In the training room, Locke looked at the items in front of him and fell into deep thought.
There were about ten grams of blood essence in an oval shape that looked like a red diamond. It was only the size of a thumb.
There was a dark red potion in a test tube that was as long as a forearm. The bottom of the light pink potion was constantly bubbling, giving it a blurry hue.
There was also a small green plant with a slender stem. There were dewdrops on its leaves, which showed that the original owner had preserved it very well.
Apart from these three items, there were also several other potions and items that Locke had collected over the past two years that were useful for breaking through.
Unlike nobles with deep financial resources or prominent families, a grassroots knight like Locke could only rely on his own accumulation over a long period of time to reach a higher level.
Speaking of grassroots, Locke was no longer the soldier from the second infantry division of Faustian's Falcon corps.
Whether it was Angelina's help in various aspects or Glace's broadening of his horizons, very few people in Aomar could tell that he was a commoner.
Locke took a deep breath and began to circulate his Falconim, trying to adjust his state to its best.
It was a risky move to break through this time. It had only been three years since he became a mid-rank Knecht. Logically speaking, he should've cultivated for about five more years before considering breaking through to a high-rank Knecht.
But things never went according to plan. Once Angelina became a mid-rank Lehrling and went to the Sanctum to study, Locke didn't know how long it would be before he could meet her again.
The only way was to break through to a high-rank Knecht.
In Aomar, if a knight broke through to a high-rank Knecht, he didn't need to do anything himself. The Hall of Knights would naturally come to welcome him.
As one of the two largest forces in Missia, the Hall of Knights had to replenish their blood every year if they wanted to maintain their long-standing heritage.
High-rank Knechts were the source of their vitality.
Every high-rank Knecht could be considered a reserve Ritter and could play a certain role in many aspects, such as... Planar war.
Locke was so eager to break through to a high-rank Knecht because he heard that the Hall of Knights seemed to have a close relationship with the Sanctum. If he became a member of the Hall of Knights, it would be much more convenient for him to meet Angelina in the future.
It wasn't in his nature to cultivate quietly for a few years and wait for the day he could rise to the top and find Angelina.
Although Locke had always kept a low profile, his courage to take risks was also one of his few characteristics.
It was just a failure. Locke was already prepared for the worst.
As he circulated his impetus, he was also thinking about the success rate of his advancement. During his time in Princeton Academy, he hated arithmetic, but it was also thanks to it that his logical thinking had improved a lot.
Blood essence was one of the few treasures that could be used repeatedly to increase one's strength. In the past month and a half, Locke had taken on a total of six trial missions and completed five of them. One of them was to deal with a drilling pangolin, but due to the nature of the major monster, Locke let it escape.
The completion of the five trial missions had also left Locke with a body full of wounds. One had to know that five trial missions were the number of missions that Locke had completed in the past six months.
If he didn't have the blood essence, the amount of blood he lost would be enough to drain him dry twice.
The high-intensity killing and life-or-death training were also very effective, and Locke's foundation was a little deeper than before.
Ten grams of blood essence was the maximum amount he could consume at one time, and it was also the best way to increase his strength in a short period of time. If he consumed more, he might not be able to withstand too much blood essence and explode into a cloud of blood mist.
Blood essence could increase his chances of breaking through tonight by twenty percent, which was already considered a lot. That was why the price of blood essence had always been high.
The crimson potion was given to him by Joaquin. He originally had two of them, but after trading one to Shabille, he only had one now. If he failed this time, it would be more difficult for him to break through next time, and he might not even be able to get his hands on such a precious potion in the future.
The effect of the scarlet potion was similar to that of blood essence. These two auxiliary treasures were the main reason why Locke was confident in breaking through this time.
The cliff-edge grass was obtained from the trade fair, and its effect was slightly worse than the other two. It only had a 1.5% chance of improvement, and because of the severe side effects of consuming it, it would indirectly increase the difficulty of breaking through. However, Locke didn't care at all.
Coupled with the other potions and auxiliary items, Locke's success rate was sixty percent, which was already not low. Many knights were mediocre for their entire lives and stopped advancing after becoming mid-rank Knechts.
It wasn't that they didn't want to climb to a higher level, but the room for improvement was too small. Their success rate might only be around twenty percent in their lifetime, and it wasn't worth it for them to take such a huge risk.
If Locke practiced for another two years, his success rate should be seventy-five percent, or even eighty percent. He could accumulate more knowledge or get other auxiliary potions, but time waited for no man.
After circulating Eaglestick for the last time, Locke exhaled and reached for the scarlet potion.
...
Outside the training room, several people stood there anxiously.
The stone walls of the training room were specially built by Angelina. The cost wasn't much less than that of her alchemy lab. It was impossible to know what was going on inside from the outside. This was a place for high-rank Knechts to train without fear.
Suzanne and Lia held hands with worry in their eyes. They didn't know much about impetus, but every time Locke broke out of the training room, he would always end up with a body full of injuries.
Kristin and Laffey stood on either side of Glace. "Auntie, is Brother alright?" Kristin suddenly asked as she tugged at Glace's sleeve.
"Of course he's fine." Glace hugged Kristin and comforted her. Laffey had just told them that Locke came back exhausted, and judging from his tattered clothes, he'd gone through several battles. Thus, Glace and Kristin were a little worried about him.
Angelina stood alone on the other side, staring at the closed stone door of the training room. No one knew what she was thinking.
-----
Thank you to the readers of Easy Fatty for your support of five hundred Crosstalk coins and a monthly ticket!
Thank you to the readers of Knight's Journey for your support of one hundred Crosstalk coins. My friend, your name is very cool. Thank you for your support!