While training with Ogrekichi this morning, the Dull Iron Knight, who had been fighting against a Black Skeleton Knight, requested a sparring match with me. He was no longer wearing his dull iron armor. By now, their pride shattered, other captured humans had either resorted to trying to plan their escape or attempted suicide by repeatedly banging their heads against the wall. In contrast, this knight silently endured the training I imposed and continued to look me straight in the eye. I found his unwavering gaze commendable and agreed to spar with him.
Through the sparring session, I realized just how strong the Dull Iron Knight was. Although he didn’t come close to matching my brute strength, he possessed the best martial skills of any human I had encountered. As a result, his physical capabilities were almost on par with mine. Even without using abilities, having physical prowess approaching that of a rare ogre variant was impressive.
While sparring, I asked the Dull Iron Knight how he could be so strong. He revealed that he held four combat jobs: level 100 Warrior, level 100 Knight, level 62 Monk, and level 25 Temple Knight. These jobs, along with rigorous training, contributed to his exceptional abilities.
His fists were swift and heavy, his body flexible yet tough, and his movements precise and efficient as he relentlessly targeted my vital points. He also used various techniques known as arts, unique to humans, which emit a faint glow when executed. Even with all that, though, he was not as formidable as the Red Bear that had attacked me before, so I ultimately won. The techniques the Dull Iron Knight employed, though impressive, were basically the same as abilities that enhanced attacks with various effects, making them relatively easy to counter.
Despite my victory being somewhat narrow, I didn’t want him to think he had any chance of winning if he took me lightly. So, I decided to face him again, but this time, I would use my abilities, which I hadn’t used during our first battle. This required some preparation. Using my Enchanter job class, I enchanted the cropped hemp pants my opponent wore, adding enhancements to physical strength, recovery, and defense. A blue phosphorescence enveloped him, indicating the effects had taken hold.
The Dull Iron Knight looked at me in surprise, while I activated Guardian and Tough Skin of the Mountain Lord to significantly boost my defense, and Monk and Mighty Muscles of the Mountain Lord to enhance my attack power.
To use abilities at my level in training, I needed to apply at least this much enhancement to my opponent, or else I risked accidentally killing him. I had no desire to leave behind a dismembered corpse after training. I also had to limit the number of abilities I activated to avoid overpowering the enhancements I had given my opponent.
In the end, the Dull Iron Knight lay on the ground, battered and exhausted. He had shown remarkable tenacity, so I might have gone a bit overboard. Nonetheless, he had passed out with a satisfied expression on his face, so I assumed he was fine.
As I tended to the Dull Iron Knight, I noticed Ogrekichi staring at me intently.
The desire in his gaze was clear: “I want to fight too,” he seemed to say. I understood; Ogrekichi wanted to fight the Dull Iron Knight barehanded. Indeed, a match between a barehanded Ogrekichi and the Dull Iron Knight would likely be evenly matched.
Ogrekichi had been able to overpower the Dull Iron Knight on the battlefield mainly due to a magic item’s superiority. The tower shield known as the Black Oni’s Butcher Board possessed extraordinary defensive power, easily repelling all of the Dull Iron Knight’s techniques as if they were mere child’s play.
So now, Ogrekichi wanted to rely not on a tool, but on his own body to achieve victory. He sought an unassailable, perfect win. However, I told him to wait a bit longer. As things stood, his advantage would be too great.
After some time passed and the Dull Iron Knight recovered, I let Ogrekichi fight him as he wished. Predictably, it was a good match, but Ogrekichi’s inexhaustible stamina finally tipped the scales, securing him a narrow victory. Despite the close call, both participants looked satisfied.
The Dull Iron Knight’s ability to adapt so seamlessly was impressive. During lunch, over some elven wine, I asked him about it. It turned out that the Dull Iron Knight was hoping to leave the Imperial Knights and join our side.
He explained that he had grown up in an area populated by many demi-humans, so he didn’t harbor the same prejudice against other races that most Imperial citizens did. In fact, he couldn’t understand why humans around him despised demi-humans, and it often made him feel out of place.
He had also been used to fistfights from a young age, when they had been a daily occurrence, and he had a basic principle of following those stronger than himself. His loyalty to the Empire was minimal; he served because he had once lost to the previous captain of the knightly order he belonged to. When that captain died in battle, a young noble, whose name the Dull Iron Knight didn’t even know, took over.
The young noble was only capable of fighting at a level on par with average soldiers, lacking the strength to command someone as skilled as the Dull Iron Knight. If the noble had at least had some leadership skills, it might have been tolerable, but he was disastrously lacking even in that area; he had become captain purely through connections.
As it happened, that very captain was crushed to death by one of our rocks. Now that I thought about it, I recalled seeing a guy in unnecessarily luxurious armor among the regular soldiers. That must have been him.
Back to the Dull Iron Knight’s story. If the captain’s lackluster abilities had been the only issue, it might have been bearable. However, as a noble, the captain started bringing his noble connections into his unit.
The Dull Iron Knight’s comrades, with whom he had broken bread and bonded, were transferred to other orders. On the other hand, due to his outstanding combat skills, the Dull Iron Knight had risen from regular soldier to vice-captain and was left behind to train the new recruits.
Now that he was in a teaching position, he couldn’t just quit, and he trained his subordinates diligently, creating a formidable unit that became highly regarded within the Empire. Many joined willingly, knowing the training would be tough.
The Dull Iron Knight continued to train the new recruits, but his background as a commoner meant he couldn’t see eye to eye with the nobles as he rose through the ranks. Recently, he had been arguing even with the more capable soldiers.
He soon began to feel there was no reason to stay, and everything was more trouble than it was worth. He was just considering quitting when he met us. He saw it as fate, and that takes us back to the present.
I extracted this information with the use of Command to ensure truthfulness, so I had no doubt it was accurate.
The Dull Iron Knight would be useful, so I had no complaints about accepting him, just like with the elite elves. I released him from his collar and had him wear an ear cuff voluntarily. Then, after he’d donned the ear cuff, I returned his full set of equipment, restoring his appearance to that of a Dull Iron Knight.
Thus, he transitioned from slave to comrade. Although the others didn’t fully trust him yet, that would grow and change based on his future actions. For now, I decided to make him my direct subordinate. I expected him to prove his worth.
In the afternoon, I went out hunting and set up areas for future ambushes. Meanwhile, I had the Dull Iron Knight teach Redhead Shorty some combat arts.
Currently, Redhead Shorty could handle a total of six combat arts:
Slash: Increases the power of a slash attack once.
Shield Bash: Hits the enemy with a shield, with a chance to knock them back.
Stab: A thrust attack with added momentum for increased piercing power.
Rapid Slash: Consecutive powerful slashes with a large opening.
Magi-Boost: Temporarily enhances the body by amplifying internal magic, granting monstrous physical abilities but with a recoil.
Variable: Allows the user to freely use the abilities of a monster they have consumed for a certain period.
The first four were basic techniques that anyone with the warrior job class could use, while the last two required a specific job like Monster-Eater Warrior. Having six usable combat arts was slightly above average for a fledgling adventurer, but the Dull Iron Knight had mastered over seventy.
It seemed that combat arts could be learned with practice as long as the user had the necessary job class unlocked, so I planned to have the Dull Iron Knight teach me once I acquired the prerequisite jobs myself. A monster freely wielding human-exclusive combat arts…
Indeed, it would be wise to avoid leaving witnesses when using these techniques.