Lord Evolution: Starting With SS-rank Skills

The first raid of the seventh day was the hardest the soldiers had ever fought. There was no formation, no open space, and with monsters pouring out rapidly, they had to adapt to the chaotic battlefield as quickly as they could to survive.

The archers fared the worst, yet the close-ranged fighters were not any better off.

While the archers had to aim carefully so as not to hit their comrades, the close-ranged fighters had to do their utmost to avoid jumping into the archers' firing range.

The challenge of this battle was not only the monsters but also themselves.

With such unfriendly conditions threatening to claim their lives, they were forced to adapt quickly. Those who could adapt faster than the others received their rewards.

The battle was still raging, edging closer to an end. Rowan and the captains stood aside, observing the battlefield from different vantage points and intervening whenever a soldier found themselves in dire danger.

Around Rowan, the bodies of soldiers undergoing the painful process of evolution formed a circle—about ten in number. He checked their evolution progress from time to time, a smile plastered on his face.

"I was expecting the first set of evolving soldiers during the second raid, but it seems my calculations were wrong," he thought. There were still a few soldiers on the battlefield nearing evolution.

If they continued fighting ferociously, the chances of them evolving were quite high.

Time passed, half an hour slipping by like the blink of an eye. At that moment, eleven new soldiers joined the ranks of the evolved. They stood beside Rowan, dumbfounded by the power brimming within them.
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Their eyes shone with the glow of accomplishment. Another half an hour passed quickly, and four new soldiers joined the ranks, bringing the total number of evolved soldiers to twenty.

After the battle ended, the remaining soldiers went to congratulate their colleagues on their successful evolution. Witnessing their comrades evolve fueled their determination to join the ranks of the evolved.

Rowan's brief speech did a perfect job of redefining their goals and building stronger motivation. Without any waste of time, the journey to a new spot began.

This time, they strolled for more than an hour, venturing deep into the dark forest.

Once they arrived at their new location,

Rowan allowed the men to settle and get used to the area. It wasn't an open space; it was almost as close and tight as the previous one.

Yet none of the soldiers complained—in fact, they were eager to take a go at it once again. The second raid quickly began, and they manifested their motivations in the heat of battle.

Two hours later, the battle ended. Thirty-seven soldiers were added to the rank of the evolved, totalling fifty-seven.

After a brief thirty-minute rest, they began their journey to the location of the third raid.

This time, they found an open space. However, no formations were utilized. With the activation of monster cores, the battle commenced.

This time, Rowan had to step in as there were a few E-rank monsters. Unlike the E-rank monsters they had faced in the past, these ones didn't wait for the lower ranked monsters to be decimated before attacking.

Once they arrived, they latched onto the soldiers ferociously and without mercy, leading to a major shift in power right away.

It took the rapid response of Rowan and Blaze to prevent the decimation of a dozen soldiers during the first few minutes of the third raid.

Thankfully, the number of E-ranks was considerably low, and Rowan and Blaze were able to finish them off in less than two minutes.

In the first hour of the third raid, more than thirty soldiers began evolving, far more than Rowan expected.

Both Rowan and the fifty-seven evolved soldiers had to step in to move the evolving soldiers out of harm's way before the monsters reached them.

As they all stepped onto the battlefield at once to help, the balance shifted immediately.

The mere presence of Rowan and Blaze caused a major imbalance, granting Winterseed men the upper hand in the battle.

However, with all the evolved present—Rowan and Blaze included—the imbalance was undone. If they should actually join the battlefield, the entirety of the monsters would be slaughtered in less than twenty minutes.

Another hour went by swiftly, and twenty more soldiers began evolving. Before the battle finally ended, everyone had already evolved. The number of evolved soldiers in Rowan's command now exceeded the quota needed to check one of the criteria.

DING! [Criteria: Possess 100 F-rank soldiers has been fulfilled]

Rowan received a quick, flashy notification, causing a smile to spread across his face.

He was still rejoicing over the notification when another one flashed before him.

DING! [Criteria: Attain Top 5000 in NOVICE RANKING has been fulfilled]

"Damn, I wasn't expecting to check off two of the criteria in one day! This is good!" Rowan rejoiced. It was already evening—the time was between 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM.

"One more raid and we are done for today," Rowan announced. No one disagreed.

The journey to the next hunting zone began immediately, taking more than an hour before they found a good hunting spot.

By that time, the day had already grown fairly dim as nighttime approached.

"This raid will naturally last until nighttime, so be prepared to battle in the dark. Understood?"

"Yes, Lord Rowan, we are ready!"

"Definitely! We're more than ready!"

Rowan nodded. After a final warning, he activated his skill as usual, and monsters started pouring out once again. The soldiers reacted instantly and swung into action.

….

Evening time

Winterseed

Vishirk could be seen in his room, seated in a meditative position with his eyes shut as he cultivated mana absorbed from a mana stone trapped between his clasped hands. A strong aura wrapped around his being.

Suddenly, his eyes flickered open—revealing glaring black eyes with glowing red pupils.

A cold smirk appeared on Vishirk's face as he muttered, "It starts tonight!"