LOTR: The Mincraft Player

After politely declining Legolas's kind invitation, Garrett followed Bilbo to a secluded alcove and asked, "What happened?"

"I went to visit Thorin and the others," Bilbo sighed. As soon as he left the throne hall, he had immediately gone to see the dwarves. On his way back, he had encountered Garrett.

After briefly explaining the dwarves' situation, he hesitated before saying, "Actually, Thorin entrusted me with something."

"And did you agree?"

"I... I haven't agreed yet. It's rather complicated, so I wanted your opinion. I'm not sure how to explain it... Let me think..."

"In seven days, the Woodland Realm will host the Feast of Starlight. All the elves are looking forward to it, including the prison guards. By then, they'll all be drunk," Garrett suddenly said, seemingly changing the subject.

"Bilbo, I believe you have your own judgment."

He placed a reassuring hand on the hobbit's shoulder.

"During the feast, I'll have business that requires my departure for a while. In fact, not just that day, I may be away from all of you for some while afterward."

As he spoke, he retrieved a smooth, golden apple from his backpack.

"It holds healing power, enough to cure almost any wound."

He offered the apple to Bilbo and continued, "I trust you. You'll know when the right time comes to use it."

"This... No, no, I think I likely won't need it. You should keep it. You're the one always fighting, you need it more than I do!"

Bilbo refused it immediately. Regardless of how effective it might be, it was clearly something extremely valuable.

"You will need it."

Looking into Garrett's eyes, which seemed to perceive far more than they should, Bilbo wanted to protest further, but the words died in his throat. He opened his mouth, then finally nodded and said, "Very well, I understand. Thank you, Garrett. I've made my decision."

Garrett's trust and gift filled him with resolve. On this journey, he had changed, no longer the comfort-loving hobbit who constantly yearned for home. Now, he possessed his own judgment.

"I'll do it. It was our agreement from the beginning. I promised to help them reclaim their homeland."

"I'm glad you've come to understand."

There were still seven days remaining before the Feast of Starlight.

After parting with Bilbo, Garrett also visited the dwarves, asking about their condition and their next plans.

"Why don't you just tunnel us out?" one dwarf whispered.

Garrett gestured toward the group of guards stationed at the entrance and shrugged.

"I could dig you out, but whether you could actually escape is another matter." Garrett could indeed force his way out with the dwarves, but at best, it would damage relations with the Woodland Realm; at worst, it could lead to serious consequences.

"You won't rot in here forever. Don't forget, I'm not the only one out there."

The dwarves exchanged meaningful glances. They all knew exactly whom he meant.

In truth, before Garrett's arrival, Thorin had already entrusted Bilbo with the task. It wasn't a secret, merely hidden from the elves.

"Don't worry. This isn't the end of your journey."

Garrett had also learned the art of speaking in riddles. But as soon as he said this, the dwarves were largely reassured. Now, all that remained was to wait for their burglar.

"What about you?" Kíli asked.

"I still have some things to take care of. If there's time, I'll come find you afterward."

"Understood."

With the dwarves' situation temporarily settled, Garrett left the dungeons. As he wandered the palace halls, he suddenly struck his forehead.

I completely forgot about this.

With that thought, he found an elf to guide him and took a tour of the underground palace, successfully unlocking the synthesis for Woodland Elf equipment.

One could never have too many crafting recipes. Take as many as you can get.

Aside from aesthetic differences, the strength of elven equipment was generally similar, nothing particularly exceptional.

However, there was something else that captured his attention: A group of elves in training.

Thanks to their long lives, most elves were quite accomplished. They had plenty of time to learn, and nearly every one was a skilled and valiant warrior. But prowess deteriorated without practice, so regular training was essential. Training grounds might be scarce in Rivendell, but in the Woodland Realm, they were commonplace, thanks to the frequency of their conflicts.

It had to be acknowledged, these elves were excellent swordsmen. Any one of them could deliver an impressive display.

However, their swordsmanship...

The elves' movements reminded him of a mod he had played with before.

From what he had observed so far, the system didn't add new mods randomly. Every time a new mod was added, it was triggered by him encountering something related.

As he was thinking this, his gaze suddenly landed on a familiar figure.

Legolas.

He wasn't certain what had troubled Legolas, but at the moment, he was training with a brooding expression. Still, his sword techniques were mesmerizing to observe.

"Amazing," Garrett couldn't help but comment.

Sensing Garrett's presence, Legolas immediately stopped his practice and responded, "Thank you for the praise. But I doubt my swordsmanship can match that of the legendary warrior of the wilds."

"Uh, well…"

"If possible, I would like to request some guidance in combat," Legolas said earnestly.

Garrett rubbed his hands, feeling somewhat awkward.

What kind of guidance could he offer? Consume a golden apple, drink a potion, and charge forward? Or pull some dirty Minecraft tricks, like abusing mechanics or throwing TNT?

Honestly, he rarely resorted to such methods unless absolutely necessary. Common orcs weren't worth using the real trump cards in his backpack. Those were reserved for boss-level threats.

"To be honest, I don't actually know any sword techniques. In fact, I've never learned any of this stuff," Garrett explained.

"Never learned?"

Legolas was genuinely astonished.

How was that possible? If he truly lacked formal instruction, where did those terrifying feats come from?

Could it really be just brute force?

"I really haven't learned any formal combat skills. If I had to say what I'm best at, it's probably just pure hacking and slashing."

Listening to Garrett, Legolas found it difficult to believe. He wasn't sure how to describe Garrett, this man was just too unique.

"Actually, I'm quite interested in how elves fight. If it's okay, could you teach me a few things?"

"Certainly. I would be honored."

Though slightly surprised, Legolas readily agreed to Garrett's request. Displaying his array of practice weapons, he said, "Swords, daggers, bows, or unarmed combat and evasion techniques, whatever you'd like to observe, I'll demonstrate. I'll give my utmost, holding nothing back."

As he spoke, he selected a practice blade and offered another to Garrett. And just like that, an impromptu demonstration and training session began.

Initially, Garrett was somewhat concerned. He wasn't used to holding back in combat, and if he accidentally injured Legolas, it would be quite embarrassing. But as the training progressed, his worries completely vanished.

He couldn't land a strike. Not even close. Legolas was more elusive than smoke, and his movements were simply inhuman, though, to be fair, he wasn't entirely human either.

If this were a genuine battle to the death where he employed all his tricks, he had numerous methods to counter such an opponent. But in pure skill-based sparring, he had to admit, he was clearly outclassed.

Clang!

Once again, his blade was deflected, leaving him exposed.

This time, Legolas stepped back, signaling that the demonstration phase was over.

And as he lowered his weapon, a system notification appeared almost immediately:

["Dynamic Sword Skills" Mod Installed]

There it was!

Garrett couldn't help but feel excited. He had been testing a theory, and it had actually worked.

Unaware of Garrett's internal reaction, Legolas sheathed his sword and explained, "What I just demonstrated were fundamental techniques. These methods for engaging enemies cannot be mastered without genuine combat experience. But for someone like you, who's already battle-tested, I'm confident you'll adapt quickly."

"You're right."

Agreeing, Garrett examined the interface for the Dynamic Sword Skills mod. At present, it contained only one ability: Basic Sword Technique Lv.1.

In the game, this skill allowed automatic enemy locking, eliminating the need for manual aiming. In reality, it meant that when he entered combat mode, his focus would heighten, and his ability to follow opponents' movements would improve significantly.

Sword Skills required "Skill Orbs" to unlock or upgrade. These orbs dropped from killing hostile creatures.

In other words, to gain new skills or level up existing ones, all he needed to do was, continue fighting.

"I understand everything now."