Chapter 85: The Final Trial

Clyd and Delian simply lost their words as they watched Evan’s fight.

The wall of the mind summoned by Evan.

It was no longer a mere mental image.

Something beyond human.

He had said to form his own wall, not to create an absolute being.

And yet, how could such a monstrous existence be possible?

Though he looked like a child, the boy’s realm was unfathomable.

No, it was questionable whether the wall of the mind Evan sensed was even that kind of existence.

Kuuoooooo!

After a moment, the air trembled as a strong force engulfed the entire space.

A powerful wave radiated from the black-haired boy.

Clyd summoned his aura and barely withstood the boy’s energy.

Delian also squinted his eyes and struggled against the force.

“Ugh! Father, who exactly is that author? Why does such a being have any relation to my brother?”

Clyd could only shake his head without uttering a word.

If such an existence truly existed, their name would have been widely known by now.

‘Swordmaster? No, it looks like a realm far beyond that.’

Clyd and Delian barely held their ground.

But—

Kwaaang!

They were swept away by a sudden explosion of powerful energy.

“Waaah!”

“Ugh!”

Thud!

Even Clyd, who had been holding on until the end, lost consciousness under the overwhelming aura.

[Achievement: Soul Growth Completed.]

Evan had broken through and surpassed his limits.

As a result, he achieved overall growth.

[All stats increased by 10%.]

[Aura Mastery skill level increased.]

[Mana Seeker skill level increased.]

[Eye of the Spirit level increased.]

Though he felt immense growth, Evan also sensed something alien.

An achievement never felt in his previous world.

‘Is this what it means to surpass oneself?’

It felt like more than just leveling up and getting stronger; his soul and body had grown to hold more.

‘Aura Mastery level has increased significantly.’

The most notable progress was in his mana-related abilities.

As his overall capacity expanded, so did the mana he could contain.

Accordingly, his Aura Mastery naturally skipped several levels, reaching level 6 directly from below level 9.

Ni!

At this level, he should be able to wield skills at the highest tier of Sword Expert.

‘Not far from master level yet. I haven’t even surpassed level 200, and I’m already this far.’

Evan was amazed by his rapid growth.

‘But the Conqueror Myth—that was the biggest innovation for me.’

Ihan’s power, absurdly imposed upon him, felt like two forces merging into one.

As a result, his level soared to an unfathomable scale beyond 999.

‘Of course, there must be corresponding limitations on wielding this power.’

The biggest drawback was the need for permission to use it.

‘This means it can have a massive impact on the world.’

Mythic Power.

If this is the level a god-tier myth holds, he couldn’t help but wonder about the power of other god-tier myths.

Of course, the system requires permission from this rank onward, but it would surely be worth it.

“That’s going to be troublesome.”

The surroundings had become a chaotic mess.

Evan suddenly remembered Clyd and Delian, scratching his head as he pondered how to explain the situation.

‘Where did everyone go?’

Evan looked around for them, but no one was there; he was alone in the training grounds.

“I don’t really know either. I just got hit a few times and fell down.”

Evan explained everything to Clyd and Delian.

He said the being was from a dream and that he simply didn’t understand it.

Since even he couldn’t comprehend it, Clyd had nothing left to say.

Moreover, it seemed like they had been thrown far away right after Ihan’s first strike.

Thanks to that, they hadn’t witnessed the real fight.

‘Maybe that’s for the best.’

***

While Evan was lost in these thoughts, Clyd organized the situation.

“Though things turned out like this, we still intend to complete the final trial. This last trial will decide the heir’s position, so give it your all.”

Clyd gestured toward Evan and Delian as he explained.

“You two will spar, and the winner will inherit the succession rights.”

Delian looked at Evan with a solemn gaze.

The family heir would be decided by this final duel.

“Well then, shall we begin right away?”

“Yes.”

Evan and Delian answered simultaneously.

They wanted to quickly resolve the succession issue.

“Understood. Then, form your swords first, and we’ll start immediately.”

Evan and Delian stood facing each other.

Slowly, they formed their swords, and Delian tensed up, taking a stance.

Evan smirked and motioned with his hand.

He was offering to yield the first move.

Delian, caught off guard by the casual gesture, fell into the provocation.

“You should be nervous, you know? I don’t know how skilled you are, but…”

He believed he had surpassed the upper ranks of Sword Expert.

He thought he was no one to be underestimated.

Still, from the way Evan had dealt with the cultists and the fake goddess before, the intimidation was undeniable.

Delian drew up his aura, pushing his physical enhancements to the limit.

‘I’ll finish this in one swift move.’

Only the last gate remained.

He could not afford to lose the heir’s position here.

That position was absolutely unsuitable for Evan. The sacrifice would be his alone.

Delian charged forward and swung his sword with all his might.

Evan remained still, showing no intention of dodging.

Swoosh!

Delian’s sword traced an arc as it flew toward Evan.

But it was lightly parried by the sword Evan raised.

Kkaang!

“Tch.”

Delian pulled back his sword and then thrust toward Evan’s side.

Clang!

Yet again, Evan easily blocked it.

Frustrated, Delian swung repeatedly.

He attacked swiftly and sharply, targeting openings, but—

“…Impossible.”

Evan blocked every attack with no movement at all.

Delian began to sense a wall.

‘This can’t be.’

He had spent his whole life honing his swordsmanship.

So what was this difference?

It was like the gap between an adult and a child.

As he continued swinging—

Crack!

Delian’s sword broke.

He couldn’t even scratch Evan’s sword with all his might.

“Damn it!”

The wall felt increasingly immense.

Evan still didn’t move, simply receiving Delian’s attacks.

It was like swinging a sword at a rock.

Growing impatient, Delian formed another sword and charged at Evan again.

Swoosh!

Kka-kkang!

Every strike he had confidence in was effortlessly blocked by Evan’s aura.

Delian stepped back and halted.

Evan slowly opened his mouth.

“Let’s end this now.”

The moment he said that and Delian blinked—

“…?”

Evan vanished like a ghost.

Then suddenly reappeared right in front of Delian.

“When did—!”

Before he could react,

Pow!

Evan’s fist slammed into Delian’s abdomen.

“Gyaaah!”

With pain unlike anything he had ever felt, Delian flew backward.

He then lost consciousness.

***

The contest for the family heir was over.

Evan had easily defeated Delian in a crushing victory.

Clyd took the unconscious Delian away, leaving Evan alone in the training ground.

Fortunately, this space would now be permanently open for Evan and Delian.

It was intended as a place for continued training.

But Evan had a different purpose.

‘The hidden piece, right?’

He wanted to uncover the secret of this place.

‘A truth hidden within the truth.’

Illudan Kerthen.

From his memoirs, Evan had uncovered one truth.

Surprisingly, there were runic characters hidden throughout the memoir, and by combining them, Evan discovered a new truth.

‘He said he left something behind for future generations.’

He had considered far-off days for the family’s sake.

It was probably because of the royal ban on the family head.

That was essentially the king’s leash.

Evan recalled a portion of the memoir.

The first family head, Illudan Kerthen’s biography.

The first page of his memoir began with a warning.

…The four, along with Duke Ruphes, overthrew the Ephelant royal family to establish the kingdom.

But before that, many sacrifices were made, and the kingdom was ravaged by the aftermath of war.

To prevent chaos and similar tragedies from happening again,

And to preserve peace, the four placed a royal ban.

In exchange for great rewards and an important position as founding contributors of the kingdom,

We forbade each other from dreaming of rebellion and from harboring resentment toward the king.

However, I knew this was a double-edged sword.

I was certain the current royal family could not last for generations as it does now…

The memoir went on detailing the family’s history and the kingdom’s conditions at the time.

There were also records of family celebrations and events.

Illudan’s travel notes were included as well.

They all seemed trivial, but were actually devices to deceive the eyes.

‘It looks like an ordinary diary, but it was meant for future generations.’

All these trivial things were codes.

Mana was infused according to a specific flow, locking the entire book in runes.

Unlocking the runes caused certain letters to glow.

***

When combined and read, they revealed different meanings.

Evan had stumbled upon this by chance.

Without a Mana Seeker, he might never have noticed.

‘It’s as if he thoroughly hid it from something.’

Evan felt how much Illudan had prepared for the future.

‘There must be many hidden things.’

But what Evan needed to focus on now was the hidden piece for the family head.

Illudan had prepared something for the family’s master.

That would be the most important key for Evan right now.

‘Maybe it’s hidden here.’

Evan moved and looked around.

Leaving the vast training ground, he approached the statues of the ancestors.

‘If it were me, where would I hide it…’

Recalling the memoir, Evan wandered around.

In a corner, he saw a pile of swords stacked thickly.

In the center, life-sized statues stood in a row.

A magnificent chair, seeming to be the family head’s seat, held one dignified figure.

On either side were statues believed to be previous family heads, lined up in order.

Evan approached.

True to a knightly family, all the statues held real swords.

Though all were worn and rusted, the swords once wielded by the family heads must have been remarkable.

Evan focused on the statue sitting alone in the chair.

‘Sitting alone in the head’s seat—this must be Illudan.’

Anyone would easily guess that.

But one question arose: the sword in Illudan’s statue was particularly humble.

It was old, and even if it were in good condition, it was an unremarkable longsword.

‘Interesting. Was Illudan a frugal man?’

Evan stepped closer.

Carefully, he removed the longsword from the statue’s hand.

‘There doesn’t seem to be anything special.’

Just as Evan was about to check the sword’s information window—

[You have already read Illudan’s memoir in full.]

[A special qualification has been granted to the memoir’s reader.]

[You have discovered the Hidden Piece: Illudan’s Heart!]

The worn sword Evan held was Illudan Kerthen’s heart.

In other words, like how Evan had first formed a sword with his heart here,

This was not a physical sword but one without a real form.