Swords, magic, and martial arts

"What's going on?" Rhodes asked Eden, who had also just come out.

"I just got out too, do you think I would know?" Eden rolled her eyes and replied.

Rod walked toward the stairs next to the corridor and ran into Baron, who was reeking of alcohol, coming up.

"What happened down there?" Rod asked.

"The leader of the Blood Raven Gang died in front of everyone," Baron said. "It's none of your business. Go back to sleep."

After saying that, Baron went to his room, collapsed on the bed, and fell fast asleep without even closing the door. Rod closed the door for him.

The next day, while Rhode was having breakfast, he overheard the mercenaries next to him whispering about what had happened the night before. Curious, Rhode listened intently to what they were saying.

"Have you heard? Yesterday, the leader of the Blood Bird Gang was sitting there drinking and doing nothing when a dagger suddenly appeared in his throat. His men were all around him, and none of them noticed who did it."

"Of course I've heard about that. I was sitting in the hall last night. But he's not the leader of the Blood Bird Gang; that's called the Blood Raven Gang."

"The Blood Bird Gang and the Blood Raven Gang are the same; aren't crows birds too?"

"That's different. I have a friend who's in the Blood Bird Gang, but they don't have as many people as the Blood Raven Gang."

"Alright, then tell me, how did the leader of the Blood Raven Gang die?"

"Maybe it was someone next to him who took the opportunity to step in."

"That can't be right. I've seen his body. The hilt of the dagger was facing him. The murderer stabbed him in the face."

"You're not lying, are you? Even if I'm drunk, if someone stabs me with a dagger in front of me, I'll wake up instantly, let alone a mercenary leader as famous as him."

"Could it be that he killed too many people before, and some of them became vengeful spirits and killed him in retaliation?"

"Don't scare me, I'm easily frightened."

"Besides vengeful spirits, what else could possibly kill someone in such a crowded place without being noticed?"

……

Rhodes doesn't understand this world. Just when he thinks he understands it enough, something will immediately jump out and shatter his understanding.

He didn't know if ghosts or vengeful spirits actually existed in this world. Although

He had never seen a vengeful spirit, but he had seen many resurrected corpses. He couldn't use his experience from the world before he transmigrated to judge this world.

After breakfast, he dragged Webber along to practice with him.

When Rhodes first met Webber, he thought Webber was a bad person because of his bad reputation, but Webber turned out to be more kind and friendly than anyone Rhodes had ever met.

"I feel that your swordsmanship is very methodical. What famous swordsmanship do you use?" Weber asked.

"I learned this by chance before, but I'm not proficient enough yet. Do you want to learn?" Rod saw that Weber wanted to learn and offered to teach him so that Weber wouldn't feel embarrassed if he asked to learn first.

Weber nodded.

"Then I'll demonstrate each move one by one." Rhodes used one hand to hold the female knight's two-handed sword and began to demonstrate the White Rainbow Sword Technique to Weber, move by move.

"I'm a bit slow, could you demonstrate it again?" Weber said apologetically after watching Rhodes' demonstration.

Rod heard that the demonstration had been repeated three times before stopping, and he was afraid that Weber might not have memorized it and would feel embarrassed to ask again.

"I've learned it, let's have a contest now," Weber said.

Rhodes attacked Webber with a dull one-handed sword he had previously captured, and then both of them used the White Rainbow Sword Technique.

Although it was Webber's first time using the White Rainbow Sword Technique, he was already quite skilled with one-handed swords and was also wearing a ring that could enhance his proficiency with one-handed swords, so he was able to gain the upper hand at the beginning.

After an hour, the older Webber began to tire, and his sword speed and power decreased significantly.

An hour of intense fighting didn't bother Rhodes much; in fact, he was getting more and more excited as the fight went on.

"I concede. Let me rest for a bit," Webber said after blocking Rhodes's sword with his own.

He put away his short sword and plopped down on the ground to rest.

Rod tossed him a water bag that had been prepared beforehand. Weber took the water bag, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and let out a comfortable burp.

"How do you manage to coordinate your left and right hands so well, using the swordsmanship I just taught you with both hands simultaneously?" Rhodes asked.

"Just practice more. When I was young, I learned and practiced everything to survive. I worked much harder than you do now," Weber said.

"After learning and practicing a lot, you've finally discovered what truly suits you?" Rod asked.

Weber nodded and said, "I used to be ridiculed wherever I went, and no adventure party would accept me. I've been unpopular since birth."

Rod sensed they were talking about something sad about Weber and was about to change the subject when Weber said:

"Because of my size, I couldn't beat anyone. The wolves that others could easily handle almost killed me. In order to survive, I tried everything to improve my strength. In the end, I learned about poison. For a long time, I relied on poison to survive, but this made me even more despised."

"Why not just be an ordinary farmer?" Rod asked.

"I wanted to too, but I never had the chance. When I was born, my mother died in childbirth, and my father became increasingly depressed, drinking himself into a stupor every day in the tavern and then beating and kicking me when he came home. I was able to grow up thanks to my grandmother. When I was ten, my grandmother passed away, and then my father hanged himself because he couldn't afford to pay for his drinks. After that, I left my hometown and wandered around making a living. I was almost never full, and maybe my height is related to that." Weber said calmly. Rod didn't expect that Weber could talk about his sad past as if he were talking about someone unrelated.

"Don't you have any other relatives?" Rod asked.

"Yes, I ran to my uncle, but he wouldn't take me, so I had to continue wandering. I envy you having an uncle like Baron; he's a good man. I learned everything back then. I was an apprentice to a baker, but he was beaten to death before I even finished my apprenticeship. Later, I learned stealth and pickpocketing in a flea den in a big city. I don't remember the name of that city, but I still remember the feeling of eating my fill for the first time with the money I stole," Weber recalled.

"I deeply regret being a thief. Once, I was caught stealing in a tavern in full view of everyone. The man didn't take my hand; he just let me go and gave me all the money from his wallet. After getting that much money, I immediately fled the city, afraid of being coveted by others. It just so happened that I was caught stealing and couldn't make a living anymore. On the way, my money was robbed by bandits. I still remember the mocking look on their faces. They even emphasized that this wasn't robbery, but an exchange. They threw me an iron dagger, and I still carry that dagger with me now." He took the dagger out of his waist; decades later, the dagger had begun to rust.

Before his transmigration, Rhodes had seen many people living unhappy lives; most of them had become resentful and bitter, or narrow-minded and extremely vengeful. It was truly rare to see Weber so kind and compassionate…