Chương 115: Chapter 112 - Steak

I sat in a meditative position in my sergeant's tent with a mana crystal in hand, trying to progress my mana cultivation. Yet my thoughts kept drifting to all the progress we had made until now. It had been seven days since we eliminated our first target. After that, we successfully eliminated all six Tier-2 targets on the mission list, but not without cost.

On the third day, our targets were two rhino-like beasts whose bodies were composed almost entirely of dense muscle, their hides as tough as stone, making direct confrontation a nightmare. After five minutes of engagement, a sound somewhere deep in the forest pulled the frontline's attention away for a split second, and that brief lapse was all one of the beasts needed.

It lowered its head and charged with terrifying force, smashing through the frontline wall and injuring Garran on impact before crashing into Silas, who was positioned behind the frontline. Kael and I eventually brought the beast down. Garran was mostly back on his feet by the next day thanks to his higher Constitution stat, but Silas did not return to fighting condition until this morning. However, it was not the injuries that distracted me from cultivation. Those were expected. It was Barry.

When Silas was injured and unconscious, there were a few voices suggesting that we leave him behind, and the biggest supporter of that idea was Barry. Yet for some reason, it felt to me like he was putting on a show. After all, he was the one who pulled Silas away, avoiding a head-on collision with the beast's horn. He was also smart enough to know that I would never agree to leaving Silas behind, especially when I knew I could treat him.

Even Peter said nothing when I used herbs to heal Silas or when I decided to camp immediately after finding a secure location, delaying the mission slightly. Barry, however, opposed my decision openly. I also did not feel that he was doing it just to annoy me. Since then, I had observed Barry more closely. It appeared to me that he was intentionally trying to get on not just my bad side, but the entire squad's.

Sure, he talked with Varric, Garran, and Kael, yet even those conversations often ended with him aggravating the others. While it would have been easy to chalk it up to his nature, I could not shake the feeling that he was trying to build a wall around himself. It was as if he did not want anyone to trust him, so that he would not have to trust anyone in return. I was not sure what I could do about it. Following traditional methods for a death squad sergeant, I could punish him with a mana oath.

Depending on the severity of the issues he caused, I could even have him executed. Yet all of that felt like taking the easy way out, like treating the symptoms rather than the cause. The problem was that I did not know the cause. It could have been past trauma or betrayal, and even if I wanted to reason with him, I was not his friend. I was his superior, not someone who could sit him down for a heart-to-heart to resolve old wounds. I exhaled a breath I did not realize I had been holding.

Most of my squad had complicated pasts, and there was no denying that they were not the most stable elements of society. Trying to resolve their personal issues would only distract me from far more important things, such as leading the squad, ensuring the mission was successful, and advancing my own cultivation. I refocused on my mana circulation and began moving mana from my Crown node to my Spine node, guiding it from the highest node in my body to the lowest and forming a loop between the two point nodes.

I was no longer following the path Walter had suggested. After my promotion and class upgrade, it had become clear that I needed greater mental capacity, yet I still required stability and agility to support my fighting style. After discussing it with the lieutenant, he suggested this meditation technique. It did not have a specific name and was simply called Royal Army Meditation Technique Number 12.

The process of clearing nodes was slow with this method, which was why it was not very popular in the army, but it allowed two nodes to be cleared at the same time. You began with the Crown and Spine nodes, then moved to the Brow and Navel nodes, followed by the Throat and Solar Plexus. Once those six nodes were cleared, you finally cleared the Heart node. After one hour of meditation, I opened my status window to check my progress.

7300 XP Gained +1000 XP — Leading Night Watch +700 XP — Organizing drills and creating squad training plans +600 XP — Analyzing supply routes +575 XP — Healing squadmates +1500 XP — Leading Expedition This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

+2925 XP — Leading a Squad Against Multiple Threats [Class Progression] Level 23 → Level 24 EXP: 6900 / 6900 → 0 / 7200 Name: Edward Class: Battlefield Coordinator Rank: Initiate (T2) Level: 24 / 50 EXP: 600 / 7200 Elemental Affinity: 0. 1% Wind Mana Cultivation: Tier 2 (5/100) Mana Nodes: 0 / 7 Physical Attributes Constitution: 46. 5 → 49. 3 Strength: 37. 9 → 39. 7 Agility: 30. 9 → 32. 7 Spiritual Attributes Intelligence: 46 → 52. 4 Wisdom: 36. 2 → 41. 8 Willpower: 38. 8 → 43. 6 HP: 480 / 493 HP Regen: 121.

7 per day MP: 700/1847 MP Regen: 188.

3 per hour Class Skills [Operational Cognition (A)] – Level 6 [Unbroken Stride (UC)] – Level 22 [Flowing Spear Style (UC)] – Level 38 [Perceptive Instinct (UC)] – Level 32 [Vital Restoration (UC)] – Level 28 General Skills [Battlefield Command (UC)] – Level 4 [Triage Ward (UC)] – Level 12 [Rune Analysis (UC)] – Level 20 [Fortification Planner (UC)] – Level 3 [Logistics Routecraft (UC)] – Level 6 [Mana Manipulation (UC)] – Level 27 [Mana Reinforcement (UC)] – Level 43 It seemed that, because my skills were more focused on spiritual stats, my build had begun to shift toward a more mana-oriented direction.

Of my twelve skills, ten increased at least one spiritual stat. Surprisingly, [Operational Cognition (A)] provided a 0. 3 increase to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Willpower each. The skill that showed the most progress was [Rune Analysis (UC)]; I had gained ten levels in it thanks to my work on the Silent Step rune. Closing my status window, I stood up. After some light stretching, I stepped outside.

A familiar sight greeted me: Peter, Corvin, and Garran were maintaining guard positions, while the rest were setting up the campfire and roasting meat. The only difference today was that my portion had already been prepared by Silas. He had asked to make it as a thank-you for treating him. It turned out he knew how to cook, and he even asked if I had any spicy herbs he could use.

This was one of the designated safe areas marked on the army map, so the chances of attracting beasts due to the smell of food were low, though constant watch was still required. As I walked toward the campfire, Silas stood up when he saw me and handed me a steak.

"Sir, please tell me how it tastes," he said. The steak was made from ox meat, taken from a Tier-2 beast that was one of the targets of this expedition. It was only a single Tier-2 beast, but it led a herd of nine peak Tier-1 oxen, making the fight a tough one. That was one of the reasons it was so quiet around the campfire. Other than bruises, we had not suffered any major injuries, but almost all of us were running low on mana. Even after cultivating for one hour, I was only able to raise my mana level to 700.

That was why it was so silent. No one had the energy to talk. It was quiet enough that I could hear the wind blowing and the crackling of the fire. Taking a bite of the steak, I looked at Silas in surprise.

"I didn't know you could cook this well. Did you do this just using herbs?" I asked. I was not sure whether he was simply a great cook or if my tongue had been craving something different. Since being stationed at the fort, I had eaten more types of beasts than I had killed, and most of the time they tasted like boiled boots. I was finally beginning to understand what the veterans had meant on my way to the fort. I had nearly lost my sense of taste and felt like I could eat tree bark without noticing.

"Yes," he replied with a smile.

"Did you share this with the others?" I asked.

"No, sir," he said, shaking his head.

"This feels like a blessing. It's like eating a real meal after an eternity," I said.

"Do we have enough meat for everyone?"

"Yes, but everyone has already eaten," he replied.

"Then we're saving the ox meat. After eliminating tomorrow's target, we'll celebrate with some alcohol and your cooking," I said. I could not think of a better way to celebrate the midpoint of the mission. Silas nodded with a smile.

"From now on, I'm reducing your other duties until we return to Fort Darrow. You'll handle cooking," I said, wiping the smile off his face. I was sure he immediately regretted offering to cook for me. Normally, we roasted our own meat, and if we used rations, someone would simply boil water and mix in the pre-made rations to make a stew. After eating the steak, though, I was sure Silas could improve even that.

"We'll need more herbs if we want to keep eating food like this and provide it to everyone," he said.

"Don't worry. The forest is full of herbs, and most of them are beneficial to our bodies," I said. Even on my first expedition, I had collected plenty of herbs. Now, as a sergeant, I could collect as many as I wanted. After eating my fill, I stood up to address the whole squad.

"Everyone, gather around," I said, drawing their attention. Most of the squad rose from their positions while Peter, Corvin, and Garran made their way toward me.

"So far, we've had a successful mission, but our next target will be the hardest. It's an Earth-affinity Tier-3 beast, a difficult opponent. Over the past few days, I've been able to inscribe runes on several more shields. Garran, your team already has those shields. Varric, Barry, and Peter, you will use these shields. This should significantly increase our defensive capabilities. I also want everyone to get proper rest. We will not engage the beast until everyone has fully recovered their mana," I said.

I wanted to face this beast with the best preparation possible. If a mistake like the one with the rhino beast happened again, our entire squad could be wiped out.