Chapter 10: The Butcher Knight (2/2) 

Evan chuckled.

“This is part of the test. You’ll be assisting in hunting tasks. But don’t worry—this isn’t all you’ll be doing. From now on, you’ll be doing some of the hunting yourself, so prepare for it.”

Reynold, who had just finished butchering the carcass in a flash, responded with an eager and cheerful expression.

“Really, sir? I thought you just called me over for chores. I’ll show you what I’m capable of!”

He shrugged his shoulders and loosened up his body.

“Alright, alright. No need to get so worked up.”

Evan immediately opened his shop interface.

‘Time to start making weapons.’

Thanks to Reynold, collecting materials had become quick and easy.

Evan purchased a weapon blueprint and a crafting kit from the shop.

‘Didn’t think I’d ever use one of these again.’

He wanted to take them out right away, but there was something he needed to do first.

Evan raised his left arm for a moment and looked at the ring on his hand.

‘This is supposed to be a magic item, right?’

Before Alan left, Evan had seen him packing supplies, including a spatial magic tool assigned only to high-ranking knights.

A spatial magic tool—an expensive magical item that allowed the user to carry more supplies.

It worked similarly to Evan’s inventory system.

They came in all sorts of forms, from backpacks to accessories, but the smaller the item, the more expensive it was.

Naturally, as a noble of the Count’s household, Evan owned a high-end version in the form of a ring.

‘I don’t really need this since I have an inventory…’

But he brought it anyway to maintain appearances.

Pretending to retrieve the kit from the ring, Evan actually pulled the weapon crafting kit out from his inventory.

Thunk!

A heavy wooden box dropped to the ground.

At the same time, an item information window appeared in front of him.

[Weapon Crafting Kit]

[Grade: F]

[Type: Consumable]

[Use Limit: Can only be used with blueprints for items under level 20]

[Effect: Used to craft weapons between levels 1–20]

[Notes: A consumable kit used to craft weapons from monster parts
(Repair not possible)]

***

Evan opened the kit and took out the tools inside.

A carving knife, a hammer, a vial of magical adhesive, and other basic crafting tools and materials.

Evan looked at them with a sense of nostalgia.

He used to carry a kit just like this when he had first begun his adventures in the previous world.

‘I had no idea back then that I’d end up in another world like this.’

He gave a wry smile.

From the side, Alan and Reynold, who had been watching curiously, spoke up.

“Young master? When did you even pack all this?”

“Looks like a bunch of random stuff to me.”

Evan waved dismissively.

“We’re going to be hunting tougher monsters now. A wooden sword won’t cut it. I’m just making something decent.”

“Huh? You’re making the weapons yourself…? Oh…”

Alan trailed off, but then recalled a memory and smiled bitterly.

He remembered how, back when Evan was younger and more innocent, he had developed this hobby out of a desire to wield a real sword.

‘So it’s still going on after all these years…’

While Alan was lost in thought, Reynold scratched his head and stared at Evan, clearly confused.

Evan gave a tired sigh and waved them off.

“Enough talking. Just watch.”

He pulled out the weapon blueprint from his inventory and activated it.

[Do you want to craft Fox Claws? (Y/N)]

As soon as the message appeared, Evan accepted.

Ding!

A crisp alert chimed, and a holographic interface popped up before him.

[Fox Claws]

[Required Materials: Fox Bone (0/10), Fox Pelt (0/2), Fox Magic Stone (0/5)]

[Current Progress: 0%]

Evan walked over to the fox corpses and began registering the materials into the hologram.

A tutorial video showing how to craft the weapon appeared in front of him.

All he had to do was follow the instructions to complete the weapon.

Of course, it wasn’t as easy as it sounded—but to Evan, this was nothing.

‘I’ve crafted things far more complicated than this…’

As if the system had read his thoughts, a new message appeared.

[You have already mastered the Fox Claws crafting recipe.]

[The Fox Claws tutorial has been skipped.]

‘Huh? Seriously? Is this because it’s my second playthrough?’

It was convenient, at least.

Evan mumbled to himself and began moving his hands.

He sharpened and assembled the fox bones, cut the pelts, and attached them as grips.

After a while, the crafting process was complete.

[Fox Claws have been crafted.]

Another chime sounded as a message appeared before him.

‘It’s been a while, but this turned out pretty well.’

Evan examined the completed Fox Claws with satisfaction.

A sleek white blade made from fox bone.

The grip was wrapped in leather and decorated with fox fur.

He opened the item’s information window to check its stats.

[Fox Claws]

[Grade: E+]

[Type: One-Handed Sword]

[Attack Power: 10–15]

[Durability: 16/16]

[No usage restrictions]

[Effects: +10% Attack Speed, +10% Bonus Damage, +15 Agility]

[Notes: A sword made using fox materials. The craftsmanship is excellent.]

[Repair not possible]

‘A 10% attack speed bonus, plus bonus damage and agility boosts?’

It was far better than the version he had crafted back in the previous world.

Evan showed the finished weapon to his companions.

Alan’s reaction stood out the most.

“Y-You actually made this yourself, young master?!”

He couldn’t hide his shock.

Alan prided himself on having a sharp eye for quality.

To him, Evan’s weapon was absolutely jaw-dropping.

‘A pure white blade with elegant curves. Perfect finishing touches, even down to the decorations.’

It was the work of a seasoned professional.

What was even more impressive was that Evan had done all of this in the middle of a forest.

‘When did he get this good? No—how is this even possible?’

Alan’s expression grew increasingly serious, while Reynold continued to stare at Evan in awe.

***

With weapons now in hand, Evan and his party headed deeper into the forest.

Now that they were properly armed, Evan had raised the difficulty level.

Alan went ahead to scout for monsters while Evan and Reynold followed at a slower pace.

Even as they moved, Evan continued hunting foxes.

He also took the opportunity to closely observe Reynold’s fighting style and offered tips along the way.

‘Looks like the training instructor taught him this way.’

It was a complete mess.

Reynold was forcing himself to use a sword style that didn’t suit him, which made it impossible for him to fight properly.

It was no surprise he struggled to keep up.

‘Low-rank knights only get group training, so they probably just taught the most generic sword techniques without regard for individual strengths.’

While Evan was thinking this, Alan returned from his scouting.

“I spotted some wolves up ahead. We’ve entered wolf territory now, young master. Please be careful.”

Evan gave a small nod.

“Got it. Time to really warm up.”

One of Evan’s side quests involved hunting wolves.

Since they attacked in packs, the difficulty level was a bit higher.

Grrrr!

Suddenly, several wolves emerged from the bushes behind Alan.

It seemed they had followed his scent.

Five mid-sized wolves quickly surrounded the party.

“Damn. Looks like they tracked me. Young master, fall back—let me handle this.”

Alan stepped forward to shield Evan.

But Evan calmly stepped around him.

“No, I came here to hunt these things.”

With a relaxed expression, he glanced at Reynold.

“Reynold, just do as I showed you.”

“Yes, sir!”

Reynold replied with determined energy, recalling all the coaching Evan had given him.

‘No need to go by the book like everyone else. Play to your strengths.’

His experience as a butcher, his sharp instincts, his large frame and powerful strength, and his excellent mana control.

If he didn’t use all those talents, it would just be a waste.

GRAAAHH!

The wolves lunged at the group.

Alan activated his aura to enhance his body and engaged three of them on his own.

Evan and Reynold each took one.

One wolf opened its jaws wide and leapt at Evan, trying to bite him.

Evan twisted his waist to dodge and stabbed the wolf in the side with his sword, slashing with force.

Slash!

Grrrrgh!

The wolf cried out in pain, blood spraying as it collapsed to the ground.

Evan dashed forward and drove the blade into the wolf’s throat.

Thud!

Blood spurted out as the creature went still.

[Level Up!]

A large chunk of experience came in, and Evan immediately leveled up.

He was now level 8.

‘Not bad at all.’

He glanced over at Alan.

Just as expected, Alan was handling three wolves with ease thanks to his superior skills.

Evan then turned his attention to Reynold.

‘Reynold’s doing… better than I thought.’

He was swinging a huge greatsword with one hand, and in the other, he held a small harvesting dagger.

Evan had casually mentioned using the dagger if he had the bandwidth, but Reynold had taken the advice to heart—literally.

Whoosh!

Reynold’s greatsword let out a heavy gust as it sliced straight through a wolf’s open jaws.

At the same time, his other hand moved swiftly.

He plunged the mana-imbued harvesting dagger into the wolf’s vital spot.

Yelp!

The wolf cried out in pain and died instantly.

It was a move fitting of a professional butcher.

‘He’s got more skill than I expected.’

Evan was genuinely impressed, but he didn’t have time to admire it for long.

He rushed over to help Alan deal with the remaining wolves.

And that’s when it happened.

BOOM!

A loud explosion echoed through the forest, followed by a tremor.

An intense wave of mana washed over them.

‘What the…? Another monster? But this area was only supposed to have foxes and wolves!’

Evan had thoroughly researched this forest before coming here.

While confusion filled his mind, a chilling system message appeared before his eyes.

[An unexpected event has occurred!]

[A starving wolf boss, the “Direwolf,” has appeared after catching the scent of blood.]