way, we can stay at the finest inns everywhere without making reservations!"

As though she could already feel the softness of a fluffy mattress, she nuzzled the air in contentment.

"Mr. Roland..."

After the Elf girl spoke, Teresa elegantly tucked her silver hair behind her ear and added, "I have no objection to passing the certification either. Just as that governor said, the guild will not force us to accept commissions, so those so-called exclusive services are essentially free gifts. Of course..."

At this point, the silver-haired woman looked gently at Roland.

"The final decision is still yours. I will fully obey your arrangements."

Hearing this, Avril's brow twitched.

She glanced sideways at the silver-haired woman, surprise passing through her eyes.

"Thank you for your trust, Teresa."

Roland smiled and nodded.

"But we still have to ask Galvez for his opinion first. After all, we are a four-person squad."

"Of course, Mr. Roland."

Teresa answered softly.

Watching the quiet understanding between the two, Avril suddenly snorted.

"What's there to ask that guy? He'll definitely start shouting about heroic epics, monster slaying, improvised arias, and things like that..."

She made an exaggerated gagging expression.

"Just imagining it makes me sick."

"All right, Avril..."

Watching the Elf girl vividly imitate the bard's dramatic manner, Roland did not know whether to laugh or sigh. He patted her shoulder.

"In any case... we'll discuss this later."

Roland stretched his arms.

"For now..."

He rubbed his sore shoulder.

"Let's go back to the inn and rest first. After running around outside for so long, I really am a bit tired."

The three chatted casually on the way back to the inn, then returned to their rooms.

As the door closed, the noise of the outside world was cut off.

Roland sat by the bed, recalling everything that had happened at the Adventurer's Guild, and sank into thought.

Just as Avril and Teresa had said, he had no objection to passing guild certification.

Presumably, Galvez would not object either.

What truly concerned him was the content of the commission to eliminate the Wolf King.

Some of the information revealed in the commission was unknown even to Avril, a member of Shadow Veil.

This was enough to prove that the Adventurer's Guild had close connections with either the merchant faction or the noble faction of the River Kingdoms.

Even more concerning was that the description of the abnormal phenomena in the Misty Lands matched his previous deductions completely.

"So it really is an abnormal change caused by excessive gathering of Mana Elements?"

"But according to the intelligence, the people under the Wolf King who raided merchant caravans were not affected by the high concentration of Mana Elements, and they showed no traces of crystal cluster infection either. Could it be..."

A troubling guess surfaced in his mind.

"The Church of Truth's forbidden experiment... has made a breakthrough?"

Roland shook his head and refocused his thoughts on the "self-selected reward."

"Judging by how confident that woman Lilith looked, she probably wasn't lying..."

"In other words, the Adventurer's Guild truly has channels to obtain advancement methods for other Transcendent occupations..."

Thinking of this, heat stirred in Roland's chest.

But that heat vanished in an instant. He quickly calmed himself, refusing to let his desire for power cloud his judgment.

After all, even a national power like the River Kingdoms had to plan cautiously when subjugating the Wolf King of the Misty Forest.

And although his strength was impressive, while Avril and the others were all standouts among Transcendent beings,

trying to subjugate the Wolf King with only four people was still unrealistic.

However, Roland was not discouraged.

At present, practicing the knight breathing method occupied almost all of his time.

Before formally advancing to Knight, he did not have an urgent need for the advancement paths of other Transcendent occupations.

Moreover, with the help of the occupation panel, his speed of improvement had already far surpassed ordinary people.

As Mana Elements recovered, abnormal phenomena like the Misty Lands, or powerful enemies like the Wolf King, would only become more common in the future.

There was no need to worry that if he missed this opportunity, he would never again encounter commissions of this difficulty.

"So I can wait until after I advance to Knight... when I am strong enough, I can complete high-difficulty commissions like this and obtain advancement methods for other Transcendent occupations."

Thinking of this, he suddenly remembered something. With a thought, he summoned the occupation panel.

"After successfully becoming a [Knight Apprentice], the job requirements for formal Knight were not triggered. Perhaps... it is because my [Nameless Breathing Method] level is still not high enough?"

Looking at the level-three [Nameless Breathing Method], Roland became thoughtful.

As the core secret art of a Knight's training among Transcendent Professionals, a breathing method was clearly different from basic combat techniques. Its upper limit was definitely not only level three.

Level five, or even level ten, was possible.

After all, depth of attainment in a breathing method had always been an important standard for measuring a Knight's strength.

After making this deduction, Roland's gaze shifted again to the race column.

[Human + Dragon]

[Current bloodline fusion: 3%]

"As expected, it is just as I thought..."

Noticing that the bloodline fusion degree had increased by another two percentage points since it first awakened, Roland recalled the two recent fierce battles with Bugbears and nodded slightly.

"Every time I activate [Fighting Spirit] and circulate the breathing method at full force, bloodline fusion accelerates. And..."

He lowered his head and examined the still-smooth skin on his arm. After confirming there was no abnormality, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"The occupation panel really has blocked the side effects of bloodline fusion. Otherwise, as the fusion degree increased, there is no way I would have noticed nothing."

This discovery let him breathe a sigh of relief.

After reviewing the entire panel again, Roland carefully considered his plans going forward.

"Next, I need to continue refining [Basic Blacksmithing] and [Basic Magic Theory], then become the higher occupation [Enchanter] as soon as possible. At that point, I can see what kind of Extra Buff will be triggered by resonance between higher occupations."

"And while continuing to practice the breathing method, I also need to find time to practice the sea survival skills Hobby taught me, paving the way for changing occupation to Pirate."

With his plan set, Roland let out a long breath and took the Combat Technique scroll Lilith had given him from his belt pouch.

Facing the dazzling sunlight, he spread the scroll across the tabletop and narrowed his eyes to study it.

On the yellowed parchment, three large words were written clearly.

[Martial Combat Step]

"A kind of... footwork?"

Seeing the name on the parchment scroll, Roland frowned slightly.

Ever since transmigrating to this world, the methods by which he improved his strength had mainly focused on combat techniques and accumulating knowledge. As for footwork...

Roland's gaze shifted as he searched his memory.

"It seems only Peyton mentioned some footwork techniques used when attacking while teaching me Basic Swordsmanship and Lion Swordsmanship. Aside from that..."

His fingertip tapped the tabletop as he recalled.

Even among the vast knowledge of weapon techniques contained within traits such as [Short Weapon Mastery] and [Long Weapon Mastery] granted by the occupation panel, content related to footwork had only been mentioned in scattered fragments.

And in past battles, his dodging, advancing, and adjusting position had relied more on his formidable physical qualities and combat instincts.

"I never expected footwork itself to become an independent Combat Technique..."

Roland fell into thought, his gaze returning to the dense text and diagrams on the scroll.

The contents of [Martial Combat Step] were not complicated, lengthy theory. They were concise and precise, like commands on a battlefield.

"Not a fixed routine..."

Roland murmured softly, his fingertip tracing over a diagram depicting a human figure.

"The core lies in flow and adaptation?"

He read it word by word.

The scroll explained a unique concept.

Footwork did not exist in isolation. It was the dynamic foundation of bodily force transmission, center-of-gravity shifting, and achieving perfect resonance with the weapon in one's hand.

It did not care whether the weapon was long or short, light or heavy. The key was understanding the weapon's own "momentum."

That meant the unique rhythm and nature formed by its weight, center of gravity, balance point, inertia, and attack characteristics.

Then footwork echoed, guided, and even amplified that "momentum."

"Echoing a weapon's 'momentum'..."

Roland's heart stirred.

Between the lines, the scroll repeatedly emphasized that a deep understanding of this "weapon nature" was the core threshold for practicing [Martial Combat Step], as well as the most difficult barrier to cross.

Countless veterans who had struggled across battlefields for many years, or experienced mercenaries and adventurers, might still spend their entire lives unable to truly "hear" the whispers of the weapons in their hands.

They might rely on experience to work out certain fixed combinations, but compared with the realm where footwork could resonate with a weapon's nature freely and as naturally as moving one's own arm, they were still far from it.

This required an almost instinctive talent for accurately sensing a weapon's internal physical characteristics and combat rhythm, something that could not be easily reached through acquired hard training.

But Roland was different.

The description of weapon "momentum" in [Martial Combat Step] produced a powerful resonance with the core ability of his [Knight Dies Not Unarmed], almost like the technique had been made for him.

That talent allowed him to instantly understand and master any weapon he touched, seeing through its center of gravity, balance point, force method, and even its subtlest "personality."

And this [Martial Combat Step] seemed to be the key to perfectly combining that "extended" limb with the art of moving his entire body across the ground.

Excitement flashed through Roland's eyes.

"[Knight Dies Not Unarmed] lets me 'understand' weapons, while [Martial Combat Step] tells me how to 'move,' turning that understanding into seamless offense and defense. It is not rigid footwork, but letting the weapon guide my movement and letting movement serve the weapon's edge!"

This sudden clarity ignited his desire to practice.

Roland immediately stood, pushed the table into a corner, and cleared a small space in the middle of the room.

Then he took a deep breath and drew the mithril longsword at his waist.

Hum!

A familiar clear ring sounded in his palm.

The talent of [Knight Dies Not Unarmed] activated instantly.

The mithril longsword's cold touch, perfect center of gravity, unique toughness, and sharpness transmitted clearly into his consciousness, as though connected to his blood.

This sword's "momentum" was swift and precise, carrying a cold penetrating force.

"Sink the center of gravity... tighten the core... power begins beneath the feet..."

He made a simple lateral slide step.

At first, the movement was somewhat stiff, completely different from the dodging that had relied purely on brute force in the past.

He could clearly feel power rising from the firmly planted sole of his foot, passing through his tightened waist and core, and pushing his body smoothly to one side.

When the movement stopped, his body still maintained perfect balance.

"Even the basics are different..."

Feeling that unprecedented stability and efficiency, Roland nodded.

Then he closed his eyes, letting the "understanding" of the longsword brought by [Knight Dies Not Unarmed] fill his mind. At the same time, he recalled the guidance in the [Martial Combat Step] scroll regarding "resonating with the weapon" and assumed the starting posture for a thrust.

"Huff!"

The instant his foot stepped out, Roland felt a strange pulling force.

It was no longer "I step forward, then thrust the sword." Instead, the intent to thrust seemed to pass through the hilt and reach his feet, guiding the length and landing point of his step.

That step not only provided forward momentum, but also subtly adjusted his center of gravity and angle, making the thrust smoother. Power seemed to connect from heel to sword tip, condensed to an extraordinary degree.

He even felt the mithril longsword's tip "want" to pierce forward more than ever before.

"Guidance... the weapon is guiding my steps?"

Roland opened his eyes, excitement glittering within them.

He tried a diagonal slide step followed by a chop.

This time, at the end of the slide, the longsword's weight and chopping trajectory drove his body into rotation, perfectly transforming the slide's kinetic energy into the force of the chop.

The blade cut through the air with a short, sharp sound. It required less effort than usual, yet its power did not diminish at all.

"The combination of these two is... too perfect!"

Roland almost cried out.

He repeatedly tried several basic movements.

Forward thrusts, retreats, lateral shifts, diagonal cuts.

Each time, he focused on letting the mithril longsword's "momentum" guide the movement beneath his feet, rather than forcing his body to match the weapon through strength.

Every combination of movement and attack became smoother and more efficient than before, as though the longsword had become an extension of his body and the footwork was the natural rhythm of that extended limb.

"The room is too small. And... testing only one weapon is far from enough."

Burning curiosity blazed in Roland's eyes.

"[Knight Dies Not Unarmed] lets me wield any weapon, and [Martial Combat Step]... can it perfectly adapt to all weapons? The cunning of a dagger? The dominance of a lance? The heaviness of a warhammer? Even... nonstandard weapons?"

After only gaining a first glimpse through the mithril longsword, he had already seen an immensely broad, entirely new vision of battle.

It was a realm that used the weapon as guide and footwork as foundation, transforming his body into true combat art.

Without further hesitation, Roland quickly rolled up the parchment scroll and stuffed it back into his belt pouch, grabbed the mithril longsword from the table, and strode out of the room, heading straight for the training ground.

He needed space, all kinds of weapons, and combat simulations to thoroughly verify and master this newly understood "flow" of weapon resonance.

After quickly arriving at the town training ground and greeting the manager, Roland eagerly grabbed one weapon after another.

When he swung a heavy warhammer in his hands, his footwork and the twist of his waist aligned perfectly. The blow struck with greater force, while the recoil was cleverly dispersed through the precise placement of his feet, greatly reducing the burden on his arms.

When he switched to a light dagger, his fine slide steps seemed drawn by the edge. His attack angles became tricky and swift, and the same offensive movements consumed significantly less stamina, greatly improving his endurance.

As for the long knight's lance...

An explosive forward step combined with core force made the spearhead's thrust faster and more penetrating, while withdrawing the lance and retreating became smooth and swift.

With every weapon switch, [Knight Dies Not Unarmed] allowed him to instantly understand the new weapon's "nature," while [Martial Combat Step] immediately transformed that understanding into the most suitable rhythm of footwork.

Power traveled from beneath his feet directly to the weapon's end with minimal loss and greater force.

Movement and attack became one whole, and transitions between offense and defense were smooth and natural.

Stamina consumption decreased dramatically, while endurance improved significantly.

Sweat flowed, yet the light in Roland's eyes only grew brighter.

This was not merely new footwork. It was a transformation of combat instinct.

The combination of [Martial Combat Step] and [Knight Dies Not Unarmed] had pushed his combat techniques into an entirely new realm.

Bang!

After placing the weapon in his hand back on the rack, Roland felt his blood boiling with excitement and let out a long breath.

"Unfortunately, the nearby Bugbears have already been almost completely exterminated. Otherwise, I could verify in real battle what kind of transformation [Martial Combat Step] and [Knight Dies Not Unarmed] can bring me."

Thinking this, he gently shook his head. After raising his eyes to look at the darkening sky, he turned and walked back toward the inn.