Sodelor did his best to capture Roddy's figure, but he was always one step away from locking onto him. Only the scouts on the sidelines could clearly see how Rody used his swift footsteps to keep up with Sodelor.
He was like a butterfly that kept circling around. He was not in a hurry to attack with his longsword. Instead, he used his footwork to stay behind Sodelor. If his attack was blocked, he would stick close to Sodelor's body. Then, he would make use of the gap in Sodelor's movements to sneak behind him.
Rody had learned this technique from his Wood Elf Ranger teacher. Before he obtained the profession of Berserker, Rody had put in a lot of effort to learn this footwork. The 'Shadow Dance' was one of the Ranger's custom skills. Because it was a custom skill, it could be 'imitated' at a lower level. However, this kind of 'imitation' was not a real skill. Although it was frightening, the actual effect was not even 1% of the original skill. It was just a 'gimmick'.
Still, it was more than enough to deal with Sodelor, whose stats were half his.
The sound of wooden swords colliding rang out, and the surrounding scouts' eyes widened as if they were witnessing a miracle. It was obvious that this was the first time they had seen such incredible footwork and swordsmanship …
In most cases, a duel of swordsmanship could be decided in a dozen or so seconds. It was rare for a duel to go on for more than a few minutes without either side being injured. But now that Sodelor had bitterly held on for more than a minute, the scouts' minds were filled with astonishment …
They had a deeper understanding of Sodelor's exquisite swordsmanship, but compared to Roddy's reckless and reckless attacks, they felt that Roddy hadn't used his full strength at all. Instead, he was just toying with Sodelor!
As the person involved, Sodelor didn't feel any shame or anger at all. He only felt that every block he blocked was beyond his usual level. But even so, from start to finish, he didn't have any time to make an effective counterattack.
He had never felt such fear in a duel of swordsmanship. Although this was a duel using wooden swords, Roddy's strength had truly made his heart tremble!
At this time, he was already frightened by Rody's strength. He even believed that if he were to encounter such an enemy on the battlefield, he would not have any chance of winning based on the absolute strength Rody had shown just now, let alone exchanging blows with him!
This display of footwork was like 'showing off' to Roddy. Sodelor hadn't been able to catch a glimpse of his figure more than a few times in a minute. This continued fear would directly implant an impression of 'unfathomable' in the opponent's mind, and from this would produce even more reverence.
And this was exactly what Roddy needed.
The longsword sped up, and Sodelor's blocking and dodging had already begun to slow down. Roddy's footsteps quickened once more, and he leaned forward. When Sodelor raised his hand to parry, the longsword had already moved from another angle, passing through the other side of his blade and easily pressing against the young lieutenant's neck.
Sodelor, who was sweating profusely, froze. He was so tense that he couldn't seem to react for a moment. When he clearly saw the sword in Roddy's hand, he finally sighed, abandoned his sword, and admitted defeat.
There was a moment of silence. Several seconds later, the surrounding scouts finally reacted and loudly cheered. Their sighs and cheers were completely from the bottom of their hearts, because the terrifying strength that Roddy had displayed had truly exceeded their expectations!
The wooden sword was thrown to the side, and the indifference on Roddy's face gradually faded. He looked at the somewhat absent-minded Sodelor and asked, "What do you think of this result?"
"… I only have one question."
Sodelor only came back to his senses after a long while, and his tone was somewhat tired as he asked, "Why would someone as powerful as you be willing to be a scout captain?"
This was currently the most difficult question for Roddy to answer. He couldn't answer with reasons like leveling up and changing equipment, but fortunately, Roddy had already mentally prepared himself for such a question.
"I'm also curious. Why would you be willing to be a second lieutenant? With your ability, not to mention a captain, even a major should be a piece of cake. Those idiots at Fort Conseton aren't a match for you at all. "
This sentence was somewhat exaggerated. After all, Sodelor was at most Level 8, and a second lieutenant had to be at least Level 10 to be qualified. But when it came to swordsmanship and combat awareness, Roddy didn't flatter him at all.
In the three duels just now, it seemed that Roddy had the absolute advantage, but in fact, he had taken the "opportunistic" route. In the first two rounds, he had used pure strength to overwhelm his opponent, and in the third round, he had relied on his current "Dexterity" attribute advantage. In terms of swordsmanship, Roddy was actually surprised that his opponent could rely purely on instinct and combat awareness to drag out a minute with him …
If they were at the same level of attributes, in a one-on-one duel, Roddy admitted that he wouldn't be a match for his opponent. This was undeniable.
Sodelor was immediately rendered speechless by Roddy's question. Clearly, he also understood that his question was somewhat inappropriate, and this noble descendant immediately bowed and apologized almost at the same time. The upbringing he displayed made Roddy feel a little ashamed.
"Captain Roddy, I didn't mean to offend you. I just feel … a little emotional."
"Understandable." Roddy nodded and changed the topic. "Fenkes Village no longer exists. The scouts will be redistributed, and Norland Village just happens to be in need of capable people. So, if you want to become stronger, want to kill orcs, and want to make a name for yourself, I think … you can consider bringing your people here."
Roddy stretched out his hand and lightly knocked on the Stalker's breastplate decorated with Mithril plates. He said confidently, "I can give you an explanation."
At this time, Sodelor no longer had any hesitation in his heart. There was even an inexplicable excitement in his heart …
He understood that giving up the "care" of old Duke and fighting for the "opportunity" by himself was now in front of him.
The scenes of the destruction of his family flashed before his eyes. The corpses of the Wolf Riders were still vivid in his mind. Roddy's words echoed in his ears … All these things finally made Sodelor make a life-changing decision.
"Then, wait for my news, Captain Roddy."
He solemnly saluted and immediately turned to leave. He rode his horse towards Broy Town without any hesitation.
The scouts watched as the Second Lieutenant left. Rody, who was standing in the crowd, was lost in thought as he thought about the next question. What should I do next to make this genius display his true brilliance?
At the same time, there was also a sense of "discomfort". This was because Roddy couldn't help but worry. What if Sodelor's speed of growth was too fast to the point that it exceeded his expectations and control?
He couldn't predict the future because he didn't have many things in his hands. At present, apart from the dozen scouts behind him, Roddy's other hope was Sally, who had just escaped from danger.
After thinking for a while, he gradually calmed down and returned to his usual posture. He turned around and said, "Carter!"
"Here!"
"Put the equipment aside and gather everyone. I have a few words to say."
"Yes!"
The scouts of Norland Village immediately threw everything in their hands to the side and lined up in two rows in front of Roddy. Not a single one of them said a word.
Obviously, the swordsmanship duel with Sodelor had left a deep impression on these scouts. In their hearts, Roddy seemed to have changed from a simple "boss" to an "idol" and "hero".
Coughing lightly, Roddy looked at the youthful faces and said softly with some emotion, "Everyone, you don't have to pay for these armors and weapons, so don't feel too burdened. However, I only have one thing to say about these things, and I hope you will remember it."
He reached out to pick up a longsword and casually swung it.
"Swords and armors are used to kill."
Just like that, at the beginning of the fifth month of the 588 year of the Elon calendar, in a quiet little village at the border of the Kingdom of Karen, Roddy had ignited the first 'spark' of his seemingly unattainable dream.
…
Starting from the morning of the eighth of the fifth month, the scouts who usually woke up late in the eyes of the villagers seemed to have started a new routine.
At daybreak, the soldiers started running around the village in full armour, followed by patrols. The scouts who used to have a lot of free time now started rigorous physical training after completing their patrols.
Everyone, including Ruger and Carter, started training strictly according to Roddy's plan. Moving rocks to train their muscles, hacking with wooden swords, riding horses outside the village and so on.
On the other side, Roddy was making new plans for his next goal.
The 30 sets of longswords and light metal breastplates he bought along the way back had cost him a 'huge sum' of nearly 50 gold coins.
Although he said he spent more than 50 gold coins on these things, more than half of them were directly traded with the leftovers of Chimera beast scales. In this era dominated by the 'natural economy', money did not circulate like modern people thought. In a big city like Hollier, currency was commonly used for transactions. However, in a small place like a town or a village, 'bartering' was the most common method of transaction. Rody had put in a lot of effort in order to exchange for these practical equipment.
The reason why he bought so much equipment was because Roddy understood that what he was going to do next required the cooperation of these scouts, and in the days of struggle to level up in the future, they were likely to be his earliest 'team'.
'Level', 'Equipment', 'Technique'. Among the three major factors that determined strength, the current 'team' only had 'Equipment' roughly in place. And what Roddy needed to do next was to lead them to improve their skills and level.
But where would 'strength' come from? But where would 'strength' come from?
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