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Chapter 7: Unable to Refuse

The morning sunlight scattered over the Marquis’s estate lawn, with the dewdrops on the grass shimmering. Two wooden swords clashed fiercely, cutting through the tranquility of the air.

Since Roy reformed, the knights passing by had grown accustomed to the sight of the father-son duo training diligently every day, and it hardly seemed surprising to them.

But today, they were all dumbfounded, frozen in place.

This sparring match was especially intense.

The loud thuds of wooden swords echoed continuously, the fierce atmosphere colliding as both sides were genuinely in it. If they hadn’t been holding wooden swords, one might think they were engaged in a serious ‘father-son slaughter.’

“What’s up with Lord Karr today? Isn’t it just training? Is it really necessary to be this serious?”

“Yeah, isn’t he worried about hurting the young master… huh?”

Only then did the knights notice an unbelievable fact.

Against Karr’s relentless assault, Roy surprisingly held his own, even striking back!

Not only them, but Karr himself was secretly shocked.

Indeed, Karr had reduced his bloodline level to match Roy’s, suppressing his strength.

But even so, as a seasoned warrior, Karr had far superior combat experience and understanding of extraordinary abilities, so he should have been able to overpower Roy, right?

Just not long ago, when Roy had just become an Extraordinary Being, Karr could easily take him down with one hand. Now, what was this? He was hardly trying, and couldn’t quite get the upper hand!

Most importantly, Roy was unaffected by murderous intent.

Not every heir of a powerful bloodline could become a competent warrior.

Especially among nobles, many only bullied weaker opponents using their strength advantage.

For those who had never faced life-and-death combat, Karr didn’t even need to lift a finger; just a glance could scare them out of their wits.

But Roy was different. Even under Karr’s genuine killing intent, his movements remained completely unaffected!

Don’t ask why; he had been desensitized after facing the Bloodfire Dragon.

To others, Karr’s gaze might have been as cold as a blade, but to Roy, he looked like a benevolent old father.

After all, a living person, no matter how scary, couldn’t compare to that colossal fire dragon, right?

Just as Karr was marveling at his son’s extraordinary courage, he suddenly realized that after another clash of swords, Roy charged forward, stabbing at Karr’s chest from an awkward angle!

This kid really wants to win?!

Karr’s pupils shrank suddenly.

The sense of danger from the vital area triggered Karr’s combat instincts, causing the experienced warrior to instinctively retaliate.

“Got you… pfft!”

Unfortunately, just as Roy’s sword was about to hit, Karr kicked him away.

In that moment, Karr unwittingly unleashed a sliver of power at sequence 8.

Roy slipped back a dozen meters before kneeling down, clutching his stomach and coughing violently.

That kick nearly made him lose his breakfast!

“Dad, seriously, it was just training! Was that really necessary?” Roy cried out in grievance.

Realizing he had been too hard on Roy, Karr wanted to apologize, but was cut off by two maids rushing in.

“Master/Master!”

Anya and Alice hurried over, expressing concern for Roy.

Then, Alice shot a glare at Karr filled with resentment, as if looking at a villain. Even the surrounding knights shook their heads at Karr.

Anya further scolded Karr without holding back.

“Sir! How could you be so rough on the young master!”

“No, I didn’t mean to…”

“Didn’t mean to? That’s being careless! Being careless during training is still your fault!”

Roy was helped aside by Alice, who wiped his sweat and offered him tea.

Meanwhile, Karr endured Anya’s scolding for the entire morning.

Realizing his position in the family, the poor father silently regretted, thinking maybe next time he should just take a hit from Roy instead.

Actually, Roy didn’t mind much; after all, training needed to be serious. But with Karr’s example in mind, he dared not cross the maid head.

When lunch arrived, after Anya finally calmed down, father and son found a chance to discuss training.

“I should be close to advancing to sequence 8, but… it feels like there’s this layer of membrane in the way…”

Karr’s face flashed with surprise for a moment before he regained his usual composure.

“Normal; it just means you’re one step away from sequence 8.” Karr paused, then added lightly, “Nice, you’re making quick progress.”

Roy’s mood was a bit complicated.

The promotion method of [Iron Blood] involved life-and-death battles, the closer to death during the fierce fight, the easier it was for the bloodline to ascend.

His recent battle with the Bloodfire Dragon had him hanging on by a thread; it would be weird if he didn’t progress quickly.

Jealous? Tough luck—it’s a life swap!

However, before enrolling next week, Roy wanted to advance [Iron Blood] to sequence 8 at least.

That was the average starting level for the main characters in “Dance of Angels.”

“Dad, I want to push myself and break through before enrollment. Can you train with me some more?”

Karr, who had been eating pasta, nearly sucked the noodles up his nose.

Good son, still training? At this rate, I’ll get kicked out of the house before you even break through your bloodline!

But ambition is a good thing, and Karr couldn’t not support it.

“Rather than training with me, you might as well go out and gain some experience.” Karr proposed.

“Go out?”

“Take on an adventuring task. No matter how much you train, it can’t compare to real combat. I used to do this often when I was young.”

Most adventuring tasks aren’t strictly limited to adventurers. As long as one has the leisure, assassins, mercenaries, and even nobles can take part.

Roy remembered that in “Dance of Angels,” a certain heroine loved to play at being an adventurer.

But let’s be honest, adventurers are classic in fantasy realms.

Free and unrestrained, filled with marvelous and beautiful encounters.

Mr. Zhou Shuren once said, just like the West can’t live without Jerusalem, the 3D zone can’t do without Tifa, fried rice without eggs, and since he came to a fantasy world, he simply must take some time to be an adventurer.

On one hand, Roy wanted to rapidly improve his strength, and on the other, he truly wanted to experience what being an adventurer was like.

Seeing Roy’s eager expression, Karr understood and smiled, “If you want to take on tasks, just head to the Adventurers’ Guild.”

At that moment, Alice, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.

“Master, if you’re going on an adventure, please take Alice with you.”

Roy frowned at her words, “Let’s not. I’m not going for fun; adventuring can be very dangerous.”

“…”

For Alice, Roy’s wishes were everything.

She wouldn’t oppose or argue but lowered her eyes, radiating visible disappointment like a puppy left at home.

Roy instantly felt overwhelmed with guilt.

Just then, Anya chimed in, “Young master, just take her along.”

“Alice is already at sequence 8 and has previous experience working with adventurers. She can definitely help.”

At Anya’s words, the little maid raised her head slightly, silently looking at Roy. Her bright blue eyes were full of a pleading, watery glimmer.

How could one refuse such a gaze!

 

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