Never expected that Sangji, who appeared shy and honest, had this ability, quietly gaining the affection of a girl.
But for an ordinary person, this is probably the happiest thing, right?
Aiven, whose life goals differ, is destined to drift away from such a common life and can only silently wish Sangji happiness in his heart.
Walking along the road, Aiven scrutinized the slip of paper in his hand, his eyes deep.
Having already reached the peak of an Apprentice Knight, he might flatten the negligible two digits beyond the decimal by working several times harder, truly reaching the limits of humanity, but it seems not worth the effort.
No aspiring Extraordinary would deliberately pursue humanity's limits on the Knight's Path.
Aiven now has the confidence that as long as he could acquire a bottle of Black Sea Potion, he would have a great probability of advancing to the Extraordinary.
Even if he could obtain the "Demonized Shark's Extraordinary Organ" as the main ingredient, Aiven could try to gather auxiliary materials according to the family-inherited recipe to compose a potion himself.
But even though the Black Sea Potion is the lowest level potion on the Knight's Path, it involves the Extraordinary, and the main ingredient, "Extraordinary Organ," isn't something a person like Aiven, an ordinary person, can easily find.
What's more, the choice of the main ingredient now influences the direction of the path after becoming Extraordinary, a matter concerning a knight's lifelong journey, which must not be taken lightly.
Thus, joining a power and leveraging the strength of an organization became Aiven's only option.
At this time, due to the continuous opening of new routes over the years, to respond to pirates, protect routes, compete in military preparations among adversary countries, etc., the Kingdom Navy, urgently recruiting, entered Aiven's sight.
Only a rapidly developing force like the Navy could be open-minded in recruiting talents, allowing him to swiftly stand out and gain a certain amount of power.
And only the Navy wouldn't get tangled in Aiven's identity as the descendant of a fallen noble from another country, offering ample opportunities for promotion, as the desperate Navy even recruits thieves and criminals now, not yet caring about another Aiven.
Moreover, Aiven is alone, without any backing. If he went to a place like the Army Cavalry Corps, which values pedigree, he would likely remain a lowly soldier until death. So whether it's to find his sister or to seek vengeance on Ilya's enemies, the Navy seems to be the best choice now.
Aiven also harbors a hidden bit of self-interest.
In this grand era, with routes continuously explored, the true face of the world gradually being unveiled, and the Age of Discovery in full swing, wouldn't it be a pity not to personally participate?
After reading through the naval intelligence organized by Sangji, Aiven, with a plan already in mind, spent the next few days tying up various loose ends and bidding farewell to familiar friends.
...
Busy times always pass quickly, and unknowingly it was already the eve of departure. Perhaps due to the emotions of parting, Aiven lay on his bed unable to sleep.
Staring at the ceiling, his thoughts flew wildly.
Having always been alone since his past life, Aiven, by living alone for so long, even felt this coastal city to be his true hometown, and he naturally harbored some sorrow at the imminent departure.
Tossing and turning in the sleepless night, it gradually reached the time in early morning when the night is deepest.
Dong —
Dong —
Suddenly, a piercing alarm bell echoed through the night sky, followed by continuous booming from the direction of the docks.
Then someone shouted:
"Pirates are invading the city!"
"Pirates are invading the city!"
Jolted awake, Aiven instantaneously became alert, jumped out of bed, and pulled open the curtains to see firelight and cries filling the scene outside. Only then did he realize that pirates had indeed landed ashore.
In coastal regions, pirate activity is rampant, and incidents of pirates coming ashore and plundering do occur.
But even as small as Leopold is, it is a city with preserved walls and lies in a primary patrol area for naval warships. Aiven had been living here for five years, and it was the first time he encountered a pirate attack on the city.
Aiven quickly dressed, grabbed his longsword and hunting bow, and rushed outside.
He thought clearly that staying at home in such times might not be safe, especially given that he lived in a commercial district, which would be the pirates' first target if the city were breached. It would be better to take the initiative and stop the pirates outside.
"Hey! Aiven!"
"Gleam!"
Halfway, Aiven unexpectedly ran into Gleam, who also came out upon hearing the commotion. After a brief greeting, the two teamed up and ran towards the city gate on the side of the docks, as well as the direction from which the bombarding sounds came.
This era is far removed from "peace," yet the professional military forces are just starting to develop, struggling to meet official demands.
Thus, hunters being temporarily recruited to serve as scouts or similar roles within the military was quite common.
As an excellent hunter who also participated in several military actions, Gleam, with the not-so-unfamiliar face of Aiven, made his way unobstructed through the truly chaotic scene to the city gates.
At this time, the artillery bombardment from the sea had ended, but the situation at the top of the city walls was extremely perilous.
The city gate bore two large holes, and part of the already low city walls had collapsed, either due to concentrated fire or a gunpowder explosion, making it difficult to defend against external enemies.
On the city wall, a middle-aged captain officer wielding a saber roared loudly:
"Open fire! Drive these damn pirates back into the sea!"
Bang—
Bang—
The soldiers lined up in three rows, firing their flintlock guns alternately.
After just two rounds of shooting, even before the gunpowder smoke cleared, a dark mass of pirates wielding scimitars was already rushing in from outside the city, screaming wildly.
"Charge—"
"Gagagaga.....!"
"Sea pests, trash, let them taste the might of the Blood Anchor Pirates! Gold coins, fine wine, and women are all yours! Hahaha....."
"Long live the captain!"
"Kill them all!"
After the volley, under the officer's command, the soldiers discarded their guns and drew their sabers, standing ready. Though flintlock guns packed a punch, their reload speed was too slow; trying to shoot within ten paces was practically suicidal.
The next moment.
Boom—
A torrent of sabers and pikes clashed together, and the bloody close combat began. Screams of agony and shouts mixed with endless cries of battle; blood and limbs flew everywhere. This was the grim scene Aiven and Gleam encountered upon reaching the city gates.
Though experienced, Aiven was in his first real cold weapon battlefield, and his body trembled slightly!
The splattered blood, the horrible screams before death, and the dismembered limbs hit him hard. Although his tremors weren't from fear, such a scene was undoubtedly a test for him.
Bang—
Aiven was suddenly shoved by Gleam, "Aiven, don't just stand there, let's join in, use your bow to support! Reinforcements will arrive soon."
Taking a deep breath, Aiven nodded forcefully, taking the purplewood longbow from his back, utilizing his advantage, and with a few agile back-and-forth leaps on the broken walls, he swiftly reached the top.
With a single glance, the data visualization had already marked out all the indistinct enemies and allies in the darkness, with real-time updates and corrections for wind speed and direction.
The bow bent and an arrow was set.
"Whoosh!"
The arrow flew through the air, piercing the mouth of a blood-covered, laughing bearded pirate, and going through the back of his head.
The young soldier battling him was momentarily stunned, then quickly reacted to assist other comrades.
By this time, Aiven had already turned his longbow, sending an arrow into the eye socket of the next pirate, his actions seamless and utterly focused. The battle's pace left him no time to contemplate the sensation of killing for the first time.
The primitive bow and arrows in Aiven's hands became an even more efficient killing weapon than rifles!
Though armies of this era had extensively equipped firearms, it wasn't because bows were weak, but because rifles, or rather firearmsmen, were more cost-effective.
A trained and qualified archer took years to train, while an ordinary firearms soldier could master firearm use in just days; the efficiency gap was exponential.
Moreover, in the era of firing squads, precision wasn't particularly required.
A qualified archer needed to shoot ten arrows a minute, not even on a chaotic battlefield. Meanwhile, Aiven, with his physical prowess and aided by data visualization, could shoot an arrow every three to five seconds without missing, far more effective and terrifying than firearms.
By the time Gleam paced up the ladder, five pirates had already fallen under Aiven's arrows, with no friendly fire incidents.
In comparison, though Gleam also achieved results when he similarly drew his bow to provide support, neither his efficiency nor lethality could match Aiven's.
Human physique at its limits endowed Aiven with terrifying stability, maintaining a shooting rate of one arrow every three seconds. Within just a minute of support from the top of the walls, both sides realized the emergence of a divinely sharpshooting, utterly dominant force on the battlefield.
The soldiers' morale soared, while the pirates, despite their fearless bravado, began to shrink back somewhat, no longer as brazen as before. The line of defense that Leopold's defenders had formed with their flesh and blood miraculously held firm.