Chapter 10

Roar!

On that day, Kim Seon-Hyeok witnessed a power capable of tearing the world apart. It had the incredible ferocity of a wild beast as it tore through the muddy training grounds.

Afterwards, he had basically lost consciousness. He stumbled from extreme exhaustion, feeling as though all of his vitality had been burned away, and he was pushed into the pit by the wind.

He fractured his wrist and sprained his back. He wasn’t certain whether the injuries were from trying to tame this uncontrollable beast or landing badly when thrown into the pit.

These injuries would take a couple months to heal, but the rewards were sweet.

[Kim Seon-Hyeok]

- Level. 3

- Dragon Rider

- Unique Attribute: Wind / Attribute Control 2

o Wind Bite

- Strength 21 / Stamina 20 / Agility 23

- Possessed Skills

o Dragon Taming

o Dragon Riding

o Charging

o Novice Horsemanship

§ Novice Horsemanship + Charging = Clumsy Charging

o Standard Kingdom Spearmanship (Low Tier)

o Standard Kingdom Swordsmanship (Lowest Tier)

o Heavy Armor Proficiency (30kg)

o Infantry Shield Proficiency (Lowest Tier)

o Manual Labor / Civil Engineering (High Tier)

His level had increased from 2 to 3, and all of his stats were now over 20.

In addition, where there was once just the word “wind” under the “unique attributes” category, now there was also a comment on attribute control and an additional line that said “Wind Bite”. There was no additional explanation, but Kim Seon-Hyeok instinctively knew what both the attribute control and newly generated attribute skill meant.

The fierce beast that cried out in rage at being shackled to the tip of a spear and had finally broken free to wreak havoc on the training grounds was the biting wind. Control denoted the figurative reins and whips he possessed to tame this violent beast.

“Kuhuhu.”

Kim Seon-Hyeok laughed.

The true power of a dragon rider was not in his superior stat gains.

Even the power of the attribute he received from the dragon was enough for him to look down upon most branches of the military. Kim Seon-Hyeok couldn’t help but be excited, knowing that this incredible power was merely a sneak peek - a temporary, insignificant fragment of the full power he would eventually have complete access to.

“Ugh…”

However, despite his feelings, Kim Seon-Hyeok was forced to stay motionless in bed for the time being given his serious injuries.

“Kuhuhuhahaha.”

Nonetheless, he continued to laugh.

***

The typhoon passed while Kim Seon-Hyeok was recovering in the infirmary.

“Ugh. I did have us prepare for the weather, but I guess we were in too much of a hurry.”

Frederick’s face darkened after being briefed on the damages.

The 24th Regiment was not in a good state. They had been hit directly by the typhoon while on flat land. The wooden barricades had fallen in seven different places, and over 10 percent of their supplies had either been carried off by the storm or left unusable by the rain. Moreover, there were hundreds of injuries and a dozen or so deaths among the soldiers, who had been hiding in their shelters when the barricades collapsed.

There hadn’t even been a battle, and yet the regiment had lost nearly 20 percent of its battle strength.

If they had been a result of battle, such losses would have been considered a crushing defeat, and thus, Frederick’s expression was understandably dark.

“I can’t believe this happened while the regiment commander was away.”

Frederick was unhappy to have suffered such losses while he was acting chief of the regiment.

Clark did not say anything, knowing Frederick’s usual disposition in managing his career ahead of his promotion to a senior knight. He decided he would need to report on his suspicions regarding Kim Seon-Hyeok later. If he carelessly brought up his groundless suspicions now, there was a chance he would be reprimanded for failing to properly manage the foreigner.

“Well, it’s fortunate that the riders weren’t harmed.”

The saving grace was that Frederick was slightly satisfied upon hearing that there were no losses among the war horses that he deeply cared about.

“I heard that the foreigner contributed greatly, right? That guy... if only he was a good rider. It’s a shame, really.”

“He’s improving. He’ll soon be able to carry his own weight.”

“Right. It may not be easy, but try to encourage him and develop him into someone useful.”

With those words, Frederick waved his hand in dismissal.

“Whew.”

Upon leaving the barracks, Clark was finally able to exhale. He felt that he was aging prematurely from the stress of working for an ambitious company commander. On top of that, he even had that foreigner to worry about. He didn’t enjoy using his head, and he was getting a headache from all of his worries.

Just then, on his way back to the barracks, Clark saw the state of the training grounds. The unrepaired damage to the grounds, including the pit where the foreigner had been stuck, was exactly as it was earlier.

Yeah, there’s no way. That guy couldn’t have done something like this.

He was suspicious, but it made no logical sense. Not only was Kim Seon-Hyeok just a low-tier recruit, he was someone mocked for being unable to successfully do what his assigned position required. The traces of damage at the scene exceeded what that foreigner could possibly do.

It was debatable whether even the highest ranking knights could cause so much damage if they aimed at the ground while charging. Perhaps it was possible for the hidden weapons of the royal family. Those superhuman beings were genuine monsters who could singlehandedly annihilate an entire company.

However, a low-tier foreigner did not belong in the same conversation as one of those monsters.

I must be going crazy these days.

Shaking his head, Clark resumed walking.

***

“Hey, this reminds me of old times.”

Kim Seon-Hyeok rejoiced while taking time off by himself, having been excused from restoration work because of his injury. It reminded him of his final days as an army sergeant.

Even then, he still had to be wary of the military administration, but here, in the 24th Regiment, there was nobody to bother him. The one person he would have been wary of, Company Commander Frederick, was busy with restoration efforts because of his role as acting commander of the regiment, and Clark also had disappeared somewhere.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Kim Seon-Hyeok hid where he could not be seen by the other soldiers and focused on his attribute control. Crouched in the corner of the garrison, which was now exposed because of the collapsed wooden barricade, he had a satisfied expression upon feeling the familiar sensation around his fingertips.

However, it was completely different from before. The wind now followed his hand movements.

This meant that he now had some control over the power of the wind attribute. It may not have the incredible presence of the biting wind from yesterday, but Kim Seon-Hyeok felt as though the whole world was his as he directed the small breeze. He could not help but laugh.

“Oh?”

How long had he been playing with the attribute’s power? A message suddenly appeared.

- Your attribute control has increased by 1.

Seeing the message, Kim Seon-Hyeok hurriedly checked his status window and saw that his attribute control had increased from 2 to 3.

“It can’t be?”

He stared blankly at the wind circling inside the palm of his hand and began moving the energy once again.

“Ugh…”

Having exerted himself by moving the wind for a long while, Kim Seon-Hyeok started to get a headache. It was evident that the power of attributes could not be used infinitely. As he began to release the energy gathered at his fingertips because of his increasing headache, another message appeared.

- Your attribute control has increased by 1.

Unlike before, the infirmary was now filled with soldiers. The soldiers who had unluckily been crushed by the falling barricades or injured from being pushed around by the strong gales had all been sent here.

“Ow. My head.”

The soldiers’ gazes were fixed on him as he entered the infirmary while holding his head. Rumors had spread that he had been injured after getting lost in the typhoon, unable to return to his barracks because of harassment from the other riders. Their pitying looks were overwhelming.

“Hey, at least rest well while you’re here.”

“Nobody here will bother you.”

Kim Seon-Hyeok awkwardly nodded and lowered himself onto the bed upon hearing the words of the low-ranking officer.

Ah, I should have stopped earlier.

Kim Seon-Hyeok lamented the pain of the piercing headache. However, the corners of his mouth showed signs of the faintest smile even as he regretted his earlier decision. The rewards he received for focusing on his attribute control in spite of his building headache were significant.

[Kim Seon-Hyeok]

- Level. 3

- Dragon Rider

- Unique Attribute: Wind / Attribute Control 11

o Wind Bite

- Strength 21 / Stamina 20 / Agility 23

- Possessed Skills

o Dragon Taming

o Dragon Riding

o Charging

o Novice Horsemanship

§ Novice Horsemanship + Charging = Clumsy Charging

o Standard Kingdom Spearmanship (Low Tier)

o Standard Kingdom Swordsmanship (Lowest Tier)

o Heavy Armor Proficiency (30kg)

o Infantry Shield Proficiency (Lowest Tier)

o Manual Labor / Civil Engineering (High Tier)

His attribute control had risen from 3 to 11 in a single day. The effect of the higher attribute control was still minimal, but it was clear that the wind that now flowed towards his fingertips was slightly bigger and stronger than before.

Kim Seon-Hyeok had unexpectedly benefitted from recklessly throwing his body into the typhoon. However, his happiness did not last, and he soon fell asleep nursing his terrible headache.

It was because he had expended a great deal of energy training the power of the attribute throughout the day.

As the sun rose the following day, Kim Seon-Hyeok once again focused on developing his attribute control. The gains were not as fast as before, but within a few days, his attribute control had increased from 11 to 22.

He did not yet know whether this value should be considered low or high, but it nonetheless encouraged him to continue improving. He hoped his broken bones would heal as soon as possible.

While Kim Seon-Hyeok focused on growing his own strength, the others completed most of the camp restoration efforts. Now, only the wooden barricade repairs remained.

The soldiers had not touched the wooden barricades for some reason, and Kim Seon-Hyeok soon discovered why.

“As expected for a foreigner. You recover quickly.”

Clark, who visited the barracks to check on him, continued to be suspicious, but he no longer asked about that day’s events.

“The regimental commander will be returning with a mage who will help with the repairs.”

Kim Seon-Hyeok was not interested in the regimental commander, but his sullen expression considerably brightened at the news of the mage.

“A mage?”

Even during his time in training, the first foreigner to be recognized as high-tier was a mage. It was natural for Kim Seon-Hyeok to wonder how great the mage class was for them to immediately be rated so highly.

“Those big wooden barricades are too much for us to repair on our own.”

It seemed as though mages were a versatile bunch.

“When will they get here?”

“Well, it shouldn’t be long. They have a lot of other places to be as well.”

Kim Seon-Hyeok simply nodded in awe. He was excited at the thought of finally seeing magic with his own eyes. Seeing his excitement, Clark gave him a strange look.

“Oh, by the way.”

Kim Seon-Hyeok, seeing Clark’s searching gaze, worried that he would once again be asked about earlier events.

“Ah, it really was an accident. An accident!”

After smiling at his overreaction, Clark shook his head and said something unexpected.

“That mage was from the same training camp you were at.”