Linde's confidence

After leaving Old Bain's tavern, Linde headed straight back to his cottage. Demonstrating his swordsmanship at the tavern had left him utterly exhausted, and he longed to lie down and rest. However, the intense pain in his back made it clear that it wasn't time to rest yet. He needed to adjust his bandages to prevent his back injury from worsening.

Although utilizing dual-wielding swordsmanship put an additional strain on his not-yet-recovered body and slightly worsened his back injury, Linde felt it was worth it. Everything was unfolding as he had planned, and all he needed to do now was stay at home and wait for what would come next.

Since regaining consciousness and finding himself reborn in a world resembling the medieval era, Linde had been considering his future prospects.

Being a commoner was the first option he eliminated. Having been given a second chance at life, he naturally did not want to continue living at the bottom of society, especially with the advantage of his "golden finger."

Becoming a merchant was quickly dismissed as well, as merchants' status and treatment were not great, whether in the East or West, unless one was in a city-state or country that specialized in commerce. Otherwise, merchants were just walking money bags.

Thus, becoming a noble in this medieval world became the only option he truly considered. Over the next month, he pondered various ways to achieve nobility and devised numerous contingency plans for unexpected situations, given that he could do nothing but think while bedridden.

Even though this world turned out to be the world of Ice and Fire, not the western medieval world he had envisioned, the societal structures of the two worlds were not too different, and the strategies he had considered still applied.

However, some adjustments were necessary to help him gain the desired power and status more quickly, such as participating in tournaments.

Initially, he hadn't considered tournaments as a viable path to advancement because, to his knowledge, only nobles could participate in medieval tournaments. The idea of commoners donning armor, competing anonymously, and gaining fame and fortune through victory was purely fictional, as every participating noble had to undergo strict identity verification, leaving no room for commoners.

Yet, the tournaments of the Seven Kingdoms were different. In addition to the central jousting event, there were team battles and archery competitions open to commoners. Winning in these could still bring honor and wealth, albeit not as prestigious as jousting victories, presenting a valuable opportunity for recognition.

With fame, one might catch the eye of a great noble, join their ranks, earn significant achievements, and potentially be knighted. Even without joining a great house, one's reputation could lead to becoming a squire to a knight, offering another path to knighthood.

Knighthood in the Seven Kingdoms was the lowest tier in the noble hierarchy. Although being knighted didn't make one a noble, it was a stepping stone toward nobility.

Linde also considered other paths to nobility, like using his knowledge to gain the favor of nobles, becoming a steward or advisor, and gradually earning their trust to be knighted.

However, such a knighthood was precarious, offering little room for advancement and almost no chance of becoming a lord.

Like Littlefinger, a representative of such nobles who, despite all his scheming, never became the lord he aspired to be. Even with the title of Lord of Harrenhal, the nobles of the Vale never regarded him as a true lord. His death highlighted the fragility of his courtly noble status.

Now, Linde wasn't worried about becoming a guard in Red Lake City. With Old Bain's involvement, it should be straightforward, even without the dual-wielding swordsmanship granted by his golden finger.

After becoming a guard, the most difficult stage is not about gaining enough merits but being recognized and becoming a knight's squire, then a knight. This transformation is almost miraculous for commoners, and it requires more than just strength.

A prime example is the mercenary Bronn, whose exceptional skills only earned him a mercenary status for a long time, until a fortuitous meeting with Tyrion Lannister led to him being knighted. Hence, for ordinary people wanting to become knights, strength is not the most crucial factor; finding someone who can offer opportunities for advancement is.

Lind, in his previous life, had read an analysis on the minor lords of the Riverlands, including the Clegane family, which is depicted as a relatively obscure house in both the original work and the TV series. The analysis summarized the Clegane's situation with a single word: dependency. Under this state of dependency, the Clegane family had to act according to the wishes of their patrons, the Florent family, making it nearly impossible to gain power and status through them.

However, this does not mean the Clegane family is without value. Specifically, Lind sees potential in Fossoway Clegane, a distant branch of the family, whose current status is unclear to Lind but is likely to become the master-at-arms at Highgarden. Connecting with him could provide an avenue to the Tyrell family, greatly increasing the chances of becoming a knight.

While pondering, Lind doesn't stop practicing. He picks up two sticks, roughly the size and shape of swords, from beside his bed and tosses a cloth bundle into the air, keeping it aloft with rapid strikes, practicing dual-wielding.

Since regaining some mobility half a month ago, Lind has been using this method to familiarize himself with the dual-wielding technique gifted by his "golden finger". Despite the vast combat experience and skills imparted to him, mastery requires practice.

This "golden finger", a boon from his rebirth, provides Lind with confidence to make his mark in this world. Although not as overpowering as some might expect, it's sufficient for him. It granted him not just a talent but also physical and sensory enhancements that seem almost superhuman.

For instance, his self-healing ability allowed him to recover from a near-spinal fracture in just over a month. However, this ability comes at a cost, requiring a significant intake of food and supplements to support the healing process.

Besides self-healing, Lind's senses have also been enhanced to extraordinary levels. His hearing can detect the faint sound of insects flying outside, and his vision can observe the trails of dust particles in the air. Initially, this sensory enhancement was a curse, as immobilized Lind struggled to control it.

While his self-healing and sensory abilities are remarkable, his physical strength and agility remain within the range of a normal person, requiring exercise to improve. The unique aspect is that during training, he can see a visual representation of his physical attributes improving, albeit slowly, providing valuable feedback for adjusting his training regimen.

This energy bar originated from his rebirth's golden finger, a version of the game "Honor of Souls" modified beyond recognition.

Calling it unrecognizable is no exaggeration, as the only things left from "Honor of Souls" are the hero images and abilities, and even then, only a partial set of nine knightly heroes.

The golden finger grants simple abilities: by selecting the illusion of a corresponding hero in his mind, he can instantly acquire that hero's combat skills. However, only one hero can be selected at a time, and switching requires filling up the energy bar through training.

Due to choosing under severe pain and semi-consciousness, Lind didn't think his selection through. He hoped, like leveling up in a game, choosing a hero would instantly heal him. Instead, the influx of knowledge left him groggy for days, as if drugged.

Upon regaining clarity and sorting through the knowledge imparted by the golden finger, Lind realized he had made the wrong choice. Ideally, he would have chosen from the "Guardian" or "Warrior" heroes, who were most knight-like in their combat skills.

However, he chose the "Peacemaker", a hero more akin to a dual-wielding assassin. Attempting to use only the combat skills without the dual-wielding aspect led to discomfort and awkwardness, as if he had never mastered the skills at all.

This experience highlighted the limitations of his golden finger, despite not being entirely satisfied with the "Peacemaker's" dual swordsmanship, it was sufficient for his current needs. His goal was to strengthen his physical condition post-recovery, to wield the swordsmanship effectively without quickly becoming winded.

Over the following half-month, Lind dedicated himself to mastering the "Peacemaker's" dual swordsmanship, taking walks in the village, and sitting in secluded corners of Bain's tavern to eavesdrop and gather information.

Though White Village wasn't large, its strategic location at the junction of Old Oak, Red Lake, and Goldtree made its tavern a hub for travelers and merchants, offering access to various news.

For instance, the most talked-about event was King Robert's planning of a grand tourney in King's Landing to celebrate the birth of his first child, Joffrey. This event, being the Baratheon dynasty's first tourney, was anticipated to be on a grand scale, attracting knights from across the Seven Kingdoms.

However, more immediate concerns, such as bandit issues, were of greater interest to tavern patrons. Despite the Usurper's War ending nearly a year ago, its repercussions lingered. Targaryen loyalists, not fully eradicated, hid in the mountains and forests, occasionally emerging to plunder.

The Riverlands, being the Seven Kingdoms' second wealthiest region, with extensive farmlands and forests ideal for hiding, like the Red Lake forest, became a haven for such bandits.

Half a month ago, a group claiming to be Targaryen remnants established a base in Red Lake forest, ambushing merchant caravans passing through. Several caravans suffered attacks, resulting in over a hundred casualties, including a member of the Lannister family of Lannisport.

In response, the Lannister family sought collaboration with the Clegane family of Red Lake and the Oakheart family of Old Oak to eliminate the bandits from Red Lake forest.