Chapter 7: Quest of the Conqueror

It had already been over two weeks since Evan arrived in this world.

Of course, he was still overweight due to the lingering mana poison, but it was clear he had lost some weight compared to when he first arrived.

There had also been significant changes in how he perceived mana.

By fully absorbing the mana poison, his mana capacity had increased greatly, and through sparring, his mana sensitivity had reached a decent level.

‘It’s probably time to start training with mana itself…’

Specifically, it was time to work on control and transformation.

Judging by his current intelligence, Evan would now qualify as an E-rank hunter, at least by the standards of someone who had just awakened.

‘I’ll start first thing tomorrow.’

With his decision made, Evan began preparing the necessary equipment for mana training at the training arena.

As the eldest son of the family, it wasn’t difficult.

‘…And maybe it’s about time I meet him too.’

Evan thought of the Mediator.

Now that his immediate survival was no longer at risk, it was time to start thinking seriously about quests.

There were various ways to grow in the early game, but the foundation was always the same—quests.

Focusing on quests while using the shop was the best path to growth.

Everything else was just inefficient detours—not the royal road.

‘Hunting monsters might work at first, but that method quickly hits a wall.’

After wrapping up his daily schedule, Evan decided to visit the Mediator.

Putting away his wooden sword, Evan turned to Alan and said, “That’s enough for today. Let’s head to Training Ground One.”

“Huh? You’re going again today?”

“Yeah.”

Evan replied curtly and immediately started walking.

Alan scratched his head and let out a long sigh, unable to read Evan’s intentions.

‘Let’s just hope we get through this safely.’

He was more worried than anything else.

He didn’t mind sparring with Evan.

But lately, it seemed Evan was no longer satisfied with that and had started observing the knights’ training sessions.

Of course, Alan had offered multiple times to teach him directly, but Evan had ignored those suggestions entirely.

Unable to persuade his stubborn young master, Alan had accompanied him to the knights’ training ground for several days now.

So far, they’d managed to avoid trouble.

Still, with this troublemaker of a young master, there was no telling what he might do next.

On the other hand, Alan also felt a different kind of worry.

‘He hasn’t given up, has he…?’

Watching Evan’s tireless efforts was heartbreaking.

The effort to wield a sword again…

‘He knows it’s impossible, yet he’s still trying… He must have realized he could never truly abandon the sword.’

The current Evan was serious.

He kept trying everything he could.

Watching him stirred something deep within Alan.

He remembered how he himself had once hit a wall at the intermediate level of Sword Expert and simply given up.

‘Young master…’

He wanted to cheer him on now.

Watching Evan’s retreating figure, Alan quickly started packing up the wooden swords.

Then he noticed something strange.

“What’s up with this sword?”

The wooden sword in his hand had a visible crack.

It looked like the same spot had been struck repeatedly with precision.

“No way…”

Alan had only defended throughout their sparring session.

The only one who could have struck the sword like that was Evan.

‘Did he really target the same spot that precisely?’

Even skilled knights struggled to pull off that kind of technique.

There was no way Evan—who had just recently recovered—could have done it.

‘No… I can’t be sure yet. Delian or Hilton could’ve used this training sword before.’

It might’ve been a sword previously used by one of the other young masters.

It was too early to jump to conclusions.

“Still… my hand is kinda sore today.”

Alan’s hands were red and slightly swollen.

***

Training Ground One.

This was a special training ground reserved for 1st-class knights only.

It was equipped with cutting-edge magitech facilities and had the full support of the noble house.

The Kerthen family’s 1st-class knight order represented both its pride and its public image.

Because of the constant supply of elite talents like them…

The Kerthen family continued to grow in fame and influence across the kingdom.

As a result, many aspiring knights dreamed of joining the Kerthen knights.

Fortunately, getting in wasn’t too hard.

The real problem was getting promoted within.

The organization operated on a cutthroat merit-based system.

Even after passing the entrance exam, knights had to climb through ten total ranks.

Placement was determined based on their exam results.

At the top stood the 1st-class knights, while the 10th-class formed the lowest tier.

Naturally, those in the 1st-class had bright futures guaranteed.

But the 10th-class knights were treated as little more than common foot soldiers of the house.

And the lower the rank, the more people there were competing—making advancement all the more brutal.

‘They’re roughly the equivalent of B- to C-rank hunters.’

Evan stood in a corner of the training ground with Alan, watching the 1st-class knights train.

He had come here for a specific reason.

To observe how this world’s people trained—and to see what tools he might be able to make use of.

His personal training grounds could be fitted with various facilities and equipment.

But there were simply too many options.

It was hard to know what was worthwhile.

So Evan decided to see firsthand what the knights used most often, and how.

‘The ones that seem most useful for mana training are…’

There were a few tools that caught his eye.

Magitech systems designed to help knights grow their mana abilities: Humanoid golems, mana weights, and mana control devices.

There were many other mana-related tools, but those seemed the most efficient.

Evan kept watching closely, formulating his own training plans.

Then, pointing at the equipment, he turned to Alan and said, “Alan. Set up a few of those in the training arena by tomorrow.”

“…Huh?”

Alan couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

All of the equipment Evan pointed to was meant for mana training.

But Evan didn’t have mana.

No matter how much a person trained in mana, if they didn’t have any, it wasn’t going to magically appear.

Alan shook his head, trying to calm himself.

But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense in a sad kind of way.

“You want to train with mana now, don’t you…”

Alan’s heart ached.

‘He’s moved on from sword training and wants to learn mana too…’

Evan’s swordsmanship had certainly improved—but that was purely in terms of physical skill.

Mana was a whole different realm.

Soon, Evan would have to face that harsh reality again.

Still, Alan couldn’t bring himself to stop him.

Evan’s eyes were full of determination—’how could he say it was all pointless?’

Alan gave him a bitter smile.

“Understood, young master…”

All he could do was follow Evan’s orders.

“Let’s go.”

Without hesitation, Evan turned and began walking away.

Suddenly, loud commotion erupted from behind them.

The source of the noise—several knights were gathered there.

Two of them were standing, while the remaining four were kneeling.

Alan frowned at the sight.

“It looks like they’re 4th-rank and 10th-rank knights… Judging by the situation, it’s probably the 4th-rank knights bullying the others over facility use.”

Alan was reminded of his own experiences using the training grounds.

Only knights of 1st to 3rd rank were exempt.

Everyone below that had to use the shared facilities.

This often led to disputes, and in most cases, the higher-ranked knights monopolized everything.

“It seems that rotten tradition is still alive. Well, nothing can be done about it. No one pays attention to 10th-rank knights. They’re bound to be ignored… And this place is driven purely by competition. If they don’t like it, they’ll have to earn their promotion.”

Evan looked amused.

“Then I guess I could order those 10th-rank knights around, and no one would say anything?”

“Huh? Well… I suppose so… Wait, Young Master, what do you mean by that…?”

Alan looked at Evan in panic.

There was a hint of ominous implication behind Evan’s words.

“No, it’s nothing serious. I just think I might need to borrow a few knights for a while.”

Alan, sensing trouble, tried to dissuade him.

“Young Master, that won’t be easy. Even if they’re only 10th-rank knights, you’ll still need permission from the Lord!”

“Then you can take care of that for me.”

“I’ll need to meet those 10th-rank knights soon.”

Saying that, Evan walked off, leaving behind a pale-faced Alan.

***

After finishing all his scheduled tasks, Evan returned to his room.

He immediately pulled out a Soulstone from his inventory.

Until now, he had only used the simplified shop mode for basic needs.

But now, he was finally in a position to use the Soulstone properly.

It was time to meet the Arbiter in person.

‘Been a while since I’ve seen that guy’s face.’

Evan activated the Soulstone.

Pah-bat!

A radiant light wrapped around his body, and in an instant, he was transported to the Celestial Realm, where the Arbiter awaited.

The Arbiter was already standing at the castle gates, waiting for him.

“You actually survived. Impressive.”

The Arbiter looked at Evan with a bemused expression.

Evan walked up without a word.

Then he slowly opened his mouth.

“Cut the small talk and give me the quest.”

The Arbiter replied in a mocking tone.

“You really want to start a quest at your current level?”

Evan frowned, looking irritated.

“Since when did you start worrying about me? I don’t have time for jokes.”

“Alright, alright. I was just making conversation.”

The Arbiter raised a hand and gestured lightly.

A series of holograms and messages appeared before Evan’s eyes.

[Searching for available quests.]

[Two quests currently available.]

Moments later, the message window disappeared, and Evan’s expression twisted in disappointment.

Two quests appeared before him.

***

[Omen of Catastrophe]

[Description: A large-scale gate is forming within Count Kerten’s territory. Major chaos is expected, and massive damage is likely. You must deal with the gate.]

[Type: Hidden Quest]

[Difficulty: C]

[Objective: Eliminate the gate]

[Recommended Level: 35]

[Recommended Party Size: 4]

[Rewards: Hidden Supply Box (Tier 1), EXP (Medium), 2,000,000 Contribution Points]

***

[Cursed Forest]

[Description: A strange energy in the northern center of Cabr Forest is corrupting the area. Investigate and resolve the source to purify the forest.]

[Type: Branch Quest]

[Difficulty: B]

[Objective: Eliminate the source of corruption]

[Recommended Level: 55]

[Recommended Party Size: 10]

[Rewards: Supply Box (Tier 2), EXP (Large), 5,000,000 Contribution Points]

***

None of the quests were the kind Evan was actually looking for.

In fact, the ones that should have been there were missing, replaced by completely inappropriate ones.

There are five main types of quests: Main, Transcendent, Hidden, Branch, and Sub.

Naturally, the closer to “Main,” the more important the quest.

If the entire storyline was like a tree, the main quests would be the trunk, while the others were the branches.

Normally, everything starts with sub-quests.

You progress through sub-quests, eventually unlocking branch or hidden quests, which eventually lead to the main quest.

But that natural progression had been ignored.

‘Okay, I get why the first one is a hidden quest.’

After all, the catastrophe is a forced event—he’ll get dragged into it regardless.

That probably explains the hidden designation.

But the second one? That quest clearly required a much higher level to even attempt.

It was simply impossible to clear in his current state.

Evan looked at the Arbiter and asked, “What is this? Why are the early quests all skipped? Are you doing this on purpose?”

The Arbiter’s brow twitched slightly, as if annoyed.

“The quests are assigned based on your standard. I don’t have the power to control quest availability at will.”

While speaking, the Arbiter gestured again.

New messages popped up before Evan’s eyes.

[The current quest difficulty is calibrated based on Conqueror Rank F.]

“Conqueror Rank F…”

In that moment, Evan realized how the system worked.

‘So quests aren’t based solely on current physical level…’

They were assigned based on a complex formula—past world level, past achievements, current status—all calculated together.

It was an unexpected variable.

‘I didn’t think the system was this refined.’

Still, the quest order was clearly out of line.

No matter how experienced he was in a past life, skipping the early stages entirely made no sense.

In this world, Evan was level 1 and in one of the worst physical states possible.

Just knowing information wasn’t enough to jump straight into these quests.

He told the Arbiter, “I get what you’re saying. But cutting out low-level sub-quests is just wrong.”

Sub-quests are basic missions accessible at any time in the early stages.

They ask for the simplest tasks and reward you with items crucial for early growth.

Some items sold in the shop could only be unlocked after clearing a certain number of quests.

So having—or not having—sub-quests had a huge impact on early-game progress.

‘I can’t just let this slide.’

But the Arbiter’s response was unexpected.

“Do you really think I didn’t consider that? Conquerors are given benefits.”

As the Arbiter finished speaking, a new message appeared before Evan.

[Conqueror Benefit: You may now purchase a Sub-Quest Subscription.]

[You will receive sub-quests in real-time, up to 5 times per day.]

[Each sub-quest will consume 1,500 Contribution Points.]

[Would you like to purchase the Sub-Quest Subscription? (Y/N)]

Evan paused for a moment.

‘Buying sub-quests separately… huh.’

It completely changed the game.

With this structure, he could skip the hassle.

He could now run sub-quests whenever he wanted.

‘It’s no longer mandatory, but an option.’

He could skip them entirely if he wanted to jump straight into higher-tier quests.

‘This would let me reach the main storyline much faster.’

It wasn’t a bad deal for Evan.

He immediately purchased the Sub-Quest Subscription.

Then, he accepted both of the quests the Arbiter had offered.