Lumberling opened his status window to check for changes:
Name: Lumberling
Race: Human
Age: 17
Level: 1
Essence Points: (0/340)
Power: 52
Active Skills:
Beginner Sprint Lv0 (1/1000)
(Grants a momentary burst of lightning-fast speed. Consumes a large amount of stamina.)
Passive Skills:
Essence Devour - Automatically devours the essence of those you kill. Absorbs a portion of their special experiences and memories.
Beginner Spearmanship Lv0 (25/1000)
The battlefield around him was chaos. Pentaline soldiers were being overwhelmed—more than half already dead. The enemy's momentum grew by the second.
Lumberling's heart sank. 'Why'd I have to end up on the losing side?'
As he scanned the battlefield, he spotted the leader of their group—fighting like a beast, holding off enemy soldiers by himself. His power seemed to rival Uncle Drake's.
He searched until he found Drake, locked in combat with a soldier just as powerful. But Drake was struggling—the enemy had the upper hand.
'If this keeps up, they'll all be slaughtered.'
Lumberling gritted his teeth and made a decision. He raised his spear again. Another fight.
He crept closer to Drake's battle, staying out of sight. He had no intention of jumping in head-on. That would be suicide. No, he would wait—wait for the perfect moment.
The enemy Drake fought was a hulking figure, swinging his sword with brutal strength. Anything it touched split clean in two.
With a roar, the enemy slashed downward.
Drake didn't take the blow—he parried, redirecting it into the ground.
'There's my opening!'
Lumberling's body moved before he could think. He activated his sprint skill, legs burning as explosive speed surged through him. Spear leveled, he shot forward like a cannon.
He appeared on the enemy's left and thrust.
The spear slammed into the man's side with brutal force. The armor cracked, flesh pierced.
"Gueehh!"
Blood burst from the soldier's mouth. Even Uncle Drake looked stunned.
"W-what—?!"
But Lumberling hadn't thought past the strike. The enemy spun and smashed him with his shield. He flew through the air, crashing into a tree.
"Guh—!"
Agony exploded through his body. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think. But he couldn't pass out—not now.
'I have to finish him. I have to be the one to kill him.' He didn't know if Essence Devour would activate if someone else landed the final blow.
He forced himself up, grabbed another spear, and ran to rejoin the fight. Now wounded and furious, the enemy held off both of them with his shield.
Lumberling struck again but missed—he was too slow. "Ugh… Sprint!"
He narrowly dodged a retaliatory sword swipe.
His stamina was nearly gone. Two more sprints left, maybe. He backed off, choosing to conserve energy and wait for another opening.
Together, he and Drake whittled the enemy down, never giving him rest.
"I'll take you bastards with me if I die!" the enemy screamed—and charged Lumberling directly.
Lumberling's eyes widened. 'Why me?!'
He barely dodged with sprint. Stamina: nearly zero.
Then, Drake struck—a clean slash that severed the enemy's arm.
"Aghhh!"
'Now!' Lumberling didn't hesitate. He used his final sprint and drove his spear into the back of the man's head, ending it.
The body collapsed.
Purple smoke rose from the corpse. It drifted toward him.
'No one else seemed to notice it.'
(You have devoured the Swordsman Soldier's essence. 55 Essence absorbed. Absorbing a portion of the Swordsman Soldier's memories and experience.)
("I'll be a Knight of the Sengolio Empire someday. Watch me!" — Sengolio Soldier)
(Passive Skill: Beginner Swordsmanship Lv0 has been learned)
(You have devoured the essence of a Knight Page. You have stepped onto the path of Knighthood.)
Lumberling stood silently, feeling foreign memories settle inside him.
"…Amazing. I can do this too?"
He smiled. He hadn't become a Knight Page outright, but he was now on the path.
"Great job, kid!" Uncle Drake jogged over. "Hiding your skills from us? Killing a Knight Page like that...!"
"Don't joke, Uncle Drake. I only landed the last hit. You did the heavy lifting."
"That may be true," Drake said with a smile, "but you still killed a Knight Page. Be proud of yourself. And thank you… for saving me."
"You're welcome." Lumberling returned the smile, grateful. Now he could ask Drake about Knighthood without feeling like a freeloader.
With the help of their leader and Uncle Drake, the tide turned. The enemy was annihilated.
Only 43 soldiers survived out of the original hundred. Half were injured. But they had no choice—they had to keep moving.
A few hours later...
"So you're Lumberling," said the leader, approaching him. "Drake said you killed a Knight Page?"
"I just got lucky," Lumberling said honestly. "Without Uncle Drake, I'd be dead."
"Doesn't matter. You killed him. We need survivors like you. If you need anything, ask me."
"Thank you, Decurion Rex." He bowed slightly.
The man had light blue hair, Western features, and a knight's bearing. His shoulder insignia confirmed it: a Decurion, a commander of 30 soldiers—typically those who'd reached the Knight Page rank and had proven themselves in battle.
Later, their scouts returned.
"Halt. Report," Rex ordered.
"Decurion Rex! We've spotted Pentaline soldiers."
"Truly?"
"Yes sir! A Centurion leads them!"
"A Centurion?" Rex's eyes widened. (Centurions command 100 soldiers and are Knight Apprentices at minimum.)
"Excellent. Let's join them."
They rendezvoused with 200 Pentaline soldiers, led by a Centurion and three more Decurions.
Inside the command tent, a strategy meeting was held.
"How do we reach Ryazan Fortress?" Rex asked.
"You didn't hear?" one Decurion said—a wiry man in his 40s with long hair.
"Hear what?"
"Lance, explain," the Centurion said calmly. The man was in his late 40s and radiated the authority of a battle-hardened veteran.
"Yes, Sir," Lance replied. Also in his 40s, he looked every bit the career soldier. Rex seemed young among them.
Meanwhile, Lumberling finally collapsed after eating jerky, exhaustion overtaking him.
The next morning, Drake shook him awake. "You up, kid?"
"Yeah. Are we heading out?"
"No need. We're not moving today."
"What? Why not?"
"The leaders decided we'll stay put. Ryazan Fortress is under siege—30,000 enemy troops surrounding it. We can't get through."
Lumberling's stomach sank. 'We're just going to wait for reinforcements? With injured men, low morale, and barely any supplies? Are we just waiting to die?'
Plans spun through his mind—hiding, fleeing—but he lacked the survival skills. If he ran, he'd just die alone.
'There's no point panicking. First, I need to grow stronger.'
After breakfast, he approached Drake.
"Uncle Drake, I have a favor."
"What is it? If I can help, I will."
"It's not too serious. I want you to teach me the way of Knighthood."
"…You want to be a Knight?"
Lumberling nodded with resolve. "I do."
Drake studied him for a moment, then smiled. "Alright. I can teach you what I know. I never got past Knight Page, but I'll help however I can. I'll also ask Decurion Rex. He's more knowledgeable."
"Thank you, Uncle Drake," Lumberling said with a deep bow.
Drake's expression turned serious.
"In this world, strength is everything," he said. "What do you know about Knighthood?"
"Uh... they're stronger than normal soldiers?"
Drake chuckled. "That's true—but there's more. The path of Knighthood requires three things."
"One, you need to start young. After 25, the body can't be purified anymore—too much buildup. Some rare people manage it after that, but they're exceptions."
"Two, you need to strengthen your body. Most use special medicines—alchemy-made tonics from monster cores and rare herbs. These are expensive and usually monopolized by nobles. And you have to take them continuously for six months to a year."
"And three, you need a skill to master. Sword, spear, bow—whatever fits you. But you need to learn real techniques. These 'skills' are precious heirlooms passed down through generations. Manuals are guarded like treasures."
"Once you fulfill these, you can transcend your limits and step into the Knight Page stage."
Lumberling absorbed every word.
'Seventeen years old. I've got time. As for the second requirement… It didn't say only medicine can build your physique. If I train, and use Essence Devour… I can do it. And I already have skills from devoured enemies.'
He grinned. 'I really can do this.'
Essence Devour wasn't just powerful—it was tailor-made for the path of Knighthood.