Lord Evolution: Starting With SS-rank Skills

_Nighttime, Winterseed Village_

After the exit of Rowan and the gallant men of the village, the villagers gathered outside their homes. The streets of the small village were filled with a large crowd of worried villagers. Children, women, and the elderly all crowded the streets, sacrificing their night's rest to worry and pray for the victory of their beloved lord.

The village square was crowded the most, with around 40% of Winterseed's population gathered around that area.

A group of women could be seen kneeling on the ground, facing the moon that hung in the sky as though it was some sort of deity. They shut their eyes, and their mouths moved as they whispered words of prayers.

Even the little children who had grown accustomed to the hardship inflicted by Glenwood wished hopefully that it would end. And that could only be achieved if their Lord won.

Normally, the villagers were scared of getting out of their homes in the middle of the night for fear of monster attacks.

But today, their fear sank to the back of their minds, and they stepped out.

Due to the large number of people outside their homes, the village became rowdy and almost chaotic.

At the village square, Riela and Brandon could be seen trying their best to calm the worried hearts of the villagers. Riela approached the younger ladies and little children, cautioning those who caused a nuisance and consoling the worried. Brandon did the same.

At a corner of the village square, a middle-aged woman hugging two beautiful young girls around the age of five could be seen.

Riela, who had just finished speaking with two young ladies, quickly approached them to calm them down.

"Mommy, will Daddy come back?" one of the young girls asked her mother.

The mother couldn't even respond, as she too was worried -- her younger sister had been taken away by Glenwood two years ago, and she couldn't help but be worried for her husband's sake.

Riela knelt beside the mother and her daughters, offering a calm smile. She gently stroked one of the girl's hair.

"Your daddy is very, very brave and strong. He's with Lord Rowan, fighting for us. He will come back very soon."

The mother glanced at Riela, eyes full of worry just like everyone in the village.

Seeing the worried face of the mother, Riela squeezed her shoulder and reassured her. She then played with the little girls a little to calm their little minds. This only took a short story of a strong knight fighting to protect his daughter.

After calming them down, she smiled in relief and walked away. As she approached yet another group of grieving villagers, she looked at the sky and closed her eyes for a short minute, "Come back safe, Rowan."

---

It was the middle of the night, and the morning hours were drawing closer. The dark sky had already begun gaining some hints of its usual morning brightness. However, unlike the pending brightness of the sky, a chaotic and dark scene of a bloody battle was taking place below.

Men swung their swords with the sole purpose to kill.

A few unlucky ones got the receiving end of the sword.

While the lucky ones dealt damage.

The forest was shrouded in the clanging sound of swords, the cries of soldiers losing or pleading for their lives, and the sound of the victorious letting out a loud chant after slaying their enemies.

Roland and Bruce could be seen slashing through Glenwood's army.

Roland was badly injured, and his clothes were covered in blood, but he gritted his teeth and kept slashing through the soldiers. The heaven-given strength boost that came with being a father kept him standing.

"Slaughter all of them! Spare no one!" he called out to his soldiers with gritted teeth.

Not too far away from him, the other captains did their job.

Bryce was covered in blood as well, but he kept moving while laughing maniacally like a demon.

Just his laugh added a layer of fear in the hearts of Glenwood's soldiers.

In this battle, Winterseed's soldiers, though small in number, became bloodthirsty demons.

While Glenwood became nothing but scared little pussies!

About one hour had passed since the beginning of the battle, and Glenwood had suffered the most losses. Their corpses lay on the ground in pools of their own blood.

Sadly, they weren't the only ones who suffered losses, as some of Winterseed's soldiers also lay on the ground, dead.

In the middle of this chaotic battlefield was Rowan, standing amidst Glenwood's soldiers, who tried their hardest to focus on him, but fear seized their attention, causing them to lose focus as soldiers attacked from all angles, rendering them useless in the process.

Rowan grinned as he twisted his right sword into the heart of the nearest soldier. Another Glenwood soldier tried to attack him, swinging his sword, but Rowan easily predicted the move thanks to his Night Vision.

"Haha, even with my FF-rank power, y'all are still no match for me," Rowan boasted as he pulled his sword from the soldier's chest.

The soldier's eyes had already gone blank, his hands weak, and his weapon had dropped from his grasp as he clutched his chest in shock, the fear of death clearly visible.

He let out a small, struggling sound as he collapsed to the ground.

Rowan felt the usual surge of motivation but wasn't bothered and proceeded to attack another soldier. His sword drifted venomously through the air and slashed his opponent's neck open, causing blood to spill on Rowan's face.

He wiped the blood from his lip and continued pushing through the crowd of soldiers toward their Lord, who cowardly remained behind. Thanks to the Lord's fat body, escape was impossible, and Rowan didn't even bother to hurry.

After killing the soldiers around him, Rowan swiftly opened his challenge window.

---

[ QUEST ]

- Objective 1: Defeat the Glenwood army with fewer than 10% casualties on your side

(Current casualties: 6%) (Status: Unfinished)

- Objective 2: Take down 3 out of 8 of Glenwood's captains (Status: Completed)

- Objective 3: Take the head of Glenwood's Lord (Status: Completed)

---

Seeing the current casualty stats, Rowan's eyes widened in shock and remorse. According to the stats, at least 24 out of the 400 men he brought with him had fallen to Glenwood.

"Fuck," he cursed, swiftly attacking the soldier sprinting toward him.

"None of my soldiers need to die anymore," he muttered to himself.

Controlling the battle at this point was almost impossible with his current strength.

But there was one option.

Rowan's eyes turned cold as he gazed at the large number of Glenwood soldiers still standing. He called out to his system in a low tone, "Evolve Power!"

DING

[Spend 1,000,000 evolution points to Evolve? CONFIRM - YES/NO]

"Yes," Rowan confirmed without hesitation.

As soon as he did, the familiar notification sound echoed in his mind. Almost instantly, a wave of agonizing pain ripped through his body, forcing him to drop his swords. His fingers twitched as the pain overwhelmed him.

Rowan crumbled to the ground, gritting his teeth. His body felt numb, his vision fading into darkness. The sounds of swords clashing and men screaming around him dimmed as his hearing weakened.

The pain was unbearable. He collapsed to his knees, his mind barely registering the DING sounds ringing in his brain.

---

[ Evolving... 0% ]

[ Boosting physical strength... 3% ]

[ Boosting physical defense... 8% ]

[ Boosting vitality... 20% ]

[ Forming Evolution core... 27% ]

[ Balancing Evolution core... 47% ]

---

Bryce, fighting nearby, noticed Rowan's condition, and his eyes widened in shock. The manic grin on his face vanished, replaced by sheer panic as he sprinted toward Rowan.

"Lord Rowan!" he shouted, racing to his side.

He quickly reached Rowan, grabbing him before he collapsed further. As he supported him, Bryce could feel Rowan's vitality draining, his strength fading rapidly.

"Lord Rowan, what's happening?" Bryce asked frantically, looking into his leader's nearly lifeless eyes.

But Rowan didn't answer. He didn't even hear Bryce's desperate question.

Nearby, Waga and his men spotted Rowan's weakened state and saw an opening. They charged forward without hesitation, eyes fixed on the vulnerable lord.

Seeing them advancing, Bryce gently laid Rowan on the ground, grabbed his sword, and faced the incoming enemies without a trace of fear.

"Come at me, cowards!" Bryce snarled, his voice thick with anger.

Some of the nearby Winterseed soldiers heard their captain's call and immediately rushed to assist. In moments, ten men had formed a defensive wall around Rowan, who lay helpless and barely conscious on the ground.

"Your lord is down! You bastards will join him soon enough!" Waga sneered, laughing coldly.

He turned to his men and whispered orders. They split up, attempting to mimic the same strategy Rowan had used against them earlier.

"Attack! Protect Lord Rowan with your lives!" Bryce commanded before charging directly at Waga.

The Winterseed soldiers responded immediately, forming a tighter defensive circle around Rowan. Their eyes gleamed with determination as they prepared for the oncoming fight.

CLANG!

Waga and Bryce's swords clashed violently.

"Where's your confidence now? Knowing I'll slay your beloved lord!" Waga taunted as he swung his blade again.

Bryce didn't waste words. He parried the attack and quickly launched a counter. But as he swung, a sharp pain shot through his injured arm, causing him to falter.

Waga noticed the hesitation, and his confidence surged. "Haha! You're no match for me now!"

Sensing Bryce's weakness, Waga intensified his attacks, swinging with brutal strength and ferocity. Bryce was forced onto the defensive, struggling to hold his ground.

Bryce clenched his teeth as pain flared in his body with each of Waga's strikes. He staggered back, nearly losing his footing more than once.

"I have to protect Lord Rowan!" he screamed inwardly.

If he failed now, all their efforts would be for nothing. The freedom they had fought so hard for would remain an unreachable dream, and Winterseed would fall to even greater suffering.

Meanwhile, Rowan remained motionless and vulnerable on the ground, his body limp.

The soldiers forming the defensive circle around him fought fiercely, clashing swords with Glenwood soldiers who saw an opportunity to strike.

"You won't touch Lord Rowan unless you go through me!" one of the Winterseed men shouted, gritting his teeth as he blocked yet another blow.

But the Glenwood soldiers gave them no mercy, launching continuous attacks that allowed no time for recovery.

One of the Winterseed men was struck down, falling lifelessly beside Rowan's body. His blood formed a pool beside Rowan.

This time, the Glenwood forces had learned to exploit their superior numbers, leaving Winterseed no chance to regain their footing.

Not far away, Bryce was forced to one knee, barely managing to lift his sword and block Waga's relentless strikes.

The advantage Winterseed once held vanished the moment Rowan fell, leaving them struggling against the brutal attack of Glenwood soldiers.