Chapter 26: Evan’s Body Reforged

[Physical reconstruction complete.]

[The soul is beginning to adapt to the body.]

Smoke slowly rose from Evan’s entire body.

The pain was so intense he almost lost consciousness.

The blood splatters and gouged earth around him were evidence of the agony he had just endured.

Evan took a deep breath and steadied himself.

‘This is insane. That absorption constitution… I absorbed all of the spirit herb’s energy.’

Thanks to the herb’s power, Evan’s body had been completely reborn.

A surge of mana filled his entire being.

An overwhelming sense of clarity enveloped him—far beyond what he had known before.

‘It feels like my body’s been totally remodeled.’

He tried wrapping his body in mana as a test.

Fwoosh!

A soft blue light began to radiate from his body.

Evan looked intrigued.

‘No mana overload at all…

This is a complete transformation compared to before.

‘If my old body resisted mana, this one welcomes it. It’s like… I was born for mana.’

Now that his body had been reconstructed, it had achieved perfect balance with his mana.

‘Do I finally have a knight’s body that’s equal to or better than the others?’

Evan opened his status window.

[Status Window]

[Name: Evan Kerthen]

[Age: 19]

[Level: 47]

[Race: Human]

[Class: None]

[???: 0.03%]

[Health: 22,000 / 22,000]

[Mana: 14,420 / 14,420]

[Strength: 145]

[Agility: 110]

[Intelligence: 120]

[Stamina: 150]

[Wisdom: 50]

‘All my stats have increased several times over.’

Compared to others of the same level in his previous world, his new body had stats nearly three times higher.

‘So I’ve surpassed my past self.’

His body was no longer weak.

In fact, at this early stage, it had already surpassed what he once possessed.

‘Of course, growth will depend on the hidden pieces I find going forward.’

He still retained his experiences and memories from the previous world.

He believed he could easily surpass his past self.

‘But what’s this?’

Suddenly, something new on the status window caught his eye.

A strange, undefined symbol had been added.

The question mark indicated something unknown.

‘Did this get added during the body reconstruction?’

Just then, a new message appeared in front of Evan.

[The Gate has been cleared.]

***

And at that very moment, the world began to shake, collapsing like shattered glass.

Boom!

Evan snapped out of his thoughts.

‘I need to get out of here.’

Without the boss monster acting as a stabilizer, the gate was losing its structural integrity.

Its destruction was inevitable.

If he didn’t escape soon, he’d be trapped inside.

Evan glanced around, searching for Alan and Reynold.

They had fallen nearby after being freed from the ancient Calaone’s bindings.

‘Are they still paralyzed?’

He walked over to where the two lay motionless.

Without effort, he lifted both of them, one under each arm.

Even while carrying two grown men—especially someone as large as Reynold—he was still relaxed.

Evan gave a slight chuckle and began walking toward the exit.

***

The gate vanished, leaving behind only remnants in the surrounding area.

Alan and Reynold had come to their senses but were still disoriented.

They hadn’t fully grasped why they were there.

Alan scratched his head, clearly confused.

“I’m sure I had already returned…”

Reynold, standing beside him, nodded in agreement.

“Same here! I was halfway through eating when I woke up here!”

Evan didn’t even bother to answer.

Instead, he issued a command.

“Alan. We need to report the dimensional rift that occurred here. Gather all the remains and record everything.”

“Huh? A dimensional rift?”

Evan pointed as he spoke.

“While you were trapped in an illusion, I came in to rescue you. Fortunately, the rift has now collapsed. Consider yourselves lucky.”

“Huh… is that so?”

At that moment, their expressions diverged.

Reynold looked as if it was no big deal, while Alan broke into a cold sweat, his face turning grim.

“Well, what’s done is done. Just get it all cleaned up. I’ll be resting over there in the meantime.”

Evan gestured toward a nearby rock and sat down.

They had to gather all the remnants as evidence for the report.

The location and data also had to be logged into the mana stone tower.

While they were busy with that, Evan had his own task to complete.

‘I’ve finally passed level 40.’

He opened the shop interface right away, browsing through the available items.

He purchased a few essential ones.

[You have purchased the skill book: Aura Mastery.]

[Contribution points spent: 4,000,000]

[You have purchased the skill book: Blow.]

[Contribution points spent: 7,200,000]

[You have purchased the skill book: Warrior’s Spirit.]

[Contribution points spent: 2,200,000]

It was a significant amount of contribution points, but the skills were necessary.

They were all melee combat skills.

‘Each of them unlocks at level 40 or higher.’

He chose them based on the skills that had proven useful early on in his past life.

Evan learned all three skills on the spot.

Fwoosh!

Light poured into his head as the skills were engraved into his memory.

The most important one was Aura Mastery.

[Aura Mastery]

[Skill Level: F]

[Type: Passive]

[Cost: None]

[Cooldown: None]

[Effect: A basic skill to manipulate aura.]

[Effect: You can now convert mana into aura.]

‘The difference between having this and not having it is huge.’

While it was technically possible to use aura without the skill, doing so required years of practice and instinct.

‘Without the skill, it would take at least a year just to reach the level of an aura user.’

Not to mention reaching the level of a true master like Count Kerthen would require a grueling amount of time.

That’s why Evan chose Aura Mastery.

The skill followed a structured progression system.

By leveling it up, he could skip the basic training and immediately control aura appropriate to his skill level.

‘For now, I’m at the stage where I convert mana into aura.’

Evan recalled how he had used aura in his previous life.

Then, as a test, he tried converting his mana.

Fwoosh!

He wrapped his body in mana.

The first step was using mana to strengthen his body.

Then, he focused on converting the mana surrounding him into aura.

Of course, those already proficient with aura could skip this step.

But since this was his first time using aura in his new body, he had to start from scratch.

[Aura Mastery proficiency increased.]

[Aura Mastery proficiency increased.]

His proficiency rose steadily as he practiced converting mana into aura.

Still, it wasn’t going smoothly.

Though his mind understood the process, his body hadn’t caught up yet.

The converted mana kept dissipating halfway through.

‘As expected, it’s not easy at first.’

“Young master, we’re ready.”

While Evan was practicing, Alan approached.

It looked like they had finished cleaning up.

“Alright. Let’s wrap up the patrol mission quickly and head back.”

Evan stopped what he was doing and stood up.

Evan had finished his patrol and was walking along a forest path to return.

But before long, he had to stop.

“There’s something over there!”

When Reynold pointed toward something, Evan gave a small nod.

“I see it too.”

What the group had discovered was the corpse of a large beast, radiating a dark aura.

It looked like a dog, but Evan recognized it immediately.

‘Void Hunter? What’s something like that doing here, dead?’

Void Hunters were monsters that only appeared near Void-type gates or in dungeons.

The world between dimensions, often called the Void Realm.

They were anything but common.

‘This is bad. For a Void-related monster to appear here…’

He couldn’t tell for sure just by looking.

But if this was tied to the Hidden Quest and a sign of a coming disaster, it would be serious trouble.

‘If it’s just that a hidden Void Dungeon is nearby, that’s one thing. But if not…’

Alan spoke to Evan, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Young Master! There are more bodies over there too. It seems like other knights passed through this area before us.”

Evan quickly turned his head.

And just as Alan said, he saw multiple Void Hunter corpses scattered around.

There were signs of a fierce battle.

‘I need to talk to Darwen.’

The strange scene left Evan with a heavy sense of unease.

***

Evan’s group hurried back to Valles.

But even at the entrance to the city walls, there were monster corpses lying around.

Mercenaries were hauling the bodies away.

‘Was there another gate that appeared here while we were out?’

Since there was no gate in sight, Evan guessed the boss monster must’ve escaped the gate and was killed by the knights outside.

Next to him, Alan looked flustered as he spoke.

“It looks like a dimensional rift appeared even in the capital!”

Reynold added nervously.

“This looks bad, doesn’t it?”

Evan shook his head.

“No need to panic. Everything looks calm now, so they must have taken care of it.”

Once they entered the city, Evan saw knights, mercenaries, and adventurers from various guilds all moving in a hurry.

Soon, he noticed a large crowd gathering in one area.

“Hold on. Let’s go take a look.”

Curious what kind of monster had attracted such a crowd, Evan walked over.

If it was a rare monster, it could be important information for him.

“Cut it into pieces from that side! We can’t move it as it is!”

“Yeah, yeah, stop nagging already!”

Several people were struggling to deal with the massive body lying before them.

A creature around 4 meters long.

Its back was lined with sharp spikes.

It was the boss monster known as the Spiked Boar.

Another one Evan was familiar with.

‘That thing showed up? They must’ve had a hard time dealing with it.’

“Young Master!”

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out from somewhere.

Evan turned his head toward the voice.

Darwen was approaching him.

Seeing this unexpected figure, Evan greeted him with a pleased expression.

“What brings you here, Sir?”

“Well, you see, when I heard about the dimensional rift, I couldn’t just sit around doing nothing. So I came out personally. I was the one who handled that beast. I was just about to head back when I spotted you.”

“You’ve done us a great service. My father will be pleased.”

Darwen had done more than expected.

If he handled the gate inside the capital, it would leave a good impression on Clyd.

Evan got back to the main issue.

“I was just about to go meet the Marquess. There’s something urgent I need to report.”

Darwen nodded in return.

“I see. And I had something I wanted to tell you as well. Young Master, why don’t we head to our guild base together? It’s not far from here.”

***

Evan followed Darwen to the guild base.

It wasn’t far from the Kerthen estate.

Judging by the size of the building, it seemed Clyd had taken quite an interest in it.

“Welcome to our guild. I was actually planning to contact you soon about the Mage Tower situation.”

“What? Has something gone wrong with the Mage Tower construction?”

“Not exactly. Nothing direct. But… well, I can’t predict how things will turn out. If it escalates, it won’t be something we can ignore.”

Darwen stroked his beard thoughtfully, then continued.

“Lately, the frequency of dimensional rifts within the Count’s domain has increased. That’s not a good sign. I’m getting concerned.”

Evan finally understood what Darwen was getting at.

‘He’s picking up on the Hidden Quest’s effects?’

Evan replied.

“Yes. My father has mobilized the entire knight order. Dimensional rifts have started appearing all over the count’s territory.”

“I’m aware. I was considering sharing some information about that with the Count.”

“Information? What kind?”

“Dimensional rifts. I developed a rift detector in my youth. Other guilds and Mage Towers have their own devices too, but I take pride in mine. I believe mine detects them faster than anyone else’s.”

Evan’s eyes lit up at Darwen’s words.

‘A rift detector?’

That was the exact information Evan needed right now.

If he could pinpoint gate locations precisely, it would make quests and hunting much easier.

In other words, he could level up at high speed.

Evan asked eagerly.

“Would it be possible for me to see it?”

“Hm? You’re interested too?”

“Yes. I think it could be very important.”

Darwen looked curious at Evan’s reaction.

“Since you’re so eager, of course I’ll show you. Follow me.”

Evan followed Darwen out of the reception room.

They walked down a long hallway until they reached a large hall at the center.

At the heart of the hall was a single door—seemingly leading to the largest room in the building.

***

Clunk!

Darwen opened the door first.

Evan followed him inside.

Just as he expected, the room was enormous.

Stacks of documents that looked like research materials were scattered around, along with magic circles and artifacts.

At the center of the room sat a massive crystal orb.

Darwen approached it and began explaining.

“This is the dimensional rift detector. It can pick up most rifts. Those red dots you see here represent rift locations.”

Evan stared at the crystal orb in awe.

‘To think this world has such advanced magic tech… Hm?’

“What’s that large dot over there?”

The area displayed in the crystal was the entire Kerthen territory, centered on their current location.

And right now, a massive red dot was spreading across the center of the map.

Evan broke the silence.

“Is that… a dimensional rift too?”

Darwen didn’t speak for a while.

Then he finally replied.

“Yes. That’s a rift. But I’ve never seen one this large. And…”

Darwen seemed genuinely confused.

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

“Didn’t we just come through that area? We didn’t see any massive rift, did we? This doesn’t make any sense. How could such a huge rift be there without anyone noticing?”

“Now that you mention it… it is strange.”

Evan quickly tried to recall recent events.

‘A large-scale gate was detected, but we couldn’t see it. Gates appearing all over the count’s territory at once…’

And then, the Void Hunter corpses he found on the way back.

All these signs felt familiar to Evan.

He focused his memory around the Hidden Piece.

And eventually, he reached one possible conclusion.

The worst possible one.

‘No way… The large gate mentioned in the Hidden Quest… is it a Void Gate?’