Formal Knight

The vast and boundless Black Sea.

For the myriad creatures that lived there, it was both a cradle for life and a battlefield for survival.

One day, a tiny shark was born in this sea. It opened its eyes and began to perceive this strange and dangerous world.

It scavenged scraps of rotten flesh left by other predators, hunted small fish and shrimp, and even battled colossal sea monsters.

It swam through warm and comfortable blue skies and seas, and also looked down upon raging waves and fierce storms.

It wandered through the ruins of ancient cities deep beneath the sea, long forgotten by history, and also witnessed how a small seaside village transformed into a great city in just over a decade.

From small and fragile to powerful and fearless, escaping time and again, hunting time and again, tempered by time, the law of the jungle had forged it into a ferocious and cunning apex predator!

At this moment, there was little left in the Black Sea that it truly feared.

And Evan accompanied this Blue Flag Demon Shark, experiencing countless years from the perspective, senses, and even thoughts of a shark. During this process, his human cognition, morals, and emotions were stripped away bit by bit, until only the savage instincts of a bloodthirsty monster remained.

Whoosh--

A massive dark shadow flashed beneath the sea's surface.

The icy water flowed through the demon shark's gills, yet it offered no resistance. Instead, the surging vortex of water transformed into surging power, propelling its streamlined body forward at high speed through the water, faster and faster.

Crack!

Its gaping maw snapped open like lightning, tearing a large fish, not much smaller than itself, violently in half.

At this moment, a sweet and delicious taste exploded in its mouth, intoxicating it.

This was the sensation for the Blue Flag Demon Shark, and it was the same for Evan.

Instantly, as if a switch had been flipped, the beastly instincts passed down through its bloodline for millennia fully awakened within Evan!

In the dark room, Evan, who had been sitting cross-legged, suddenly opened his slightly reddened eyes.

Before humans established their brilliant and splendid civilization, they were merely ordinary members of the beasts in the jungles and grasslands.

The process of Knight Savage Body Transformation was to retrace the evolutionary path of the entire species, taming its wild nature and returning to civilized reason, all by oneself.

In Evan's understanding, a person was composed of the Id, Ego, and Superego. The Id governed all of humanity's instinctive desires and was the source of the ferocious power in Extraordinary theory.

The Ego, represented by reason and intelligence, and the Superego, represented by ideals and ultimate good, would then cage it once more, taming it into a power that could be used for one's own benefit. That was the Extraordinary Power of a Knight.

"Hoo, hoo..."

Heavy breaths, like those of a large beast, echoed in the room. Scorching Extraordinary Power surged continuously from the depths of his body, brutally invading every minute tissue and cell.

In an instant, it was as if a dormant, bloodthirsty beast had been awakened. Evan's entire skin turned a terrifying blood-red!

But even deeper changes were occurring within his body.

Every muscle, bone, organ, and even nerve began to writhe and twitch in a slow rhythm, as if they had become independent entities with their own consciousness, grinding their teeth and sucking blood, seemingly ready to lash out and injure at any moment.

"Roar..."

"Hah!"

Yet, under the restraint of Evan's own powerful will, his body was like an unbreakable cage. Even though it confined the fiercest and most violent beast, it remained still, sitting cross-legged without wavering.

In reality, this was normal. If an Apprentice Knight like Evan, who had trained diligently since childhood and possessed the Golden Finger of Data Vision to constantly regulate his body, had to risk death and vomit half a liter of blood to succeed, then the true native inhabitants of this other world would have long since perished.

Even in this state, Evan could block out the influence from his physical body and slowly enter a shallow meditation.

His Spirit Power, which was already strong enough to manifest for a normal Apprentice Knight, was guided by instinct to quickly enter his body, reclaiming every inch of tissue controlled by the beastly instincts.

This situation was vastly superior to others who purely relied on willpower to endure, competing with their ferocious bodies to see who could last longer.

After barely regaining partial control of his body, Evan exited the meditative state. The breath emanating from his mouth subtly shifted as he began to use the breathing technique that accompanied the White Sail Swordsmanship.

"Hoo—breathe, hoo—breathe..."

With even his nervous system rebelling, the biological energy system, manifested through breath, was the ultimate reliance for every Knight.

Breathing techniques of different schools naturally had their unique characteristics. They needed to be compatible with the Knight's strengths and the Extraordinary traits they used, otherwise, the results would be halved.

The most dangerous period had passed.

The outside world saw the sun set and rise. Evan, sitting cross-legged and circulating the breathing technique, felt the agitation in his body completely subside, and his calm and rational demeanor returned.

His physique hadn't undergone any drastic changes, yet something felt different.

As the sky on the horizon began to show the first signs of dawn, Evan opened his eyes again. His gaze was clear and intelligent, the influence of the ferocious body completely gone.

Thus, the first breakthrough was complete.

The greatest hurdle in a Knight's advancement had been overcome, but Evan was not yet a true Extraordinary Knight.

Nothing could be achieved overnight, and the Extraordinary Transformation, like being reborn, was no exception.

Over the next few weeks, more subtle changes would continue within his body until a significant generational update occurred at the cellular level.

By then, his body would be stronger, more agile, more intelligent, and better adapted to Extraordinary Power.

It would be like a complete re-development from head to toe, erasing all past imperfections and transforming into the most perfect form encoded within his genes.

"Clang—"

Gary, who had been spending time with Evan, was naturally the first to notice the changes in him. When he went to fetch water to wash his face early in the morning, he froze the moment he saw Evan. It wasn't until the basin of water slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground that he snapped back to reality.

If Evan were still just a country boy with brute strength, Gary might not have been so surprised, or even noticed anything. But now that Evan had embarked on the Extraordinary Path, Gary instantly spotted the changes in him.

"Boss, you... you're already a Formal Knight?"

"Extraordinary" was a broad term. In civilized nations, there was only one publicly recognized Extraordinary Path: the Knight. To a certain extent, "Knight" had become synonymous with "Extraordinary."

Evan smiled and nodded.

The power of a Knight was a public display. This kind of power was deeply intertwined with a person's status, reputation, and interests. Hiding it to play the underdog was just idleness.

Evan had no intention of hiding his breakthrough.

"That's great, Boss! I knew you were so strong, you'd definitely break through smoothly. Hahaha, I'm going to tell everyone on the Silver Wing the good news."

After speaking, Gary ran off without even washing his face.

Having achieved his short-term goal, Evan didn't plan to push himself too hard. He leisurely went to the bathroom to take a shower.

Wearing a bathrobe, he went to the kitchen and fried himself a large plate of eggs and sausages. He poured a glass of fresh milk that the milkman had just delivered and began to enjoy his breakfast.

"Mmm, my cooking is still so great!"

To complete his final transformation as quickly as possible, Evan's task during this period was to eat well and drink well, replenishing his body with sufficient nutrients.

Because cultivation also had to follow basic principles. Situations like those in Western movies where someone mutated into a superman overnight simply didn't exist. If such a person did appear, they wouldn't become an Extraordinary person in the end, but a monster that had lost control!

Gary returned halfway through Evan's breakfast.

To Evan's surprise, the people who returned with Gary weren't the crew members of the Silver Wing, but his Uncle Gell, who had just returned to Gabreid.

Rushing into the room and seeing Evan leisurely enjoying his breakfast, Gell's travel-worn face instantly relaxed. He gave Evan a big hug.

"Evan, I'm proud of you!"