Uncle here isn't your average office worker!

But that's precisely the problem. II.

The CEO of Hammer Department Stores pursed his lips and explained, "We're also investigating this match. I bought the video footage and had professionals analyze it. This Roy is very strong, far too strong to be an unknown. But the problem is, we haven't found anything about Roy's background."

As he spoke, he deftly endured the intense gaze directed at him and began playing a recording of a match from the Ice Soul Arena.

From Roy's nonchalant entrance to Olmer Ingra's throwing axe, everything seemed normal. But the moment before the axe struck Roy, the situation changed drastically. Roy was so fast that even in slow motion, he was just a blur; almost in the blink of an eye, he caught the dust-filled axe with one hand and immediately changed his attack, aiming the blade at the oncoming Rusty Bronze. ⑨

Unlike Rusty Copper, Roy's maneuver didn't rely on any momentum whatsoever; he genuinely stopped the throwing axe with his physical strength, and then reversed the blade after the axe's speed returned to zero. ②

"His strength and speed are extraordinary, which is already remarkable enough, but the key is what comes after that."

The CEO continued, and the footage showed Roy holding an axe in one hand, intimidating Rust Copper. During this time, Rust Copper did not put up any resistance. His legs were trembling, he could not lift his hands, and he could not even shout. He was like a soldier who had just entered the battlefield and was terrified by the mountains of corpses and seas of blood. He only knew how to follow his superior's orders in fear.

"This kind of aura is definitely not something that ordinary people can have."

The CEO stated this firmly. There was no dissent in the hall, clearly indicating acceptance of this conclusion.

At this moment, a middle-aged man in a suit with a camera around his neck, sitting in the seats belonging to the Rose Daily, slightly raised his head and asked:

"You mean you couldn't find any background information about Roy at all, instead of finding out that Roy has no background whatsoever, right?"

The CEO of Hammer Department Stores immediately nodded.

The middle-aged man smiled knowingly, glanced around at the others, and asked:

"Gentlemen, I think you all share the same thought as me. Where could someone with extraordinary skills and great strength, who was previously unknown but has suddenly become famous and whose background is still unknown, come from?"

Everyone nodded knowingly.

Who else could be a force that gathers strong individuals, is not often famous but has considerable influence, and most importantly, is very willing to cause trouble for the Business Federation and the Knights' Arena?

"Roy comes from the army; he's a knight-errant?"

The CEO of Hammer Department Stores exclaimed in surprise.

To be honest, he had previously thought Roy might be some kind of folk master, a wandering knight, or a member of some underground organization. There were precedents for this in Kazimierz, from the Forest Rangers active in the Ursus-occupied territories to the Unarmored Alliance, a subordinate organization of the Merchant Federation that handled "trouble." But he never expected that Roy would be born into the military!

This is also the most reasonable explanation. The Knights of Conquest have been guarding the frontiers for many years, fighting against Ursus and Letania, so their strength is naturally considerable. And since they mostly appear in the form of knightly orders, individual figures would certainly not be well-known. They are backed by the Oversight Council, a reformist group of the old nobility. Although their power is not as great as the Merchants' Union, they are still veteran players in Kazimierz. Anyone trying to investigate them with the resources of Hammer Department Store would naturally fail. And their friction with the Merchants' Union would certainly make them happy to cause some trouble for the Merchants' Union in the knightly competition.

Roy was born to fight for the Knights, that much is almost beyond doubt!

"Should we protest to the Supervisory Commission?" the CEO asked. The "reporter" rolled his eyes and mocked him:

"What evidence do you have? Did Roy identify himself as Silver Spear Pegasus or that Warring Knights? He's an Independent Knight now."

"Then what should we do? Block him?" the CEO asked anxiously. Just yesterday, Hammer Department Stores' stock dropped five percent, which would be tantamount to a devastating blow for a mid-sized company like his with so many competitors. Stopping Roy was an urgent matter for him.

The reporter calmly shook his head: "That's wrong. We should praise him."

"The Supervisory Council has become a little smarter, realizing that adhering to those traditional practices will only weaken them further, so they decided to send people in to cause us some trouble. But they're still too naive. They think we'll have a headache over Roy, but in reality, isn't Roy just a money-making tool for us too?"

“Promote him, elevate him to a high position, arrange competitions for him in the Grand Arena, build his popularity, and make him the second Shining Knight.”

The reporter smiled slightly: "In this way, if he keeps winning, the money, power, fame, and those things that the supervisory committee can't give him but we can will slowly corrupt him. But if he loses even once, it will be like a landslide, and he will never be able to rise again."

"Who should he play next?" the CEO asked curiously.

"I remember Candle Knight is quite popular lately, right? How about a collaboration?" the "reporter" suggested, looking at the chairman of Rebirth Pharmaceuticals.

The chairman of Rebirth Pharmaceuticals frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, nodded, and said:

"It's possible, but it can only be an exhibition match. The Knights' Tournament is about to begin, and the Candle Knight needs more time to hone his skills and prepare to face the Blood Knight."

"None of us want infected people to contaminate this stage, right?"

He glanced around the room, but no one responded.

That evening, Roy received a message from the Knight terminal.

[Mr. Roy, Junior Competitive Knight, your latest match information has been sent to your terminal. Please check it.]

But instead of opening the terminal to check on the next opponent, he opened the module system.

Today, the Knights' Association finally officially settled his prize money and rewards for the Ice Soul Arena debut battle, meaning he has officially achieved the "Complete Debut Battle" objective in his special module quest [Lone Rider]. In other words, he can finally unlock this hidden class and obtain that special A-rank module!

As the module loading machine spun excitedly, the images that had already been determined in the three display frames slowly appeared before Roy's eyes.

The woman, wielding a long spear and bathed in rosy light, emerged from the golden glow, as if basking in glory. She possessed the face of the Radiant Knight, Margaret Nearl, but her eyes held an even more resolute gaze, as if what stood before her was not the Merchant Guild or the increasingly corrupt Knights of Kazimierz, but some darkness about to engulf the world.

Behind her, a pair of Pegasus wings spread proudly, as bright as the rising sun, ready to take flight. Even though it's just a static picture, you can almost hear a clear cry and a signal tone.

"The Grade A special module [Margaret Pantheon] is on its way!"

P.S.: It seems like the votes for the Hedgehog Cat event have doubled! Everyone, please vote quickly!

Volume 1: Chapter 14 Maria, the Little Fan

[Congratulations, host! You have unlocked the hidden class [Lone Rider]: A knight is a noble being who illuminates the entire land! This is your starting point, and your long-cherished wish. Do you dare to ride alone onto this perilous path?]

【Lone Rider】: When you face multiple enemies alone, your attributes are increased.

[Congratulations, host! You have unlocked the special A-level module [Margaret Pantheon]]

【Margaret Pantheon】: A brave warrior who challenges the stars, a knight who illuminates the earth. Don't forget to bring your radio when you go out. Today's weather: Great Wilderness Starfall! Ohh ...

[Module Effects]: ① Unwavering Will: When you equip the Lone Rider class, you will gain a buff attack every five attacks. ② On the Way: You will gain a special skill that can be used once a week (multiple uses are possible under special conditions): Great Wilderness Meteor Shower.

[Special Condition: Unknown.]

"Wow, golden legend!"

Roy couldn't help but blurt it out.

Although the type of module still looks strange, [Margaret Pantheon] is fully worthy of its status as a limited A-grade module. It has two module effects, both of which look unusual and are indeed extraordinary in use.

With just the passive effect of Unwavering Will, Roy tried practicing on the sandbag in the room. The first four punches were no different from usual, but by the fifth time, a red light was clearly wrapped around his hands, and the power of his punches increased significantly, as did the speed. When he looked in the mirror, he could see the red light in his pupils fading rapidly.

Clearly, this red eye effect is not just a simple special effect!

In an instant, Roy's mind conjured up countless new ways to play, such as first showing weakness to lure the enemy in, and then loading up [Bounty Hunter A Power] on the fifth punch; or first testing the waters and then striking hard on the fifth punch; or first pretending to be the submissive one, and then equipping Lone Rider when the dominant one's beastly nature is unleashed, so that the precise fifth combo can directly reverse the offensive and defensive situation!

This is a great product; it's so useful that it's always fresh and useful, and I'm sure I'll find a way to use it again next time!

What interests Roy even more is the familiar skill name—Great Wilderness Meteor Shower—which is on its way.

In his previous life, Roy was also a League of Legends player, though his rank only reached Silver or Gold. He was a prime example of someone who was both bad at the game and loved playing. He was extremely familiar with the character Pantheon, the Unyielding Spear.

As the saying goes, don't mess with the Sword Demon at the Dragon Pit, and don't touch Pantheon with his speakers. When the "Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh" melody begins, and the marker on the road falls, whether you're an AD Carry or an AP carry, you're nothing more than a ghost beneath the rolling dust of the Great Wilderness Starfall. Only the Great Wilderness Starfall's breathtaking performance in the game, where the spear arrives before the person, truly deserves the famous line, "A glint of cold light arrives first, followed by a dragon-like strike!"

I wonder how similar this Great Wilderness Starfall will be to the one in the game?

Roy was eager to try it out, and just then, Hintraya called.

Little Platinum was very worried about Roy's performance in his first appearance at the Knights' Arena. She had never doubted Roy's strength; to him, those knights were probably just objects of amusement to be hunted down at any time. But just as even the most wise emperor might not know everything about astronomy and agriculture, she really didn't know whether Roy, a seasoned assassin who had been involved in the world of assassins for many years, could adapt to the complex rules and regulations of the Knights' Arena, which was also subject to backroom deals.

So, after the mission ended, she immediately checked the day's knightly arena news and, unsurprisingly, read the explosive news about the Ice Soul Arena's major upset, with Roy kneeling down to the Bronze Knight.

Platinum's lips twitched, and she realized that she had really worried about the wrong person.

Roy was not only not unfamiliar with the game, but he was as experienced as a seasoned berserker. Among so many ways to win, he precisely stacked the most buffs and chose the strategy with the most bullet hell.

Looking at the endless stream of news reports on her phone, which almost exaggerated the battle to an extreme degree, Hinterlea sighed deeply, feeling both relieved and somewhat regretful.

It seems I won't have the chance to show off the experience I accumulated during my years as a competitive knight in front of my master.

However, she quickly cheered up again. Even if she couldn't become Roy's mentor through imparting experience, she could still show her respect by treating him to a celebratory dinner after his debut battle.

Thinking this, Hinterlea glanced casually at the quiet Nearl mansion, which was the mission target, not far away, took out her phone, and dialed Roy's number.

The call was quickly answered, and Hinterlea greeted her warmly:

"Master Roy, are you there? No, it's nothing. I just wanted to call and congratulate you. Your debut battle was a great success. You're the fastest competitive rider I've ever seen to become famous!"

"Also, I wanted to ask if you're free tonight? I'd like to invite you to dinner, um, a celebration dinner, it's on me, would you like to come?"

"I am willing!"

A girl's excited voice came from beside her, and Hinterlea subconsciously nodded: "Really? That's great..." But the next moment, she realized something was wrong and quickly jumped aside. After creating some distance, she reflexively raised the bow in her hand and aimed it at the blonde girl who had suddenly approached her.

When Hintra saw the girl's face, she paused for a moment, then subconsciously asked, "Margaret Nearl?"

"That's my sister!" The blonde girl happily put her hands on her hips, seemingly not at all angry at being mistaken for her sister. Instead, she excitedly introduced herself: "I am Maria, Maria Nearl, the sister of the Radiant Knight."

“Sister…” Hinterlea said suddenly. Her mission was to monitor Marna Nearl, who had displayed extraordinary combat power that night, but she also knew a little about the composition of the Nearl family.

According to intelligence reports, the main line of the Nearl family, war hero Cyril Nearl, has passed away. The original Nearl family's chief rider, the conqueror Snitz Nearl, and his wife are missing. Of the remaining three, the Radiant Knight Margaret Nearl has been exiled, leaving only the Knight of No Light, Marna Nearl, and Margaret's sister to depend on each other for survival.

From this information alone, Hinterlea could guess how insignificant Maria was. So much so that she was simply referred to as "Margaret's sister."

But she is still a member of the Rinko family, and should not be underestimated.

Hinterlea frowned, but put away her bow. The orders from above didn't include any instructions to provoke conflict with the Nearl family, and she didn't want to create any unnecessary trouble. However, there was still one thing she didn't understand.

Were you eavesdropping on my phone call?

Little Platinum questioned. Although her call hadn't contained anything confidential, being overheard was still unpleasant. What's more, the person eavesdropping was the youngest daughter of the Lin Guang family—what was she after?

To everyone's surprise, when this question was raised, Maria, who had just been so poised and cheerful, almost like a social terrorist, suddenly became awkward. She looked around for a moment, making sure there was no trace of her uncle, before carefully taking out the newspaper, which had been folded and unfolded many times, from her purse. As she handed it to Hinterlea, she whispered: "I hate..."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. At first, I thought you were sent by the Knights' Guild and the Supervisory Council to urge the Rinko family to select a long rider."

"But...but, was the person you just spoke to...this person?"

He pointed to two figures of Roy spliced ​​together in the newspaper: one was Roy from the Red Wine Gazette's gossip report about the gas explosion in the Great Knight's Territory, and the other was Roy dominating the entire Ice Soul Arena.

Looking at the two images, clearly carefully cut out with scissors, a subtle expression appeared on Hinterlea's face. But Maria didn't notice the white-haired woman's expression; she simply said excitedly: