Chapter 413 - 397: Primordial Core

Chapter 413: Chapter 397: Primordial Core

In an instant, an unprecedented sensation swept over Roland.

The first thing to change was his body.

Every inch of his muscle fiber seemed to have been rewoven, becoming denser and more resilient.

A faint buzzing emanated from deep within his bones, as if they had been infused with some indestructible quality.

He felt his Life Energy burn like a roaring furnace, vigorous yet stable. His heart beat slowly and powerfully, each pulse sending a new surge of Power to every corner of his body.

This was a pure, physical Power that originated from the very source of life.

It was the manifestation of the human body’s potential being fully unlocked after honing the Knight’s Breathing Technique to its absolute limit.

He slowly raised his hand, curling his fingers slightly.

Without using any Extraordinary Power, just with his physical body alone, he felt an unprecedented sense of control.

A precise, meticulous command over every ounce of his own strength.

This was not the mystery of Magic, but the result of tempering a mortal body to its pinnacle. It was the solid foundation for an Extraordinary Physique that countless Knights dreamed of.

And now, it was firmly in his grasp.

’Finally... Full Level.’

Roland slowly exhaled, the breath stirring a faint current in the silent room.

He then carefully savored the new Power ceaselessly coursing through him.

His blood felt as hot and vibrant as Magma, and his entire body was suffused with an unprecedented sense of solidity.

He roughly estimated that even without using any of his special Traits, his pure Power, speed, and reflexes, stemming from this body honed to its absolute limit, were enough to contend with the Graham from his memories head-on.

At this thought, even Roland, who was long accustomed to the existence of the Professional Panel, couldn’t help but marvel at this cheat of his.

It had been less than four years since he had been inexplicably transported to this Otherworld.

And from the time he began practicing the Knight’s Breathing Technique and officially set foot on the path of the Extraordinary, a mere three years had passed.

Three years.

In just three short years, he had gone from a frail soul struggling to survive in an Otherworld to catching up to the footsteps of a powerhouse like Graham.

And Graham, as far as he knew, was a bona fide, top-tier powerhouse on this continent—one of a handful.

’But this... is still far from enough.’

The image of Morne’s unfathomable Power, which seemed capable of twisting reality with ease, flashed through his mind. Roland took a deep breath, completely suppressing the sliver of complacency brought on by his breakthrough.

He reached into the satchel at his waist and took out a stack of papers carefully wrapped in waterproof oilcloth.

The papers were perfectly preserved. They were the gift Morne had given him when they parted, and on them were recorded the precious methods and techniques for condensing a Source Core.

Although, according to Galvis, the Elf Race’s strength was not what it used to be.

In the slightly exaggerated words of that Minstrel:

"With the strength you displayed outside Golden Ears City back then, no one in the current Elf Race can stop you."

After all, in recent years, the strongest combatant of the Elf Race, at least publicly, was Avril, who had once been a Valkyrie of the Silver Moon Guard.

And Avril...

Roland thought back carefully.

Although he had never seen the Elf Maiden go all out, judging from their past experiences fighting side-by-side, he didn’t think Avril would be a match for him.

However, he didn’t let his guard down in the slightest.

In this world, the outcome of a battle was decided by far more than just overt strength.

There were many bizarre, unpredictable powers that couldn’t be countered with common sense.

He still clearly remembered the Abyssal Curse from before, which had clung to him like a gangrenous rot.

Even though his strength had been outstanding at the time, and he possessed many strange Traits granted by the Professional Panel, he still felt helpless against the corrosion from the Abyss.

’You can never have too much strength.’

To deal with any potential accidents in the Eternal Song Forest and to ensure he could rescue his companion, he had to seize every opportunity to become stronger.

With this thought in mind, Roland focused his mind and, by the dim light in the room, began to carefully read through the notes Morne had left him.

The contents recorded within were more detailed than he could have imagined. More importantly, the explanations were exceptionally clear and straightforward.

The magnanimous King seemed to have anticipated that Roland might lack a systematic theoretical foundation and had deliberately broken down all the complex concepts using the simplest, most unadorned language.

"Don’t let those mystifying terms fool you! Condensing a Source Core is like learning to walk for the first time. The key isn’t to stare at the ground and tremble; it’s whether you dare to throw the purest stuff in and trust that it’ll find its own balance!"

"Imagine you’re a Blacksmith, kid! Your will is the hammer, your Spiritual Attribute is the red-hot Iron Embryo. Don’t hesitate, wind up and smash it! Don’t worry about the flying sparks. The important thing is to hammer that Iron Embryo into a solid core that can generate its own heat!"

"To put it bluntly, a Source Core is the ’condensation point’ of your own Power. You have to first find those unruly ’Power Fragments’ scattered throughout your body, then herd them all into the same cage and make them learn to push in the same direction!"

These crude metaphors instantly cut through all the theoretical fog.

In just a few moments, Roland had completely understood and internalized all the key points and essence recorded in the notes.

Closing the notes, he shut his eyes and immersed his entire consciousness into his body.

At first, his progress was extremely slow.

He needed to use his Full Level [Nameless Breathing Technique] as a foundation, combined with a highly concentrated Spiritual Power, and act like the "Blacksmith" from Morne’s notes. He had to search for and capture the scattered, unrestrained "Power Fragments" within the intangible "Forging Furnace" of his body.

This process required extreme patience and precise control; the slightest mistake would mean all his previous efforts would be wasted.

Sweat gradually beaded on his forehead, but his breathing remained steady and rhythmic.

Time passed quietly in the silence.

Outside the window, the clamor of the Gray Dwarves had long since subsided, and only the occasional rustle of nocturnal creatures punctuated the long night.

However, once the first "Power Fragment" was successfully guided to the center of the "Forging Furnace" and firmly anchored, the subsequent process began to accelerate.

Like the first domino falling, more and more streams of Energy were attracted and tamed, converging on that initial core like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.

Roland’s body trembled slightly, and a faint, barely perceptible glow appeared on the surface of his skin—an external manifestation of the immense Energy flowing in an orderly fashion within him.

The moment the last stray wisp of Energy was successfully drawn into the cycle and merged perfectly with the rest...

HUM!

A low thrum that only Roland could perceive, originating from the depths of his soul, vibrated outward.

In that instant, all his efforts to guide the energy ceased.

Everything fell into place.

Roland could perceive that in the Void deep within his abdomen, a tiny yet incredibly stable and solid core—as if condensing all his life’s essence and the source of his Power—had quietly taken shape.

It rotated slowly on its own, like an eternal wellspring of power, continuously emitting a pure and gentle Energy that nourished and strengthened his entire body.

At the same time, a line of dazzling golden text appeared in his dark field of vision.

[Trait Acquired: Primordial Core]