Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

Alaric didn't waste any time. He immediately gathered his men and brought them to the Evergreen Forest.

Galanar was currently guarding the soap shop in Vale so he only took Arthur and some Knight Apprentices.

Looking at the departing figures, Rasmus furrowed his eyebrows.

I wonder what happened out there for Lord Alaric to react like that.

He lowered his gaze and looked at his sword. He noticed that his hands were already full of cuts and calluses. This was caused by the strict training that he had undertaken together with the other prospective Knight Apprentices.

In the last two months, he had learned a lot of things including basic close combat, horse riding, and swordsmanship. All prospective talents were also taught the basic commands and hand signals.

Rasmus was no longer the ordinary teen that he was before, but he was still unsatisfied with his performance.

I'm still too weak! I'm not even a Knight Apprentice yet.

I must work harder so I can be of help to Lord Alaric!

As he thought of this, Rasmus tightened his grip on the sword and resumed his training.

Meanwhile, Alaric's group had already left the estate and arrived at the streets of North Pine Town.

Seeing the townspeople blocking the path, Arthur urged his horse to move ahead of Alaric.

"Make way!" He shouted at the pedestrians.

When the people saw them rushing urgently along the streets, they immediately vacated the road.

Soon, they left the town and arrived at the Evergreen Forest where a group of Knights had already gathered.

Alaric raised his hand, signaling his subordinates to slow down.

"My lord!" Alaric saluted the baron with a serious look.

Lucas turned his head and nodded to him. "Come here and take a look at this."

Alaric could see a green creature the height of a human child lying on the grass, bleeding from a stab wound on its chest. It was no longer moving, but everyone had grim faces as they stared at the creature's corpse.

A goblin!

Alaric jumped down from his mount and approached the creature's body, observing it closely.

"This is a goblin scout," Alaric muttered after seeing the creature's outfit and weapon- a crude leather armor and a bone knife.

He had some encounters with goblins in his past life so he was familiar with their behavior and characteristics.

Goblins usually send scouts to search for suitable targets. When a target has been found, they would then send their troops to attack.

These creatures were small, but they were smarter than common wild animals. They had the intelligence of a human child. There were even goblins who could speak.

Other than their unusually high intelligence, they also moved in large groups which made them even more dangerous.

An adult goblin was comparable to a Knight Apprentice in terms of strength. Stronger goblins were even as powerful as Knights!

Hearing Alaric's remarks, Lucas was a bit surprised. He didn't recall teaching Alaric about goblin traits.

"You're right. This is a goblin scout. Since this guy has made its way here, this means that there are more of them out there." Lucas muttered in a flat tone.

Alaric frowned at his words.

From his memory, there were still three months until the goblins would attack North Pine Town, but he couldn't be sure that things would go as they did in his previous life.

"My lord, we need to form a search party to look for traces of goblin tribes near the town," Alaric suggested while facing the baron.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Why? Do you think the goblins would come to attack the town?"

Alaric nodded. "When goblin tribes send their scouts, it's usually to look for suitable targets. They are cruel and greedy creatures. They like human flesh the most from what I know so there is a high chance that they will attack the town." He spoke with great certainty.

He had to convince his father here to ensure that they would be prepared for the goblin attack.

From what he remembered, the goblin attack would kill more than ten ordinary soldiers and three Knight Apprentices. It was a small casualty considering the large number of enemy goblins, but it could be prevented with enough preparation.

Lucas touched his chin and pondered for a while. "Alright. Do you think you can handle this task on your own?"

He wanted to see if his son was willing to take on such a dangerous task. It was a test and also a form of recognition of Alaric's ability.

Seeing the expectant expression on his father's face, Alaric nodded with a grim look. "I will do my best, my lord!"

Lucas looked satisfied with his response. "In that case, form a search party and look for the goblin tribe. I'll give you the authority to mobilize the Knights and the Knight Apprentices. Report to me immediately if you discover anything."

Alaric bowed his head lightly. "Yes, my lord!"

Lucas shifted his gaze and commanded his subordinates. "Get rid of this corpse."

"Yes, my lord!"

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Mission: Destroy the Goblin Tribe I

Difficulty: Easy

Search for traces of the goblin tribe near North Pine Town!

Rewards: 200 Battle Points, 50 EXP, and 5 Stat Points

Penalty for failure: -400 Battle Points

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Alaric's eyes flashed with joy the moment the cyan screen appeared before him.

He had been waiting for a mission all this time and it finally came to him.

He had almost become sick of doing the daily missions.

Alaric closed the screen and turned his head to Arthur who was standing behind him. "Let's return to the estate."

"Yes, my lord."

Alaric jumped on his mount and squeezed his legs, urging it to move.

Arthur and the rest of his subordinates quickly followed.

As soon as they returned to the estate, Alaric immediately formed four groups with each group consisting of one Knight and four Knight Apprentices.

Alaric and Arthur led a group each, while the remaining two were led by Aldrin and Henry.

"Now that everyone is here. I'll tell you what you should do." Alaric proceeded with the plan after forming the groups.