A moment later.
He finished eating the half-pound of snake meat.
He stood up and cleaned up with swift, efficient movements. When his gaze swept past the pile of ordinary snake meat with relatively sparse energy in the corner, his footsteps paused slightly.
After a brief thought, he stepped forward, selected a decent-looking piece weighing about two pounds, wrapped it carefully in dry greasepaper, and slipped it into his tunic.
This was not a particularly valuable item, but it was perfect as a casual favor or a simple social gift.
After all, showing up empty-handed always felt a bit awkward, and in Stone Mill Village during this transition from late winter to early spring, two pounds of fresh giant python prime meat was a very practical and sincere gesture.
Once ready, he pushed open the door and stepped out.
The afternoon sun shone at an angle on his body, carrying the slight warmth of the approaching early spring.
No longer hesitating, he set off with steady steps, walking at an unhurried pace toward Instructor Calm's house.
A cabin in the center of Stone Mill Village.
Inside the main room.
The embers in the charcoal brazier glowed with a flickering red light, bringing a cozy warmth to the room.
“Is this Green Bead Python meat?”
Calm pointed at the snake meat on the wooden table beside him, his expression surprised and his tone carrying a hint of clear astonishment.
“Yes,” Matthew answered steadily, his expression calm, with only an imperceptible trace of satisfaction flickering in the depths of his eyes.
It seemed this casual “small gift” had piqued the instructor's interest even more than expected.
Calm took another couple of looks at the meat. He tapped his finger lightly on the edge of the greasepaper, as if weighing it, or perhaps confirming its quality.
He certainly knew how troublesome and valuable a Green Bead Python was. More importantly, he knew that being able to hunt one down alone in the outer areas of the forest and return completely unscathed meant Matthew's strength was no longer what it used to be.
And since Matthew was his student, he was naturally feeling quite proud and pleased in secret.
He was extremely satisfied with this “gift.”
“Mhm,” Calm eventually just grunted in response. He didn't ask further about the snake meat, wrapping the greasepaper back up and pushing it to the corner of the table.
He withdrew his hand, his expression returning to its usual composure. As his gaze refocused on Matthew, the secret joy he felt over his student's growth was quietly suppressed, and his tone turned solemn:
“I called you over mainly to fulfill my previous promise. I managed to get you a higher-quality one-handed sword.”
Without any further preamble, he directly picked up a long object wrapped in thick grey cloth from beside him and carefully placed it horizontally on the wooden table between them.
Calm watched Matthew steadily receive the long sword, and thought back to his feat of hunting the Green Bead Python alone. The routine warnings about “using it with caution” and “acting within your limits” that had risen to the tip of his tongue faltered in his throat, and in the end, he did not say them.
His student could already hunt a Green Bead Python alone, having proven his strength, character, and adaptability through action.
Such reminders seemed rather redundant at this moment.
Matthew didn't notice Calm's momentary hesitation.
He accepted the weapon, which was longer and heavier than a normal one-handed sword, with both hands.
The scabbard was plain, but it felt solid in his hands, and its center of gravity was just right.
As the scabbard slid off, the faint light rippling along the blade and its distinct presence left no doubt that this was indeed the Blue-quality one-handed sword he had been eagerly waiting for.
A solid wave of joy welled up from the depths of his heart, quickly filling his chest.
This was not just excitement over having a fine weapon in hand, but also a reward for his head-down training and steady growth in strength over this period.
His knuckles tightened slightly as he felt the solid, reassuring grip of the hilt against his palm, as if his long-held anticipation and preparation had finally found a concrete anchor.
Matthew did not swing it immediately. Instead, he took a deep breath, neatly concealing his joy beneath his calm expression.
And right at that moment, black text popped up before his eyes:
【Equipment: Dawn Sword
Quality: Blue
Equipment Requirements: Constitution 25, Strength 25, Agility 20
Description: An imitation of the “Divine Sword of Dawn”. The blade is forged from a special metal, combining excellent energy conductivity with high durability.
Its appearance is modeled after the “Divine Sword of Dawn”—featuring a slender, flowing blade and an elegant curved handguard. Its weight has been finely adjusted to offer a unique lightness while ensuring sturdiness during slashing in actual combat, providing a balanced and easy-to-control feel.
Effects: Considerably increases the training efficiency of Basic Swordsmanship; increases effective damage dealt to light-armored targets; slightly increases the transmission efficiency of life energy.
Skills: None】
Dawn Sword?
Matthew's gaze fell upon the slowly appearing black text, his heart stirring slightly.
This name... is actually pretty cool.
He clearly remembered that the Blue-quality weapon Instructor Calm used was called the 【Flawed Steel Longsword】—a name that sounded completely ordinary and even carried a rough, unrefined feel.
Yet the sword before him was named “Dawn,” an image so bright and sharp.
It actually suits me quite well.
Coming back to his senses, he looked at the equipment requirements—Constitution 25, Strength 25, Agility 20.
He felt slightly reassured.
His own Constitution of 27 was just enough to meet the requirement, with a tiny bit to spare. This meant he could fully bring out the sword's power without being limited by insufficient attributes.
His gaze drifted downward to the “Description” column, and a trace of surprise arose in his heart:
Just an imitation can reach Blue-quality... Then what level of existence must the original be?
Matthew stared at the slender, flowing blade of the 【Dawn Sword】 in his hand, his fingertips gently brushing across the cool metal surface.
The blade was indeed slender and flowing, the curved guard elegant yet understated. When held, its weight was distributed perfectly, giving it a light feel when swung while ensuring sturdiness and stability during actual combat slashing.
This was indeed a sword... that perfectly matched his current strength and expectations.
What made his heart stir even more was that the black text floating before him showed that the “Dawn Sword” also came with three additional effects:
Considerably increases the training efficiency of Basic Swordsmanship;
Increases effective damage dealt to light-armored and heavy-armored targets;
Slightly increases the transmission efficiency of life energy.
The first two points had appeared before; in short, they were: increased training efficiency and armor penetration.
Increased training efficiency was an attribute Matthew had long anticipated and eagerly hoped for.
It meant he could temper his 【Basic Swordsmanship】 more effectively, restoring his proficiency gain to its previous speed. This was undoubtedly the most reliable boost to his growth.
As for the armor penetration effect against light-armored and heavy-armored targets—
Looking to the future, whether he had to face heavily armored enemies, magical beasts with tough scales, or various monsters with increasingly strong defenses, their armor levels would only get higher and higher.
Therefore, the strategic value of this armor-penetrating ability would become more and more prominent over time, becoming an indispensable and crucial advantage when facing powerful foes.
However, because he had already anticipated the first two points, they did not cause much of a stir in his heart.
Rate on N.U.
