[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-knight-who-eternally-regresses":3,"chapter-a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-chapter-743":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","A Knight Who Eternally Regresses",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},428450,689,"Chapter 740: A Life Grasped with One’s Own Hands Is Worth This Much","a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-chapter-743",743,"\u003Cp>The hermit village didn’t operate on personal property—everything was shared by the residents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since no one ever knew when disaster might strike, they had hidden plenty of supplies away, like squirrels burying acorns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under tree roots, or within small storage pits hidden beneath planks and dirt near the entrances, secret caches were revealed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since it stays cool even in summer, it’s a decent storage method, Enkrid thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d dug the pits in shaded areas where no sunlight reached.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you couldn’t afford the luxury of using magical tools to preserve cold, you had to squeeze wisdom out of necessity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, summer was approaching. So they’d kept only things that wouldn’t spoil easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t as much as in winter, but smoked meat and unfamiliar dried fruits were plentifully laid out on the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At this rate, we’ll have nothing left to eat later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the villagers muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite the situation, they still had a strong, ingrained fear of waste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d never starved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Partly by luck, they’d been able to gather edible herbs and ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) berries around the settlement and had managed to build relations with passing merchants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They hunted animals appropriately, and if it really came down to it, they processed beast meat for consumption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as the toxins were removed and you didn’t care about flavor, beast meat had all the nutrients needed to survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just do as you’re told.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The timid man said, glancing around nervously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harkventyo, their usual spokesperson, kept his lips sealed and busied himself setting the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their activity had multiplied many times over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d been eating more than usual already, but today exceeded even that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the table was filled with food, it was the children who reached for it first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, everyone was too busy eating to say anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Screw it. Let’s just eat. If I die after eating, at least I won’t regret it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some of them likely thought that way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was also a vague hope—somehow, it’ll work out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was vague only because they didn’t understand the reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they looked a little closer, it was clear: this shift came from Enkrid’s attitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless you were the type to feed yourself before your own children, you’d probably have caught on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harkventyo chewed a piece of smoked pork loin, salty enough to make his tongue sting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He downed water in big gulps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What we’ve done... was training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Training for what?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the fight against beasts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, someone with a sharper mind might ask:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Will this kind of training really help us fight beasts?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would stabbing forward with spears, standing back to back, really change anything?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some had given up on thinking altogether, but not all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harkventyo had passed the point where worry twisted his gut, but that didn’t mean his mind was at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like lying under a roof made of dirt and loose planks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You hoped it wouldn’t collapse—but it always felt like it might.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet whenever he glanced off into the distance and saw Enkrid silently chewing something, part of the unease lifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strange man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was something about him that put people at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words, his actions, even his casual demeanor—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It all had the same effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a faint sense of hope in the air, and it came from the way he sat among the villagers with a child next to him, quietly chewing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid popped a fruit into his mouth, swirled it with his tongue, then spat the seed out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spit-covered seed rolled on the dirt floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fruit was wrinkled on the outside, its flesh chewy, with a seed about the size of a thumbnail inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was sour, sweet, and astringent—but once you tasted it, you couldn’t stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been aged through a special process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tastes good, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A child sitting next to him asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside that child was Brunhilt, now sporting a lump on her forehead in place of a third eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s kind of like a plum.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another boy added smartly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Brunhilt had lunged at Enkrid earlier and been blocked with just a finger, this boy had muttered “What an idiot,” and stepped in to defend her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She’s good with her body, but she hates using her brain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And once she makes up her mind, she can’t change direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s the genius Brunhilt’s flaw. So it’s all just a misunderstanding.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t have been older than thirteen or fourteen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Small frame, thin limbs. Didn’t look like someone who could fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s your name?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Airik.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid had herded them into the pit like Kraiss would’ve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just about a short-term showdown—he’d read ahead, preparing for the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d driven them like Rem, but planned like Kraiss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You grouped those with similar builds together in formations, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To keep them from dying easily. To help them hold out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Airik had seen through it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cool breeze blew, surprising for summer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It made the boy’s hair flutter—golden blond, diluted to a white sheen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An interesting kid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid, chewing a slice of overly salty smoked meat between herb bread, asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about keeping circular formation and using spears instead of shields?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, it’s to force distance, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By confronting the beasts, we’re buying time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only the strongest need to carry shields.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we gave it a name, it could be something like ‘Scared Hedgehog Formation.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we tried to block everything completely, sure, no one would die—but if we can’t endure, we’ll all die anyway.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wouldn’t it be better to use bows or slings, then?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. Arrows leave a gap when reloading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If stones and arrows were enough, things wouldn’t be so dangerous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those shining, burning eyes—he’d seen them in Brunhilt before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watery blue eyes stared straight at Enkrid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like two lakes side by side, reflecting the noonday sun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Enkrid’s were a deep blue, this child’s were pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Enkrid could say anything, the boy asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Was I wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t been among the children Brunhilt led, nor did he stand out among the training adults.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You were right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said it was a relief, despite asking with such certainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No—Enkrid realized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t like Kraiss, who always knew his answers were right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This child had genuinely doubted himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was anxious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And probably worried about the outsider’s intentions too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is a process of confirmation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brunhilt stepping in, defending him—those were part of it too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like watching Kraiss as a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy’s mind worked differently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Talent isn’t fair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It tilts the scale, sometimes violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that’s how coincidences like this happen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Brunhilt was born with talent for the body—then this boy had unmatched talent for the mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Memorize the formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If that shakes, everyone dies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d chosen a tactic that gave no room for distance—because giving distance meant death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What comes next?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how clever he was, a child couldn’t imagine beyond the world he knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Airik couldn’t envision what Enkrid might do next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Predict.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Deduce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Think it through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Figure out what needs to be done.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you’re planning to take us with you...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy was measuring Enkrid’s intentions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That boldness might’ve been annoying, but Enkrid wasn’t small-minded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t resented Brunhilt—and he didn’t resent Airik.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Airik was trying to gauge Enkrid’s kindness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did he plan that too?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Probably not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What came next was a gamble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was speaking for the sake of the village, even if it meant risking his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We can’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We came this far because we’d rather die together than live under someone’s thumb again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We can’t give up what we’ve built.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better to die than return to being slaves under some city lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was their will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Home. Foundation. Roots. Land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All different words—but their home was here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remembered what was said before leaving Zaun:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’d like to go with you, but this is where I belong. I’m sure of that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you said I had to become a slave to go with you, I’d do it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But if you said I had to live as Riley Zaun... then I’d never leave Zaun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can I visit later?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or was that their way of trying to make him stay in Zaun?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ridiculous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He understood the boy’s concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he understood why Harkventyo kept glancing at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither of them was in love with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Were they trying to convince him to leave?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did they want from him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those questions circled endlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a single word could have reassured them, he’d have already gathered the whole village and given a speech.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since that wouldn’t work, he didn’t bother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it did, it wouldn’t matter—it’d be a waste of time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid patted the boy’s head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How old are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seventeen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Seventeen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah. I’m small for my age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s the root of my inferiority complex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve always been weak and sickly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But you’re smart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That last comment came from Brunhilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Obviously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You should listen to him more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I do. I do listen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brunhilt wasn’t slow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching how things were going, she’d realized this outsider teaching her spearplay wasn’t acting out of malice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Night of the Hunt had passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was still fear, still uncertainty, lingering in their hearts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it had changed shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Beasts!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the twin moons disappeared, just before dawn—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than fifty beasts—wild hounds and wolves—invaded the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They ignored the trap laid in front and approached with glowing red eyes through the trees, pressing heavy forepaws into the dirt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those holding spears gulped hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before, the beasts’ bloodlust and stench alone would’ve made their knees shake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But not now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d spent the last fifteen days facing a blade far more terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid had never let up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d stabbed at their backs when they slacked and slashed past their noses without warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you fall, I’ll cut you—wherever.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To an outsider, it might have looked like sadistic bullying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the result?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone who’d been through it had developed nerves of steel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now, facing beasts, their legs held firm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Begin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harkventyo shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In groups of ten, they formed circular rings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Human formations with spears thrust forward faced the encroaching beasts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They placed those who couldn’t fight in the center, wrapping around them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Airik stood at the core and looked around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hold the line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He understood the outsider’s intention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But not the reason behind it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sadist?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did he want to see them die flailing and screaming?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did he want to torture them before the end?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or maybe kill the survivors himself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All sorts of thoughts crossed his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the weak had no options.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They could only struggle to survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The outsider had strengthened not the individuals—but the group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t shape them around the exceptional, but made the inferior into the baseline. Then unified them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Airik had seen it clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strength of an army comes from unity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rotate!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their muscles ached from being pushed to the brink—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But their minds were clearer than ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Growl!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four wild dogs rushed the circle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those holding spears knew exactly how to strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With both hands, they claimed the space the beasts moved into.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where there were gaps, Brunhilt ran around teaching them more—on Enkrid’s orders, of course.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did the adults realize how gifted she truly was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Defense came from the person beside you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With spears thrust out in perfect timing and spacing—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The formation became a hedgehog's spines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Growl! Yelp! Screech!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to magical beasts, regular beasts had soft hides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from a few special cases, they were manageable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And they didn’t even need to kill—just endure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid watched them from atop a tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They wouldn’t die so easily anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A phantom of the Ferryman appeared beside him in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You sly bastard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sly? No—this was good strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valen-style mercenary swordplay—Feigning Defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feigning defeat was a strange technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While retreating, it allowed an ally to strike the enemy’s blind spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valen-style was about factoring in the help of others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many underestimated it, thinking it was just trickery—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But anyone who understood the intent within the swordplay wouldn’t say that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phantom swordplay is essentially tactical swordplay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid had already mastered phantom swordplay to a considerable degree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only issue was—no matter the style, it still required strength to use.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Steel meant nothing unless someone could grip and swing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid sharpened his senses atop the tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, when enough time had passed, he jumped down—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And slew the beasts, driving them away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huff, huff, huh, huhhh...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was gasping for breath—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no one had died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even a single wound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had endured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We rest today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was practice as real as battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With him watching, it still counted as training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True battle needed only one trial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uwoooohhh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A shout erupted—something they’d never uttered before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It hadn’t come when others had saved them—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, with their own hands, they had seized life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that made it worth everything.\u003C\u002Fp>",2164,"2026-05-30T08:28:34.162Z","2026-06-01T04:30:45.896Z",1,"novelbin.me","5163e6ca1d5a96ae0d0bfbae1a7d1ec092d1b82755ff7fd01b1d545350447fde","a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-chapter-744","a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-chapter-742",882,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-knight-who-eternally-regresses-cover.jpg"]