Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

“Greetings, Sir Cassius!”

The old man smiled amicably at them.

“What’s the occasion today? How come I have so many visitors?” He jokingly said.

At this moment, another person stepped out of the hut. It was Rigor, the very person they were looking for.

“What are you kids doing here?” Rigor raised his eyebrows upon seeing them.

The young warriors glanced at each other. Their gazes soon rested on Wolf.

Sensing their gazes, Wolf cleared his throat and took a step forward. “Sir Rigor, we have something to tell you.”

“Oh! It seems like the kids have something important to discuss with you.” Cassius chuckled while stroking his beard.

Rigor laughed awkwardly. “I’m sorry for disturbing you, Sir Cassius. I didn’t know that these kids would come here to find me.”

Cassius waved his hand. “It’s alright. It’s rare for my small hut to have this many guests. Why don’t we all come in to discuss this? I can’t let you stand outside in the middle of this heat.”

“That would be great! Thank you for your understanding, sir!” Rigor nodded gratefully.

He then sent the young warriors a resentful glare and reminded them. “What are you guys waiting for? Hurry up and thank Sir Cassius!”

Hearing his words, Renante and the others immediately thanked the old man.

“Thank you, Sir Cassius!”

“No problem!”

Cassius beckoned to them and gestured for them to enter the hut.

“Come inside. I will prepare a cold drink for you guys. Good thing I asked the servants to bring me a block of ice yesterday.”

Everyone entered the thatched hut.

Although this humble house looked small from the outside, it was surprisingly spacious inside. There were all sorts of simple furniture and even some decorations.

The temperature was also cool inside which was a huge contrast to the searing temperature outside.

“You may sit. Just talk comfortably while I bring your drinks.” Cassius seemed to be happy to have so many visitors.

“Let me help you, sir!” Wolf volunteered to help, but the old man rejected him.

“It’s fine. I haven’t had so many visitors for a while.” Cassius didn’t wait for his response and eagerly walked away.

Wolf stared at the old man and mumbled with a sigh. “It seems like Sir Cassius has been lonely here…”

Suddenly, he felt a hand pressing on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw that it was Rigor.

“You don’t have to worry about him. His Highness visits him regularly. Sir Cassius isn’t as lonely as you think. The old man is just excited to have so many visitors at once.” Rigor chuckled.

“Is that so?” Wolf was relieved to hear his words.

“I heard that Sir Cassius had lost his arm during a battle a long time ago,” Rasmus said upon taking his seat.

“That’s true. He also accumulated many injuries during that battle, but he had mostly recovered after being healed by Miss Samiya. When he regrew his amputated arm, he trained once more and later advanced to become a Transcendent Knight.” Rigor replied.

“Miss Samiya is really amazing! If only I had a soul mark too. Unfortunately, I am not fated to become a Beast Soul Warrior.” Wolf slumped on the chair next to Rasmus.

“You want to become a Beast Soul Warrior?” Aliya stared at him in surprise.

The others were also shocked. They didn’t expect to hear this from Wolf.

He was the most talented warrior in their batch so they thought that he was already satisfied with himself.

It turned out that he also had this kind of longing in him.

“Who doesn’t want to?”

Wolf responded with a self-deprecating smile.

“I wonder if there is a way for us to gain a soul mark?” He shook his head with a regretful expression.

“That’s impossible! There has never been a warrior who has gained a soul mark throughout history!” Rasmus scoffed.

While they were talking about this, Cassius returned with a pitcher of cold juice and wooden cups enough for the whole group.

“You guys should drink something cold. This will help you adjust your body temperature in this kind of hot weather.” The old man said as he put the pitcher on a small round table.

“Thank you, sir!”

“That looks good!”

“I would love to try it!”

After filling their cups with the cold juice, Rigor leaned on his chair and asked. “So why are you guys looking for me? Is there something you need?”

Wolf put down his cup and replied.

“Uhm, it’s like this…”

“We want to participate in the coming war.”

Hearing this, Rigor almost spat the juice he was drinking. “What?!”

Cassius was also shocked to hear this. He never thought that these young warriors would actually volunteer to join the war.

Looking at their faces, it seemed like they were serious.

Taking a deep breath, Rigor frowned while shaking his head. “I commend your courage, but I have no say in this matter.”

“Sir, can you at least help us persuade His Highness?” Wolf said with a pleading look.

Rigor rubbed the bridge of his nose and replied in a serious voice. “Look here, kids. I know that you are eager to prove yourselves, but the battlefield is far more dangerous than you think.”

“Do you know how many warriors died in the recent war against the monster colony?”

“…Almost a hundred thousand warriors. Some of them are even Transcendent Knights. Do you understand what I mean?”

Everyone’s expression hardened upon hearing this.

While they were ruminating on his words, Cassius suddenly spoke.

“I don’t want to interfere with your decisions, but Rigor is right. The battles you had gone through are just minor skirmishes between factions.”

“His Highness is planning to lead a battle against Harune. The scale of this war is unimaginable.”

“You guys are still young so you should value your life. If you really want to join His Highness in battle, then train harder. You can join him once you have become more powerful.”

“With your current strength, a small mistake on the battlefield will end your lives.”

“Do you still wish to participate?”