Chapter 38: Evan Enters the Bertrand Field

A head of white hair, neatly slicked back.

His features were gentle, yet his face radiated an overwhelming charisma.

The dignified old man alternated his gaze between the letter and Evan, as if finding the contents intriguing.

“So you must be Young Master Evan. I hear you’re here to take the Knight Examination…”

His name was Harsen Cray.

He was the highest-ranking administrator in charge of overseeing all of Kelrutan.

He also served as the commander capable of mobilizing all seven knight orders.

Harsen was a vassal serving the Kerthen Family as a viscount.

Once, he had belonged to the Royal Knights, but after pledging loyalty to Clyd, he had settled here.

At present, he was reading the handwritten letter Evan had brought from Count Clyd.

There was nothing particularly special in the contents, but it was more than enough to pique his interest.

The letter stated that Evan Kerthen, the eldest son of the Clyd Count Family, would take the knight order entrance examination from the moment this letter arrived.

Furthermore, he was to take the exam under the same conditions as Delian Kerthen.

At a glance, it seemed to be a request for leniency, but in reality, it was quite the opposite.

The examination Delian had taken was far more grueling than that of other knight aspirants.

The requirements for passing were stricter, and every action was thoroughly observed and analyzed.

Naturally, the pass rate was several times lower than that of ordinary candidates.

Such harshness toward his own children was part of Clyd’s educational philosophy.

‘He probably won’t last more than a few days.’

Harsen chuckled softly as he set the letter down.

Of course, he was well aware of Evan’s circumstances.

‘He can’t even become a knight in the first place.’

He knew that Evan was unable to use mana.

It was a reckless choice—why would this foolish young master insist on becoming a knight?

But, he couldn’t dismiss it as mere foolishness.

Evan was clearly different from before.

It wasn’t a matter of appearance.

‘His eyes have changed. That’s not the look of a wastrel who idled away in the Count’s family.’

You could read a person by their eyes.

It was a skill Harsen had honed through years of knighthood.

Even for Harsen, Evan’s gaze felt somewhat unique.

At times, it carried the seasoned composure of a battle-hardened veteran, yet also the fiery spirit of a young knight.

“Hm.”

He cleared his throat and studied Evan closely before speaking slowly.

“Young master, the path of a knight is not easy. There will be no favoritism just because you are of noble blood.”

Evan responded with a faint smile.

“It’s fine. I came fully prepared for that much.”

“I see. I’ll assign you a guide. Please follow him to proceed with the schedule.”

***

At his gesture, Jelande was summoned.

“As is tradition for the Count’s family, you shall personally attend to him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jelande didn’t show it outwardly, but inside, he let out a sigh.

Honestly, he had expected things to turn out this way ever since he was tasked with bringing Evan.

‘I handled Delian and Hilton too. In the end, I’m in charge again.’

There were two meanings to this.

On the surface, it appeared to be simply escorting an honored guest, but at the same time, it was an evaluation of the family’s heirs.

Any child of the Kerthen Family could someday inherit the house.

A proper assessment would be made for whoever might become the new master.

Of course, this one event would not determine everything.

It was more like a report card, a record of their past performances.

And this would be reported to Clyd as well.

Every action of the Count’s children was discreetly recorded.

One day, Clyd would judge whether they were worthy to become the family’s head.

Jelande was guiding Evan to his accommodations.

His mind was filled with thoughts about this reckless troublemaker.

How could he handle him well?

He’d dealt with him a few times back at the Count’s house, and Evan was always the exhausting type.

‘Still, he seems calmer than before…’

When Jelande arrived at the building, he stopped and turned to Evan and his group.

“The Knight Examination begins in two days. The first round is then—would you like to apply right away? Or you could wait for the second or third rounds if you prefer.”

“I’ll start right away. Please submit my application.”

“Understood. The exam will be under the same conditions as other knight aspirants. However, since this is a special track, even if you pass, you’ll start at the 10th rank with no special placement.”

Jelande paused to observe Evan’s expression.

He expected Evan to complain about starting from the bottom with no privileges.

But contrary to his expectation, Evan simply waited for him to continue, showing no signs of dissatisfaction.

“There’s nothing else you need to prepare—just show up. That’s all for the explanation.”

“Understood.”

“Yes…”

Jelande still looked puzzled as he tilted his head.

“Please rest until then. Once you enter the dormitory, a manager will show you around.”

He was sure Evan would fail anyway.

With those thoughts, Jelande left.

***

Evan entered the dormitory with Alan and Reynold.

Fortunately, their rooms were assigned side by side, making it easy to visit each other.

They all gathered in Evan’s room first.

They began discussing the examination.

“Didn’t Jelande-nim explain? There’s no special equipment you need to prepare.”

“Back then, we had to register our gear in advance before entering the field. Now, it seems we’ll have to compete fiercely for the equipment itself.”

Evan summarized Reynold’s explanation.

“A special space created by magic—the Bertrand Field. Five hundred people enter unarmed, and inside, they must find and claim the prepared equipment, then survive by avoiding monster waves and reaching the safe zone.”

The monsters manifested in the magic field were no different from the real thing.

So, knowing the characteristics of monsters in advance would be a huge advantage.

“I doubt the instructors will explain any of this. They’ll just say: ‘Survive until the end,’ and leave it at that. Since everyone’s a competitor, it’s hard to get such information.”

Reynold shook his head.

“Really? That sounds interesting. It’s a unique approach.”

When Evan spoke so nonchalantly, Alan warned him with concern.

“Young master, there will surely be those who try to interfere. Direct killing is forbidden, but you never know what tricks they’ll try.”

“That’s even better for me.”

Evan would actually welcome anything that quickly reduced the number of competitors.

First Training Hall.

A massive, circular building.

A crowd of knight aspirants had gathered inside.

Each one wore the same necklace distributed here.

It was less a necklace and more like a crude iron band.

Evan, of course, wore one as well.

“Ah, ah! Can you all hear me? Welcome, everyone. I’ll explain briefly before the exam begins.”

A gruff-looking male instructor spoke loudly from the podium in the center of the hall.

“No outside items allowed. You all know this rule, right? The necklaces you’ve been given are magic tools made to prevent cheating. If you brought anything, submit it now. The rules are simple.”

The instructor’s explanation matched what Reynold had said.

All 500 applicants had to survive until only 250 remained.

But at the end, the instructor added something ominous.

“But since the pass rate has been too high lately, we’ve prepared something special for this round. You can look forward to it.”

As soon as he finished speaking—

Pababat!

Magic erupted in the air, and something like a hologram appeared above.

As everyone turned their eyes upward, a strange message window popped up before Evan’s eyes.

[Instance Zone Bertrand Field is being created.]

[To enter Bertrand Field, you must review the stored records.]

[Do you permit access to the records? (Y/N)]

“What’s this…?”

Evan pondered for a moment, then remembered the instructor’s last words.

‘He said they prepared something special. Is this related?’

Judging by the system’s reaction, it was likely connected.

But what were these stored records?

‘More than that, I didn’t expect to see an Instance Zone here.’

It was another fascinating surprise for Evan.

In his previous world, he’d experienced Instance Zones and dungeons several times.

Temporary pocket dimensions—sometimes accessed via specific items, or reserved for those linked to hidden pieces or groups.

Of course, there were many other cases he didn’t know about.

But Instance Zones were often tied to hidden pieces, remaining shrouded in mystery.

‘To recreate an Instance Zone like this…’

Evan couldn’t hide his amazement at the technology.

He permitted access to the records to enter Bertrand Field.

[Access to stored records granted.]

[The Instance Zone will be constructed based on the stored records.]

Fwoooosh—!

***

Moments later, a dazzling light burst from the sky.

Evan squinted.

The scenery before his eyes began to twist like a vortex.

Through his blurred vision, he could just make out the surroundings.

Then, suddenly, his mind snapped into focus.

“This is…”

He was no longer inside the circular building.

Instead, he stood in the ruins of a vast, abandoned city.

Vines and weeds grew thick atop crumbling buildings.

Broken and shattered statues of a goddess lay scattered everywhere, left to decay.

No signs of life—only the marks of countless years remained.

The problem was, this ancient ruin was not unfamiliar to Evan.

He was a bit taken aback.

‘Why is this place here?’

This was a location Evan had encountered in his previous world through a hidden quest.

He’d entered through a dungeon’s entrance and been transported to this particular space.

Recalling those memories, Evan could feel the unique aura emanating from this place.

The sensation of foreign mana, the ominous, unsettling feeling—

Everything was exactly as he remembered.

At that moment, Evan felt a familiar power surge through his body.

[Resonance Rate increased by 0.15%.]

‘My Resonance Rate increased!’

That was good news for Evan.

But revisiting this place was not something he welcomed.

“Ah, ah! Can you all hear me?”

The instructor’s voice rang out from somewhere.

Evan listened closely.

“In a moment, the monster wave will begin. You’d better be ready. Look to the sky.”

As the instructor said, Evan looked up.

Numbers were displayed in the sky.

[Participants: 500]

“I don’t need to explain, right? When it reaches 250, the exam ends. Good luck to you all.”

With that, the instructor’s voice vanished.

And then, from afar, the screams of people echoed.

“Aaaah!”

“Stay away from me!”

Ssssslither!

Giant vipers, nearly two meters long, were chasing after the knight aspirants.

Though created by magic, the monsters looked indistinguishable from the real thing.

Evan watched for a moment, then quickly sprang into action.

‘Other thoughts can wait. First, I have to survive. Equipment comes first.’

He needed to find the gear Reynold had mentioned.

Evan began searching through the collapsed buildings nearby.