Chapter 158: The Web of Fate Shatters

Chapter 158: Chapter 158: The Web of Fate Shatters

Lance already had a plan to address the deficiency in his Constitution Attribute.

After meeting with Cecilia, he would head to Baihua Town and pay a visit to Toby, the Shield Guard he’d met before.

He hoped he could help out at the man’s butcher shop by killing some Iron-skinned Wild Boars.

If he could use the system’s Illustrated Guide to unlock the Iron-skinned Wild Boar’s Racial Talent, he was certain he could meet the Constitution requirement.

Oh, and he had also learned from a casual chat with Cecilia that advancing to the Professional Level allowed for Skill Solidification.

His Breathing Technique was already active twenty-four-seven, even running in a low-power mode while he slept.

So, he planned to choose a different Skill as his solidification option.

Tomorrow morning, he would make a trip to the Adventurer’s Guild, wait for the old guild master to give him his reward, and then use his Merit to exchange for a new Skill he’d had his eye on.

As for the final requirements, the Skill Level needed for Swordsmanship and Bow and Arrow was nowhere near as demanding as for the Azure Dragon Extreme Intent Style. He could get them up to par in just a few days.

Lance quickly ran through the entire process in his head. He figured it would take a week at most to complete the Profession ceremony and officially join the ranks of Transcendents.

After sorting out all his plans for getting stronger,

Lance found his mind occupied by a different, more mundane, and vexing problem.

Lance walked to the window and pushed it open.

He folded his arms and leaned on the windowsill, quietly enjoying the cool summer night’s breeze.

The full moon in the night sky was already beginning to set behind the western mountains. It must have been three or four in the morning, and the eastern sky would soon greet the dawn.

But Lance didn’t feel the slightest bit sleepy.

His mind was completely filled with the outrageous thing he had done to Cecilia while in his Dragon Form.

Regardless, he had to give her a proper explanation when they met tomorrow.

In truth, even setting aside tonight’s incident,

Lance had been keenly aware for some time that the way Cecilia looked at him had changed. The feelings in her eyes were different now.

Her concern was especially plain to see whenever he was in danger.

In his past life, he’d been an adult who’d had a few normal relationships, after all. He’d also played his fair share of classic dating sims and, in private, certain other "little games."

He wasn’t so dense that he’d be like one of those block-headed protagonists from old stories, completely oblivious to a girl’s obvious affection.

Besides, he was a pragmatist with a resolute mind.

He wouldn’t sink into pointless self-doubt, agonizing over whether her feelings were genuine just because he suspected the system’s Joy Spring Trait might be influencing her.

In his eyes, since these system Traits were now a part of him, they were an indispensable component of his individual self.

He wasn’t so melodramatic as to try and separate himself, to forcibly distinguish between the charm granted by the system and his own inherent charm.

He felt that such internal conflict was putting the cart before the horse.

Deep down, he believed that if he and Cecilia were to naturally get together in the future,

these strange Traits from the system would actually become a special kind of fuel to enhance their intimacy, making their love life richer and more interesting.

He had only complained about the system before because its Traits always activated so suddenly and were so far beyond his imagination, not because he was opposed to having them.

Since such an intimate, heart-pounding incident had already occurred,

he could use their meeting tomorrow as a chance to frankly test her true feelings.

’As for the powerful noble family behind Cecilia?’

Lance gazed into the night, a confident smile spreading across his face.

He had never considered her illustrious background to be some insurmountable obstacle.

’I’m a player with a system panel, a cheater for crying out loud.’

’If I can still be defeated and torn away from her by some worldly family’s power, even with all these overpowered cheats...’

’...then this whole transmigration would have been a complete waste.’

’The other Transmigrators would probably line up to spit on me for being so pathetic.’

...

「At the same time, in Azure Harbor of the East Coast Province.」

The night was deep. In Molok’s study, only a few High Tier Magic Crystal Lamps cast a soft glow.

Molok sat quietly behind an oak desk.

He held an expensive quill, scratching away in an open parchment notebook.

He was weaving a script for a seemingly plausible "accidental death" for a powerful Viscount far away in the Royal Capital.

With every word he wrote, another thread in the web of fate was plucked.

This feeling of toying with mortals as if they were puppets in the palm of his hand always brought a sliver of pleasure to the crazed soul hidden beneath his elegant facade.

Just as he prepared to write down the Viscount’s final day,

Molok’s wrist froze in mid-air without warning.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to write; he suddenly found that he *couldn’t*.

A profound weight traveled from the light quill to his fingertips, then pressed down heavily on his wrist, preventing him from making another stroke.

This weight was not physical.

It was what was known in the mystical arts as the "Mass of Fate."

The gentle smile perpetually on Molok’s face stiffened ever so slightly.

CRACKLE...

He watched as a deathly-pale frost began to creep from the nib of the quill in his hand.

The sudden chill, which seemed to come from nowhere, instantly froze the ink on the parchment.

Then, an eerie sound, like rippling water, echoed through the quiet study.

SPLASH... SPLASH...

The sound was ethereal, as if a frozen lake, slumbering amidst wind and snow, was slowly beginning to ripple in the center of his study.

Molok’s pupils quivered slightly.

He knew his own abilities perfectly well.

Not only did manipulating fate require [Destiny Element] for ink,

his web of fate also had a limited capacity.

He always planned each target with such care precisely to calculate the weight of their fated paths, ensuring every thread of destiny remained within the capacity of his vast web.

But now...

He could feel it clearly. On the web of fate he had so painstakingly woven, in a space meant for a single, insignificant fly, a towering glacier wreathed in frigid fire had just crashed down out of nowhere!

Ever since being grievously wounded by his old rival, he’d had to expend power to advance numerous prophecies.

His web of fate was no longer as resilient as it once was.

This sudden increase in weight was far beyond what he could bear.

It meant the web was about to shatter.

’How much of my trapped prey will break free?’