Chapter 279: Legend’s Origin, Source Material Mutation, Dragon Horn

Chapter 279: Chapter 279: Legend’s Origin, Source Material Mutation, Dragon Horn

After the commotion died down.

Lance finally found Bazzer, who hadn’t left yet.

The two found a relatively quiet corner and started talking about what had just happened.

The sight of Lance taking on four opponents at once in a square filled with nearly ten thousand people, effortlessly sweeping aside Professionals of the same Class.

It had gotten the middle-aged Minstrel completely hyped.

However,

he then expressed his worry for Lilia and said that since Lance was fine, he had to get back quickly.

He also mentioned that he had to record the day’s events. He was sure it would be a huge hit if he submitted the manuscript to his editor after the Summer Crown!

After quickly asking a few more questions about Heroic Spirits, Lance let Bazzer go.

Bazzer put away his notebook.

"The communication channels to the Star Realm have been completely shut down by that power. I’ve lost many of my sources."

"I probably won’t be of much help to you for the next two weeks."

Lance patted his shoulder.

"Don’t worry about it. You should hurry back and take care of Lilia. Just leave the matter of taking on the Iron Guard to me."

After seeing Bazzer off,

Lance solemnly thanked Julius.

He was grateful that Julius had still been willing to stand up and support him, even when the entire crowd was against him.

Then, after saying goodbye to Nieve, Lance returned to the private residence the Veterans’ Guild had arranged for him.

The moment he shut the door, a look of anticipation appeared in Lance’s eyes.

He hadn’t forgotten the Trait he’d obtained after completing the Proof of Dominance in the square—the one called "Thousand Descendants’ Blessing."

Before Bazzer left,

he had also casually asked about the detailed story of the Heroic Spirit "Galeos."

Only then did he finally understand.

This Galeos, awakened by the will of the Underground City, had once been a Dominator of truly astonishing talent.

With his strength alone, he had once occupied the vast territories to the west of the current Iris Kingdom.

Using iron-fisted methods, he conquered and annexed all the small kingdoms of various races that were active in those lands at the time.

The size of the territory Galeos controlled was, without a doubt, the largest among the kings of his era.

One could say that it was through this violent, direct method of integration that he forcibly broke down the barriers between races, laying the foundation for the current prosperous state within the Iris Kingdom, where various Sub-human Species live peacefully alongside humans.

Of course,

Bazzer also told Lance about the Dominator’s lonely later years and his fateful grudge with the White Dragon "Lotar" from the north.

The vast Empire Galeos had built with his own hands fell apart precisely because of that White Dragon’s appearance.

It was said that at the peak of Galeos’s reign, he raised an army and launched an eastern campaign in an attempt to expand his territory.

Unexpectedly, during the march, they ran head-on into the White Dragon Lotar, who was heading south from the Northern Territory.

In that brutal skirmish,

Galeos’s proud elite army of 50,000 was utterly routed by a mere 5,000 heavy cavalry from the Northern Territory led by Lotar, who relied on the advantage of their charge to cut straight through their lines!

That disastrous defeat completely shattered Galeos’s ambition.

From then on, the Dominator never recovered.

After returning to the Royal Capital with his defeated remnants, he began to indulge in wine and women, wallowing in pleasure. Not many years later, he died of depression in a lavish palace.

Of course,

being in this world, Lance knew deep down that the truth of history couldn’t possibly be as simple and crude as what was written in books.

A Legendary Professional who could build such a vast Empire by himself would have a tenacity for life unimaginable to ordinary people. How could he simply get sick and die just because he lost a single battle?

There had to be some great secret hidden behind it all, one that even the Minstrels didn’t dare to record.

However,

these historical mysteries, drowned in the long river of time, were not what Lance wanted to focus on right now.

Now that he had confirmed this Heroic Spirit was indeed a genuine Dominator in life, his expectations for the Trait named "Thousand Descendants’ Blessing" soared.

Lance sat cross-legged on the bed and, with a thought, opened the glowing golden Trait icon.

But,

when he clearly read the description—words that encapsulated the Legend of Galeos—he was utterly dumbfounded.

[Trait: Thousand Descendants’ Blessing]

[Heroic Spirit Legend Origin: Not only did he defeat countless resisting Sub-human Species with military might and establish his own Iron Blood Kingdom, but in his private life, he was also a Monarch possessing nearly infinite, vigorous energy.]

[According to Legend, to consolidate his rule, he established deep blood ties with various races through extensive political marriages. Throughout his life, he married numerous Alien Race Princesses from different races and, through diligent, day-and-night cultivation, successfully sired hundreds of powerful, mixed-blood offspring.]

[He always firmly believed that pure military force could only bring temporary submission. Only the blending of bloodlines and generational inheritance was the cornerstone for a Kingdom’s long-term stability and eternal loyalty.]

"???"

Lance’s eyes widened. As he stared at the string of text on the panel, a row of giant question marks popped up in his head.

"What the hell is this?!"

He quickly scrolled up to look at the system’s previous notification log.

’So... the reason this Heroic Spirit acknowledged me wasn’t because I displayed some kind of draconic aura in battle.’

’It’s because he thought I was a kindred spirit who coincidentally shared some of his philosophies??’

’So he specifically shared this Trait for procreation with me?’

Running into such a peculiar predecessor—a supposed kindred spirit whose mind was filled with "procreation brings peace."

Lance was utterly speechless.

Lance took a deep breath. ’Whatever.’

This was the first time since his transmigration that he had encountered something that could be directly integrated into his personal Source Material.

He guessed this was the kind of thing one could only come across in the later stages of a Professional Class, or perhaps not even until the Legendary Class.

’Whether out of curiosity or for the sake of exploring my Source Material, I have to merge with it and study it properly.’

He once again looked at his two Source Material panels.

The [Foreigner] Source Material was too mysterious and critically important; he absolutely couldn’t mess with it.

’Then it’s all up to you, [Crimson Dragon]!’

Lance made up his mind.

He forcibly guided the golden ball of light representing "Thousand Descendants’ Blessing," merging it bit by bit into his [Crimson Dragon] Source Material.

The instant the fusion was complete,

Lance suddenly felt the entire world seem to tremble violently with a HUMMM.

Then,

the exact same thing that had happened when he completed his Profession ceremony occurred.

The Ether Energy in the surrounding air began to stir madly, rapidly gathering behind him.

The phantom of the Crimson Giant Dragon appeared once again, roaring in the air behind Lance.

Only this time,

Lance wasn’t in a state of closed-eye meditation.

This was also the first time, in the truest sense, that he had clearly seen his own Source Material in reality with his naked eyes.

Then, as the Trait merged,

Lance was surprised to feel the phantom of the Crimson Giant Dragon in the air begin to undergo a subtle change.

The Dragon Head, originally covered in savage bone spurs, began to shrink and reshape, its contours becoming more slender and majestic. It lost some of its tyranny, gaining a trace of nobility.

The rough, uneven Dragon Horns began to peel. After shedding their impurities, they became as translucent as red crystal, extending backward in an aesthetically pleasing, streamlined curve.

The Giant Dragon’s originally bloated and massive torso also elongated and tightened under the influence of the Trait.

The arrangement of its muscles became more hydrodynamic, filled with a sense of agility.

Even the layers of dark red Dragon Scales covering its entire body...

had their rough texture polished until they were as smooth as a mirror.

Under the light of the Magic Crystal Lamp, each scale shimmered with an almost bewitching beauty.

Watching his Source Material undergo this transformation, which could only be described as "cosmetic surgery,"

Lance felt no joy. Instead, a strong sense of unease washed over him.

’Holy crap, this feels more and more wrong... This Trait isn’t one of those things meant specifically to increase charm, is it...?’

Just as he was muttering to himself,

the changes to his Source Material suddenly began to feed back into his physical body!

Lance clearly felt the blood in his veins begin to boil, as if something had been affected!

"Ah!"

A tearing, excruciating pain instantly shot through his entire body—a pain that even [Hevagmir’s Boiling] couldn’t block!

But what made him most uneasy was that, aside from the agony of his muscles stretching,

the pain was most concentrated on both sides of his forehead!

Under the bright light of the room’s Magic Crystal Lamp,

the black shadow of Lance, bent over in pain, was clearly cast upon the wall.

Then, accompanied by Lance’s cry of pain,

the outline of the black shadow on the wall began to change.

On both sides of the shadow’s head, the once-smooth lines began to slowly bulge outward.

Two blade-like silhouettes forcibly pierced the skin and grew out from his forehead.

After they had fully extended,

the two silhouettes curved and stretched out toward the back of his head...