Chapter 201: A Giant Dragon Hidden in the Heart

Chapter 201: Chapter 201: A Giant Dragon Hidden in the Heart

Lance looked at the small pile of black ash in his hand and casually brushed it away.

He picked up the pot in front of him, tilted his head back, and gulped down the rest of the meat broth.

After eating and drinking his fill, he found a cloth and wiped the table clean.

A new Chapter in his life as an Adventurer had finally begun.

Now that he had stepped through the gates of a Profession, all he needed to do was continuously acquire Professional Experience to smoothly raise his Level.

The method of gaining experience was closely tied to his chosen Profession.

For a [Pale Guard], the core source of experience was killing Demons.

Basically, all combat Professions of the Lawful Faction used this as their main way of leveling up.

However, the bonuses applied when experience was calculated varied greatly between Professions.

For example, the more dire the circumstances a [Pale Guard] faced in battle, or the more they were outnumbered, the higher the experience bonus they would receive upon settlement.

In addition, a [Pale Guard] could also gain experience through special Guardian judgments.

For instance, if he successfully protected civilians or a town, the panel would grant him a large amount of experience based on the damage he sustained and how intact the target remained.

Of course, the daily practice of skills, essential for every Profession, was also a way to accumulate experience over time.

But the ways to gain experience didn’t stop there.

Just as Minstrels certainly had completely different methods of gaining experience than a [Pale Guard], they were all keen on teaming up to venture into Underground Cities.

The reason was very simple: by completing an exploration in an Underground City, one could obtain precious universal experience.

This type of experience could be applied to any Profession.

Professionals from different fields thus banded together, forming adventuring parties with complementary skills, and marched endlessly toward those Underground Cities.

Lance planned to test the waters in a nearby Underground City soon.

He especially wanted to get a good feel for it and accumulate some experience before the Summer Crown arrived.

He also needed to adapt to his enhanced body and fully familiarize himself with the Specialty he had just solidified.

After tidying up the kitchen, Lance could hear the noisy clamor from the street outside.

He guessed that Uncle Rein had been gone so long because he had probably run off to the Veterans’ Guild to ask for news. After all, all sorts of information circulated comprehensively there.

Lance turned and went back to his room on the second floor.

There were only two last things left to check.

He raised his hand and touched his left chest through his shirt.

In that gamble in the Star Realm, the only reason he, a mere mortal, was able to win two rounds against a god was by relying on the trump card Power provided by those two Source Materials.

Since something like Source Material could be used as a weapon to stab a god, and even gods themselves could only possess twin Source Materials after their own ascension...

All these details fully illustrated how precious this Power was.

’Its purpose probably isn’t just to gain bonus-granting entries. There must be other changes that occur while climbing the Ascension Ladder, but I just don’t know what they are yet.’

He closed his eyes and opened the system panel with his Telekinesis again.

But when his gaze focused on the panel, his first reaction was a soft sound of confusion.

[Fundamental Source Material: Foreigner]

[Note: Only when you are no longer a bystander will this trump card from an Otherworld reveal its reality-defying true nature to you.]

[Current Status: Locked / Conditions Not Met]

’It’s locked?’

’It didn’t unlock automatically?’

Lance frowned and continued reading the panel’s prompts.

[Unlock Condition 1: Though your body is in this world, your soul remains a rootless wanderer. You must leave a truly indelible "mark" upon this world.]

[Method of Achievement: Influence the future course of this world, or inscribe an exclusive Profession that is entirely your own.]

[Unlock Condition 2: Only a god can fully contain the conflict of twin Source Materials. A mortal body at the Ordinary Tier cannot display its full effect. This Source Material will gradually unlock as your own Tier increases. Please complete Condition 1 first.]

[Effect: ???]

After reading this long string of descriptive text,

Lance let out a slow breath.

He really hadn’t expected that the Fundamental Source Material brought by his soul would require such complex conditions to be fully unlocked.

Looking at the suggestive note on the panel, Lance’s thoughts began to drift.

’Influence the historical course of this world, and completely integrate into the magnificent torrent of its future destiny.’

’This is the sole prerequisite for "Foreigner" to unleash its power.’

’It’s demanding, yet surprisingly reasonable.’

It was as if it were telling him explicitly.

As a Transmigrator who had crossed worlds, he would not be allowed to simply fade into the crowd in this magnificent era.

If he only wanted to be an Ordinary bystander watching the show from a safe corner, then he was unworthy of possessing this reality-defying Power.

Lance leaned back in his chair and began to examine his own heart.

’If the [Foreigner] Source Material truly represents the sum of all the traits in the deepest part of my soul...’

’...then don’t these seemingly harsh unlock conditions also speak to some deep-seated desire within me?’

’So beneath my seemingly content and law-abiding exterior, I’ve been hiding a Giant Dragon, unwilling to be mediocre, this whole time.’

’Is it that I want to achieve the grand feat of guiding the world’s course?’

’Or do I just feel that, as a Transmigrator, I was born to be different from everyone else?’

At that moment, Lance was finally starting to face his true self.

He wasn’t frightened by this ambition; on the contrary, he felt his blood pumping with excitement.

He had only just stepped onto the stage of the Professional Level today.

It was indeed still too early to be thinking about grand matters like influencing the course of the world.

But the road ahead was long, and nothing was set in stone yet.

One day, he would make this Source Material of the Foreigner erupt with a light that would make even the gods tremble.

Since [Foreigner], which represented the fundamental color of his past soul, was temporarily locked by the rules...

...then for a considerable time to come, his Underground City explorations and combat strategies would have to be built around his existing [Crimson Dragon] Source Material.

He focused his mind and, with his Telekinesis, selected the entry that glowed with a dark red light.

[Source Material: Crimson Dragon (Dragon Phase, Melting Gold Armor Shattering)]

[Dragon Phase]: Your base personal Charisma is permanently +2. Your daily negotiation and persuasion checks will receive a 30% absolute charisma bonus, making others unconsciously trust you. (Note: Ah~ here comes the king.)

When you actively show hostility, you will automatically unleash "Dragon’s Might," performing an intimidation check against your enemies. Those who fail their Spirit saving throw are forced into the [Trembling] state (All Basic Attributes -15%, movement speed -20%, and a 10% chance to have any Spell or attack forcibly interrupted by soul-deep Fear). This can be stacked with the "Dragon Talent" Effect.

[Melting Gold Armor Shattering]: All of your attacks gain the "Demon-Breaking" Effect, forcibly ignoring 30% of a Magic Shield’s defense.

When you hit an enemy with a melee or ranged attack, striking their weapon, equipment, or outer shell will trigger "Molten Armor," permanently melting away 1% of the target’s base defense value.