Chapter 215: Turned On, Not Off

Chapter 215: Chapter 215: Turned On, Not Off

The nobles aligned with the Royal Family couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed the one responding to Elvira was the King’s Choice Sword—the Holy Sword that represented the King’s Way, far better at showcasing the Royal Family’s might than the Sword Scabbard or any other Treasure.

However, the situation wasn’t quite what they had expected.

Soon...

’Why is there a faint, frantic and furious emotion hidden within that kingly aura, which should have been solemn and dignified?’

’Could it be that the legendary King’s Choice Sword is growing anxious from waiting too long?’

The old headmaster was also completely baffled. He had presided over dozens of Baptism Ceremonies, yet he had never seen a Treasure display such a human-like, anxious emotion.

However, the Elder Sword Saint, whose Class was of a higher Level, sharply perceived something hidden beneath the surface.

His pupils contracted.

’Someone is in the Star Realm, fighting Her Highness for ownership of the King’s Choice Sword!’

The Elder Sword Saint’s heart pounded fiercely.

Since he could sense this struggle, then those old foxes in the VIP seats who had also reached the High Tiers could surely perceive it as well.

’Who could it be?’

By all logic, the only ones who could resonate with the King’s Choice Sword were those with a blood connection to Clovis Pendragon.

Besides legitimate members of the Pandragon Royal Family, no one else was even qualified to approach that star.

And in the entire Royal Capital today, only Her Highness Elvira had initiated a Baptism Ceremony.

’How could a member of the Royal Family, who just so happened to be undergoing a Baptism Ceremony and was qualified to compete, appear out of thin air in the Star Realm?’

’Could it be that branch of the family that split off due to political struggles centuries ago?’

The Elder Sword Saint immediately dismissed the thought. That branch had always been under the military’s strict surveillance; they had no access to the resources for such a Baptism Ceremony.

In all these years, the strongest to emerge from that branch line was merely a Legendary Adventurer, whose greatest accomplishment was falling in love with a Witch. After that, they never made any waves again.

His hawk-like gaze swept across the VIP seats.

Yet the powerful patriarchs he suspected looked even more bewildered than he did.

’So it wasn’t these influential ministers scheming in the dark?’

The Elder Sword Saint was very confident in his Intuition. Such a spontaneous reaction couldn’t be faked.

Then what could have possibly caused this turn of events?

The Elder Sword Saint’s gaze turned once again to the faintly visible projection of the Star Realm.

Through the blurry turbulence of the Star Realm, he saw the star representing the King’s Choice Sword, hanging high in the sky, flashing erratically.

Below the star, Her Highness Elvira was reaching out, attempting to call forth the Treasure with her very soul.

Seeing this, an even more terrifying theory flashed through the Elder Sword Saint’s mind like lightning.

’Actually, there’s another possibility!’

For all these years, the King’s Choice Sword had only ever chosen its master from among the descendants of the Pandragon Royal Family. Everyone had taken it for granted that this was a privilege of bloodline.

But they might have all overlooked a fundamental point.

The reason the Holy Sword chose Clovis in the first place had nothing to do with bloodline. It was simply because the man possessed the immense magnanimity required to bear a king’s destiny!

If the person in the Star Realm currently vying with Her Highness Elvira for the Treasure wasn’t some long-lost royal scion at all...

...then only one explanation remained.

The other party was a king whose soul and magnanimity were on par with the Clovis Pendragon of old!

"This is big trouble."

Cold sweat beaded on the Elder Sword Saint’s palm.

The conflict within the Star Realm grew increasingly intense.

Soon, the star representing the King’s Choice Sword erupted with a shockwave of power visible to the naked eye.

The crowd watched in shock as the nearby Heroic Spirit Stars were brutally repelled by this force, swatted away like flies.

Then, a powerful suction erupted from the star.

Her Highness Elvira wasn’t flung away; instead, she was pulled directly inside the raging star.

This was the sign that the trial had begun.

This result proved that Her Highness had not been disqualified from the contest.

But the worry in the Elder Sword Saint’s heart didn’t lessen in the slightest.

Although Her Highness Elvira was the most gifted student he had ever taught, possessing monstrous physical Talent...

...but...

A true king possessed more than just Talent.

Take Clovis Pendragon, for example.

He lived in a dazzling era, and every enemy he faced was among the most formidable experts in centuries of history.

The reason Clovis was able to subdue the masses and establish the Empire wasn’t his superhuman Talent, but his terrifying ability to repeatedly create miracles in desperate situations.

Anyone capable of inciting a contest for the King’s Choice Sword had to be a freak of nature who couldn’t be judged by common sense.

The Elder Sword Saint sighed heavily. ’All I can do is pray that Her Highness makes it through this safely.’

Truthfully, what the Elder Sword Saint didn’t know was that in another world, this kind of person is often called—one who’s ’turned it on, but not off’.

As for what ’it’ is that was turned on... never you mind.

...

When Lance opened his eyes again...

He found himself standing at the bottom of a canyon.

The air was filled with the scent of grass and trees, and the faint yet clear sound of running water reached his ears.

In the very center of the canyon lay a small, tranquil lake, as clear as Jade.

Its surface was as smooth as a mirror, without a single ripple.

In the very center of the lake stood a huge, round boulder covered in dark green moss.

A Cross Longsword of exquisite design was thrust at an angle into the center of the boulder.

A single beam of golden sunlight, its source unknown, pierced through the canyon’s thin mist and fell precisely upon the Longsword.

Lance’s gaze was immediately captivated by the Treasure.

It was a weapon that felt magical just by looking at it.

The hilt was forged from some unknown cerulean metal, its surface carved with intricate, interlocking patterns.

The handguard was exquisitely crafted into the shape of a bird with unfurled wings. In the center of the wings, a rhombus-shaped gem glowed with a soft, golden light.

As for the half of the blade exposed above the rock, it shimmered with a pale golden light.

Just as Lance was observing the sword, a series of prompts suddenly popped up on his panel.

[Ultimate Trial Objective: Journey across the continent to King’s Canyon and successfully accumulate 1000 Positive Reputation Value in the process (Faith, Gratitude, and Praise can all be counted toward your Reputation Value).]

[Note: A true king never conquers through brute force, but unites the scattered with charisma. Only when the hopes of the people form an invisible crown can the coronation be completed in King’s Canyon.]

[Please select the rules for gaining Reputation for the upcoming trial, based on your chosen Resonating Treasure...]

After reading the dense lines of text, Lance quickly analyzed the information.

’It seems that no matter how the options change, the prerequisite for starting the next trial is still to go up and choose a Treasure.’

’As for how to clear this instance, it’s basically just a matter of grinding out those 1000 Positive Reputation Value points.’

’As long as I can win people over and earn the gratitude and praise of commoners, I should be able to clear it without any trouble.’

’On the surface, this seems to be a non-combat instance that really tests a player’s social skills.’

As Lance was thinking, he noticed something strange.

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt a reaction from his Source Material: Foreigner.

’But the priority right now is to choose a Treasure.’