Chapter Sixteen: Only One Lesson

Time always flies swiftly by.

In the blink of an eye, several months passed.

Going out hunting with Lancelot was the happiest and freest time for Gong Hao. Though Lancelot insisted he would no longer teach him anything, the truth was that even oaths could be broken, let alone such casual words.

Of course, Lancelot would not formally instruct Gong Hao anymore, but that did not prevent the golden-haired boy from learning what he wished through his own unique methods.

Sometimes Gong Hao would show off his small progress in front of Lancelot, calling out, "Oh, sir, look, I can split this little tree now!"

Then he would see Lancelot's disdainful gaze, followed by a scornful explanation that splitting a small tree was hardly something to be proud of. Moreover, Gong Hao should not rely solely on his arms for strength, but learn to use his whole body to augment his hand's power. The flow of battle energy should not be restricted to a single part, but distributed throughout the body according to the change in force, with different proportions yielding different effects.

Thus, the ever-clever Hugh Egler would seize the opportunity to play the fool, as if whatever Lancelot said was incomprehensible. He would insist Lancelot explain in detail and even demonstrate before he understood. He began to realize that controlling power was itself a kind of skill—how to coordinate the strength of the whole body and limbs, how to allocate and vary it.

After each explanation, Lancelot would regret it, feeling he had said too much.

But since he had already spoken, he could hardly let the boy forget it, could he? Kill him? Certainly not. Having this little fellow by his side saved him much effort. Not to mention the boy cooked for him daily, even when hunting he served him comfortably. After Lancelot finished fighting, Gong Hao would immediately wipe the blood off his armor, lay out a luxurious carpet to prevent him from sitting on the grass, or pick a delicious fruit for him.

There were many inedible fruits in the jungle, but also rare sweet ones. Lancelot did not know the difference, so he did not dare use them, but Gong Hao, who had read through the entire library, knew them all.

His keen observation of the surroundings often helped Lancelot, who sometimes lost his way in the misty, sun-blocked forest, but the little one always found the path.

Lancelot felt that ever since this boy began to follow him hunting, his work had grown much easier.

Consequently, he turned a blind eye to Gong Hao's study of battle energy.

Of course, showing off was not the only way to extract knowledge from Lancelot.

Sometimes they encountered trouble while hunting.

Once, as Lancelot was capturing a level-six magical beast, Gong Hao was carefully observing and learning from his actions. Unexpectedly, a blood ape appeared nearby. This was a level-two magical beast—not particularly formidable, but immensely strong.

Apparently familiar with the two frequent visitors to the jungle, the blood ape knew the sword-wielding man was dangerous, so it targeted Gong Hao.

As soon as it appeared, it roared and lunged at Gong Hao. Gong Hao could have used his thrusting skill to escape instantly, but in a moment of calculation, he chose not to dodge and let the blood ape slap him away.

If not for Lancelot's timely rescue, Gong Hao would likely never have stood again.

Afterwards, Lancelot decided the boy was too weak—so weak that he could not even avoid a sneak attack from a level-two magical beast.

So he resolved to teach Gong Hao a few more things. With his current skills, even tenfold improvement would not let him escape Purgatory Island. Besides, unless he discovered the island's secrets, there was no need to flee.

"I think I must tell you some things a warrior should pay attention to in battle. People often think, mistakenly, that magicians are the embodiment of wisdom while warriors rely only on brute force. This is a grave error. In truth, to be an outstanding warrior, one must possess both calmness and wisdom. Battle energy growth and application are merely the foundation of a warrior's abilities; combat skills are the key to unlocking that foundation. These skills are the crystallization of wisdom, earned through the blood and lives of countless predecessors. Compared to grand and dazzling magic, warriors truly use their brains in battle. Otherwise, charging blindly at a powerful enemy is tantamount to suicide."

"First, to be an outstanding warrior, you must know yourself. You must know what you can and cannot do. When faced with threats, a solution you can use proficiently is far more valuable than a powerful skill you have yet to master. No unfamiliar technique is permissible in battle—it could cost you your life."

"Second, you must know your opponent. You must know what your opponent is before you can make targeted choices. In the jungle, we face magical beasts, which are easier to deal with. Human strength lies not in raw power, but in our ability to learn from experience, to use various means to make up for deficiencies and advance. This is our greatest difference from magical beasts—we use tools, strengthen ourselves through training, invent weapons, set traps, even fight together. Magical beasts act mostly on instinct, no matter how powerful. They do not think in battle, and have fixed habits. Even if they realize this, they cannot change. Their intelligence is insufficient to employ various skills in combat."

"For example, this blood ape habitually roars when attacking, as do most ape and feline magical beasts. If it roars at you, it means it's about to attack. If it crouches low, it means it's about to leap. If its shoulders retract, it's preparing a heavy punch. Even if a blood ape knows these habits, it cannot change them. So as long as we master its habits, we can easily find corresponding solutions."

"Tell me, Egler, what did the monkey do when it attacked you?"

Gong Hao replied immediately, "It crouched and then retracted its shoulders."

"Exactly, that meant it was about to jump and strike you. So what should you have done?"

"I should have dodged to the side as it jumped, so it couldn't hit me."

"But you didn't."

"I was terrified, sir."

"Calmness is the most important factor for survival in battle. Intensive training can make you proficient in skills, but calmness in combat prevents mistakes. Without calmness, danger means only death."

"Yes, sir." Gong Hao smiled happily. To instantly abandon resistance during the blood ape's attack and use it as an opportunity to gain Lancelot's instruction was more than mere calmness.

"Now I'll tell you a third point. Once you know your own abilities and your opponent's habits, you must counterattack. A warrior never forgets how to counterattack. Even in the toughest situations, never forget this. Without counterattack, you'll always be suppressed."

"I understand, sir."

"Very good, remember, we are human. Humanity's greatest trait is that, no matter how powerful the creature we face, we always find ways to restrain them. This is why we are the rulers of all beings. Humanity's enemy... is always humanity itself."

Humanity's enemy is always humanity. Gong Hao savored this phrase from Lancelot, sensing that the Sky Warrior had suffered in his past—perhaps the reason he guarded Purgatory Island for twenty years.

"All right, now let me tell you about some essential battle techniques you must master. Many may not look flashy, but they're vital. For instance, a simple sidestep contains much learning. Remember, when your opponent swings their right fist at you, move to their right, yes, towards the outside of their arm. That is their attack's blind spot—no one can use their right hand to hit directly to their right, because elbows always curve inward, unless it's some joint-reversed creature. If they want to keep attacking you, they must first turn their body to face you, slowing their speed and losing an attack advantage. At that moment, if you launch a fierce counterattack, victory is within reach. Your best move is to strike their right arm joint while sidestepping. You'll find that against a stretched arm, a small amount of force at the outside joint can break it..."

"When facing magical beasts that like to pounce, dodging sideways is less effective than boldly moving forward and attacking from below and behind. But that's dangerous—you must accurately gauge their jump distance and act swiftly as they launch. Remember, hesitation is deadly in battle; instinctive reactions are far more valuable than thinking before acting, and that requires abundant practical experience..."

"When facing gigantic, strength-type opponents, simple evasion isn't enough. Guerrilla tactics are just talk, because your opponent can use stones to attack you from afar. The best plan is to find cover immediately. Large creatures usually turn slowly—use their sluggish turning to your advantage, strike quickly, get behind them, and target their joints. But don't try to kick their knees. To deal fatal damage to their knees, you'd have to face them and kick directly, which means risking injury yourself. If you kick their knees from behind, they can bend their legs to reduce harm, so the damage is minimal—hence the earlier advice to target the joint from the outside. If you do get behind them, the spine is your best target—aim for the fatal spot and strike true..."

Lancelot began to ramble.

Gong Hao felt as if he were squeezing toothpaste.

As long as he wished, he could always extract something from Lancelot's mouth.

After each lesson, Lancelot would grumble, "Oh, I've said too much again—don't expect me to teach you next time."

But in fact, getting him to share knowledge about battle energy and combat skills was not difficult at all.

As Gong Hao's survival experience in the jungle grew, he found he could now confront some level-two magical beasts directly. According to Lancelot, an apprentice warrior's strength is about equal to a level-one magical beast. But in a real fight, the beast always loses.

The reason is their fixed attack habits and shallow combat intelligence, allowing humans to always exploit their weaknesses. Only magical beasts of level seven and above, with high intelligence, can compete with human warriors of the same level.

Thus, for magical beasts, the difference between level seven and below is stark—not in combat strength, but in intelligence.

One day, Gong Hao fought a level-two magical beast, and during the fierce battle, he felt his internal battle energy surge dramatically. He swung his sword and cleaved the beast in two.

He was both shocked and delighted, calling out to Lancelot, "Sir, look!"

His battle energy flowed, and a metallic aura shimmered faintly around him.

Lancelot laughed, "Congratulations, you've advanced. From today, you are a true apprentice bronze warrior."

Below level seven, the ranks for warriors are: bronze warrior, black iron warrior, and silver warrior for the first three. The fourth to sixth ranks are diamond warrior, blood iron warrior, and flame warrior.

Thus, the first three ranks are called basic or ordinary warriors, the middle three are war warriors—those who play decisive roles in battle. The last three are free warriors. Star warriors are quasi-saint rank, also known as peak warriors. Gong Hao’s frequent address, “as a peak warrior, sir,” was pure flattery. But truthfully, a level-nine sky warrior was indeed at the pinnacle, though the height of the peak varied.

With each advancement, battle energy rises dramatically, strengthening the body and producing a metallic sheen.

The phenomenon Gong Hao displayed was battle energy overflowing throughout his body, so Lancelot instantly recognized his advancement.

From that day on, Gong Hao was tasked with clearing away weak magical beasts they encountered, and Lancelot no longer lifted a finger.

Perhaps realizing he had grown even more relaxed, Lancelot thought he might teach Egler a bit more, so he wouldn’t have to deal with level-three beasts himself.

Before long, he considered handing level-four beast elimination to Gong Hao, to save himself even more effort.

Human laziness always grows rapidly—before Gong Hao reached that capacity, Lancelot was already thinking of handing all sub-level-seven beast work to him, which would require Egler to become at least a level-five blood iron warrior.

That would take some time.

Lancelot decided to cultivate the boy well.

After all, with over two hundred puppet warriors in Heins's castle, and Lancelot himself there, no matter how capable the boy became, he would never escape his grasp.

Unconsciously, Lancelot drifted ever further from his original standard of “only teach a little.”

—————————————————

They had few magical beasts to capture today, so Gong Hao and Lancelot returned early. Lancelot retreated to his secluded hut, while Gong Hao returned to record in the library and check the status of the servants in different areas.

Seeing it was still early, Gong Hao decided to visit area 56.

"Hey, Red, are you pretending to be your wife again?" Gong Hao laughed at the male Flamebird, "Red."

Red let out a long, defiant cry.

Though Flamebirds appeared identical to humans—same plumage, same color—Gong Hao had discovered a difference. When happy, Red and Green both shook their wings and cried skyward. Observing their eyes at that moment, the male's pupils would flush slightly red, the female's slightly green. So Gong Hao named them Red and Green.

Besides watching their eyes, behavior was an easier cue. Green was fastidious, always preening. Red was much fiercer, preferring to stay by the cage door.

He knew that was his only way out.

Whenever it was Green's turn for blood extraction, Red would push his wife to the cage door and pretend to preen himself—even now, Red still hoped to fool the servants, but fortunately they'd changed magic badges this time.

Yet Red and Green were much friendlier to Gong Hao.

Perhaps because Gong Hao had saved Red, Red never lost his temper with him.

Now, seeing Gong Hao approach, Red called out several times, as if to ask, "I haven’t shown my red eyes—how did you know I’m Red?"

It made no sense that Gong Hao knew without checking the badge.

Gong Hao opened the cage and entered, stroking Green’s head at the door and saying to Red, "You don’t know how intimidating you look guarding the door. Green doesn't have this problem—you impersonate Green well enough, but Green impersonating you never works."

So that's how it was—Red shook his head and cried skyward. He was helpless about his wife's "non-cooperation." If only Ajax had observed so keenly, Red's near-death might never have happened.

"All right, today it's Green's turn to go out and play. Do you need me to stay here with you?" Gong Hao said, deactivating the first layer of magical barrier and releasing Green.

As soon as she was out, Green spread her wings and soared around the iron cage, singing joyfully.

Letting one Flamebird out daily for exercise was Gong Hao’s suggestion.

Since Red recovered, Andrew also thought it a good idea.

Not out of kindness.

With more freedom, Flamebirds were happier and recovered faster, so more blood could be extracted.

Red watched Green outside the cage, reluctant to part, calling to his wife as if urging her to enjoy herself. If possible, he might wish she never returned.

Gong Hao approached Red and gently stroked his wing.

It was a dangerous action—Flamebirds were level-nine magical beasts. When Lancelot faced two alone, aided by over twenty puppet warriors and Heins’s alchemical tools, he only barely defeated and captured them, losing all puppet warriors and even a high-level puppet.

The magical prison restrained most of the Flamebirds' power, but even so, approaching them was risky. Besides their fierce fire-breath, their steel claws, iron wings, and sharp beak were all deadly. Servants anesthetized them before each blood extraction. Heins's alchemical sedative was potent, effective on almost all magical beasts—except the level-seven venomous python, which was immune, so Lancelot had to deal with it himself and teach Gong Hao battle energy cultivation.

But Gong Hao was unconcerned by Red’s ferocity, knowing Red would not harm him.

He gently stroked Red’s shining fiery feathers and said softly, "I know you want to go out too. You long to fly with your wife in the sky, free and unbound—not just to meet daily in this cage..."

"Yes, Red, I am like you, trapped on this island. I want freedom, to leave. Believe me, Red, no one understands your plight better than I. We are truly kindred spirits."

Gong Hao spoke quietly. Only at such times could he express his heart. He did not know if Red understood, but was certain Red sensed his sorrow.

Red lowered his proud head.

Elemental birds were large, standing nearly level with Gong Hao, but in the next moment, Red began to shrink, spitting fire elements from his beak.

As the fire energy gushed forth, his body grew smaller, until he was like an ordinary bird, perched on Gong Hao’s shoulder.

Gong Hao took some fire hazelnuts—Red's favorite—from his pocket, letting Red peck at his palm.

Gong Hao had read records that some magical beasts could freely adjust their body size, making it easier to enter special areas. This enlargement or reduction was caused by energy absorption and release.

Though Gong Hao did not know why Flamebirds shrank at such times, Red's resting on his shoulder was clearly an expression of friendship.

Though Red could not speak, he could convey emotion in his own way.

It was a gesture of affirmation, a thank you for Gong Hao’s past help, and for striving to make their lives happy.

Gong Hao smiled joyfully.

Just then, Fink came running in a hurry. Thanks to Gong Hao becoming head servant, and his advice to Fink that day, Fink had managed to stay and not be taken away.

Seeing Fink’s urgency, Gong Hao knew something had happened.

As expected, Fink shouted, "Hugh! Hugh! A ship—there’s a ship!"

"What?" Gong Hao was shocked. "Impossible! The Freedom isn’t scheduled for deliveries yet."

"It’s not the Freedom—it’s another ship," Fink yelled. "Lord Andrew went to the port, and he wants you to go as well. Looks like some important figure has arrived!"