Ronen Hunt, Crusader Hero (Unique)

Level: 1 (0/500)

Race: Human Race

Strength: 5.9

Stamina: 6.2

Agility: 5.1

Spirit: 1.9

Specialty: Crusader Expertise (As a Crusader Hero, the Crusaders under his command are boosted by 30 percent in battle.)

Skills: Military-Standard Breathing Style (Master Rank), Military-Standard Qi Guide (Elementary Rank), Crusader Swordmanship (Master Rank)

Bio: Ronen was a loyal and brave Crusader who, through years of honing his skills on the battlefield, grew into a hero.

Richard examined Ronen’s character sheet. Other than the Crusader specialty, his attributes were rather mediocre, making him a run-of-the-mill knight. However, the fact that he had become a hero earned him a level and experience bar, which meant that he had growth potential—worth cultivating at least for some experiments.

The sun rose, casting Tie Mu Fort in a warm, golden glow. The soldiers, led by their officers, had already begun their morning training. In accordance with Richard’s regulations, aside from their rest day, the soldiers were required to train every day from morning till evening.

Ronen rose from his bed, dressed in his armor, and prepared to head to the training grounds. His newlywed wife still slept soundly; Ronen glanced at her peaceful face and, rarely, flashed a faint smile.

Aside from being imbued with the sole idea of absolute loyalty to Richard, these System-made warriors were no different from ordinary humans. The Chengdu City Guard soldiers had also grown used to the presence of these mysterious soldiers.

The cries of hawks, however, did manage to capture their attention.

The griffins soared above the training grounds alongside the soldiers, playing and frolicking in the sky. Their massive bodies stirred up quite a commotion below. If not for the fact that they showed no signs of aggression, there would have been soldiers rushing to fetch their brown bear hunters.

Most soldiers were unaware of the existence of griffins; only a handful of officers had been informed ahead of time. Richard had no plans to hide the existence of the giant beasts; it would be impossible to conceal them from those who paid close attention anyway, so he might as well put them on display as a deterrent.

The officers quickly calmed the more excitable soldiers down. As long as they knew these creatures were on their side, the soldiers had no trouble accepting griffins into their midst. After all, in a world where centaurs, dragons, and dwarves coexisted, griffins were hardly a remarkable species.

Ronen arrived at the training grounds just in time to witness this scene. However, Ronen’s heart was calm, and he even felt like laughing. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the soldiers produced by the System were of a similar mindset; griffins were nothing more than ordinary creatures to them.

“Hey, hah.” Ronen grasped his longsword and began to swing, starting his daily training routine.

Richard arrived at the training grounds as well. He hoped to find Ronen to confirm a few things.

“Ronen.”

“My lord.”

Upon noticing Richard’s arrival, Ronen stopped training and looked toward him.

“How did you learn your breathing techniques and qi guiding methods?”

“Hm?” Ronen muttered thoughtfully before answering, “I’ve always known how to do them, almost like it’s innate.”

Could it be that the System adapted its templates to conform to this world’s laws? Richard could only think this.

After asking a few more questions, Richard discovered that Ronen had no real understanding of his own abilities. The philosopher then decided to abandon his attempts to pry answers out of him.

Next, Richard prepared to attempt something else.

“Come, mimic my movements and follow my breathing.”

Though Ronen was a bit confused, he followed Richard’s instructions, moving as directed.

They continued practicing for a while, with Richard guiding him.

“Exactly as expected.”

Richard noticed that, within his mind, Ronen’s character profile had changed. The master-level army-wide breathing technique had disappeared from the skills column and been replaced with the System’s upgraded Beast Breathing Style. Though the skill had been demoted from master to intermediate level, Ronen’s attributes had slightly improved.

Furthermore, having activated the Hero Template, Ronen naturally possessed quite a few other good traits, allowing him to cultivate quickly. He could also level up like Richard, giving him much more room to grow.

“Many thanks, my lord.”

After successfully learning the Beast Breathing Style, Ronen understood what Richard had taught him earlier: the secret behind the Hunter family’s quasi-knight candidates, and the foundation of their reputation—the Beast Breathing Style.

After accepting this gratitude and offering a few more words of encouragement, Richard turned and left, no longer disturbing Ronen’s training. Ronen continued to practice the new breathing technique.

“I don’t think it’s working.”

“My apologies, sir.”

“No matter, you may continue your training.”

“Yes, sir.”

After leaving Ronen, Richard approached several other swordsmen, but unfortunately, none of them seemed to be able to grasp the Beast Breathing Style.

After experimenting with several more individuals, Richard arrived at a conclusion: the System’s standard units’ capabilities were more or less fixed, only affected by bonuses from other heroes or themselves. Ronen must have been able to learn the Beast Breathing Style due to some special aspect of his heroism.

Once he finished his experiments, Richard sought out Viscount Soutte for further discussion.

Viscount Soutte was also exercising in the morning, though he didn’t go to the training grounds and instead practiced his swordsmanship within the garden courtyard.

Viscount Soutte had been training more frequently lately. Richard had already taught him the System’s upgraded breathing technique, and Viscount Soutte’s stagnant capabilities had unexpectedly improved, giving him a significant boost in motivation.

Of course, the other members of the Hunter family had also received this improved training regimen. The Hunter family’s Beast Breathing Style had surpassed the level of excellence and become one of the very top techniques. In Viscount Sott’s eyes, this was the foundation upon which the Hunter family’s status as a noble lineage for many generations rested.

“Father.”

Upon hearing Richard’s call, Viscount Soutte turned around and retracted his sword.

“What is it, Richard?”

“I wanted to discuss something with you.”

“Just do what needs to be done. Why bother discussing it with me?”

“I taught Ronen the Beast Breathing Style.”

Viscount Soutte paused, eyebrows furrowed, and thought for a few seconds before responding, “No matter, Ronen is more or less half-Hunter now. There’s no harm in him learning it.”

“I intend to grant the Beast Breathing Style as a reward to soldiers who have earned military merits.”

This was a decision Richard had given much thought. The Beast Breathing Style was the foundation of the Hunter family’s power, but to Richard, Boulder Fortress and the system army that would only continue to grow in size were his true trump cards.

Bestowing the Beast Breathing Style upon his subordinates would undoubtedly serve as a tremendous motivating force. Furthermore, cultivating a top-tier breathing style like the Beast Breathing Style versus cultivating a third-rate breathing style was entirely different.

A concept similar to Richard’s two uncles, who could easily hold their own against five or six House of Wil quasi-knights in battle.

Richard did not wish for the subordinates he painstakingly trained to be at a disadvantage from the start.

“Give me a reason,” Viscount Soutte said with utmost seriousness. This was the first time in years that he had not immediately approved of Richard’s request.

After all, in the Golden Dragon Kingdom, even granting the most common military breathing style to a soldier required an oath swearing not to pass it on. Family-specific breathing styles were kept under tight wraps; even at sword-point, one might not divulge such secrets.

“The strength of the Hunter family lies in the swords held by its knights, and I intend to sharpen those swords.”

“You’ve never made a mistake, and I hope you won’t start now.”

“Just focus on your own training. Leave your uncles to me.”

“Thank you, Father.”

Viscount Soutte waved a hand at Richard, but his mind was far from calm.

Many noble families relied on their unique Breathing Styles and Qi Attracting techniques to attract outstanding talent to serve them, and all were bound by oath to never pass them on to anyone else. Only truly powerful noble families could enforce such a policy, and they did so with their formidable training methods.

Lesser noble families, on the other hand, kept their slightly better Breathing Styles and Qi Attracting techniques under tight wraps, for fear of losing them to competitors.

As Viscount Soutte considered the Hunter family’s recent rapid rise and the formidable military power wielded by its three knights, he felt a sudden sense of ease, as though his gaze had widened, and he struggled to adjust.

“Perhaps it’s time for the Hunter family to take this step,” he murmured to himself as he watched Richard depart.