Whose world-class drama are they criticizing?

Ryan's sister and brother both nodded in agreement, agreeing that their father was absolutely right.

Ryan's face darkened; this was even worse than his talents in blocking and rolling.

His situation was very rare in the entire Lu Ming. He was born without any innate blessings, which is why he was called the one born with light.

Of course, only Ryan knows the truth.

"Oh."

Lawrence shook his head, thinking that he had dampened Ryan's confidence, and said earnestly, "Son, never underestimate your talent."

"Eden is vast and boundless, and geniuses are as numerous as fish crossing a river. My great Lu Ming family is rich in resources and has a vast territory. We have never lacked generals and governors. Not to mention the direct line, even the sons of the various branch families are all outstanding young talents."

But none of these geniuses are as good as you.

Even your older brothers and sisters are not as good as you!

Only you can be the head of the Lu Ming family, and only you are qualified to ensure the family's continued prosperity, because—"

After hearing the first part of the sentence, Ryan's expression improved slightly.

As expected of the Lionheart Duke, he could still see the sealed potential of the Sword Saint Lu Ming.

"Because you're the most handsome; you inherited your father's good looks!"

Ryan's face turned red again.

Lawrence looked at Ryan with satisfaction, becoming more and more proud. His father's trembling back then was truly a masterpiece, worthy of being described as "the finishing touch on a dragon's painting." The right time, place, and people had made his youngest son so handsome.

With that kind of appearance, she was born to be used for breeding!

The Lu family has thrived to this day, reaching its zenith and standing strong for over a thousand years. Is it due to its powerful military force or its effective political maneuvering?

That's true.

But those are just icing on the cake.

Over the past thousand years, the military and political power of the Lu Ming family has declined, and even once faced destruction, but they have always managed to turn danger into safety, because the Lu Ming family's kill line is strong enough.

A strong reproductive capacity is the key to Lu Ming's family's demise.

The first generation of Sword Saint, King of Paladins, Charlie Lumin, left behind the famous saying before his death: "A handsome knight is more awesome than an ugly knight."

The most handsome child of each generation is chosen as the heir to the family headship.

Throughout the world, from top to bottom, enemies and friends all have relatives, so Lu Mingguang's glory will last forever and remain evergreen.

But Ryan was so rebellious that he chose to go to the most dangerous and remote Dark Territory.

If someone as powerful as him dies on the border, who will inherit the family business?

"Ryan!"

“I know you want to prove yourself, but you need to stop being rebellious and willful.”

Seeing that his youngest son remained stubborn, Lawrence became somewhat annoyed. "I've decided on your fiefdom: 'Dawn Territory,' the closest to the capital. After it's been gilded, you'll be sent to the capital's social scene."

Lawrence waved his hand and said passionately:

"Child, the time to sacrifice yourself has come! For the glory of your family, become a woman's plaything! This is the 'divine duty' bestowed upon you by the gods!"

The noble princess of the empire, the aloof saintess of the papacy, the alluring witch of the cult, the lonely lady of the duke—once Ryan comes of age, these character models will be a piece of cake for him to appear.

Ryan's face turned deathly pale upon hearing this.

From black to red to white, the boy changed his skin several times in just a few seconds.

In the original timeline, the reason his sword saint talent took so many years to awaken, besides the curse, was this...

Ryan called it 'the dark side of the Lumin family'.

My body was already weak, and I was drained every day, leaving me with nothing but bones. How could I possibly have the energy to practice swordsmanship?

This romantic history is Lu Ming's most shameful past, a true dark chapter in his life. After being unearthed by dedicated researchers, Ryan earned the nickname "Lu Ming Kidney Loser" in the community, and was even given the "prisoner" title.

"Father."

Ryan can no longer back down.

He was already physically weak, and with the 'muscle weakness' debuff still attached to him, he couldn't afford to be further harmed by alcohol and women.

Those silver eyes revealed determination. "I've decided to go to the Land of No Light."

Upon hearing this, Lawrence's face fell.

He stared coldly at Ryan, and the pressure of an eighth-tier sword saint pressed down on the latter. The air instantly froze, with only the creaking of the window frames and the shattering of the glass into cracks.

“I told you, with your current strength, you are not qualified to go there; you are only fit to inherit the title of family head.”

Lawrence's voice wasn't loud, but when it landed on the ground, it was like a thunderclap.

"You know nothing!" Lawrence retorted angrily.

Given Ryan's muscular weakness, a first-tier mage like him would be doomed on his very first day at the border.

The Land of No Light is right next to the border of the Holy Kingdom, and the entire territory is covered by the curse of the Silver Witch. Any small monster would be enough to take his life.

Moreover, it's not just his physical weakness, but also his mental fragility.

Ryan's simple, innocent, and kind nature makes it even harder for him to survive in the treacherous borderlands.

Nevertheless, under his intimidating presence, Ryan stubbornly straightened his back—which surprised Lawrence, as his usually timid son actually had the courage to meet his gaze.

When the Duke of Lionheart gets angry, even Ryan's older brother has to bow down.

"Father."

Ryan wasn't afraid of Lawrence at all. The reason was simple: in his previous life, as a gamer, he had used various unorthodox methods to quickly defeat Duke Lionheart, such as 'no-block speedrun,' 'no-roll speedrun,' and 'snack speedrun,' etc.

I've already overcome my inner demons.

"How did you inherit the position of head of the family?" Ryan asked. "Didn't you defeat your eldest and second uncles, as you said before?"

"You know too much!" Lawrence roared.

“Please give me a chance.” Ryan stood ramrod straight, sunlight illuminating his profile, making his golden hair gleam. “And also, give you, a young man, a chance.”

Lawrence's expression was complicated. He really wanted to slap Ryan, but he was afraid of damaging his face and the family's property.

After thinking for a long time, he finally made up his mind.

"Bring Helen over," Lawrence instructed the butler. "I have a task for her."

A moment later, a blonde woman in light armor pushed open the door and entered. She had a dignified air about her and said meticulously, "Sir, you wanted to see me?"

Helen Ashur, a viscount of the Lumin family, was a chaste paladin of the third ring. She had sworn to dedicate her life to the Lumin swordsmanship and was chosen by her family at a young age to become a knight's squire. She was also a rare female swordsman.

"According to the Lu family tradition, if you want something, you have to take it yourself."

"Four days later, at your sixteenth birthday coming-of-age ceremony."

Lawrence stared at Ryan. "You will have a duel with Helen. If you can strike her vital point once, I will grant you the Land of No Light."

Ryan noticed that Lawrence's focus was not only on the 'fight' but also on the 'stabbing'.

"You cannot use magic."

The Duke of Lionheart gave a forced, insincere smile.

"Because the assassins won't give you time to cast spells, only by doing this much can you survive on the border."

This statement caused an uproar; it was an impossible task.

Let a first-ring mage and a third-ring Oath Paladin duel?

It's simply a fantasy.

Observing the astonished expressions of those around him, Lawrence nodded in satisfaction; this was the effect he wanted.

He deliberately set up this impossible test to make Ryan give up.

Given the difficulty of the task, the most nervous and fearful person in the room was naturally Ryan's opponent, Ms. Helen Assyria.

I accidentally entered...

The young knight was now sweating profusely.

Holy crap...

We've been set up...

Which important person did I offend?

She rushed over excitedly when the head of the family summoned her, thinking he was going to promote her and remove her title of knight squire. Little did she expect that he would remove her head.

If you want to kill me, just say so. Why beat around the bush like this?

I entered by mistake.

Please don't agree, please don't agree...

At this moment, Helen could only hope that Ryan would have the self-awareness to know his place.

"Okay."

Ryan flashed a bright smile, the boy's smile as radiant as the sun.

He nodded to the female swordsman.

"Please give it your all in four days."

Helen's face darkened.

How much force should I use so as not to kill this weakling?

Chapter 3 Ryan: A Pokémon with Two Attributes!

Lu Ming Manor, Martial Arts Arena.

Sunlight streamed down the stone slabs, and various helmets and equipment were displayed around the arena. Longswords forged from mithril and magic were luxuriously displayed on both sides, reflecting a gleaming light.

Ryan let out a soft breath and selected a light mithril rapier from the sword rack. The blade was sharp, and the surface was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting a pool of blue light.

[Mithril Rapier]

【Quality: Craftsman-level】

[Strength Requirement: 2 (Curse of Muscle Weakness +1)]

[If the strength requirement is not met, forcibly using the weapon will double the stamina consumption.]

This rapier, forged from mithril, has a sharp and short blade. It is said that the dwarven master craftsman who forged it called it a mithril greatsword.

The rapier was still quite heavy for his current body, especially since the curse of "muscle weakness" was still lingering.

Four days later, he dueled with a warrior in the mid-stage of the third ring and stabbed him once.

Seven days later, the player will descend upon the Land of No Light.

It seemed like an impossible task, but Ryan never did anything he couldn't win. There was still time left; he needed to use these four days to get used to sword duels between warriors.

"The master is furious... This young master is always acting on a whim..."

"He's never held a sword before...look at those skinny arms and legs."

"Well, what can you do when he's a young master?"

The soldiers in the training ground whispered among themselves. The explosive news that Ryan was going to challenge Helen spread throughout the Lu Ming family in a very short time.

You should know that young master Ryan was notoriously weak; he was born into a difficult birth, which led to his mother's death.

Ryan was cursed by the gods from a young age, without any protection. Misfortune seemed to target the unfortunate. He was sickly and wealthy from childhood, and the weight of his rich life made it hard for his frail body to breathe.

As the last child of the Luming family, he had never held a sword. Duke Lawrence also forbade Ryan from learning martial arts, and he was never even provided with an instructor.

This young master, who dared to challenge a knight's squire, was probably just acting on a whim.

If you practice in the training ground for just half an hour, you'll probably cry and give up.

Whether they were soldiers or servants, they all thought the same thing.

However, half an hour passed, and Ryan did not cry. On the contrary, he still had a sunny and cheerful smile on his face.

Ryan knew no swordsmanship, so on the first day, all he could practice was 'swinging his sword'.

He stretched out his arms, gripped the hilt tightly, and swung the mithril one-handed sword again and again. The air rustled as he repeated the mechanical movements. His arms gradually ached. His body was weak, and after only half an hour of swinging, his muscles felt heavy as if filled with lead, and his movements became slower and slower.