Chapter 547 – If At First You Don’t Succeed…

“Oh, I can’t wait! The Champion’s Joust is almost here!”

“I know! But do you really think Sir Robert can win? The Lord is putting a lot of faith in him.”

“I’m sure he’ll be victorious!”

“I don’t know… His first opponent… I’ve heard he’s a seasoned warrior who favors speed and swift attacks.”

“You don’t say!”

Two servants whispered to each other while hiding in what appeared to be the castle kitchen. They were simple workers, gossiping about the fast-approaching tournament. Unbeknownst to them, the very Champion they spoke of, Sir Robert, was eavesdropping and peeking in from the shadows.

‘Roland was right… This trial is already giving me ways to gather information before it even begins. I need to use this to my advantage.’

Robert thought to himself while trying to take in what these two people were talking about. They were discussing his first opponent, and from what he gathered, this warrior relied on speed and agility. That meant heavy armor wouldn’t be the best choice but he couldn’t decide just on this assumption, from what he gathered there would be multiple opponents and this one would more than likely be the weakest of them.

“You there, speak, what do you know of the other participants.”

Eventually, he stepped out of the shadows to confront the two servants. Their conversation hadn’t moved beyond idle chatter, so he needed to ensure they would answer his questions. Regrettably, the moment they saw him, they froze in fear, their faces pale. No matter how many times he asked, they only trembled, unable to give him a single answer.

“Please Champion, we don’t know anything.”

“Very well, you are free to go.”

Robert sighed as the two servants trembled before him, clearly unwilling or unable to reveal anything more. It seemed that pressing them further would yield no results. He needed another way to gather information.

‘How much time do I have for this? There might be a time limit for the rune equipment assembly if I take too long here…’

In the distance he spotted a tower with a large clock, he had already been moving around the premises for half an hour and only found these two people talking about his first opponent. While this information was worthwhile and they revealed some of his enchantments, he needed more than this.

There had to be other ways to gather information. He turned away from the trembling servants and made his way toward what looked like the practice grounds. If there were any knights or squires training, there was a chance one of his future opponents would be there. At first, he thought the place was nearly empty, but as he got closer, the clash of steel against steel echoed through the air.

‘Wait… could this mean…?’

Robert came to a realization. It was possible that unless he was near a certain area, he would not sense the presence of any people. Some kind of enchantment might have been blocking his senses, or other strange barriers could have been interfering, making it difficult to gather information. If that was true, he would have to search the entire castle grounds, including the interior, to find clues for his trial bouts.

To keep his presence unnoticed, he crept toward the practice ground. The moment he stepped past the threshold of the practice area, a flurry of movement was revealed. Knights, squires, and warriors of all kinds clashed with wooden training weapons, their armored forms darting across the dirt-packed arena. Sparks flew as blades met, and the air thumped with the sound of combat.

‘This is it. My opponents must be among them, but… how do I find them?’

His eyes flickered across the field, taking in every detail. The area was filled with armored men, some wearing runic equipment while others trained in simple gambesons. A problem arose as he had no idea who he needed to pay attention to, nor whether the runic armor they wore would be used against him.

‘My opponents should be the more skillful ones, right?’

Robert’s gaze darted across the training grounds as he tried to single out his opponents from the mass of knights and squires. There were close to a hundred people scattered across the area. Some training, others talking, and a few simply resting. He couldn’t afford to waste time watching random sparring matches. Instead, he focused on those who stood out, those with precise movements, refined technique, and confidence in their steps.

A clash of steel nearby drew his attention. Two knights were locked in a fast-paced duel, their strikes sharp and unrelenting. One of them wielded two massive swords, more akin to cleavers than traditional blades. His fighting style was brutal, relying on overwhelming offensive force with reckless abandon when it came to defense. The sheer weight of his swings sent shockwaves through the air, and Robert noticed glowing runes inscribed along the length of his weapons. Impact runes. Each time the blades collided with his opponent’s shield, sparks erupted, and the force of the impact seemed to grow heavier with every strike.

‘To counter an impact rune, it’s usually best to avoid it or use an impact-dispersing rune to halt the momentum and catch them off guard.’

Robert narrowed his eyes. If this knight was one of his future opponents, he would need a plan. Facing someone with such raw, crushing power head-on would be a mistake. However, he was not sure if choosing a rune to counter the heavy blades was the best idea. It was probably better to study his movements and look for an opportunity to counterattack. Warriors who relied purely on overwhelming offense could be taken down easily if their attack was timed against them at the right moment.

After spending some time observing the man fight, he eventually moved on with his research. Not far from the duel, another knight stood at the sidelines, holding a heavy dueling rapier. His armor was light, and the runes on his equipment clearly enhanced his speed. The rapier likely had increased penetrative power, something Robert would also need to watch out for.

He had now identified three potential enemies, each one vastly different from the others. While he had learned some of their strengths and weaknesses, a problem remained. Their fighting styles and weapons varied too much for him to choose runes that would counter all of them effectively. It seemed that instead of focusing on countering their abilities, he would need to rely on something that complemented his own skills.

‘Maybe Roland was right and this trial is more about me identifying the runes than anything else.’

At first, Robert assumed he was supposed to pick runes to counter other runic effects. But now, standing in the practice grounds, watching the knights clash and trade blows, he realized the trial was not just about reacting to others. It was about understanding his own capabilities and knowing which runes would enhance his personal strength. Nevertheless, knowing beforehand what these champions were good or bad at would give him an advantage, so he continued moving through the grounds. Many knights were using various bladed weapons, and time passed until he heard a loud bell ringing. The clock tower in the distance was doing something.

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Robert barely had time to process what was happening before the ringing in his ears intensified. The world around him shifted, the colors blending together like ink spilling across parchment. He felt the pull of an unseen force, his body weightless for a brief moment before he was suddenly grounded again. The air smelled of burning metal and magical energy. He recognized the scent immediately, he had arrived at a rune smithing forge.

“Ah, so you must be the one,”

The runesmith revealed himself, his resemblance to Bernir, Roland’s assistant, was uncanny.

“About time. The tournament waits for no man. Now, what do you wish to use?”

A sense of déjà vu washed over Robert as he heard the man speak. He was certain he had this same conversation before, but the ascension trial had erased his memories of it ever happening. With one glance, he understood why he was here and that was to choose his runic enchantments along with the equipment he would use as the Champion.

It seemed that there was a time limit on the research period. He had spent a few hours going through the illusory space to research his opponents but only managed to find information for four of them. There was no going back now and he needed to make a choice again. Soon he went around picking up his armor along with the sword that most fit him. Just like before, his left hand was occupied by a heater shield.

“Now, the real question Sir Knight, what enchantments do you desire?”

“As for the runes… could you make hybrid ones?”

“As for the runes… could you make hybrid ones? Like melding them together?”

The runesmith resembling Bernir crossed his arms together and started thinking.

“Ah, you wish to blend the runes together, lowering the number of charges in favor of using your mana?”