Chapter 48: Evan’s First Order

Evan’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the quest.

This quest required him to do something he felt was only natural.

[Details: There is an evil group within the Order of Tallin. They are exhibiting unusual movements. Judge them through the Soul Judge.]

[Category: Branch Quest]

[Difficulty: D]

[Objective: Eliminate 20 villains with Chaos Value of 10 or higher]

[Recommended Level: Level 70]

[Recommended Party Size: None]

[Reward: Supply Box (Tier 3), Large EXP, Divine Power (Small), Merit Points 8,000,000]

‘It was a problem I had to deal with anyway, but now it’s even a quest.’

It was a perfect situation for Evan.

However, there were still a few things that bothered him.

‘If it’s showing up as a quest, does that mean I really need to be fully prepared for this?’

If it involved Chaos Value, there was definitely something at the end of it.

Maybe there was some mastermind behind it, or perhaps a massive force at play.

Either way, for Evan, it was a huge obstacle.

He was the heir to the County.

If he inherited the County, all of these would become his responsibilities.

After accepting the quest, Evan opened his inventory.

It was time to check the Supply Box he’d last received as a quest reward.

Evan immediately used the Supply Box.

At that moment, the box opened and new items appeared in his inventory.

‘What are these?’

There was a scroll and a ring.

Evan checked the scroll first.

[Grade: S]

[Category: Consumable Item]

[Effect: Can absorb and store an activated spell once. The stored spell can be activated by tearing the scroll. (However, if the spell’s power exceeds the scroll’s capacity, the scroll will be destroyed.)]

[Other: Seems to have been made by a great mage.]

‘Magic Storage?’

It was an item that was practically priceless.

To absorb a spell meant he could use that magic at least once himself.

Especially if it was a high-circle, powerful spell, its value would be immeasurable.

Even if it was single-use, depending on how it was used, it could wield tremendous power. Next, Evan examined the ring.

[Grade: A]

[Category: Accessory]

[Defense: 50~70]

[Durability: 20/20]

[Usage Restriction: None]

[Effect: Increases wearer’s fire resistance by 50%, and amplifies all fire attribute spells and effects by 200%.]

[Other: A ring brimming with flames.]

Evan’s eyes lit up.

‘This is pretty good too.’

It increased fire resistance and even gave a buff effect that amplified fire attributes.

It would be very useful against fire-type monsters.

Overall, the rewards were beyond his expectations.

Evan closed the inventory window, satisfied.

***

The next morning, Evan brought Alan and Reynold with him to the training grounds early.

There was also the Order’s schedule to consider, and today, as an apprentice commander, ten knights would be assigned under Evan’s command.

Of course, Alan and Reynold were exceptions and would continue their escort duties.

When Evan’s group arrived at the training grounds, knights in leather uniforms were standing in orderly rows.

Today was the weekly mission assignment day.

Since it was Evan’s first time, he was given an adjustment period, and would start participating in missions from next week.

For now, today was about observing and learning how things flowed.

“All squad leaders, to the podium!”

Andre began assigning missions.

The knights standing at the front of the line went up to the podium as representatives to receive their orders.

It seemed that the commander-level knights were standing at the very front of the formation.

Just as Evan was about to move into the line himself—

Yurdan approached him.

“Squad Leader, we have a separate spot.”

Yurdan smiled politely as he spoke to Evan.

For someone like Evan, who was disliked in the Order, this attitude was unexpected.

Anyone who didn’t know better would think Yurdan was truly kind.

‘Good thing I checked with the Eyes of Truth.’

There was definitely another side to that mask.

Evan followed Yurdan and stood at the edge of the formation.

Then, he saw the ten knights.

“This is Squad Leader Evan, who will be leading our squad. Everyone, greet him.”

Yurdan introduced Evan to the ten knights with a smile.

“Pfft.”

But their response was far from enthusiastic.

Some looked Evan up and down and even sneered.

They were all tall and burly—maybe not as big as Reynold, but certainly above average.

Alan, standing beside Evan, gritted his teeth and shouted.

“You bastards! Do you know who you’re standing in front of?”

Evan quietly raised a hand to stop Alan.

Yurdan, too, looked troubled.

“I apologize. The atmosphere here is just like this, so it may be hard for you to adjust.”

Yurdan lowered his voice so only Evan could hear.

“All the knights here have nothing to lose. They usually don’t listen to anyone. Even if there’s a dispute, the punishment is simple, and since we’re short on hands, they’re put right back to work.”

“So, you’re telling me to just keep my head down?”

“…Haha, there’s nothing that can be done. Even if you borrow the Captain’s or the higher-ups’ authority, there aren’t many who’d take charge here. And this is the general mood of the entire Order. Unless you overhaul the whole Order, it’s impossible.”

Evan smirked and replied.

“So you’re saying I should make them submit by force?”

“What?”

“No, it’s nothing. There must be a way things work around here, right? I should follow the rules too.”

“Y-Young Master? They’re all at least Grade 7 or 6 knights.”

Compared to their size, Evan looked small.

And yet he wanted to solve this with force?

That would be bad for both Evan and Yurdan.

Yurdan quickly tried to interject.

“I think I may have said too much. For now, I’ll report what happened today and try my best to…”

Yurdan tried to persuade Evan.

It was easy to talk down an inexperienced upstart.

But the moment he met Evan’s gaze, Yurdan’s mind went blank.

‘Wh-What is this pressure…’

Evan met his eyes and spoke.

“No more talk. Bring these guys to the sparring grounds. I’m the squad leader, right? Here’s my first order.”

Yurdan nodded without objection.

Evan quietly turned to face the ten sneering knights.

‘Anyway, Yurdan’s the type to hide his true nature thoroughly. If I want to make him move, I’ll have to show some real strength. And among these guys…!’

He checked the knights’ status windows with the Eyes of Truth.

One of them had a Chaos Value.

***

Once Andre finished giving out assignments, the knights dispersed.

Some prepared for their assigned missions.

Others began training in the training or sparring grounds.

But today was a little different.

In a corner of the training ground—

Everyone forgot their own tasks and gathered in one place.

“What’s this? Looks like something big is about to happen.”

“Guess the rumors were true—he really is an idiot.”

The newly arrived troublemaker was going to spar with his subordinates.

“They say he’s the Count’s eldest son, but he looks weak as hell.”

“What? His opponent is Arzel? He’s going to get wrecked.”

Everyone watched the sparring ground where Evan and his ten knights stood, excited.

For those stuck in the same routine every day, this kind of fight was rare entertainment.

And it was the eldest son of Count Kerthen, no less.

It was worth paying money to watch.

“Hey, isn’t this going to be a disaster?”

“It’s fine. I heard that guy’s been abandoned by the Count himself.”

“Well, that makes sense. Just being sent here means there’s a problem.”

They openly ignored and insulted Evan.

Alan and Reynold had to hold back their boiling anger.

“Y-Young Master! This is outrageous!”

“Just give the order! I’ll smash them all!”

But Evan simply picked up a wooden sword without a word.

Instead of talking to Alan or Reynold, he gave an order to the knights assigned under him.

“All of you, keep sparring with me until you beat me.”

Evan’s first opponent was Arzel.

His light green hair was tangled like a bandit’s, his face was full of scars, and his eyes were narrow.

You could tell he’d been through countless battlefields.

He was tall and broad—there was a bit of a size difference.

He was also said to be the strongest among the ten assigned knights.

A Grade 6 knight, and a high-level Aura user.

He was famous for maintaining Aura for a long time.

But what really caught Evan’s attention was something else.

[Disposition: Evil]

[Race: Human]

[Gender: Male]

[Affinity: 0%]

[Chaos: 20]

[Potential: None]

[Skills: Aura Amplification Lv.20, Domination Lv.2, Strong Swordsmanship Lv.62, Aura Enhancement Lv.50……]

[Note: Due to Chaos Value, soul memory cannot be read.]

His status window showed a Chaos Value.

And he was a villain with a value as high as 20.

Like Yurdan, he had no potential.

Despite having no potential, his skill levels were high.

It was still hard to understand, no matter how many times Evan looked.

Then, Arzel snorted.

“Sure, whatever you say. This’ll be over quick.”

“Arzel, take it easy. Unless you want a big punishment.”

The other nine knights laughed, and Yurdan sighed, ready to intervene at any moment.

“I’ll let you have the first move. Of course, I won’t use Aura.”

Arzel picked his nose and gestured at Evan.

“Thanks for the courtesy.”

Evan took his stance and thought for a moment.

Which technique should he use first?

He wanted to test a few things.

The Third Form of Lee Han, which he’d newly learned after defeating the Basilisk during the knight’s exam.

And the Aura-exclusive skill he’d bought from the shop, Blow, as well as Fighter’s Spirit.

His level was now close to 80.

Through this match, Evan wanted to gauge his own strength and growth.

‘Well then, let’s get started.’

The moment Evan stepped forward—

***

Whoosh!

With the sound of wind, Evan’s figure vanished.

“…Huh?”

Silence fell over the entire sparring ground.

Even Arzel, the opponent, was wide-eyed.

“W-What the…?”

While he was still confused—

Thwack!

A powerful sound echoed through the sparring ground.

“Guh!”

Arzel coughed up blood from the powerful blow to his stomach.

When he came to his senses, his knees were already on the ground.

“W-What the…?”

“Maybe I didn’t use enough strength?”

Evan smirked.

The knights, still not understanding the situation, watched the duel in silence.

Yurdan’s eyes widened in shock.

“Young Master…?”

But Evan had no intention of waiting for his opponent.

He immediately began swinging his wooden sword in succession.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

With dull thuds, Arzel was struck all over by the wooden sword.

“Aaagh!”

“You sure let your guard down. Showing that kind of opening to an enemy—in real combat, you’d already be dead.”

Evan showed no mercy and kept striking with the wooden sword.

‘Is this going to end before I even use a technique?’

At that moment—

Clack!

Evan’s wooden sword collided with Arzel’s.

The crowd around them started murmuring.

“Arzel’s using Aura!”

“Crazy bastard. He let his guard down and now he’s using Aura?”

“Stop him! He’s going to kill him for real!”

A muddy gray Aura surged from Arzel’s body.

He barely managed to follow Evan’s movements using Aura.

Moreover, he was already swept up in emotion, exuding a murderous intent that seemed dangerous.

“Now I can finally have a real fight.”

But Evan actually welcomed the situation.

And slowly, he began preparing the Third Form of Lee Han.