“Are you happy now?”
The Ranger ran his hand through Eric’s hair, patting his head.
Eric grinned, releasing the Ranger’s thigh. Honestly, Master’s butt was perkier than Captain America’s.
“I’m happy.”
The Ranger took off his hood, and Eric finally had the chance to observe his true face closely.
He looked very young, probably only in his twenties.
But there was no youthful vigor on his face; his chin was full of stubble, and there wasn’t a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth. His hawk-like eyes held a certain melancholy.
He was a handsome young man.
Eric felt he could grow up to be like that too.
“I am Atai’er Fairchild. From now on, I will be your Ranger mentor. You will train with me until you can stand on your own.”
“Yes, Master.”
Atai’er?
Fairchild?
Why did this name and surname sound so familiar?
Eric felt this name was full of plot holes.
In any case, this couldn’t possibly be the Berserker Creed.
Atai’er looked at Eric, who was standing straight, with a rather aloof adult expression, tilting his head, lost in thought.
A faint smile touched Atai’er’s lips, and he couldn’t help but pat Eric’s head again.
“I have three demands for you, which you must pursue throughout your life.”
Demands?
Eric’s heart sank. It couldn’t be some kind of monastic vow, could it?
“Master, can I eat meat and get married?”
At these words, Atai’er was stunned.
Rangers weren’t ascetic warriors; how could such things be an issue?
And you, kid…
After a long time, Atai’er felt a mischievous urge.
“Didn’t you say you’d go through hell and high water? Regretting it now?”
Eric was flustered.
Was he really going to impose that?
But then he thought, he’d learn the skills first, and who couldn’t say nice things?
“Master, tell me. I, Eric, am a man of my word. I’ll do what I say.”
This was a lie.
Atai’er’s Fairy Blessing instantly saw through Eric.
However, Atai’er didn’t mind the lie. In his opinion, Eric was only 12 years old, and his life still held too many possibilities.
“Three demands.”
“First, your soul must always belong to yourself.”
“Second, your faith belongs to no god.”
“Third, your power shall not be used for any grandiose declarations; it shall only protect all that you cherish.”
Huh?
It wasn’t about not being able to marry or eat meat.
Eric’s eyes lit up.
Rather than three demands, these were three pieces of advice.
And Eric felt that these three pieces of advice were exactly what he wanted, weren’t they?
“Okay, I will definitely abide by them.”
This was a sincere statement.
The Fairy’s Blessing whispered in Atai’er’s ear. He patted Eric’s head again. What a lovely little fellow.
“Ten drills are not as good as one real battle.”
Atai’er swung his cloak and turned to walk out of the house.
“Let’s go. I’ll teach you Ranger training on the way.”
Eric tucked his dagger into his waistband and followed behind Atai’er.
“Yes, Master.”
—
When Atai’er and Eric left the village, only the village chief came to see them off.
Or rather, only the village chief knew what the appearance of the Harpers meant for this village and the entire world.
After all, this organization had been absent from the continent for five hundred years.
Even among the common folk, its name had faded away.
Only the nobles still preserved records of that history.
The village chief respected Atai’er greatly.
However, Atai’er’s attitude towards the village chief was not friendly.
Eric was also very indifferent to the village chief. Eric didn’t like it here, and he wouldn’t return here in the future.
After leaving the village and reaching the edge of the Sunset Forest, Atai’er finally spoke:
“Do you know of any ancient castles or large tombs nearby?”
Eric was very familiar with the forest. Before his father died, he often took him hunting in the forest, sometimes staying for a whole month.
Eric knew everything here like the back of his hand.
“There’s an ancient city ruin. I haven’t seen any tombs, but there’s a cemetery next to the ruins.”
Atai’er nodded and said:
“That’s our destination. How long will it take to get there?”
“About two weeks. We’ll have to camp in the forest.”
Atai’er nodded and said:
“Perfect. During this time, I’ll teach you how to use weapons.”
Eric’s heart tightened.
He was going to learn skills.
With a thought, a translucent information panel appeared before Eric.
【Character Name: Eric Garanode (Murmur of the Moon)
Info: Human (Half-elf)
Status: Good
Rank: Level 1 Hunter
Hero Rank: Level 1 Ranger
Legendary Rank: None
Title: None
Equipment: Vigorous Death-Thorn (Divine Artifact), Wind Wolf Boots (Excellent)
Talent: Child of the Moon (Inactive)
Skills:
Basic Archery (Beginner)
Leatherworking (Beginner)】
To be honest, if it weren't for this character card, Eric wouldn't have known he had elven blood.
Why weren’t his ears pointed?
And his father had never told him he had the surname Garlanode.
Or was it inherited from his mother?
Eric wasn’t clear about the reasons, but once he had power, he would naturally seek answers.
Atai’er watched Eric briefly lost in thought, feeling puzzled but not voicing it. He simply drew a short sword from his waist and reminded him:
“Watch my movements carefully.”
Eric snapped out of it and focused his gaze on Atai’er.
There was a small path in the forest, but because very few people had used it over the years, the path was now completely covered by branches.
Atai’er swung the short sword in his hand. He didn’t assume any particular stance; it looked as if he was swinging wildly, and even the speed of his swings was very slow.
Eric was very confused.
He truly couldn’t see any difference between Atai’er’s movements and random flailing.
Soon, the path ahead was cleared.
Atai’er turned to look at Eric. He naturally saw Eric’s confusion. He didn’t explain, but simply handed the short sword to Eric.
Eric was very confused.
But the moment he took the short sword, Eric’s confusion was replaced by shock.
The Roman short sword had distinct angles.
Its broad and thick blade, at its tip, looked as if it had been directly cut into shape by scissors.
And now, this angular short sword, due to the recent swings, revealed its structure even more clearly.
Because during the swings, the sap from the branches only appeared at the tip of the blade.
The clean blade contrasted sharply with the green scratches on the tip.
“Practicing stances and applying force is too early for you, and too time-consuming.”
“But controlling distance can improve very quickly.”
“From now on, you will lead the way. Use that dagger until there are no more cutting marks below the second section of the dagger.”
Atai’er’s control over distance had long reached perfection.
If it were a hot-blooded, green 12-year-old, he would never understand how exaggerated Atai’er’s skill was.
But Eric’s thinking ability came from an adult, after all.
Eric knew how important this kind of fundamental training was.
“Okay, Master.”
Returning the short sword to Atai’er, Eric drew the dagger from his waistband and began to examine its structure closely.
Vigorous Death-Thorn, this snake-like dagger, its twisted body, was divided into four sections.
“Only the first two sections?”
Eric took a deep breath, walked to the middle of the path, and swung the dagger to cut at the branches.
The dagger was very sharp, and the branches were easily cut off.
But the moment the dagger cut the branches, Eric felt as if his body had been hollowed out.
A certain power within him surged madly into the dagger.
And the large tree connected to the branches withered directly.
Eric immediately fell to his knees.
“What’s going on?”