First Blood
Reaching the rank of Aura Expert at the age of fifteen was an achievement that would earn anyone else thunderous praise as a once-in-a-generation genius. In fact, among the dozens of knights serving the Meyer family, fewer than ten—including my own father—had ever attained the Expert stage. To call such rapid progress at fifteen “lacking” would be more than arrogant; it would be downright gluttonous.
‘It’s not enough.’
But in truth, it wasn’t. I knew what the future of this world held. A future where masters popped up like weeds, only to die in droves. A future warped by the power inflation of a game world. To survive it, I had no choice but to reach at least the Master rank myself.
‘But how?’
Every single day I trained until my bones felt like they would snap. I sparred until my muscles screamed for mercy. I pushed my body and mind to their absolute limits. The techniques and physical conditioning I had built over years had already brought me to a point where further improvement seemed impossible.
“Just look at that body. I’m getting jealous.”
The physique I had forged over nearly a decade was enviable by any standard—perfectly sculpted muscle. Not the bulky kind built only from fast-twitch fibers, but a flawless balance of slow and fast. It was the kind of inverted-triangle frame that would draw gasps of admiration, like the statues of ancient Greece.
“Weights aren’t going up anymore. Swordsmanship has stalled too… I’m completely stuck.”
Yet I could already feel the wall. Neither body nor technique could advance any further through simple repetition. Of course, consistent effort always bore fruit eventually. If I kept hammering away at muscle training and sword drills, I would one day reach the Master stage.
The question was when.
At thirty? Forty? Or would I only break through after I’d become a decrepit old man on the verge of death?
‘That’s far too late.’
I wasn’t hoping for some miraculous shortcut. But I desperately needed a method that would produce tangible growth within the next few years.
I looked down at the sword in my hand. It was a real blade gifted to me upon reaching the Expert rank. Despite its name, not a single drop of blood had ever stained its edge.
“…That won’t do.”
A swordsman was, by definition, one who cut things. In that moment, I realized exactly what I lacked. Without hesitation, I went to see the Count.
“—You wish to experience real combat?”
“Yes, Father.”
At my words, the Count began to groan. My youth made outright refusal tempting, yet my proven skill made blind approval equally dangerous. Still, there was a saying from my modern life that fit perfectly here.
If you only hire experienced people, where are the newcomers supposed to gain experience?
After long deliberation, the Count granted permission with conditions.
“…Take Sir Leon and Sir Moar with you. With three Experts, you should be able to handle anything that comes up.”
“Both of them? What about the territory?”
“There’s nothing urgent at the moment. Well, there is one matter… but my son has volunteered to handle it in my stead.”
The Count answered with a sly grin. I bowed deeply, then left the room.
Permission granted. An external patrol—searching for and eliminating any bandits or monsters that might be lurking. It was the real combat I had longed for.
‘My heart’s already racing.’
Clutching my pounding chest, I ran toward the training grounds. There, Sir Leon was drilling the soldiers. Since it wasn’t yet time for my personal training, he tilted his head in confusion at my sudden appearance. But once he heard what I had to say, his eyes widened in pure shock.
“The Count assigned you a patrol mission?”
“Yeah. He said I should go with you and Sir Moar.”
“Even Sir Moar and me…?”
Only then did Leon seem to understand the Count’s reasoning. He nodded slowly, looking at me with new eyes.
“Well, it’s true that the young master can’t spend his whole life swinging a sword inside the castle walls. Real combat experience is just as important as training.”
“Exactly. I’m looking forward to it.”
“—Understood. I’ll inform Sir Moar. As for you, young master… please prepare yourself mentally for tomorrow’s patrol.”
“Mentally prepare?”
When I tilted my head in confusion, Leon let out a low chuckle.
“Yes. Mental preparation.”
“It’s just a patrol. How hard could it be?”
“Heh heh. You’ll understand once you experience it.”
The ominous smile on his face filled me with an inexplicable sense of unease. The next day, I learned exactly what that unease meant.
“Hurry it up!”
At the senior knight’s command, the apprentice knights scrambled like mad to load the supplies onto the wagons. Some grumbled about having to do menial labor even after becoming knights, but what could they do? Orders were orders.
Once every supply crate was secured, the knights mounted their horses and finished their preparations. The Count stood before the assembled force and delivered a short send-off speech.
“So that no territory citizens suffer under evil or demonic threats—go forth and clean house thoroughly.”
““Yes, sir!””
The unified shout from the knights made the entire territory tremble for a moment. Soon after, Sir Leon took the lead and marched the company out of the castle grounds. I tugged the reins and fell in behind him. The saddle—something I rarely used outside of riding lessons—pressed firmly against my backside.
“Young master, is your rear alright?”
“—Sir Moar.”
“Hahaha! We can still turn back, you know. The castle is still visible!”
Sir Moar jokingly urged me to retreat. But this was the real combat I had asked for myself. Turning back out of nervousness or fear was something only cowards did. The heir of a noble house could not afford to be a coward.
When I stubbornly insisted on continuing, Moar shut his mouth with a knowing look. I could tell he had been testing me, but I didn’t particularly mind. Ignoring experienced knights on your first real mission just because of your status was practically suicide.
‘How long will this take, I wonder?’
The procession—three wagons, thirteen knights, and fifty cavalry—soon left the territory and headed straight for the nearest village. Upon arrival, we paused briefly to rest the horses and confirm there were no immediate problems before moving on to the next village. We repeated this until the sun began to set.
“All troops, halt—!”
Just as my Aura-reinforced backside felt like it was on fire, Sir Leon shouted from the front. The knights and soldiers immediately stopped their mounts and began pitching tents. The apprentices finished erecting them in the blink of an eye. Curious, I stepped inside one of the completed tents.
Even though this was a world with magic, these tents were little more than rags compared to the high-tech models from modern industry. Still, they were better than the old military surplus ones I remembered.
As I stood there blankly, Sir Moar approached, apparently reading my thoughts.
“Are you disappointed?”
“Huh?”
“This is quite different from the real combat you were expecting, isn’t it? If we’re lucky, we might return without fighting even once. Though that does mean sleeping in these uncomfortable tents every night.”
I nodded carefully at his words. So this was what they meant by mental preparation? In Leon’s position, it made sense that he’d worry about someone who rarely left the castle and had never camped outdoors.
‘Too bad for him. I’m actually built for military life.’
What Leon didn’t know was that I possessed an adaptability honed by actual military service. I could shrug off palm-sized bugs without a second thought and happily devour combat rations that had expired years ago. Sleeping in a tent was nothing.
“It’s fine. This is nothing.”
Back in the army, three of us had been crammed into a tent half this size. Now, as the so-called heir of the family, I had an entire large tent to myself. The apprentices even handled all the setup and teardown. There was literally nothing to complain about.
“I see. That’s a relief.”
“Are we patrolling again tomorrow?”
“Yes. Honestly, no fighting is the best outcome. If someone gets injured for no good reason, it becomes a big problem.”
Sir Moar finally revealed his true feelings. I understood where he was coming from. If the inexperienced heir froze up in battle or got hurt, the two Experts would be the ones held responsible. It was only natural they’d prefer a peaceful trip.
But I didn’t see it that way. This world was a game. Standing still meant falling behind. Falling behind meant death.
“There shouldn’t be any issues tonight, so… please rest well.”
Sir Moar smiled as he spoke. It was the kind of smile that promised the night would be anything but comfortable. I returned the smile and lay down on the cot inside the tent. It was a bit hard, but—
‘This is practically heaven.’
The moment I closed my eyes, sleep rushed over me. The fact that I wouldn’t be woken for night watch duty helped tremendously. In the end, the “uncomfortable” outdoor camping the knights had warned me about turned out to be perfectly fine.
Early the next morning, I woke to the rustling sounds of the apprentice knights dismantling the tents. I stepped away to relieve myself. After finding a spot out of sight, I lowered my pants and began to pee. That was when I noticed the tree in front of me moving.
“…Huh?”
“—Snort.”
When I slowly lifted my head, a hulking figure with green skin was staring down at me.
It was an orc.
“Ah.”
Stream…
My urine was flowing straight onto the orc’s feet.