After almost an hour of exining what had transpired in the forest, ric stepped out of his father''s study room. He was exhausted, but he had yet toplete today''s daily mission so he headed straight to the training grounds.
Damn. I''m tired. Should I skip today''s daily mission?
He immediately erased the thought from his mind. He would receive a penalty once he skipped his daily mission. Although the penalty wasn''t heavy, he didn''t want to lose even one of those stat points.
When he arrived at the training grounds still dressed in his bloodstained leather armor, the Knight Apprentices who were in the middle of their training were stunned.
"Is that Lord ric?"
"I almost didn''t recognize him because of his appearance."
Among them, Rasmus was simrly surprised.
What happened in the Evergreen Forest?
ric ignored the shocked Knight Apprentices and started doing his routine. He had already done this for a few months so he was now proficient in performing the exercises.
100 pushups ??
100 sit-ups ??
100 pull-ups ??
10 km run ??
100 vertical shes ??
100 diagonal shes ??
100 horizontal shes ??
100 stabs ??
[You received 10 Battle Points.]
[You received 1 EXP.]
[You received 1 Stat Point.]
ric immediately opened the cyan screen with a thought to check his progress.
ric Silversword [Knight] EXP: 283/500
Potential: B
Traits: Horseback Riding (C), Swordsmanship (SSS), Close Combat (D), Archery (F), Hunting (E), Tracking (F), Sixth Sense (F)
Strength: 100
Stamina: 34+
Agility: 43+
Vitality: 27+
Endurance: 42+
Mana: 13+
Battle Points: 2030
Stat Points: 11
(Requirements for next advancement: 500 EXP, 100 in all attributes, and 5000 Battle Points)
I''m almost halfway through my battle point requirement. Well… I still have a long way to go.
ric was quite satisfied with his progress. With more missions, he might advance faster than he had anticipated. The only problem was that they rarely appeared.
[Do you want to use your Equipment Upgrade Card?]
[Yes] [No]
Hm?
He had almost forgotten about this.
He looked around and noticed that the Knight Apprentices were watching his every move. Some were even copying his exercises.
Seeing this, ric waved at them and quickly left the training grounds. He then headed straight to his room before he clicked [Yes].
[Please choose an item that you want to upgrade.]
An item? How do I choose an item?
He was confused. It was then that he suddenly thought about something.
He grabbed the two swords tied to his waist and muttered. "Can I use this?"
[You can only upgrade one item.]
Another message appeared on the cyan screen.
I see. So that''s what it was talking about. Should I try it on one of my swords?
ric thought deeply. He wasn''t sure what this thing would do to his sword, but he knew that the cyan screen never did something ordinary.
After some hesitation, ric sheathed one of his swords, leaving him with one sword in his hand.
[Do you want to use your Equipment Upgrade Card on the selected item?]
[Yes] [No]
ric clicked [Yes].@@novelbin@@
[Congrattions! You have upgraded your Common Steel Sword to Umon Steel Sword!]
[Umon Steel Sword]
Sharpness: 10
Durability: 10
ric furrowed his eyebrows when he noticed the changes on the sword.
It''s a bit heavier and the de seems to be sharper than it was before. Is this because of that Equipment Upgrade Card?
ric wanted to put it to the test.
He swung the sword a couple of times.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
ric realized immediately that the sword had truly improved. Although it was a bit heavier, every blow from his sword now carried more strength. He also found out that he could infuse it with mana to strengthen the de and lighten its weight.
He knew that only weapons forged by skilled artisans could do something like this.
A normal steel sword became a powerful weapon after being upgraded by that card. Amazing!
ric''s eyes shed with joy. With this sword, his strength would significantly improve.
Too bad I only got one. If only I had one more, I could have upgraded both my swords.
ricmented with a look of regret.
***
The next day.
It was the 20th of November in the Astanian Calendar.
ric justpleted his daily mission.
After his training, he headed to the clinic to check the condition of Henry and Aldrin.
Upon his arrival, he was greeted by the doctor in charge, an old man who looked to be in his sixties.
"Greetings, my lord!" The old doctor bowed politely.
ric nodded to acknowledge his greeting.
"How are the patients, Doctor Loyd?" He asked the old man.
Doctor Loyd smiled faintly at his inquiry. "Everyone has been treated on time, my lord. With a little more time, they should fully recover and return to their normal lives."
ric was relieved to hear this. "That''s good. Can I visit them? I''d like to speak with them."
The old doctor nodded without hesitation.
"Absolutely. I will take you inside."
ric shook his head and said.
"There''s no need to trouble you, Doctor Loyd. I can go in by myself."
"Will that be alright?" The old doctor hesitated.
ric reassured the old man.
"Alright, but if you need anything, don''t hesitate to call me." Doctor Loyd reminded him.
"Of course."
After getting the doctor''s signal, ric entered the building where the patients were being monitored.
He first visited the Knight Apprentices. They were overwhelmed by his presence. They didn''t expect that he woulde to visit them and check their condition. This made them feel that they had chosen the right lord to follow.
ric knew the importance of building trust between his subordinates. It was just a small gesture from him, but this would make those warriors more loyal to him.
In this dog-eat-dog world, who wouldn''t want to follow a caring lord?
Soon, he headed to thest room where Henry and Aldrin were staying.
"My lord?"
"Lord ric!"
Both Knights were startled when they saw him stepping inside the room.
"At ease you two. I came here to check on your situation." ric smiled at them.