What Roland took out was the ring he had obtained from the Bugbear, engraved with the first-circle spell [Shield].

When he first got the ring, he had planned to ask Bronson to study it and see whether its depleted Mana Elements could be replenished, restoring the magical item's function.

Unexpectedly, before he could raise the request, Bronson had given him a surprise first.

"This is..."

Bronson accepted the ring and examined it carefully.

His research into magical items during this period had given him considerable experience. After rubbing it for only a moment, he reached a conclusion.

"Another magical item?"

Seeing Roland nod, Bronson's gaze turned subtle.

He had long heard of Roland's talent in combat.

During his stay at the noble estate in Blackwater Territory, he had almost never left his room. Even so, he had learned from the idle chatter of patrolling guards just how astonishing the young man's rate of improvement was.

Even then, Bronson had only been mildly surprised.

Years ago, when he had conducted academic research in the Royal Capital of Golden Valley Kingdom, he had been employed by a powerful noble and had seen plenty of geniuses.

So although Roland's growth speed far surpassed ordinary people, Bronson had viewed it as outstanding, not truly shocking.

However...

Rubbing the ring in his hand, Bronson's expression grew complicated.

This world had never lacked geniuses. What it lacked were geniuses who could seize opportunities as they grew.

How many people with astonishing talent had ultimately faded into mediocrity because they lacked that final bit of luck?

Yet the young man before him always seemed to receive fate's favor at crucial moments.

Before the Final Era, these two magical items, even the pendant engraved with [Death Ward], would not have counted as precious objects.

After all, so-called magical items were little more than toys made by spellcasters in their leisure time. They were rarely used in real battle. Otherwise, they would not have carried the fatal flaw of becoming useless once their mana was depleted.

But what era was this now?

Several centuries had already passed since the Final Era.

In this age of low mana, any magical item that could still operate was a strategic resource capable of changing the course of a battle.

Yet after the scouring of time, countless brilliant legacies had already been severed, let alone these fragile magical items.

Roland, however, had not only obtained magical items. He had obtained two at once.

Even rarer, although their materials were crude, both magical items still had a chance of being reactivated.

That luck made even the well-traveled Bronson click his tongue in private wonder.

And beyond that...

Bronson's gaze drifted to the pale bone around Roland's left wrist.

Roland had concealed nothing from him about what had happened in Mist Creek Town.

Therefore, he clearly knew that the owner of this bone had been a true Dragon.

That was a Dragon.

Even though Bronson had only seen related records in ancient texts, recalling those descriptions was enough to make his fingertips shake.

Yet Roland had not only survived beneath a Dragon's claws, but had even preserved this crucial trophy...

As his thoughts settled, Bronson's expression became harder to read.

If he had not personally witnessed this young man rise step by step from humble beginnings, he would almost have suspected...

That the youth before him had truly received the favor of some deity...

"Mr. Bronson?"

Roland frowned slightly and waved a hand before the distracted scholar's eyes.

Only then did Bronson come back to himself.

"Ah, sorry, Roland. My mind wandered..."

He gave an embarrassed dry laugh, then grew serious.

"The spell rune engraved on this ring is..."

"The first-circle spell [Shield]."

Roland supplied the answer.

"[Shield]?"

Bronson's eyes lit up at once.

"That is quite a practical defensive spell!"

The scholar quickly gathered his thoughts, and his entire bearing shifted into the focus unique to researchers.

He narrowed his eyes, his rough fingertips carefully rubbing every line on the ring's surface.

At times, he raised the ring under the candlelight to observe it. At others, he used the small knife he carried to scrape the edge and test the material.

Suddenly, his finger stopped. He pressed a certain recessed spot several times, and a thoughtful smile touched the corner of his mouth.

"Although the material of this ring is inferior..."

Bronson placed the ring on the table, tapped the cloudy crystal set into it with his finger, and continued,

"Because the spell rune engraved inside is only a first-circle spell, after its function is restored, as long as you do not use it frequently, there should be no risk of damage."

Roland's eyes brightened at the news.

If what Bronson said was true, that meant he would soon possess the first-circle spell [Shield].

For him, who currently knew only a few cantrips, this was tremendous good news.

"In that case..."

Roland pushed the ring back in front of Bronson.

"I'll have to trouble you to restore its function."

"Leave it to me!"

Bronson answered readily.

After the two chatted for a few more moments, Roland left Bronson's small house and headed straight for the kitchen.

By dusk, he had completed a sumptuous dinner.

Avril appeared beside the dining table with perfect timing, neither early nor late.

The originally quiet courtyard was soon filled with laughter and conversation.

After dinner ended and they saw Avril and Hobby off, Roland returned to his room, lay down on the soft bed, and entered dreamland.

Early the next morning, he woke on time. After a quick wash, he set out for the Blacksmith Guild.

In the days that followed, Roland's life became regular once more.

In the morning, he went to the Blacksmith Guild to temper [Basic Blacksmithing]. At dusk, he focused on practicing the breathing method. At night, he activated the [Focus] trait and immersed himself in studying [Basic Magic Theory].

The others' days remained more or less as usual.

Bronson was still absorbed in his research, while the Halfling Hobby still visited from time to time to ask him for advice on combat techniques.

As for Galvez...

He remained as enthusiastic as ever, singing loudly in taverns or at banquets hosted by nobles as he recounted his adventure stories.

Thanks to him, the name "Roland" now had a modest reputation in the Royal Capital of the River Kingdoms.

Colin, the merchant far away in Far Harbor, somehow learned of this news as well.

Not only did he send a letter with greetings and concern, he also enclosed a brand-new card.

The amount within, judging by Roland's current spending, was enough for him to live comfortably for quite some time.

Teresa, meanwhile, seemed to have realized her own lack of strength after the fierce battles with the Bugbears.

So she began going to the training ground every day to polish her combat techniques, and from time to time, she accepted commissions from the Adventurer's Guild to improve through real combat.

Among all of them, the one who changed the most was Avril.

Because the merchant forces of the River Kingdoms were planning to clear out the Wolf King entrenched in the Misty Lands, the Elf girl, as a reserve member of Shadow Veil, was far less idle than before.

At the very least, the shrinking number of times she came to freeload meals showed just how busy she had been lately.

Time passed quietly through this regular life.

Before anyone noticed, half a month had gone by.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Inside a workshop at the Blacksmith Guild, rhythmic metallic strikes echoed.

Roland set down the hammer, used iron tongs to pick up the red-hot rough blank, and plunged it into the cooling trough beside him.

Hiss!

With a sharp hiss, thick white steam rose.

Within the drifting mist, a concise line of golden text appeared before Roland's eyes.

[Basic Blacksmithing has reached max level]

"[Basic Blacksmithing] finally reached max level."

Staring at the word "MAX" before [Basic Blacksmithing] on the occupation panel, Roland let out a long breath and picked up the hammer again.

Amid the clanging strikes, he sensed the subtle differences within.

Unlike other techniques, max-level [Basic Blacksmithing] did not bring about a single, leap-like breakthrough.

It was more like the final condensation of experience, technique, and insight.

After plunging another red-hot forged tool into the cold-water pool, Roland's gaze returned to the occupation panel.

"Then I am only missing max-level [Basic Magic Theory] and the completion of three hundred spell circuit engravings before becoming an [Enchanter]."

Unlike [Basic Blacksmithing], which had a level cap of only five, Roland had already raised [Basic Magic Theory] to level six with the support of the [Focus] trait. But the word "MAX" had still not appeared.

From this, he guessed that max level for [Basic Magic Theory] was very likely around level seven.

As for engraving spell circuits...

This task was far more complex than forging tools, and the time and energy it consumed increased severalfold.

But under Roland's day-after-day practice, his progress had already approached three hundred. Reaching the goal was only a matter of time.

"Both are higher occupations, yet becoming an [Enchanter], a profession leaning toward production, takes even longer than becoming a [Knight Apprentice]."

The thought crossed Roland's mind, but he felt no annoyance at all.

After all, compared with the job requirements for [Knight Apprentice], which required battles of life and death, the conditions for [Enchanter] were clearly much gentler.

The only price was spending a few more days.

Thinking this, he placed the finished tools into the cargo box and pulled the wind chime beside the door.

A clear knock soon sounded.

"Come in."

Roland answered.

Only after receiving permission did the person outside open the door, revealing a short yet unusually sturdy figure.

It was the receptionist at the Blacksmith Guild's front desk, the Dwarf Noel.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Roland."

"Good afternoon, Noel."

After a simple greeting, Noel bent down and began counting the tools in the cargo box.

He tapped a shield with his knuckles, turned his ear to listen to the long, clear echo, and a nearly intoxicated expression appeared on his face.

"Tsk, tsk... impressive..."

Noel praised softly, then turned his gaze to Roland.

"Mr. Roland, your forging skill... seems to have improved again. Are you sure you won't consider opening a blacksmith shop of your own? Just looking at this iron sword..."

The Dwarf drew an iron sword from the cargo box and raised it high.

The sharp blade gleamed with a chilling edge beneath the afternoon sun.

"Excellent workmanship, superior texture. Selling it for dozens of silver coins would be no problem at all!"

"Heh..."

Roland only shook his head.

The purpose of his coming to the Blacksmith Guild had been to temper [Basic Blacksmithing].

As for money?

With Colin, that generous merchant, around, at least while Roland remained in the River Kingdoms, he had no need to worry about coin.

"I do not plan to spend all day guarding a blacksmith shop and making a living by hammering iron."

Roland said it with a soft laugh.

"That is true..."

Noel set down the iron sword and nodded thoughtfully.

He had also heard the recent rumors about Roland in the Royal Capital.

Because of that, when he looked at Roland, his eyes contained not only admiration, but also sincere respect.

In terms of forging skill alone, Roland had already reached a polished level.

In Noel's view, many old blacksmiths who had worked for years could not hope to reach it.

Even more astonishing was that the young man before him also possessed combat strength far beyond ordinary people.

"Mr. Roland not only has such exquisite forging skill, but also the combat strength of an extraordinary powerhouse..."

"Clearing out monsters, slaying Bugbears, tsk, tsk, tsk... Is this the difference between geniuses and ordinary people?"

Roland ignored the complicated look in Noel's eyes. He wiped his hands with a greasy rag and casually asked,

"By the way, Noel, is Master Griffin here today?"

"I am sorry, Mr. Roland."

Noel immediately bowed slightly and answered respectfully,

"Master Griffin had business outside today and is not at the guild. Is there anything you need me to pass on?"

"Nothing important."

Looking at the Dwarf's overly cautious manner, Roland waved it off.

Since [Basic Blacksmithing] had reached max level, he no longer needed to spend long periods at the Blacksmith Guild.

The time freed up could be used to practice sea survival techniques and prepare for becoming a [Pirate].

"I have other matters to handle for a while, so I may not come to the guild often. Please help me express my apologies to Master Griffin."

"No problem, Mr. Roland."

After a few brief pleasantries, Roland walked out of the Blacksmith Guild.

However, he did not head straight home to practice the knight breathing method as usual. Instead, he took a small boat directly to the Knight Academy.

If it was only to practice sea survival techniques and awaken skills, his small fishing boat would barely be enough.

But becoming a [Pirate] required more than mastering four sea survival techniques. There was also one hard requirement.

Successfully plunder five large ships.

That was something his small fishing boat could never accomplish.

Fortunately, Hawk's older brother, the Halfling Trevor, had previously promised to lend him a ship for skill practice.

Since that was the case, Roland had no intention of being polite.

This would let him become familiar with operating a proper ship while practicing sea survival techniques, laying a foundation for the later "plunder" task.

Having made up his mind, Roland passed through the guards' inspection at the gate and walked straight toward the training ground.

At this time of day, Hobby would usually be there polishing his combat techniques.

But perhaps because Roland had arrived a little early today, there was no sign of the Halfling in the training ground.

In his place was someone especially conspicuous.

A broad, muscular figure with a fierce face.

That person was swinging a massive axe, launching an unending series of heavy chops at a training post.

The dull, thunderous impacts alone were enough to display his terrifying strength and astonishing speed.

"Is that... the Orc?"

Catching sight of that distinctive crimson skin, Roland recalled for a moment and confirmed the other party's identity.

It was the Orc who had fought him during Instructor Reggie's practical combat class.

"I remember his name... I think it was... Freddy?"

Sensing Roland's gaze, Freddy abruptly stopped.

Those eyes, showing too much white, snapped toward Roland at the edge of the training ground.

For a moment, only the red-skinned Orc's heavy, bellows-like breathing remained in the silent training ground.

A moment later, just as Roland was wondering why the other party was staring at him,

Freddy suddenly strode forward, dragging heavy footsteps as he came straight toward him.