I can evolve everything

Upon hearing the bell, Karen froze in place.

The greatsword hovered three inches above Renn's head, just as Renn was about to throw the sand in his hand at Karen.

The wind from the sword blew away the stray hairs on Renn's forehead. The old knight looked up blankly at the hourglass in the distance.

There, the last grain of sand had just fallen.

"……Time is up?"

Karen muttered to herself, her voice even carrying a hint of disbelief.

He actually...forgot about the time while playing?

In a mere apprentice knight assessment, how could he have invested so much effort in just one kid?

The tension of close-quarters combat in the muddy trenches made him even forget the passage of time.

The training ground was deathly silent.

Only Renn's heavy breathing echoed through the arena.

Karen slowly sheathed her greatsword.

He looked down at Ryan, who was still trying to get up.

"What kind of move is that?" the old knight asked.

Renn wiped the blood from his face (from the headbutt), grinned, revealing a set of white teeth stained with blood:

"Sir, this is... street fighting techniques."

"snort."

Karen snorted and turned to face the stands. Ignoring the whispering candidates, he shouted:

"Rayne Wilder".

"pass!"

In the stands, those who had originally prepared to see a joke exchanged bewildered glances.

The members of the Knights nodded slightly, their eyes revealing a sense of recognition for their kind—they understood the significance of that final scene.

Red-haired Ella holstered the knife at her waist, stood up, and pulled down her hood.

On the battlefield, Renn felt his legs go weak and finally couldn't hold on any longer, so he sat down on the sand with a thud.

He looked at the figure with its back to him and knew he had won his gamble.

As he tried to stand up from the sand, his legs felt like lead. The adrenaline that had sustained him through the fight was rapidly fading, replaced by excruciating pain all over his body, and a piercing agony in his wrists—which Sir Karen had nearly crippled by twisting them like a pretzel.

A hand was stretched out in front of him.

Raine looked up, and in his blood-stained vision was Cedric van Amsel, who had just mocked him.

This genius from the capital city had lost his previous reserve and arrogance.

He failed this most rigorous ultimate test.

This was a huge blow to him, who was burdened with the honor of his family.

"I take back what I said earlier." Cedric's voice was a little dry, but his previous contempt had vanished. "Your swordsmanship is... very practical."

Ryan grinned, ignoring the hand, and instead braced himself on his knees, wobbling as he stood up. "Thanks for the compliment. After all, mice usually outlive lions."

Cedric looked at the man before him, who was swaying precariously but still standing, and shook his head with a self-deprecating smile.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Half an hour later, at the treatment center in Dawn Fortress.

This is the quietest place in the entire castle, filled with the smoky aroma of burning artemisia.

Sunlight streamed through the stained-glass window, which was decorated with the emblem of Tyre, the "God of Justice," casting dappled shadows.

"Bear with it, kid. This isn't one of those street quacks who just rub herbs on you; this is divine bone setting."

An old priest with a gold scale badge around his neck was holding Renn's swollen and deformed right wrist.

A white light shone from his fingertips.

"Ugh—!"

As the priest chanted the divine incantations in a low voice, Renn clenched his teeth tightly.

He could clearly feel the shattered wrist bones being forcibly joined together and healed under the guidance of divine magic, and the muscle fibers slowly wriggling and reorganizing.

This kind of torment is far more unbearable than being injured.

"alright."

After a long while, the priest wiped the sweat from his forehead and skillfully wrapped a roll of bandage around Renn's hand.

"Your bones are set." The priest glanced at Ryan's face. "Now go eat something, preferably some bloody red meat, the more the better. Otherwise you'll starve to death in the toilet."

Raine nodded weakly, his stomach making a rumbling sound in response.

When Raine walked out of the treatment center, the sun had already completely sunk below the horizon.

The assessment is now completely over.

The elimination rate this year is astonishingly high.

Of the eight candidates who had already passed the first two tests, only two remained at the end.

Rein Wilder, and that red-haired half-elf girl, Ella Moonshadow.

The next day, in the main hall of Dawn Castle.

The hall was solemn and dignified, with dozens of stone pillars supporting the dome and the walls on both sides covered with portraits of legendary knights from all over the world.

At the very front of the hall were only a few high-ranking members of the Knights Order, and the vice-master in charge of awarding medals—a stern-faced, middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed goatee.

The award ceremony was so simple and deserted it was appalling.

There were no flowers, no applause, only vows and responsibilities.

"In the name of the dawn, I bestow upon you the title of apprentice."

The deputy commander's voice echoed in the hall.

He took two badges from the tray and pinned them to the chests of Ryan and Ella respectively.

That was a bronze badge representing the status of a trainee knight, engraved with a rising sun and crossed swords.

Renn stroked the badge; it was cold and rough, yet it made him feel quite at ease.

From this moment on, he was also considered a half-member of the Dawn Sword Knights, possessing the legal right to carry a sword and enforce the law.

"As apprentice knights, you have only just stepped into the threshold."

The vice-captain withdrew his hand, his gaze sweeping sternly over the two men. "According to the Knightly Laws, you must follow a full-fledged knight as squires for one to three years. During this time, you will learn how to fight, how to survive, how to uphold justice, and how to abide by the code of chivalry. Only with the final approval of your mentor can you be promoted to full-fledged knight."

At this point, the deputy commander's expression became somewhat subtle.

Normally, the best prospects would have been snapped up by the team captains long ago. But this year, due to Sir Karen's influence, the acceptance rate is shockingly low, and these two...

One is Rein, who appears to have average physical abilities and got through street brawls; the other is a half-elf with impure blood.

Even if they passed the test, no respectable knight was willing to take them on.

A brief, awkward silence fell over the hall.

Just then, a hoarse voice came from behind the shadowy pillar on the side.

"Alright, stop making that sour face, Deputy Commander."

Sir Karen changed into a clean black casual suit and walked out slowly.

He walked up to the two of them, his cloudy gaze lingering on Ella for a moment.

"Half-elf... Hmph, I hope your sword is more useful than your pretty red eyes."

Then, Karen looked at Ryan.

"As for you, Linus's little brat."

He reached out his rough, large hand and patted Ryan heavily on the shoulder.

"Your father entrusted you to me so that I could mold you into a fine piece of steel." Karen's lips twitched. "My old bones are just missing a few whetstones."

He turned around and waved to the deputy commander: "I'll take these two. My batch of students just graduated, and my old bones haven't rusted yet; I can still keep going for another three years."

The deputy commander visibly breathed a sigh of relief and immediately nodded to take notes.

Sir Karen turned her back to the two men and walked toward the door, her voice echoing in the hall:

"Don't be so happy yet, the real hardship is yet to come. Go back and rest."

The old knight paused for a moment and turned his head.

"Meet here on the first day of next month."

After saying that, he turned and disappeared into the night outside the gate without looking back.

Ryan and Ella exchanged a glance.

After a month of tension, I can finally relax.