Porter's Delay

What truly pleasantly surprised him was the third point: “Slightly increases the transmission efficiency of life energy.”

Improving the transmission efficiency of life energy meant that when he executed 【Melting Slash】, he could reduce the loss of energy during its flow, converting more life energy into more uses of 【Melting Slash】.

For Matthew, who needed to repeatedly swing his sword and stack proficiency through massive amounts of practice, this was undoubtedly an invisible “acceleration.”

What he saved was not just energy, but more importantly, time.

This effect, seemingly subtle, directly targeted the core rhythm of his current cultivation, making it... a perfectly timed surprise.

Most importantly, this was merely an imitation of the Dawn Sword. If it were the legendary, genuine Divine Sword of Dawn, how astonishing would its effects be?

Perhaps it could truly achieve... zero resistance in energy transmission, completely integrating the blade with the user's own life energy like an extension of their limbs, reaching a true state of “unity between man and sword”?

As for the blade's sharpness... it would probably be far beyond anything described by “cutting through iron like clay.”

Matthew withdrew his gaze from the black text before his eyes. As a pragmatist, he felt extremely satisfied with this 【Dawn Sword】—it met and even exceeded all his expectations for a handy weapon, and he did not feel the slightest bit of disappointment over its status as an “imitation.”

The only minor regret he had was that the “Skills” column of the weapon was explicitly labeled “None.”

Perhaps because it's an imitation, it doesn't have any extra skills? he mused to himself, but then he thought of Flynn's scythe, which also lacked skills, and found himself temporarily unable to make sense of it.

Just then, a familiar voice woke him from his thoughts.

“Well? Are you satisfied?”

Calm asked with a smile, his gaze landing on the youth's focused and slightly surprised face.

Seeing the hard-to-conceal yet desperately restrained change in Matthew's expression, Calm couldn't help but feel a gratified smile rise in his heart.

After all, the youth before him was only sixteen. Even though he was usually calm and composed, when faced with a new weapon he loved, that pure joy belonging to a young man would still quietly slip out.

It was precisely this genuine emotion that caused the indescribable trace of distance he had felt due to his student's rapid growth in strength to quietly vanish.

Growth was certainly a pleasant surprise, but this unfaded youthful innocence made him feel even more close and gratified.

Hearing this, Matthew retrieved his thoughts. A steady and sincere smile appeared on his face as he nodded and replied:

“Very satisfied. The weight, feel, and length of this sword are all perfect and suit me very well. Thank you for your trouble.”

His gaze fell on the light rippling across the blade. After a brief pause, he asked again:

“Instructor, does this sword... have any special origin?”

Calm shook his head and answered as usual:

“I just asked an old friend to find it. As for how exactly they got it, I'm not too sure either.”

He looked at Matthew's calm yet satisfied expression. Knowing his student had fully accepted the sword, he said no more.

Matthew nodded, but a trace of imperceptible regret quietly brushed through his heart.

After all, it was an imitation of the “Divine Sword of Dawn.” If he could follow this clue and ask around, perhaps he could find some news or rumors about that divine sword.

Although he knew he wouldn't be able to obtain it even if he knew, he could at least keep a small hope alive in his heart.

However, this thought flashed by like morning mist and did not linger in his mind.

As the two talked, the topic naturally shifted to Porter.

By now, more than two months had passed since they agreed on the reward.

Instructor Calm had previously mentioned to Matthew that he had a reward agreement with Porter—Porter was supposed to deliver the core of a unique magical beast within two months.

In addition, Porter's side was also connected to the Blue-quality longbow Matthew had been eagerly anticipating.

After personally experiencing the powerful attributes of the 【Dawn Sword】, Matthew looked forward to that yet-to-be-received Blue longbow even more.

A Green-quality hunting bow was already so practical; a Blue-quality one would surely be even more powerful.

More importantly, the clue of Porter was also directly related to whether Instructor Calm could obtain the key channel to break through to the Silver Rank.

Therefore, whether for his own equipment or for his instructor's breakthrough, news of Porter was exceptionally important.

The conversation naturally drifted to Porter.

“There is news from Porter,” Instructor Calm said, comforting his student warmly upon seeing the faint eagerness in his eyes.

“About ten days ago, the snow and ice began to melt, and the roads became a bit easier to travel. He sent a message through someone, saying he has already broken through to the Silver Rank, and your reward has long been prepared.”

He paused, continuing in a steady tone, “It's just that... the reward we agreed on has not been resolved yet, so he specifically sent someone to let us know.”

“At most another week—those were his exact words.”

As his voice fell, the expressions of the teacher and student varied.

Calm felt a trace of doubt cross his mind.

He was not worried about Porter breaking the agreement; they had a “written contract,” and the other party could not afford the price of breach.

Moreover, sending someone with a message did not look like an attempt to default.

But this was precisely why he was puzzled—the agreed two-month deadline had passed, yet the reward Porter promised was still delayed.

Logically speaking, the constraints of that “written contract” should have already taken effect.

Thinking up to this point, Calm had a vague guess. However, he did not understand this strange power involving rules and vows, so he still felt somewhat uncertain and lost.

Hearing this, Matthew felt a surge of joy.

The Blue bow was already prepared, which meant the equipment he cared about most finally had a definitive timeline.

A weapon personally prepared by Porter, who was of the Silver Rank, would surely exceed his expectations in quality, raising his anticipation for the new bow he would soon hold.

This week... would actually be a good time to explore that kobold nest I put on hold earlier, he muttered secretly to himself.

At this moment, quite some time had passed since the first snow of the Month of the Cracking Ice began to clear. Most of the snow in the forest had melted, and the paths were much easier to travel than in the dead of winter.

He hadn't gone before mainly due to a few concerns:

First, there were rumors of a Shadow Wolf King active on the outskirts of the Shadow Forest. Matthew had not yet broken through to the Brass Rank at that time, and his strength was insufficient, so it was naturally unwise to rashly venture deep for safety's sake.

Second, heavy snow had sealed the forest all winter. On one hand, it made movement inconvenient; on the other hand, there were very few signs of people, meaning the nest's location was unlikely to be discovered by others, so there was no rush.

...

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