Translator: CinderTL
In an instant, an unprecedented sensation surged through Roland's entire body.
First, his physical form underwent a transformation.
Every muscle fiber seemed to be rewoven, becoming denser and more resilient.
Faint humming reverberated deep within his bones, as if they had been infused with an indestructible foundation.
He felt his vitality burning like a roaring furnace, vigorous and stable. His heart beat slowly yet powerfully, each pulse pumping a fresh wave of power to every limb and organ.
This was pure physical strength, originating from the very essence of life.
It was the ultimate manifestation of the Knight's Breathing Technique, pushed to its limits, fully awakening the body's latent potential.
He slowly raised his hand, fingers curling slightly.
Without using any extraordinary power, relying solely on his physical form, he sensed an unprecedented level of control.
He could precisely manage every fraction of his strength.
This wasn't the mystique of spells, but the embodiment of a mortal body hammered to perfection—the solid foundation that countless knights had dreamed of, the stepping stone to a transcendent physique.
It was now firmly held in his hand.
"Finally... max level."
Roland slowly exhaled a breath, the air in the silent room stirring with a faint current.
He then carefully savored the surging, ceaseless power coursing through his body.
His blood burned like molten rock, vibrant and full of vitality, and an unprecedented sense of solidity filled every limb and bone.
He estimated that even without using any special abilities, this body, tempered to its absolute limit, possessed the raw strength, speed, and reflexes to directly confront Graham as he remembered him.
Even Roland, long accustomed to the existence of the Job Panel, couldn't help but feel a trace of awe at this golden finger.
Less than four years had passed since he inexplicably transmigrated to this world.
And it had been only three years since he began cultivating the Knight's Breathing Technique, officially embarking on the transcendent path.
Three years.
In that short span, he had transformed from a frail soul struggling to survive in a foreign land into someone whose footsteps now rivaled those of powerhouses like Graham.
Graham, in Roland's estimation, was one of the continent's few truly top-tier powerhouses.
"But... this is still far from enough."
The memory of Monen's unfathomable power, capable of effortlessly twisting reality, flashed through his mind. Roland took a deep breath, completely suppressing the slight complacency that had arisen from his recent breakthrough.
He reached into the pouch at his waist and pulled out a stack of papers, meticulously wrapped in waterproof oilcloth.
These papers were perfectly preserved—a gift from Monen upon their parting, containing precious methods and techniques for condensing a "source core."
Though Galvis had claimed the elven race's strength had greatly diminished in recent years, the bard's exaggerated words still echoed in Roland's mind:
"With the strength you displayed outside Golden Grain City, no one in the elven race could stand against you now."
After all, the elven race's most powerful known combatant in recent years was Avril, the former valkyrie of the Silver Moon Guard.
And Avril...
Roland pondered carefully.
Though he had never seen Avril unleash her full power, Roland judged from their past battles together that she would be no match for him.
Yet he felt no complacency.
In this world, victory was determined by far more than mere strength.
There existed countless unpredictable forces that defied conventional understanding.
He still vividly remembered the abyssal curse, which had clung to him like a festering wound.
Even with his considerable power and the unique abilities granted by his Job Panel, he had felt utterly helpless against that abyssal erosion.
Strength is never enough.
To prepare for any eventuality in the Eversong Forest and ensure he could rescue his companions, he must seize every opportunity to grow stronger.
With this thought, Roland focused his mind and began carefully studying Monen's Notes by the dim light in the room.
The contents were astonishingly detailed, and what was even more remarkable was the clarity and directness of the explanations.
The boisterous King seemed to have anticipated Roland's lack of a systematic theoretical foundation. He deliberately broke down all complex concepts into the simplest, most unadorned language.
"Don't be intimidated by those pretentious, pseudo-intellectual terms! Condensing a source core is like learning to walk for the first time. The key isn't staring at your trembling feet, but daring to throw in the purest essence and trusting it to find its own balance!"
"Imagine you're a blacksmith, boy! Your will is the hammer, and your spirituality is the red-hot iron billet. Don't hesitate—swing that hammer with all your might! Ignore the sparks that fly; the important thing is to forge that billet into a solid, self-heating core!"
"At its core, a source core is simply a ' focal point' for your own strength. You need to gather those unruly 'fragments of power' scattered throughout your body, herd them into a single 'cage,' and teach them to pull together in one direction!"
These crude analogies instantly shattered all theoretical illusions.
In mere moments, Roland had thoroughly grasped and internalized every key concept and essence recorded in the notes.
Closing the notebook, he gently closed his eyes, sinking his entire consciousness into his body.
At first, progress was agonizingly slow.
He needed to use his max-level Nameless Breathing Technique as the foundation, combined with highly concentrated mental power. Just as Monen's Notes described the "blacksmith," he had to search for and capture the scattered, untamed "fragments of strength" within the invisible "forge" in his body.
This process demanded extreme patience and precise control; even the slightest mistake would undo all his efforts.
Sweat gradually beaded on his forehead, yet his breathing remained steady and rhythmic.
Time slipped away in the silence.
Outside the window, the grey dwarves' clamor had long since subsided, leaving only the occasional rustle of nocturnal creatures to punctuate the vast darkness.
However, once the first "fragment of strength" was successfully guided to the center of the "forge" and firmly anchored, the subsequent process began to accelerate.
Like the first domino falling, more and more energy streams were drawn in, tamed, and converged toward that initial core, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.
Roland's body trembled slightly, a faint luminescence shimmering across his skin—the visible manifestation of the vast, orderly energy surging within him.
The moment the final wisp of chaotic energy was successfully integrated into the cycle, merging perfectly with the rest,
Hum!
A deep resonance, perceptible only to Roland, reverberated from the depths of his soul.
All guidance abruptly ceased.
Everything flowed naturally, as if predestined.
Roland sensed it: in the void deep within his abdomen, a tiny yet incredibly stable and solid core had quietly taken shape. It seemed to embody the entirety of his life essence and the very source of his strength.
The core rotated slowly on its own, like an eternal power source, continuously radiating pure, gentle energy that nourished and fortified every cell in his body.
Simultaneously, a dazzling golden inscription materialized in the darkness:
New Trait Acquired: primal core
(End of the Chapter)
---------------------------
📖 You are reading [246] Chapters behind with [92] Free Chapters available on site.
🔥 Read up to Chapter [644] now, only on ᴄɪɴᴅᴇʀᴛʟ.ᴄᴏᴍ.
📚 Read upto [13,000+] Chapters on Site with [10,400+] Free Chapters!
🚫 Also get FREE lifetime ad-free and join the giveaway by joining our Discord!
---------------------------