I can evolve everything

"You've come at the wrong time, or perhaps at the right time."

On days when he wasn't on duty, Valen wore civilian clothes and walked briskly.

"In summer, there would be many caravans from the south, as well as volunteers for the army, monster hunters, and adventurers. But now it's the season of heavy snow, and those who remain here are mostly soldiers and knights who have been stationed here for a long time."

"Is the organization of the Northern Knights very complicated?" Renn walked beside Valen, his gaze sweeping over a group of soldiers repairing their armor by the roadside.

Their equipment was in excellent condition, the blades gleaming coldly.

It can be complicated, or it can be simple.

Valenha exhaled a puff of white air and continued speaking.

"It can be roughly divided into three parts. The first is the Northern Legion, which is the regular main force, responsible for the advance and defense of the front line. It has the largest number of people and the most standard equipment."

He pointed to the golden flags fluttering on the city wall in the distance.

"Second are the Night's Watch. They don't stay inside the walls, but roam the wastelands, even deep into the heartland beyond the borders. They have the highest mortality rate, but are also the most respected. Your teacher, Karen, once served as the Night's Watch's chief instructor for a time."

Renn nodded. No wonder Karen was so familiar with the wasteland.

"And the third one?" Ella asked curiously.

Valen paused, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

"The third part is known as the Knights' Inquisition. They are responsible for... internal issues, as well as problems that cannot be solved by conventional means. For example, necromancers, or certain corrupted mutants."

At this point, Valen glanced at Ryan.

"The matter in Tiemu Town should have been handled by them according to procedure. Unfortunately, they've been tied up in the west lately."

Renn caught this information.

If the Inquisition is similar to other knightly orders, it is estimated that most of its members are highly elite knights. If even they are unable to leave, it seems that the situation in the North is more severe than imagined.

As they talked, the three of them gradually walked to the market area of ​​the Northern Fortress.

Although the Northern Fortress is a military stronghold of the kingdom, it is also a small, self-sufficient city due to its distance from the kingdom's heartland and the inconvenience of transporting supplies.

It can be said that most ordinary soldiers are actually residents of this city, growing up, getting married, and growing old, and may stay here for their entire lives.

The city's market is located in a sheltered area on the outskirts.

It's more chaotic and more vibrant here than in the inner city.

The makeshift shops set up in tents were crammed together, with speculators from the south and local residents mixed in.

It's winter now, so there aren't many shops here; they're scattered around.

The ground was covered in mud, mixed with unmelted ice shards.

"This is the Gray Zone." Valen stepped aside to let a supply wagon pass. "If you can think of it, we sell it here. Of course, with the Knights' strict control, the prices aren't much different from outside, maybe a little more expensive due to transportation difficulties."

Renn's gaze swept over the stalls on both sides.

Most of the items were daily necessities, along with some secondhand equipment.

He was looking for something: the mithril powder that would evolve the sphere.

"Over there." Renn stopped and fixed his gaze on a shop that looked like it sold various mineral materials and medicinal herbs.

The shop was small, with a string of dried garlic and a wolf's tail hanging at the entrance.

As soon as I pushed open the door, the smell of herbs hit me.

An old man was sitting behind the counter, weighing some red powder with a balance scale.

"Look around, but don't touch anything." The old man didn't even look up. "Touching these things might make you itchy all over."

Raine walked up to the counter and spoke directly to the old man.

"Mithril powder".

The old man paused for a moment, then raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Renn before finally settling on the knight badges on the chests of the three men in front of him.

"Oh, so you're the knight lord." The old man's attitude softened slightly. "I don't have much mithril powder stored here; I usually only sell it to enchanters or blacksmiths who accompany the army."

"I bought it to maintain my weapons," Renn said casually, making up a reason without changing his expression.

In this world, although mithril powder is precious, it can still be bought with gold coins.

It is often used to add to steel ingots used in weapon forging to increase toughness, or as a magic-guiding material.

"Young people these days value swords more than their own lives," the old man muttered, bending down to pull a small tin bottle from the counter. "How many do you want?"

"Ten grams."

"Four gold coins," the old man quoted a rather expensive price. "No bargaining."

After a moment's thought, Rein recalled that in a large town, ten grams of mithril powder would usually cost around three gold coins. However, this was BJ Fortress, so it was reasonable for prices to be a little higher.

Moreover, this price is not unacceptable for Renn, who does urgently need mithril powder.

Renn glanced at Valen, who didn't react. So the shopkeeper probably didn't realize Renn was a newcomer and quoted an unrealistic price. Without further hesitation, he reached into his pocket.

Four gold coins were arranged on the counter.

"make a deal."

Raine's voice was steady, without the slightest hesitation.

For him, money is just one form of resource.

If you can't convert that into real power, then a bag of gold coins is no different from a bag of stones.

The old man pocketed the gold coins, wiped his hands on his sleeve, grinned, and then pushed the tin bottle to Renn.

"It's yours now. Use it carefully, don't spill it, this stuff is more valuable than gold."

Ryan gripped the tin bottle, feeling the weight of the powder inside.

With this added, only one condition remains to be met for the evolution of that sphere.

If we can find the [War Wolf King's Fang] again...

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.

When we returned to the stone house, it was already completely dark.

He closed the door and checked the window latches.

"That's about it."

Renn muttered to himself.

Tonight is the night the [Skeleton Chapter] evolution will be completed.

Raine closed his eyes and silently waited for midnight to arrive.

After an unknown amount of time, Renn's consciousness slowly sank.

When he opened his eyes again, he was already standing in that gray, misty corridor.

He didn't stop, but went straight to the wall inscribed with "Black Rock Breathing Technique".

The previously blurry writing about the "Skeletal Chapter" was now trembling violently, as if something was trying to break free from the wall.

The next second, Renn suddenly felt that a memory had appeared in his mind.

In reality, Renn's body jolted violently.

A sharp pain shot through my body.

Renn gritted his teeth, and the veins on his neck bulged.

Click... Click...

He heard the sounds coming from inside his body.

That was the sound of bones vibrating and rubbing together.

The previously loose bone is being compressed and rebuilt. Excess calcium is being removed, and the structure becomes denser.

This is not just about hardening.

Renn felt that his bones seemed to have become something special. They were no longer just inanimate objects, but rather a kind of resilient, sponge-like steel.

This pain lasted for a full two hours.

Only after the last trace of pain subsided did Renn slowly open his eyes.

He raised his hand and looked at his palm. His skin hadn't changed much, but he could feel the changes in his bone structure beneath the skin.

His weight has increased by at least a few kilograms since two hours ago.

But this did not make him clumsy.

Raine stood up and jumped lightly.

It landed silently.

The stone slabs beneath my feet did not vibrate at all. All the impact was dissolved and absorbed by the bones of my legs the moment it touched the soles of my feet, and finally dissipated into nothingness.

This is called "force-dissipating amplitude".

That is, the evolutionary path he chose.

Now, if someone punches him in the chest, the force won't directly damage his internal organs; instead, it will be dispersed by his ribs.

"call……"

Ryan silently walked to the wall, and facing the solid wall, he rammed his shoulder against it using only the weight of his body.

"Thump."

A muffled thud. The sound was deep, not crisp.

A few specks of dust settled on the wall.

Renn rubbed his shoulder; he felt no pain. Instead, a faint cracking sound came from inside the wall.

"It's done."

Ryan's lips curled up slightly.

Although it's only the initial stage, his ability to withstand blows has at least doubled compared to before.