Chen Yu wasn't particularly moved by this scene. On the contrary, it was Yano who seemed to have some deeply buried memories stirred up.
He reached out his hand, his fingertips gently brushing over the hard wooden round shield on the weapon rack, which was covered in deep and shallow slash marks. A look of nostalgia appeared in his eyes.
"So, how is this place? Passable?" Nilly strolled over.
Yano nodded, his tone carrying a touch of emotion. "Quite good, full of... the scent of real combat. I just never thought I'd have the chance in this lifetime to stand again on a training ground symbolizing knightly honor."
"I heard you participated in the White Horse Kingdom's Knight Training Camp in your early years?" Karn, standing to the side, spoke up.
Yano admitted frankly, his voice calm. "That's right. But later... because of a sudden illness, I was ultimately eliminated and had to leave that place."
"Sorry to hear that."
Karn expressed appropriate sympathy, then his expression turned serious as he got to the main point.
"In that case, you should be clear about the rules. I won't say more."
Yano's expression stiffened. He turned to look at Nilly somewhat awkwardly. "Uh, Auntie, didn't you tell Knight Karn that I... I currently don't have a mount?"
Nilly's face lit up with sudden realization. She spread her hands innocently. "I saw you looking so confident the past few days, not even practicing your riding skills. I thought you had already sorted it out, so I forgot to mention it."
"Besides, where in a place like Gore are we supposed to find horses for you? Just have Karn get you a Lizard Mount to make do."
"Yes, Lady Nilly."
Karn waved a hand to his subordinates. Several Cave-dweller knights waiting nearby immediately accepted the order, quickly walking towards the adjacent Lizard Stable. Soon, they led out a grayish-brown Lizard Mount that looked relatively docile.
Karn explained, "We found this fellow about half a month ago in an underground cave near Gore. It's also the only mount in the knight team currently not assigned to anyone."
"Its temper is fairly mild, but it's a bit afraid of strangers. It might not be very obedient when encountering unfamiliar people and requires some patience."
"If you feel it's unsuitable, we can spend more time finding you a more docile or powerful mount."
"No need to trouble yourselves. This one will do." Yano waved his hand.
He wasn't picky. It's just that he had never ridden a lizard before and didn't know what it would feel like.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Yano cautiously approached the Lizard Mount.
Sure enough, as Karn said, this fellow was very afraid of strangers. As soon as it saw Yano approaching, it immediately became restless and agitated. Its thick neck kept swinging, and its four claws anxiously scraped the ground, seemingly ready to flee this environment that made it nervous at any moment.
"Good boy, relax, buddy. I mean you no harm..." Yano took a deep breath, applying his past experience of taming horses. He slowed his movements, using a steady tone to softly soothe it while slowly approaching and extending his hand to let it become familiar with his scent.
After a while, the Lizard Mount seemed to gradually adapt to his presence, no longer resisting his touch as much. Yano seized the moment and tried to swing himself onto its back.
At first glance, his set of soothing and mounting actions seemed quite professional. The taming process appeared quite successful.
However, the problem quickly revealed itself.
Due to having almost zero familiarity with this Lizard Mount, when Yano tried to control it to move forward, the lizard walked in a wobbly, unsteady manner. The execution of commands was halting and stumbling, completely unable to achieve synchronization.
"Troublesome..."
Yano scratched his head, somewhat vexed.
The control methods he was familiar with for horses were clearly different from those for lizards. This first ride felt quite awkward.
If it were just to pass the trial, perhaps relying on his current strength and swordsmanship, even with clumsy riding skills, it might barely suffice.
But the problem was—the Boss made a bet with Auntie!
He absolutely could not lose!
If the Boss lost the bet because of his poor riding skills and couldn't protect the Boss's treasure, then he would be a truly incompetent subordinate.
Nilly saw his predicament at a glance. Placing her hands on her hips, she snorted proudly twice, her face filled with a confident expression.
Just as Yano was still vexed, the Slime on his shoulder suddenly moved.
Chen Yu wriggled his gel and spat out the talent orb that Bat Slime Number Two had delivered earlier.
"Feed this to it. It should be useful."
"Oh, okay."
Upon hearing this, Yano immediately took the soft, squishy gel orb. He reached out again towards the Lizard Mount's mouth, coaxing, "Good boy, eat this. It's good stuff."
The Lizard Mount, which had still been somewhat resistant to Yano's hand, had its gaze instantly and firmly locked onto the gel orb emitting an enticing aura the moment it saw it.
For some reason, it felt this lump looked very delicious, making it involuntarily secrete quite a bit of saliva.
Thus, the lizard unhesitatingly extended its tongue, wrapped it around the orb, and swallowed it.
With a "gulp," the gel orb slid down its throat. The Lizard Mount's body trembled slightly, as if sensing some wonderful change. When it looked at Yano and the little Slime on his shoulder again, most of its wariness and unfamiliarity had actually dissipated, replaced by a sense of closeness.
"Ssss..." It let out a low, docile chirp, actively rubbing its large head affectionately against Yano's arm.
This scene made the surrounding Cave-dweller knights show expressions of surprise and admiration.
"So fast to tame it?"
"As expected of someone who participated in the Kingdom's formal Knight Training Camp."
Nilly, however, looked at Chen Yu suspiciously, lowering her voice. "Hey, Little One, you're not cheating, are you? I'm watching. Don't think you can trick your way through."
Chen Yu blinked his eyes innocently. "Of course not. This is Yano's personal charm."
"Is that so? Fine, I'll believe you for now. But you have to come with me to the spectator area outside the field, lest you secretly pull some tricks."
Yano patted his chest, assuring him, "Don't worry, Boss. I'll do my utmost."
"Good."
Chen Yu's gel body bobbed up and down. He secretly secreted two small lumps of special gel, told Yano how to use them, then gently jumped, landing on Nilly's outstretched palm.
"Hehe, come with Auntie to the spectator seats, little guy. Don't think about cheating."
Nilly held him in her arms like a hand warmer and, along with the remaining Cave-dweller knights, withdrew from the center of the training ground to the spectator area at the edge.
In the field, only Yano on his Lizard Mount and Karn, standing ready, remained.
Following his Boss's instructions, Yano secretly attached one lump of gel to the forehead of the Lizard Mount.
Immediately after, a flash of surprise crossed Yano's eyes, but he quickly concealed this anomaly.
He simply lightly tapped the lizard's belly with his heel. This mount, which had been quite disobedient before, now obediently stepped forward, agilely and steadily trotting to a position directly opposite Karn.
Seeing this, Karn showed slight surprise but didn't ask further. He just said solemnly, "Mr. Yano, I am ready to begin at any time."
"I am also ready."
Yano closed his eyes, took a deep breath. When he opened them again, the edges and sharpness that life had worn down now burst forth from his eyes once more, like a drawn sword.
At this moment, he felt as if he had traveled through time, returning to those passionate years of his youth spent dealing with sweat, training, horses, and Magical Creatures all day long.
And this time, there would be no more accidents.
He would become a true knight.
The two men faced off in the field. An intangible aura began to rise and clash. The air seemed to be filled with a tense fighting spirit.
Watching this scene from outside the field, Nilly couldn't help but click her tongue in admiration. "Oh, this aura looks quite the real deal."
She shouted towards the field, "Karn, don't hold back. Teach this youngster a good lesson for me. Absolutely don't hold back, or you might suffer a loss."
Hearing this, Karn was slightly taken aback. He tightened his grip on the enchanted round shield and spear in his hands, then nodded seriously.
"Yes, Lady Nilly."
He turned to Yano, his tone carrying a hint of apology but more seriousness. "Mr. Yano, my apologies. Orders cannot be disobeyed."
Chen Yu also bounced once in Nilly's arms, cheering Yano on. "Yano, show your full strength and aura. Don't let them look down on you."
"Yes!"
Yano responded loudly, suddenly drawing the broadsword that looked quite heavy. He gripped the hilt tightly with one hand, his gaze sharp as a torch, firmly locked on Karn.
"Come, Knight Karn!" he shouted lowly.
"Good!"
There was no unnecessary talk between the two. Karn directly flicked the reins, urging the Lizard Mount beneath him to charge.
The lizard's starting speed was astonishingly fast. Its four claws scraped the ground as it charged towards Yano like an arrow shot from a bow, its speed even surpassing that of a galloping steed on the plains.
Although Yano was already very alert, he still suffered from a lack of experience, not expecting the Lizard Mount to start so quickly. In an instant, Karn had already charged to his front, his spear thrusting out with a cold glint.
He hastily raised his sword to block, but didn't expect Karn's thrust to be a feint. The spear shook mid-air, bypassing the broadsword's defensive range, and thrust into the opening at his arm.
Yano's gaze sharpened. His body instinctively leaned back, trying to dodge. The Lizard Mount beneath him seemed to gain sentience, as if able to predict his movements. Coordinating with his shifting center of gravity, it helped him narrowly dodge this attack.
His riding skills are strange.
This Stone Descendant doesn't seem as simple as he looks.
This thought flashed through Karn's mind. He didn't recklessly close in on Yano for close combat just because he had gained the initiative. Instead, he controlled his mount to quickly create distance, cautiously observing and looking for the next opportunity.
After all, Cave-dweller knights don't have an advantage in pure strength. What makes them stronger is their rock-like tough physique and endurance.
And the opponent, Yano, was using a broadsword, yet he swung it with a relaxed expression and steady breathing. Karn guessed Yano's strength must not be low, probably already approaching the limit of an ordinary warrior profession, only slightly weaker than himself.
Unlike human knights who favor frontal charges and head-on clashes, Cave-dweller knights have lived for generations in narrow tunnels and complex jungles. Their tactics lean more towards flexible and mobile guerrilla warfare.
Even if their strength is inferior to their opponent's, they can rely on the powerful endurance granted by their racial talents, as well as the unparalleled flexibility of Lizard Mounts in complex terrain, to exhaust human knights.
Cave-dwellers are more adept at patiently observing during maneuvering, figuring out their opponent's attack patterns, strength levels, and habitual movements, then seizing an opening to launch a fatal strike.
This is the combat instinct their ancestors honed with blood and life while hunting in the perilous underground world.
After testing, Karn quickly retreated, exploiting Yano's weakness in skillfully controlling the Lizard Mount, and began maneuvering along the edges of the training ground.
He was like a patient hunter, sometimes quickly closing in, launching one or two swift harassing thrusts with his spear. Whether they hit or not, he immediately retreated far away, never lingering in combat.
He continuously wore down Yano's energy, trying to provoke him, to make him reveal a greater opening.
Chen Yu looked up, curiously asking, "Didn't you bet he would lose? Why are you still cheering for him?"
With Yano not nearby, Nilly could finally extend her index finger without restraint, gently poking the soft, bouncy body of the Slime in her arms. She chuckled, "Silly little thing, Auntie doesn't want him to lose. The bet is the bet, but if he can win, it means the family will gain another powerful Stone Descendant. I'd be overjoyed."
"My opinion is the opposite. Just wait and see."
Chen Yu's entire gel body exuded an aura of calmness. Then he snuggled into a more comfortable position in Nilly's arms.
"Alright then, you definitely secretly left him some contingency plan, didn't you? Confess!"
"No."
"Really not? I don't believe you!" Nilly gently tickled the Slime's "ticklish spot" with her finger, trying to make it tell the truth.
While the two were still engaged in their meaningless argument, Yano on the field dodged Karn's attack again.
He had just wanted to seize the moment to counterattack, but found Karn had already retreated far away, once again creating a safe distance between them.
Karn's riding speed was clearly abnormal. Not only did the Lizard Mount itself have strong explosive power, but it also seemed to have received some kind of speed boost from the knight profession to mounts. This made it difficult for Yano to react in time.
Yet, it was precisely this sense of stifling frustration that acted like a spark falling into dry tinder, igniting Yano's long-dormant fighting spirit.
He no longer felt agitated. Instead, he completely immersed himself in the state of combat. His mind rapidly worked. The knightly tactics and training instincts sealed deep in his mind for many years began to take effect.
A thought flashed through his mind. He pretended to pursue, swinging his broadsword for another fierce chop, deliberately not immediately withdrawing his strength to defend, leaving an opening in his body.
Although Karn was somewhat suspicious that Yano was doing this on purpose, he didn't plan to let this good opportunity pass. After all, his margin for error was much higher than this Stone Descendant who hadn't yet become a knight.
The Lizard Mount suddenly lunged forward. The spear in his hand, carrying a shriek that tore through the air, thrust straight towards the opening at Yano's left hand.
Just as he thought Yano wouldn't be able to dodge, the mount beneath him once again miraculously instantly changed its running direction, helping Yano dodge the spear and deliberately circled around to the attack dead angle and visual blind spot behind Karn's right hand.
Just as he thought Yano wouldn't be able to dodge, the mount beneath him once again miraculously instantly changed its running direction, helping Yano dodge the spear and deliberately circled around to the attack blind spot and visual dead zone behind Karn's right hand.
Yano didn't hesitate at all. The broadsword in his hand, leveraging the mount's charging momentum and the twisting power of his own waist and abdomen, carrying a heavy aura, fiercely chopped down towards Karn's weakly defended right rear side.
Karn, after all, was an experienced knight. In the critical moment, his combat instinct made him have no time to think. Relying on feeling, he violently twisted his body, protecting his left arm's enchanted round shield towards his back.
The broadsword and the enchanted round shield collided solidly. The impact sound made one's eardrums go numb.
A force far exceeding Karn's expectations, like a bursting flood, transmitted through the shield surface to his arm, shocking his entire side of the body numb.
This isn't the strength an ordinary warrior should have!
His face changed slightly. He almost couldn't hold the shield. The Lizard Mount beneath him was also pushed into a stagger with its four claws, continuously retreating backward for several steps.