Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys

"So, it's actually the small fortress that's the weakest in defense, due to the absence of its core members," the Spy disguised as a Bloodsail pirate quickly reported the latest situation.

Rein nodded slightly, it turned out there was a secret informant inside. No wonder the commodore said we would know the situation as soon as we landed.

Looking at the current situation, it seemed they were planning to assault the pirate ships!

However, from here to the makeshift dock where the pirate schooners were moored,

First, they would have to walk along a rocky path, reach a beach with four or five signal bonfires burning, and only after that, could they engage in shipboard combat.

At that moment, at the end of the path, Rein could see a line of torches slowly moving toward them. It seemed likely to be a pirate patrol. And on the beach over a hundred meters away, there were the vague figures of twenty to thirty pirates stirring.

It looks like they would have to clear out the trash fish before boarding the ships.

At this time, the naval commodore spoke up, "The assessment will now officially begin. You are all clear about the situation, and there will be someone keeping a record of all your kills."

"Let's begin!"

At this, seven or eight newly knighted archers took the lead, moving out in front. Others, a bit more cautious, hid aside with their bows drawn, aiming at the group of pirates carrying torches as they approached.

The ambush came from trained Knights against the unsuspecting Bloodsail pirates who were mere good fighters. The pirates had no time to mount any effective resistance.

The knights took aim and 'whoosh, whoosh,' quickly shot down the seven or eight patrolling Bloodsail pirates without even letting them scream.

The record keepers behind them then began busily noting down the scores.

As they continued along the path, they soon brought about the demise of a second Bloodsail pirate patrol squad.

...

By the time everyone reached the beach, the most successful of the newly knighted had already made eight consecutive kills on the Bloodsail pirates, a bow expert among them.

And by the bonfires on the beach, while the numbers of Bloodsail pirates weren't few, when the time came to attack, it was still an embarrassment of riches!

Especially one pirate leader, whose death was particularly gruesome, instantly struck by two sword thrusts and four sharp arrows.

This was despite several Knights carrying heavy weapons having had no opportunity to showcase their skills.

Because most of the time, they had to silence their enemies stealthily, after all, they hadn't officially started the shipboard combat yet, so even if they were going to alert the enemy, it couldn't be so soon.

The newly knighted armed with heavy weapons naturally didn't move as nimbly as the other Knights.

Rein glanced to the side and saw dozens of elite naval assault troopers, already holding strong bows or crossbows, aiming at the Bloodsail pirates, confirming his guess even more.

So, when the dozens of pirates on the beach had been neatly dispatched, some of the new knights still hadn't made any moves. Your journey continues at empire

Among them was one next to Rein, also carrying a Warhammer, who now couldn't hide the anxiety on his face.

He had been planning an ambush on a Bloodsail pirate, but was vexed when an arrow from another direction snatched away his target 'prey'. Although he glared in rage, there was nothing he could do.

However, seeing Rein calm and composed, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why aren't you worried at all?"

"The fastest among them have already met the twelve-kill requirement for the assessment," he added.

"Ah... no worries, moreover, I'm not skilled in archery." Rein shrugged.

The other glanced at the Dual-Handed Greatsword and Two-Handed Warhammer on Rein's back and couldn't help but offer consolation with a feeling of shared misery, "Indeed, you didn't even bring a bow; that makes it even tougher."

"Sigh! I wish I had practiced archery well," the other knight sighed.

At this point, Rein stepped forward, picked up a thick plank that seemed to be used for ship repairs, coated on one side with tung oil.

He examined it carefully in his hands, then forcefully broke it in two.

He nodded to himself.

By this time the Bloodsail pirates had been cleaned up from the beach, and the main event – the boarding battle – was about to begin.

Everyone thought the commodore would step forward and make arrangements, but to their surprise, the twenty or so naval officers and the nobles in hunting attire tasked with the examination didn't seem to have the intention of interfering. They just stood back smiling as they watched how the rest would act.

Quickly, quite a few gathered spontaneously around some of the most powerful scions of nobility.

At this moment, a man Rein had just heard of, 'Nazbi,' led about a dozen people towards the 'Barbhaken.'"

At the same time, several naval officers who were Peak Knights followed, along with the black-clothed examiners and the statisticians, who also promptly followed suit.

Since each ship had a figurehead at its bow, like the 'Barbhaken' with its large curved hook, recognition was quite simple.

Of course, not all the participants in the examination chose to take part in the boarding combat.

Because, according to the Spy's intel, the easiest target should be the small fortress nearby, which almost lacked enemies of Peak Knight status,

So a significant number of people spontaneously formed groups and charged towards the small fortress.

With those two groups moving out, the remaining group wasn't large, including Rein, there were only about ten people left.