Improvement

Things were different now.

Not only had Matthew promoted to the Brass Rank, which greatly increased his physical attributes, but he had also mastered two combat techniques—【Eagle Eye Gaze】 and 【Melting Slash】. Furthermore, in the “Feathering” state, he could balance both explosive power and insight.

Most crucially, his 【Energy Missile】 had already reached the Novice level, reducing its casting time to about one second. This provided him with a vital means of magical attack.

It was enough to handle the vast majority of situations!

On top of that, he had just acquired the Blue-quality 【Dawn Sword】.

This sword significantly optimized the transmission of life energy and armor penetration, serving as an immediate boost to his combat strength!

What was more, with a new weapon in hand, he needed actual combat to adjust to its feel and become familiar with the blade.

After all, as good as this one-handed sword was, its length and weight differed from his previous one. If he blindly repeated his usual drills without testing it, he might make a critical mistake when facing a powerful enemy.

In addition, with the snow melting in early spring, more and more people would be entering the forest. He had to explore it before anyone else did!

His strength was sufficient, his equipment was ready, and the timing was perfect!

Venturing out to investigate now was the perfect opportunity.

The two chatted a bit more about Porter. Matthew sheathed the 【Dawn Sword】, bowed to Instructor Calm, and took his leave.

As he turned and pushed open the door, the afternoon sun cast a slanted glow on the dirt road of Stone Mill Village, stretching his shadow long.

Instead of returning straight to his cabin, he walked briskly toward the training field on the east side of the village, following his plan.

He thought to himself:

Matthew was no longer the novice who had first entered the forest. His numerous battles with magical beasts had taught him that every ounce of understanding about his own state and equipment before a fight could mean the difference between life and death.

Especially with core equipment like the 【Dawn Sword】 that directly affected the execution of his combat techniques, he preferred to verify the textual descriptions with actual experience, truly knowing himself and his weapon.

...

East side of Stone Mill Village.

This had originally been a relatively open clearing. As the snow melted, large patches of damp black soil were exposed.

The ground was muddy and soft, clearly imprinted with several scattered footprints of varying depths and messy directions.

Compared to two months ago, this place had changed significantly.

On one side stood several simple yet sturdy wooden posts in an orderly row.

On the other side, several circular archery targets were arranged in sequence according to distance.

Although these training apparatuses still appeared crude, they already resembled a proper training field.

These setups had been proposed by Matthew based on his own training needs, and Aidan had led a few young men from the village to build them in their spare time.

Looking at it now, Aidan had not only completed the task diligently but had also maintained it well.

Matthew nodded slightly. Looking at the blade marks on the wooden posts, he murmured softly, “Aidan has indeed been working hard.”

“Perhaps I can bring him along when I go exploring in a few days...”

With this thought in mind.

Matthew moved. However, he did not walk toward the wooden posts used for ordinary training. Such common materials could not withstand the power of 【Melting Slash】; a single strike would likely leave behind nothing but a mess of splintered wood.

Instead, he walked straight to the edge of the field, toward a thick old tree with several hollows in its trunk.

Standing before the mottled trunk, he took a slow breath to calm his mind and firmly grasped the hilt of the 【Dawn Sword】 with his right hand.

Although the hilt was not custom-made, it coincidentally fit Matthew's palm exceptionally well.

He then closed his eyes, concentrating on sensing the life energy flowing within his body, guiding it along the familiar pathways to gather.

When Matthew opened his eyes again, they were as sharp as an eagle's, and the muscles in his arm suddenly tensed.

An invisible yet biting aura rose from his body.

However, this time, the flow of energy was subtly different from when he held his previous Green-quality one-handed sword.

Channeling his body's life energy into the blade felt significantly easier than before.

As the life energy passed through the blade of the 【Dawn Sword】, the transmission was much smoother and faster than in the past, and the usual, subtle sense of resistance was almost imperceptible.

He lowered his waist and rotated his hips, raising his center of gravity from his feet and transferring it up his spine to his shoulders.

The arm holding the sword became a bowstring taut with power, while the 【Dawn Sword】 was the sharp arrow waiting to be released.

The next moment, the sword moved.

There were no complex or flashy moves—only a diagonal slash, the most simple and unadorned strike, yet one that concentrated all his physical strength and the essence of his combat technique.

The blade tore through the air, bringing with it a low, distinct howl.

A faint blue-and-white light lingered on the edge of the blade for a long time. This was a phenomenon that appeared when life energy was compressed to the extreme and perfectly combined with the properties of the sword.

The edge of the blade sliced precisely into the rim of the old hollow on the tree trunk.

There was no deafening explosion, only the muffled sound of a solid object being smoothly sliced open.

The rough bark and dense wood inside the old tree no longer seemed so indestructible in the face of the 【Dawn Sword】's sharpness and 【Melting Slash】.

The blade sank deep, burying itself nearly halfway.

Matthew stabilized his posture, slowly withdrew his strength, and pulled the sword out.

He looked at the fresh, deep, and clean-cut slash on the trunk, which stood in stark contrast to the original hollow next to it.

“As expected of the 【Dawn Sword】, the increase in sharpness is indeed very obvious,” he muttered silently.

Previously, only a hollow had been left on the trunk, meaning the force had been spread evenly and failed to penetrate completely.

This strike, however, cut deep into the wood, representing a more concentrated force and a fiercer penetration.

The wood shavings at the cut were fine, with almost no splintering or rough edges, showing that this strike was not only fierce but also possessed incredible control and penetration.

He lowered his eyes to look at the 【Dawn Sword】 in his hand; the blade was as pristine as before, without any signs of chipping or damage.

In his heart, he now had the most direct and profound understanding of the attribute “slightly increases the transmission efficiency of life energy.”

The execution of 【Melting Slash】 this time was indeed a fraction faster than before.

The energy consumption also seemed to have quietly decreased by a bit.

“Based on the experience just now, about one use of energy can be saved for every ten times 【Melting Slash】 is executed.”

Matthew savored the smooth feeling of swinging the sword just now, comparing it with the resistance he felt when using his previous Green sword, and reached a conclusion in his heart.

“Although the savings each time are only a tiny bit, it will accumulate into a considerable amount over time.”

What made him even happier was that the execution of 【Melting Slash】 also seemed to be a split second faster than before...

The energy flowed more smoothly, and the windup was swifter.