I can evolve everything

A knight's strength lies not only in his flesh and bones, but also in his internal organs.

Only with strong internal organs can one support a higher intensity burst of power.

Ryan reached out and his fingertips touched the writing.

The fog rolled in.

The words on the wall began to distort and recombine.

[In progress: Black Rock Breathing Technique - Organ Section]

A few seconds later, a line of characters appeared.

[Evolutionary Branch: Black Rock Breathing Technique - Organ Chapter (Storm Amplification)]

[Description: By vibrating the alveoli at high frequency, gas exchange efficiency is significantly improved. Burst speed is increased by 30% in a short period, and movement speed is also enhanced. The trade-off is a tremendous burden on the lungs and doubled endurance consumption.]

[Required Resources: Energy Reserves (28 days)]

[Time required: 28 days.]

Raine frowned slightly as he looked at the line of text.

Burst speed.

This evolutionary direction seems to be working well, but Renn is not satisfied.

For a knight like Ella, whose fighting style is more like an assassin, this evolutionary direction is absolutely coveted.

But he wasn't. Raine recalled the battle of the day once more.

Whether it's the Iron Wall Stance, the Half-Step Collapse Sword, or the Skeletal Technique he just mastered, Raine's core fighting style is a steady and methodical approach.

Like a reef on the coastline, I remain unmoved despite the crashing waves.

Deliver a precise and fatal blow the moment the enemy is exhausted or reveals a weakness.

Renn's fingers traced across the air.

"refresh."

With his will, the writing on the wall slowly faded away, disappearing swiftly.

[Resetting the direction of the deduction...]

Renn's head throbbed slightly again; this was the price of refreshing. But Renn didn't stop.

The fog rolled in again, and new words slowly emerged.

[Evolutionary Branch: Black Rock Breathing Technique - Organ Chapter (Lava Amplification)]

[Description: Enhances digestion and metabolism, maximizing the utilization of every calorie in food. Simultaneously improves the physical resistance of the internal organs. Energy recovery speed is increased, as is resilience to impacts and resistance to toxins and harsh environments. The trade-off is a temporary rise in body temperature after use.]

Renn's eyes lit up. This evolutionary boost seemed to be exactly the same as the boost from his [Heart Chapter], and the effect was exactly what Renn wanted.

Although the cost is that it will cause a rise in body temperature after use, except for the time when Raine overused the breathing technique when he first faced Baron, which caused some serious negative effects.

At other times, as long as Raine doesn't overuse the breathing technique, the negative effects of the elevated body temperature are not obvious and basically do not affect his actions; in fact, he can even ignore them once he gets used to them.

Whether it's recovery from injury or the energy expenditure during combat, both require massive energy support. [Lava Amplification] is practically tailor-made for Renn's fighting style.

The bones absorb the force, and the internal organs can withstand blows.

This makes his defensive capabilities and basic physical attributes even more outrageous.

Raine looked at the time displayed on the wall below.

[Required Resources: Energy Reserves (28 days)]

[Time required: 28 days.]

Compared to the skeletal section, the timeframe was reduced by a few days. It's still about a month.

It was just past the coldest part of winter in the North.

"That's it."

Without further hesitation, Renn placed his palm on it and chose to evolve.

Everything returned to calm. Raine slowly opened his eyes.

The stone house remained pitch black, with only a wisp of cold wind whistling through the cracks in the windows.

He sat up and stretched his arms and legs.

Just like before, apart from feeling a little bit of energy disappear, I didn't feel anything else.

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.

The next morning.

On the training ground of the northern fortress, the snow had been shoveled to the sides, revealing the black permafrost.

When Renn finished a set of Iron Wall stance followed by a half-step sword strike, he warmed up his body and felt his internal organs warm up a bit.

Renn could feel his strength slowly growing. Back when he first transmigrated a few months ago, his body probably couldn't hold up after doing a set of the warm-up exercises he just did.

"morning."

Valen walked over from the side, carrying two water bags in his hands.

He didn't look well today; his eyes were puffy, and it seemed he hadn't slept well last night because of something.

Raine took the water pouch, and the warm water rolled down his throat, slightly easing the turmoil in his stomach.

"Looks like last night's work didn't go well," Ryan said calmly, taking a sip of his drink.

"On the contrary, it went too smoothly, so smoothly that it made me a little uneasy."

Valen sighed, leaned against the weapons rack, and looked at the sky beyond the northern border. "Whether it's that tuft of hair or those scabs on the gnoll's skin, the results are in."

He lowered his voice, seemingly not wanting too many people to hear what was to come.

"The old hunters and scholars in the fortress have all examined it. It's the fur of a wolf king, and a mutated one in its prime. As for the bite marks... they compared them and concluded that they were lacerations caused by wolf fangs, and the bite force looked quite astonishing, some even leaving cracks in the gnoll's leg bones."

Renn's fingers tightened slightly around the water pouch, but his expression remained impassive: "So, those gnolls really were driven here?"

"pretty close."

Valen exhaled a puff of white mist from the water pouch in his hand. "Back in the early autumn this year, a small-scale beast tide attacked the western outpost of the Northern Fortress."

Ryan nodded. He had mentioned this to Sir Karen when he had questioned him earlier. Now it seemed that, as Sir Karen had said, this matter was indeed related to the Warg King.

"We initially thought it was just a routine conflict between monsters fighting for territory as winter approached." Valen gave a wry smile, his fingers unconsciously rubbing against the water pouch repeatedly due to the pressure.

"But now it seems that those monsters were probably driven here just like the gnolls. They were driven here by the dire wolf king, or rather, by the dire wolf pack he led."

"The Dire Wolf King..."

"That's the true overlord of the wasteland," Valen's voice was low. "While most regular knights can kill a dire wolf king in a one-on-one fight, once it gathers its pack, or even drives other monsters into a beast tide, it's a nightmare for any border fortress. Now that deep winter is getting closer, if a beast tide breaks out at this critical juncture..."

He didn't continue speaking, but just shook his head, his usually smiling face now showing a drooping mouth.

"Hopefully this winter will be a little more peaceful."

Renn listened silently, his mind racing with thoughts.