I can evolve everything

into the night.

The cold wind on the wasteland grew even more rampant, like the wailing of countless wronged souls.

The campfire flickered beneath the rock face.

After dinner, Ella had already gone to bed early, clutching her longsword. By the firelight, Raine pulled the gray sphere he'd brought from Mars's basement from his pocket.

[Evolutionary Branch: Misty Corridor - Anchor Point]

[Required Resources: Mithril Powder (10g), Warg King's Fang, Energy Reserves (3 days' worth).]

[Time required: Three days.]

Raine frowned as he looked at the prompt for the evolution branch.

Rein could still find information about mithril powder in the original owner's memories: it was a relatively expensive alchemical material that could be found in markets in major towns, and 10 grams would cost about 3 gold coins.

As for the second one, Fang of the Warg King, Raine had never even heard of it.

"Jazz."

Ryan put the ball back into his pocket, added a piece of firewood to the fire, and looked at Karen, who was keeping watch.

Have you ever heard of the Warg King?

Upon hearing this word, Karen slowly opened her half-closed eyes.

"Dire wolves... they are the most troublesome and numerous beasts in the North."

The old knight took a water bottle from his waist and took a sip.

"Ordinary dire wolves are troublesome enough. They are intelligent, vengeful, and know how to cooperate in hunting like humans. But the dire wolf alpha..."

Karen paused for a moment, looked up at the dark wasteland in the distance, and her tone became serious.

"Those are mutated monsters that have broken through some kind of limit. They are larger than warhorses, and their fur can deflect ordinary arrows. It is said that they have developed intelligence in their brains, can understand the common language, and can even command other magical beasts."

"Hundreds of years ago, these things were everywhere in the Northern Wastes. They attacked caravans and even massacred villages. Later, the royal capital, together with the Knights and adventurers from all over, launched a great purge, which took a full ten years to wipe out the warg kings within the walls."

"And now?" Renn pressed. "Are there any more around here?"

"They're practically extinct within our borders." Karen shook her head. "Nowadays, adventurers who want to hunt the Warg King have to go to the wild lands beyond the borders. That's a no-go zone for humans, but a paradise for monsters."

Renn's heart sank.

Beyond the border?

That means if he wants to evolve this sphere, he must go beyond the extremely dangerous border?

"but."

Karen suddenly changed the subject.

"Things have been a bit unsettled at the border lately. I heard that a small wave of beasts attacked the border fortress a while ago. It's not impossible that some escaped and got in."

The old knight glanced at Renn, seemingly seeing through him, but he didn't ask further, only offering a brief reminder:

"If you actually encounter one of those things, don't even think about hunting it. Your first reaction should be to run. That kind of monster is beyond your current capabilities."

"Understood."

Raine nodded and lay back down in the blanket.

But he did not loosen his grip on the sword hilt.

The winds of the wilderness never cease, tirelessly tearing at the land.

The night was not peaceful.

Despite the campfire, the biting cold seemed alive, seeping into his bones through the seams of the blanket. Raine even dreamt that he had become a stone frozen in a glacier, only able to hear the dull, slow beating of his heart.

The next morning, the three of them had already packed their bags.

Breakfast consisted of bread and a little bit of leftover broth from last night, which, after being reheated, had a layer of white grease on top.

"I do not understand."

Ella sat on a sheltered rock, holding the bread in her hand, staring blankly at the sky.

Why are knights always portrayed as so elegant in the bards' tales, accompanied by fine wine and witches? While in reality we're munching on bread and enduring this damned wind!

The girl complained, but her hands moved quickly. She skillfully hung the longsword back at her waist, checked the buckles of her armor, and was ready to set off at any moment.

"Because bards don't have to spend the night in the wilderness."

Karen gulped down the hot soup and exhaled a puff of white air.

"Besides, once you get to the fortress, you'll miss this bread that's not too hard."

Ryan did not participate in their chatter.

He is feeding the horses.

Because of the recent relentless cold wind, Rye seemed a bit restless. While gently stroking the horse's mane, Rein was mentally reviewing the move Karen had taught him yesterday.

【Half-Step Collapse Sword】.

"Set off."

Karen mounted her horse, her black cloak fluttering in the wind.

"Today we're going to cross the Gobi Desert, which is the windiest place. Put on your masks, everyone. I don't want your noses to freeze off before we even reach the fortress."

Long journeys can be quite tedious, especially when you're in a world that's only gray, white, and black.

To keep warm in the cold wind, Renn began to meditate on horseback.

He didn't close his eyes, but silently adjusted his breathing.

With each heartbeat, the warm flow of life energy begins to circulate slowly throughout the body.

He tried to prevent this energy from overflowing his body surface, instead locking it in various parts of his body.

That's difficult. It's like trying to catch a handful of fine sand and prevent it from flowing away.

But Ryan discovered that as long as he maintained the "Iron Wall Stance," his life energy became much more docile.

"A very interesting attempt."

As the midday break approached, after dismounting, Ryan, as usual, silently practiced his famous sword technique in his hands. Karen watched this and commented.

"Your current state is like a bowstring fully drawn, in a state of building up power. Although it looks like you're walking, every step you take is a buildup of energy."

Raine stopped and drew his longsword.

This is a rocky wasteland with a few huge weathered stone pillars standing on the barren land; otherwise, it is desolate.

"Sir, I feel there seems to be some connection between [Iron Wall Stance] and [Half-Step Collapse Sword]."

Raine held the sword with both hands, but instead of swinging it directly, he closed his eyes and felt the weight of the sword.

In that instant, his experience of using the [Iron Wall Stance] several times before flashed through his mind.

The principle behind the "Iron Wall Stance" is that when an enemy's attack lands, the force of the impact is transferred through the body by adjusting the stance while holding the sword, and ultimately discharged into the ground.

And the [Half-Step Collapse Sword]...

Renn suddenly opened his eyes.

He stepped back half a step with his right foot, gripped the ground tightly with both feet, and gathered his strength backward.

The next second, the ankle began to exert force. The calf tensed, and the thigh muscles trembled slightly.

This force traveled up the spine and instantly surged into the wrist.

"drink!"

Renn let out a low growl and thrust his longsword out.

The sword tip flashed coldly in the air before piercing the weathered stone pillar in front of it.

puff.

The sword pierced through the weathered rock without any resistance, and even trembled slightly as a result.

"good!"

Karen, who was not far away, gave an encouraging comment: "You're doing quite well."

Raine drew his sword, looked at the few stone chips on the tip, and felt a strange sense of clarity.

"I see……"

He muttered to himself.

This is probably what is meant by drawing inferences from one instance to another.

For an average person with mediocre talent, learning the [Half-Step Collapse Sword] technique could take an extremely long time, requiring practice from scratch. It would take at least several months of arduous training.

But Rennes is different.

Although Raine's swordsmanship talent was average, his memory and body, with the help of his cheat system, had perfectly mastered the [Iron Wall Stance].

He could sense that the [Half-Step Collapse Sword] was similar to the [Iron Wall Stance] in many ways; in fact, it was a derivative attack derived from the [Iron Wall Stance] defense.