Chapter 7: [Lord of the Wilderness] and the [Brotherhood of the Wilderness]

Levi Snyder

Black Snake Breathing Method: Level 2 (5/5000)

Golden Cross: Level 1 (1/1000); Special Effect: Vibrate (Beginner)

It took him three whole days, but he did it.

However, Levi looked at the extra column next to the Golden Slash.

“A special effect?”

This was unprecedented.

Obviously, this “vibration” should refer to the vibration that Knight Fred was talking about. It makes a knight’s sword vibrate at an incredibly high speed, increasing its lethality tenfold. He could hear Knight Fred’s explanation echoing in his ear:

“This skill of mine is incredibly powerful, being able to unlock special effects at the first level itself. You must know that even the Black Snake Breathing Method does not have any special effects at the second level.”

Levi could feel his breath hitch. Just where did Knight Fred acquire this skill?

This must be the work of a talented Great Knight—no, a Legendary Knight!

After he was done, he nodded with satisfaction. He couldn’t wait to hit the limits of this skill as soon as possible.

Striking the iron while it was hot, he practised the Golden Cross at least several times a day. Mastering the technique of using the power of vibration was a lengthy yet satisfying process. For now, he could only produce a weak vibration.

[Golden Cross Proficiency +3]

[Golden Cross Proficiency +2]

He found that there was a lot of room for improvement while using the Golden Cross.

Every time he practised, he could increase his proficiency by 2 points.

He never stopped training, only stopping when he was hungry.

He would rest for a while and eat. One day, he ran into Knight Fred, who had just returned from training his men.

“You must’ve grasped the techniques of vibration,” Knight Fred asked, seeing Levi’s happy expression.

Levi nodded. There is a huge gap between his power a few days ago and now. Even though Vibrate was the most basic of skills under the Golden Cross, it was mighty in its own right.

The real challenge was mastering Ripple, or perhaps Whirlwind.

Knight Fred smiled and said, “Your father mastered this in two days.”

Levi felt frustrated. He didn’t expect that he would lose to his father.

“How many times have you used this, Knight Fred?” Levi asked.

Knight Fred held out two fingers.

“Two days’ worth?”

“No, twice…”

“Pretend I never asked.”

Levi felt defeated. He practised it nearly a hundred times over the last three days, and he could barely master it.

And Knight Fred only used this twice.

He felt the gap in power between talented people and ordinary people.

And for somebody as strong as Knight Fred, even he remained stagnant trying to master Ripple.

Whirlwind is a thing of legend. If somebody ordinary were to try and learn it, it would be pointless.

Calm down, Levi, he whispered to himself. “You have your proficiency panel. You would catch up in no time.”

“By the way,” Knight Fred interrupted his train of thought. “The people that I have sent to negotiate with the Wild Boar Gang discovered that they have recently joined the Brotherhood of the Wild.”

“No wonder they have been stepping all over us. They found a backer,” Levi sneered.

The Brotherhood of the Wilderness is relatively well known in the northern parts of the Kingdom.

They believe in the Lord of the Wilderness: chaos, disorder, and entropy. They advocate for free will and surrendering to the chaos, as everything would return to it. Its members mainly consist of wandering knights and bandits that wander across the wasteland.

In short, the Lord of the Wilderness is the incarnation of chaos.

They advocate overthrowing the tyranny of the Church and the Kingdom, as well as the abolition of all power systems. Only in this state of freedom can all things continue to evolve in the name of survival of the fittest.

This is absolute heresy in the eyes of the Church. Hence, they have been targeted by the Church and the Kingdom.

Originally, they vanished from the public eye, but because of the turmoil caused by the Millennium War, the Church had no time to deal with small fry. So, they have re-emerged.

“What now?” Knight Fred asked.

“Let us keep Toby in their care for now,” Levi replied. “Milan is as proficient as Toby; arrange for some people to serve as his apprentice. We must produce as many weapons and equipment as possible.”

“Understood.”

Understanding that he was no match for the Brotherhood of the Wilderness, it would be good to prepare in advance. Having the ability to re-emerge from the chaos must mean that somebody great was in charge. Perhaps a Great Knight? Levi thought.

Levi laughed at his own weakness, then returned to his training day after day.

Holy Calendar, 1004. The month of Germination (February).

It was the season of recovery, but the Blackwater Valley was still frigid and cold. Although it was not as cold as the previous months, heavy snow still blanketed the mountaintops of the region.

Levi isolated himself from the public eye, choosing to focus on his breathing method and Golden Cross training.

His current daily routine was to practice his breathing method twice in the morning, noon, and evening, then practice the Golden Cross whenever.

Breathing was the foundation of his power, but it consumed too much of his energy. He was starting to get sick of bread.

However, with his current speed, he would gain 15 points of proficiency daily. He would reach Level 3 in his breathing technique in about a year and perhaps break through to become a knight.

This was considered an incredibly fast pace. He was practically keeping up with his father.

As for the Golden Cross, he practised it to his body’s limit. There was no need to worry about exhausting himself, so fast improvements could be observed.

Of course, Levi gave himself a rest day every week so that his body could rest as well.

Soon, the month of Vitality (March) came, and spring came to the lands of the Blackwater Valley.

Levi’s Golden Cross has broken through the second level, and he opened the panel immediately.