How to Live as a Genius Knight in a Fantasy World

7.

Contrary to expectations, there was no sign of any eye-opening news.

Disappointed by the unexpected turn of events different from what he had learned in web novels, Rohan’s eyes showed a hint of disappointment.

“Well, if I were to get groundbreaking information in this old tavern in the countryside, that would be even stranger.”

He hadn’t come with high expectations in the first place.

Accepting reality, he absentmindedly sipped on the lukewarm beer.

“Beer should be cold…”

Although the beer he drank without much expectation had a slightly bland taste, it was surprisingly rich and had its own flavor.

If it had been refreshing, it would have tasted better than the beer he drank after work, but in a world where even dreaming of a refrigerator was impossible, desiring a cold beer was a difficult wish.

While obtaining significant information was impossible, eavesdropping on trivial conversations had its own fun and usefulness.

Since it was his first time entering the castle, he had no way of knowing about other people’s reputations or the castle’s situation, so listening to the firsthand accounts of the residents was very helpful.

As Rohan was leisurely enjoying himself, his ears suddenly caught a heavy conversation.

“You know about it, right? The border dispute between Dusel and Friel seems to have no end in sight.”

“I heard too. It’s really serious. I heard even the Central is paying attention to it…”

“Probably because the factions of the two territories are different.”

“If it becomes a political issue, won’t it affect Izell as well?”

“Because of that, there’s a lot of talk within the guild. It seems like we need to prepare…”

“Prepare? Does the Merchant Guild really think the border dispute will escalate?”

“I’m not sure…but there’s a lot of talk like that going around.”

“Oh no…I should also make some preparations. I never expected things to escalate like this all of a sudden…”

Rohan’s face hardened as he listened to their story.

They say ominous premonitions never go wrong.

Hearing rumors about the battlefield not once but twice certainly didn’t feel like a good sign.

“Did I join as a soldier for no reason…”

For a moment, he felt a twinge of regret, but quickly shook his head.

“No, even so, there was no hope in that village.”

Seizing the opportunity to become stronger was far better than being beaten every day by his drunkard father until death.

Although he suddenly felt a pang of fear about being dragged to the battlefield and forced to fight, he made an effort to calm his mind.

“No, there’s no need to be scared in advance. It’s just a prediction for now.”

Moreover, objectively speaking, Rohan was growing faster than anyone else.

From basic spear techniques to Charles-style practical swordsmanship, and even the recently learned basic shield technique.

The two skills acquired early on were at 100% proficiency, receiving additional effects, and with a little more practice in shield technique, he was sure to reach 100% as well, making him confident that he wouldn’t easily lose to any soldier.

In reality, the evaluations of the instructors towards Rohan were very high.

A new recruit with not only a hardworking and sincere personality but also talent was truly rare.

To the extent that even some instructors were secretly envious of his talent.

“Rohan, why do you look so down? Is it because it’s noisy?”

“Is that so? Are you feeling unwell?”

“No. I just have something on my mind.”

“Really? Anyway, we’ve finished our drinks, where should we go now?”

“The sun has already set, there’s nowhere to go but back to the dormitory.”

Despite the disappointing end to their highly anticipated outing, being legally adults but still feeling like boys, visiting a tavern for the first time was seen as a great adventure, and they seemed quite satisfied.

On the way back, they chattered about alcohol for a while, but as soon as they returned to the dormitory, they fell asleep quickly, feeling exhausted.

Listening to Chris’s snoring, Rohan absentmindedly checked his status screen.

Seeing the three skills that had now increased, he felt oddly pleased.

– Proficient in basic Isel spear technique (N) / 100% (10% increase in power for all spear attacks)

– Proficient in Charles-style practical swordsmanship (SN) / 100% (15% increase in power for all sword attacks)

– Isel shield technique (N) / 92%

“But what is this really used for?”

Next to the feather-shaped icon on the status screen, the number 2 was written.

Apart from the name “Ardan’s Feather,” there was no other information, which made him more curious.

He wondered when he would find out its purpose, but surprisingly, that day came sooner than expected.

“Oh, so you’re Rohan? You’re quite famous, aren’t you?”

“This guy is the new ace, right? Charles was praising him like crazy, wasn’t he?”

“So, the squad leader put in the effort to bring him here.”

The day right after his first outing.

Rohan met his new squad members.

There was no need to move to a new dormitory, as most senior soldiers were either saving money to buy their own homes or staying long-term in inns.

While there wasn’t much difference in living standards between the dormitory and the inn, soldiers who preferred having their own space, even if it cost more, were far more common.

Rohan was assigned to Squad 3.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t Charles’ squad, but perhaps due to his good reputation, everyone welcomed Rohan warmly.

After exchanging greetings in the morning and sharing a drink together in the evening, I was starting to recognize some faces.

After a brief inspection of my appearance, Rohan headed straight to the barracks the next day as a guard.

I thought I might need separate armor, but fortunately, I was told that I could just change into the clothes provided for general use.

“Hello!”

“Oh, Rohan. You’re early.”

On the first day, I came out a bit early and energetically greeted everyone.

I exchanged greetings with the senior soldiers working with a smile, then with Kyle, who was assigned as my partner for today.

“Yeah, today’s your first day on duty? Just stick with me, it’s nothing special.”

Although he didn’t seem very serious at first glance, Kyle surprisingly taught the tasks quite meticulously.

And Rohan thought to himself.

“It really is nothing special.”

Despite being in the guard, I wondered what kind of tasks I would have to do, but it was no different from just being a police officer under a different name.

If there was a difference, it was occasionally snatching fruits or snacks from the merchants to eat.

The point was that even the merchants didn’t ask for money, showing how accustomed they were to this.

Today, Kyle was trying to take more than usual from the merchants under the pretext of new recruits, to the point where Rohan had to make an effort to stop him.

Of course, although the tasks were not the same every day in the guard, when assigned patrol duties like today, it simply meant walking around the village, looking for criminals or suspicious individuals.

Initially, it was fun to walk around noisily with Kyle, but like any rural scenery, it didn’t take long before it felt tiresome, even before an hour had passed.

“But really, it’s all dirty here too.”

The pungent smell pervaded the village due to scattered manure, and there were quite a few muddy, slimy paths mixed with manure.

And even pitiful beggars were found in every alley.

The new recruits who complained about the barracks being stuffy, but to Rohan, it seemed that it might not be so bad to live over there.

“At least there’s no smell there.”

Thanks to the bathroom being built far away, the barracks were a place where one didn’t have to smell the disgusting odor from the manure and the lodging.

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The patrol duty, which began around 9 in the morning, ended by 5 in the evening.

There was no separate lunchtime, and meals were simply obtained by snatching from nearby merchants whenever Kyle felt hungry.

Rest was similar.

When Kyle suggested sitting down for a while, they would sit in a comfortable place for about ten minutes, chat, then get up.

That was their break.

Although the attendance was a complete disaster, according to Kyle himself, he was closer to an FM, so the duty didn’t seem too difficult for him.

With the job being easy, there was still enough energy left after work, and there was plenty of time to wield weapons.

After wielding weapons for a long time even after sunset, washing up, Rohan lay down on the bed.

“I should find a place to stay later.”

In fact, Rohan also wished for a personal living space, but since it didn’t cost anything and the barracks were the only place lit up at night, there was no other option.

Moreover, soon, other new recruits were eager to find rooms, so if he played his cards right, he might be able to have this large room to himself.

After going through the probation period and becoming a full-fledged soldier, the daily routine completely changed, but Rohan continued to wield weapons harder than anyone else.

Before a week had passed since starting work.

Finally, Rohan was able to raise the proficiency of the basic shield skill to the maximum level.

– Proficiency of the basic shield skill has reached 100%.

– Additional effects are granted to this skill, and one Ardan’s Feather is provided.

Now, the message that had become familiar filled his field of vision, and the additional effect was, as expected, an increase in resistance when holding a shield.

Expected effect, but becoming stronger is always a delightful thing.

Raising the shield, it definitely felt more snug in my hand than before.

At that moment, the pushed aside message window covered my vision again.

“What’s this?”

Slightly surprised by something I had never experienced before, but that surprise was nothing compared to the content of the message.

– You have achieved 100% proficiency in 3 skills.

– Additional function ‘Skill Synthesis’ will be unlocked.

“Skill Synthesis?”

At the unexpected information, Rohan’s eyes widened.

Quickly turning off the message and checking the status window, a feather-shaped icon was sparkling.

His gamer’s intuition immediately informed him that this was the icon for skill synthesis.

Placing his finger on it, a screen similar to enhancing items in an RPG game appeared.

“Intuitive.”

An arrow extending from two empty slots was clearly indicating the shape of merging two skills into one.

Pressing one of the slots revealed a window to insert skills. Placing the basic sword skill into it, an icon depicting a sword appeared in the slot.

“But… what happens if it fails?”

About to attempt the synthesis without further thought, Rohan paused at a dreadful assumption that crossed his mind.

While deeply grateful for this status window system, he had one complaint—it was too unfriendly.

No hints, no guidance.

Just learning through trial and error.

“In typical games, if enhancement fails… it may disappear or decrease in level.”

The worst-case scenario was the skill itself disappearing, but Rohan believed the likelihood of that was low.

Based on his experience, he had never seen a game where normal-grade items or skills obtained in the early stages were deleted due to one failed enhancement.

There might be penalties like decreased proficiency, but that was something that could be overcome with a bit of time.

Even if a skill were to be deleted, there would be no issue learning basic swordsmanship or shield techniques again from scratch.

What truly concerned him was the feather of Ardann, which he had previously ignored.

“Perhaps this is the material used for synthesis?”

The status window didn’t seem to indicate receiving currency like money; it seemed likely that feathers would be used here.

Despite the reluctance due to the preciousness of the feather, Rohan had no choice but to proceed, eager to become stronger as soon as possible.

“Which skills should I use?”

Currently, Rohan possessed two normal-grade skills and one that seemed to be super-normal, classified as SN.

After a brief contemplation, Rohan nodded decisively.

“Let’s go with swordsmanship and shield techniques.”

Although he wasn’t sure how the compatibility between skills would affect the synthesis, it seemed to him that swordsmanship and shield techniques would complement each other better than swordsmanship and spear techniques.

“Since I can’t use other weapons while holding a spear…”

With his decision made, Rohan designated two skills in the empty slots and pressed the synthesis button below.

– Charles-style Practical Swordsmanship (SN) and Eizel Basic Shield Techniques (N) will be synthesized.

– The synthesis cost is one Ardann feather.

Confirming the notification from the suddenly informative status window, he pressed the confirmation button once more, and the synthesis window momentarily darkened before revealing its outcome.

“It seems like a success.”

Until just before pressing the synthesis button, the result window, which was empty, now had a new icon.

Closing the synthesis window, I checked the skill list.

“It’s there! Success!”

Without realizing it, Rohan shouted and then quickly checked if there were people around before absorbing the skill.

– Novice Mercenary’s Sword and Shield Technique (SN) / 0%

“Sword and shield technique? What’s this?”

From the text, it seemed to be a skill involving sword and shield techniques, but Rohan, who had already learned swordsmanship and shield techniques, wondered if it held any significant meaning. Suddenly, a headache struck him, causing him to clutch his head.

Amid the throbbing pain, Rohan felt new knowledge being engraved in his mind.

“Ouch…”

Although the pain was fleeting, the intensity of it caused cold sweat to trickle down his face.

Nevertheless, it was not without gain.

Since he had clearly learned this sword and shield technique.

“Even if I don’t know anything else, this proficiency level is really sweet.”

Just feeling a moment of pain, his proficiency level had already risen to 50%.

As the movement itself was etched into his mind, it seemed that his proficiency level was not zero.

Moreover, judging by the fact that the skill using synthesis materials remained intact, it appeared that there were no penalties upon successful synthesis.

Feeling a surge of excitement, Rohan’s face lit up.

“It seems that the skills included as materials do indeed affect the outcome.”

The new skill made him think such thoughts.

Furthermore, it wasn’t just any sword and shield technique; it was the “Novice Mercenary’s” sword and shield technique.

Although he accepted the successful outcome of his first synthesis, there were still many things he was curious about.

And Rohan still had two of Ardann’s feathers left.

“Should I try again? Or should I gather more and create an even better skill?”

After a moment of contemplation, he boldly decided to try something new.

Since he had already mastered everything he had learned to 100%, he needed new martial arts to practice.

Considering the rumors circulating lately, it was better to quickly learn more skills.

“Let’s try combining spear and sword techniques this time.”

In Rohan’s opinion, it wasn’t a very compatible combination, but he felt the need to see how flexible skill synthesis could be.

“Later, the amount of feathers needed may increase, so it’s better to check now.”

While casually checking if the newly acquired sword and shield technique appeared when designating skills, it seemed that materials couldn’t be used unless the proficiency level reached 100%.

After adding Charles’ practical swordsmanship and Izell’s basic spear techniques, he attempted synthesis once again.

The exact same message appeared as before, but this time, it gave off a somewhat ominous feeling.

Ignoring the foreboding feeling, he pressed the synthesis button, and as before, the status window darkened before returning.

“Oh!”

Despite preparing for failure, the synthesis surprisingly succeeded.

With an excited heart, he checked the skill list.

– Crude Throwing Spear Technique (N) / 0%

Rohan’s expression slightly twisted upon confirming the skill’s name.

“This… is different from what I had in mind.”

He couldn’t understand the connection between swordsmanship and spear techniques with crude throwing spear techniques.

“No, so is it because of the low grade?”

Rohan, who stared fixedly at the N grade, mumbled with a bitter expression.

Whether Rohan’s reaction displeased him or not, a brief pang of pain passed through as soon as the words ended.

It was somewhat comforting that the intensity of the pain was weaker compared to when obtaining the 검방술 due to the low grade.

‘No, does this mean the pain gets stronger as it goes on? Is that true…?’

Rohan, who felt a moment of reality check, managed to calm his mind by reassuring himself that at least he didn’t fail in synthesis.

‘I’ll have to write this down for next time.’

Although there was still one feather left, he couldn’t come up with a combination that seemed to have any more synergy among the skills he had mastered to the fullest.

Anticipating filling up the proficiency of the newly acquired skills, he decided to call it a day for now.