Having finished allocating Skill Points, Rein took out the beautifully bound and luxurious book from his chest, examined it for a moment, and then placed it under the bed.
Feeling a bit tired tonight, he planned to read it thoroughly tomorrow morning.
Lying in bed, Rein's mood had calmed down a lot compared to this evening when he discovered that the Hyena gang members had tracked down Anna's house.
At that time, he was filled with emotions like anxiety and anger when he saw the gang interrogating Anna and Bo He.
After two consecutive killings, especially since eliminating the 'Hyena King' Kael and obliterating the entire Hyena gang, Rein's anger had been fully vented.
Now, his thoughts were drifting away.
Scenes of recent battles, such as with the Hyena gang, the assassin, the malicious mermen, the frenzied werewolves, and so on, flowed through Rein's mind.
"Although this world is a Transcendent one, it seems even more stark, following the law of the dark jungle even more strictly."
"Currently I am still very weak. If I want to protect myself, my family, and those I wish to protect, then I must grow faster and become sufficiently strong..."
"Moreover, this world seems to be even more dangerous than I imagined..."
"..."
Gradually, Rein fell into a deep sleep!
The next morning.
Rein woke up early, sitting by the window, he began to flip through that beautiful book.
The patterns on the cover seemed to represent some sort of reverence for nature, as it depicted bears, deer, wolves, leopards, various flowers, and tall trees.
Additionally, the animals portrayed here were in peaceful postures, not in aggressive stances.
Turning the pages, Rein carefully read the few paragraphs written by the original owner at the front of the diary.
This section mainly described techniques for strengthening dogs and gaining their favor, "Providing dogs with nutritional meals three times a day can effectively promote their growth and development..."
"Nutritional meal recipe: 2 ounces of water root grass, 2 eggs, half a pint of milk, and 20 ounces of pork or chicken..."
"Huh! They're eating better than I do!" Rein exclaimed involuntarily.
"No wonder that mutated Hyena Queen grew so big; it must be because of this nutritional meal?"
"Is this the canine version of 'if you want to win someone's favor, first capture their stomach'?"
Rein couldn't help but laugh.
As Rein continued to read on, he realized his guess was indeed wrong.
For he saw the following record:
"Canine enhancement: To break the shackles of a canine's nature and increase its potential to become ferocious, you can try a daily nutritional meal as the base, with an additional 2 fluid ounces of the mutant growth potion each month (fluid ounce, a unit of volume)..."
"Of course, this unstable potion could cause unpredictable changes in the canine. It must be administered with caution, and observations should be made closely. Should anything go awry, stop the administration immediately, and use..."
"Mutant growth potion formula: 1 ounce of golden sunflower, 1 pair of nocturnal vampire bat wings, 2 carrion wolf claws..."
Upon reading this, Rein couldn't help but ponder. Connecting with the content previously written by Kole, Rein quickly made a rough guess about the situation of the Hyena Queen in his mind.
Kole must have cultivated the Hyena Queen 'Maria' by chance using just one bottle of the mutant growth potion.
But it seemed just as written in the book, in addition to becoming stronger and larger, the Hyena Queen also mutated.
Only... the direction of mutation was the rarely seen... reproductive direction...
This truly was...
Indeed worthy of being called a mutant growth potion...
Rein couldn't help but shake his head.
Continuing to flip through the book, Rein saw many other cultivation methods for different animals.
Many of the cultivation methods needed to be used in conjunction with potions,
and Rein had never heard of those potion recipes. Moreover, the process of making these formulas often involved sections or paragraphs of text written in an unknown language.
"Is it written in another language to keep it secret, or is it that during the concoction, one needs to recite some kind of incantation?"
This made Rein lost in thought, seeming more likely that the latter was the case.
Gently placing the book down.
Rein always felt that this book wasn't so simple.
Imagine, why would a diary used for recording by a person have such a magnificent cover?
The cover was made of silver, not to mention adorned with noble sapphires, rubies, and turquoise. This was something Rein found a bit difficult to understand.
Shaking his head, since he couldn't figure it out at the moment, Rein decided to let it go for now.
Setting the book aside, Rein picked up the Wooden Amulet strung on a fine leather cord to look at.
But after a long look, aside from seeing that the the animals and plants on both sides of the amulet were carved exquisitely, he could make out nothing else.
However, he also understood that anything 'King of Canines' Kole had put into the wooden box with the book couldn't be simple.
It might be just as precious as this book.
A flash of inspiration suddenly crossed Rein's mind.
"Is it possible that both the book and the amulet belong to the same master?"
This immediately made his eyes light up.
In that case, it would be easy to explain why 'King of Canines' Kole placed the two items together.
Furthermore, whether it was the patterns on the silver cover of the book or the designs on the amulet, 'nature' could summarize both.
Rein stroked his chin, nodding occasionally, the more he thought about it the more he felt he was grasping the thread of something.
However...
Understanding something and being able to read it are two different matters.
So, in the end, Rein could only keep the amulet sandwiched in the 'Beast Taming diary' and carefully treasure it.
Afterward, Rein crossed his arms and paced back and forth in the room, deep in thought.
"The canine cultivation in the front part of the 'Beast Taming diary,' I can understand, and the various materials should also be purchasable. I could try to create something using some of the recipes and formulas mentioned."
"Perhaps it could trigger the profession panel related to Beast Taming."
"The issue of canines is even easier to solve. During the last servant training session, I could have obtained a greyhound puppy for my home. Only I wasn't assessed as a dog trainer, so I didn't waste money to claim it at the time since adoption would cost three silver coins."
"I can go to the estate myself later and get the canine situation settled. The rest... that would be the recipes and potion formulas. If I'm just starting out, I can begin with simple recipes,"
"The trouble with the potion formulas is the unknown script, which is quite annoying. I'll need to figure out where I can study this knowledge. Since Cole mentioned that ordinary scholars are not familiar with it, this script must be uncommon."
"But... this can be set aside for now."
"Also, the nutrition meal formula: two ounces of water root grass, two eggs, half a pint of milk, twenty ounces of pork or chicken..."
"It seems I haven't really heard of water root grass, so I'll have to check the potion shop first."
"That's decided then. I'll go to the potion shop to see if there's water root grass for sale. If so, I'll buy the ingredients first, then go to get the canine."
Rein quickly went over what he needed to do and prepared to head out to Abel's potion shop.
Abel's potion shop sells not only ready-made potions but also a variety of herbs and raw materials.
If water root grass is for sale in town, the potion shop is the likeliest place.
Soon, Rein arrived at Abel's potion shop. He noticed that Molly was still the one tending the shop. She greeted Rein with a smile as he entered:
"Rein, are you here to see Abel again today?"
"No, Sister Molly, please pass my thanks to Mr. Abel for his help last time. I've come today to ask if you have water root grass for sale?"
"Water root grass? Let me check." Molly seemed a bit uncertain whether the shop had this herb, and immediately turned around to check the shelves with the herbs.
"Yes, we do, Rein. How many do you want?"
"I'll take three,"
"Three? That won't be cheap, you know. They're priced at five silver coins each, so for three, that would be fifteen silver coins! I really don't know what Abel was thinking pricing this herb so high,"
Molly picked up a pale yellow herb to inspect and muttered complaints about Abel now and then.
"Fifteen silver coins?" Rein couldn't help but be taken aback.
At five silver coins each, if he hadn't made a windfall from the canine estate, he might have found this price a bit hard to swallow.
"Yeah, by the way, Rein, what do you need it for?" Molly blinked her large eyes, clearly curious about Rein's purchase of the water root grass.
"Haha, Sister Molly, here are fifteen silver coins." Rein handed over the money with a smile, deliberately not answering Molly's question directly.
After receiving the three stems of water root grass, Rein quickly left Abel's potion shop.
Water root grass resembled radishes in appearance, with a pale yellow skin. It seemed to be the rhizome of a plant but was much smaller than radishes and had more developed roots.
Upon leaving the potion shop, Rein went to other stores and quickly bought all the remaining ingredients.
When Rein returned home, his parents were still not back.
However, Anna and Bo He noticed right away what Rein was carrying in his hands.
"Wow! Brother, what made you think of buying so much food today?"
"That's great; we can have so many tasty things for dinner!"
"Um... that, Bo He, haha, yes!" Seeing his sister so happy, Rein didn't have the heart to voice what he was actually thinking.
What to say?
That he was planning on trying to make dog food?
It wasn't urgent.
The daily ingredients could always be replenished later.
Naturally, his sister's happiness was more important.
At that moment, a familiar voice came from outside.
"Rein, are you home?" George called from the doorway.
"I am! George, long time no see." Rein opened the door and greeted him with a smile.
"Whoa! Rein, you've changed so much!" George gestured at Rein's height, saying in surprise.
Rein used to be shorter than him, only reaching up to his eyebrows.
But in less than half a month, Rein had grown rapidly, almost as tall as him!
This greatly amazed George, who grabbed Rein's arm and exclaimed, "Rein, what on earth have you been eating recently? How did you grow so fast!"
But the next second, George froze; he lowered his head to look at the arm he was holding.
He couldn't get his hand around it!
George instinctively pinched with his fingers, feeling the firm yet elastic sensation from his fingertips.
George was stunned!
"Re...Rein! You've changed... way too much!!" George stammered, eyes wide and mouth agape.
Not only had Rein grown taller, but his entire figure had also become larger, though it wasn't immediately obvious since his build was still proportionate.
Fortunately for George, it was the arm he touched; had he felt Rein's chest or back, he would have encountered the rigid metal bars of the 'plate armor shirt.'
"Smack!"
"Two big guys, cut out the touchy-feely," Rein protested as if annoyed.
Actually, Rein wanted to prevent George from continuing to touch him here and there, exposing the fact that he was wearing a cotton plate armor shirt.
It wasn't that he worried George would tell others, but naturally, the fewer people who knew about it, the better.
"Sigh... Rein, this change in you is just too great!" George seemed quite disheartened.
"When you eat well, you naturally grow tall!" Rein gestured towards the eggs, milk, and meat he had just bought, sitting to one side.
George looked puzzled, then suddenly his expression cleared, "No wonder!"
"Right, what did you want to see me about today?" To avoid dwelling on the issue, Rein changed the subject.
"I just got a notification from the manor: training for page boys is resuming this afternoon," George said, slapping his forehead as he remembered the matter at hand.
Huh! I had planned to visit the Habsburg manor later to settle the matter with the greyhound puppies, but I didn't expect the training to resume in the afternoon.
After a brief consideration, Rein decided to attend the page boys' training in the afternoon, and after it ended, he would head to the manor's kennel to pick out a greyhound.
Rein naturally brought along his cotton plate armor shirt and dagger, but left the Dual-Handed Greatsword behind; it was just too conspicuous.
In the afternoon.
Outside the training ground of Habsburg manor, the page boys' training began anew.
Today's session was focused on the basics of swordsmanship.
"We've learned the basics of swordsmanship before. Basic swordsmanship has only three moves, but whether it's the striding thrust, downward slash, or upward sweep, they are all offensive moves with no defense techniques,"
"So today, we are going to learn how to use the long sword in your hand for defense!" the swordsmanship instructor Humbert declared loudly.
"Rein, come forward and demonstrate with me."
"Yes, Instructor!" Rein was taken aback for a moment but quickly agreed and briskly walked to the front.
"Are you ready?"
"I'm ready, Instructor."
"Hmm, the rest of you, pay close attention to my demonstration," Humbert nodded and then turned to address the group of page boys loudly.
Humbert raised the wooden sword in his hands level to Rein's chest and delivered a rapid striding thrust.
However, Rein on the opposite side found it odd that the instructor would thrust such a slow sword, even for a demonstration; it just seemed a little too unrealistic.
"Surely the instructor must have something up his sleeve?"
Therefore, Rein naturally took a step back, easily dodging Humbert's thrust.
Just as Rein thought Humbert would follow up with another attack, he found that Humbert was looking at him with a strange expression.
The scene unfolding before him was a bit different from what Humbert had anticipated.
Although he had long known that Rein had a natural talent for swordsmanship, having sparred with Rein several times, Humbert was also aware of Rein's general strength.
But the thrust he had just performed was executed with seventy percent of his real strength; logically, Rein should have barely failed to react in time, with Humbert's sword tip pointing directly at his chest.
Then, Humbert would have used this as a proper demonstration, to tell all the page boys about the importance of defense, and how to do it.
```
Humbert had not expected Rein to be able to dodge so easily.
Clearly, this was a failed demonstration!
"Rein, very effective defense, let's go again," Humbert said.
This time, Humbert's gaze was noticeably more serious, and he planned to use ninety percent of his strength.
After all, if the demonstration failed twice, he wouldn't know how to explain the content that was supposed to follow.
He couldn't possibly switch to someone else to demonstrate, could he?
Would he still have any face left as the manor's senior guard and the children's swordsmanship tutor?
Clearly, Rein was not aware of the swordsmanship instructor Humbert's inner thoughts and immediately nodded:
"Alright, instructor!"
This time, Humbert didn't ask if Rein was ready, and as soon as he saw Rein take his position, he suddenly thrust forward with a striding motion.
"Whoosh!"
This thrust was much faster than the previous one, so fast that it even slightly pierced the air, producing a faint whistling sound.
Rein's eyes narrowed, and he silently sighed to himself that instructor Humbert was finally taking it a bit more seriously this time!
The previous attack was too perfunctory, but this one was much stronger. The question was, just how much of his real skill was the instructor using this time? Fifty percent? Or perhaps sixty percent?
While Rein pondered this in his mind, his body's movements were not slow in the least.
Retreating quickly as if by instinct, Rein swiftly swung his sword, using the "strong" part of the blade near the hilt to block Humbert's thrust.
Perhaps it was because his attributes, especially his spiritual power, had greatly improved, Rein was able to grasp Humbert's longsword trajectory very well.
Moreover, being accustomed to the heavier Dual-Handed Greatsword, swinging the wooden sword felt like waving a straw, quick and easy, so the block was not difficult but rather smooth.
"Bam!"
The two wooden training swords struck each other swiftly and then separated sharply.
One could see that Humbert's wooden sword had been knocked aside, while the tip of Rein's sword pointed steadily at Humbert's chest, motionless.
At this moment, Humbert could no longer suppress the surprise in his heart, quietly uttering "huh", while his mind was overwhelmed by a storm of shock.
"If the first time could be put down to my own underestimation, leading to the sword being easily dodged by Rein, but this time, I deliberately caught Rein off guard."
"Moreover, the speed of my thrust this time was obviously much faster than the last."
"But even under such circumstances, Rein easily blocked it."
"This....."
Humbert didn't know what had happened to Rein lately, but he hadn't seen the boy in just half a month, and his strength had improved to this extent?
As for the other children who were watching, some were enthralled, others were shocked and bewildered.
Most of the children had only seen the swordsmanship instructor Humbert and Rein exchange blows at an extremely fast pace, then heard a "bam" and it was all over.
As for how Rein defended, they really didn't see it clearly.
Humbert was slightly stunned, then a flash of insight struck him, and he immediately thought of a way to cover up this failed demonstration.
"Ahem... Rein just demonstrated very well!"
Humbert cleared his throat and continued:
"Just now, I attacked Rein with a striding thrust, and Rein sidestepped and quickly blocked my thrust with the 'strong' part of the blade, then counterattacked with a thrust, a very good response."
"Everyone should learn from Rein's defensive tactics, very standard and practical!"
Upon hearing Humbert's praises, Rein was clearly startled.
This did not seem to match the demonstration he had anticipated; shouldn't it have been him thrusting and then Humbert calmly blocking?
But then again... what the instructor just explained seems to make a lot of sense!
...
The group of children looked at Rein with a mix of shock and envy.
The one with thick eyebrows stood out the most; as the second-best swordsman among the children, he knew deeply how difficult it was to practice the rapid sequence of defense and counterattack that Rein had just demonstrated.
If he was able to spar with Rein before, this time after watching the demonstration between Instructor Humbert and Rein, the determination in his thick-browed heart to compete with Rein was completely extinguished.
"Is this what a swordsmanship prodigy looks like?!"
It's truly despair-inducing!
At this moment, his heart was filled with deep disappointment!
During the following sparring session, Rein, however, found it completely uninteresting.
Clearly, none of the attendants could bring him any experience in basic swordsmanship anymore.
If he wanted to earn experience points in basic swordsmanship more quickly, only Instructor Humbert's personal sparring would suffice, but recalling the instructor's dodgy gaze from earlier, Rein knew better than to ask too much of him.
For the first time, Rein felt that the attendant training which had greatly improved his strength was slowly failing to keep pace with his progress, becoming something of a 'chicken rib.'
So, seizing a break in practice, Rein approached Instructor Humbert and asked softly, "Instructor, may I go practice archery?"
Since Humbert was both the swordsmanship and archery instructor, he hardly hesitated and nodded immediately, "You may! Rein, go to the practice range over there by yourself."
After all, he knew that apart from himself, there was nobody else among the attendants who could adequately spar with Rein in swordsmanship.
But he couldn't very well spar with him personally, for if he were to...
Would he still have a face to show?
At the end of the day, for Rein to continue attending such basic swordsmanship training was meaningless.
Archery, on the other hand, remained Rein's 'shortcoming.'
Humbert fully supported this.
Rein was immediately delighted and said, "Thank you, Instructor Humbert."
Rein himself had only intended to try his luck, not expecting Instructor Humbert to agree so readily.
Thus, under the astonished gazes of the other attendants, Rein concluded his basic swordsmanship training early and went alone to the nearby target range for archery practice.
The Night Watchman's elite archery had left a profound impression on Rein.
Dense and precise arrow volleys efficiently killed the murloc invaders.
Because Rein was reluctant to spend his precious skill points on basic archery, he now had to devote some time and energy to earnestly practicing archery himself.
Picking up a war bow with roughly a hundred pounds draw weight, Rein began practicing at the wooden targets.
Following his increase in various attributes, obviously, even archery training was beneficial to him.
With such a draw weight, a normal guard might experience severe fatigue in their arm after drawing the bow twenty or thirty consecutive times, making it difficult to draw again, but the enhancements to Rein's constitution and strength made it seem as effortless as eating and drinking, requiring only a short rest after over a hundred draws.
The further improvement of his spirit led to a heightened sensitivity in perception, and Rein found himself hitting the bullseye much more frequently during archery practice than before.
Especially the continuous stream of system prompts, which served as a great source of motivation for Rein.
"[You have practiced basic archery, and your comprehension has improved!]"
"[Your skill 'Basic Archery' has improved, experience points +1]"
....
Fortunately, although the target range was also outside the fortress, it was at the northwest corner, some two to three hundred meters away from the central area where the attendants were, and not clearly visible.
Otherwise, Rein's archery might have been enough to drop the jaws of Instructor Humbert and all the attendants in shock.
By midday, his basic archery skill had improved significantly, reaching lv2 (18/300).
Indeed, physical fitness is the foundation of mastering all combat skills.
With good physical fitness, learning anything would be much faster.
When his physical attributes improved by one or two points before, the change was imperceptible, but after an all-around increase, Rein felt the difference quite clearly.
That afternoon, Rein, George, and the rest of the attendants made their way to the manor's servants' dining hall.
```
But when Rein faced the servant's lunch before him again, he couldn't help but sigh. A large plate of mashed potatoes, two thin slices of pickled pork, and a large bowl of vegetable soup were far from enough to meet his body's nutritional needs.
Previously, the intensity of the training couldn't keep up.
Now, even the nutrition couldn't keep up.
"The current servant training is really of little use to me now!"
As for archery, Rein believed the Night Watchman should have the corresponding training facilities.
If it was only the daily forging of iron tools, then the Blacksmith Boris should have been able to teach everything, it would just cost a bit more in tuition, but the freedom was worth it.
"Rein, why aren't you eating?" George, who was sitting nearby, asked as he saw Rein staring blankly.
"It's nothing." Rein shook his head and after nibbling on a few bites, he stopped eating.
In the afternoon, Rein still trained in archery by himself. After the servant training ended, he first informed Humbert and George that he had some family matters and would not participate in the servant training for the time being.
Then he found a maid to help him contact Chief Maid Shadia.
Soon, Rein saw Shadia once again.
She was still in her unchanging black maid's attire and her expression was serious, but when she saw the noticeably taller and sturdier Rein, her face softened somewhat as she slightly smiled and nodded:
"Rein, you've grown taller and stronger. It seems you have been earnestly practicing the breathing technique left by Lady Cleya, very good."
"By the way, are you here because you've run out of the black pine oil?"
Rein shook his head, "Thank you for your affirmation, Chief Maid. I came to say that I don't plan to attend the servant training anymore."
"I'd like to practice the Giant Bear Breathing Technique and the Giant Bear Sword Technique at home, which might be a bit more freeing."
Chief Maid Shadia, after a brief moment of thought, understood Rein's concerns and nodded:
"Indeed, since Lady Cleya left, training at home might indeed be more convenient for you."
....
After informing Chief Maid Shadia, Rein quickly headed to the kennels; he planned to pick up a greyhound puppy to take home.
Without much thought, Rein paid three silver coins and picked up the greyhound puppy he had played with before.
Of course, there are differences between greyhounds, such as lineage and physique.
But the physical robustness of a common dog didn't seem very significant to Rein.
The main purpose of adopting the dog was to try out some of the recipes and potions recorded in the "Beast Taming Diary," and to see if a new professional panel could be triggered.
Since that was the case, there was no need to go through the trouble of careful selection. The familiar greyhound puppy he knew was just fine.
So, under the sunset, Rein left the manor with the puppy in his arms, heading towards Flashgold Town.
...
Meanwhile, since 'Poison Blade' hadn't returned or submitted a mission report within the designated deadline, the Wilderness Brotherhood soon realized that the mission had likely failed.
As this was a mission handed down by a significant figure from County Town, the Wilderness Brotherhood urgently assigned someone to gather new information on their target, Rein.
They quickly came across a surprising piece of news.
The once seemingly unremarkable farmboy had actually obtained a junior Bounty Hunter license, and from the look of the dates, even before 'Poison Blade' had taken on the mission.
Those who can obtain a Bounty Hunter license are likely to be well above the militia level in strength, possibly reaching the level of a first-tier Knight Attendant, or even a little higher—at the level of a second-tier Knight Attendant.
If that was the case, it wouldn't have been surprising if 'Poison Blade' had been caught off guard and capsized in the gutter.
So, the problem was identified.
It wasn't that the Wilderness Brotherhood was too incompetent, but rather that the inaccurate information had cost them a carefully trained assassin!
Suddenly, the Wilderness Brotherhood shifted from a passive to an active stance.
After several days of brewing, the news had made its way up the chain and then back down again.
Just as Rein returned to Flashgold Town in the glow of the setting sun, within a study on the second floor of the Habsburg manor castle,
Noble scion Dennis seemed to be engaging in some Knight Breathing Method training, with some specific parts of his body smeared with an oily dark liquid that emitted a distinctive medicinal scent.
And his captain of the guards, Rulse, was at the side, reporting something.
"What? A mishap?" Dennis's face bore an incredulous expression.
"How could there be a mishap?"
"This... the butler Michel says it was because we provided wrong intelligence, leading to the failure of the mission, so we must take full responsibility!" Rulse looked at the distressed young master Dennis, thought for a moment, and still decided to relay the exact words of the other party.
"Damn taking full responsibility!"
"Did that greedy bastard Michel really say that?" Dennis flew into a rage.
Rulse nodded and continued:
"Michel said that Baron Alonso is still unaware of the matter. He's given us three days to resolve this situation perfectly."
"Otherwise, he will report to Baron Alonso, and by that time, your Divine Blood quota for next month will very likely be gone."
Rulse's words seemed to gradually calm Dennis down.
Divine Blood had become popular among the nobles of Meister County in the last year, delaying aging for the elders and greatly promoting those who had not yet embarked on the path of the Transcendent Knight Breathing Method.
He had just sensed a clear improvement during his breathing method practice, which was worlds apart from before.
Most importantly, this 'Divine Blood' had no side effects. The only drawback was its scarcity and cost!
Dennis, bearing the title of a baron's son, only had a small vial's quota per month, and it required him to shell out a hundred shiny imperial Gold Coins.
He had found out just a couple of days ago that this 'Divine Blood' had originated from Baron Alonso himself.
As the steward and prime confidante of Baron Alonso, Michel's threat was not an empty one!
After pondering for a while, Dennis finally spoke, "Rulse, investigate this Rein further. Could he really be some rare swordsmanship prodigy?"
"If that's the case, we'll spend some money to have an assassin from the Shadow Stingers take care of him."
"Young master, that... if we wait until my investigation is finished before calling on the Shadow Stingers, it will surely exceed three days."
"How about this, once the investigation is over, I'll take action myself. I've bought a few bottles of poison commonly used by assassins, including one lethal poison that is extremely potent; just a small wound is enough to be fatal."
"This... " Though there was no doubt about Rulse's strength, as long as the other party wasn't a formal knight, he would surely succeed. However, Rulse's Combat Skills were all military-oriented, leaving obvious traces after a fight.
It was for this reason that Dennis had been reluctant to have his captain of the guards take personal action.
But now, with only three days remaining...
Unless he was willing to forfeit his quota of the Divine Blood, his captain of the guards was the best choice.
And moreover, Rulse had already prepared the poison...
"Fine then! Just make sure not to leave any obvious traces!"
"At your command, young master. It is my honor to serve you," Rulse bowed, then slowly left the study.
"By the way, send for Tina."
....
After Rein returned home with a three-month-old greyhound puppy, having taken a detour through the store, he immediately attracted the great interest of his sister Bo He.
"Brother, weren't you at the manor attending squire training? Why did you come back?"
"Wow! Brother, is this a hound? Are we going to keep it?" Bo He asked while excitedly reaching out her little hand to pet the black greyhound puppy.
Because it was only three months old, the greyhound's fur was still relatively soft, making it very warm and comfortable to touch.
Rein nodded as he saw the happy expression on Bo He's face.
"That's great! I've always wanted to have one," cheered Bo He unabashedly.
Previously, due to the modest conditions at home, having a small animal had always been a luxury for Bo He, so naturally she was overjoyed now that it was possible.
"Sister Anna, come and touch it, it's so comfortable!" Bo He called Anna over.
"Hmm," Anna was also beaming with joy, seemingly very fond of small animals as well.
The greyhound puppy was originally a bit shy, but it became less fearful after being gently stroked a few times by the two girls' soft hands.
Before long, it had indulged in the kneading of their four pale, soft hands, and from time to time it emitted a comfortable 'aowuu' sound.
"By the way, brother, what's its name?" Bo He looked up and asked.
"That... It doesn't have a name yet, how about... just calling it Skinny Dog?" Rein suggested offhandedly.
After all, a greyhound puppy would grow up to be quite slender.
The next second, Rein felt two disdainful glares coming from his side.
Rein awkwardly smiled and said, "I'm still considering. If you have any suggestions, feel free to share them."
"Brother, how about we call it Cookie?" Bo He suggested enthusiastically from the side.
"Cookie, like the cookie from a biscuit?"
The name didn't seem that great, but when Rein glanced at Anna, he saw her nodding in agreement.
Well then... It looked like he would have to go with the majority.
Rein ruffled little Bo He's hair and said, "Alright! We'll follow your suggestion, it will be named Cookie."
"You're the best, brother!" Bo He immediately gave Rein an enthusiastic hug.
Leaving 'Cookie' with the two girls, Rein then started to prepare a nutritious meal for dogs according to the instructions in the "Beast Taming Journal."
"Water grass, 2 ounces, two eggs, half a pint of milk, and either 20 ounces of pork or chicken..."
Rein mixed them together as he compared them against the requirements.
Soon, a plate of something resembling a soft and wet minced meat mixture was ready.
When Rein handed over the dish to the greyhound puppy, Bo He eyed it with some disdain and said,
"Brother, why are you feeding Cookie this? Why not give it bones to eat?"
Rein snorted with irritation, "Bones? Those things are far more expensive than beef."
"Ah?" Bo He exclaimed, looking at her brother's facial expression which didn't seem like he was joking.
She knew that because of her brother, life had been getting better at home, but they didn't have beef every day.
But for her brother to say that this dish, in fact, was even pricier than beef, that really surprised Bo He.
Anna too widened her beautiful eyes, observing the damp minced meat in Rein's hand carefully, seemingly perplexed by its high cost.
The greyhound puppy's reaction, on the other hand, was much more direct!
When Rein approached with the plate, the puppy immediately focused on the food inside, quickly standing up from its lying position, ears perked, and tail wagging around Rein, its eyes firmly fixed on his plate.
It was clearly hooked by Rein's gourmet "dog food."
Rein placed the plate on the ground, and the Whippet puppy instantly "woofed" and darted over, gobbling up the food.
Seeing the Whippet puppy eating so relishingly, Rein couldn't help but feel a bit helpless.
"Not bad, you've got good taste! You know it's the good stuff!"
"If this doesn't work, you scrawny dog! This will be your last meal!"
"Damn it! Can't believe it's eating better than us!" Rein muttered resentfully in his heart.
"Giggle!" Hearing this, his sister Bo He couldn't help but giggle.
Even the usually shy Anna snorted with laughter and quickly covered her mouth with her little hand.
But Anna's laughter threshold seemed quite low, she bowed her head, her cheeks turned red, and she was still snickering.
At this moment, Rein suddenly froze, and then his face lit up with joy!
Because the system prompt appeared:
[You have fed a canine, and your related comprehension has improved!]
[You have comprehended a new skill—Dog Training]
[Your skill Dog Training has improved, experience +1]
[Congratulations, you have triggered the career panel—Beast Tamer]
....
[The total number of career panels has reached the current limit (3/3)!]
"The manor's Beast Tamer old man has led us astray, ah, how could teasing a dog increase intimacy compared to feeding it?"
"I should have thought of this earlier!"
Rein was speechless in his heart.
This simple truth, and yet he had only come to realize it now.
But when Rein saw the last item in the system prompt, the excitement in his chilled as if someone had doused him with a bucket of cold water!
Reached the limit?
Does that mean his current roles as a Blacksmith, Night Watchman, and Beast Tamer are the only three professions he has?
However... the shrewd Rein immediately noticed the word "current" in the system's wording.
The two words were not hard to understand.
"That is to say, under the current conditions, I can only have three career panels."
So what are the current conditions referring to? Is it the sum of the four attribute stats, or does a single attribute have to exceed a certain value? Or is it that I have to break through to become a Knight?
It's very likely that after meeting certain conditions, I should be able to break this limit.
Of course, it might also require some sort of 'event', similar to triggering a career panel, to make the breakthrough.
However, Rein couldn't figure out what the condition for breaking the limit was at the moment.
"What a pity! I haven't had the chance to try other side professions yet—Baker, Cobbler, Tailor and so many others, it would be so nice if there wasn't a limit on the number of professions!" Rein couldn't help but feel a bit regretful.
But upon further reflection, Rein felt a bit relieved.
"Because if it's true that I can only ever have three career panels."
"Then the three professions I have now without making a deliberate choice, it turns out they're all pretty good."
"And when combined together, they can even be considered an excellent combination."
After all, aside from Blacksmith, it's unlikely that other life professions would bring him the awesome core skill 'Strength Burst', right?
As for a Tailor? Uses needles...
Baker? Uses an oven...
Cobbler? Let's not even talk about cobblers...
No matter how you look at it, none of the other professions seemed as reliable as a Blacksmith's hammer!
As for Beast Tamer, it appears only Falconer might be comparable.
"Right, the system only mentions a limit of three professions, but it doesn't say I can't advance or change professions."
This thought made Rein's eyes brighten.
"I can delve deeper into these three professions!"
"For example, a Blacksmith should be able to advance to a Swordsmith or something, right? At least, Swordsmith is something I've heard of. Likewise, if there is a Swordsmith, there should also be Armorers and so on."
"And the dog trainer," Weilun boldly guessed, "what follows is probably something like Beast Tamer or Beast Driver, right?"
"As for my current combat profession, the Night Watchman...."
"Well! It's actually the hardest to guess what the advanced profession would be!"
"But it's likely similar to a Transcendent path like the Knight's, considering the breathing technique is still clearly listed on the Night Watchman's skill panel."
Having figured it out, Rein decided to continue looking further.
On the newly added page, the title read three big characters: Dog Trainer lv1 (0/100)
The icon that was lit up at the bottom was the dog training skill he was just prompted about.
The icon as a whole still had rounded square edges, with the pattern in the center depicting a well-behaved dog sitting and sticking out its tongue, looking lifelike.
There were also a few small characters below the icon: Dog Training lv1 (1/100).
At this moment, Mother Emma had finished preparing dinner and came out from the adjacent kitchen.
When she noticed the three of them crowded around something on the ground, she couldn't help but come over out of curiosity.
Surprise showed on Mother Emma's face when she saw a greyhound lying on the floor eating; she seemed to have something she wanted to say but was trying to hold back.
However, after a while, Mother Emma couldn't help herself and pulled Rein's sleeve, taking him to the room next door to ask:
"Rein, I heard from Bo He that you went to the manor for page boy training, right?"
"Also, you... why did you bring a dog back?"
"Although our family's situation has been slowly improving, keeping a dog...."
Faced with his mother's triple query, Rein couldn't help but smile wryly, thought for a moment, and said:
"Mother, I'm about to officially join the Night Watchman, so I won't participate in the page boy training; these two days are a good time for me to adjust myself."
"Don't worry! Our lives are definitely going to get better and better."
"By the way, this is the reward from the last time Captain Weilun and I went to Glimmer Lake to clear out the fishmen."
Rein took out three Gold Coins from his bosom and handed them to Mother Emma, without mentioning anything about raising the greyhound.
Initially wanting to say something, Mother Emma, upon seeing the three shimmering imperial Gold Coins Rein produced, exclaimed in surprise, "Is the reward for a mission so generous?"
"Yes! So, Mother, don't worry, we will definitely get better and better." In fact, Rein still withheld some information; the value of just that Glowstone alone was worth at least dozens of imperial Gold Coins.
Moreover, he didn't want to mention the details of the mission to avoid worrying his mother.
Mother Emma's expression was complex as she nodded and took the Gold Coins; she didn't say anything more about Rein raising a dog.
She had realized that some of her thoughts could not apply to her son Rein.
After all, he was now making in one mission what she made in a year.
Therefore, if Rein had his own ideas, she should just let him do as he pleased.
Soon after, Old Rein also returned home, and he, too, was surprised to see the greyhound.
But after Mother Emma whispered to him, he looked at Rein in astonishment and then nodded.
Dinner was spent in a warm and cozy atmosphere with the family.
At night, Rein began his regular practice of the Giant Bear Breathing Technique as usual.
Starting today, Rein could basically start practicing the third form of the Giant Bear Breathing Technique.
This stance, unlike the second form of the Giant Bear Breathing Technique called 'Russian Squat Thrust,' which primarily trained arm strength, focused on the core muscles of the waist and abdomen, the lungs, and coordination of the body.
The third form involved squatting down with one leg bent, the other leg extended to the side, arms raised above the head with fingers interlocked, then touching the knee with the head, and finally, slowly standing up from the squatting position with the one leg.
For ordinary people, even if they had excellent flexibility and strength, it would be impossible to stand up with one leg.
It seemed that starting from this third form, Rein's practice of the Giant Bear Breathing Technique was partially stepping onto the path of Transcendent practice.
The movement involved core muscles and fascia of the waist, abdomen, and shoulders.
So, when Rein first tried it, he felt an unusually satisfying soreness in the muscles of his waist, abdomen, and the tendons behind his thighs where the black birch oil had been applied.
Even though Rein already had a Constitution of 10, after persevering for about 12 minutes, he had to stop and rest, sweating profusely.
But the effects were significant.
[Your practice of the Giant Bear Breathing Technique has led to an insight, increasing your understanding!]
[Your skill Giant Bear Breathing Technique has improved, Experience +2]
[Your skill Giant Bear Breathing Technique has improved, Experience +3]
[Your skill Giant Bear Breathing Technique has improved, Experience +2]
Practicing yielded Experience, from the original consistent +2, it had changed to occasionally seeing a +3.
This also meant that the speed of gaining experience for the Giant Bear Breathing Technique had become slightly faster than before.
After three attempts, Rein extended the single session to 14 minutes. Although the total duration of the three times was less than 45 minutes, his experience increased by 28 points, and the Giant Bear Breathing Technique reached lv2 (114/300).
Given Rein's current physical condition, he could perform the third form of the Giant Bear Breathing Technique about three times, and basically, this intensity was close to his limit.
The next morning, Rein got up early and went to the woods near his home.
The practice of the Giant Bear Sword Technique required a spacious place, and after walking some distance in the woodland, Rein found a slightly open clearing.
This clearing was about seventy to eighty square meters, surrounded by dense oak trees and larches, providing a good natural sound insulation. Even when Rein swung his Dual-Handed Greatsword forcefully, the howling noise did not carry beyond the woodland to the main road.
Then, Rein shook the sheepskin-wrapped Fine Steel Greatsword and began to practice.
Rein first raised the Fine Steel Greatsword high, then suddenly swung it downward at a ninety-degree angle to the front, swiftly turning to follow with a forty-five-degree Smooth Cleaving Slash.
Immediately after, he quickly stepped forward, pushed off powerfully, and leaped high into the air to deliver a Leap Slash downward, the greatsword driving the airflow to emit a series of whooshing sounds...
The Giant Bear Sword Technique comprised five forms: Furious Slash, Leap Slash, Guard, Smooth Cleaving Slash, and Whirlwind Slash.
It could be said that Rein had become very proficient in these sword moves through frequent use in numerous battles.
A set of movements was both fast and stable!
After practicing several times, Rein suddenly remembered a phrase Cleya had mentioned before:
"The Giant Bear Sword Technique originated from mimicking the claw strikes of bear-like Transcendent creatures, emphasizing great strength and momentum!"
This made him reflect once again, quite moved.
Each time, when his strength improved slightly, he could clearly feel the enhancement in the power of the Giant Bear Sword Technique.
Thus, whenever he activated 'Strength Burst', the power of the Giant Bear Sword Technique increased exponentially.
Thinking this, Rein consciously incorporated the concepts of 'strength' and 'momentum' and practiced the Giant Bear Sword Technique again.
[You trained in the Giant Bear Sword Technique, insights improved!]
[Your skill Giant Bear Sword Technique has improved, Experience +2]
[Your skill Giant Bear Sword Technique has improved, Experience +1]
....
This brought a smile to Rein's face; the notifications for the Giant Bear Sword Technique experience were no longer just +1, but occasionally +2, further accelerating the pace of training in the Giant Bear Sword Technique.
Indeed, apart from diligent practice, any skill requires active reflection!
After a morning of hard training, Rein's Giant Bear Sword Technique progressed from lv4 (245/1000) to lv4 (298/1000).
In the afternoon, Rein went to John's Farm not far south of Flashgold Town.
Last time, the Night Watchman Captain Weilun had reminded him that he could find John Moyle at John's Farm to learn riding for two Gold Coins.
But it had been delayed due to some issues.
The reason that spurred Rein to decide to learn riding immediately was not only because future tasks would require more frequent horseback travel.
The main reason was that Rein wanted to see if riding could trigger an 'event', such as a prompt for a job change.
Flashgold Town in late autumn was picturesque.
Walking on the road outside the town, fields on both sides were a golden yellow, with wheat swaying in the autumn breeze. Many fields had begun the harvest, and heaps of wheat sheaves were piled up together.
Watching the hardworking farmers of Flashgold Town, Rein felt a different kind of emotion since his father, old Rein, was also among them.
"After officially joining the Night Watchman, maybe I can persuade my parents to take a break or switch to a lighter job,"
"After all, for me now, whether they earn money or not really isn't important anymore."
"..."
Soon, Rein arrived at John's Farm, which occupied a large area. Even from the outside, one could clearly see a racetrack enclosed by a wooden fence and the stables nearby.
At that moment, numerous black, white, and brown horses were leisurely strolling in the racetrack, enjoying the sunny afternoon.
Soon, Rein met a middle-aged man with a ruddy, bulbous nose, and after inquiring, found out he was indeed John Moyle.
After paying two Gold Coins as a fee, Rein began to formally learn how to ride.
Due to Rein's physical condition having long surpassed that of ordinary people, he quickly learned how to maintain balance on a horse under the astonished gaze of John Moyle.
In less than half an hour, Rein could comfortably control the horse to either halt or trot forward.
However, Rein did encounter some difficulties while trying to make the horse switch from trotting to galloping around the riding arena. Rein tried squeezing his legs against the horse's belly several times, but the horse beneath him seemed unable to fully understand his intentions, merely quickening its pace instead.
"Mr. John, how can I make the horse run?"
"Uh... this was actually supposed to be part of the lessons three days from now."
"Rein, you have so quickly mastered balance and controlling the horse to move in a straight line. It's hard to believe you had never learned horse riding before."
John Moyle was initially taken aback, and after scrutinizing Rein for a moment, he remembered to answer Rein's question.
Because he was so surprised; he had taught hundreds of beginners in horse riding, but it was the first time he saw someone who could control a horse to move in a straight line effortlessly after about half an hour from a standing start.
"As for your question, the answer is simple. Rein, the horse beneath you actually needs you to provide more specific instructions."
"If you are just squeezing the horse's belly, it's hard for the horse to distinguish whether you want to trot or gallop."
"Because a trot is a two-beat gait and running is a three-beat gait, so you need to lightly tap the horse's belly with your outer leg when its right front and left hind hooves touch the ground, while your inner leg stays close to the horse..."
"I see..."
Under John Moyle's demonstration, Rein quickly grasped the essentials.
A system prompt then followed:
[You have trained in horse riding, insight enhanced!]
[You have comprehended a new skill—Horse Riding]
[Your skill Horse Riding has improved, Experience +1]
Unfortunately, the new skill 'Horse Riding' did not bring any related hints for a career change for Rein.
However, learning a new practical skill was in itself a joyous accomplishment.
....
Three regular days later.
After a few days of exploring, Rein had largely figured out how to rapidly advance as a dog trainer.
Basically, if he fed the greyhound pup a nutritious meal, his Dog Training skill would improve by four to five points, and his dog trainer Profession Level Experience would increase by one point.
But if he took the dog for a walk, the progression was much faster, about fifteen minutes later, his dog trainer Profession Experience would increase by one point.
Consequently, Rein added a new daily essential activity—dog walking!
Every evening, after feeding 'Cookie,' Rein would take it out for a walk.
This made Rein, who had never owned a dog in his previous life, feel a surge of emotions!
Additionally, two days ago, when Rein was preparing dog nutrition meals, he triggered another professional skill of a dog trainer—'Dog Food Production.'
Possibly because the 'dog food' Rein prepared was quite special, every time Rein made these dog nutrition meals, his 'Dog Food Production' skill improved rapidly, and his dog trainer Profession Level also increased swiftly.
[You made dog food, insight enhanced!]
[You have comprehended a new skill—Dog Food Production]
[Your skill Dog Food Production has improved, Experience +5]
[You focused on Dog Food Production, your dog trainer Profession Experience +2]
....
This series of actions significantly accelerated Rein's dog trainer Profession Experience.
Just recently, he had successfully advanced to dog trainer lv2 (0/300).
Advancing to lv2 in three days, this rocket-like speed was something Rein had not anticipated.
Thus, Rein also received a reward of 1 attribute point and 1 skill point.
This could not help but make Rein chuckle to himself:
"Indeed, often, making the right choice is more crucial than putting in effort."
However, Rein also noticed a point where the third new profession 'Dog Trainer' differed from that of a Blacksmith and a Night Watchman.
That was the lack of a core skill.
In this respect, Dog Trainer was similar to the entry-level profession of Militia.
Therefore, Rein surmised that he probably had to wait until Dog Trainer advanced to a subsequent profession to acquire a core skill.
Additionally, over these three days, the Giant Bear Breathing Technique smoothly increased from lv2 to lv3 (0/500).
Just the day before yesterday, the training in the Giant Bear Breathing Technique rewarded Rein with a +1 increase in Strength.
This once again proved the foundational role of the Knight Breathing Method on the Transcendent path of becoming a Knight.
At the same time, the improvement in the breathing technique brought an important change for Rein, as his control over his body's muscles seemed to be even higher.
Specifically, Rein could now easily control the intensity of 'Strength Burst.'
Previously, once Rein used the core skill 'Strength Burst,' he would double his strength without regard.
But now, Rein could gradually control the degree of this burst, such as increasing his strength by fifty or seventy percent.
This change not only proved that Rein's control over his own strength was more refined, but it also indirectly increased the duration of the burst.
Basically, if Rein kept the Strength Burst to about fifty percent, he could maintain the effect for almost two minutes.
If he went all out, it would be around fifty seconds, slightly better than the previous forty-five seconds.
Besides, the 'side effect' of sore muscles throughout the body would be greatly mitigated in proportion to the intensity of Rein's burst.
This delighted Rein.
Refining his control over his own strength was, after all, tantamount to an increase in power!
Name: Rein Carlan
Profession: Blacksmith lv2 (0/300)/Night Watchman lv3 (30/500)/Dog Trainer lv2(31/300)
Constitution: 10
Strength: 11
Agility: 9
Spirit: 11
Remaining attribute points: 2
Remaining Skill Points: 1
Rein saw on the attribute panel that, besides Agility, the other attributes had already crossed the threshold of 10 points.
Suddenly, Rein remembered that a long time ago, the system had once notified him of the prerequisite conditions for the 'Knight Attendant' profession, which required a minimum of 8 points in Strength, Agility, and Constitution to advance to Knight Attendant.
This presumably represented the physical attribute threshold for a level one Knight Attendant.
"So, if Strength, Agility, and Constitution all exceed 10 points, does that mean the strength of a level two Knight Attendant?"
"That should be about right! If there's a difference of 2 points in Strength, Agility, and Constitution, such a power gap is very noticeable."
Putting other things aside, Rein thought back to his swordsmanship practice with Humbert the instructor two days ago, and quickly understood why Humbert had that expression at the time.
It wasn't that Instructor Humbert was holding back, it was that he had become stronger!
"Reasonably assuming, once all three attributes exceed 12, it's very likely that one becomes a level three Knight Attendant."
"Which means, if I add 1 point to Agility, making it 10 points, I should be considered to have the strength level of a level two Knight Attendant."
"Hmm... just over a month's time, from a skinny youth to becoming a level two Knight Attendant, this level of progress is quite something, isn't it!"
```
Regarding these two attribute points, apart from keeping one as a standby, Rein was momentarily hesitant to use the other between Constitution and agility.
Constitution could lessen the "aftereffects" of the core skill "Strength Burst" and increase the duration of his practice.
But agility was equally important, especially since his Giant Bear Breathing Technique wasn't one that primarily enhanced agility.
Using strength to overpower finesse is all well and good, but great strength is useless if you can't hit your opponent.
After pondering for a moment, Rein still couldn't decide.
The allocation of Skill Points posed a similar dilemma.
The core skill "danger perception" was currently at lv2, which was fundamentally sufficient.
So, Rein wondered if he should invest a point into the Giant Bear Breathing Technique, directly taking it from lv3 to lv4, which should bring a further increase in strength and Constitution benefits in the short term.
On the other hand, danger perception was a core skill that could only be upgraded with Skill Points, whereas the Giant Bear Breathing Technique could be improved through practice.
But upon careful thought, Rein realized that "danger perception" was a sense for danger. When danger was unavoidable, it was ultimately his own strength that determined victory or defeat.
The Knight Breathing Method was crucial to rapidly consolidating and enhancing his own strength, the key to deciding said victories!
Consequently, after slight deliberation, Rein eventually decided to invest a Skill Point into the Giant Bear Breathing Technique.
With the Giant Bear Breathing Technique promoted to lv4.
Instantly, fragmented memories of practicing the Giant Bear Breathing Technique flooded Rein's mind.
These memories were disjointed fragments of breathing exercises; a series of images flashed through Rein's mind and quickly implanted into the memory of his muscles and fascia.
When Rein opened his eyes again, it was as if he had undergone a month or two of intensive practice of the Giant Bear Breathing Technique. At this moment, he could distinctly feel a certain odd sensation throughout his body, as if there was an itchy feeling coming from deep within his fascia.
An instinct from within his body urged him to apply the black tung oil again and start practicing the third form of the Giant Bear Breathing Technique.
Indeed, the itchy feeling grew stronger, and Rein felt the fascia in his body start to mutate; it was as if fine, incredibly resilient fascial fibers were extending, rooting deeply into his bones and muscle fibers.
This change noticeably enhanced Rein's explosive strength and resistance to blows; even his skin became tougher, resembling oil-soaked cowhide.
Beyond that, Rein felt an itchy and hot sensation in his chest, as if he wouldn't be comfortable without letting out a roar.
At that moment, a system notification arrived quietly:
[Congratulations, you have unlocked the exclusive secret technique that combines Giant Bear Breathing Technique with Giant Bear Sword Technique: roaring strike!]
Following that, an elated Rein saw a brand-new icon located above the Giant Bear Breathing Technique and Giant Bear Sword Technique on the Night Watchman panel.
The icon depicted the head of a roaring giant bear, its mouth wide open, fangs sharp, appearing lifelike and ferocious.
roaring strike lv1 (Secret Technique) Effect: Uses powerful lung capacity to simulate the sonic impact of a giant bear's attack, combined with the execution of Whirlwind Slash.
(Note: roaring strike is a secret technique and cannot be directly upgraded with Skill Points.)
(roaring strike lv2 requires the following conditions: Giant Bear Breathing Technique lv5 or above, Giant Bear Sword Technique lv5 or above; Strength 12 points, Constitution 12 or above.)
So that's how it is!
It seems that the sensation of discomfort without a big roar must be due to the Giant Bear Breathing Technique's exercise of the lungs.
If it weren't already nighttime, Rein would certainly have let out a few loud roars.
But the memory of Cleya's demonstration made him shake his head.
With one shout from him, the residents of Flashgold Town nearby would probably all be woken up!
With no other choice, Rein had to restrain himself!
The last point was that Rein discovered he had easily surpassed the requirement of maintaining the third form of the Giant Bear Breathing Technique for half an hour without realizing it.
This meant that he was now ready to practice the fourth form of the Giant Bear Breathing Technique!
However, Rein felt that he had almost reached his limit for today's breath training exercise and could start the fourth technique tomorrow.
Overtraining would be counterproductive.
After pondering for a moment, Rein retrieved the lavishly covered 'Beast Taming Diary' from under the bed and began to read it earnestly.
The content recorded within was exceedingly practical for Rein, as proven by the canine nutrition meal alone.
Thus, Rein planned to continue his research and try to develop more recipes, which might once again speed up his Profession Level advancement as a dog trainer.
Another problem that now lay before Rein was the issue of how to recognize the unknown scripts.
This was a big problem. If he couldn't decipher the meaning of these scripts, it meant that Rein couldn't learn a very important part of the content in the book—the potion formulas.
Considering that 'King of Dogs' Cole had mentioned that he had hired several scholars from the County Town who were also unable to recognize it, the difficulty of deciphering these scripts must be immense.
But for Rein to simply give up was clearly impossible.
"Because within it, there might be some specific events related to my advancement from a Dog Trainer to a Beast Tamer, or perhaps there are key potions hidden in the book—none of these possibilities can be ruled out."
"One thing is for certain, if I manage to thoroughly research these potions and create them, it will undoubtedly greatly enhance my Profession Level as a Dog Trainer."
After serious thought, Rein came up with two possible solutions to this problem.
The first option was for Rein to transcribe a few of the discontinuous alien characters, write them on paper, and ask Chief Maid Shadia to help look for related text introductions or annotations in the castle's library.
The second option was to wait until he officially joined the Night Watchman and then search for related materials through official channels.
Just as Rein was mulling over this issue, a soft knock on the door sounded.
"Come in!"
Rein knew it had to be Anna.
It had been the same in recent days; Bo He would bring 'Cookie' to their room for some fun before bedtime.
And after Bo He fell asleep, Anna was responsible for bringing 'Cookie' to Rein's room.
Perhaps because Rein was a Dog Trainer and 'Cookie's' owner, 'Cookie' always chose to return to Rein's side before going to sleep.
"Anna, has Bo He fallen asleep?" Rein asked gently, turning around.
"Yes, she just fell asleep a little while ago, I'll go back now."
Anna glanced at Rein and nodded shyly, but as she turned around, she seemed to notice something.
"Oh, Rein, such a quaint amulet, may I take a look?" Anna asked, extending her hand curiously toward the Wooden Amulet that Rein had placed beside the book.
"Of course, you may!" Rein casually picked up the Wooden Amulet and handed it to Anna.
Anna took it and first examined it with delighted scrutiny before gently touching the amulet's surface with her delicate fingers, as if she were caressing a newborn baby.
"What a unique amulet, the carvings are as though they were real, it feels so delicate to the touch," Anna said involuntarily.
Clearly, Anna lo very much liked the amulet.
Just as Rein was about to tease Anna, suddenly, a strange occurrence happened!
"Ah!!"
The Wooden Amulet suddenly lit up with a soft green glow, shocking Anna to the point where she nearly dropped it on the floor.
But it seemed as though she felt the green light to be very soft and comforting, so she bravely continued to hold the amulet in her hand, despite her fright.
Rein had already walked over by then, just as surprised.
He had had the amulet for several days now, but no matter how he handled it, such a peculiar phenomenon had never occurred before.
"Rein, it seems... I feel... like I can control this green light," Anna said, looking up at Rein with her big eyes and speaking earnestly.
"Don't panic, and don't move—let me have a look," Rein said soothingly.
Rein carefully felt the green glow, which seemed to hold a mysterious allure that was drawing him closer.
Rein's higher Spirit Attribute had come into play at this moment.
He felt as if he could sense the green light emitting a certain fragrance of vegetation and the vitality of life.
Furthermore, Rein's danger perception yielded no reaction, so he was fairly certain that the green light posed no threat.
Moreover, at this time, Anna was holding the amulet, with her entire person bathed in the green light's glow.
If there were something amiss with the green light, Anna would have been the first to encounter trouble.
Thus, Rein boldly reached out to touch the green light slowly.
The moment Rein's touch met it, the green light suddenly moved away from the amulet, enveloping his entire body in an instant.
Suddenly, Rein felt as though he were soaking in a hot spring.
It was as if he were a fetus floating in amniotic fluid.
An unknown energy, signifying life and vitality, was now pouring continuously into his body.
It made him feel thoroughly translucent!
Even the air in the room seemed much fresher, and with each breath Rein took, it was as if he were inhaling the essence of plants.
It felt like going from a big city to the Shennongjia Forest Region in an instant, where the air is so fresh it's overpowering, and the negative ion content is off the charts!
Gradually, the green light began to fade away.
Rein felt exceptionally well, and glancing down, he noticed the small scars on the back of his hand from the battle had vanished without a trace.
His hand now looked like a freshly peeled egg, devoid of any mark of scars.
"This is definitely Transcendent Strength! But it's clearly not the Transcendent of the knight's path, seeming more like Magic or witchcraft, using some kind of peculiar energy particles," Rein was very sure in his mind.
But why could Anna trigger it, while his own touches had elicited no response whatsoever?
Rein was puzzled for the moment.
Suddenly, Anna's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her delicate body swayed.
Rein immediately noticed that Anna was clearly very exhausted at this point.
"Could it be because she triggered the strange green light from the amulet?"
Thus, Rein quickly stepped forward, took hold of Anna, and said softly, "Anna, are you alright? Maybe you should rest on the bed for a while."
"Mhm!" Perhaps because Rein was supporting her, a faint blush slowly suffused Anna's pale face.
But she listened to Rein and slowly seated herself on the bed.
"I'm fine, just feeling so tired, as if I have been sewing clothes all day and my head is spinning."
Rein immediately realized that Anna's condition was very much in line with the symptoms of severe mental exhaustion.
It appeared that Anna had triggered some kind of formation or something else on the Wooden Amulet, which caused the green light.
And the entire triggering process required a considerable expenditure of her spiritual power.
...
In the depths of the far-off Ferdinand Forest.
An elf with a tall and slender figure, hair black as ink, suddenly turned and gazed toward the south.
In that direction, she seemed to sense the presence of her lost Natural Healing Amulet.
With furrowed brows and fluttering long eyelashes, she sensed carefully once more.
Without a doubt! The familiar fluctuation was very faint, but it was unmistakably hers....
It appeared someone had triggered her amulet.
Although Rein had wanted to let Anna try to trigger it again to verify his guess,
seeing Anna's pale face made it clear that it was not appropriate at the moment.
"Anna, how did you spend your childhood?"
"As a child, I moved from place to place with my mother, never staying in one place for more than a year. So, every time I settled into a place, we would have to leave again,"
"No child wanted to be friends with me."
"Later, I stopped trying to make friends. I knew I would leave soon, and it would be very heartbreaking if I had friends," Anna slowly recounted her experiences from her childhood.
"Do you know why your mother kept moving?" Rein asked.
Anna gently shook her head, her eyes also showing a hint of confusion.
That inexplicably gave Rein a sense of vulnerability and loneliness.
Furthermore, listening to Anna's story, it seemed that Anna's mother had always been trying to evade something. Hence, the constant moving.
Of course, the above was merely Rein's personal speculation.
However, speaking of this reminded Rein of something his friend George had cryptically mentioned once, that Anna's mother had been abducted.
"Who did George hear it from?"
"It seems he heard it from his father?"
Rein tried hard to recall the situation at the time.
"And what about you, Rein?"
"I feel like you've changed a lot recently!"
"You've grown taller and a lot more robust, and overall… how should I say it, bursting with vitality and energy, it feels like you've completely changed as a person!" Anna turned her head and gave Rein a sweet smile.
Facing Anna's compliments, Rein scratched his head, momentarily unsure of what to say.
Isn't it just like becoming a different person!
"Hahaha, it may be due to the Attendant training," he said.
"...."
After chatting for a while, Anna seemed really tired, and Rein quickly sent her back to rest.
After several days of investigation into Rein, Rulse had confirmed that the information he had submitted to Michel previously indeed had some omissions.
It appeared that by completing a certain bounty mission, Rein had achieved the certification of a Junior Bounty Hunter.
This caused Rulse to seriously increase his degree of regard for Rein.
If previously he had shown moderate attention, now he truly valued him.
After all, Rein's personal history, in Rulse's opinion, was like a blank slate.
Born into a farmer's family and raised in Flashgold Town, he had almost never left Flashgold Town…
And yet, this son of a farmer had managed in just over a month's time to undergo a transformation and become a Bounty Hunter.
This was too legendary, often appearing more in stories sung by Wandering Bards.
Even though this young man named Rein had once been taught by Lady Creya, the degree of improvement was still astonishing.
After all, while Lady Creya is renowned as a genius knight of Meister, that doesn't necessarily mean Rein is too.
Initially, Rulse had thought Rein was participating in attendant training, but after pretending to pass by the training site several times, he never found the black-haired young man.
After observing a few more times, he confirmed that Rein was no longer participating in attendant training.
This only made him more pleased, especially since, after the recent violent werewolf attack incident, the Habsburg estate had enhanced its security measures.
Even for him, to quietly eliminate a serving boy within the manor was extremely difficult, and also entailed considerable risk.
Now that the other party wasn't in the Habsburg Manor, he must be at home.
Thus, Rulse began to search for the location of Rein's home.
Just last night, he had treated a drunk to a drink at the Oak Tavern in Flashgold Town and had learned the location of Rein's home from the drunken man for just a silver coin.
Then, Rulse was delighted to find that Rein's home was located near the southern edge of Flashgold Town, next to a forest with not many people passing by, making it an excellent spot for taking action.
After scouting the area last night, Rulse arrived early in the morning today at an alley near Rein's home to start his stakeout.
Coincidentally, less than five minutes after Rulse began his stakeout, Rein came out carrying a sheepskin-wrapped Dual-Handed Greatsword, heading to the clearing in the forest for his morning training!
This made the corners of Rulse's mouth lift slightly, he hadn't expected things to go this smoothly!
It seemed the Goddess of Fortune was on his side.
A moment later, Rulse discreetly followed Rein to the clearing deep in the forest.
However, as he watched Rein from a distance practicing the Giant Bear Sword Technique, the shock in his heart was indescribable, and his eyes flickered incessantly.
"This... how is this possible!"
"From the information gathered, this young man named Rein, had never undergone any knight attendant training or even basic militia training before,"
"Yet, without any foundation, he managed to train to this extent in just over a month!"
"In comparison, Master Dennis's progress in training after drinking 'Divine Blood' this month was slightly inferior!"
If Rulse hadn't seen the boy's eyes clear and lively, he would have thought he was possessed by an Evil God.
"This young man's knightly potential is simply top-tier, entirely comparable to Lady Creya of Meister County, who's known as a prodigious knight!"
He now understood why Lady Creya valued this young man's talent so highly.
The talent of this young man, in any part of the empire, was worth courting and nurturing.
"Such a young man, it would be a real pity to kill him directly!" Rulse shook his head slightly, sighing inwardly.
Although he had always known that Rein was likely already loyal to Creya, he still planned to first ask if he would like to join the Norman family.
This was a form of respect for talent.
If he agreed, Baron Norman would undoubtedly be very pleased. In that case, even if he faced a scolding from his young master, it didn't matter.
However....if he refused....
Then it would really be regrettable!
It's well known that many young eagles never had the chance to spread their wings before crashing to their deaths beneath the trees.
To ensure foolproof success, Rulse hid behind a tree at a distance, slowly applying a pale green lethal poison to his Longsword.
Rein, while practicing the Giant Bear Sword Technique, had always felt as if he was being watched, but perhaps because the malice wasn't very apparent initially, his core skill 'Danger Perception lv2', hadn't issued a strong warning.
But just now, an alarm suddenly went off in his mind.
Rein knew that the person watching him really existed, and he was probably about to make a move.
And at that same moment, he pinpointed the enemy's approximate location.
It was to his left rear.
"Who's there!" Rein looked sharply in the direction of Rulse.
This prompted Rulse to elevate his assessment of Rein, "Such keen perception, truly an enviable talent."
Thus, in Rein's line of sight, a man clad in hunting attire and carrying a sword at his waist slowly emerged from the dense forest.
"Rein?" a deep male voice sounded.
"May I ask who you are?"
"You don't need to know who I am, listen carefully, Rein."
"I'm giving you an opportunity right now. If you're willing to pledge allegiance to the Norman family, this will be the best decision of your life."
The other party did not directly answer Rein's question, but instead said something unexpected.
Hearing this, Rein was taken aback, "Hm? Is this... a recruitment?"
However, the superior attitude of the other party was plainly more like charity...
Rein instinctively felt awkward and uncomfortable.
Nevertheless, Rein still planned to politely inquire about the other party's background.
After all, with such a pompous recruitment, the background must be prominent, possibly from some hereditary Earl or even Marquis family.
But in Meister County, there seemed to be only one hereditary Earl family—the Habus family.
Thus, Rein naturally asked:
"Thank you for your appreciation... sir, but please forgive my ignorance, is the Norman family a great noble family from another county?"
"You... Rein, what you just said is an offense to the noble Baron Norman. The wrath of the Norman family is not something you can withstand," the middle-aged man visibly displayed anger.
"Baron?" Rein instantly realized; the person was from a lesser-known Baron family named Norman, not the Earl or Marquis he had conjectured.
His question had clearly angered the other party, seen as a challenge and scorn.
"But surely, he would never accept the other party's offer."
"Give up being the Guardian Knight for the fair, beautiful Lady Creya with long legs to become a servant in some Baron's house whose lands he did not even know?"
"That would be a brain kicked by a donkey... tssk!"
Rein shook his head, straightened his expression, bowed slightly, and apologized:
"I'm sorry, thank you for your appreciation, but I cannot accept!"
"Then it is truly a pity! You refused an opportunity to save your own life. A genius is going to fall here, truly regrettable," the middle-aged man shook his head slightly.
The next second, the situation turned volatile!
"Clang!"
The other party immediately drew a longsword, pushed off with the tip of his foot, and attacked Rein!
"So fast!"
Rein's pupils constricted!
The speed of the opponent was no less than that of the assassin who had attacked him last time.
"Clang!"
Rein barely managed to block the strike of the longsword with his Fine Steel Greatsword, but he was still knocked back two steps.
"Failed recruitment turns to assassination, how domineering?!"
"Moreover, the strength and agility of the opponent, fearsomely near that of a formal knight!"
Rein was surprised, but the opponent was even more so.
Rulse had never expected the son of a farmer to have reached such a level!
To actually withstand his full-powered strike and only retreat a few steps, he was even more proficient than what Rulse had estimated when he watched Rein practice swordsmanship!
It should be noted, his strength was that of an almost-knight.
This indicates that the opponent's strength had completely reached the level of a Tier-3 Knight Attendant.
No wonder the last attempt failed!
"Even compared to himself, the gap isn't too big. Could it be because of the breathing technique the other was practicing?"
"It's just that the opponent's speed was a bit slow, clearly two levels below his own."
"Good, although there are variables, everything is still within control."
Since the opponent was slower, the experienced Rulse instantly thought of the best tactic.
That was to make use of the fastest Thrusting Sword Technique, catching the opponent off guard.
Rein had already activated "Strength Burst" at 30% of its full capacity, pushing his strength beyond 14 points, only to find himself still falling slightly behind.
This allowed Rein to estimate that his opponent's strength was around 15 points, but definitely not exceeding 16 points.
However, compared to him, the opponent's speed was just too fast.
If it weren't for his level 2 danger perception, he might have already been injured.
Good, now there's no hesitation about how to distribute his points!
Rein immediately used one attribute point on agility, successfully boosting it to the major milestone of 10 points.
"Clang!!"
Thus, a split second later, Rulse's swifter thrusting strike was still solidly blocked by the young man opposite him.
This brought a flicker of surprise to Rulse's face; the speed of the youth opposite him had actually increased!
From initially dominating in speed to now being only slightly better.
"Thankfully, I was prepared, having applied lethal poison. Just one hit and it should be over."
Rulse's sword moves became even swifter, striking at Rein like a fierce storm.
"Cling clang clang!"
"Bang!" Rein's chest was brushed by Rulse's sword, cutting through the surface of his cotton jacket.
"Huh! Plate armor??"
Rulse, thinking he had secured the victory, was surprised to find that the youth opposite him was wearing a rarely seen plate armor!
Which caused his strike just now to be in vain!
As the fight progressed to this point, Rulse might not have realized himself that he had gradually deviated from his original plan.
His initial plan was, once Rein refused, to take him down within a few seconds, then deal with the body quickly before leaving.
But now, although he was slightly ahead, the whole fight had become fiercely contested.
"In this case, to take down the opponent in a short time and leave without trouble is extremely difficult."
"We're not far from the main road. If I take too long, it might draw the attention of others, which would be troublesome."
"It looks like I have to use my secret technique!"
On the other side, Rein was also intently watching Rulse, his mind swiftly searching for a strategy to break through the enemy.
"The opponent's swordsmanship is very practical, extremely deadly, and he has abundant experience. His overall ability is clearly above mine."
"The most troublesome thing is the opponent's attack speed, even faster than that assassin!"
"Even after adding one point to agility, it's still not enough!"
Rein had also considered suddenly unleashing his full strength and performing a roaring strike.
"But seeing the opponent's ease in attacking, if I don't time it right, even if I unleash full power with Strength Burst, I might not be able to hit him."
"And once it fails and the opponent gets wary, it would be harder to find such an opportunity again."
"Roaring Strike is my only chance to turn the tables; it must only be used when there's absolute certainty!"
"Eh! The knight's longsword's pale green glow? It's poisoned?"
Taking advantage of this moment, Rein keenly noticed that the knight's longsword was emitting a faint pale green glow.
This alarmed and angered Rein!
"Had I not been wearing plate armor just now, would I have already been poisoned!"
It was a situation where any mistake could be deadly.
Keeping any attribute points now would be suicidal.
Rein decisively used his last attribute point on agility again.
With this, his agility reached 11 points.
His overall condition also returned to its peak.
Suddenly, Rulse made a move!
All he saw was Rulse swinging his sword again toward Rein, his right hand's longsword moving at high speed, transforming into three blades, with a sharp slicing sound, simultaneously stabbing towards Rein's forehead, neck, and chest.
This was Rulse's trump card, one of the Dragonguard's secret sword techniques, Swift Sword Triple Strike!!