novelhk Chapter 375: Anderne's Lies
Chapter 375: Anderne's Lies
After showing his face and letting his teammates know he was safe, Gauss continued to observe the changes in his body.This new Dragon Breed talent was nothing less than an evolution in his life hierarchy.
The biggest change, of course, was his heart, which had grown as tough as a great dragon’s, but his other organs had also received significant enhancements.
Just by standing there, he exuded an aura of dignity born from his bloodline, like a humanoid dragon radiating a terrifying presence that made one’s chest tighten.
Gauss knew, however, that this was the immediate aftereffect of his recent advancement; he had not yet fully adapted to the Dragon Breed power.
Those aftereffects would, with some effort over time, be controllable.
Ignoring the stray leakage of that extraordinary aura, he focused on other bodily changes.
His skin had become unusually tough.
Moreover, whenever he willed it, a semi-transparent layer of actual dragon scales would surface from under his skin.
When he lightly stroked that scale layer, he felt it was not only harder than ordinary human skin, but also naturally possessed stronger magic resistance.
He retracted the scales. Inside his body, his organs and bones had become more robust.
Beyond those organs, his blood itself seemed to have changed.
He took out a vial of Godwater and transformed a small amount into a concentrated force, then pressed the pad of his finger to the dagger’s tip.
As he increased his strength, the blade eventually sliced a small cut into his skin.
From the wound, red blood slowly flowed out.
But on closer inspection, the blood was not purely red; it shimmered with a faint golden tint.
Before he could study it further, the wound’s skin rapidly writhed and drew together, then pressed closed as if invisible needles and thread had swiftly stitched the split flesh back.
In the blink of an eye, the skin looked smooth and new, without the slightest trace of damage.
With his current self-healing, let alone this minor wound, even injuries several times worse would likely close instantly.
Only truly severe wounds might give him trouble.
“So strong…”
“Is this the power of the Dragon Breed?”
Although Gauss was usually cautious and rarely injured, no one would refuse stronger means of survival.
Isn’t the reason many monsters are more terrifying than human professionals their monstrous physical talents?
Most low-level human professionals lose much of their combat effectiveness after a single slash, but beasts are not like that. Their vitality is far more tenacious; unless struck in a fatal spot, they can keep fighting. Some races with innate regeneration can even completely ignore injury’s negative effects.
Gauss had even heard that when a monster’s vitality reached a frightening level, it could achieve something akin to “undead.”
Supposedly, the greatest human hero, the Legendary Sword Saint, had slain some of these undead on his way to defeat the Demon King.
As for how something supposed to be undead could be killed by a hero, Gauss could only understand that this “undead” trait was relative to ordinary professionals.
Like a paradox between spear and shield: when the spear is stronger than the shield, it can pierce through.
And now, he too had begun to possess a monster-like constitution.
After resting for a few more hours, Gauss’s team began the return trip.
....
Gauss floated down from the Red Dragon’s back.
This outing had taken several days, most of which had been spent on his advancement of the talent.
But faced with such an “unusual” duration, the rest of the Red Dragon Guild showed no surprise.
Or rather, in the minds of Toga, Ivan, and the others, this was a reasonable time to handle a commission, or perhaps even a relatively fast one.
“Guild Leader, welcome back.”
Ivan smelled strongly of potions, but his eyes were fixed on Gauss, much like everyone’s reaction the first time they saw Gauss’s advancement, including Aria.
Thump!
Ivan felt his heart accelerate.
A wave of imposing presence washed over him, instantly tightening every muscle.
It was the pressure of a creature from a higher life hierarchy.
Although Gauss had gradually reined in his aura on the way back, time had been short, so a trace still leaked out.
“You all right?”
Only when Gauss spoke did Ivan seem to come to himself, forcing an awkward smile.
Although he didn’t fully understand what had happened to the guild leader, he could feel that Gauss had become stronger.
That was undeniably good for everyone in the Red Dragon Guild.
“Nothing major happen while I was gone, right?”
Having been away for several days, Gauss asked the chief steward about the garrison’s status.
Ivan, who should have already sorted things out, highlighted key points about what had occurred at the Red Dragon Guild while Gauss was away.
First, to process the spoils from those two thousand goblin nests they had taken earlier, they had hired an additional twenty temporary workers.
The two new shops on Quill Avenue had already gotten on track.
They weren’t crowded, but customer flow was at the first-tier level. Judging by the momentum, their foothold in the commercial street should be secure.
After all, the guild’s two shops primarily sold their own weapons, armor, and potions, with relatively stable output. Customers who entered and bought once could easily become regulars.
Gauss was confident about that.
Of course, that confidence was based on his dwarf friend Albenia and Ivan. Even if the final products weren’t personally forged or brewed by them, apprentices trained under their guidance would be far more skilled than most ordinary workshops.
For adventurers, the quality of weapons, armor, and potions is a lifeline.
That was also why Gauss had insisted on strict quality control from the start when opening the shops.
On one hand, he did not want adventurers to die from equipment that failed to meet standards. On the other, cultivating long-term customers by focusing on quality mattered more than making a quick profit.
For the next period of time, Gauss did not plan to go out.
In his room, he looked at Dimension Door Lv4 (1/100).
Through relentless effort, Dimension Door had finally reached proficiency level 4.
Compared to Lv3, its preparation time had been reduced further, from one full second down to about 0.4–0.5 seconds.
This was just about usable in combat.
Besides Dimension Door’s breakthrough, the mana within Gauss had become extremely active.
He was no stranger to this sensation; he had experienced it several times before.
Almost every time before a professional level breakthrough, he felt like this.
He felt the mana surging through his body and remained calm.
Recently, he had felt that reaching level 7 was within reach.
With the Sturdy Scale Bloodline ascending into the Dragon Breed and further strengthening him, that “glass filled to the brim” feeling had intensified.
“Let the others know I might need to stay away from the garrison for a few days.”
Gauss told Ivan.
Ivan was used to Gauss coming and going without notice.
Before leaving, Gauss had briefly explained his impending breakthrough to the team.
After politely declining his teammates’ offer to accompany him, he applied at the Adventurers Guild for an advanced training chamber.
He certainly would not attempt a breakthrough back at the garrison.
When levels were low this might not matter, but as he climbed, he had to be more cautious.
First, he already carried many secrets. More importantly, he was too dangerous for ordinary people. Normally he could control his power well and moving around the city was fine, but during a level breakthrough he didn’t know whether any fluctuations would spill out and affect others.
To be safe, he would go somewhere more secure.
“This is your room.”
The receptionist showed him to the training chamber.
Masters like Gauss were allotted fifteen days of free use per year, while extra days required paying gold coins, eight gold per day.
“Mr. Rigen, your room is next door.”
Gauss nodded to the elderly spellcaster accompanying him, Rigen.
This old gentleman was a frequent renter of the training chambers. Gauss had briefly spoken with him before arriving.
He rented at least a hundred days a year.
His annual rent alone was an astronomical sum for most.
That explained why powerful mages often seemed wealthy—poverty made it difficult to become a strong mage.
Gauss entered his chamber.
The stone door engraved with runes slowly closed, and the world quieted instantly.
He placed ten intermediate magic stones he’d prepared into a small formation, and soon the entire room filled with a strong yet gentle mana sphere.
He had also prepared food, water, and magical fruits.
Unlike the jump from level 5 to 6, going from 6 to 7 was a smaller, non-tier-crossing increase, relatively easier.
After ensuring everything was ready, Gauss sat cross-legged on the cushion in the room’s center, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.
Once he stopped suppressing the urge to breakthrough, all his mana began to stir.
Boom!
Like a floodgate opening, mana surged through his body.
Buzz!
In the depths of his consciousness, that flawless vessel, like a piece of art, glowed brilliantly.
The condensed, almost “liquid” mana rippled and shimmered.
Great torrents of mana poured from it and circulated along prescribed paths within Gauss.
Each circuit strengthened the mana’s aura a little more.
One circuit... two circuits...
Gauss’s awareness sank deeper.
His Moonlight Robe billowed despite the stillness of the chamber.
A layer of semi-transparent dragon scales had somehow awakened and clung tightly to his skin.
The mana spheres floating in the air drifted closer to his body and were greedily absorbed.
After a sphere thinned, the formation would auto-activate again, consuming the magic stone’s energy and converting it into a mist-like energy.
This cycle repeated until an intermediate magic stone was completely drained.
Then a second, then a third...
Time passed slowly in this monotonous training.
...
Meanwhile.
At the outskirts of the Emerald Forest, a thousand miles away.
A figure no taller than the waist of a normal adult stood before the woods and took a deep breath.
Before her was the Emerald Forest she had seen countless times.
Yet never had the forest exerted such pressure, as if it were not a woodland at all but a vast maw poised to swallow her whole.
“Better rest a little first.”
The halfling Andni swallowed.
Although she had prepared thoroughly—mentally and materially—until this day actually arrived she realized she could still feel fear.
Or perhaps it was that indescribable nervousness and excitement one feels before embarking on a journey.
She was over fifty.
For halflings, who lived longer than humans, that age was not exactly young.
Besides, unlike those relatives who lived peaceful lives in their homeland, she had wandered far and wide and seen much. Compared to centenarian halflings, she believed her mental fortitude was certainly not inferior.
“I’m fine…”
Huff—
Sitting on a boulder, she inhaled deeply and repeatedly pulled wands from her Storage Bag—take one out, feel it, put it away, swap for a new one.
As if by doing this she could draw unknown courage from the collected staffs.
After a long while she ended the ritual.
Then she sighed.
A pity she didn’t have her favorite staff.
The staff that had never truly belonged to her from the start.
“Well, in my hands it was only a useless big stick. Now at least it has an owner who can wield its power.”
Thinking of that boy, her mind drifted.
Since parting in Lincrest Town she had not seen Gauss again and didn’t know where he had gone.
A few days ago she had even returned to Grayrock Town, but Gauss had already left some time before.
Now, whenever she thought of that strange bone staff, she couldn’t help but remember Gauss.
But could she really be blamed?
Every spellcaster wanted a powerful wand. After all, she had given the bone staff to Gauss—wanting to think about it wasn’t a crime.
She felt she had done nothing to regret.
“Hmm, there aren’t many halflings as generous as me.”
Although it was not entirely her intention, she had indeed deceived Gauss on one point: that bone staff had not been picked up in a cave by her. In fact, an old gentleman had entrusted it to her for safekeeping.
Back then she was young, living with fellow halflings in her homeland.
Though it was said to be safekeeping, when she asked who would collect it and when, the man only smiled and shook his head without giving a clear answer, leaving her free to do as she wished.
Whether she kept it, discarded it, or handed it to a passing stranger, the old gentleman accepted it gladly.
At first she thought the safekeeping was merely an excuse for a gift, but decades later she realized the wand truly had nothing to do with her.
How could he have known I would meet a destined person? He couldn’t have foreseen that Gauss and she would meet in Grayrock Town, could he?
Shaking her head at the absurd thought, Andni dismissed it.
This spanned more than thirty years—how many variables were there? Even a god could not predict all of them.
“Time to go.”
After indulging in wild thoughts, Andni calmed.
She glanced back once toward the town as if making a decision, leapt from the stone, looked south, and at the moment she released Andni’s Invisible Phantom, her body vanished without a trace.