Chương 26: Ed Longsocks

The sun was at its zenith. His traps hadn't caught anything today. Not a rabbit, not a bird, not even a goblin, though he'd planted them too close to the village for it to be a serious possibility. At least, he hadn't walked right into his traps, this time. Ed rubbed his leg, the memory of the pain still fresh. He stopped home, ate lunch, and returned outside. He had work to do. If he didn't reach Silver by the end of next year… Everyone believed him to be a trapper. Not a very good one.

But he had the excuse that he was a beginner. He sneaked behind the house belonging to Bamir, the healer. The man wasn't too attentive to who came and went. Even more so recently. There, he retrieved the axe he'd "borrowed" from his mom. Careful not to be seen, he walked through the back alley, carefully avoiding the streets, to make his way to the plains. He'd built a training dummy for himself, just far enough from the village it wouldn't get found out. The grass was tall.

Most villagers didn't have the energy to clear the back of their houses. He heard a noise, and crouched to avoid attention. Slowly, he hid his axe under the growth. Just in case.

"Ed?" A woman's voice asked. She'd seen him. He stood up, hands empty, and smiled.

"Hi." It was Mira. What was she doing here? He hid a grimace. He was right behind her house.

"Aren't you a bit too old to sneak around like that?" Ed scratched the back of his head, and laughed.

"Ah, well, I'm only fifteen." Mira pouted.

"Well, you almost scared me." She shook her head.

"But that's fine." He waited. His axe was still hidden beneath the grass. He couldn't train without it.

"You know," Mira said as she knelt down.

"I spoke with the new girl today." She pulled a weed stuck to her house's foundations.

"She's not that bad."

"Really? I've heard rumors."

"She's a bit strange. Awkward, that's for sure. But apparently she's already killed a Mimethys and a Perub." Ed's eyes went wide.

"What? No way! What's her class?" Mira shrugged.

"I haven't asked. Nor should you. That'd be rude."

"Of course." Ed swallowed.

"But you have a guess, don't you?" Mira shook her head.

"Actually, I don't. I have not seen her fight, and all she carries around is a sickle. Hardly a marker of a combat class." After a few more weeds, the woman rubbed her hands on her apron, and stood up.

"All done." She looked at Ed.

"See you around."

"Bye, Mira." As soon as she was out of sight, Ed recovered his axe and left the village making his way north-west. Soon, the village was out of sight. He stopped near a large rock, and recovered the dummy he'd hidden in a crevice. Made out of linen stuffed with dry stems and grass, it wasn't the ideal sparring partner. Still, it was the best he could do. Soon, he wouldn't have to hide. But until then, it was better that nobody knew about his class. Warrior.

He'd gone against his mother's wishes and selected the Warrior class on his birthday. He wasn't going to let his family's lack of ambition hold him back. After Marick, someone would need to lead Lanterne. That someone would be him: Ed Longsocks. Unless his mother found out, and forced him to change his class, erasing most of his progress save for a few skills. Ed placed the dummy on a flat section, and started his routine. Axe in hands, he struck, stopping before his hits connected so as to not damage his target.

Level ten. He wouldn't tell them until he reached level ten. By then, he'd be strong enough to convince Marick to teach him. And once the chief took him under his wing, nobody could stop him. He swung his axe at the dummy's neck. His movements were precise, with little wasted energy, his control sharp. Right before the blade would have made contact, he pulled back. Again. The axe was heavy, his muscles were straining under the effort.

This time, he aimed for the legs, and felt his power wane as his axe approached his target. He adjusted his stance. That was the reason he needed guidance. With Axe Mastery helping him, he could rely on himself to improve, but that would only take him so far. The teachings of a skilled warrior would accelerate his growth. It would come when the time was right. When he stopped to take a break, his body was covered in sweat. He'd removed his top to save himself a laundry chore.

The sun was hitting his chest, but he spotted clouds in the distance. They were still far away. It wouldn't rain until tonight. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Ed sat down on the rock, axe resting horizontally on his legs. He ran his finger on the edge of the blade, drawing a drop of blood, and dropped it on the side of his blade. The metal shifted, allowing engravings to appear. Axe Mastery 9 -> 10"Finally.

I'm getting close to my first uncommon skill." He looked at his full status. Name: Ed Longsocks Class: Warrior Rank: Bronze Level: 5 (71/250) Strength (STR): 21 Dexterity (DEX): 13 Constitution (CON): 16 Intelligence (INT): 11 Perception (PER): 12 Class Art: [Feed the Blade] – A warrior's blade is not just a tool; it's a companion. Feed it, grow its power, and your blade will return the favor.

Slaying enemies and feeding their blood to your blade will grant you experience and rewards depending on the level of your opponents. Class Perks: [Warrior's Endurance] (Bronze) [Lessen Fear] (Iron) [Blade Communion] (Iron) General Skills: [Axe Mastery] (Common) - 10 [Basic Footwork] (Common) - 6 [Leverage Height] (Common) - 4 Achievements: Bronze Ed couldn't help a smile from tugging at his lips as he remembered how empty his status looked just a few months ago.

It was still a far cry from a seasoned warrior's, but it was the result of his hard work. He looked down at his muscles, and his smile widened even more. Now he just needed a healthy dose of enlightenment to upgrade Axe Mastery to uncommon. After resting for a few minutes, allowing the tension he built up to evaporate, he took a sip from his gourd and stood up. He put his shirt back on, and grabbed his axe's handle.

"Time to earn some experience." His usual way to do so was to hunt goblins. They were the perfect target. Even if by now he rarely had issues dispatching such a weak creature in a one on one fight, he could always gather more of them to make it fair. The experience wasn't great, and it was getting worse as his level grew, but it wasn't like he could fight one of the verdant beasts. Ed paused. Could he? The newcomer had done it. Granted, she seemed to be in her late twenties.

Which meant that she had likely crossed level ten, maybe level fifteen if she was hardworking like him. He frowned. No, that wasn't right either. He was still thinking in the context of Lanterne. If she'd come from a place where leveling opportunities were richer, maybe she was a Gold.

"I guess a Perub is still too much for me." He sighed. Still, he didn't give up on the idea. If a Perub was out of his reach, a Mimethys might not. And there were other verdant beasts around that level. He just needed to find the right one. Not only would his training be better for it, but he would also be helping the village a lot more than if he just cleared a few goblins. He looked at his axe. It was worth a try. Ed decided to set out to hunt goblins.

If he found a verdant beast instead, he would assess whether or not he could beat it. Otherwise, he would be happy training with the green ones. After all, they were considerably easier to find. It took him less than half an hour to locate a burrow. A sharp whistle that foreigners would mistake for a bird's cry rang in his ears. He knew better. He slowed his walk, Basic Footwork already active and dampening the sound of his steps. His ears tingled. Three goblins.

Not enough to be a challenge, but maybe he could extract some experience from their blood. The fight was swift and one-sided. With the advantage of surprise, he cut the first goblin in half before it could react. The second was overwhelmed by Leverage Height, a skill tailor-made to deal with goblins. The third tried to flee. He didn't let him. Ed didn't bother checking his gains. Those goblins were too weak. Maybe he'd gained one experience point. Not more. He shrugged. By now, he was used to it.

Progress was slow, and it would only get slower until he could fight stronger monsters. Ed didn't wipe the blood off his blade, leaving it as a tribute. He kept exploring. He still had a few hours before anyone would worry about his absence. Maybe he should ask the foreigner about her fights. He dispatched two isolated goblins. Five in a day wasn't bad, but it wasn't exceptional either. He was about to turn back when he spotted a large patch of silver grass. His blood ran cold.

As a native of the plains, he was taught about each type of verdant beast since he was little. Silver grass did grow in the plains. It was harmless, and not particularly useful. Just nice-looking silvery grass. However, it was also the camouflage used by a particularly nasty beast. The Silvershard. Large patches were especially suspicious. He calmed his breath. The plant wasn't the most mobile. The reason it was considered nastier than most was precisely the fake silver grass growing on its back.

Sharp, numerous, like a myriad of blades awaiting for prey to impale themselves and feed the ground. He squinted his eyes. The sun reflected on the grass, making it hard to see the details. Ed hesitated. Honestly, it wasn't the worst match for his style. Silvershards were slow. He should have more than enough time to hammer it with his blade, and dodge whatever counter attack it mounted. However, if he couldn't avoid the hits, it would be disastrous. The sharp grass would stab countless holes into his skin.

He grasped his axe tighter. On the other hand, it was a chance to take his skill a rank higher. From what he knew, uncommon skills were already a lot more powerful than their common counterparts. With one, he should be capable of hunting verdant beasts instead of goblins. Faster progress. Less risk of being found out too soon. He licked his lips in anticipation. Yet, he didn't rush. All of this would only come if he won.

The reason so few warriors reached high levels wasn't that nobody chose the class, nor that those who did lacked work ethics. They died, or were too injured to continue. Took a fight they shouldn't have. Stumbled upon a monster too strong for them. In any case, their path was cut short. The adults had hammered this fact into his head. He sat down and watched the patch of silver grass. The sun was going down, slowly. A few hours.

After a long observation, he spotted a rabbit running beneath the stems of a few red flowers by the side of the patch. It reached the grass. Didn't stop. For an instant, the grass turned red with blood. Then the silver shine returned, hiding everything. Ed's hand pressed on his axe's handle. He stood up and walked toward it.