Eternally Regressing Knight - Chapter 99: Just Because Luck Isn’t On Your Side (1)

At dawn, Encrid woke up to face yet another identical today.

He began by training his body with the Isolation Technique.

Today had begun again, like every other day.

Most of it was the same as the previous todays.

Encrid trained, observed by Fin and the scouts, and, after finishing his sword training, checked his equipment.

He had forgotten to inspect his gear after the ghoul battle yesterday morning.

‘Back to the beginning here.’

The start of a new today.

It was also a moment to determine his direction.

Would he attempt the escape route again?

Or should he try another path?

He leveled his sword with the ground, angling it to his line of sight.

Scanning the blade, he saw no chips or nicks.

As he gazed at the sword, his thoughts continued.

The first priority in these repeated todays:

‘Assess the situation.’

If there were three routes forward, he wanted to know what lay at the end of each path.

It was as though the paths were placed before him, awaiting his decision.

Figuring out “how” to reach tomorrow would come after understanding the choices.

He cleaned the blade with leather, checked his other equipment, then unwound and rewound the leather grip.

This had become his personal ritual to signify the beginning of a new day.

Since counting each today would be impossible, he had created this method back on his second day of repetition.

The leather wrap around the sword grip marked the second today; Encrid remembered that well.

“If we’re heading out by morning, shouldn’t we hurry?” Torres said, nibbling on jerky for breakfast.

After tasting the seasoned jerky, he had made a habit of joining Encrid for breakfast.

Encrid was just about to speak up himself.

He noticed Fin approaching.

An axe hung on her left hip, thick-soled boots on her feet, and a shortsword on her right hip.

She wore a thin, well-tanned leather armor that molded easily to her movements.

‘She’s lightly armed.’

Her gear reflected the role of a scout, equipped only with the essentials.

“The Ranger leads.”

This was their motto.

They walked at the front, the lightest of all.

Though Encrid’s equipment classified him as light infantry compared to heavy infantry, he was still comparatively well-armed beside the scouts.

Even his longsword was cumbersome here.

What if they fought in earnest? He had wondered about this for days. Given the physical training he had achieved through the Isolation Technique, he didn’t think he’d lag far behind Torres.

And since he intended to make today different from yesterday…

The first choice was to eliminate the escape route.

“What do you think about scaling the wall at night?” Encrid asked Fin directly as she came near.

No point in beating around the bush.

Sometimes, laying out one’s purpose and intentions clearly made for a smoother conversation.

Encrid excelled in this regard.

“Suddenly?” Fin tilted her head in confusion.

“I have a bad feeling about it,” he replied without missing a beat.

He was aware of his nickname within the squad.

Besides the “Enchanter Squad Leader” and “Curse-Breaker,” he was often referred to by one other name.

‘The guy Lady Luck loves.’

Anyone else dismissing something as “bad luck” would likely be ignored.

But when Encrid said it, people took it a bit differently.

“A bad feeling?”

Fin, unfamiliar with his nickname, was puzzled, but Torres reacted differently.

Watching Encrid’s face, Torres stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“If any of the three paths work, why not scale the wall?”

He readily agreed, without asking further. All Encrid had mentioned was a “feeling.”

What could be the reasoning?

Fin tilted her head again before speaking.

“You know that climbing the wall won’t be easy?”

“Nothing in life is easy,” Encrid replied calmly.

With two out of three in agreement, the answer was practically decided.

Fin had no strong preference and had simply laid out all three options.

She nodded.

“Alright, then.”

There was no need to turn this into a battle of wills.

Besides, Fin was beginning to feel a certain respect for Encrid.

“How about a quick bout?” Encrid asked, tying his sword securely to his waist.

“Oh-ho,” Torres chimed in, amused.

Naturally, the challenge was directed at Fin.

“You want to spar with me? I’m not exactly a combat specialist.”

That couldn’t be true.

A body trained to that degree wouldn’t belong to someone lacking skill.

“Well, swordsmanship isn’t my specialty either.”

She shrugged, showing her palms.

Seeing this, Encrid’s mouth opened again.

“Hand-to-hand would work. Can’t risk an injury before an important mission, after all.”

Could it be a valuable experience? He didn’t know. But seeing her trained physique piqued his interest.

It was the thrill of competition.

Just as Torres had felt, Fin, despite her respect, was intrigued and eager to test herself against him.

‘It’s been a while.’

At one point, she had poured her energy into training, until she had faced her limits.

Now, though she wasn’t one to lose easily to just anyone, seeing Encrid’s swordplay with the ghouls had left an impression.

‘Without swords involved…’

She didn’t think she’d lose easily.

Everyone had their specialties, and Fin’s was hand-to-hand combat.

“Ooh, it’s been a while since I’ve seen this!” One of the scouts said, his rough, bandit-like appearance contrasting with his gentle voice.

He was the one who had helped dry Encrid’s clothes on a branch.

He knew Fin’s skills well, it seemed.

“Enough with the chatter.”

Fin’s eyes gleamed. She was already in combat mode.

“We’ve got time till night, anyway.”

With that, Fin gave her consent.

Encrid set aside his sword and removed his gambeson and leather armor, standing before her in a simple, thin shirt.

The scouts and Torres quickly formed a large circle, leaving an open space for them.

Positioned near the center, Torres chuckled.

“Well, this scene feels familiar.”

He was likely referring to Encrid’s promotion spar.

Torres recalled that time vividly, thinking of the Encrid he had fought back then.

‘He’s changed a lot.’

Compared to that day, Encrid had made astonishing progress.

At least from Torres’s perspective.

“Shall we begin?”

The spar started.

Fin’s strength lay in close combat. She made no effort to hide it.

She moved her feet side to side, quickly closing the distance.

Encrid had learned striking techniques from Audin.

Spreading his feet, he adjusted his stance, extending his left hand in a direct strike rather than a sweeping one.

With a shorter arc, the punch was faster—a thrusting motion reminiscent of a sword.

Fin responded with almost acrobatic finesse.

Eyes wide, she ducked, dodging just enough to let Encrid’s punch graze her hair.

‘This move…’

It reminded Encrid of his time protecting Leona Locke Freed.

Back then, to shield her, he had narrowly dodged a thrown dagger on the second floor with a simple tilt of his head.

Fin dodged with a similar move.

Heightened focus sharpened his senses, letting him track her every motion, his gaze meeting hers.

Her eyes burned with intensity.

They were locked in close combat.

‘Will she tackle?’

His hesitation was brief, his judgment swift.

Whoosh.

Instead of following through with his left, he drove his right elbow downward, a fierce strike that could tear through an opponent’s back if it landed.

But Fin dodged even that.

Her movement was like a snake’s, her waist twisting fluidly as she circled to Encrid’s right side.

Not only did she take position, but both her hands gripped his wrist and forearm in an instant.

Encrid instinctively tensed his muscles, pulling his arm free from her grasp.

At the same moment, Fin looped her inner calf around his shin.

What followed was a battle of control, each trying to capture the other’s joints.

They dodged, blocked, and grappled, rolling over the ground repeatedly.

They thudded against each other, heads colliding.

Encrid didn’t realize it, but Fin’s foot or hand had landed on his groin more than once.

‘Ayle Karaz Style.’

He recognized her technique.

It was one of the methods Audin had repeatedly taught him.

Ayle Karaz was notorious throughout the continent as a brutal prison, infamous for its ruthless correctional officers.

One of them had developed a combat style to subdue prisoners with intense, injury-free pain—a joint-locking style known as “Ayle Karaz’s Ground-Fighting.”

Known as the “King of the Dirt,” it was a fighting style for those who rolled in the dust, earning its infamous reputation.

Encrid countered with the joint locks he’d learned from Audin, but Fin’s expertise was on another level.

And so…

“Do you yield?”

Just when he thought he had blocked her next move, his neck ended up trapped between Fin’s powerful thighs.

If she wanted, she could snap his neck.

Being caught like this, he realized how strong her thigh muscles were.

“I concede,” Encrid said, acknowledging his defeat with his neck locked.

“If we used swords, who knows? But this is my specialty,” Fin replied, releasing him.

After grappling on the ground, both of them were covered in dust. Dirt fell from their hair as they shook it out.

“Looks like we’ll need a wash. Care to join me?” Fin offered.

“I’ll go a bit later.”

He declined without hesitation, her invitation seemingly casual.

“Tch.”

She clicked her tongue playfully and stood up, dusting off her clothes.

“I’ll see you this evening, then.”

After she left, Torres chuckled as he approached.

“If you two were going to get that close, why not just share a burrow?” he joked.

Hmm?

Encrid looked at him in confusion, and Torres kept laughing.

“You’re the first person to spar with our captain for that long.”

The soldier beside him added. With this comment, Encrid understood.

‘Yes, I guess we did get a bit too close.’

He hadn’t thought about it much in the heat of the fight.

But he did realize one thing:

‘She’s a good sparring partner.’

She wasn’t as skilled as Audin, who immobilized him while lecturing him endlessly.

Still, given the current circumstances, she was an ideal training partner.

He could refine his joint-locking techniques in the Valaf style.

But that didn’t mean he’d waste this today.

Of course, he’d struggle fiercely to escape today’s loop.

After all, how many times had he encountered situations like this?

His instincts warned him, as if the ferryman of dreams whispered nearby.

“How will you escape?”

Another wall had appeared.

Would he break through in just a few tries?

Maybe not, but he wasn’t discouraged.

He remained calm.

He wasn’t giddy or frustrated.

Instead, he thought only of accurately reading the situation.

Learning Fin’s specialty was merely a bonus.

In the remaining time, he practiced the Hidden Knife technique under Torres’s guidance.

“Are you really going to keep at that? I’ve taught plenty of people, but some just can’t get it,” Torres said sincerely.

Although he had joked before about giving up, this time, he was serious.

Lounging under a tree, Torres added.

“Really?”

Like this was the first time he’d been told he couldn’t.

“Fine, do as you like,” Torres replied, giving up quickly. After a few days, he had a fair grasp of Encrid.

The guy was stubborn.

“So, why did you suggest the wall?”

Torres asked, now that he’d chosen to believe him.

“It feels more promising.”

“And your hunch has been spot on so far?”

“For the most part.”

Though, in truth, his repeated todays had earned him these insights.

How could he explain that?

“Alright, I’ll trust it,” Torres said with a nod. Encrid didn’t think it mattered if Torres believed him.

But he had anticipated things would flow this way.

More training and practice.

They took a break to wash and even squeezed in a short nap.

“Best to rest if we’re working tonight.”

Torres agreed, and it seemed Fin was resting enough too.

After a short nap, the sun began to set.

“The three of you will go ahead. We’re abandoning this camp.”

Considering the worst-case scenario, the remaining scouts would move elsewhere.

And so, the three of them headed for the wall.

The route was rougher than expected.

Not just thick brush—they scaled rocky terrain under the cover of night.

“Lucky for us there’s a double moon tonight,” Fin remarked from the lead.

“Is that lucky? It’s still a hard climb.”

“I told you this route is much tougher than the others.”

Fin added with a smile, pressing onward.

Even her footsteps were light. She’d attached something to her boots to minimize sound.

Encrid silently followed her.

They crossed the rock-strewn hill, then entered a canopy of trees that concealed them.

Guided by Fin, they made it to a place where the walls of Cross Guard were clearly visible.

“Looks like luck’s on our side,” she said, looking at the wall.

Torres, drenched in sweat, looked up.

“This is lucky?”

“It is. We didn’t encounter a single monster or beast on the way.”

Encrid was drenched in sweat too. Keeping pace with a Ranger was no easy task.

And it wasn’t over yet.

“Now the real fun begins, gentlemen.”

Fin flashed a bright smile, heralding the beginning of their nightmare.

Scaling the wall would be even harder than crossing the rocky hill.

First, they’d have to stick close to the wall itself.

Raising his head, Encrid sized up the height of the wall in front of them.

This would be no easy feat.

Not that they had a way to turn back.

“Let’s go.”

Quietly, he followed Fin’s lead.