From Blade To Spell

He checked the map again. The energy stone was now marked as being on his body.

Confused, he examined the pouches. He had already checked the cloak's pockets and found nothing.

Just then, a voice echoed in his mind:

"ENERGY STONE DETECTED.

Do you want to use it to upgrade the map?

Cost: 10 Energy Stones.

YES / NO."

Aaron responded instantly, "Yes."

A magical scene unfolded. One of the small bags opened on its own, and books began to spill out.

Aaron's eyes widened, "Is this… a magic storage bag?"

His breathing grew heavy.

Another message appeared:

"50 ENERGY STONES DETECTED.

Do you want to awaken Mage Profession?"

YES / NO."

Aaron didn't hesitate, "Yes."

At first, nothing changed. But when he opened his stats panel, he saw a new addition, mage Profession, ready to be leveled with experience points.

The map, now upgraded to Level 3, was also displayed directly on his stats. And a new skill had appeared:

LOOT (Passive) (Level 1) (0/1000)- Killing any enemies of Level 1 and above has a 30% chance to drop items, equipment, scrolls, or potions.

After checking his stats, Aaron hesitated.

He had earned a total of 19,500 experience points.

He noticed that the experience required to level up as a Mage was the same as in the Knight Realm. Without delay, he allocated 5,500 experience points.

As each level increased, a strange sensation washed over him. His mind felt clearer. Thoughts flowed effortlessly. It was as if he could read and understand everything with newfound depth.

The feeling was mysterious.

Aaron Warwick

Map (Level 3) (0/100)

Mage (Level 11) (0/1000)

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

HP: 360/360

MP: 200/200

STR: 36+0= 36

DEX: 35+0= 35

CON: 36+0= 36

INT: 10+10= 20

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)

- Loot (lv. 1) (0/1000)

Experience Points: 14,000.

After reviewing his stats, Aaron noticed something unexpected. His Intelligence had increased by another ten points, while the rest of his attributes remained unchanged.

He accepted it calmly. This was the nature of awakening a new profession.

His eyes turned to the magic storage bag in his hand.

Curiosity sparked. He wanted to open it, test its limits.

He recalled a novel from his previous life: Magic storage bags could be activated by channeling energy into them.

He hesitated, then channeled his Knight energy into the pouch. Nothing happened.

Puzzled, he frowned. Then it struck him, his stats never displayed Knight energy. Only Mana Points.

He shifted focus. Instead of brute force, he concentrated his mind on the bag.

Instantly, he felt a connection, a subtle link between his consciousness and the pouch.

Excitement surged through him.

He had unlocked it.

Aaron began to experiment.

After experimenting for a while, Aaron discovered something remarkable, with just a thought, he could channel mana.

Unlike Knight energy, which resided in his abdomen,

Mana flowed from his forehead, and he could control it effortlessly with his mind.

But while Knight energy enhanced his physical abilities,

the applications of mana were still a mystery to him. So far, it had only helped him open the storage bag.

He carefully stored the books that had fallen out earlier,

then turned his attention to the second storage bag. Injecting mana into it, the bag opened easily. Its internal space was the same, 3 cubic meters.

Inside, he found a pouch filled with Energy Stones. He'd need to count them. There were also two books, which he set aside to examine later.

And then, three stones, each carved with intricate runes arranged in a star-like formation. They radiated a quiet mystery, and Aaron felt instinctively that they were important.

He opened the pouch and counted the stones, 30 Energy Stones.

The number surprised him. He had expected more. Still, he shook his head, stored everything back inside, and prepared to return.

Back at the camp.

Torvald was stunned as he watched Captain Monga return, accompanied by sailors carrying piles of armor and weapons. The others in camp were equally shocked.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Torvald asked, "Captain Monga, where did all these armors and weapons come from?"

Monga replied in a firm, loud voice, "Boss, we stripped them from the corpses of the soldiers Lord Aaron killed. Every single one of them was taken down without a chance to retaliate."

He paused, then added, "Also, Boss… those soldiers were part of the Black Guards, under Viscount Rudolf."

Torvald's eyes widened, but before he could speak, Monga continued, "If you want more details, you'll need to speak with Lord Aaron directly."

Torvald sighed and nodded. There was no doubt now, Aaron's strength wasn't just impressive. It was terrifying.

Kelly's eyes widened in disbelief. She was from Cotton Town, and before her father was framed and executed, her family had been enslaved. The man behind it all, Captain Fodo of the Black Guards.

She knew more than most about him. In Cotton Town, it was common knowledge that Viscount Rudolf's Black Guards were elite, capable of hunting Tier 2 beasts with ease.

Thinking about it now, a storm of emotions swirled inside her, anger, grief, and a strange sense of vindication.

At that moment, Kathy gently tugged her sister's hand and whispered, "Sister… what do we do now?"

They had made a plan, to train under Lord Aaron's protection, grow stronger, and one day take revenge on Viscount Rudolf, the man behind their suffering.

But now, things had changed.  Lord Aaron had not only encountered the Black Guards, he had annihilated them.

That could only mean one thing: His strength had reached Peak Tier Knight, or perhaps even Great Knight.

Just thinking about it made their hearts flutter. If Aaron was truly that powerful, then the day they saw Viscount Rudolf's corpse might not be far off.

Kelly replied in a low, steady voice, "We stick to the plan. Only by becoming strong can we have value under Lord Aaron. Only then can we make our demands."

Kathy nodded, her eyes filled with quiet resolve.

Nearby, Toro and the others didn't fully grasp the scale of Aaron's feat. But they understood one thing clearly, Lord Aaron was strong. Strong enough to wipe out an entire army.