Evan was examining the rewards he had just received.
Nothing that came out of the two boxes was ordinary.
Evan started by checking the ticket.
[Equipment Purchase Ticket]
[Grade: S]
[Category: Miscellaneous]
[Usage Restriction: Shop Level 3]
[Effect: Consumed upon use. Unlocks specific equipment in the shop and allows a one-time purchase.]
Evan looked at the Mediator in disbelief.
‘To think I’d get this already.’
He was very familiar with this purchase ticket, as he’d used it often in his previous world.
‘It lets you buy hidden equipment from the shop.’
In other words, it was a chance to purchase S-grade gear.
When used, the shop would reveal a list of S-grade items that hadn’t been displayed before.
He could only buy one piece of equipment, and even Evan didn’t know what would appear.
‘And to get this as a reward from just Shop Level 3… Truly worthy of a hidden quest.’
He’d gained far more than he expected.
If he could secure a hidden weapon with this ticket, he wouldn’t need to worry about weapons for a while.
Evan shifted his gaze and checked the red gem.
‘This gem…’
He had never seen a gem like this, even in his previous world.
Evan immediately pulled up the gem’s information window.
[Soul Judgment]
[Grade: S]
[Category: Gem]
[Usage Restriction: Weapon]
[Effect: Can be attached or detached from a weapon. Increases attack power by 5% and grants two special abilities.]
[Soul Judgment: When used on a target, marks them through soul observation. If the Mark of Evil appears, you can judge the target.]
[Righteous One: The more evil beings you judge, the more your Holy Power permanently increases by 1 to 5.]
[Other: A rare gem only found in the Celestial Realm, created for judging the wicked.]
Evan’s eyes sparkled.
‘What a tremendous gain. I can use this regardless of my level.’
Above all, the fact that it was attachable and detachable was a huge advantage.
This meant he could continue to use it even if he switched weapons.
‘That was always a chronic issue. No matter how good a weapon or equipment was, you’d have to swap it out as you leveled up.’
The 10% attack boost was significant, but that was just a bonus.
The two special abilities were the real highlight.
‘Soul Judgment and Righteous One.’
Soul Judgment seemed usable against those whose alignment was marked as evil in their status window.
‘To judge another…’
And the Holy Power gained in the process.
That fact alone intrigued Evan.
Holy Power was different from mana.
While mana was borrowed from nature, Holy Power was drawn from another existence.
‘For example, from an Absolute Being, or a god.’
Not much was known for sure, so it remained a mystery, but possessing Holy Power was a huge help.
Healing, purification, blessings, immunity to curses, and more.
It also allowed the user to learn a variety of holy skills.
And it played a crucial role when facing monsters with dark attributes or demons.
‘It boosts damage reduction, extra damage, and darkness resistance.’
In his previous world, Holy Power would only rise gradually after completing notoriously difficult hero quests.
“Judging the wicked, huh…”
***
After a moment’s thought, a few faces popped into Evan’s mind.
‘Heres and Hilton. Their alignments were said to be evil—could it work?’
He decided to test it out on them.
Overall, the hidden quest rewards far exceeded his expectations.
‘No, this is way beyond what I’d hoped for.’
Satisfied, Evan moved on to the next item.
“Lastly…”
He checked the item from the old box.
The Trace of Ihan, awarded as a hidden achievement reward.
It wasn’t anything special.
Just a worn, rough pendant necklace.
Evan recognized it immediately.
‘Isn’t this the pendant I lost?’
It was such a trivial thing that he’d forgotten about it.
A gift from a companion in his previous world, but at some point, he lost track of it.
But what puzzled him more was how this item ended up as a reward.
Evan brought up the pendant’s information.
[Sealed Ihan’s Pendant]
[Grade: B]
[Category: Miscellaneous]
[Usage Restriction: Level 100 or higher]
[Effect: Someone’s message is engraved on it. Using it will trigger something.]
[Other: An old pendant used by Lee Han. It has lost its effect as an accessory.]
The more he read, the deeper his confusion grew.
‘What’s this? A message is engraved?’
He wanted to use it right away, but the level restriction was set at 100.
If he used it before reaching level 100, something might happen that he couldn’t handle.
‘I’ll have to wait until I’m ready.’
After checking all the information, Evan immediately turned to the Mediator.
“I want to use the purchase ticket.”
He would use the ticket he’d just received as a reward.
He could only use it at Shop Level 3, so he needed to act quickly.
Soon, a shop window appeared before Evan’s eyes.
S-grade equipment had been added to the shop’s list.
Evan scrolled through the items until his gaze landed on a sword.
“This one…?”
With shining eyes, Evan selected that sword without hesitation.
***
The next morning.
Someone knocked on Evan’s door.
Knock, knock.
It was just before he was about to head out to the training grounds.
There weren’t many who would come looking for him.
“Who is it?”
“Young master. Hilton sent me.”
It was the voice of the maid who usually brought him the Parnah Herb.
‘Ayra, was it? She had that talent for memory recall.’
Evan thought about her for a moment, then spoke.
“Alright. Come in.”
As soon as Evan gave permission, the door swung open as if she’d been waiting.
Clatter!
Ayra entered, holding a tray with a medicine bowl.
But she wasn’t alone.
Another maid followed behind her.
A middle-aged woman with dark brown hair and wrinkles at the corners of her mouth.
She wore a false smile, but her sharply raised eyes watched Evan with veiled contempt.
She was openly disrespecting him, knowing full well he was considered the family’s fool.
‘A follower of Hilton, perhaps?’
Even Ayra seemed to be watching the older maid’s reaction as she entered.
A strange atmosphere.
Evan sensed something was off.
‘Looks like they’re up to something.’
Normally, Ayra would have come alone, but today she was accompanied by a seasoned maid who’d likely been at this for years.
Evan glanced at the medicine bowl and asked, “Who are you? And why are there two of you today?”
The woman kept her smile as she introduced herself.
“I’m Della. Master Hilton sent me to look after you, in case you’re feeling unwell. This girl is still a bit clumsy, you see.”
A kindly woman on the surface.
The old Evan would have just accepted it without a second thought.
‘Looks like they’ve added something extra to the medicine. Why the sudden rush?’
After a brief consideration, Evan nodded.
Thinking it over, it made sense.
It was proof that Hilton was moving quickly after the gate incident.
“Alright. I’ll drink it quickly and head out, so just hand it over.”
Evan strode forward and picked up the medicine bowl from Ayra’s tray.
“M-master! I haven’t finished preparing…”
Ayra’s voice rose in panic.
There was poison in the medicine.
Evan had grabbed it before she was even ready.
But when Della coughed behind her, Ayra quickly fell silent.
“What? Why the fuss?”
“N-no, it’s nothing.”
Realizing her mistake, Ayra swallowed hard and kept quiet.
Evan watched them for a moment, then downed the medicine.
Poison like this hardly affected him anyway.
The medicine slid down his throat and entered his body.
Instantly, message windows popped up before Evan’s eyes.
[You have been poisoned by Parnah Herb.]
[You have been poisoned by Nerve Paralysis Poison.]
The warnings about the poison meant nothing to Evan.
[Detoxification Resistance Skill activated.]
The poison was quickly neutralized.
‘Such weak poison. Compared to Kalane’s, this is nothing.’
This was nothing more than an after-meal dessert.
He almost found it amusing.
As the poison was detoxified, the mana from the Parnah Herb was rapidly absorbed into his body.
***
After finishing the medicine, Evan placed the bowl back on the tray.
Without the slightest change in expression, he addressed the two maids.
“Tell Hilton I appreciate his concern.”
Evan turned to leave for the training grounds.
“W-wait!”
Ayra called after him, looking utterly bewildered.
“What is it?”
“W-well, moving right after taking medicine can be bad for your health. Please, rest for a bit…”
Evan shook his head firmly.
“No, I actually feel even lighter.”
He spun his arms to show how fine he was.
He looked completely nonchalant for someone who had just drunk deadly poison.
Ayra glanced back, her pupils trembling.
Della, too, stared at Evan in silence, her eyes wide.
The two could only watch Evan in stunned silence.
“Enough with the nonsense. I’m heading to the training grounds, so you both leave at once.”
“Y-yes, young master.”
“Yes, sir.”
The two left slowly, still hoping Evan might collapse, but there was no sign of it.
Even after leaving the room, they waited to see if Evan would fall, but it was pointless.
Della turned to Ayra.
“What happened? Did you use the poison properly?”
“I swear, I did! You saw me put it in yourself!”
Ayra protested desperately.
“Yes, that’s true…”
Della looked troubled.
She had come along to both supervise Ayra and handle any aftermath.
Her job was to make sure Ayra followed orders and that Evan actually drank the poison.
And if Evan collapsed, she was to skillfully cover up the evidence.
“…I honestly don’t know how to report this.”
No matter how she thought about it, the situation made no sense.
There was no way the poison could have failed.
The only conclusion was that Evan’s body was immune to poison.
Of course, that was just as unbelievable.
Ayra spoke anxiously.
“What do we do? Will Hilton believe us…?”
“We have no choice. It’s not our fault—we’ll just have to report it as is.”
Della led Ayra toward Hilton’s room.
***
“What did you just say?”
When Della and Ayra reported to Hilton, his brow furrowed deeply.
Things had taken a strange and unexpected turn.
The news that Evan had drunk the poison and was walking around as if nothing happened.
He hadn’t even considered such a possibility.
“No, seriously. Even with Della there, how did you mess this up?”
“I’m sorry.”
Della replied briefly, looking ashamed.
Ayra just hung her head in silence.
Trying to make excuses would only make Hilton angrier.
After a moment, Hilton pressed a hand to his forehead.
He frowned for a long while before finally speaking.
“Where is that damned brat now? I need to see him for myself.”