Who Says I’m Not a Legitimate Adventurer?

“Damn it…”

The moment Moloch spat out those two words, the power of fate backlash completely erupted.

Boom!!

The enormous bookshelf lining the side of the study, filled with thousands of notebooks, instantly let out a mournful groan under unbearable strain.

Immediately afterward, a ghostly blue icy flame violently erupted from somewhere among the shelves!

The raging blue ice flames swept through the entire study like a tsunami.

The expensive wool carpets, oil paintings, and even the oak desk—

The instant they came into contact with the ghostly blue icy flames, they were not burned to ashes.

Instead, they were instantly frozen into fragile crystalline ice before shattering into countless fragments under the violent shockwave.

“Protect the Count!”

“Hurry! Seal off the main estate!”

Chaotic and anxious footsteps rang out through the corridor outside.

Accompanied by a loud bang, the heavy study doors were violently kicked open from outside by fully armed elite guards.

The white-haired old steward charged into the study while wielding a rapier radiating High-Level mana fluctuations, resisting the freezing air head-on.

However, what entered their eyes—

Was nothing but ruins.

The ghostly blue icy flames still quietly burned atop the shattered remains, while the entire room had become so cold that even breathing caused pain deep within the lungs.

“Stand down.”

A calm voice emerged from the depths of the ruins.

Accompanied by the crisp sound of ice crystals shattering—

Moloch’s tall figure slowly stepped out from the mist of ghostly blue frost.

His current appearance was somewhat disheveled, with frost covering his once elegant noble attire.

Yet his expression had barely changed. Only those familiar with him could sense the fury hidden beneath.

These icy flames had manifested from the surging power of fate after his Fate Trajectory was shaken. They were not attacks from another person.

It could even be said that they were transformations of his own power.

This degree of tearing within the Web of Fate was no less severe than the injuries inflicted earlier by his old rival.

In order to maintain the balance of his Web of Fate, at the instant of the explosion, he had no choice but to personally sever hundreds of fate threads he had painstakingly arranged. This also meant that the enormous number of destinies he had woven beforehand were now completely ruined!

Moloch ignored the guards and steward standing at the entrance.

He bent down and picked up a parchment notebook from the shattered ice crystals covering the floor, one that had not been completely pulverized.

The identification number originally representing a certain individual upon the notebook’s spine had already been entirely frozen over and blurred.

Moloch raised the notebook before him and gently blew upon it.

“Hoo…”

The ghostly blue icy flames attached to the cover scattered with that single breath, revealing the damaged book beneath.

“Leonidas?”

Standing amidst the ruins, Moloch’s voice became as soft as a dreamlike murmur.

Of course he knew what this name represented.

The first King of the Northlands.

The Dragon Slayer who drew out the Spear of the Lake.

This was a mythical figure carrying tremendous weight within the river of history!

Even at the peak of his power, he would never have dared attempt to manipulate, much less bear, the Fate Trajectory of this King of the Northlands!

Moloch’s fingers slowly tightened, causing the notebook, whose material had been altered by freezing, to emit cracking sounds under his grip.

His gaze passed over the ruins of the study and toward the full moon outside the window. A sinister smile appeared upon his once elegant face.

“Why… would the fate of the first King of the Northlands, Leonidas, suddenly descend upon my Web of Fate?”

“Just what kind of ignorant little reptile…”

“Actually dared tear apart my web?”

……

Graystone Town in the early morning was extremely lively.

The streets were filled everywhere with groups of residents passionately discussing the strange phenomenon that had appeared in the direction of Copper Creek Forest the previous night.

Late last night, an enormous red Spell Formation had suddenly emerged above Copper Creek Forest.

The intense mana fluctuations had completely awakened the peaceful little town.

Only after the giant Spell Formation gradually faded away in the latter half of the night did the frightened townsfolk finally manage to sleep peacefully again.

Because this place existed close to the dangerous Underground Dungeon, the residents here possessed far greater awareness than ordinary commercial towns regarding the terrifying legends of magical beast sieges. Thus, everyone’s vigilance remained extremely high.

As one of the direct participants in the incident, after spending the latter half of the night thinking through everything he needed to do next, Lance only rested briefly before already waking up early.

Standing before the bathroom mirror, he fiercely splashed clean water across his face.

The cold droplets slid down his cheeks.

Later, he still needed to make a trip to the Adventurers’ Guild to settle the rewards for this internship commission with the old Guildmaster. Then he would conveniently head to the commercial street to retrieve the birthday gift he had specially ordered beforehand.

Just as Lance dried the water from his face while thinking about what he should say during today’s meeting—

Bang bang bang bang bang!

The front door downstairs was suddenly pounded extremely loudly.

Mixed with the violent knocking was the anxious cry of a girl whose voice carried a sobbing tone.

“Lance! Are you home?!”

The moment Lance heard the familiar voice, he froze.

He quickly threw down the towel and rushed downstairs three steps at a time to open the front door.

The moment the heavy wooden door opened a crack, a burst of the uniquely chilly morning wind rushed straight into the living room.

Nia stood outside the doorway, panting heavily.

Perhaps because she had run too quickly, combined with the still-low morning temperature, her face appeared somewhat pale.

At this moment, Nia wore only a thin set of home clothes, and even her feet were still stuffed into indoor slippers that did not quite fit properly.

Her long brown hair appeared somewhat messy. Clearly, she had rushed all the way here straight from her warm bed without even bothering to wash or comb herself first.

“Nia, why are you here so ear—”

Before Lance could finish his concerned words—

Nia suddenly rushed forward and tightly grabbed his sturdy arm.

She anxiously tugged Lance around by force, her reddened eyes rapidly inspecting his entire body.

“You didn’t lose an arm or a leg, right? You didn’t suffer any serious internal injuries, did you? What exactly was that red light above the forest last night?!”

She fired out a whole string of questions in one breath.

She had gone to bed early last night, and only learned about the events from her aunt this morning after waking up.

Her aunt told her that Uncle Homan had been urgently called away by the patrol team in the middle of the night and still had not returned home.

Nia knew very clearly that Lance had brought Cecilia into that forest for internship training yesterday.

Now that such an enormous disturbance had occurred, she was terrified that by the time she woke up this morning, Lance might already have vanished from the world forever.

Even her voice trembled slightly from worry as she spoke.

“I’m fine. I really didn’t even suffer any superficial injuries.”

Looking at the girl’s utterly distraught appearance, a warm current flowed through Lance’s heart.

He quickly grabbed Nia’s ice-cold wrist in return and comforted her in a gentle tone.

“Don’t panic first. Come inside and drink some hot water while we talk slowly.”