Chapter 199: The Terrifying Growth Bonus of a Profession

Chapter 199: Chapter 199: The Terrifying Growth Bonus of a Profession

Since there was no point in hiding it, he might as well be honest.

"I beat Chaos."

Lance collected his thoughts, looked up at Rein, and gave him a relaxed, smiling expression.

"And I picked up a heroic feat along the way."

The words had barely left his lips.

A dull, splintering sound suddenly exploded through the air.

SNAP.

Lance was stunned.

He clearly saw that the cane Rein had carried for many years had just been snapped in two by the old soldier’s bare hand!

Sharp splinters pierced the old soldier’s palm, and a few drops of blood trickled down the wood grain onto the floor.

Rein himself was like a stone statue, frozen in place, his pupils unconsciously dilating.

’You’ve got to be kidding me?!’

Lance was taken aback by the old soldier’s intense reaction.

He knew a mortal defeating a god was beyond reason, but he hadn’t expected it to have *this* kind of shocking Effect.

"Uncle Rein, are you okay?"

He quickly stood up, ready to help him.

A hint of confusion flashed in Rein’s eyes. His body swayed violently as if he had just woken from a long dream.

"I’m fine... I’m fine..."

He waved his hands repeatedly, his voice low, stopping Lance from coming any closer.

Without even glancing at the broken cane on the floor, the old soldier dragged his injured leg and stumbled toward a cabinet in the corner of the room.

He pulled open a drawer and took out a bottle of green Alchemy Potion.

The old soldier popped the cork with his thumb, tilted his head back, and poured the bitter Potion down his throat in one go.

The bloodline modification surgery he had undergone in his early years at the Command Bureau had left his body with hidden problems.

Now, in his old age, whenever he experienced a massive emotional shock, his heart would seize with a piercing pain, as if it could give out at any moment.

Only after the Potion flowed down his esophagus and into his stomach did his frantic heartbeat begin to calm.

It was only then that Lance noticed the old soldier’s arm, resting on the table and clutching the empty glass bottle, was trembling uncontrollably.

The glass bottle tapped against the solid wood tabletop, making a faint, rapid sound.

"Pfft..."

In the quiet attic, Rein bit down hard, as if trying to forcibly swallow his emotions.

But he failed.

"Haha... hahaha..."

Laughter squeezed out of the old soldier’s throat.

The laughter grew louder and louder, transforming into irrepressible ecstasy.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Rein threw his head back and laughed with wild abandon.

His booming laughter shook the attic, causing dust to rain down from the ceiling.

He laughed so hard that the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes scrunched together, and tears streamed down his cheeks.

Rare Source Material of the True Dragon Species! The heroic feat of defeating a god!

These two miracles, things that should have been impossible for a single mortal to possess, were now both embodied by the young man before him.

A wild thought spun endlessly in his mind.

’Perhaps, in this dilapidated attic, I might one day witness the birth of a "Clovis Pendragon".’

He was the founding Monarch of the Iris Kingdom.

A true Legendary figure who had ended an age of chaos.

And now, the seed of a new legend had taken root and sprouted in this small room.

...

「In the dining room on the first floor of the Rein Family home.」

A large iron pot sat on the wooden dining table, its steaming meat broth bubbling away.

Lance sat at the side, wolfing down his food without a care for his image.

Completing the Profession ceremony had depleted all the Energy reserves in his body, leaving him in an exceptionally weak and famished state.

Seeing the kid was starving, Rein had gone downstairs and spent a good while in the kitchen, personally cooking this pot of nutritious food for him.

Lance gripped a tough piece of jerky in his left hand, tearing at it with his teeth, while his right hand continuously spooned savory broth into his mouth. He ate incredibly fast.

The old soldier sat quietly across from him, his gaze gentle as he watched Lance, who now looked just like any neighborhood kid.

The terrifying, oppressive aura that had radiated from the young man when he opened his eyes in the attic upstairs was now completely gone.

While attacking the food before him, Lance shifted part of his attention to his system panel, carefully studying the gains from acquiring his Profession.

With the official completion of the Profession ceremony, the Attribute Lock that constrained ordinary people was completely lifted.

His Basic Attributes finally had massive room to grow.

However, after stepping into the Professional Level, humans could no longer increase their Basic Attributes through simple physical training. Future growth depended entirely on increasing one’s Level.

His current status was Level 1 Heroic Profession: [Pale Guard].

The Profession panel clearly listed the Attribute growth values from Level 1 to Level 5.

With every level up, he would gain 4.0 Constitution, 2.0 Power, 2.0 Spirit, 1.5 Perception, 0 agility, plus 2 free attribute points to allocate.

The total gain from a single level was a whopping 11.5 points.

For context, conventional combat Professions only had a total growth value of about 8.5 points per level.

The [Pale Guard] Profession received a bonus of a full 3 growth points per level compared to an Ordinary Profession.

This difference might not seem obvious in the early stages, but as the Levels accumulated, the chasm in Basic Attributes would become terrifying.

He also figured out why he felt an unprecedented hunger, as if he could devour an entire ox.

The Profession ceremony he had just completed triggered an explosive, all-around increase in his body’s stats.

Lance called up his Attribute panel.

Power: 23.75 (12.5 + 90%)

agility: 18 (10 + 80%)

Constitution: 16

Spirit: 12

Perception: 21.25 (12.5 + 70%)

free attribute points: 2

The numbers in parentheses indicated the boost from constantly maintaining the Dragon Hunting Breathing Combat Technique after activating the Furnace Reverse Lock he had learned from that book.

As his Basic Attributes soared, the stats boosted by this Breathing Technique became even more terrifying.

No wonder this Combat Technique dared to bear the name "Dragon Hunting."

’If I keep developing along this exaggerated percentage-based growth curve...’

’Once I break into higher Professional Tiers and my Basic Attributes stack up to a certain point, I might actually be able to face a real Giant Dragon head-on with nothing but my physical body.’

What satisfied Lance even more was that the combination of the Dragon Hunting Breathing Combat Technique and the Pale Guard Profession didn’t push his Attributes to an extreme. Instead, they complemented each other, covering weaknesses and promoting balanced development.

This was the most suitable development path for Lance at the moment.

After all, he was currently a solo operator. Extreme builds that sacrificed defense for maximum damage output were more suited for team compositions with a frontline tank.

A "bucket-style" balanced build like his, with no fatal weaknesses, would allow him to survive longer in the complex and dangerous Underground City.

But even with this balanced and safe development path, Lance’s current Attributes far surpassed other Professionals of the same Tier.

He was clearly on the fast track to becoming a monster of terrifying stats.