The Formation of the Knight Order

Burp.

"Thanks for the meal."

I really wonder about the landlady's secret recipe for corn. Even when I boil the exact same stuff myself, it never comes out tasting like this.

"Student Jinho has good hands, so he'll pick it up in no time."

"Moooom. What about me?"

"Our daughter can just work hard at it."

"Ah, whyyy?! Why won't you say I can do it too!"

Under the tyranny of Kim Yeondo, undisputed number one in the boarding-house hierarchy, I quietly rose from my seat.

"You haven't forgotten about the meat this weekend, right?"

"I was just thinking of tightening my belt for it."

"Ahjussi. What kind of meat?"

"A promotion celebration treat. Actual beef."

"Oppa! No—Orabeoni! Thank you!"

Good heavens.

This was the power of capitalism?

To make that wild little tornado wag her tail so eagerly...

Money truly was magnificent!

Stomach full of corn, I climbed back up to my room.

"Are you not headed to the workshop?"

"I'll work tomorrow."

The sky had already grown dim.

I'd burned through plenty of strength thrashing around in that swamp.

Minho's Workshop was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠closed for business today.

"I've got other things to take care of too."

After the promotion exam I'd raised my level quite a bit.

I'd deliberately left the bonus stats untouched, stockpiling them.

I wanted to check out my new abilities first, run a few gates, and get a feel for how the stats ought to be distributed.

"It seems you've got the hang of it now."

"More or less."

The Necrosmith class wasn't even registered with the World Hunter Union (WHU).

Which meant deciding my own stat allocation was the only real answer.

A few days of experience had finally given me some clarity.

"Status window."

"Khhh."

This felt good.

How long had it even been since promotion, and my level had already jumped seven times?

Back-to-back clears of the Challenging Realm and the Deep Swamp.

Soloing D-class gates naturally dumped experience by the truckload.

"Did you not have teammates in the Challenging Realm?"

"Eh, I still did most of it myself."

Those guys had broken a sweat over a single Living Armor.

"By that logic, I was the one who felled the Living Armor."

Ah.

So that was how she wanted to play it?

"Fine, next time I'll have to swing the sword myself."

"I am my lord's sword! Therefore the Living Armor counts as having been struck down by my lord!"

Eheheheh.

That right there was the difference in our eye levels.

I'd savor the joy of leveling up this far and no further.

Time to spend some of those stockpiled stats.

Every time I leveled, the close-combat stats rose by the same amount automatically.

Which meant I could pour everything into mana without a second thought!

"It's not like I'll be swinging a sword myself in a fight anyway."

"Hmm. Still holding a grudge, are you?"

"Holding a grudge about what? When a fight breaks out I just fold my arms and click a few times."

How convenient was that?

My summons did all the hunting for me.

"There seems to be a fair bit of bitterness dripping from those words."

"You're imagining things. Pure imagination."

I'd invested in strength and stamina purely for Bone Metallurgy.

"To control force with precision one would also need the agility stat, would they not?"

"I've got the dexterity stat, so it's fine."

Hitting harder.

And swinging the hammer longer.

My combat power was literally the power of my summons.

One look at the Armed Zombie Warrior made that clear.

Improve my Bone Metallurgy skill and I could strengthen the whole army.

Physical specs rose on their own with every level-up, so—

Eheheheheh! All hail the Heavenly Martial Body!

"But is it really okay to just keep pumping mana forever?"

"It is fine."

Objectively speaking, the human race's base specs were nothing special.

Innate strength fell short of an orc's.

Regeneration was pathetic next to a troll's.

Raise your sights a little higher and an ogre—an A-class monster—could swallow you in one bite.

"To fight and defeat a strong enemy, one must learn to wield power beyond one's natural gifts."

Reinforce the body with mana.

Then go one step further and materialize that mana into the tangible energy called Aura—only then could you stand against monsters like ogres.

Hmm.

"I see."

I understood it was good.

But Heavenly Martial Body...

Anything with "heavenly" in the name felt too grandiose to sink in properly.

I'd just settle for "it copies abilities" and leave it at that.

"You are not listening carefully to the explanation."

Was it that obvious?

"It is fine. My lord will not be swinging a blade on the front lines."

After all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that circling she still landed on "suck your thumb and watch from the back."

I lightly clenched my fist.

Crunch.

After ranking up to D-class I had gotten a little stronger... right?

Blood boiled under my skin.

I could feel that my strength had "increased," but I still had no real sense of by how much.

"It's making me restless."

"Shall we loosen the body a little?"

"Nah. You saw how dark it got outside."

Today wasn't the only day.

I'd already floundered around in the muck enough.

I'd just check the listings on the Hunter Auction and call it a night.

The next day.

Dressed lightly, I climbed the hill behind the neighborhood.

Maybe it was the investment in strength and stamina.

That boiling-blood feeling simply refused to settle.

"In such cases, swinging a sword is best."

"It's not like I'll ever swing one in actual combat."

"Hmph! Do not forget that your subordinates are affected as well!"

Yes, yes.

I understand.

I reached the mid-slope where I'd last practiced in a single breath.

I was definitely enjoying the benefits of the raised strength.

"Then draw it forth at once."

"Guuoooohk."

"Why have you summoned this subordinate?"

Sir Isra voiced her doubt.

"I'm going to have the Armed Zombie Warrior practice swordsmanship too."

My undead shared motor nerves.

If we trained together, maybe it could pick up the Imperial Sword Style as well?

"Hmm. The odds do not look high."

"No harm in trying."

"Training an undead... chivalry itself would weep."

Chivalry wasn't a person.

It wasn't going to cry just because I taught a few undead.

After calming the grumbling Sir Isra, I gripped the hilt.

Shhhk—

Even though it was a blade ground from bone, the sound it made was quite satisfying.

A slightly lighter tone than metal, yet the cold sharpness that made the heart clench was still very much alive.

I'd made it myself, but it was pretty usable.

A few swings later my body felt drawn taut like a bowstring.

"Form Two next, right?"

"Review first."

Form One.

A simple vertical cut.

Sir Isra had said that even among swings that looked identical at a glance, subtle differences existed.

"Never forget that fact."

"Yes, yes."

I answered half-heartedly and focused my awareness on the blade.

Whooosh!

Senses sharpened by Heavenly Martial Body perfectly recreated the moment I had first performed Form One.

"Hmm."

"How was that?"

"Passing grade."

"Khh."

Getting acknowledged by the Continent's Greatest Sword felt pretty damn good.

"Complacency is forbidden. I fear you may charge the enemy head-on."

This girl.

I already said I wouldn't go to the front lines.

Even after learning the sword I planned to spectate safely from the rear and only draw steel when there was no other choice—yet she kept talking like that, so a rebellious urge rose in me.

Maybe I should go full crazy and charge in yelling?

"Rash thoughts are forbidden."

"What thoughts?"

"Delusions about charging in valiantly, and the like."

Excuse me.

Could you drop modifiers like "valiantly"?

"Subordinate. You try as well."

The Armed Zombie Warrior swung the practice sword I'd hastily crafted for it.

Whooosh—

"Looks awkward."

"It is awkward."

The same answer came out of both of us.

Its specs were high enough that pure cutting power surpassed mine, but something about the balance felt off.

"Try this instead."

I handed it the Grudge-Laden Axe.

Whooosh!

"This one's better."

"It is at least watchable."

I could guess the reason.

Ulsidian Axe Technique.

A skill the zombie warrior originally lacked.

Inherited from the shattered soul stone.

Before it was split, the original had probably used an axe as its main weapon.

"Should I teach it how to handle an axe properly?"

"There is no Imperial Axe Style."

"Huh."

"The sword is the king of all weapons."

Sir Isra raised the bone blade high.

"Once one reaches the realm of a master, a single sword can handle every situation."

Ah.

Yes.

As the Continent's Greatest Sword, her attachment to the blade was truly immense.

So she couldn't teach the axe?

"I said there is none. I did not say it cannot be done."

Step— step—

Sir Isra stood before the Armed Zombie Warrior and pointed at the axe.

"We need only adapt the Imperial Sword Style to the axe."

"Swords and axes are used completely differently."

A sword could thrust and cut.

An axe was a pure cutting tool.

The points where force was applied differed, and the weapon forms themselves were wildly different.

"Hahahaha! And who am I?"

"The Continent's Greatest Sword."

"Exactly. With this genius talent of mine, a few practice swings will be enough to complete the adaptation."

Why don't you just prostrate yourself and receive my worship while you're at it?

I grumbled inwardly, yet I couldn't deny it was impressive.

Instantly adapting an A-class skill like Imperial Sword Style to an axe...

Only someone who truly was the "Continent's Greatest Sword" could pull that off.

"Pardon me a moment."

Sir Isra laid her hand on the axe haft.

In the process their hands brushed lightly.

Huh?

What was that?

"Hoh. A knight order, you say."

"Did a message pop up for you too?"

"It did."

Was this a privilege of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Resurrected?

Or one of the Necrosmith's abilities?

Either way, there was nothing to lose by trying.

"If you start going on about chivalry this and that and refuse again, I'm getting mad."

"I had no such thought. On the contrary, it is an honor."

Whew.

Glad she was taking it positively.

"However, taking my lord's subordinate under my direct command does ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠weigh on me somewhat."

"Just take it."

I could always make more undead.

Hurry up and let me test the new function.

Sure.

I answered in my mind.

Skill transmission?

Then...

Could she also transmit the SSS-grade skill Imperial Sword Style – Modified Isra Form?

"That is impossible."

The total crystallization of enlightenment gained in her previous life.

To wield it, one first had to understand the very essence of the Imperial Sword Style.

It sounded like something I'd heard when I first started sword training.

"I shall simply train it in the handling of the axe."

Even without a related skill, that confidence of hers was definitely continent-first class. I had to admit it.

Whoosh!

After a few experimental swings, Sir Isra returned the axe to the Armed Zombie Warrior.

"Try it."

"Guuoooohk."

Whooooosh!

The axe cleaved empty air—

...Was this for real?