The next day, at the dining table…

Aaron sat quietly, eating breakfast alongside Duke Alaric and Alice.

Though the table was grand and spacious, it felt oddly empty with just the three of them seated.

Suddenly, Alaric spoke, "Aaron, three days from now will be the day of Alice's marriage ceremony. I'd like you to attend."

Aaron smiled and replied without hesitation, "Of course, Lord Duke."

Alice blushed, keeping her eyes fixed on the food in front of her.

Alaric noticed and smiled faintly.

After finishing his meal, he added, "Aaron, today you can accompany Alice to test the parachute."

Aaron, who had planned to visit Edrin and Torvald, could only set those plans aside. 

"Okay, Lord Alaric."

Satisfied, Alaric rose and left the room.

Alice turned to Aaron and asked, "Aaron, which place would be best for testing it?"

Aaron replied, "A steep mountain top."

Alice thought for a moment, "Will Stiff Shore work?"

Aaron looked puzzled, "Stiff Shore? I've never heard of it."

Alice patted her forehead and said, "Indeed… but it's not far from here. Just 3,000 steps away."

Aaron nodded, "Alright. When do we leave?"

Alice smiled, "Whenever you're ready."

Aaron stood up, "Then let's go. We'll try to finish the test before lunch."

Alice nodded, "I'll ask the soldiers to load everything into the carriage."

Aaron replied, "I'll meet you at the warehouse after I visit the blacksmith. I still need to pay Mr. Kolo."

Alice nodded in understanding,"Okay then. Don't forget, come straight to the warehouse."

Aaron returned to his room, still dressed in his black outfit.

He took out a pouch and carefully placed 160 gold coins inside, 10 of them extra, just in case of emergencies.

As he walked, he checked his stats.

Every time he saw the 35,000 experience points, a smile crept onto his face.

But then he did a quick mental calculation for his upgrade to Great Knight.

It required 55,000 experience points.

The smile vanished.

He muttered in a slightly depressed tone,

"And here I was thinking I had enough experience points. Damn it… looks like I'll have to become a fisherman again for the next few days."

He sighed, feeling the weight of his slow progress.

Then he shook his head, he had reached the blacksmith.

The rhythmic sound of hammering echoed from inside. 

Without hesitation, he stepped in.

Kolo was seated at the counter, just as usual.

Aaron greeted him, "Hello, Mr. Kolo. I'm here to pay the sum."

Kolo looked up, his eyes brightening.

With a smile, he said, "No need. I've already heard the news, about the young master archer who fired over 1,500 arrows within a single candle's burn. No one else could've done that but you."

"In fact, Lord Alaric has asked me to take your measurements for a customized armor. You may also choose a sword and dagger. Come here, let me take your size."

Aaron was stunned, then excited.

He stepped forward as Kolo pulled out a cloth marked with measurement lines.

A few minutes later, Kolo scribbled the details onto a dry leaf and said, "That's all. You can pick a sword and dagger as you wish."

Aaron hesitated, "Is it a flaming sword?"

Kolo laughed, "Nope. Just an ordinary sword."

Aaron's expression didn't change, but he was quietly disappointed.

He asked, "What's the cost of such a sword?"

Kolo replied with a smile, "It's not made from ordinary materials. It's forged from monster cores. You may not know, but monsters of tier 2 and above have a core located just above their heart."

"As for the price, the cheapest sword costs 700 gold coins."

Aaron took a deep breath.

Then he asked,

"Mr. Kolo, do you have a bone knife made from elemental bones?"

Kolo was surprised, then smiled.

"Of course. I crafted one from the same monster, Gale Wolf. If you want it, I'll sell it for 100 gold coins."

He handed the dagger to Aaron.

"Be careful, it's sharp."

Aaron took the dagger, still sheathed.

It was about 17 centimeters long, and both ends were finely polished.

Just then, Kolo said,

"Aaron, pour your Knight energy into it. You know the strands of energy stored in your stomach region? Just imagine that energy flowing into the knife."

Aaron followed the instructions.

He was stunned to feel the energy flow smoothly into the bone knife.

The blade's edge began to faintly glow.

Kolo warned, "Now don't test its sharpness on your finger, you might lose it. But you can test it on this iron sword."

He placed an iron sword in front of Aaron.

"Slice it lightly. I don't want my table broken."

Aaron gave him a blank look, then followed the instructions.

With a gentle motion, he sliced, and the iron sword was cleaved cleanly in two.

There was no resistance at all.

Aaron was stunned by the dagger's sharpness.

At the same time, he realized just how mysterious and dangerous this world truly was.

He felt a quiet warning in his heart he needed to stay low-key, or he might not even know how he lost his life.

He carefully sheathed the dagger and said,

"Mr. Kolo, I'm satisfied with the dagger. Also… I wanted to ask, do you know where I can buy Knight skills?"

Kolo gave Aaron a sharp glance.

"Knight skills can't be bought. They're strictly protected by noble families, considered part of their heritage."

"Since it's your first time asking, I won't say anything. But next time, I'll have to report it to Lord Alaric."

Aaron was stunned by the response.

He quickly placed the coins on the counter.

"Well then, Mr. Kolo, here are the coins. Also, when can I come to collect the armor?"

Kolo replied, "After three days."

Aaron nodded and quietly left the shop.

At the same time, Aaron made up his mind to speak with Edrin and Torvald about Knight skills.

Maybe they could shed some light on the subject.

At the very least, he wanted to acquire a Knight skill at any cost.

After witnessing their power firsthand the previous night,

he was convinced once he obtained a Knight skill, his strength would increase by leaps and bounds.

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