Chapter 176: A Puff of Steam to Break the Defense

Chapter 176: Chapter 176: A Puff of Steam to Break the Defense

When he saw blood trickling from Cecilia’s nose,

Hill, who had maintained her cold facade, felt her heart clench. She was almost instantly prepared to dissipate the Spell she was maintaining.

But someone was a step ahead of her.

[’Dragon Form, activate.’]

In mid-air, Lance’s Dark Gold Vertical Pupils snapped open, and a low roar like muffled thunder rumbled from deep within his chest.

When Hill cast this One Ring Spell, she had regarded Lance as nothing more than a low-level Adventurer who had yet to claim a Profession. Consequently, she hadn’t infused it with much Ethereal Magic Power.

A Restraint Force Field of this intensity might be unbreakable for Non-Professionals.

But for Lance, who had activated his Dragon Form, it was utterly insignificant.

CRACK!

With a crisp sound like shattering glass,

the purple Force Field enveloping Lance was instantly riddled with countless cracks from the terrifying brute force he unleashed. It then exploded, shattering into a shower of brilliant motes.

The instant he was free, Lance’s figure became a blur in mid-air.

He landed steadily beside Cecilia and swept the teetering girl—on the verge of collapse from Spirit exhaustion—into his arms, holding her tight.

Without a moment’s hesitation,

Lance used Joy Spring to rapidly replenish her Magic Power and Spirit Resistance.

Bolstered by his Dragon Form, the Effect of this Trait seemed to be amplified to an even greater extent.

A startling crimson flush instantly spread across Cecilia’s pale face.

She couldn’t even utter a word. Her beautiful eyes grew moist and shimmery, as if little hearts were dancing in her pupils. Her entire body went limp in Lance’s arms, and she fell into a state of dizzying, intense pleasure.

Hill, standing just a few steps away, watched this unfold, her face a mask of pure shock.

She could clearly perceive that Cecilia’s depleted Magic Power and chaotic Spirit Resistance were recovering at an incredible speed through this bizarre physical contact.

"You rest here for a moment."

In his Dragon Form, Lance’s voice was deeper and gruffer than usual.

He didn’t spare Hill a single glance, instead gently laying the dazed Cecilia on a clean stone slab nearby.

After settling the young woman,

Lance slowly rose to his feet, turned his head, and fixed his gaze on the Elf Female Mage across from him.

As those cold, Dark Gold Vertical Pupils locked onto her, Hill’s brow furrowed involuntarily.

’A Dragon Descendant?’

’This commoner Adventurer actually possesses the bloodline of the Dragon Race?’

’No wonder Cecilia is so completely infatuated with him. The bloodline of the Dragon Race truly has a natural advantage in attracting the opposite sex.’

"Whether or not she’s worthy of me..."

"...is not for you to decide."

Lance’s steps were heavy as he advanced on Hill.

Each word seemed forced from his throat.

However,

the instant those defiant words reached Hill’s ears,

the Pure-blood Elf, who had always prided herself on her lofty nature, discovered in alarm that her long, pointed ears twitched uncontrollably.

Immediately after, an indescribable tingling sensation shot from her eardrums through her entire body.

An unnatural blush instantly crept up her cheeks.

She couldn’t believe her own senses. Had she actually found that hostile, baritone voice... pleasant?

The moment she heard it, a strange weakness even spread through her legs.

To hide this damnable physiological reaction, Hill forced a stern expression and snapped coldly,

"Don’t think you can act so insolently before me just because you broke my Grip of Restraint with a little brute force!"

"You’re... pissing me off."

Lance had no intention of listening to her nonsense and cut her off mid-warning.

Before the words were even out of his mouth,

the Dragon Hunting Breathing Combat Technique within him was already running at its absolute limit, his Ethereal Energy Pool roaring madly within his Sun Wheel.

But this time, Lance didn’t opt for his usual close-quarters combat.

He gathered the massive amount of superheated steam generated within his body at the back of his throat. Then, he opened his mouth and violently spewed it out toward Hill.

WHOOSH!

A thick, scalding torrent of white steam, like a great white serpent, shot across the distance between them in an instant.

Seeing this upstart who didn’t know his place actually dare to attack her, Hill immediately decided to teach him a painful lesson.

"Do you think shrouding the battlefield in this mist will..."

She was cut off mid-sentence as the thick steam washed over her face.

Instinctively, she couldn’t help but inhale a large mouthful of the scalding white mist.

The next second,

Hill’s emerald-green eyes shot wide open.

She felt a jolt, as if electricity had shot through her entire body, and she couldn’t stop a violent shudder.

The Two Rings Spell, Spirit Realm Cable, which had been forming at her fingertips to punish Lance, instantly lost its magical integrity as she shuddered violently.

A few Blue arcs of electricity twisted erratically in the air before vanishing completely.

In the opening created by Hill’s failed Spell,

Lance used the steam as cover, charging like a frenzied beast. With a powerful shove, he tackled the high-and-mighty Elf Female Mage, sending her tumbling into the rubble.

The instant they made contact,

Lance felt it: an unbreakable Permanent Spell Force Field shimmering just beneath her clothes.

A physical attack of his level was useless against it, like crashing into an invisible iron wall. It had no effect whatsoever.

’Physical attacks are useless?’

’What about a buff effect, then!’

His reason stripped away by Dragon Form, Lance’s combat instincts became unusually erratic.

He pinned Hill’s shoulders down, took a deep breath, and blasted a cloud of hot steam—laced with a high concentration of the Joy Spring Effect—directly onto her exquisite face.

The white steam cascaded over Hill’s face like a waterfall before dispersing across the ground.

Under the direct assault of this highly concentrated, special steam,

Lance, who held her pinned, clearly felt the mature, alluring body beneath him arch violently.

Hill’s feet, clad in Mage’s Leather Boots, kicked out wildly, her toes clenching and unclenching uncontrollably inside.

’It’s over.’

This was the only thought left in Hill’s mind.

Her innocent Elven heart, single for countless years, was utterly defenseless against a Trait mutated specifically to target the constitution of Sub-human Species.

An immense wave of shame, mixed with a bizarre pleasure she had never before experienced, instantly overwhelmed her reason.

"Get off!"

Her words came out as a shriek, laced with shame and fury.

A Spell matrix, emanating terrifying heat, began to form around her.

Lance’s combat instincts screamed at him, sensing mortal danger.

He released her without a second thought, throwing himself backward in a desperate roll.

BOOM!

It was an advanced version of the Fireball Skill.

The Three Rings Spell: Bursting Fireball.

Hill, driven witless by the steam, hadn’t aimed at all in her panic.

This massive, dark-red fireball was released blindly, intended only to force Lance off of her.

The fireball detonated in mid-air.

The terrifying shockwave of the explosion instantly engulfed the entire courtyard.

The two-story house behind Lance, which he had only recently rented, was as fragile as paper before this cataclysmic power. It was instantly blown to smithereens, filling the air with splintered wood.

The soaring flames lit up half of Gray Rock Town’s night sky, and the searing heat caused the very air to shimmer and distort.