Super Serris Adventuring Band

Perhaps out of courtesy, Lange did not strike immediately.

Thus, the first to launch an attack of the two was the seemingly weaker Serandic.

As the blond youth took two deep breaths, the power of the Dawn Breathing Technique manifested upon his body.

A faint golden aura spread from Serandic. In just two breaths, he mobilized the immature battle qi within his body.

The sheer efficiency of this took even the spectating Folke by surprise.

At the Apprentice level, only pure Martial Artists possessed no additional power. Mage Apprentices could use some magic, and Knights could also tap into some simple battle qi.

Some even believed that Martial Apprentices could not even be considered Professional Apprentices.

However, a Martial Artist who had trained the Fusion of the Three Qi to produce vital energy and blood was capable of rivaling a Knight Professional who had completed their Life Circle. That was why the preparatory phase of Martial Artists was classified under the Apprentice level.

“Your junior brother's Life Circle seems quite well-completed. As expected of a Knight trained by the Church of Dawn,” Folke praised from the bottom of his heart, watching the blond youth's performance.

Just from this emission of battle qi, he knew Serandic was far from weak.

There was only one standard for a Knight to become a Professional—completing the Life Circle.

The so-called Life Circle involved using a breathing technique to mobilize the potential battle qi within one's body, strengthening the battle qi seed until it was sufficient to cover the entire body's muscles, internal organs, and meridians, forming battle qi that truly belonged to oneself.

Those without Knight talent could never take this step.

When a Martial Artist practiced a breathing technique, it was only used to recover breath and enhance training results. When a Knight practiced a breathing technique, however, they could actually cultivate extraordinary battle qi.

Of course, those who could activate battle qi solely through practicing a breathing technique were one in ten thousand.

Normally, a Knight's awakening required the guidance of an experienced Knight. Only after a veteran guided the newcomer and introduced a battle qi seed into them could they truly be considered a Knight Apprentice.

This step could also be replaced by consuming medicines or potions infused with extraordinary power to stimulate the process.

Judging by the coverage of his battle qi, Serandic's Life Circle had been completed exceptionally well; he was already able to project battle qi outside his body.

“Serandic's battle qi seed was awakened on its own. He has been training his battle qi for less than two years,” Ogre added.

Ogre's simple statement caused the calm Folke's pupils to dilate slightly. “No wonder you are so confident. If talent like this were in our city, it would be highly sought after. Keeping him here is a bit of a waste of his potential, but this alone is still not enough.”

Someone like Folke naturally understood just how outstanding the talent of a Knight who spontaneously awakened battle qi would be.

Knight talent was not something everyone possessed.

Determining whether someone was a Knight was very simple—just use any extraordinary power to test them.

If they immediately awakened their own battle qi upon coming into contact with battle qi, they were undoubtedly a Knight.

If their body rejected mana and sorcerous power, they were also a Knight.

If their body accepted vital energy and blood and absorbed the power it brought, then nine times out of ten, they were also a Knight.

Knight talent could only be inherited through bloodline. If neither of your parents possessed Knight talent, the probability of you becoming a Knight would be infinitely close to zero—well, the remaining tiny fraction of a percent would only mean you weren't biologically theirs.

This was different from Mages. Even if parents had no Mage talent whatsoever, their child could still have a chance to become a Mage.

Only Knights were different. To become a Knight, there had to be a Knight among one's ancestors.

However, having Knight talent was not necessarily a good thing. Knight talent rejected mana, so those with Knight talent were destined to never become Mages.

Although legends and storybooks always mentioned that combining the power of a Knight and a Mage could birth the most powerful Knight, those were ultimately just legends.

In reality, the probability of a Knight and a Professional Mage conceiving a child was pitifully low...

Furthermore, forcing a Knight to sense mana or practice meditation was excruciatingly inefficient.

Those who believed this legend would gain virtually nothing besides wasting precious time.

“No, I only meant to say that Serandic has excellent talent, but his reliance to defeat Lange does not lie in his talent. His physical constitution is actually inferior to Lange's.”

As Ogre's words fell, Serandic, executing his martial techniques, had already intercepted all of Lange's counterattacks with extremely rapid fist strikes.

“Serandic is not just a Knight. In a sense, he is also a quasi-Martial Artist.” When Ogre said this, scenes of him and Serandic training martial techniques together flashed through his mind.

They had trained their bodies together by moving against the river current.

They had also scaled high cliffs and steep mountains empty-handed under Yade's supervision.

Power never came out of nowhere; it was the result of training, bit by bit.

Among the various martial techniques, Ogre had chosen to master the use of various weapons.

Serandic, on the other hand, had always used his fists!

“A quasi-Martial Artist? Indeed, it's clear you two truly share the same master.” Folke was never stingy with his praise.

Although he felt Serandic was somewhat wasting his talent, Folke quickly thought of himself—hadn't he also chosen to come here for the sake of better entering Serris Academy?

Knight, Martial Artist, Mage.

The reason these three professions were kept separate was not solely due to natural talent.

There were also significant conflicts in the cultivation of the core powers of these professions.

A Knight could not become a Martial Artist because battle qi would disrupt the balance of the Fusion of the Three Qi. Even if they managed to cultivate the power of vital energy and blood, it would only be swallowed and used as nourishment by their battle qi.

More importantly, battle qi also affected meditation efficiency, making it nearly impossible to unify the balance of the three qi.

In theory, however, there was still a possibility of coexistence—one could completely become a Professional Martial Artist first, then awaken their battle qi seed to become a Knight. During this period, their Knight talent must not be too good; otherwise, they would manifest battle qi while practicing breathing techniques.

Therefore, practically no one would do such a thing. It was a massive detour that essentially played a joke on one's professional career.

And the reason a Martial Artist could not become a Mage was also very simple. Mages required the combination of mental strength and mana perception, whereas Martial Artists required the Fusion of the Three Qi. The two were naturally in conflict.

Once the three qi were merged and refined into vital energy and blood, one was destined to say goodbye to the condensing of a mana core. Mental strength mixed with physical essence and qi could not be used to condense a mana core and become a Professional Mage.

Unless one chose to abandon the prestigious path of becoming a Mage and willingly settled for being a Professional Martial Artist who could use low-level magic—the first guy to ever do that was a laughingstock until the day he died.

As for a coexistence method similar to a Knight-Martial Artist—condensing a mana core first before becoming a Martial Artist—that was also impossible. A Mage who had condensed a mana core was destined to be unable to balance the three qi, as spirit and qi far surpassed physical essence.

Thus, the simultaneous cultivation of Martial Artist and Mage paths did not exist.

Generally, when choosing a profession, Martial Artist was always the last resort.

Of course, the above-mentioned only applied to the incompatibility of main professions.

The mysterious Mind-Imager, which was excluded from the main professions, did not have these restrictions. It was said that this mysterious profession could be compatible with any professional power.

As for whether the other profession excluded from the main professions—Warlocks—could be compatible with the above professions, Ogre was not very clear. This was relatively taboo information.

Generally, as long as one could become a Professional... whether as a Knight, Mage, or Martial Artist, they would never lose their minds and choose to become a Warlock. Only those who truly lacked the talent and had no way to become a Professional through legitimate means would become Warlocks, risking their lives to pursue taboo power.

“Most Knights only continuously train their battle qi and bodies, using their powerful physical attributes to defeat enemies, and often neglect their skills because of it. But Serandic is different; he has a good teacher.”

A confident smile appeared on Ogre's face.

Knights were largely unable to practice meditation, but that did not mean they could not practice martial techniques.

Martial techniques were never limited to Martial Artists; it was just that, besides Martial Artists, other professions rarely looked highly upon martial techniques.

(Because Martial Artists had to reach the Senior level before they could project their vital energy and blood at a distance, whereas other professions could project their power at the ordinary Professional level.)

Indeed, compared to powerful elemental battle qi, martial techniques were indeed weak. However, that did not mean they were useless.

At least in battles between low-level Professionals, martial techniques were still very useful. Lange, who was currently being utterly suppressed and beaten, was proof of that.

“Martial arts are the best weapon for the weak to fight the strong. Serandic has never placed himself in the position of the strong,” Ogre remarked.

Devoting oneself to the training of martial techniques indeed meant neglecting some training to enhance one's battle qi, but in Yade's view, it was all worth it.

“Danger can strike at any moment. You can only consider the future once you make yourselves strong. You must grasp anything that can increase your chances of survival even slightly. However, techniques are ultimately just techniques; they can be relied on for a moment, but not for a lifetime,” Yade had said during his teachings.

Discussions about which was more important—technique or absolute power—had always existed, but the reality was that absolute mana and battle qi power were far more important than any so-called technique.

To use four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds, you still needed to have those four ounces first.

Typically, one would only consider cultivating martial technique and skill when their strength and hard attributes hit a clear bottleneck. Even Ogre and Serandic actually focused primarily on physical training.

“I don't understand you Martial Artists very well, but I think as long as you can win, that's enough,” Folke said with a wave of his hand.

Modern Mages also underwent some physical training to make up for their weaknesses. They could have shortcomings, but those shortcomings must not be too obvious.

Mana could be used to augment the body, but it could not replace physical stamina consumption.

“The victor is about to be decided,” Ogre said.

By now, the battle was nearing its end.

“I lost. You two are indeed well worth the price I paid,” Folke said as he looked at Lange, who had been knocked to the ground.

“How... can this be.” This time, Lange was truly beaten to the point of doubting his life. That feeling of having every move intercepted was incredibly frustrating.

Clearly, his physical attributes and equipment were vastly superior to his opponent's...

“Lange, you and I have only trained for a bit longer than them, that's all...” Folke offered a hand to the fallen Lange.

“I'm sorry, Young Master... I disgraced you.”

“How is there any disgrace? Your goal isn't to compete for first place anyway. As long as you can protect me, that's enough,” Folke smiled gently at Lange.

“I—I won't let it happen next time...”

“Lange, put away your arrogance. You still have to walk into a much wider world with me. This is only our starting point. Losing is nothing; aren't you still completely fine...”

Folke pulled up the heavy Lange. There was no blame on his face, only counsel that did not belong to someone his age.

“Young Master... I will definitely not disappoint you in the future. I will be your strongest shield!” Lange's eyes were filled with emotion.

“Alright, just don't look down your nose at everyone anymore. Change your temper; that would be better than anything,” Folke laughed, patting Lange's backplate.

“Senior Brother Ogre, have they always had such a good relationship?” Serandic rubbed his knuckles nearby, asking with some confusion.

Even with the protection of battle qi, hitting a tin can was bound to hurt.

“Probably,” Ogre said, yawning from the side.

Under Ogre's high-speed dynamic vision, this battle had still seemed far too boring. There was nothing interesting about it.

“Ogre!”

Just then, Lange, wearing his armor, suddenly turned and shouted at Ogre.

‘Shouting so loudly, is he trying to win back some face from me...? Works for me. I happen to be short on money.’ Ogre's impression of Lange was roughly the common view that borderlanders had of inner-empire noble knights—all show and no substance.

“What? Do you want to have a match with me as well?” Ogre simply cracked his knuckles on both hands, asking in a lukewarm tone.

When he fought in the arena previously, he had only fought that way to create a good spectacle. The only thing he had miscalculated was just how tough Lange's hide actually was.

“I'm sorry! I underestimated you before!”

To Ogre's surprise, Lange actually struck his own shoulder hard with his left fist and gave him a knightly salute.

This clear apology caught him somewhat off guard.

He hadn't expected this kid to reflect on himself so quickly.

“It was just a fluke, a fluke,” Ogre replied, not wanting to be ungrateful. Unless there was a clear conflict of interest, he wouldn't make enemies for no reason.

“But I still want to challenge you! Not now, though, but when the adventuring band's missions are over! Do you dare accept my challenge?” Lange said seriously.

He had been beaten awake and realized the importance of technique.

Before, he still felt he had lost to Ogre because of bad luck. But after being entirely suppressed and battered by Serandic's fist techniques, he realized that he might actually be lagging far behind.

Having failed, he finally looked at himself objectively and recalled his fight with Ogre—only to realize he had been led by the nose the entire time.

“You're welcome to try anytime. As long as you pay,” Ogre smiled and held out his right fist.

‘Weakness is not an obstacle to survival, but laziness and arrogance are...’ This was his father's advice to him.

“Uh... alright.”

Ogre's words and actions also caught Lange by surprise, but he quickly reacted, stretching out his fist to lightly bump Ogre's.

From that moment on, their grudges were settled.

Folke's apprentice adventuring band was officially established at this moment.

“Ogre, what kind of breathing technique do you want?”

This was asked by Folke “Not-Short-on-Cash” Cromie.

“A lightning-attributed breathing technique would be best,” Ogre replied casually.

“Lightning-attributed?”

“I got zapped by you last time, so I want to find a lightning-attributed breathing technique to practice. Anyway, for a Martial Artist like me, it's not like I can cultivate any battle qi, so I don't need to worry about compatibility. Let's try lightning-attributed; maybe I can even gain some lightning resistance. After all, lightning magic is the hardest to dodge.”

“A bit of an odd request, but it shouldn't be hard to satisfy.”

“Then I shall thank Young Master Folke in advance.”

“By the way, when do we set out to fight goblins?” Serandic asked.

He cared about this the most.

“We'll register the adventuring band today and set out tomorrow.”

“Um... Seran... Serandic, can you teach me your fist techniques?” Lange asked from the side, even though he had always trained with swords.

“Ah? Uh, sure, I guess. I happen to need a sparring partner anyway,” Serandic replied, not being someone who easily refused others, especially since he had just accepted a bag of money from Folke and felt a bit guilty.

“Thank you very much!”

“Actually, Senior Brother Ogre is much better at martial techniques than me...”

“Ah, did someone call me? If you want to learn martial arts from me, that's fine. I can teach you—as long as you pay extra,” Ogre poked his head out from the far side as the four walked abreast.

Lange, Folke, and Serandic: “...”

Of course, in the end, Ogre did not manage to earn this money.

“Alright, let's get briefly prepared. Tomorrow, we officially start our missions. Don't drop the ball when the time comes.”

Folke looked at the distant Forest of Monsters, a touch of anticipation rising in his heart.

Every man had an adventure dream in his heart—born of an impulsive longing for heroism, and a yearning for the legendary praises sung by troubadours...

He, Folke, was naturally no exception.

“So, have you thought of a name for the adventuring band?” Ogre asked.

“Um... not yet.” Folke hadn't given it any thought at all, mostly because he hadn't expected it to come together so smoothly.

“Since it's for the sake of Young Master's path to Serris Mage Academy, why not call it the Entering Serris Adventuring Band?” Lange proposed a rare suggestion.

“That sounds a bit ugly...” Serandic said softly.

“And a bit too unambitious,” Ogre added his critique.

“My goal is not just to enter Serris Mage Academy. Sooner or later, I will surpass their achievements. Entering is merely the first step,” Folke said with proud confidence.

“Then let's call it the Super Serris Adventuring Band. It sounds grander,” Ogre blindly suggested on a whim.

“Super Serris...? That actually sounds pretty good,” Folke unexpectedly seemed to quite like the name.

Thus, the name of the adventuring band was sloppily decided. After all, Folke was the absolute core founder.

“Then we shall be called the Super Serris Adventuring Band!”