In late June, the highland sun burned fiercely, scorching the southern lands.
Following the scenic Tulip Avenue north until it intersected with Lionheart Avenue, one could spot the southern city perched atop a hill overlooking Lake Serot is city of Duskmere.
Within the white marble castle, exquisite sculptures, paintings and ornate fountains adorned every corner, while gardens overflowing with golden tulips were an indispensable feature.
After all, these dazzling, gold-like treasures symbolized House Tulvarein, the castle's masters.
Knight's Hall
The walls were lined with meticulously detailed murals, brought to life by the warm glow of golden candles like unknown stones.
Floor-to-ceiling windows stood in neat rows, offering clear views of the surrounding landscape.
The gilded dome above radiated a splendor that dared not be gazed upon for too long.
Clang...
A single-handed sword gently landed on Kael Drakaryn's shoulder.
Forcing himself to look away, Kael feared he might impulsively stand up, pry off the sword, and bite it to see if it was truly made of gold.
Kneeling on one knee, he focused intently on the solemn-faced young woman before him, her gaze dignified as she knighted him.
"I, Lia Tulvarein, granddaughter of Silon Tulvarein, by the authority of the Thorn King, and Duke of Duskmere, hereby knight Kael Drakaryn as a Pioneer Knight!
All unclaimed lands shall be yours to develop, and all unclaimed peoples shall be under your protection. May the Just Three Gods grant you valor, honor, strength, justice, and loyalty...
You shall vanquish all invading enemies!"
"I, Kael Drakaryn, under the witness of the Just Three Gods, swear by the name of my founding ancestor, Rex Osborne, to pledge my unwavering loyalty to the great Duke Silon. From this day forward, your will shall be my guiding principle, and the direction of your sword shall be the path I follow!
I shall defend this honor with the honor of the Osborne Family!"
Having flawlessly recited the knighting oath, Lia smiled warmly at the tall, handsome young man before her. Her radiant smile seemed to brighten the entire Knight's Hall.
"Kael, welcome to House Tulvarein's Pioneer Knights."
"It is my honor, Miss Lia," Kael replied, flashing what he believed to be his most dignified smile.
Yet, a flicker of doubt lingered in his heart.
Logically, the Duke—the renowned hero who quelled the Southern Lizardfolk Uprising and earned countless military accolades—should have been the one to bestow him knighthood. Why, then, was this young girl, the Duke's grand-daughter, presiding over the ceremony?
Could the rumors be true? Was the Duke nearing his end, and did he intend to pass his title to this "young woman," making her the Duchchess of the vast land under him?
What utter madness!
Though the Duke's only son had perished in the uprising, his surviving daughters had all borne male heirs. By any reasonable line of succession, the crown would never fall to this female from the 3rd generation.
If such an absurd decree were actually enforced, Kael couldn't imagine the chaos that would engulf the entire southern region.
But none of this concerned him anymore. As a Pioneer Knight, he was about to embark on his journey to the No-Man's Land the wilderness to establish his own territory.
The thought brought an even brighter smile to his face.
"Kael Drakaryn, are you truly unwilling to stay in the Duskmere and join the White-Robed Iron Guard?" Lia asked, handing him the rolled-up Pioneer's Edict. She made one last attempt to sway him. "I'll speak to my grandfather and have you appointed as my personal White-Robed Iron Guard, sworn to fight for me alone."
"I apologize, Miss Lia. My family motto is 'Bravery builds empires. We don't wait; we take.' Claiming new lands is my duty."
Kael accepted the Pioneer's Edict as if it were a priceless treasure, cradling it like the girlfriend he had finally won after enduring ninety nine trials of life, terrified of damaging it. He carefully tucked it into his pocket.
He understood Lia's unspoken intentions perfectly.
But hadn't he spent years in the Arena, gradually building his reputation under the guise of a fallen baron, all to become a landed noble and properly become rich and powerful by all means.
Yet this woman dared to try and bind him to her side with a few sweet words, urging him to abandon a vast forest—her intentions were truly clear and malicious!
She was merely a stepping stone on his path to success. A real ambitious man would never fall into a woman's trap!
Besides, this girl's prospects didn't look promising. Even if he were to place a bet, he wouldn't wager on her.
Seeing the man's unwavering gaze, as resolute as if he were about to jump infire then to serve her directly, Lia nodded, her flawless smile never faltering.
This newly appointed knight was the most handsome man she had ever seen.
Standing at one and eight-tenths of a meter, his physique was far from bulky; instead, he possessed a lean, well-proportioned althletic build. With shoulder length long silver hair and pale blue eyes, his striking features rivaled even those of the Elves.
Rumor had it that he had been the undefeated champion of the Southern Arena for two and a half years, effortlessly defeating even the grotesque Swamp Lizardmen, Orcs,…
This was precisely why she had sought to recruit him as a White-Robed Iron Guard. His exceptional martial skills made him more than qualified to serve as her personal knight.
Moreover, waking up each morning and opening her door to find this handsome knight would undoubtedly brighten her day considerably.
Yet she couldn't fathom why he would abandon his position as a White-Robed Knight in Duskmere to venture into the harsh, lawless No-Man's Land as a pioneer.
Why would he prefer facing those ugly beasts and savages every day over serving as her personal knight?
As the Duke of Silon's granddaughter and the title of "Highland Tulip," she had already lowered her status to the absolute limit by offering him this position. After his firm rejection, she refused to press the matter further, her pride forbidding it.
Still, she couldn't help but harbor some judgment in her heart.
Though undeniably handsome, the knight was clearly inexperienced and unaware of Duskmere's true worth.
"Miss Lia, the Duke wishes to see you," a maid in uniform announced.
"There will be a banquet tonight, Kael. You might as well stay until tomorrow after it's over," Lia said with a smile. Turning to the maid, she instructed, "Fila, show this knight to his quarters."
She exuded aristocratic grace, as if her earlier recruitment attempt had been a mere casual suggestion. Even after being openly rejected, she showed no sign of anger.
With that, she drifted away.
Kael harbored no regrets about his decision.
As for the banquet, he had initially intended to decline. Now that he possessed the Pioneer's Edict, he was eager to venture into the wilderness and make his mark.
However, he reconsidered, realizing that showing defiance so soon after becoming the Duke's vassal would create a poor impression. So he reluctantly agreed to attend.
The maid named Fila led him out of the Knight's Hall.
They traversed long corridors, made several turns, and just as Kael was starting to feel dizzy, they finally reached his destination.
"Sir Knight, your room is ready."
Yawning, Kael followed the slightly bowing maid into the room.
"Damn rich bastards!" he couldn't help but mutter enviously as soon as he stepped inside.
The floor was covered with a plush carpet woven from the finest swan velvet, worth dozens of silver coins alone.
Red Needlewood furniture, meticulously arranged with perfect spacing, adorned the carpet, clearly the work of a master craftsman.
The layout was so pleasing to the eye that it seemed to cure Kael years-long obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The floor-to-ceiling windows opposite not only flooded the room with sunlight but also offered a clear view of the castle gardens.
Through the glass, several lavishly dressed children played under the watchful eyes of maids.
"Some are born in high castles, while others are born as beasts of burden," Kael sighed, glancing at the weathered leather armor he'd worn for years, unwilling to part with it.
This room is something he could never afford as an arena fighter, even if in side he sold his ass.
But now, with the Pioneer's Edict tucked in his pocket, he felt a surge of confidence.
A castle would be his, and so would a Beast-Eared Girl maids!
Five years ago, he inherited nothing more than a disgraced, penniless baron title.
But the day he lost everything… he gained something he couldn't have imagined even in his wildest dreams.
A System.
That's what it called itself.
At first, he didn't understand what it was or what it could do—but from the moment it bound to him, Kael found himself wielding strength no ordinary man should possess. Inhuman. Unparalleled. Godlike.
He didn't realize it at the time—but his rise had already begun.
With his powerful near godlike attributes, he initially worked as a Robin Hood-style bandit, robbing the rich to help the poor. He also served as a mercenary and ran trade routes.
But while he could scrape by, making a name for himself and achieving some glory—let alone having an Elf on one arm and a Beast-Eared Girl on the other—proved far more challenging than he had imagined.
The nobles were like leeches, sucking the lifeblood out of the people. They demanded at least half of every hard-earned coin as taxes.
There were city entry fees, head taxes, food taxes, merchant taxes, and that godforsaken "Land Maintenance Fee."
Kael had never heard of such a tax in all his years.
They claimed every footstep he took had damaged the land, and this fee was to maintain it.
Enraged, he drew his sword and killed the pockmarked tax collector on the spot.
He kicked the severed head and hung onto a streetlamp, finally venting some of his fury.
Indeed, hanging from streetlamps is the only fitting end for these capitalists!
However, this act had earned him the ire of a noble, forcing him to flee the Western Territory and seek his fortune in the Southern Territory.
Only magic can counter magic.
Adopting the strategy of "if you can't beat them, join them," he reclaimed his predecessor's title as a disgraced baron, mingled in the Arena, cultivated his reputation, and finally earned the title of Pioneer Knight.
As for a higher noble rank? That would depend on how much territory he could conquer in the wilderness.
The legendary pioneer, Alexandro Bornapatro, had single-handedly forged an empire.
Kael was confident he could achieve the same.
The reason was simple: he had a cheat!
With that thought, he couldn't resist opening his attribute panel, which he hadn't checked in ages.
*Note: Max level is 50[for humans] For host it's 100
*Note: Max level is 15
One-Handed Weapon Mastery 55
Two-Handed Weapon Mastery 52
Polearm Mastery 46
Archery 43
Throwables 51
*Note: Max level is 100 for host half for other humans
When he look at the panel, he can see his level only increased by 12 levels in 3 years as for other things it is same as it was when he got it except 20-30% increase overall.
He thinks, if he had 999 level, will he transformed into a flying man, crossing the entire Duskmere in a single second?
Looking back now, he was filled with regret. If he had 999 level when he got it instead of 10 level, he shuddered to think, would a single punch to the ground could trigger an earthquake?
Even with his current attributes, calling himself in one on one fight wouldn't be an exaggeration.
The average adult human had attributes of only around 10 points. Judging by the character panel alone, his stats were more than ten times that of an ordinary person.
Moreover, the System didn't follow simple linear calculations; instead, it used exponential scaling.
As a result, his strength couldn't be precisely measured as a multiple of an ordinary human's.
All he knew was that during his years in the arena, neither the hardy northerners who called themselves "Snowland Warriors" nor the green-skinned Orcs renowned for their martial prowess could withstand a single slap from him.
Even the towering Ogres, standing four or five meters tall, proved to be all show and no substance—impressive in appearance but utterly useless in combat against him.
He had deliberately hoarded his attribute points and Weapon Mastery points, saving them for later use.
Kael had discovered that through training, all his attributes—except for skills—could be improved.
He planned to first maximize his attributes through self-training. Only when further improvement became impossible would he allocate attribute points, ensuring each point had the greatest possible impact.
The main reason for this approach was that his current attributes were already sufficient for his needs, so there was no urgency to spend points.
"Is today some special occasion? Why are so many nobles arriving?"
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, Kael clearly saw nobles, accompanied by their retinues, streaming into the opulent castle.
As vassals of House Tulvarein, they were rarely summoned to the castle unless for major events—certainly not for a mere evening banquet.
Kael felt an ominous premonition, as if entire Duskmere were on the verge of upheaval.
But none of this concerned him. After tonight, he would depart for No-Man's Land to establish his own territory as a Pioneer Knight.
His confidence stemmed from his strength!
In the spacious room, Kael, clad in a simple linen tunic, a silver one-handed sword hung om his waist. Exquisite patterns were etched into the blade, forged from an unknown metal that radiated an aura of immense value just by it looks alone.
Kael movements were usually devoid of any flashy techniques, consisting only of straightforward thrusts, upward slashes, and sweeping cuts.
For someone with his raw power and unparalleled speed, learning elaborate sword techniques would be like teaching an elephant martial arts—it would only hinder his natural abilities.
Of course, his One-Handed Weapon Mastery, exceeding 50 points, ensured that his swordsmanship remained unmatched. Calling him a Sword Master would not be an exaggeration.
However, such refined techniques only truly shine when facing opponents of equal caliber.
So far, Kael had yet to encounter an adversary who could force him to fully utilize his swordsmanship.
As Kael sheathed his sword, a knock sounded at the door. With his permission, a maid entered and respectfully announced, "Sir Kael, the steward has sent me to remind you that the evening banquet will begin at seven o'clock in the castle's banquet hall."
"Very well," Kael replied, sheathing his sword. "Prepare hot water for a bath."
"Yes, sir."