Chapter 284: The Remaining Sword Scabbard, Alien Race Command Taking Effect...

Chapter 284: Chapter 284: The Remaining Sword Scabbard, Alien Race Command Taking Effect...

Not only that.

Recalling the man’s past—how he’d been secretly expelled from the academy for allegedly researching Forbidden Alchemy—Lance was now beginning to seriously doubt whether this body of his was even related by blood to that terrifying man!

’Could it be... that the weak boy who originally owned this body was created by him using Concept Alchemy?’

If he had truly dabbled in the god-like domain of "creating life"...

Just how terrifying was the Power in that man’s hands?

Add to that his ability to secretly manipulate the fates of others...

In Lance’s imagination, the true strength of this mastermind had already ballooned to an incomprehensible level.

At that thought, a bone-chilling cold shot up from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, making Lance shudder involuntarily on the somewhat stuffy streets of the Underground City.

However.

Lance quickly suppressed this sliver of Fear.

’No matter how strong he is, at least on this chessboard, he’s in the open, and I’m in the shadows!’

Lance quickly replayed the recent series of events in his mind.

During the Heroic Spirit Baptism trial in White River City, the man had clearly been after the Treasure known as the "Flawless Sword Scabbard."

In fact, if it weren’t for the fact that he carried the Source Material of the [Crimson Dragon] and was tinged with the powerful fate-track aura of the King of the North’s [Spear of the Lake], which triggered a resonance with the Star Realm Treasure...

...had he come with only Karen’s fate-track, he would have likely fallen into the preset trap without any defense and unwittingly chosen that Sword Scabbard.

’But...’

Lance’s gaze sharpened.

’At the last moment of the Star Realm selection, that Sword Scabbard was forcibly interfered with by the Power of [Jhin, the Virtuoso] within me.’

This, to him, proved that Jhin, the Virtuoso could indeed counter the man’s ability to manipulate fate.

And judging by the fact that everything was still calm, it seemed Molok hadn’t immediately noticed the discrepancy that occurred at the nexus of fate.

This meant his power over fate wasn’t omniscient or omnipotent; it definitely wasn’t as exaggerated as Lance had just imagined.

It was even possible that the man was currently tied up with more important matters and had no time to spare for a "small pawn" like him, who could go off the rails at any moment.

’Looks like I need to speed up my plans.’

’I must complete my Profession change and fully become [Jhin, the Virtuoso] before he turns his attention back to me!’

Lance clenched his fists secretly.

He was so close.

As his Main Profession’s Level continued to rise, he could clearly feel it.

The mysterious Power belonging to [Jhin, the Virtuoso], which had long been coiled in the depths of his soul, was gradually accelerating its integration with him.

According to his current calculations.

As long as his Main Profession could successfully break through the Level 5 barrier.

By then, the capacity of his Soul Space would be sufficient to completely accommodate and assimilate this monumental sub-profession.

Once he officially became [Jhin, the Virtuoso].

He could use his panel’s powerful analytical abilities to figure out exactly what this Profession had done to that Sword Scabbard back in the Star Realm Corridor during the Heroic Spirit Baptism.

He had a vague feeling at the time that while [Jhin, the Virtuoso] was disrupting the man’s plans, it had also secretly taken a little "something extra" from the Sword Scabbard.

But since he hadn’t officially obtained the Profession yet, he couldn’t find out what that something was.

"Hoo..." Lance let out a long breath.

This feeling of having inadvertently glimpsed the tip of his enemy’s iceberg of strength truly filled his heart with a strong sense of insecurity.

But no amount of rushing or anxiety would help.

You have to eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time.

The most pressing task at hand was to first figure out how to survive and completely conquer this Underground City.

...

A little over half an hour later.

Lance arrived at the Silver Hand Guild’s headquarters carrying two bags full of rations.

Because the Underground City had been forcibly sealed last night, almost no Adventurers were willing to go out and hunt Demons today.

After all, the situation had completely changed.

For the solo Adventurers participating on their own, only ten would ultimately be able to take part in the Iron Guard trial.

Without coordinates and without sufficient strength, they wouldn’t qualify for the final reckoning no matter how many Demons they killed outside.

As for the teams who had come to the Underground City purely to make money, the situation was even worse.

The supply lines were cut and the main gate was sealed. Even if they risked their lives to harvest more Magic Materials, they couldn’t find any merchants to exchange them for profit.

Since there was no profit to be made, naturally, no one was willing to risk their lives outside.

It was foreseeable that, over the next two weeks, in order to complete the mandatory conquest mission set by the Underground City, the scattered individual Adventurers would definitely be drafted into massive, joint regional assault campaigns, becoming cannon fodder in a war of attrition.

The real core trial had long since devolved into a gladiatorial arena for a few top-tier powerhouses.

Meanwhile, a resourceful team of Adventurers like the Silver Hand would certainly not act rashly at a time like this.

All their members were resting today, waiting for the leaders of the three major teams above them to discuss and issue final, coordinated assault orders.

Stepping through the headquarters’ main gate, he found the scene inside was much like the deserted streets outside.

Lance entered the training grounds.

He immediately spotted the Cat Girl, Philis, sweating profusely in a corner.

This young girl from the Catman Race, who had short orange hair, was currently using her long, flexible, and powerful tail to hang herself upside down from a metal pull-up bar.

She was wearing a form-fitting black training suit.

And what was surprising was that strapped to her slender wrists and ankles were several Enchanted weight bags forged from Refined Steel.

As her tail muscles rhythmically contracted and relaxed, her entire body moved up and down in mid-air, performing a type of high-difficulty inverted core exercise.

Lance had heard Nieve mention it casually before.

The training method for Philis’s Close Combat Profession, the "Boxer," was very unique.

Besides leveling up normally by killing monsters, this Profession seemed to allow one to squeeze out special Attribute bonuses through this kind of cruel, ascetic training that challenged the body’s limits day after day.

It was definitely an ascetic school of training that required immense willpower to stick with.

Hanging upside down in mid-air, Philis keenly sensed the sound of approaching footsteps.

She opened her beautiful, slitted pupils and looked upside down toward the entrance.

First glance.

’Wow, who is this handsome guy?’

Second glance.

’Wait... why does he look so familiar, meow?’

Third glance.

’Meow! Isn’t that Lance?!’

Philis was startled.

The momentary lapse in concentration was all it took; the tail muscles wrapped around the metal bar suddenly loosened.

Her entire body, weighed down by hundreds of pounds of equipment, plummeted straight down from over two meters in the air.

However.

The Catman Race’s prized, superhuman sense of dynamic balance was on full display in that moment.

In the instant her body was in freefall.

Philis flexibly twisted her waist in mid-air, swung her arms rapidly, and instantly adjusted her body’s center of gravity.

With a soft THUD.

She landed steadily on her feet on the soft, padded floor.

After steadying herself, Philis stared blankly at the black-haired boy before her.

’Strange...’ she muttered to herself.

’His features are the same as yesterday, so why does he seem so much more pleasing to the eye today, meow?’

It wasn’t just that he was easy on the eyes; an intangible scent emanating from him made it difficult for her to look away.

"Hey, Philis. Good morning."

Lance walked closer, smiling and waving a greeting.

However.

To his complete surprise, Philis, who was usually quite reserved, heard his voice and immediately rushed forward with her eyes closed, like a kitten that had just smelled catnip.

"Your scent has changed, meow~"

Philis’s nose was almost touching Lance’s neck. She twitched it twice, sniffing hard, and let out a sigh of contentment.

"What scent?"

Lance was confused by her sudden action.

He subconsciously raised his arm and sniffed at his collar.

There was nothing but the faint smell of soap.

He had taken a proper shower after returning to his room last night, after all.

However.

Philis completely ignored Lance’s question.

The orange-haired Cat Girl took action, performing a "nuzzling" motion that made Lance’s scalp tingle.

She tilted her head slightly, pressed her warm cheek directly against Lance’s shoulder, and then, like a small cat, began to rub back and forth forcefully.

’Holy shit!’

Startled, Lance quickly stepped aside to dodge.

’Something’s not right!’

He immediately became wary. ’Could this be the effect of the two new Effects he’d gained from the Source Material yesterday?’

"Lance, don’t dodge, meow~ Let Philis nuzzle you some more~"

With her eyes closed, Philis let out a cloyingly sweet, coquettish cry and pounced at him again, refusing to give up.

She didn’t know what was wrong with her, either.

The moment she had gotten close to Lance.

She had smelled a scent.

A scent that stirred her Catman Race instincts.

She now had only one thought in her mind: to continuously "nuzzle" Lance and leave her unique scent mark on him.

This intense impulse even overwhelmed her sense of shame as a girl.

This had never happened before when Philis saw him.

So the problem could only lie with what he’d gained last night!

Lance suddenly realized, could it be that [Alien Race Command]’s ability to work on all Sub-human Species, forcibly raising their affection from neutral to friendly, was because it could communicate with some kind of Sub-human instinct?

’The description for this entry doesn’t specify gender, hey!’ he suddenly thought of a strange possibility.