Chương 51

The wind howling through the mountain pass of Juden was absolutely freezing. Rudra pulled his heavy brown cloak tight around his shoulders. The capital of the Murray Kingdom loomed ahead, its massive dark stone walls built to withstand avalanches and sieges. The main dirt road leading to the gates was packed with loud, energetic players grouping up for mountain raids. Rudra kept his head down, pulling his dark leather mask up over his nose.

He didn't hate the other players, but he definitely wasn't thrilled by the idea of making small talk or getting dragged into a random party. He just wanted to get to the military camp quietly. His cloak suddenly jerked. Kratos, the tiny half-gold, half-black cub, poked his head out. The divine beast was shivering, but he puffed out his tiny chest and let out a fierce, squeaky growl at the falling snow, trying to act tough.

"I know it's cold, buddy," Rudra smiled, patting the cub's head.

"Stay inside. We'll find a fire soon." Kratos rubbed his head against Rudra's hand. The cub wasn't just a glutton anymore; he was actively protective. He kept scanning the snowy road, his tiny pink nose twitching for any hidden threats. Elysia suddenly stopped walking. She pulled her thick fur cloak tighter, completely covering her silver breastplate.

"I am stopping here," Elysia said quietly, her eyes scanning the heavily guarded city gates.

"The military district is crawling with identity checks and kingdom informants. If an Imperial spy spots me anywhere near an official Murray Kingdom training camp, it will bring an army to these walls. I cannot risk the exposure."

"I guess," Rudra nodded.

"Where are you going to stay?"

"I will rent a quiet room in the lower slums and lay low," she said.

"Last I heard was that Commander Vane oversees the Intermediate Camp. Do not underestimate him, Rudra. The ranking knights of a kingdom are monsters in their own right. Do not do anything stupid."

"I'll be perfectly polite," Rudra promised.

"Stay safe. I'll bring back dinner." They parted ways outside the city. Rudra navigated the bustling streets of Juden alone and finally arrived at the heavy iron gates of the Intermediate Militia Camp. The sounds coming from inside weren't the rhythmic clashing of practice swords. It sounded like people suffering. Rudra pushed the heavy gates open. The main yard was a muddy, snowy mess. Dozens of heavily armored infantry were doing grueling physical drills in the freezing slush.

Standing in front of them was a man who looked like a walking mountain. He was seven feet tall, bald, and covered in thick, jagged scars. He held a massive, heavy halberd resting casually on his shoulder. Rudra walked right up to him.

"Excuse me," Rudra said politely, holding out the wax-sealed envelope.

"Gareth Rowan sent me." Commander Vane stopped yelling at a recruit. He slowly turned his head. He looked at Rudra's heavy brown cloak, his dark mask, and the tiny furball currently peeking out of his collar. Vane's expression turned into pure stone. He snatched the letter, broke the seal, and read it.

"Gareth said you cleared his beginner camp with an S-Grade," Vane's voice was a deep, gravelly rumble. He crushed the paper in his massive fist.

"I don't hand out free passes to you wandering adventurers. You lack discipline. You think a little power makes you a warrior."

"I just need a place to train my staff swings," Rudra said calmly. Vane's eyes narrowed. He didn't say another word. He stepped forward and swung his massive halberd horizontally, aiming right for Rudra's ribs. It was a total sneak attack. The speed of the swing was completely absurd. The air literally screamed as the heavy blade cut through it. Rudra's eyes went wide. His reflexes let him sense the attack, but his body barely had time to react.

A Named NPC in the capital was easily hundreds of levels higher than the average player base, possessing stats that comfortably sat in the thousands. Rudra ripped his Abyssal Ironwood Staff off his back, gripped it with both hands, and threw it up to block. CLANG! The impact was devastating. Rudra felt like he had just been hit by a freight train. His 400 points in Strength were absolutely nothing against this kind of raw power. His boots ripped through the frozen mud.

Rudra was launched backward, skidding violently across the yard for twenty feet. His arms went completely numb. His health bar took a noticeable hit just from the shockwave transferring through his Epic-grade staff.

"Holy crap," Rudra gasped, digging the end of his staff into the dirt to stop his momentum. If he hadn't used his speed to angle the block and deflect a fraction of the force, that single basic attack would have shattered his ribs. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Vane lowered his halberd, raising a thick eyebrow.

"You didn't drop your weapon. Most beginners would have broken their wrists trying to catch that."

"You hit really hard," Rudra wheezed, shaking the feeling back into his hands.

"And you have terrible posture," Vane grunted.

"But Gareth wasn't lying. You have raw grit. Fine. You're in. But standard sparring won't fix your clumsy brawling." Vane pointed his thick finger toward the back of the camp. Enclosed by heavy stone walls was a large, sunken pit. A thick, foul-smelling green fog hung over it.

"The Abyssal Pits," Vane sneered.

"Freezing mud and low-level toxic vapor. It drains your health, numbs your muscles, and ruins your stamina. Elite knights only last ten minutes. Go stand in the center and run your basic weapon drills. If you step out before an hour is up, you fail." Rudra peered over the edge. The mud looked absolutely miserable.

"Just swinging my staff?" Rudra asked.

"We'll see if you have the energy to swing," Vane crossed his massive arms. Rudra hopped over the stone wall and landed with a wet squelch in the knee-deep mud. The freezing chill bit through his boots instantly. [You are exposed to Extreme Cold.] [Movement speed is reduced by 15%. Health drops continuously.] [You are inhaling Toxic Vapors.] [Stamina recovery is halted. Health drops continuously.] His health bar immediately started ticking down. The debuffs were heavy.

Then, the mud around him started to bubble. Five large, dark green slimes rose from the muck. They hissed, spitting drops of acidic venom into the fog.

"You didn't mention the slimes!" Rudra yelled up at Vane.

"A real warrior adapts!" Vane yelled back. A slime lunged, shooting a glob of venom at Rudra's leg. Before Rudra could even swing his staff, Kratos leaped out of his cloak. The tiny cub was furious that these ugly blobs were attacking his human. Kratos opened his tiny jaws. [Eclipse Strike (Lv. 1) has been activated!] A tiny, concentrated beam of swirling gold and black energy shot from the cub's mouth. It slammed into the slime, blasting it backward into the mud with a surprisingly loud pop.

Kratos landed on a dry rock, barking proudly.

"Good boy!" Rudra cheered. But four more slimes were sliding forward. Rudra's stamina recovery was locked at zero because of the toxic fog. His arms felt like lead. If he couldn't recover his stamina, he couldn't use his active skills.

"I need a buff," Rudra muttered. He didn't panic. He waded to the center of the pit, completely ignoring the freezing mud. He reached into his inventory and dropped a large, flat cooking stone onto the muck. Next, he pulled out his portable iron stove, a jar of Epic Fire-Crystal Salt, and a thick slab of premium crocodile meat. Up on the wall, Vane blinked.

"What... what are you doing?"

"You said I had to stay in here for an hour!" Rudra yelled, pulling out a wooden spatula. He struck a flint, igniting a warm, crackling fire under the skillet.

"My health is dropping! I need to out-heal it! Kratos, watch my back!" Kratos growled, swatting a lunging slime with his tiny paws to keep them away from the stove.

"This is a military training camp!" Vane roared, his face turning bright red as the rich smell of garlic and butter wafted out of the poison pit.

"You are supposed to be suffering!"

"I am suffering!" Rudra yelled back, aggressively tossing chopped wild onions into the sizzling fat while casually dodging a spit of venom.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a perfect sear in a freezing swamp?!" For the next hour, it was pure chaos. Rudra swung his heavy ironwood staff in wide, sweeping arcs, smashing the slimes back into the mud while frantically flipping the spicy crocodile bites in his pan. Whenever his health dropped too low, he shoved a piece of hot, health -boosting meat into his mouth. The heavy vitality buffs constantly fought off the extreme cold and poison.

He fed a few pieces to Kratos, who happily chewed the meat before blasting another slime with his light-and-dark magic. By the time the sixty-minute timer finally hit zero, Rudra was covered in mud, sweat, and slime ash. But he was still standing and Kratos has leveled up to level 15. A flurry of system messages trickled through his vision. [Cold Resistance has increased by 0. 1%.] [Poison Resistance has increased by 0. 2%.] [Cold Resistance has increased by 0. 1%.] Rudra wiped his sweaty forehead, packed up his skillet, and climbed out of the pit. He was exhausted, but he felt a noticeable shift in his body. The biting wind of the snowy courtyard didn't feel quite so sharp anymore. He walked up to Commander Vane, who was staring at him with a mix of utter disbelief and grudging respect.

"Hour is up," Rudra said, popping a final piece of cooked meat into his mouth. Vane looked at the empty pit, then looked at the masked player. The kid hadn't just survived; he had turned a lethal torture drill into a functional kitchen. Vane let out a loud, booming laugh that echoed across the yard.

"You are a complete lunatic," Vane grinned, slamming his heavy hand onto Rudra's shoulder.

"Welcome to the Intermediate Camp, kid. Tomorrow, we fix your terrible footwork." [Quest Generated: Murray Militia Intermediate Training] [Difficulty: A] [You have presented Gareth Rowan's letter of recommendation and earned a place in the capital's Intermediate Militia Camp. Under the ruthless guidance of Commander Vane, you must endure brutal environmental conditioning, abandon your sloppy footwork, and master the true weight of your weapon over the next 30 days. Quest Clear Conditions: - Complete the full 30-day training regimen. - Pass Commander Vane's final combat assessment. Quest Failure Conditions: - Quit the training - Stepping out of bounds during a survival drill. - Failing the final assessment. Rewards: Strength +50, Stamina +50, Agility +50, Intermediate Staff Mastery Level +1, Greatly increased Affinity with the Murray Kingdom Military. Quest Failure: Expulsion from the camp and severely decreased affinity with Commander Vane.]