Chapter 41: First S-Grade Hunt

The place overseeing the knights’ exam in real time.

The operations command room.

A tense atmosphere lingered there.

Bang!

Halles slammed the table.

The reason was a monster that had appeared unexpectedly.

The Basilisk.

“How did this happen! We’ve never seen anything like that before!”

Assistant instructor Seina, who was beside him, answered, her body trembling.

“I-I only released a special monster as you instructed, Instructor. I’m sure it was generated according to the participants’ standards.”

“No! How could something like that match the level of aspiring knights!”

The moment Halles shouted, the video feed suddenly cut off.

“Ah….”

“What is it now, why is it doing this again?”

“I’m not sure! I’ll go check it right away!”

Seina hurriedly ran to the Magic Control Device in a fluster.

Watching her back, Halles scratched his head and sighed.

“What on earth is going on? Damn it, how am I supposed to report this….”

He tousled his hair in frustration.

Then, suddenly, Evan came to mind.

“Wait, where’s that troublemaker by now….”

‘Where could he be?’

He’d completely forgotten about him.

Lowering his head below the platform, he began searching for Evan.

But even after checking all the eliminated participants, Evan’s face was nowhere to be found.

With so many people eliminated at once, it was hard to check.

‘Where did that guy go again.’

Damn it.

Clutching his aching head, Halles busily began to move his hands.

***

Sssaaa—!

The coiled Basilisk opened its massive jaws wide and sprayed venom at its prey.

Of course, that target was Evan.

The venom shot out in a straight line like a laser, covering Evan’s entire body.

[You have been poisoned by the Basilisk’s deadly venom.]

[Detoxification Resistance Skill has been activated.]

‘No matter how much it’s the Detoxification Resistance Skill, this one’s venom is strong.’

But.

[With the Blessing of Moria, Goddess of War, all damage is reduced by 60%.]

[The Power of Kalivan purifies the evil poison.]

[With the Blessing of Atra, life recovery speed increases by 200%.]

Thanks to the effects of the S-Rank Equipment, the damage Evan received was drastically reduced.

And at the same time, the level of the Detoxification Resistance Skill rose rapidly.

‘Not a bad result, actually.’

‘The equipment here will disappear when I leave, but the skills I have won’t.’

‘Thanks to that monster’s potent venom, my Detoxification Resistance Skill is leveling up fast.’

Evan refocused his mind and concentrated on the monster as it prepared to spew more venom.

Shield raised in his right hand.

From Kalivan’s Shield, a powerful aura burst forth.

Evan swung the shield directly at the monster.

The shield’s force struck the creature’s head in an instant.

Bang!

Kalivan’s Shield’s special ability, Shield Bash.

It temporarily inflicted paralysis and reduced the opponent’s defense by 30%.

Without hesitation, Evan raised the S-Rank sword, Slaughter Blade, high into the air.

“I don’t know if this will work.”

He recalled the technique he’d used against this creature in his previous world.

Back then, he’d been cornered, and with a final desperate slash, he’d lopped off its head.

Of course, he couldn’t completely replicate that moment now, but he could at least imitate it.

Aura gathered in Evan’s whole body, focusing in his hand.

With the support effects of the S-Rank Equipment and the power of his soul, he controlled the aura to its limit.

Ultra-condensed aura gathered in his hand. It felt as heavy as iron.

He channeled the ultra-condensed aura into his sword.

It looked similar to an Aura Blade, but the principle was completely different.

Forming an Aura Blade meant refining aura into a sharp blade—a technique that required a certain level of Aura Mastery.

But what Evan was attempting now wasn’t forming the aura into a blade.

He was simply ramming ultra-condensed aura into his sword.

The sword became unbelievably heavy.

Of course, even releasing aura outside the body carried extreme risk.

His Aura Mastery level was still low, and this body was only just getting used to aura.

Blood vessels bulged in his hands and arms.

Smoke rose from his entire body.

“Kh…!”

Gritting his teeth, Evan charged straight at the Basilisk.

Screeeech!

With the sound of the wind, Evan raised his sword and rushed at the creature’s brow.

Thud!

The impact was so strong it sent out a shockwave.

And at the same time, the ultra-condensed aura exploded outward.

KABOOM!

Aura explosion.

The ultra-condensed aura that had been gathered in the sword was released all at once, creating a blast.

Ssshhh!

The monster staggered, its head crashing down toward the ground.

THUD!

Evan caught his breath and tried to gather aura once more.

One attack wasn’t nearly enough to take down the monster.

‘Damn! No matter how much my body has changed, this is still tough.’

‘Trying to use Lee Han’s technique with this body isn’t something just anyone can do.’

But at that moment, a familiar yet strange sensation awakened within him.

[Resonance Rate increases by 0.90%.]

[Resonance Rate increases by 1.20%.]

[You have acquired the Third Form of Lee Han.]

[The myth achieved by Lee Han has been linked.]

[You have inherited the Myth of the Basilisk Slayer from Lee Han.]

[It has been added to your Mythic Power.]

Mythic Power.

He’d obtained it when he defeated the Great Nightmare Chaos Dragon that Nightmare had recreated.

‘Back then, it said I couldn’t use it yet.’

Evan quickly checked the information window for Mythic Power.

[Myth of the Basilisk Slayer]

A new entry had appeared in Mythic Power.

Unlike before, it wasn’t unviewable.

He selected Myth of the Basilisk Slayer.

And information about the myth surfaced in his mind.

[Class of Feat: Heroic]

[Description: Among the Four Calamities, you have defeated the serpent. All serpents will fear you.
You can reproduce Lee Han’s Third Form slash against the Basilisk at 100%.]

‘To perfectly reproduce that technique from back then…’

Evan’s eyes gleamed.

He immediately decided to use Mythic Power.

[Lee Han has slain one of the Four Calamities, the Basilisk.]

[The myth he achieved will be praised and remembered for generations.]

[Mythic Power begins to dwell within your body.]

An indescribable power surged through all of Evan’s body.

Lee Han, at the moment he defeated the Basilisk.

A moment later, a faint golden light began to radiate from Evan’s entire body.

“Kh…!”

But soon, an intense pressure weighed down on him.

[Warning! Your body cannot withstand the Mythic Power.]

[Warning! Resonance Rate is too low, stability compromised.]

[Using Mythic Power now will reduce your level by 3.]

[Do you wish to use Mythic Power? (Y/N)]

Level reduction.

Evan hesitated for a moment, but made his decision without much difficulty.

If he could take down the Basilisk, it was worth it.

He could endure this much sacrifice.

As Evan accepted, the faint golden light grew even brighter.

And resonance began from his sword.

KUUOOOO!

Evan gripped his sword with both hands and readied his stance.

The Third Form of Lee Han.

It would be reproduced exactly as Lee Han had used it—100%.

He charged at the staggering Basilisk at full speed.

By the time the Basilisk came to its senses, Evan was already right in front of it.

Slash!

Evan swung his sword with all his might.

KABOOOOOM!

At that moment, an explosion of golden light burst from the sword.

A powerful wave and shockwave spread out in all directions.

The Basilisk’s head vanished without a trace.

Thud!

The Basilisk’s headless body collapsed limply to the ground.

Of course, Evan also collapsed to the ground as the price for using Mythic Power.

-You have lost 3 levels due to excessive use of Mythic Power.

“Ugh!”

Evan lay sprawled on the ground, powerless.

The next message seemed to celebrate his victory.

[Participant: 1]

A moment later, the magic field began to dissolve.

***

Halles was badgering Seina, urging her on.

“Why isn’t it coming up!”

“It seems the overload happened while recreating that giant snake monster with magic… Please wait a moment!”

Suddenly, the magic device returned to normal.

To be precise, it happened right after the Basilisk was defeated and vanished.

The hologram only showed the devastated ruins of the ancient city.

The giant snake monster, the other monsters—nothing remained.

Soon after, the magic field was lifted and the hologram turned off.

‘…Looks like it’s over.’

Seina seemed to lose strength in a wave of emptiness.

Halles was equally frustrated, not understanding what had happened.

“Instructor! When will we get the results?”

Below, the aspiring knights waiting for their exam results were making a commotion.

“This won’t do. Let’s at least organize things first.”

“Yes, Instructor.”

Seina operated the magic device and generated the results.

Then, the necklaces worn by the aspiring knights began to glow.

A magic hologram appeared on the ceiling, displaying names and scores.

From rank 1 to rank 100.

The unique numbers of the participants in this exam.

As they checked the successful candidates’ numbers, Halles noticed something strange.

He checked the first rank first, and there was the number 127.

He knew very well what that number meant.

Evan’s unique number.

“That troublemaker is in first place?”

For a moment, he thought it was an error.

But the combined score was even more absurd.

Unmeasurable.

Below that, from second to hundredth place, the scores were displayed normally.

With an average of 60, the lowest being 30.

Because of the unexpected appearance of the snake monster, everyone’s scores were low.

“Is this a malfunction?”

Seina shook her head at his words.

“No. The magic field is working fine, and the necklace records have never failed until now.”

“Alright, I get it.”

It seemed the results would have to stand as they were.

He’d probably be summoned by the higher-ups and scolded endlessly, but still.

“Where is that guy?”

“Sorry? Who?”

“The Young Master.”

“Oh, I’ll look for him right away.”

Seina hurriedly went down from the platform.

Halles followed slowly, deep in thought.

First place.

Such an absurd thing…

But thinking about it, it explained why the troublemaker Young Master had been missing until now.

If he’d survived for a long time and hunted monsters, it made sense.

‘No way…?’

He wanted to deny it, but the result before his eyes said otherwise.

The troublemaker he’d looked down on had taken first place.

His mind spun, and just then, Halles noticed something unusual.

The aspiring knights were murmuring among themselves.

“What’s going on?”

He squinted and walked over.

There, Seina was flustered, holding a blond young man in her arms.

“What happened?”

“B-big trouble! The Young Master has collapsed!”

The blond man lying on the ground was none other than Evan.

“What?”

Halles felt his heart sink.

“W-why? The magic field shouldn’t affect the real body.”

“I don’t know either.”

At that moment, Evan struggled to speak.

“No need to make a fuss… Just take me to my room.”

As it became clear that Evan was safe, a brief silence followed.

Then, Halles came to his senses and quickly gave orders.

“Ah, understood. Seina, contact the medics right away!”

“Yes!”

“What are you all staring at? Get moving!”

Halles quickly began clearing the scene.

Evan looked at them, then turned his gaze to the ceiling.

There, the overall exam results were displayed.

‘I’m first place?’

‘Well, I did defeat the Basilisk, so it makes sense.’

‘Of course, losing 3 levels was a painful sacrifice…’

‘Still, I learned the true power of Mythic Power.’

‘This isn’t something I can use recklessly. One use, and my level and body are wrecked.’

‘I’ll need to raise my body’s capacity and Resonance Rate before using Mythic Power again.’

Evan slowly closed his eyes and rested.