Chapter 222
Leon stared blankly at the symbol Seonghyun revealed, but soon regained his composure.
Well, if he were truly that strong, it made sense he could have earned a knighthood.
The refined energy and the aura surrounding him—it was nothing to take lightly.
To think an outsider could acquire a knighthood too.
Indeed, he was extraordinary.
After raising his evaluation of Seonghyun even higher, Leon nodded.
“Very well, then you deserve my recommendation letter.”
If he could get that recommendation, the chances of success would definitely increase.
Leon shared his plan with Seonghyun, who nodded as he listened.
Everything was unfolding exactly as he had hoped.
He agreed that Leon's plan was the right move.
From the conversation, he learned about Ragna Ekrion.
Who this man was and what he was currently doing in the Equinox Knights.
Seonghyun learned details even Leon's subordinates did not know.
He realized Ragna was an even more formidable figure than expected.
Hearing only the stories, Seonghyun felt Ragna was on the same level as Karmin, the worst in Pentagrid.
The difference being,
‘He hid it thoroughly.’
Karmin had gone berserk with sudden madness, but Ragna honed his madness into refined skill.
It seemed natural that he would be superior to Karmin.
Of course, the level difference was a factor, but Seonghyun referred to skill as control and finesse.
Karmin had gotten stronger simply by leveling up.
‘Ragna’s skill itself must be exceptional.’
This was definitely someone worth taking seriously.
Seonghyun's satisfaction grew.
Leon then explained his plan in full detail.
How to lure Ragna out.
Though there was talk of facing Ragna together with comrades later,
Seonghyun didn't mind—it could be handled solo or with his vassals.
He simply nodded to the first step of this plan.
As he did so, a message popped up before his eyes.
[Hidden Linked Quest, 『Equinox Knights Entrance Exam』 has been generated.]
Since he had acquired the recommendation letter,
Why not head to the knights’ order and enter?
Then again,
‘Though I have the knighthood, this is still my first time entering the order itself.’
Thinking this would be more interesting than expected,
Seonghyun shook hands with Leon.
2.
[The eternal world, E-World, will be waiting for you.]
Seonghyun stepped out of the capsule as he saw the farewell message.
Meeting Leon and receiving the Hidden Linked Quest was good enough.
However, there was one unexpected thing.
First, it took some time to find Wehard’s diary.
Because of that, time went by and it soon felt like it was almost time to log off.
‘The knight exam is in three days—that’s a bit inconvenient.’
Having to wait three days was somewhat disappointing.
But since it was a regular schedule, there was no way around it.
He would just have to endure it.
During that time, he thought he could hunt around nearby.
It would be a good opportunity to get used to the newly gained skill, Lord of Darkness.
Seonghyun accepted that and moved on.
As he stepped outside, he happened to run into his sister Yoo Mina returning home.
“Coming back now?”
“Yeah, the power was out, so I just went out and played. But you came back quickly.”
“Yeah, the capsule room felt a bit off.”
“Well... usually you don’t notice, but it’s just how you are, Seonghyun!”
“What?”
Even the best capsule in the capsule room felt stiffer than the one at home.
It felt like his movements became a little sluggish.
Not by much, just a little.
But others said they didn’t feel that way.
“Y-Yeah, I guess so?”
A bit scared, Seonghyun asked back.
Yoo Mina just shrugged as if she didn’t know.
Surely it wouldn’t be like serving in the army even in the game, right?
With that thought, Seonghyun became slightly uneasy.
3.
The city of knights, Sysbalt, did not have a regular knight exam schedule.
The exams happened irregularly.
Today was such a day.
A knight exam that might only occur once a month or less.
However, users rarely had the chance to take it.
Only full-fledged knights could participate in the exam, and even then, without a recommendation letter, participation in special cases like today was impossible.
Therefore, users effectively could not take the exam.
Except for today.
Amidst the knights, many were amazed to see Seonghyun clearly showing his presence.
“Huh? A stranger?”
“To think a traveler would hold a knighthood.”
“Never imagined it.”
Some knights couldn’t hide their admiration for Seonghyun.
But many also felt jealousy.
“That ridiculous stranger dares to appear at the sacred knight exam?”
“Whose recommendation did he get?”
“It’s probably from some dishonorable guy who knows nothing about honor.”
They understood that he had barely risen from nothing to a knight.
But even so, they had no right to belittle him.
Although some knights clicked their tongues at the young knights openly speaking such nonsense,
Seonghyun didn’t care.
He had no reason to impress them anyway.
In fact, the more they acted that way, the stronger his sense of accomplishment felt—the thrill of overcoming the difficulty.
While the knights caused this small commotion, talking amongst themselves about Seonghyun.
Inside the sparring hall, the sound of someone entering could be heard.
‘Have they arrived?’
Three knights exuding their impressive presence.
None of those present were unaware of who they were.
The captain of the Solaris Knights.
The captain of the Valkyrion Guard.
And the captain of the Equinox Knights.
No knight in the room made a sound as they stood in perfect posture, watching them enter.
Some younger knights gasped in awe at the overwhelming aura surrounding the trio.
Among them, Seonghyun fixed his gaze on Ragna Ekrion of the Equinox Knights.
The purpose of this quest.
As Seonghyun looked at Ragna Ekrion, their eyes met.
It was impossible to know exactly what they thought.
‘Not to be underestimated.’
‘Impressive.’
Both Seonghyun and Ragna Ekrion quietly admired each other before turning their gaze away.
Seonghyun had no reason to reveal himself now.
And for Ragna Ekrion, Seonghyun wasn’t his objective yet.
So they both looked around the others present.
Not long after, Aizel Richtbert, captain of the Solaris Knights, stepped forward and addressed them.
“At today’s exam, show off your skills and may you all apply to the knight order you desire.”
Although the number of candidates wasn’t large, all had recommendation letters for entrance into one of the three leading knight orders of Sysbalt.
They listened attentively, nodding at his words.
Each wished to be noticed by at least one of the captains and granted entry to a knight order.
Then, Aizel Richtbert called out.
“The first test will be sparring. Receive your matchups and await your turn!”
At his call, everyone moved swiftly and in unison.
They received prearranged match pairings and waited their turn.
The test was a one-on-one sparring match.
Interestingly, unlike most such tests that run several matches simultaneously,
This exam progressed with only one sparring match at a time.
With fewer than twenty candidates, such a format was manageable.
Seonghyun drew a number.
‘Number one. First match.’
Whether lucky or unlucky,
Getting to fight early wasn’t bad.
He thought it could be good to get it done and rest.
As he pondered, a knight called out the number.
“Number one contestants, step forward!”
Seonghyun moved as the knight shouted on stage.
The knight facing him was one of the young knights who had earlier scolded Seonghyun.
Seonghyun didn’t care enough to recognize who it was.
The opponent was not a threat.
“Haha, lucky you. Facing a stranger—I pity you.”
“......?”
Seonghyun slightly tilted his head in puzzlement at the cheap provocation.
He wondered what that was supposed to mean.
When Seonghyun did not respond, the young knight, possibly a little irritated, said,
“Hah! You don’t think an outsider like you could ever defeat a ‘real’ knight, do you? Let me show you my swordsmanship.”
Seonghyun saw the emphasis on the word ‘real’ in the young knight’s words but chose not to react and calmly drew his sword.
The young knight, taking Seonghyun’s calm demeanor as a provocation, flushed as red as a kimchi pancake and pulled out his sword.
No further provocation or lowly words were exchanged.
They simply pointed their swords at each other.
As both drew their swords and prepared themselves,
A knight standing on the stage raised his hand, signaling the start of the sparring match.
At the same moment,
Thwack!
A deep footprint marked the floor of the sparring hall.
Seonghyun slid forward.
Before the young knight could even react to his incredible speed,
Seonghyun placed his front foot beside the young knight’s foot and struck the young knight’s abdomen with the hilt of his sword held backward.
Kwahaaang!!!
The sound was close to an explosion.
The young knight’s breastplate bizarrely deformed, and he was flung out of the sparring hall.
Usually, the winner would be greeted with thunderous cheers,
But this time, there was none.
Instead, the surroundings fell into shocked silence in an instant.
“W-Winner, Seonghyun!”
The referee announced with a slight delay.
“Wooooooaaaah!!!”
“Ahhhhhh!!!”
“Woooohoooo!!!”
“Ungggghhh!!!”
Several knights burst into cheers.