Starting Life as a Baron

It took arduous training in order to train soldiers, so it was not an overnight process. Alan could only slowly wait, feeling useless and full of anxiety. He was currently in his room raising his rank to the fourth level to become a level four knight. He had gone from a bronze knight to a silver knight at a rapid speed.

It cost him two hundred experience points to go from level one to level two, five hundred points from level two to level three, and one thousand points to go from level three to level four. It took five thousand experience points to rise to level five, and currently, Alan only has four hundred experience points on hand.

Alan figured the more difficult the upgrade, the higher the cost, but he did not worry about this as the System made things simpler. So, he thought for a while and found a place where no one could enter, the dragon’s nest. The nest was still only a Junior Dragon Nest. As much as Alan wanted to give Safi a larger home, he was too poor.

The Intermediate Dragon Nest needed ten thousand gold coins. Even if Alan smashed all the pots and sold the iron, it would not be enough. This problem was only temporary. One day, Safi would have the most advanced dragon nest possible.

“Ho ho!” Safi said happily after seeing Alan come in.

Alan and Safi played affectionately for a while as they missed each other.

“Safi, it seems that the nest really accelerated your growth. In less than a month, you have grown twice your size!” Alan said.

He was amazed at the effects of the Dragon’s Nest and looked forward to the more advanced ones with greater anticipation. After all, the benefits of a young dragon and an adult one were completely different.

Safi snarled twice in exultance.

“Okay, do not fret. Come practice with me.”

Alan discovered that when he practiced with Safi, his morale underwent some peculiar changes. His fighting spirit would become extremely active and his temperance would increase. A knight would need both of these in order to become stronger.

This discovery made Alan immensely happy as the benefits of a dragon to a human far exceeded that of the rumors. For example, the purity of mana could be refined, which was enough to drive all knights crazy. It was no wonder the sanctuary-level powerhouses were eager to gain the approval of a giant dragon.

It was easy to imagine how a dragon knight could fight against five or six masters of the same level without the help of their dragon. Three hours later, Alan finished his practice. It was not that he was unwilling to work harder, but haste would not help in reaching his goal. The human body had limits that, for him, were reached in three hours.

Of course, there were other ways of improving mana. The most common one was to take potions. This was also the reason why the price of magical plants remains so high and why they are so popular.

“Marco. Come evaluate me,” Alan said when he found Marco, who was training soldiers.

“As you wish,” Marco said with a nod when he heard the command.

The fifty trained townspeople selected by Marco were immediately excited and watched the spectacle before them.

“Marco, you can hit me with all of your strength this time since I have reached fourth level knight. If you do not, you may lose to my hands.”

Alan drew a knight’s sword from the hands of the male servant beside him, and with a wave of his hand, a strong burst of air flew from the sword. A small explosive sound rang out as a ten centimeter mark was cut across the ground.

“Excuse me?” Marco exclaimed, and then became serious. “My Lord, your talent is the greatest I have ever seen in my life. Even the former Earl is not as good as you! Even in the Principality of Lane, as a sixteen year old SIlver Knight, you are a genius. But even as a genius, you have to follow the restrictions of power. A fourth level knight cannot beat me!”

A trace of death rose in Marco’s eyes. He held his sword with both hands. An aura broke out from his body, and he charged at Alan. The sprint only lasted a moment before he was at Alan’s throat.

“One sword style!” Marco commanded.

With fast speed, a torrential rain of slashes with a menacing grudge and sharp swordsmanship struck out at Alan. Everyone exclaimed in awe. Alan stepped back slightly and avoided the sharp edge of the blade. He swiped his long sword upwards and collided with Marco’s blade. The majestic power of the two people collided with each other, and a massive reaction force shook them apart.

“What a strong blow!” Marco said, slightly startled.

He did not expect Alan’s blows to be so strong and steady. This was not like a knight who just became Silver. The two people quickly exchanged more blows in the field as loud sounds of gold and steel clashed. Marco’s long sword was knocked into the air by Alan, while Alan’s sword was poised at Marco’s neck. In the end, it was Marco’s defeat.

“My lord is amazing!” The crowd cheered.

“It turns out that great talent is the stronger one here!”

“The Baron is invincible!”

Many of the young men who participated in the soldier training became excited. Marco was slightly lost for a while, then smiled.

“My lord, you won!”