I can evolve everything

As we emerged from Blackrock Tower, snowflakes began to fall again.

Raine and Ella walked side by side on their way back to their respective stone houses.

Neither of them spoke; what they had just heard was too heavy, making it hard to breathe.

"An ancient monster from hundreds of years ago..."

Ella kicked a pebble by the roadside: "Is he stronger than the Captain and Sir Karen?"

Ryan didn't reply; he didn't know the answer to that question either.

"one day."

Renn silently recited it in his mind.

In one more day, his [Tortoise Chapter] will be fully evolved.

Right now, he's just a trainee knight, and all he can do is defend against the monsters' attacks and try his best to become stronger.

"Go back and pack your things, Ella."

Raine stopped and turned to look at the girl beside him.

"This trip to Shattered Tooth Canyon might not be so easy for me to come back."

Ella took a deep breath, patted her cheeks, and forced a smile.

"What's there to be afraid of! I'm destined to become a legendary knight. If I can't even get past this hurdle, how am I supposed to write my autobiography?"

She pumped her fist at Raine, "You better step up! Don't make me save you later!"

After saying that, she turned and ran towards her room, her red figure appearing and disappearing in the wind and snow.

Ryan watched her retreating figure until she disappeared around the corner before turning his gaze away.

He looked up at the dim sky above.

The coldest days of winter are coming soon, and storms are on their way.

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 day at the northern fortress, the air was filled with the smells of armor and leather goods, and the restless atmosphere of the crowd.

The interior of the fortress resembled an overturned army ant nest.

The streets were now completely blocked by various convoys and soldiers.

The roars of logistics officers and knights, the whispers among soldiers, and the restless neighing of warhorses mingled together, silently proclaiming the impending storm at the northern fortress.

Renn stood at the door of his stone house, inspecting the two-handed greatsword he had recently acquired and the straight sword that had always been with him. He carefully wiped the blade with a piece of grease-soaked leather to prevent the metal from becoming brittle in the extreme cold.

"Hey! Ryan!"

A voice suddenly came from not far to the side of Ryan. He turned his head and saw that it was Valen's loud voice that broke through the noise.

The deputy commander of the Griffin squadron was fully armed, followed by a group of soldiers.

He strode over, helmet in hand, and glanced at the baggage behind Renn.

"You've packed quite well. By the way, are you leaving tomorrow too?"

Raine put the deerskin into the package, slung the greatsword over his back, and then sheathed the longsword back into its scabbard at his waist.

The heavy, metallic feel of the two swords against his body made him feel much more at ease.

"This is the 22nd patrol team, and our destination is [Shattered Tooth Canyon]," Raine replied calmly. "The captain has given me orders to set up a defensive position there and be on guard against any monsters."

"Shattered Tooth Canyon?"

Valen paused for a moment, then grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, his expression becoming much more surprised.

"Ha! What a coincidence!"

He pointed to the badge on his chest, then to a direction that looked exactly like [Shattered Tooth Canyon].

"I'm leading the 23rd patrol team, responsible for the Black Pine Forest garrison area. The areas we're defending aren't far apart; if we walk directly from the city wall, it's only a few kilometers apart. If we ride fast horses, we can make a round trip in half an hour."

Valen stepped forward and slammed his fist heavily into Renn's breastplate.

"Listen, brother. The commander has still sent out so many knights and soldiers, so that if any of our encampments encounter danger, the knights and soldiers in the surrounding encampments can provide timely support. In those remote, godforsaken places, if we encounter a large beast tide, only by looking out for each other can we survive. If there are too many spiders or anything else over there, remember to light the signal fire. As long as I'm still alive, I'll definitely lead the soldiers to support you."

"Thanks." Renn nodded solemnly. "If there's trouble in Blackpine Forest, Ella and I will be there too."

"That's enough for me."

Valen put his helmet back on, his voice muffled by the visor, "Let's go! Don't die out there. When you get back, I'll treat you to a victory celebration!"

As he watched Valen and his team disappear into the crowd, Renn withdrew his gaze.

He looked up at the sky.

Because of the beacon tower incident a couple of days ago, the dark clouds on this side of the Northern Fortress seemed to have been dispersed by those beams of light for several days, and the long-awaited sunlight finally peeked out from behind the thick clouds.

Looking further north, Renn saw a scene of dark clouds looming overhead and an impending storm.

And today, if you count the days, it just so happens to be the day his [Tortoise Chapter] evolution is complete.

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.

It was midnight, when all was quiet.

Inside the stone house, Renn sat cross-legged on the bed.

The daytime hustle and bustle of the northern fortress had subsided, and all the soldiers were now resting in their respective barracks, with only the sound of the cold wind howling outside the windows.

The Black Rock Breathing Technique within his body was operating at low power to maintain his body temperature. Meanwhile, deep within his consciousness, the deduction process of the [Misty Corridor] was reaching its final stage.

As midnight approached, the evolution time displayed on the wall, representing the [Torso Chapter: Steel Augmentation], finally jumped to zero.

[Evolution time remaining: 0]

hum-

The reaction wasn't as intense as in the previous evolutions, nor was there that excruciating pain.

When the evolution was complete, Renn felt his body sink.

The feeling was quite peculiar. Renn didn't feel a sudden increase in weight; rather, his entire body felt more solid, as if a qualitative change had occurred.

Originally, the human body is a loose structure supported by bones and pulled by muscles. The spine is segmented and the ribs are individual. Although flexible, it is prone to displacement and disintegration when subjected to heavy blows.

But now.

Renn took a deep breath.

As his chest rose and fell, he felt his spine, ribs, pelvis, and even the core muscles surrounding them, as if they were being forged together into a single piece of steel.

"So this is... the torso section of the 'Black Rock Breathing Technique'?"

Renn slowly opened his eyes, but did not rush to get up.

He tried rotating his waist. He felt that even if someone knocked his weapon away and threw him backward, he wouldn't lose his balance and could quickly regain it.

Raine stood up, but didn't strike a pose; he just stood there casually.

He lifted his foot and stomped it on the stone floor.

Boom!

The sound was deep and heavy.

In that instant, the reaction force traveled up the leg bone, through the pelvis, and was absorbed directly by the entire torso before being evenly distributed throughout the body.

From the outside, Ryan's clothes didn't even shake at all due to the reaction force.

This torso meant that he would never lose his balance from a heavy blow from an enemy, nor would he twist his back from wielding heavy weapons.

Even if a bull were to crash into him at full speed, he would only slide sideways and would never fall apart.