Chapter 38: Harvest

"Wait, didn’t Uncle Garen say we’re not allowed to use longswords?" Myron suddenly recalled something and asked aloud.

"I don’t know either. You should ask Uncle Garen!" David shrugged, took back the longsword from Myron, and replied.

"Myron, go on and practice properly. Don’t compare yourself to David—just do your best," Garen approached the two at that moment, his voice deep and steady.

Hearing this familiar answer, Myron could only lower his head. He picked up a warhammer from the ground and began to practice once more.

David sensed that Garen’s words had struck a blow to Myron’s confidence yet again.

"David, every member of the Lixin Security Company has been taken in for investigation, and the company itself has been sealed off. Now we just wait for further news," Garen said to David.

He had already contacted someone to initiate the investigation. For a company without any significant backing, there was no chance to resist a thorough official inquiry.

"Thank you for your trouble, Uncle Garen," David expressed his gratitude.

"David, grow stronger as quickly as you can. Who knows, one day I may need your help," Garen said with a smile.

To David, it sounded like a joke, but in Garen’s heart, it was a genuine hope.

The city of Peran was in turmoil today. The fierce battle between nine Armored Fighters sent shockwaves through the surrounding area, leaving everyone nearby shaken and fearful.

Fortunately, it didn’t last long before the police arrived to handle the situation.

But soon after, the largest security firm in Peran—Lixin Security—was surrounded by a large number of police officers, with several Armored Fighters accompanying them.

From the general manager to the clerks, even the janitorial staff—everyone in Lixin Security was taken away, and every data terminal in the company was confiscated.

After the police left, the area was cordoned off by Skynet, a red light barrier marking Lixin Security as a restricted zone. Anyone entering illegally would be tracked by Skynet.

David spent the entire day in the underground gym, practicing the Storm Warhammer technique. Although he was eager to check on the Shadow Attendant’s gains in his bedroom, Garen was strict, demanding that he repeat his exercises tirelessly.

By around five in the afternoon, both David and Myron were drenched in sweat, and they had used up quite a bit of their Level 1 fortified meat for energy.

Of course, the gap between them hadn’t narrowed with time. After a full day’s training, and spurred on by witnessing the Armored Fighters in combat, David’s mastery of the warhammer had reached nearly 50% proficiency.

He estimated that with one more day of practice, he would match the late Amos—the former chief of security at the Star Hotel.

Myron, meanwhile, was still at a beginner’s level. He had learned most of the Storm Warhammer technique, and if not for being compared to David, his progress would have been considered quite good.

"That’s enough for today," Garen said, clapping his hands as he looked at the two exhausted boys.

"Thank goodness, I thought my arms were going to fall off!" Myron dropped his warhammer to the ground and shook his arms vigorously.

"Myron, your aptitude isn’t the best, so you must practice even harder," Garen reminded him.

Myron was stunned by this comment. Being told his aptitude wasn’t very good felt like a crushing blow.

But when he glanced at David beside him, his heart calmed. "Uncle Garen must be comparing me to David—he must be," he repeated to himself.

"David, the trail at Lixin Security has gone cold. Chief Jixin, who was serving you, committed suicide at the police station," Garen informed David, his tone thick with discontent toward the police.

Anyone with sense knew it was impossible to commit suicide in a police station, with surveillance and guards everywhere. There was no way Chief Jixin could have done so easily.

But this wasn’t Garen’s turf, and his people couldn’t look into it further. With the local police system blocking the trail, it would be hard to find anything more.

"The rest of Lixin Security’s staff, including the general manager, knew nothing about your home’s security system. Still, since their people were involved, they’ll have to pay up," Garen continued. At that moment, David thought Garen had the air of a bandit.

"I kept the main server from Lixin Security. Someone will deliver it to you soon. I know you’ve studied related fields—the main server should be useful to you. But remember, your studies are very broad; don’t lose focus. Physical techniques and martial skills are your foundation," Garen warned.

"Thank you, Uncle Garen." David couldn’t remember how many times he’d thanked him now, but his excitement was impossible to hide at the prospect of receiving such a treasure.

A security company’s main server was at least a small server-class machine, far more powerful than his K2 Military Electronic Warfare Device.

At the very least, when launching remote attacks, using a real server would greatly improve his effectiveness.

After all, the K2 Military Electronic Warfare Device was only a portable combat tool, packed with ready-made attack programs and military-grade electronic signals, but its processing power was a world apart from server-level hardware.

Garen merely smiled; to him, it was a casual gesture. Lixin Security should be grateful he let them off lightly—otherwise, they would have been ruined in an instant.

After dinner, Myron dragged his tired body back to his first-floor bedroom. With such intense training, he’d lost all desire to go out and play.

Garen, meanwhile, left the house to handle his own affairs.

David returned to his room and immediately summoned the Shadow Attendant, placing his hand upon its body.

Before he could even sense the knowledge spheres within the Shadow Attendant, he was enveloped in a warm energy. To say he was wrapped up isn’t quite right—it was his soul that was being gently embraced by warmth.

A soothing sensation rose from deep within his soul, just as it had when the Shadow Attendant had transmitted knowledge before.

The weariness of the day, combined with the comfort to his soul, lulled him into a deep and unbidden sleep.

When he awoke again, his identity wristband showed that it was already ten o’clock at night.

"Shadow Attendant, display my attribute panel," he ordered, once again placing his hand on the Shadow Attendant.

On his attribute panel, he saw: Spirit: 3.4 (1). His spirit had increased by 0.4.

With this growth, new insights surfaced as he recalled the Storm Warhammer technique. He noticed his Warhammer Mastery (82% proficiency) had changed on the panel—it now read Warhammer Mastery (83% proficiency).

In other words, through his reflections on the day’s practice, he had gone beyond the knowledge imparted by Amos, gaining his own unique understanding of the warhammer.

"Maybe I really am a genius," David said to himself with a hint of vanity.

After all, Amos had fought countless battles to achieve such results, while David had simply thought things through and improved by 1%. How could he not feel proud?

But when he tried to reflect on electronic warfare, no insights arose, and his mastery didn’t improve at all.

Unwilling to accept this, he tried the same with Battleaxe Mastery (33% initiated) and Physical Techniques (1% proficiency), but mere contemplation yielded not even a single percent of progress.

Then he remembered Garen’s instructions about the Storm Warhammer technique and the five Glimmering Armored Fighters he’d watched using the method in combat today. He shook his head—so the 1% increase in Warhammer Mastery came from there.

Amos had never had a chance to learn the Storm Warhammer technique; all his skill was gained through battle, while David now had access to a greater depth of knowledge.

Having figured it out, David finally turned his attention to the Shadow Attendant's inner world, where he saw four new spheres of knowledge.

This time, two of the new knowledge spheres were yellow, and both were deep and vivid in color.

The other two were orange, likely representing only proficiency-level knowledge.

The four spheres also confirmed what he had long suspected: each soul could yield only one knowledge sphere.

He focused his attention on them, and their properties were revealed:

Longsword Mastery (80% expert), Spear Mastery (99% expert), Shield Mastery (50% proficient), Battleaxe Mastery (70% proficient).