Lynd seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, easily dodging the attack from behind, and at the same time, he turned and swung his sword, striking the sneak attacker's chest.
If it had been a real sword, the sneak attacker would have been severely wounded and unable to fight, but now, the sneak attacker could still continue to attack him, and there were two others cooperating to surround Lynd.
An ordinary person facing such a siege would surely be flustered and overwhelmed, but Lynd appeared very relaxed.
His footsteps were as light as a deer in the forest, and his movements were as free as a butterfly among flowers.
He was always able to easily evade attacks just as they were about to land on him, and he could even counter-attack with the momentum, his weapon precisely hitting vital points.
If he hadn't been wielding two wooden swords, and if the attackers hadn't been wearing leather armor, these three attackers would have probably died dozens of times over.
However, even so, some of Lynd's counter-attacks could still penetrate the gaps in the leather armor, striking the unprotected areas of the attackers, causing them immense pain.
"Stop, stop!" After Lynd's wooden sword pierced through the leather armor and poked one of the attackers, that attacker finally couldn't bear the pain on his body anymore.
He took two steps back, repeatedly waved his hands, then took off his leather armor, lifted his shirt, revealing bruises all over his body, and gasped, "No more training. If we continue, the sparring fee my old man gave me probably won't even be enough to cover my injuries."
Seeing someone stop, the other two sparring partners, who were also at their limit, put down their wooden swords and shields, indicating that they were also done.
Lynd was gasping for air, leaning on the ground with his wooden sword, looking at the three sparring partners carefully selected by Bane with a slight apology.
Half a month ago, Lynd's injuries had completely healed, but there was still no news from Bane.
Although Smiling Will had been found, Will had not given Bane a clear answer, only telling Bane to wait until the Red Lake guards needed to expand.
Lynd was not worried about this, because from the news obtained in the tavern, it was not difficult to see that Red Lake, Old Oak, and Goldengrove would definitely have big moves.
At that time, Red Lake would certainly summon its people, and then he would only need to bring his weapon to the battlefield.
He believed that with his strength, he would definitely be able to achieve impressive results, and coupled with his current reputation as a Bear Hunter, as long as the people of House Crane were not blind, they should not let go of such a capable subordinate.
Perhaps, he wouldn't even need to start as a low-level guard, but could directly assume a higher position.
After putting aside the matter of becoming a Red Lake guard, Lynd began to focus on various training regimens.
Physical fitness and other basic physical quality training were naturally the most important, but he also didn't neglect sword training, it was just that he had never had an opponent for actual combat training.
After Bane watched him practice his sword once, he felt that it was useless for him to continue practicing alone like this, so he would occasionally help Lynd hire actual combat training partners from the passing merchant caravans and mercenaries.
At first, it was just one-on-one training, but it was quickly discovered that Lynd completely suppressed his opponents in one-on-one training, making the training almost ineffective.
Lynd also felt that the dual-wielding swordsmanship he had mastered was too strong; if he encountered a knight who had undergone years of training, there might be some training value, but against an ordinary mercenary in a one-on-one fight, it was simply too easy for him.
So he proactively suggested increasing the number of opponents, and after less than ten days of actual combat training, he was already able to easily suppress the encirclement of three mercenaries.
Based on his current state, it was estimated that perhaps only by increasing the number to five people would he feel pressure.
Although the sword skill he displayed during these days of training was astonishing, he also exposed some physical deficiencies.
He could only maintain high-intensity combat like just now for two or three minutes; after that time, his physical strength would plummet, and his combat effectiveness would also decrease as a result.
This deficiency could not be remedied in a short time and required long-term exercise to change.
While handing the prepared bruise-healing ointment to the hired mercenaries, Bane analyzed to Lynd, "Ordinary mercenaries can no longer put pressure on you, and adding a few more would be the same. You need real combat, preferably against true warriors, to help improve your strength."
Saying that, he paused, looked at Lynd who was still gasping, and said, "You shouldn't continue to find people to spar with recently; more physical training would be better."
After paying, he walked to Lynd's side, grabbed Lynd's arm and squeezed it, saying, "You are too thin now; you need to gain some weight.
I will make you more stewed meat and mashed beans during this time, which should make you stronger."
Although Lynd felt that Bane's arrangement conflicted with his own physical training plan, he did not refuse.
After all, his training plan also required a large amount of high-calorie food support.
Stewed meat and mashed beans might not taste good, but they could provide the energy needed to sustain his training.
Moreover, Bane's suggestion was not unreasonable, because due to absorbing the combat experience of the Parallel Walker, his training would unconsciously follow the direction of the Parallel Walker.
In training, agile dodging and stealth concealment were the focus of his training, so his training direction was entirely focused on speed, which made his weight excessively light, especially with very little body fat.
One must know that on a cold weapon battlefield, fat can be considered the last armor.
If a person with enough fat on their body is attacked, there is a very high probability that only the fat layer will be injured, and the muscles and bones will not be harmed; he would still have the ability to fight.
However, if Lynd's current body were to be solidly attacked, without the protection of fat, the attack would directly act on the muscles and bones, very likely causing injury and losing most of his combat effectiveness.
Lynd nodded and replied, "I understand! I will adjust my training method."
Seeing that Lynd did not refute him but directly agreed to adjust his training method, Bane also felt a bit surprised, because in the past, Lynd's personality was very stubborn.
Once he decided on something, he would never change it, and even if he himself offered advice, he would use various words to refute it, just like this adventurous bear hunt.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Lynd noticed the unusual expression on Bane's face, realizing that he might have done something different from before, so he asked casually.
"No, it's good." Bane smiled, indicating that Lynd was fine.
Although Lynd had changed a bit, this change was good in his opinion.
About half a month passed again.
During this half month, Lynd had been undergoing weight gain training, and he didn't know if it was due to the large amount of training or the effect of the Golden Finger, but in short, both his height and weight had significantly increased during this period.
Originally, his height was similar to most hunters in Whitegrove, only about 1.7 meters, but now he had grown to about 1.9 meters.
Such a height was already outstanding in Whitegrove; he even had to lower his head to enter Bane's tavern.
And as his weight increased, his body size also grew larger and larger, looking like an upright walking bear from a distance.
Precisely because of this, rumors quickly began to spread in Whitegrove and among the merchant caravans traveling to and from Whitegrove.
Most of these rumors claimed that the reason Lynd had undergone such a significant change in a short period was because he had devoured the spirit of the mountain bear when he killed it, thereby acquiring the mountain bear's physique and strength.
These rumors made people revere Lynd even more.
Some Whitegrove residents who previously had a poor relationship with Lynd would instinctively avoid him from a distance after seeing him, let alone look up at him.
The behavior of the Whitegrove people also made Lynd feel increasingly uncomfortable staying in Whitegrove.
In fact, he didn't hold much resentment or hatred towards the Whitegrove people's attempt to take everything from him when he was on the verge of death.
On one hand, it was because he was not the real Lynd and had no emotional attachment to the people and things of Whitegrove.
On the other hand, he didn't think there was anything wrong with what the Whitegrove people did; in such a poor environment, utilizing all available resources was human nature, and he would do the same if he encountered such a situation.
Precisely because of this, he had already considered improving his relationship with the Whitegrove people during the period immediately after his recovery, so that he could utilize the population advantage of the Whitegrove people in the future.
Undoubtedly, to develop one's own power in such a backward world, fellow villagers are absolutely the most important demographic resource, not to mention that most of the people in Whitegrove are archers and also know a bit of swordsmanship; with a little training, they can become good warriors.
Lynd considered that if he could obtain some position in the army under a certain noble in the future, recruiting people from Whitegrove would allow his power to quickly take shape.
But now, the fear and apprehension of the Whitegrove people caused his plans to be shattered before they could even begin.
He could clearly feel that even if he actively tried to improve his relationship with the Whitegrove people and explained that he didn't hate them, the Whitegrove people probably wouldn't believe that he would let go of his hatred.
The change in his thinking also meant that when he heard the Whitegrove people spreading rumors about him devouring the mountain bear's spirit and gaining its power, he did not stop these exaggerated rumors.
Instead, he would actively display some abilities he didn't have before in front of the Whitegrove people, further deepening the authenticity of these rumors, allowing the Whitegrove people to voluntarily become loudspeakers for his legendary experiences, and the rumors created by the Whitegrove people quickly began to take effect.
As usual, after completing his daily training, Lynd prepared to go to Bane's tavern to eat the weight-gain food specially prepared for him, but he was blocked by attendants at the entrance.
"You are the Bear Hunter, much taller than I imagined, very good, very good!" A noble dressed in luxurious clothes looked Lynd up and down with an arrogant gaze, nodding as if he were inspecting a commodity.
Lynd looked at this young noble who deliberately kept a full beard to make himself look mature, his gaze quickly sweeping over the golden crane emblem branded on the saddle of the high-quality horse at the tavern entrance and the six soldiers following behind the noble, and he had some guesses about the identity of the person in front of him.
Although he had roughly guessed the identity of the newcomer, Lynd did not know what the other party's purpose was, only vaguely feeling some hostility in the other party's gaze.
Even though he felt hostility, Lynd did not show any unusual emotions.
Instead, like a normal person encountering a provocation, he took two steps back, while placing his hand on the small hand axe at his waist, and asked the noble cautiously, "Who are you? I don't know you?"
Seeing Lynd's extremely disrespectful reaction, the noble frowned slightly, but quickly recovered his previous arrogant expression and was about to signal the soldiers beside him to introduce his identity to Lynd.
"You brat, what are you trying to do!" At this moment, Bane suddenly rushed out of the tavern, wanting to give Lynd a hard smack on the back of his head, but due to his height, he could only heavily pat Lynd's back.
And as he withdrew his hand, he subtly squeezed Lynd's arm firmly, as if hinting at something, before bowing to the young noble and saying, "Lord Crowe, please don't blame him. Ever since he recovered from his injury, he has become particularly sensitive to everything around him, like a frightened little rabbit, and he didn't intend to target you, my lord.
If you don't believe me, ask the other people in the village!"
"A little rabbit? This little rabbit is quite large. Old Bane, you don't need to explain, I know very well what he is, a brave Bear Hunter, right!" The young noble glared slightly at Bane, signaling him to shut up, then looked at Lynd and said, "I am Ser Crowe Kleen of Red Lake.
I heard legends about you in the tavern and was very curious about you, so I came to see what a Bear Hunter looks like.
Although you are a bit worse than I expected, you are still not bad."
Lynd said nothing, only looking at the other party calmly.
Ser Crowe, seeing that Lynd gave him no response, felt insulted, and his face grew increasingly gloomy.
However, he then seemed to think of something, a cold sneer appeared on his face, and his gaze towards Lynd was like looking at a dead person, saying, "However, I still don't quite believe the rumors, so…"
As he spoke, he turned and winked at one of the soldiers beside him, then took a few steps back and said, "Since you can hunt a mountain bear, then defeating my attendant bare-handed shouldn't be difficult, right?"
"My lord…" Bane's face suddenly changed upon hearing this, and he quickly tried to plead for Lynd.
With his rich combat experience, he clearly understood the vast difference between someone with a weapon and someone without.
Moreover, the opponent not only had a weapon but also wore a full set of leather armor.
No matter how astonishing Lynd's dual-wielding swordsmanship had been previously, he did not believe Lynd could defeat this fully armed soldier under such disparate conditions.
"Bane, I know you went to see that fellow Will, wanting to help the Bear Hunter join the guard. I am now testing whether he is qualified to join the guard." Ser Crowe stopped Bane's plea, directly revealing what Bane had done in Red Lake a while ago.
Then he put on an expression as if he had just thought of something, saying, "Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention something just now. Smiling Will has been relieved of his duty as Captain of the Red Lake Guard due to corruption and has been locked in the dungeon. He will be executed with other prisoners in a couple of days. The current Captain of the Red Lake Guard is me, Ser Crowe Crane."
Upon hearing the other party's remarks, how could Bane not know that he seemed to have inadvertently become involved in the power struggle of House Crane?
This Ser Crowe in front of him was here to teach him a lesson.
Seeing that the situation could no longer be changed, Bane could only turn and apologetically pat Lynd's shoulder, then leaned into Lynd's ear and said, "You must use your full strength, don't hold back."