Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 176 Second Ring Mage
Rean had a dream.

In the dream, it wasn't the familiar Hall of Heroes under the starry sky, but an endless sea of ​​stars.

In the void, enormous phantoms appeared one after another.

Among them are a veiled elven queen, an ancient dragon king with long horns, a titan giant playing music in a cloud city, a colossal beast whose roar is like the collapse of the heavens and the earth, and of course, a giant serpent coiled between heaven and earth.

They chatted, drank, and sang happily, especially the big snake, which was jumping around particularly energetically.

Alongside the dancers, or dancing with them, were several equally enormous female snakes, female beasts, and female giants. However, the rhythm seemed to be the familiar dynamic disco from my previous life.

They were playing around and seemed to be talking or exchanging something.

Several of them appeared to start arguing.
Even the ancient elven queen among them smiled and waved at him, who had somehow entered the place.

"Huh, why did I know she was the ancient elven queen, and yet we still interacted? Could this not be a memory, nor a dream?"

"Oh dear, oh dear, how did you get in here, little one? Let me take you out."

The sound of snakes echoed in his ears. Before Rean could respond, he was suddenly transported back to reality.

He was reaching out his hand when he sat down on his own bed.

He was a little lost, glanced at the darkness outside, and decided to go back to sleep.

When he woke up again in the early morning, he had completely forgotten the dream.

Turning back to sleep, I slept especially soundly.

"Time to get to work."

Rean got up and drank a large glass of water, recalling the warm hospitality he had received from Dimon and Larry the day before.

During the banquet, the conversation turned to the adventures in the underworld and the lich. As they talked, they started to boast and ended up drinking a bit too much.

Although dragon veins have strong physical resistance, some dwarven spirits are named "Dragon Slayer" or "Giant Slayer".

Rean, dazed and confused, returned home in the carriage, thus proving the truth of his name.

These items were all spoils of war seized by Dimon from smugglers.

He essentially exploited a loophole: as an "ascetic," it was forbidden to possess and enjoy these fine wines, but it was perfectly acceptable to entertain friends while drinking only water himself.

Therefore, oaths are more of a matter of idealism. If you truly believe that conquest will bring about a just order, then the killing and conquest you actively pursue may not necessarily lead you to break your oath.

If you're crazy enough, it's not impossible to establish a "just empire," although it seems no one in history has ever been able to do so.

However, when it comes to vows, you can't lie to yourself. If you're too radical, you might suddenly break your vow when you look back on the past.

After all, it's okay to deceive or numb yourself for a while, but it's unrealistic to deceive yourself for a lifetime.

In a sense, this is indeed a profession where the stronger one's will and the more extreme one's emotions, the more powerful one becomes. Classical knights, who have abandoned the favor of the gods, can be much stronger than ordinary paladins once they grow up.

After all, they don't need to kneel before divine power; they only need to fulfill their own inner vows and goodwill.

"Keep your promise."

"Fight for those who love me and those I love."

"Fighting for the bottom line of humanity and human nature."

As Rean swung his Hero's Sword once more, he could feel something seemingly responding to him.

He originally thought the vows were just empty words, but during this journey, all three vows were repeatedly fulfilled, and he received the rewards of those vows.

"Perhaps, the essence of a paladin is anger towards unjust people and unjust deeds." He vaguely grasped something.

His exhausted body was pushed to its limit once again. After going back to drink some water and rest for a while, he began to meditate.

He wasn't in a hurry to take it a step further, even though he really craved higher-level abilities.

The process of cultivation is also a path of evolution and even sublimation.

The power of light gradually merged into his body, and his holy power was further "transformed into light".

This is the path of practice on the road of judgment, and also the life of a knight of judgment.

When it reaches the stage of complete fusion, even a tiny bit of holy power at the tip of the sword can be imbued with the colors of light and fire, unleashing a slash with a strong attribute of "punishing evil".

Or, by then, it might be time to shout "For the Holy Light!"
"Uh, this works too." Rean closed his eyes. He could feel that his red dragon bloodline's fire control instinct could also control the flame part of the "Holy Light," increasing its controllability and power to a certain extent.

Perhaps the power of my Demon-Slaying Slash can be further enhanced?
"Why didn't I feel it before? Oh, I couldn't be considered a dragonman before, I was just a large kobold." The thin dragon veins naturally couldn't provide enough elemental control and perception.

Rean, whose dragon veins have awakened, slowly comes to understand the power within his body, the red dragon's instinctive ability to control fire.

His outstretched hands faintly revealed the flow of flames.

The model of the "scorching ray" from memory began to take shape; the trigger model of the three-stage flame was easily constructed, and the other "dragon head" indicated that this amount of calculation was effortless. Next came the infusion of magic power and the guidance of elemental forces. The most difficult part of this spell was actually the latter.

Guiding the rays and maintaining their stability and speed requires extraordinary elemental control, but these seem to be no problem for the son of the red dragon.

Rean vaguely sensed that there was no separation between different professions, or between professions and the physical body.

Instead, they merge and influence each other, ultimately shaping the outcome.
"Intense rays".

The extended finger fired two beams of condensed flame.
"Boom!"

But only the first shot hit the target, creating a spark on the wall.

The second attack dissipated naturally, clearly indicating that even those of the Red Dragon race still require a great deal of training and exploration.

"It's a success, but it should take a few more days to refine." But he still underestimated the role of the second line of thought.

The "AI" quickly completed the calculations and made adjustments during the second casting. During the third casting, all three rays successfully unleashed a stable burst!

Precise spellcasting, which requires practice and calculation to refine repeatedly, was easily integrated with the help of the auxiliary second brain.

After successfully casting the spell, a faint arcane aura surrounded Rean, and he stepped into the realm of a second-tier mage.

This was clearly quite unusual. He didn't even have many first-ring spells, yet he had just kicked open the door to the second rank. At this moment, Rean was undoubtedly a formal second-ring mage.

"We can head to the mage quarters ahead of time."

This was to be expected, after all, it was the sage's "treasure," but Rean didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

However, thinking about how the sage himself had worked so hard for half his life, only to linger around the second or third tier, Rean sighed and felt inexplicably sad.

But soon, he didn't have time to think about these things anymore.

"You, you've already reached the second ring?!" Royce, a third-ring mage, exclaimed in shock.

He had seen geniuses before, but he had never seen one so extraordinary.

It's only been less than a month, and he's already gone from zero ring to two rings? Just a few days ago, I was teaching him his first first-ring spell, Great Stride.

Moreover, Rean's own talent, which Royce, who taught him, certainly knew something about.

Let alone being a top genius, it wouldn't be surprising if such a "mediocre talent" announced his abandonment halfway through after two months of absence.

"Yeah, lucky. I ran into some things in the underworld." Rean looked like he was looking at a past he didn't want to recall.

But if you really don't know the specifics of what you went through to achieve such rapid success, the answer will still be "it's too painful to recall".

"I encountered the Mastermind and a group of mind flayers, which awakened my psychic abilities." After thinking for a moment, Rean decided to make up some more "true stories".

After all, he needed to choose a mentor, and he needed some reputation and resources. In the world of mages, Rean was truly a blank slate; their attitude towards other professions was too subtle, even somewhat arrogant.

Ordinary noble status meant nothing to them; what they sought was knowledge and the possibility of accessing higher levels of magic.

"How enviable." Royce looked at Rean with eyes full of envy.

In his view, this was not just about saving a few years of effort (in his estimation, it would take Rean about three years to become a second-circle mage), but rather it greatly increased his potential while also opening up many convenient paths for travel.

Combining the mind-based, warlock, and mage paths offers unique possibilities, with considerable potential for both strength and skill.

“Perhaps, Rean, you could consider which branch of study to pursue, or even become a mind mage. Although progress is somewhat unpredictable, it saves a lot of time.” As he spoke, Royce signed Rean’s “graduation certificate” and prepared to write a letter of recommendation.

"No need, I've already made up my mind. I plan to pursue the field of energy manipulation. Could you recommend a master in this area?"

Although it takes a third-ring mage to determine their branch of the sect, if you're considering taking on a master, it's best to finalize it in advance. With Rean's current grades, he doesn't need to worry about not having a mentor. On the contrary, he can consider finding the most suitable one for him.

"Energy shaping? There are many possibilities."

In the world of mages, there will never be a shortage of spellcasting barbarians.

Rean's choice was perfectly reasonable. "Exorcism Slash" and "Fire Magic" are both Evocation-based, and since his main combat methods are all Evocation, there was no reason for him to choose anything else. Kuku's previous suggestion essentially helped him finalize his goal.

"The Thunderfire Master Skol, the volatile Flame Mage Wednesday (pseudonym), and the Little Fire Dragon sisters Louise. Don't be surprised why they all play with fire; at least a third of those who use fire in Evocation are fire-wielding." By prioritizing these "fire mages," it's clear that this mentor also noticed something from Rean's red dragon scales.

There may not be many Dragon Vein Warlocks, but there are definitely several in the local mage district.

At this moment, Rean's "enlightenment" mentor even became more attentive and even fawning towards Rean.

He not only introduced some well-known fire mages, warlocks, and mind warriors, but also proactively contacted his own network of contacts to recommend some relatively suitable mage resources.

He even subtly suggested that pursuing multiple avenues before finalizing a mentor wouldn't be a bad thing.

The world of spellcasters is sometimes relatively simple, and the potential that Rean has shown certainly gives them the capital to bow down and fawn over him.

Recalling the previous encounter with the apprentice senior from the mage tower, whose obsequiousness was tinged with a subtle disdain, Rean chuckled inwardly at the contrast with the obsequiousness of this current third-ring official mage.

(End of this chapter)