From Blade To Spell

Then he moved on to the next group. They were dispatched just as easily.

The hunt earned him 1,400 experience points, bringing his total to 51,000. Only 4,000 more to reach the Great Knight Realm.

He returned to his vantage point and resumed monitoring the cave.

Time passed.

Inside the cave, Fodo stared at his men, confused.

"You mean the three hunting teams we sent out haven't returned?"

His subordinate nodded, face serious, "Yes, Captain Fodo. I believe someone is targeting us."

Fodo shook his head. "Impossible."

But then, his expression darkened. "Gather two search teams. And be careful this time."

Aaron watched as two more groups of soldiers departed in different directions. Each group had ten men, and this time, the leader was a Level 11 Knight, a true Knight Realm warrior.

Without hesitation, Aaron trailed one of the groups, keeping a close eye on the map. No other soldiers followed, which gave him a sense of relief.

Meanwhile, one of the teams discovered the bodies of their fallen comrades. The Knight knelt to inspect the wounds, when suddenly, a chilling sensation of death enveloped him.

His eyes widened. He gasped, struggling to breathe, an arrow had pierced his neck.

Before he could react, his soldiers began collapsing around him. Some tried to flee toward the trees, but none survived.

Only the Knight remained, breathing heavily, staring at the unseen killer with terror. As he raised his head, he heard a final woosh, then pain in his eyes. His body crumpled to the ground.

Aaron descended, refilled his quiver, and rushed toward the second group.

A few minutes later, he arrived. The soldiers were alert, scanning the surroundings. Even the Knight looked tense.

"Sir, let's return quickly. The killer is a master archer—"

Before the soldier could finish, an arrow struck his head. He collapsed with a confused expression.

Two more fell instantly.

The Knight shouted, "Shields! Put up the shields!"

But before they could react, another arrow whistled through the air, striking the Knight's legs.

He screamed in agony, "Bastard, moth—"

Another arrow pierced his other leg, dropping him to his knees. Then, a final arrow struck his neck.

As he died, his expression was filled with regret, "Damn it… if only we'd brought our iron armor…"

The remaining soldiers were paralyzed with fear. They couldn't even locate their attacker. One by one, they fell without resistance.

Aaron emerged, refilled his quiver, and checked his stats.

He had killed twenty soldiers and two Knights. The Level 11 Knight gave him 1,000 experience points. The Level 12 Knight gave him 2,000 experience points. The rest totaled 3,000 experience points

His total now stood at 55,650 experience points.

Aaron felt a wave of relief. He knew that reaching the Great Knight Realm would require massive experience, but now, the path felt achievable.

He had gained not only strength, but also equipment to arm his men. Without hesitation, he allocated all his experience points.

A warm current surged through Aaron's body. The sensation was so soothing, he let out a soft moan. He felt the energy gathering in his stomach region, the very place where strands of energy had always accumulated.

At the Knight Realm, he could use these strands to enhance his body temporarily. They could be recovered through a breathing method, though he rarely used it, until now.

This time, the energy had fully gathered, forming a dense ball. Aaron focused carefully and realized it contained a hundred strands of energy, tightly packed with a hardened outer layer.

Suddenly, the energy began to fuse rapidly, condensing into a seed. The transformation startled him.

Even after forming the seed, it continued to release strands of energy. But now, each strand was far denser than before. With his current breathing technique, he could recover one strand every minute.

Unlike before, each strand now lasted five full minutes, greatly enhancing his combat abilities. Aaron clenched his fists, feeling the power coursing through him.

Aaron didn't hesitate. He activated a strand of energy, and instantly, he felt his physical strength double. His muscles tightened, his senses sharpened, and his body felt lighter, faster, deadlier.

Then he made a discovery: He could now channel this energy into weapons, even ordinary ones, making them harder, sharper, and far more durable.

To test it, he infused a fallen knight's sword with the energy. The blade gleamed faintly, its edge sharper than ever. But the moment the energy strand was exhausted, the sword cracked and shattered into pieces.

Still, the result was promising. If he could infuse his arrows with this power, Who in the Great Knight Realm could stop them?

Aaron Warwick

Knight (Level 21) (0/10,000)

HP: 360/360

MP: 100/100

STR: 13+18+5= 36

DEX: 12+18+5= 35

CON: 13+18+5= 36

INT: 5+0+5= 10

Skills:

- Lion Breathing Mastery (Lv.5) (0/500)

- Basic Sword Mastery (lv.2) (3/200)

- Basic Archer Mastery (lv.7) (0/700)

- Cooking (lv.1) (50/100)

Experience Points: 650.

Aaron took a closer look at his stats.

His Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution had each increased by 2 points per level, totaling +18 points by Level 20. Upon breaking through to the Great Knight Realm, he gained an additional +5 points in each of those attributes.

His Intelligence, however, remained unchanged throughout his leveling journey, only increasing by +5 points after reaching the Great Knight Realm.

He felt confident.With his current stats, he could easily defeat his former self.

But now, the path ahead was steeper.

To reach Level 22, he would need 10,000 experience points.

Level 23 would require 20,000, Level 24, 30,000, and so on.

He realized that unless he hunted or killed monsters above Level 11, his progress would slow dramatically.

So he made a decision, it was time to focus on upgrading his basic skills.

Aaron opened the map and scanned the red dots.

Now, he could easily identify their levels. Most of the remaining soldiers were still below Level 10, except for three:

- One at Level 17

- One at Level 14

- One at Level 15

Curiosity stirred in his mind. Whose army did these soldiers belong to? And why were they marked as red dots, a clear sign of hostility?

Aaron didn't dwell on compassion. Red meant enemy. That was enough.

He quietly left his position and returned to the tree. There was still time before sunset.