Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 178 An Irresistible Choice
Upon hearing Rean's request, the snake happily coiled around him.

“I’m not deliberately making things difficult for you; it’s just that I no longer ‘exist.’ I can’t interfere with any events on a causal level. If you want to accept my help, you must pay a price.”

The turbulent cause and effect, guided by the snake, can allow both sides to regain balance.

This is probably the snake's version of events, but Rean, who doesn't believe a single word of what the snake says and easily accepts any of it that could cause a world war, is disrespecting the snake's "great achievements."

"Speak, what kind of fun do you want? Don't make things too difficult for me, or I won't do it." Rean was wary, and lifting the knight up high was considered a pass.

But if he messes up, he might become a sinner who blasphemes the princess, and become a source of great amusement for the snake.

"Hehe, don't worry, don't worry, this time I'll try a different approach, I'll make you feel more involved."

The snake blinked. Time and cause and effect were never linear to him, yet the intricate web of cause and effect was laid bare before him.

It's so boring, so boring.

A snake's life where you can instantly know the answer when you look at it yourself, like an exploration game with a full map cheat, is really too boring.

"How about this, I'll give you a choice and let you take the lead."

The snake pondered for a moment and made a judgment.

To make the causal chain even more chaotic, we need more unobservable black box nodes, but we can't over-draft major events and ruin the people in front of us. Last night, while drinking with a friend, he learned that the situation of this demonic tide was too bad, and it wouldn't be good for the Thousand-Faced Dragon to send something at this time.

"By the way, doesn't Kuku have seven disciples? You can choose one, confess your love to her in public, and express your vow of 'I am willing to spend my life with you.' By the way, this time you cannot tell anyone about our agreement; you must pretend it was your own choice."

Rean was bewildered. What was this? Was it some kind of bullying confession game?

Didn't you say that I, Rean, am yourself? Can't you just give yourself a break a little?
However, the snake on his shoulder had already twisted into a tangled mess, and he was pleasantly aware that after he spoke, the causal threads had become a chaotic mess.

His vision was in complete disarray, yet he smiled with great satisfaction.

"As expected, we really need someone like you, an unobservable variable who transcends fate and cause and effect."

The snake was satisfied; it could no longer see the future. The disciples of the Thousand-Faced Dragon and the Thousand-Faced Dragon itself had directly disrupted this future.

“I refuse.” Rean gritted his teeth and refused, knowing that this would completely disrupt the relationships he had worked so hard to build.

"You won't refuse." Even without looking, the snake knew what choice Lee Eun-suk would make.

How could Lee Eun-suk, who was very results-oriented, refuse the crucial information that could be exchanged for a mere farce to bring about a qualitative change?

Rean fell silent, pondering the various possibilities.

"I remember that Kuku has male disciples."

Rean hinted that if he said something like "friends for life," he could probably get away with it.

"Of course, you can tell him." The snake could no longer suppress his smile as he envisioned a more pleasant future.

Rean hesitated. He instinctively sensed danger and asked after a moment's hesitation.

"He should be on the normal trajectory, right?" Rean had met the male alchemist and felt he was a bit of a sissy.

"Yes, it is now," the snake replied affirmatively.

But does that mean the same thing now? What if Rean says "to be friends for life"?

If it were anyone else, Rean would have thought it was just empty talk and deception, but this guy in front of him really could infiltrate people's minds and modify their subconscious!

If you take a gamble, the other person's sexual orientation might change, which would be a huge mistake.

"Actually, you could have set up the whole thing yourself. Confess your feelings first, then imprison that female apprentice, and kill the witness to silence her completely. Wouldn't that fit my conditions perfectly?" The snake seemed to have offered a second option, which actually seemed to be a perfect match.
“Absolutely not.” Rean refused loudly, his restless heart instantly calming down.

Rean looked at the snake with unease. At that moment, he even felt that he was about to break his oath and fall from grace. Just like a Paladin, a knight of oath, if he deviated from the path of good, he would also be completely doomed.

Is it really true that it's a snake? With just one sentence, Rean felt his heart waver.

An excessive pursuit of profit and results may also be one of the weaknesses that made Lee Eun-suk's true nature known.

"You can refuse. Maybe the next hero will be much easier to talk to than me and can give you what you want most." The snake seemed to be trying to persuade him kindly, but he knew how Rean would respond. This was the greedy "Rean Su".

“No, my time is limited. Tell me.” Taking a deep breath, Rean made his decision.

He needs power, and considering the snake's seniority, he should be able to provide information beyond that of ordinary heroic spirits.

This is the best choice, and there is no reason to reject this possibility because of some interpersonal issues.

Immediately, the snakes began to writhe with laughter, seeing more and more amusement unfold before them.

You won't be disappointed.

The information about the snake is quite simple and straightforward, and his resume also means that he would never falsify information in a transaction.

"Your greed is perfectly normal. Most races that possess magic have their own geniuses, and over a long period of time, they have developed their own solutions."

This is the advantage that snakes have over ordinary heroic spirits; their resumes offer as many choices and possibilities as possible.

The snake did not describe a particular solution; he merely mentioned the situations of various races. Each race was different, with their own unique martial arts and magic, so their solutions were naturally completely different.

The orcs are terrible at this because their history is very short. Rean is having a hard time finding a suitable solution in the orc society.

"The Arcane Knights guarding your mage quarters are a prime example. Their Arch-Knight level is only around the second rank in spellcasting, and their main offensive magic is Trick. It's truly pathetic."

The fact that the Arcane Knight served as a guardian of the Mage Quarter proves that he wasn't so bad in the Orc Kingdom.

Heavy armor restricts mobility, elemental and magical energy transmission, so lower the energy level of spells, use low-level spells as the main combat strategy, and practice casting spells while wearing armor extensively.

I only have a few magic tricks, and I've mastered them so much that wearing armor doesn't affect me much anymore.

Its main attack method is actually a "magic sword". If adding the elemental energy of the magic to the sword is also considered a magic sword (there is no such bug as the Thunder Sword in reality), the low total amount of elements in the magic makes the damage of that magic sword extremely subtle.

Rean's current Dragonfire Sword is actually strong enough to rival the Arcane Knights of the Great Knight rank. The fact that he can seamlessly blend into the Arcane Knight squad by simply changing the color of his armor shows that, in the current environment, Arcane Knights have virtually no upper limit.

There are many similar magical knights among the beastmen, whose strength varies considerably, and many are "monsters" wearing armor.

“Using the innate abilities of an evolved race as magic, and treating orcs as magical beasts, is possible, but you probably wouldn’t like it.”

Rean listened to the several paths the beastmen had suggested and kept shaking his head.

It's easy to move forward, but its potential is too low, and it might even be a zero-improvement (Rean's magic sword and the future dragon breath are already stronger than them).

“Modern elves have their own elven magic, and their sword dancers' armor is also hollowed out, making it really weak. They mainly rely on dodging to avoid damage, which is also not suitable for you.”

Elven magic practitioners are often special spellcasters who have made a pact with a "sword." Their magic may be specifically designed to serve the sword, and they cannot be considered to be dual magic practitioners. Rather, it is more like a path of sword chanting that has been specially opened up.

Both the armor and sword must be specially made, and the magic of a particular system is also dedicated to a specific purpose. Rean can refer to this path, but he strongly discourages it.

"During the ancient war, sword chanters and sword dancers with excellent stats were wiped out in droves, becoming the most expensive and luxurious cannon fodder in history. They were too fragile." The snake's mouth was full of disdain.

Reality is not a game; no matter how quick your reflexes are, there are limits to how far you can dodge.

Once forced into a direct confrontation, or on a battlefield with little room to hide, they are shattered in droves, like eggs.

Snake had witnessed firsthand how a red dragon swept across the battlefield, its dragonfire covering the sword dancers' battle zone, leaving only charred corpses within seconds, or how a herd of mammoth war elephants trampled over them, leaving the elven sword chanters utterly powerless to resist.

"To be honest, they're just too physically weak to wear heavy armor, and they don't wear any protective gear to keep things as light as possible. In terms of actual combat, the elven knights they look down on are actually much better." Beasts don't need magic; they have their own innate abilities and the "Beast Arcane Arts" system, and their physical bodies are perhaps the best armor.

Giants actually have armor, and it's very powerful. They don't need magic anymore; their innate abilities are strong enough.

Among the dwarven units of the giant bloodline, their rune mages are heavily armored spellcasters.

They cast spells using prepared runes and runes, somewhat like heavily armored priests tearing scrolls apart; the heavy armor, of course, does not affect their spellcasting.

These are just some of the common magical and martial arts units in the main plane. As he spoke, the snake mentioned many races that Rean had never even heard of.

"You've seen the Machine Race, haven't you? She and her Creator Race are a two-in-one combat unit, capable of transforming their own bodies into armor and protective gear to protect the Creator Race in battle."

"The treant and the fairy might be able to help you; their spirit contract might be a good fit."

"Elemental beings' bodies are their armor, and their abilities can also be helpful."

"Oh right, and demons too, all sorts of infernal weapons and armor. Never mind, you're a paladin."

The snake didn't give a direct answer, but it gave Rean the methods of dual cultivation of magic and martial arts for each race. In the end, each race was trying to maximize their overall combat power.

Their heavy armor is to enhance their survivability, and their armor-piercing spellcasting is to ensure a stable spellcasting ability while protecting themselves.

"The most important thing is that you need to determine not just why you want to cast spells while wearing armor, but why you want to cultivate both magic and martial arts."

"In the end, what you are pursuing is immediate combat power. Some long-eared fighters who fight like dancing are the so-called magic and dance dual cultivators. Except for a very few top masters, elven sword dancers and elven sword chanters are basically wearing chainmail or even leather armor. They are thin-skinned, have low attack power, and are only melee fighters. They can be called magic warriors with the lowest lower limit."

It's normal to pursue the fusion of elements and physical forces; the dragon race is a typical example of this. In fact, every race has its own way of solving this problem.

Rean needs heavy armor because his primary profession is paladin, a combat profession that requires head-on confrontation with opponents. It's a battle of who dies first. If a knight is unarmored, he can only rely on his flesh and blood to withstand the attacks, and dying would be quite normal.

"This fighting style is actually very similar to that of the dragon race."

The enormous dragon is the king of the hunt, but in reality, he is also a master of combat.

Red dragons are masters of flight, adept at high-speed dive bombing (dragon breath); black dragons are masters of diving, water warfare, and swamp warfare ambush; blue dragons are not only adept at ambushes in various terrains, but also generally skilled in military planning and war games; even green dragons, who are accustomed to intrigue and trickery, are skilled in traps and jungle ambushes.

Who's missing? Well, let's just say the white dragon below the ancient white dragon is a wild beast and has been expelled from the dragon ranks.

The snake shook its tail, and phantom images of evil dragons appeared in mid-air.

The red dragon's sudden dive attack (dragon breath) is like a fighter jet breaking through the defense line.
The black dragon suddenly surfaced from underwater and pounced, like a shark leaping up to tear apart its prey.

The blue dragon, like an ant-lion, suddenly burst out of the sand and began to tear at the ground.

Even green dragons are adept at waiting for their prey among the trees, then suddenly turning and pouncing on them.

"Have you noticed that they are a bit like sharks, or Tyrannosaurus Rex, both of them are good at hunting prey?"

It suddenly accelerates and bursts into action, instantly completing a full-speed pounce.

During the all-out attack, with almost no protection, the opponent's counterattack was completely ignored, and it was a matter of seeing who would die first.

"So you mean I should learn from them?" With his dragon vein, Rean could also follow this path.

The scales will continue to harden, and the body muscles will become stronger, so why not just wear a dragon skin or use your own dragon skin to withstand the opponent's attacks and kill them?

“No, your path is a dead end. You are fundamentally different from them.” The snake seemed to be just waiting for Rean to jump into the dead end, then it laughed loudly.

"Dragon hide isn't as tough as you think. A weakling can't cut through it, but for a strong one, breaking through the hide isn't difficult. Even an ancient dragon can have its defenses easily breached by a high-level artifact."

This left Rean somewhat confused; how could the dragon race still be so powerful?

"The key point isn't hardness, it's size. They're big enough."

This is the reason why they can take the frontal assault route. They are not only heavily armored units, but also super-giant units. The older the dragon, the larger its size. An ancient dragon can grab an adult dragon with a single claw.

Even if you can break through its defenses, can a single needle kill a giant beast?

Even if a limb is severed, it is not a fatal injury. A dragon with a severed limb is like an ordinary person who has lost an arm; it can still grit its teeth and continue fighting.

"Dragons possess extremely strong vitality, and as children of the elements, their bodies are filled with elements. You can break through their skin and cut through their flesh, but the further you go in, the greater the resistance becomes."

Unless you shatter the dragon's heart and brain, or behead it, don't think you can easily kill an adult dragon.

Their prey is mostly much smaller than them, so they can kill them without armor.

But Rean is, after all, a humanoid creature. Even if he has evolved into the skin armor of an adult dragon, he can still be pierced by an opponent wielding a good sword.

He lacks sufficient "strategic depth." If his heart, liver, or lungs are pierced, he's doomed.

"Therefore, it's not worth it for you to fight head-on in your human form. What you need is special armor. Here are a few possibilities."

The snake first introduces the contract with the little fairy, an otherworldly creature that can provide "fairytale items" and "fantasy items," such as a lamp that never goes out or a little doll that can dance on its own.

If you find the Fairy King, you can also contract with him to create fantastical things like "heavy armor with no weight" and "shields that automatically block the opponent's arrows".

"The downside is that it encounters some anti-magic abilities. *snap*, the dream ends, and your armor is gone."

The second option is more feasible. Dwarves are not without good stuff. Top-tier enchanted mithril armor, with enough special runes, has very little impact on magic, and this armor is also very light and tough.

"The only problem is that it's very expensive, and it's extremely difficult to find a place where someone supposedly traded this set for an underground city with the 'Ancient Dwarf King'."

To satisfy Rean's needs, one would probably need a historical-level "artifact dwarf armor," which is virtually impossible to obtain.

The third one made Rean a little interested.

“Elemental beings, you see them as material beings in the prime plane, but many of them are actually energy beings. Their fleshy, materialized bodies can be used to make armor.”

Using elemental crystals as armor results in extremely reliable strength, while also being enhanced by corresponding elemental magic, making it practically perfect.

The downside is that it is easily detonated by incompatible elements. This can be mitigated by processing the outer shell.

Obtaining sufficiently pure materialized elemental crystals is no easy task; perhaps we should try to find an elemental lord to kill.

The fourth method, which is also an elven practice, is not the conventional swordsmanship, but rather a higher-level ancient elven magic.

“Elemental magic was taught to orcs by the ancient elves. They actually kept a secret.”

They made contracts with the elemental lords, "processing" their power, crystals, and even their very essence into various divine artifacts and magical weapons.

If we could find an ancient elven king, we could also customize a set of divine armor for Rean.

"The fifth one is even simpler. It's better to rely on yourself than on others. You're a multi-headed dragon, right? Next time, find a crystal dragon that's old enough. That stuff is much harder than any diamond."

The sixth are giants, who can forge truly divine armor.
The seventh race, an insectoid race that Rean had never even heard of, possessed biomaterial armor capable of creating elemental voids.
Rean was stunned; it seemed he could do every single one of them, and with remarkable results.

However, each of them involves foreign tribes, and I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to handle them all myself.

"Why don't you give me your recommendation?" Rean was stunned; he guessed the snake was just waiting for him to say that.

"Oh, what a picky customer. I have a 'bug' package here, I don't know if you'd be interested, it's just a bit pricey."

(End of this chapter)