Chapter 2: The Knight

Seeing Lin Wei’s condition, Jon’s face flashed with a hint of surprise. “Oh? You’re recovering quite quickly. How do you feel now?”

Though he had mostly recovered, Lin Wei chose to conceal the truth. “I still have a bit of a headache.”

Jon nodded, but his expression soon darkened with anger. “Those damned commoners! They dared to lay hands on someone by my side—they must have a death wish! Don’t worry, Lin Wei. As for those peasants, except for the woman, the rest have already been…” Jon drew his hand sharply across his neck with a ruthless gesture.

Lin Wei understood perfectly that Jon’s fury was not for his injury, but because a noble’s authority had been defied by commoners. Still, upon hearing Jon’s method of handling the matter, a chill ran through Lin Wei’s heart. “It seems this world is far more brutal than I imagined… Human life is worth little here, and the nobles’ rule is absolute. I must quickly adapt to the pace and rules of this world.”

In his previous life, as a top biologist, Lin Wei well understood the law of survival of the fittest.

“As for that woman who remains, I’ll make her understand what it means to wish for death,” Jon’s tone was cold, completely unlike that of a youth.

Lin Wei flattered him, appearing to wholeheartedly agree with Jon’s decision. “Thank you, young master, for avenging me. I’ll never be able to repay your kindness.”

Jon smiled in satisfaction at this. “It’s nothing… By the way, you don’t need to attend to me these next couple of days. Focus on recovering. My father has sent his captain of the guards to be my knight instructor, to teach me the way of the knight and the method of knightly cultivation. You will need to assist me during these lessons.”

A knight?!

Lin Wei suppressed the excitement in his heart, pondering silently, “A knight… I hadn’t expected I’d witness such superhuman beings so soon.”

“Yes, young master,” Lin Wei replied respectfully.

...

The following two days passed swiftly.

Within the practice grounds of the Tulip Earl’s manor, Lin Wei stood respectfully behind Jon. In front of them stood a middle-aged man, his chestnut hair, shoulder-length and neatly combed. Simply standing there, he radiated an aura of extreme danger that Lin Wei could keenly sense.

This was Nacken, captain of the Earl’s guards.

Behind Nacken stood a young man in light armor, his gaze sharp and exuding a fierce energy.

“Young Master Jon,” Nacken’s voice was deep and steady, “by order of the Earl, from today onward you will study the way of the knight under my instruction.”

Jon nodded. “I’ll be in your care, Captain Nacken.”

“You flatter me, young master,” Nacken waved a hand dismissively, then turned his gaze to Lin Wei. “During your knightly training, this boy will follow my subordinate, Lant, to learn fencing.”

Jon was a little surprised. “Lin Wei is to train as well? And… what’s the difference between knightly training and fencing?”

“Yes, he will also train,” Nacken replied firmly, going on to explain, “The way of the knight is internal cultivation. It greatly increases one’s strength, but requires much time. Fencing is different—it can be mastered quickly. As your attendant, this boy must learn fencing while you are still growing strong, so that he can protect you.”

Lin Wei felt a surge of interest. “So, for now, they don’t intend to let me in on the knight’s secrets… but so what?”

The intelligence core could easily resolve this problem for him.

“Boy, train diligently and behave well. If you prove yourself, perhaps you’ll be taught the method of knightly cultivation one day,” Nacken said coldly to Lin Wei.

Lin Wei answered earnestly, “Yes, Captain Nacken.”

“Come with me,” said Lant, the young man behind Nacken, to Lin Wei.

Lant led Lin Wei to the other side of the practice grounds, about two hundred meters from Nacken and Jon.

“Sir Lant, thank you for your guidance,” Lin Wei said humbly, keeping his posture low.

In the kingdom of beasts, predators always learn to endure, striking only at the critical moment. Growing quietly, biding his time and hiding his abilities—this was the goal Lin Wei had set for himself in his current circumstances.

Lant smiled. “You’re too polite, Lin Wei. Just call me Lant. Besides, I’m not really a knight yet.”

Lant was also shrewd. Though he knew the youth before him was but a commoner, he was close to Young Master Jon and, as Jon grew, Lin Wei’s status would surely rise as well. Building a good relationship now was an investment in the future.

Lin Wei was a bit puzzled. “Lant, aren’t you a knight?”

“I’m just a squire,” Lant replied honestly. “An ordinary person who trains in the knight’s method and breaks through the first bodily threshold becomes a squire. A squire’s physical abilities are about three times that of a normal person.”

Seeing Lin Wei’s look of surprise, Lant felt a faint sense of superiority. “Once you’ve gained a squire’s strength, breaking through the second bodily threshold makes you what you call a ‘knight’. Achieving knighthood means you’ve entered the ranks of nobility.”

In Lant’s eyes there was a glimmer of envy as he glanced toward Nacken in the distance. “Captain Nacken is a true knight, which is why the Earl appointed him as captain of the guards.”

A strange light flashed in Lin Wei’s eyes, but he concealed it well and flattered Lant. “Lant, if you continue to work hard, I’m sure you’ll become a knight too.”

Hearing this, Lant shook his head in disappointment. “It’s impossible. Advancing from squire to knight takes more than hard work; you also need the appropriate level of knight cultivation method.”

“Knight cultivation method?” Lin Wei inquired.

Lant explained, “The methods are divided into levels. I currently practice a low-level knight cultivation method, so my ceiling is squire. If I want to break through to knight, I must first obtain an intermediate-level cultivation method.”

A thoughtful expression crossed Lin Wei’s face as he frowned. “Low-level… intermediate-level… are there high-level knight methods as well?”

A trace of reverence appeared in Lant’s eyes. “Yes, above those is the high-level knight cultivation method. With that, one can become a Great Knight! Even among the nobility, such a person is greatly admired. The commander of the First Legion of our Rising Sun Kingdom is a Great Knight!”

While Lant was lost in dreams of knighthood, Lin Wei pondered quietly.

“It seems that in this world, ‘knight’ does not merely denote a social class as in my previous life—it stands for a measure of strength.”

With a thought, Lin Wei silently gave a command to his intelligence core: “Set the physical qualities of an adult male from my previous world as 1, then establish data models for myself and Lant.”