This world offered many extraordinary paths.
Among them, the Knight’s Path was undoubtedly the most widespread—and just as powerful.
Through daily physical training, one could become a trainee knight. From there, by practicing a knightly breathing technique, one officially stepped onto this path.
In other words, anyone willing to endure hardship had a chance.
From beginning to end, the stages of knight cultivation were:
Trainee Knight, Official Knight, Bronze Knight, Silver Knight, Gold Knight, Sky Knight, Sanctuary Knight, and Legendary Knight.
Excluding trainee knight, which had no real requirements, the other seven levels made up the true journey of a knight.
In the early stages, differences between knights weren’t absolute. An official knight might lag behind a bronze knight in strength, speed, and physique, but with enough talent, such gaps could be bridged.
The breathing techniques themselves caused minor differences in base stats, and some people were born with greater physical strength. After becoming knights, such individuals naturally outperformed others.
But the further along one advanced, the harder these gaps were to overcome.
There were legends of Gold Knights defeating Sky Knights, but no record existed of a Sky Knight defeating a Sanctuary Knight.
"Such immense power..."
Ryan looked at the slain great-horned stag. He felt as though he could crush it with one hand.
Then, his eyes turned to his Spirituality panel:
[Divinity: Blessing of the Stag Spirit]
"Blessing of the Stag Spirit?"
When Ryan awoke, he saw the villagers staring at him in shock—especially the elders, who were visibly overcome with emotion.
"The Stag Spirit still lives! It didn’t fall!"
"Our faith... it still exists!"
Saying that, they fell to their knees before Ryan.
Ryan turned to Brand. Indeed, this young man had been the most likely to receive the blessing. In that moment, Ryan had felt his closeness—not to himself, but to the Stag Spirit.
But what remained of the spirit possessed only a wisp of divinity—not enough to bestow a blessing.
"You want the Stag Spirit’s blessing?"
"Yes. Only with it can I step into the supernatural—only then can I lead my tribe to survive the eternal winter."
Brand’s eyes were filled with longing as he looked at Ryan.
"The Stag Spirit no longer has the power to bless you. You know this."
Brand fell silent, but Ryan’s next words reignited the light in his eyes:
"The Stag Spirit cannot bless you anymore. But I can."
Then Ryan addressed the circle of hundreds of villagers around him:
"From this day forward, I will be able to bless you. I can also take you away from this frozen land—to a place just a little bit warmer, where life is better."
"As you wish—I am a noble. So I ask: Do you wish to become my subjects?"
As his words fell, the nearest circle of elders prostrated themselves with joyous cries:
"We, people of Eikseniel, shall serve you with eternal loyalty!"
When Ryan touched the Stag Spirit, he had sensed the noble qualities within these people.
The Stag Spirit’s people were brave and fierce—and loyal to what they protected.
The moment they all swore loyalty and became his subjects, Ryan’s Spirituality soared to a new height:
The 461 villagers of this settlement had given him a massive influx of spirituality.
Ryan turned again to Brand.
"Will you become my Guardian Knight?"
Brand knelt on one knee, eyes resolute.
"Brand pledges his loyalty."
He contributed ten times the spirituality of any other villager. In this moment, Ryan grew solemn and placed his palm on Brand’s brow.
In an instant, 100 spirituality points vanished. In their place, a small ethereal Stag Spirit entered Brand’s forehead.
Blessing of the Stag Spirit—Brand’s strength visibly surged. His presence now matched Ryan’s own.
The villagers around them stared with fervent admiration.
"The Stag Knight Breathing Technique..."
Brand’s eyes sparkled. When Ryan looked at him again, intuitive labels appeared in his mind:
[Breathing Technique Mastery Boost]
The Blessing of the Stag Spirit was the same for all, but what they gained from it depended entirely on the individual.
"Constitution Boost" and "Breathing Technique Boost" were effects of the blessing itself—amplifying Brand’s training and stat growth with the Stag Knight technique.
But the virtue tags like "Bravery" and "Loyalty" came from Brand himself.
Ryan believed such a man didn’t just need the blessing—he deserved it. In this cruel land, Ryan’s arrival may have been the only saving grace.
If other villagers were merely laborers, craftsmen, or soldiers, then Brand was a hero unit.
With Brand leading them, soldiers would charge into any war without fear. His very presence would inspire hope among the territory’s people.
But to Ryan, the most precious attribute was this:
[Loyalty] — not just loyalty to Ryan, but a deeply rooted moral code.
Brand was loyal to his guardianship, to his heart, to the lord he served, to his word and duty. Ryan knew better than to ask him to betray those things.
At this moment, Ryan was more emotional than even his steward Beard—but he kept his feelings in check and turned to the crowd of hopeful eyes.
"Do you wish to become my knight squires?"
"We pledge our loyalty to you!"
One by one, the young and middle-aged men knelt. Their wives and mothers looked on from a distance with hope in their eyes.
Ryan glanced at his Spirituality again. Since Brand’s blessing had cost 100 points, and he offered 10 times the return, it made sense:
For others, 10 points per blessing would be enough.
With 398 spirituality points remaining, Ryan looked at the expectant crowd. After a moment’s hesitation, he turned to Brand.
"I can only bless 30. Do you have any suggestions?"
"I will follow your will," Brand replied.
Brand, now an official knight, stepped forward and selected 30 men from the crowd.
Ryan placed his trust in him.
300 points of spirituality were spent in a flash. In an instant, he had gained 30 new trainee knights.
He could feel the constitution and breathing technique boosts on all of them—though their virtue tags were lesser than Brand’s, many still carried:
"It’s like enchanting weapons..." Ryan thought,
"Only here, I’m enchanting people."