Chapter 389 - 373: Departure

Chapter 389: Chapter 373: Departure

[Ashes of Original Sin]

[When you attack with Flame, what rises from your palm will no longer be ordinary Elemental Fire, but the Flame of Judgment, capable of reflecting the essence of sin. This Flame will actively sense the deepest transgressions within the target’s soul and transform into a corresponding form.]

[If the target is steeped in pride, the Flame will solidify into a pale crown, breaking their arrogant spine with immense weight. If their heart is consumed by greed, the Flame’s color will shift into a deep blue vortex, leeching away warmth and life in its cold grasp, forcing them to experience the Fear of deprivation even as they burn. If they are dominated by wrath, the Flame will instead become a hard, silent Obsidian, devouring all frenzy and reducing their rage to a dead stillness within. The same applies to all other sins.]

[However, this power of judgment is not absolute. Its might is determined by the contest between the intensity of the Flame you unleash and the target’s Spiritual Resistance.]

[A faint flicker can only evoke a whisper of sin, while a roaring inferno can forge a complete form of judgment, pouring a torrent of guilt deep into the target’s consciousness.]

[Only when your Flame Power completely overwhelms the target’s mental defenses can you force them to confront the truth they have always fled. They will then experience a judgment in the depths of their soul far crueler than any physical immolation, suffering a Destruction that touches their very essence.]

’Ashes... of Original Sin?’

Roland stared at the text floating before him, his chest rising and falling slightly.

Even with his two lifetimes of experience and mental fortitude, he found it difficult to completely suppress the turmoil within him.

This [Ashes of Original Sin]...

It was far from an ordinary elemental enhancement or power boost.

It touched upon the Rules, striking at the very essence of things.

Ordinary flame, no matter how hot or widespread, ultimately only incinerated matter and brought an external end to life.

But this Flame of Judgment burned sin itself. It was a blade that struck directly at the soul.

It transformed the intangible shackles of morality into tangible punishment, igniting the darkest corners of the heart to become the very fuel for one’s own immolation.

The arrogant are crushed by their own weight, the greedy lose everything in their avarice, and the wrathful are consumed by their own frenzy...

This kind of punishment, delivered with an almost cruel precision and irony, was far more despair-inducing than simple destruction.

More importantly, its method of taking effect was highly unusual.

It bypassed conventional physical defenses, linking directly to the target’s Spirit and their sins.

This meant that an enemy with a weak mind but thick Armor could be utterly defenseless before this flame.

This offered him a completely new strategic dimension for future battles.

Especially when facing enemies who appeared powerful but were inwardly full of flaws, it was like holding a key that went straight to their vitals.

’A contest of Spirit...’ 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

Roland muttered the key phrase to himself.

It meant that as he increased the intensity of his flames, the power of this Trait had almost no upper limit.

This was no longer simple killing. It was enacting...

A kind of divine punishment.

’But...’

Roland took a deep breath, quickly calming his turbulent emotions. He furrowed his brow and sank into thought.

Currently, the only flame-based attack he possessed was [Flaming Arrow].

And although its power far exceeded that of the same magic cast by an ordinary Caster thanks to the enhancement from [Heart of the Furnace], [Flaming Arrow] was ultimately just a Trick.

It might be more than enough against ordinary people, but against a true Transcendent—even one of mediocre talent—it would be extremely difficult to inflict any effective damage.

This lack of power undoubtedly limited the true potential of a powerful Trait like [Ashes of Original Sin].

At this thought, he extended his palm. With a faint stir of his will, a cluster of flame leaped from his fingertips.

This flicker of fire was merely a gathering of pure Fire Element, lacking the constraints and guidance of Spell Runes. Its power was no different from a common candle flame—gentle and weak.

Gazing at the flickering light, Roland calmly analyzed his current situation.

His physical Power, continually nourished by the [Giant Dragon Bloodline], had long since surpassed the limits of an ordinary person.

His life-and-death struggle against Devil Malcolm was the best proof of this.

As for his Combat Skills, thanks to the Trait [A Knight Does Not Die Unarmed], his mastery of various weapons had already reached the peak of perfection.

Looking ahead, the path to increasing his strength seemed to be clearing up.

Besides finding ways to unlock more Professions to acquire new Traits and Professional Resonance, perhaps he should focus on deeply expanding and extending his existing Combat Skills and Magic systems.

[Dragon’s Breath] was certainly unparalleled in power, but with his current physical condition, the backlash from forcing it was still too severe. It could only be used as an ace in the hole, not frequently.

In contrast, the Combat Skill [Charge] consumed very little stamina but had excellent effects in battle, making it highly practical.

’If I could systematically learn more Magic...’

The thought couldn’t help but sprout in Roland’s mind.

If he could shore up his shortcomings in magic and build a comprehensive skill set that balanced both physical attacks and magical strikes, he would have more strategies and room to maneuver against any type of enemy, truly achieving a state where he could both attack and defend, securing an invincible position.

With this in mind, Roland twitched his finger, and the flickering flame silently went out.

He fell back onto the soft bed, but his thoughts continued to churn.

He recalled all his experiences since arriving on this continent.

Although he had a chance encounter with a Wizard from the High Tower and had faced powerful Casters like the Witch Demon from Magic City Jiles and Devil Malcolm, he had barely seen any orthodox Extraordinary Professionals who could reliably cast Magic.

Even in a great power like the Golden Valley Kingdom, which dominated its region, there were no Casters at all among the ranks of its vaunted Transcendents.

This was no coincidence.

It clearly revealed a fact.

This hastily created "Land of Rebirth" suffered from an undeniable lack of heritage in Magic Knowledge and theory.

For this reason, he had yet to find a reliable way to systematically learn Magic.

’Perhaps Aiselon will be completely different...’

That land, which had existed since ancient times, held countless lost ruins and broken lineages.

A more complete system of power should be preserved there. Perhaps it held the opportunity he was looking for.

Not just for Magic, but also for the deeper secrets of this world.

With this faint glimmer of anticipation, Roland closed his eyes and let exhaustion drag his consciousness into a quiet sleep.

「The next morning, at the crack of dawn, Roland’s party had already packed their belongings and set out on the road north.」

With Roland present, Tress was clearly much more restrained, which allowed the Hobbits to finally get a good night’s sleep. They looked much more spirited.

Except...

Roland glanced down at the noticeably heavy pouch at his waist.

Squirrel Qiao had been fast asleep ever since his big meal last night. If not for the faint snores occasionally mixed in with his steady breathing, Roland would have worried that his "little" partner had met with an accident from overeating.

Shaking his head helplessly, Roland gently covered the little furball with a thin blanket, carefully closed the pouch, and then set off.

The journey was uneventful.

They soon arrived at the Anvil Gate, a border fortress controlled by the Dwarves.

This magnificent pass, built into the mountains, was constructed entirely from Giant Stone. A massive anvil was carved into the gatehouse, exuding the rugged and solid feel characteristic of the Dwarf race.

Since the Rock Kingdom maintained friendly relations with its neighbors, after a brief explanation of their purpose and a routine inspection, the Guards waved them through.

However, the moment he passed through the heavy archway, Roland keenly sensed that the atmosphere inside the fortress was far more somber than the Hobbits had described.

A strange sluggishness permeated the air.

The wide, stone-paved streets were sparsely populated, and many of the Dwarves walked with slow, heavy steps.

Their skin had an unnatural, grayish-white pallor, and their eyes stared blankly at the ground or the walls, slow to react to their surroundings.

More unsettlingly, they all seemed to deliberately avoid the braziers burning with warm flames in the middle of the street and the forges that still radiated heat.

It was as if the heat that once symbolized life and glory now repulsed and discomforted them.

The entire fortress was unusually quiet, lacking the customary hustle and vitality of a Dwarf town.

These Dwarves, afflicted with "Stone Speech Syndrome," seemed to be gradually shedding the characteristic passion and resilience of the children of the mountains, instead taking on a rock-like coldness and solitude.