Ryan took his coat from the chair and put it on with a deliberate movement, feeling the immense solidness his body now possessed after reaching the SS rank.

Karol finished stretching on the bed, adjusting her clothes while Beatrice was already walking around the room gathering her light equipment.

Just as Ryan was adjusting the collar of his coat, the interface in front of his eyes flickered. It was not the common blue from the beginning, but a golden flash that completely covered his vision.

[Class Evolution Available]

[Requirements met: Level > 110. Strength > 10,000. Psyche > 10,000. Magic > 10,000]

[Your current class ’Priest’ has reached its progression limit]

[Initiating evolution...]

Ryan stood still for a second, watching as the system’s letters rewrote themselves.

[Congratulations, your class has evolved to Templar]

’Templar?’

[You have acquired a new unique class skill]

› Name: Party Absorb HP

› Effect: 2% of physical damage dealt to enemies is converted into vital energy (HP) for your party targets that have one or more active buffs.

’Absorbing health through physical damage...’ Ryan thought, analyzing the numbers.

’With my 12,300 points in Strength, two percent of my strikes is an absurd amount of healing.’

For the system to recognize someone as part of his party, that ally needed to have one of his enchantments active, such as Physical Buff or Almighty.

’Sounds good, but it must have its limitations, right? For example, I probably need to be close, but it’s not bad, I mean. If we have a complex fight, getting distracted to use healing could be problematic.’

Ryan smiled maliciously, and right before closing the system interface, he saw four more skills in the Templar category.

’Skills, but they are locked. Although, given how the system has worked so far, there is only one tangible way to unlock those skills, right? By fighting.’

The Templar was definitely the perfect class for him.

"What do you find so funny now?" Karol asked, approaching him and taking him by the arm with her usual possessive attitude.

"Nothing, just that I obtained something useful," Ryan responded calmly. "Let’s go. We need to go down to eat something and see how the atmosphere is in the city."

Beatrice finished adjusting the scarf that hid her horns and nodded. And after getting ready and straightening out their clothes.

The three of them left the room and went down to the first floor of the inn.

The dining room was quite crowded with local adventurers and merchants. Ryan sharpened his hearing as they sat at a secluded table to wait for breakfast.

"Are you going to the auction this afternoon?" an intermediate-rank adventurer commented at the next table.

"I heard the merchant guild brought in a huge batch of magic accessories from the northern ruins. But the prices are going to be insane," his companion replied.

’Magic accessories.’ Ryan thought immediately, glancing sideways at Karol.

"I see. That type of auction is normal. When I first met you, I intended to sell my twin fires at one of them. How lucky that no auction was being held at that time."

Beatrice looked at her with a bitter smile.

"Is that your best weapon?" she asked curiously.

"No, but they are useful, though. Because of my cursed wizard title, the twin that truly benefits me is the water one. Even though Krai gave me the earth ones. It’s not my element, and I can’t draw out all of its power."

’So that’s how it works?’

"What if you try to sell the earth twins at the auction?" Beatrice suggested.

Ryan leaned closer to Karol and whispered into her ear. With a soft voice, but just enough so that Beatrice could also hear.

"Remember that those twins belonged to the S-Rank holy knight. There is no way they would accept them without reporting us to the church."

"Heh heh, you’re right," Karol responded with a bitter smile.

"But then, we just need to find those water twins, isn’t that right, Krai?" Beatrice commented with a smile.

"Yes, we should go take a look at that auction. Maybe I can find something that might be interesting."

Missing out on that place out of carelessness would be a problem; losing Runa’s earring was an inconvenience. Even though his physical camouflage remained intact and he maintained his red hair under the name of Krai, his real stats were exposed to anyone with the Inspect ability.

’If I manage to get a high-level magic accessory at that auction, I will be able to solve that problem before meeting up with Ophelia. But we might even be able to get something more useful.’

"We will go to that auction today," Ryan told the girls in a low voice.

Karol and Beatrice nodded without objecting. Once they finished eating breakfast, the group stepped out onto the streets of Wind Valley.

The city was packed with movement at that hour, but the noisy bustle of the main avenue was suddenly cut short when the sound of horse hooves and heavy armor began to resonate loudly.

"Make way! Clear the central street immediately!" shouted several soldiers of Kalistia, pushing the civilians to the sides with their spears. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Ryan leaned back against the wall of a shop, flanked by Karol and Beatrice, observing the enormous military deployment.

In the middle of the silver-armored knights, a massive white carriage advanced, decorated with gold engravings and the emblem of the church. The luxury it gave off was worthy of that nation’s highest royalty.

Karol stood on her tiptoes a little to look through the crowd.

Just as the carriage passed right in front of their position, Ryan fixed his gaze on the side window, whose silk curtains remained open.

Ryan’s body tensed completely, and his eyes opened wide.

Sitting inside, with a completely serene expression and her gaze fixed straight ahead, was a woman whose face Ryan recognized in a fraction of a second.

She wore an impeccable white dress and a veil that covered part of her hair. The carriage continued its march and she didn’t even turn to look at him; she passed by with total indifference, as if Ryan were just another vagabond on the street.

’Is it really her?’