Chapter 44: The Knight of Roses

After a hearty meal and a few drinks, Han Feng and Tifa returned to their dormitory.

Han Feng glanced at his status panel. After that intense battle, his personal level finally rose to 12—his experience points were exactly enough, not a bit more, not a bit less.

These past couple of days, he’d felt an uneasy restlessness, as if something was about to happen—an intuition honed through countless battles.

He trusted his instincts. Now that he’d leveled up, it was best to convert his free attribute points into combat power, just in case.

He allocated all 200 free attribute points gained from the level-up to his constitution. Constitution was currently his lowest attribute, and high strength and speed needed a robust body as their foundation. If strength and constitution were too imbalanced, the body might collapse under the strain of overwhelming power.

A well-rounded development of character, intellect, physique, aesthetics, and labor—such was the ideal youth of the new cosmic era.

Next, Han Feng used Hero Experience Books to raise both his Fei Ying Card and Luxas Card to level 12. Four-star cards gained a total of 150 attribute points per level, proportionally distributed. With both cards rising two levels each, that meant a total of 600 points—all of which directly translated into Han Feng’s personal attributes.

After leveling up, he gained another skill point, bringing his unused skill points to four (the error in Chapter 35's panel has been corrected). In the Martial Arts (Sword) skill tree at the D-rank stage, aside from the sword technique branch, there was a supplementary enhancement branch containing three attribute-boosting abilities:

[Strength Enhancement (0/5): Each level increases strength by 1%]
[Speed Enhancement (0/5): Each level increases speed by 1%]
[Constitution Enhancement (0/5): Each level increases constitution by 1%]

As a D-rank supplement, each level required 2 skill points. Han Feng invested all four unused skill points in Constitution Enhancement, raising his constitution by 2%. His unused skill points were now reset to zero.

With these upgrades, Han Feng’s panel now showed: Strength 2977, Speed 3046, Constitution 2808, Psionics 3178 (all rounded).

Having reinforced himself, Han Feng naturally proceeded to boost Tifa as well. He had drawn plenty of Hero Experience Books earlier, enough to raise Tifa to level 12. If not for the restriction that a hero’s level couldn’t exceed his own, those books could have pushed her straight to level 15.

With two levels gained, Tifa received a total of 300 attribute points. Her panel now read: Strength 968, Speed 946, Constitution 880, Psionics 506.

No sooner had he finished these upgrades than a knock echoed at the door.

Opening it, Han Feng found Mitch Fran and Jordan Pires standing outside.

Mitch Fran’s injuries had fully healed. Han Feng’s final cross-slash sword aura had been intentionally restrained; had he unleashed his full power, Mitch Fran might have died. It was merely a sparring match—Han Feng had no desire to make enemies the moment he stepped out, nor was it necessary.

Though Mitch Fran had appeared covered in slashes and blood, they were only superficial wounds. After treatment in the medical pod with high-speed regenerative nutrient fluid, his injuries quickly healed.

Jordan Pires had fared even better; Han Feng had simply knocked him out, though his contracted beast would likely need some recovery time.

The two stood at the doorway, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. They had initiated the conflict, confident they would win, only to be utterly defeated—crushed one-sidedly. The psychological gap was hard to bear.

Yet, while it stung, it wasn’t impossible to accept. Only a narrow defeat between equals is hard to swallow; when the gap is vast, all that remains is awe and admiration.

Seeing them, Han Feng broke into a broad smile. “Ah, you two have come! Please, come in, come in. Tifa, could you pour us two glasses of water?”

His delight was obvious—these two were surely here to deliver his payment. How could he not be pleased?

“Um, we won’t come in. We’re here to fulfill the contract,” Jordan Pires said with an awkward smile, producing a credit crystal card. With sincere words he continued, “We apologize for the recent incident. We accused and suspected you without proper investigation—acted too hastily. Here is the agreed compensation for reputational and emotional damages. Please accept it.”

Jordan Pires felt the pinch; their team’s operations fund was insufficient to cover this sum. Mitch Fran had contributed the bulk, and Pires himself had chipped in. Now, he was utterly broke.

Han Feng took the crystal card, pressed it to his portable neural terminal, and transferred the full twenty million star coins to his account. “I accept your apology,” he said, “and hope our cooperation will be pleasant.”

“Thank you, absolutely,” Jordan Pires replied, shaking Han Feng’s hand. Such apologies were his responsibility—Mitch Fran’s pride wouldn’t allow him to do it.

With the contract fulfilled, Mitch Fran suddenly spoke up. “You’re truly strong. I acknowledge my defeat this time—I'm no match for you. But I won’t always lose. I’ll keep striving to grow stronger. From today onward, you are my target to chase—until the day I defeat you.”

Han Feng heard Mitch Fran’s declaration and smiled confidently. “That day will never come.”

“We’ll see about that. Let’s go,” Mitch Fran said, turning away.

Han Feng shook his head, murmuring, “He really is a proud man.”

“Captain Han Feng, we’ll take our leave,” Jordan Pires nodded and departed as well.

Mitch Fran’s arrogance and pride had been shattered, and shattered thoroughly. All his life, he’d been a standout among his peers, believing himself an unparalleled genius. Smooth sailing had inflated his pride and blinded him.

But today, even teamed with Jordan Pires, he couldn’t harm Han Feng in the slightest. He was easily subdued, and only then did he realize how laughable his arrogance had been—he was a frog at the bottom of a well, blind to the vast world above.

Had he not met Han Feng, he would have grown ever more conceited and narrow-minded. This flaw would have narrowed his future path, and if he ever faced a serious defeat, he might have been unable to accept it, lost his spirit, and fallen from grace.

The timing was just right. Han Feng had given him a timely lesson, shattered his pride before it became irreparable, and offered him the chance to re-examine himself. Thanks to Han Feng’s intervention, Mitch Fran would go on to earn the title of "Rose Knight," becoming a formidable A-class powerhouse in the future.