Chapter 2

Knight Bennett wore a white cotton shirt, the intricate buttons reflecting the opulence of the nobility. His expression was very serious. In the year that Abel had been there, he rarely saw Knight Bennett's expression change much. Only when Abel woke up a year ago and saw Knight Bennett for the first time, the joy in the knight's eyes was still vivid in his memory.

Mother Nara was a kind woman. During Abel's convalescence, she fed him every day, never letting the maidservants interfere. This was one of the main reasons Abel recognized this family.

The prayer before meals was the most unfamiliar thing for Abel. As an atheist for thirty years, he found that everyone in this world believed in a religion, the Holy Light Church.

No one spoke during meals. Although the knight was the lowest rank of nobility, the family still adhered to the principles that nobles should follow.

Large pieces of beef were divided into four portions. The father and Zak received the largest portions, while the mother and Abel received much smaller portions. The food consumed by the knight would eventually turn into strength and then into qi, which would supply a formal knight and a 4th-level squire. This was already a significant burden, so the supply to others had to be reduced.

On Earth, Abel, as a fitness coach, had never eaten so much beef in one meal. Although it was a smaller portion, it still amounted to a pound of beef. But in just a few minutes, the 12-year-old Abel had already finished the beef and the porridge in his plate.

"Eat more." A gentle voice came, and a large piece of beef was placed on Abel's plate. Mother Nara cut a large portion from her own limited beef and put it on Abel's plate.

Knight Bennett looked up but said nothing, just silently eating his beef. However, his hand was a bit forceful when cutting the beef, and a slight sound came from the knife and plate. This was quite rare for him, who strictly adhered to noble etiquette.

Older brother Zak heard the sound, glanced at his father, and, after being glared at, obediently lowered his head to continue eating.

"Thank you, Mother."

Abel did not hesitate; this was his mother's love, and accepting it was the right choice.

After the meal, Knight Bennett, as usual, kept Zak behind for further instruction. Abel was not qualified to participate; only after becoming a 1st-level squire could he join these post-meal lessons.

Abel did not waste time when he returned to his room. He had to transform the beef and the qi accumulated today into qi veins through the final knight breathing technique.

The knight breathing technique was the most important secret skill in a knight's training. Every knight had their own knight breathing technique, which was either passed down through the family or learned at the knight academy. Warriors who had achieved great feats on the battlefield could exchange their war merits for a knight breathing technique.

Abel sat on the carpeted floor, cross-legged, and his mind slowly calmed down. His breathing started slow and gradually sped up, his stomach slowly expanding. Then he exhaled quickly, a white mist shooting from his mouth like an arrow, disappearing after a foot. At the same time, the dinner in his stomach was rapidly consumed.

After 20 consecutive breaths, the qi Abel had accumulated from a day's practice quickly formed a qi vein through the consumption of the food in his body. Just as the qi vein was formed, it shook. Just as Abel thought it would fail again, the shaking stopped, and a surge of strength flowed back into his body. Instantly, both his body and mind felt as refreshed as they did in the morning after a good sleep.

Finally, he had become a 1st-level squire. A year ago, when he saw his father, Knight Bennett, cut a tree as thick as a bowl with a sword that glowed white, Abel knew he had come to a world completely different from the Earth he knew. Gaining strength was the best way to survive in this world, so he asked his father to teach him to become a knight.

At that time, Knight Bennett clearly explained the family's situation. As the second son, Abel could only train as a knight without affecting his older brother Zak's training, and resources would only be allocated to Abel when there was a surplus. All the family's resources had to be prioritized for Zak. However, as the son of Knight Bennett, Abel could still learn the complete Bennett family knight tradition.

In the following months, Abel learned horse care, weapon maintenance, riding, archery, knight etiquette, and other preparatory work before formally starting his knight training two months ago.

Just as Abel was rejoicing, he suddenly noticed that the qi vein in his body was rapidly depleting, and the depletion was occurring in his right arm. He became anxious; if this continued, the first qi vein he had just formed would disappear. Just as he was thinking, the depletion stopped.

Fortunately, it stopped. Although he lost some qi, it would recover in a day or two and would not affect his level.

He pulled up his sleeve and looked at his right arm, where a faint shadow appeared. If he didn't look closely, it would be hard to notice.

Abel observed carefully. This shadow seemed so familiar. It was...

"The Horadric Cube." Abel jumped up from the carpet. This was the Horadric Cube. How could it be? He wouldn't make a mistake; this was definitely the Horadric Cube. Having played Diablo II for so many years, how could he not recognize the most important artifact in the game?

"Did the Horadric Cube come with me through the transition?" Abel excitedly paced around his room. Seeing something familiar in a strange world felt like a traveler in the desert finding a water-filled flask.

The Horadric Cube had not shown up before, probably due to a lack of energy. Today, after he became a 1st-level squire, the qi depletion was to charge the Horadric Cube, allowing him to see it. Abel pondered the possibility of the Horadric Cube's appearance.

He calmed down and gently touched the Horadric Cube on his right arm. A space appeared in his mind, divided into 12 slots. Two slots were occupied by a blue book, and the others were empty.

"The Town Portal Scroll." Abel immediately recognized the book. This was the Town Portal Scroll he had modified before being electrocuted. He could see the book's attributes in his mind, including its automatic recovery rate. He had the habit of putting it in the Horadric Cube after modifying it.

"Take out the Town Portal Scroll." As he thought, the Town Portal Scroll appeared in his hand. It was a large book, about the size of a magazine on Earth, with a blue cover adorned with dark gold patterns that shimmered, making the book appear mysterious and noble.

"Can I use this Town Portal Scroll to go home?" The sudden thought made Abel's heart race. The idea of seeing his parents again, eating his mother's cooking, and smelling the scent of home gave him hope. In the year he had been in this world, this moment seemed to bring him closer to home. He had never felt so homesick.

He gently opened the Town Portal Scroll, as if opening a priceless treasure. Twenty Town Portal Scrolls appeared, made of white sheepskin and tied with blue ribbons. The ribbons had dark gold stripes, and tearing them would open a portal.

Abel placed his hand on the Town Portal Scroll, but it gently repelled his fingers. He became anxious; why couldn't he get close? He tried harder, and this time his hand did not repel. He successfully tore the ribbon, and a fireball appeared in his hand. Abel quickly threw the fireball to the ground, burning a hole in the carpet before disappearing.

How could it not work? Why did it turn into a fireball? Abel tried several more times, but the result was the same. The Town Portal Scroll would burn and turn into a pile of black ash as soon as the ribbon was torn.

Moonlight shone through the window onto Abel's sleeping face. A gentle breeze dried the tears on his face, and his tightly wrapped body shivered in the wind. A faint voice could be heard in the darkness: "Dad, Mom."

But in this world, no one could understand him. It was Chinese, the language of his homeland, the voice of a wanderer.

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