Chapter 3: Lynd’s Composure

After leaving the young drunkard Old Baine, Lynd returned directly to his cabin. Demonstrating his swordsmanship in the tavern had left him exhausted, and he longed to collapse onto his bed and rest. However, the sharp pain in his back reminded him that rest would have to wait. The position of his bandages needed to be adjusted to prevent his injury from worsening.

Though wielding two-handed swordsmanship had further strained his recovering body and aggravated his back injury, it had been worth it. Everything had unfolded as he had planned, and now, he only needed to stay home and await the next steps.

Since regaining consciousness and realizing he had been reborn in a world resembling the Middle Ages, Lynd had been carefully plotting his future. Living as a commoner was the first option he dismissed. Having been given a second chance, he had no intention of remaining at society's lowest rung—especially since he possessed a "cheat."

The idea of becoming a merchant was also swiftly discarded. In both Eastern and Western contexts, merchants were often treated poorly, their status marginal unless they operated in a commerce-centric region like a Free City. More often than not, merchants were seen as little more than walking coin purses.

Thus, achieving nobility became his sole viable path. Over the next month, confined to bed and unable to move, he devoted his time to meticulously devising various strategies to ascend to nobility. He accounted for every conceivable contingency, determined to prepare for the unexpected.

Though this world differed from the medieval Western society he initially imagined—being a world of ice and fire instead—the social systems bore enough similarities for his plans to remain relevant. Minor adjustments were necessary, and these tweaks could help him achieve his goals even faster. One such adjustment was to participate in the Tournament of Champions.

Initially, he hadn't considered tournaments as part of his strategy. In medieval traditions, only nobles could partake in such events. The idea of a commoner anonymously donning armor, competing, and earning fame was pure fiction—romanticized by novelists. Strict identity checks for participants ensured no commoner could infiltrate a noble's tournament.

However, the Tournament of the Seven Kingdoms offered exceptions. Beyond the core jousting events reserved for nobles, there were team battles and archery competitions open to commoners. While these lacked the prestige of jousting, they still presented a chance to gain recognition and wealth.

With fame, a commoner might attract the attention of a noble lord. Joining a noble's service and earning military achievements could eventually lead to being granted knighthood. Alternatively, a well-known individual might become a squire to a knight, which could also pave the way to knighthood.

Knighthood marked the lowest tier of the aristocratic hierarchy in the Seven Kingdoms. While not full-fledged nobility, it was a critical stepping stone toward that status.

Lynd also contemplated alternative paths, such as gaining the favor of a noble through knowledge and becoming an aide or advisor. Such a position might lead to knighthood, but it came with significant drawbacks. This type of status, while technically noble, was precarious, with limited opportunities for advancement and little hope of acquiring lordship.

Littlefinger exemplified this type of fragile nobility. Despite his relentless efforts, he never achieved the lordship he aspired to. Even his title as Lord of the Vale earned him no genuine respect among the lower-ranking nobility. When he was killed, not a single noble rose in his defense, highlighting how tenuous and vulnerable his courtly status truly was.

Now, Lynd wasn't particularly concerned about securing a position as a guard in Red Lake. With Old Baine's influence, this task had become relatively straightforward. Even without the dual-wielding swordsmanship granted by his cheat, he felt confident he could achieve it.

The real challenge would come after becoming a guard: earning enough merit to be recognized as a knight's squire and eventually achieving knighthood. This transition represented a significant leap for ordinary civilians, one that required more than just physical strength.

A prime example was Bronn the mercenary. Despite his exceptional skills, Bronn had spent years as a mere sellsword. It wasn't until he fortuitously crossed paths with Tyrion Lannister that he gained knighthood. Lynd knew that for a commoner to become a knight, raw ability wasn't the most crucial factor. The key was finding someone willing to provide the opportunity. In his assessment, House Crane lacked the necessary resources or influence to offer such prospects.

During his past life, Lynd had stumbled across a forum article analyzing the major and minor lords of The Reach. House Crane, a relatively obscure family with little narrative presence in A Song of Ice and Fire, had also been discussed. The analysis was brief and could be summarized in one word: dependence. As a vassal of House Florent, House Crane had long operated under its influence, with no significant power or ambitions of its own. Rising through the ranks with House Crane's backing seemed unlikely.

That said, House Crane wasn't entirely without value. Lynd had identified one potential advantage: Vortimer Crane, a member of a side branch of the family. While Lynd didn't know the details of Vortimer's current circumstances, he was certain Vortimer would become the master-at-arms at Highgarden. If Lynd could leverage this connection, it might provide an avenue to align himself with House Tyrell—an association that would open far more doors toward knighthood.

As Lynd pondered these possibilities, his hands remained busy. He picked up two sticks of similar length and thickness to his half-swords and tossed a rag ball into the air. With swift, fluid movements, he wielded the sticks in a dual-wielding style, repeatedly striking the ball to keep it aloft.

For the past half month, ever since he'd been able to sit up and move his arms, Lynd had used this method to practice and familiarize himself with the dual-wielding swordsmanship bestowed by his cheat. While the cheat had provided him with extensive combat experience and techniques, mastering them still required consistent practice.

The cheats he had gained after rebirth were the cornerstone of his confidence. Though not as overpowered as the abilities in some fantasy novels, they were more than sufficient to carve a path for himself in this world.

He possessed two primary advantages—one a cheat, and the other a talent that seemed to have arisen from his rebirth. Whether due to some fusion of souls or another anomaly, his physical fitness and sensory perception had become unnaturally heightened.

For instance, his self-healing ability allowed him to recover from severe injuries at an extraordinary rate. A nearly broken spine had healed in just over a month, and superficial wounds vanished within a day or two. This ability would undoubtedly be invaluable in future battles.

However, the self-healing came with a drawback: it required immense nutritional intake to sustain. Most of the money he had spent during his recovery had gone toward food and supplements, adhering to the law of conservation of energy.

Beyond his regenerative ability, his senses had been enhanced to a near-superhuman level. He could hear the faint buzz of insects outside his home and see dust particles floating in the air with startling clarity. Initially, this heightened perception had been a torment. Immobilized in bed, he had spent weeks learning to control the overwhelming flood of sensory input.

By comparison, the improvements to his physical strength and agility were more modest, remaining within the upper limits of normal human capabilities. He still needed regular exercise to build strength, but the results of his efforts were strikingly apparent. This progress was literally intuitive: during exercise, he could see an energy bar representing his physical fitness slowly increase. Though the increments were small, the visual feedback allowed him to fine-tune his training regimen for optimal results.

This energy bar was part of the cheat he had acquired upon rebirth—a system loosely based on the game For Honor but heavily modified. To call it a derivative of For Honor was a stretch; only superficial elements remained, such as the Hero images and ability settings. Even these were incomplete, limited to nine Heroes from the Knights faction.

The cheat granted by Lynd's rebirth was relatively straightforward. By selecting the vision of a Hero in his mind, he could instantly gain that Hero's corresponding combat skills. However, only one Hero could be active at a time, and switching required filling the energy bar through exercise.

When Lynd first activated the cheat, he had been in a semi-conscious state, his body wracked with pain and his mind clouded. Desperation had driven him to use it as a last resort, assuming the Hero's selection would grant him an immediate recovery, much like leveling up and regenerating health in a game.

Instead, his body remained battered, and the cheat poured an overwhelming amount of knowledge into his mind. The deluge left him dazed for several days, his head spinning as though he'd been drugged. When he finally regained clarity and began sorting through the knowledge, he realized his error.

Under normal circumstances, Lynd would have chosen either the Warden or the Conqueror, as their skills and combat styles aligned with the ideals of a knight. However, in his hazy state, he had selected the Peacekeeper, a Hero designed for dual-wielding, assassin-like combat.

He initially tried to adapt by using only a single sword, hoping to bypass the dual-wielding mechanics while still utilizing the Peacekeeper's techniques. Yet the mismatch created an unbearable sense of awkwardness, rendering the skills clumsy and ineffective. It became clear that the cheat's combat abilities required strict adherence to the Hero's style to function properly.

Despite his dissatisfaction with the Peacekeeper's dual-wielding swordsmanship, Lynd acknowledged its utility in his current state. He focused on improving his physical condition through basic exercises. With greater stamina and strength, he would eventually be able to wield the Peacekeeper's style effectively. For now, though, even short practice sessions left him winded, highlighting the gap between his skills and his physical limitations.

Over the next half month, Lynd dedicated himself to mastering the Peacekeeper's dual-wielding techniques. He practiced daily, ensuring he grew as familiar as possible with the movements. In his free time, he roamed the village and frequented Old Baine's tavern, where he listened to the conversations of travelers and locals, gathering valuable information.

White Holdfast, while small, occupied a uniquely strategic position. It lay at the junction of Old Oak, Red Lake, and Goldengrove. Merchants and travelers from these cities passed through regularly, making the tavern a hub for news and gossip.

The most talked-about topic of late was King Robert's plan to host a grand tournament in King's Landing to celebrate the birth of his firstborn, Joffrey. As the first tournament hosted by House Baratheon, its significance and scale promised to be extraordinary, drawing knights from across the Seven Kingdoms.

However, while the distant excitement of King's Landing intrigued some, most villagers were more preoccupied with local issues, particularly the rise of banditry.

The aftermath of the Usurper's War still lingered, nearly a year after its conclusion. Supporters of the Targaryens, having fled after their defeat, had retreated into the forests and mountains. There, they had allied with wild tribes, occasionally emerging to raid and loot.

The Reach, as one of the Seven Kingdoms' wealthiest regions, offered vast farmlands and dense forests, ideal for bandit hideouts. The Red Lake Forest was one such refuge.

Half a month earlier, a group of bandits identifying themselves as Targaryen loyalists had taken up residence in the forest. They targeted merchant caravans using forest shortcuts, causing significant casualties. To date, four or five caravans had been attacked, leaving hundreds dead or injured. Among the victims was a member of a branch family from House Rowan of Goldengrove, killed during a raid.

This incident had prompted House Rowan to coordinate with neighboring houses, including House Crane of Red Lake and House Oakheart of Old Oak. Together, they aimed to eliminate the bandit threat in the Red Lake Forest.