I can evolve everything

The bugle sounded as scheduled the next morning.

Raine opened his eyes almost reflexively and finished washing up and getting dressed within ten minutes.

When he and Ella arrived at the fortress's canteen, the sky was still overcast.

Winter in the North is mostly like this; the sun doesn't waste much of its light on this wasteland, with only faint rays peeking through the clouds.

"You look a little different."

Ella held half a loaf of bread in her hand, chewing as she looked at Raine suspiciously.

As a half-elf, and one who had mastered the Wind Whisperer's Breathing Technique, her senses were far more acute than those of a human. She felt that Rein stood there more steadily today, as if the wind was being diverted as it blew past him.

"He probably slept well," Renn said casually, taking a sip of the hot water Ella handed him.

"Raine, Ella, over here."

Karen's voice came from afar.

The old knight stood in the corner of the canteen, with Valen, fully armed, standing next to him.

Today, instead of wearing his usual casual clothes, Valen donned a suit of armor with a white cloak draped over it.

"Sir Karen." Ryan walked over and bowed slightly.

Karen glanced at the two of them, her gaze lingering on Ryan for a moment, as if she had noticed something, but she didn't say anything.

"How was your rest?" Karen asked.

"It's alright. The bed here is firm, which is good for sleeping," Ryan replied.

"A firm mattress is good for your spine." Karen smiled, then pointed to Warren beside her. "I have a mission today, and I want you two to go and take a look too."

Ryan looked at Valen.

The young knight seemed somewhat excited, holding his helmet in his hand, and speaking in a light tone:

"Don't be nervous, it's not a critical mission. It's just that a few days ago, the scouts reported that a group of Icefield Gnolls were discovered near the southeast of the fortress."

"Gnolls?" Ella frowned. "Those monsters that walk like upright hyenas?"

"That's right, they are the descendants of Yenogu, as everyone often says," Valen began to explain. "There are about thirty of these beasts, and we haven't found any trace of their leader. They've been wandering around there for two days, probably trying to scavenge for the carcasses of wild animals that have frozen to death in the blizzard."

"They're too close to the fortress," Karen added. "Although there's no large-scale monster attack right now, if we don't clear them out, they'll gather into a larger tribe once the weather gets better."

Raine searched his memory for information about gnolls.

In the original owner's memories of more than ten years, there were not many impressions of this kind of creature. He only learned from his father that this kind of creature was usually chaotic, evil, greedy and tireless.

Although they are not as strong individually as orcs, they are more ferocious and cooperative in groups.

"Thirty..." Renn calculated in his mind.

With Valen leading the team and Karen on board, the task was indeed quite simple.

"Valen will be in command of this mission, leading two squads of soldiers." Karen patted Ryan on the shoulder. "I'll be going too, but I won't be involved. You two come with me; I want you to see clearly how the soldiers of the North fight."

"It's not a duel between knights, it's a war between soldiers," Karen emphasized.

Ryan nodded. "Understood. What do we need to prepare?"

"Take your weapons, and this too." Warren pulled two small bottles from his pouch and tossed them to Ryan and Ella. "Antifreeze oil. Apply it to your faces and the backs of your hands; it'll keep your fingers from freezing in a pinch."

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, the east side gate of BJ Fortress was slowly pulled up.

The thirty-man mopping-up squad was lined up neatly. All the soldiers sat silently on horseback.

These soldiers were completely different from the lords' private armies that Renn had seen around his own town.

Their equipment was quite uniform, with standard spears and some carrying crossbows on their backs.

Each person's armor gleamed coldly; their equipment was quite good.

Ryan and Ella rode their horses at the rear of the group.

"Set off."

Valen put on his helmet, his voice coming through the visor.

The horses' hooves were wrapped in thick cloth, and when they stepped on the frozen ground, they only made a series of thumping sounds.

Once outside the fortress gates, the view suddenly opened up, but also became extremely desolate.

Only two colors remained in the world: the white of the snow and the black of the exposed rocks on the wasteland.

The wind was at least two orders of magnitude stronger than it had been inside the city walls.

Karen walked beside Ryan. Even on horseback, the old knight's body moved in the same rhythm as the horse's rise and fall, as if shifting horizontally.

"Watch the ground carefully," Karen said.

Renn lowered his head.

On the messy snow, you can vaguely see some traces that are half buried by the wind and snow.

"Those are claw marks left by those monsters, from three days ago," Karen pointed out. "If they were fresh, the edges would be sharper. And look over there, the claw marks on the bark of that dead tree."

Renn looked in that direction.

"That height indicates that the creature that left the traces was at least two meters tall when standing upright."

“Here, this information can save more than one life.” Karen glanced at Ryan. “Trust what the environment tells you.”

Renn silently made a note of it.

The procession traveled for about two hours.

The surrounding terrain began to become uneven.

Huge rocks stood haphazardly on the snowfield, and withered coniferous forests were sparsely scattered everywhere.

"stop."

The scout at the front suddenly raised his right hand and clenched his fist.

The entire group froze instantly.

No one spoke, and no one even pulled the reins.

The thirty soldiers froze on the spot the moment they heard the order.

Valen spurred his horse forward at a trot and exchanged a few words with the scout in a low voice.

Then he turned around and gestured to the soldiers behind him.

They were signaled to dismount and hide; the gnolls were just ahead.

"Rain, Ella, dismount." Karen landed gracefully. "Tie the horses to this sheltered spot and leave two men to guard them. We'll walk the rest of the way."

Ella gripped the longsword at her waist with some tension.

A faint, pungent odor lingered in the air.

That must be the smell of gnolls.

"Stay close to me."

Karen crouched low, using the rocks for cover as she crept forward. "Remember, today is Valen's home turf. You guys provide support from the flanks and take out any lone gnolls."

Renn nodded, leaned forward slightly, and carefully observed the condition of the group of soldiers in front of him.

His bones made a slight squeaking sound beneath his skin, and with each step he took on the snow, the force was perfectly distributed into the snow, making no sound at all.

In a depression ahead, the swaying gray figures could be vaguely seen, along with howls carried by the wind.