Eternally Regressing Knight
Chapter 435 - The Lake of Experience
Enkrid had experienced pauses in his life numerous times, so he had long forgotten the feeling of impatience.
He simply did what he had to.
He ran, jumped, and climbed mountains.
Luagarne used every tool available without hesitation.
She would use anything—human or otherwise.
It was the same for her.
Enkrid had fought against Dunbakel, Teresa, and Ropord just yesterday.
He thought they wouldn't accept fighting three against one, out of pride, but the three of them accepted without hesitation.
Luagarne showed them a formation so their movements wouldn't get tangled.
That alone meant Enkrid couldn't easily take the upper hand against the three of them.
Their tactics were tricky.
Dunbakel used her fast legs and nimble movements to circle around, looking for openings to strike, while Teresa relentlessly pushed forward with her shield.
Her vision-blocking techniques had become more refined, and her overall skill had clearly improved, making her a much harder opponent.
Beside them, Ropord swung his sword steadfastly.
It wasn't a longsword technique.
It was a method based on calculated moves and counterattacks.
For instance, sometimes Ropord would swing his sword not at Enkrid's front, but at the empty air, forcing Enkrid to deflect it when there was no other place to dodge.
That naturally created openings, and through those, Dunbakel's scythe-like blows came at him.
Enkrid realized Ropord's talents.
"They're fighting together, yet calculating the moves?"
Such a talent would shine when commanding a small group of soldiers.
Ropord was actually awakening his own potential.
It was the kind of sense that allowed him to read the flow of battle from above, like seeing it from a higher perspective.
That ability applied not just to small-unit tactics but could be used in personal combat as well.
It was the essence of swordsmanship.
While Luagarne had spoken of hints and suppression, Ropord had faithfully swung his sword, forcing his opponent into submission.
"Impressive."
Enkrid recognized Ropord's potential.
Luagarne had recognized it long ago and had awakened it with just a few words of advice.
Enkrid could have felt the stark difference in talent, but he didn't care.
Every day, he was too busy gasping for breath from his training to worry about such things.
Dunbakel's skills had also drastically improved.
She showcased her killing techniques using both her twin scythes, claws, and even her toenails, utilizing her whole body for lethal strikes.
It was a blade that came from her instincts.
Her claws, extending with thought, were wild but hard to block.
In any case, yesterday, he had barely held his ground against them.
And today, a different conversation came up.
"Have you ever fought against a mage?"
Before Enkrid could even answer Luagarne's question, a woman with long hair and a thin robe appeared behind the frog.
It was, of course, Esther.
"Do I need it to improve my sword skills?" he asked.
Esther thought for a moment before answering. "Perhaps."
Honestly, she had no idea, but she knew there would be something to gain from it.
One of Enkrid's greatest talents was his ability to learn from everything and everyone in the world.
Esther didn't refuse either.
She blinked her large eyes a few times, combing her hair with one hand and raising the other as she said, "Then, let's do it. The Dmueller's Scythe."
Along with her words, she extended her thumb, index, and middle fingers, making a gesture that seemed meaningless.
At that exact moment, Enkrid drew Aker and swung it.
Clang!
The compressed blade of air flying toward him collided with Enkrid's sword, shattering in mid-air.
Enkrid felt a subtle recoil in his arms.
It felt like the blow of a warrior with arms as thick as his own had struck his sword.
It should have been shocking, but Enkrid didn't hesitate.
As soon as he blocked the attack, he spun and advanced.
He kicked the ground, leaving afterimages in his wake.
The speed was almost impossible to track for anyone but a knight.
"Watch out for the snake."
Esther's voice pierced his ear, worming its way into his mind.
No, it was a voice that vibrated through his entire head.
It felt like he couldn't ignore it.
It was an odd feeling.
He was charging ahead, eyes focused, but he could still hear her voice ringing in his ears.
Enkrid, at the same time, saw the illusion of his sword becoming a snake, coiling around his arm, but the vision vanished in the blink of an eye.
It was a result of his strong will to resist.
Clang!
Enkrid's sword was blocked once again by Esther's palm.
It was a mage's shield.
How could he break it?
He had experienced it before. Back when he had beheaded the Count.
He needed to raise his sword vertically and strike down with a long-sword style.
It was an attack with the full intent to cut through.
Enkrid's sword wasn't as fast as lightning, but it was still a strike similar to one.
"It will be blocked."
Esther spoke, moving her hands ceaselessly, changing the shapes of her magical barrier.
As she drew several shapes with her hands, layers of shields formed above her head, trapping Enkrid's sword.
"Loyta's Tenacious Spiderweb."
If any passing mage had seen it, they would have been horrified.
Just moments before, Esther had implemented the spell first and then recited the incantation.
This was a technique known as "post-casting," which even most mages would hesitate to try.
To summarize, Enkrid was helplessly pushed back by Esther.
The saying that a prepared mage is more frightening than a knight was not just a saying.
She proved it.
The magic the Count had used was vast and overwhelming.
Enkrid had thought that when it came to magic, he would have the advantage.
But that wasn't the case.
Of course, Enkrid didn't know how incredible a mage Esther was.
Especially in combat with others, Esther was a genius that no other mage could match.
If she were at her peak, even the Galafran mage, who had grasped the river's flow in the battlefield prepared by Aspen, would have been defeated in an instant.
Esther had felt three distinct threats while fighting Enkrid.
It was impressive that Enkrid had pushed a mage like her this far, but he didn't recognize it.
"One more time?" Enkrid simply continued as before.
"Anytime." Esther nodded, willing to continue.
Since Enkrid wanted it, she was happy to oblige.
She didn't step back, and by the end of the day, Enkrid's left arm was broken, and his hair was burned and had to be trimmed short.
"That looks good on you too."
Luagarne, with her strong aesthetic sense, even admired Enkrid's short hair.
Through all of this, Enkrid hadn't made any groundbreaking progress.
But the change in his perspective had gained him much.
"When fighting a mage, simply talking gives the initiative to the opponent," Esther advised on fighting mages.
Enkrid absorbed everything she said.
He was especially good at learning from others, repeating and digesting everything he was taught.
He did so. Esther smiled.
Enkrid, seeing this, spoke. "You shouldn't laugh so casually at others."
Thinking about it, she was as rare with her smiles as Shinar.
"Why?" Esther asked in return.
"If you look in the mirror, you'd understand."
"If someone looks too closely between that thin robe of yours, they'll lose their eyes, don't you know?"
"No, I know. This, too, is a weapon."
"Those who lose themselves looking at my face forget for a moment that I'm a mage."
Where does the beginning of tactics lie? Enkrid had a small realization.
If you can use your appearance to disorient the opponent's eyes?
It was a principle that aligned with the teachings of the Valah-style mercenary swords.
"Excellent."
"My face is always excellent." Esther, no longer smiling, responded to Enkrid's words.
Though he had meant tactics, Enkrid didn't press the matter.
Anyone overhearing their conversation might find it quite cold, but in reality, they were having a surprisingly friendly exchange, or so Enkrid thought.
Esther had come to accept that she had blended into this group.
"What about that soldier?" At the end of their sparring, Enkrid asked.
Esther had brought a soldier to train, sometimes calling him over for something, and he was curious.
"He has talent." Esther replied briefly. That was all. Enkrid didn't ask more.
Esther wasn't trying to raise a disciple.
The primary reason was to establish her own understanding while teaching.
The second reason was because it was clear that the soldier would inevitably learn flawed magic and end up causing trouble if left to his own devices.
It was better to guide him toward something useful.
Enkrid's actions had shown her a more open mindset. Does a mage have to be narrow-minded? 'Not anymore.'
Esther acknowledged it.
Her life had once been about solitary research and struggle, but having people around her to observe and learn from had proven invaluable.
No, it had actually been a greater help to her.
"Right, don't kill him."
Enkrid, aware of the rumors that Esther used soldiers as sacrifices, spoke up.
"If he dies because of bad luck, there's nothing you can do about it."
Esther spoke with the understanding that the path of magic was perilous.
Enkrid nodded, recognizing that Esther meant no malice.
She wasn't really intending to use him as a sacrifice.
Of course, a few soldiers had been terrified when they saw the strange marks on the body of a friend dragged into Esther's care.
If their mentality was so fragile, they would break easily on the battlefield.
Enkrid wanted to build strong soldiers. Such trivial rumors were nothing to them.
So, sparring with a mage became part of Enkrid's routine.
"What will you do if the opponent uses suggestion or disruption?"
Luagarne started sharing her experiences.
She had spent over a hundred years studying combat and fighting, constantly seeking to uncover the unknown in the process.
"Suggestion and disruption aren't everything, but if you can, there is no better way than the mirror blade technique."
"That breaks easily against a sturdy blade."
"If you anticipate the opponent's heavy, rigid sword, that's ideal."
"Brother, it'd be even better if you can deflect and break it."
Suggestion and disruption can also be done with the eyes.
If the opponent is sensitive, you can use your will to achieve it.
Somehow, Ragna's opinion blended into Luagarne's teachings, Audin also contributed, and even Jaxen left a note, despite his busy schedule.
Rem, surprisingly, didn't often step in.
Enkrid absorbed experience from Luagarne.
From others, he learned how to break through conventional thinking.
And then, he physically executed what he had learned repeatedly.
"If it had been before, it wouldn't have been fun, but now it's at least improving."
Amidst all this, there were also compliments from Ragna that didn't quite sound like praise.
Before, the Enkrid who couldn't even implement what he was taught was no more.
His body had grown solid, as if he hadn't forged it through isolation techniques for nothing.
From the way he stood with his weight evenly distributed between his feet, his balance was clearly better.
In short, he had become a semi knight who could endure the strike of black lightning.
Although Luagarne hadn't intentionally set everything up, the time, experience, and training she provided had been incredibly helpful to Enkrid.
His skills hadn't increased dramatically, but his vision had widened, and his thinking had changed.
Naturally, this affected others as well.
Especially Ropord, who, under Luagarne's guidance, had overcome a certain mental barrier.
Ropord was a natural-born talent.
He couldn't predict what was ahead, but he showed a remarkable ability to push the opponent into traps with his sword.
There was an old saying in the continent.
Is it best to predict one move ahead? Or is it best to control even that move within your own intentions?
It referred to two approaches in the art of swordplay.
Ropord followed the second approach, having the talent to do so.
"Not bad." Enkrid said, during their sparring, and Ropord nodded contentedly.
He had received recognition from the person he sought acknowledgment from. How could he not be happy?
But Ropord showed satisfaction more than joy.
Having a keen interest in human observation, Frogs loved beautiful and intriguing people, and being able to read their expressions was key.
Luargarne saw satisfaction in Ropord's face. A thorough and loyal satisfaction.
She suddenly realized that the biggest difference between Enkrid and others was this.
He never knew satisfaction at any moment. 'Once more.'
Wasn't this the most common phrase Enkrid used during training?
Even though he reveled in the moment and joy, he would never be satisfied.
'Would he stop once he becomes a knight?' Not a chance.
Luagarne knew the world of knights. Even within that world, there were disparities.
Ragna was a perfect example of this. 'Being among knights still means you're at the starting point.'
Of course, it was better than being a ruined knight.
Extraordinary talent? Once you became a knight, talent wasn't something to discuss.
To rise above a knight meant it would be ridiculous to compare talents anymore.
They were all people who were considered geniuses, but it was still too early to call them geniuses.
From that point, what mattered was not talent but effort, direction, enlightenment, and the will to endure.
The world of knights was vast. Luagarne knew this.
Even the knights of Naurilia were a good example. 'What about that knight from the western country?'
What about the King of Mercenaries, Anu? They were all disasters of their own making.
Ragna had risen to a similar level, and even the fairy seemed to have done so, but they still lacked something.
A knight was not an end, but a beginning.
Among semi knights, many couldn't pass the wall to become full knights because they didn't understand this. At least, that's how Luargarne judged it.
The strength of a knight wasn't a mirage that one could reach by seeing it as the end.
In this regard, she wasn't worried about Enkrid.
That man, wrapped up in greed and desire, didn't seem like someone who would ever stop.
'If only his talent were a little better.' She couldn't help but think that.
What if he had talent that was at least extraordinary, above average? He wouldn't need to hear the word "genius." Just that level would have sufficed.
'Or, if only he had been given more time than others. For example, if one day for others was a week for him?'
It was a pointless fantasy. Worrying over something that would never happen was foolish.
And thinking that because of Enkrid made it even more foolish.
There was a man in front of her who, instead of wasting time thinking, swung his sword.
Luagarne believed that this man would become a knight. She had no reason for the belief, just a certain certainty.

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