Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 414 Dragon Monk
Life has dreams, each of which is wonderful.

The diversity of life has given Rean so many surprises every time.

"No one has publicly admitted to the assassination, but seven or eight organizations and forces are implying that they were responsible. None of them are top-tier organizations; they are all local fringe religious study groups or mercenary groups."

Some people fear this "merit," while others are eager to wear it on their heads.

A chaotic city, a multitude of conflicting forces, some yearning for adventure and advancement, others longing for stability.
“I expelled a mistress and her family, along with her servants and descendants, and confiscated all the property she left in the area. I’ll give it to you as compensation.”

The next day, Dania gave her a reward.

"Alright. Set aside a portion and give some money to those who participated in the raid."

Rean understood immediately and was certain that this was probably the best outcome.

The key point is never who did it, but how to deal with it after it happens.

News of Rean's assassination spread faster than expected, and the fact that the person behind it deliberately spread the news was clearly embarrassing. But at this time, "considering the big picture" would seem weak. Only by fighting back fiercely could they prove their strength and avoid some additional trouble.

If others think you're easy to bully, then you really are easy to bully.

That small family also hinted that they were involved. Perhaps they were trying to make a name for themselves in the mercenary market.

In the Dark Elf's style of play, such hints of "we did XX quest" are no big deal, since no one will actually admit it anyway, and the truth will always be mixed in with rumors.

However, the Dark Elves are also somewhat "too rule-bound." The habit of "not being discovered is not a crime" from the time of Lolth led them to have a set of rules for verbal battles: everyone knows you did it, but without evidence, everyone pretends not to know. They will find another opportunity to retaliate in private next time.

"The truth doesn't matter at all. Anyway, many forces want you dead, but not many dare to actually do it. But if we don't show enough 'anger' or even hysteria, this will never end."

The expulsion of this small family wasn't even primarily because of Rean.
The main reason is that they primarily work as mercenaries, but also act as assassins, committing numerous headless murders.

Given their race's criminal arts, they might never find any evidence in their lifetime; they are professionals at destroying evidence and traces. But neither Dania nor Rean intended to seek any evidence.

Since I am a feudal lord with royal power, I can just find a reason to label you.

If it were other races, there might be room for debate and appeals, but since they are dark elves, even dogs wouldn't speak up for them, and other dark elves would rather they die.

"As long as the result is good, that's enough."

Seeing Dania say such things, Rean also felt something subtle. It seemed that, without realizing it, the princess who lacked confidence and decisiveness had changed.

The little incident passed quickly. To outsiders, Rean seemed to be less active due to the "assassination attempt." But in reality, he had simply lost his paladin powers. If this were to become widely known, it would be difficult to explain.

"Ten days at most, that's a good time to settle down, cultivate properly, and reorganize."

Rean's stated reason was that he was going into seclusion to cultivate, which outsiders thought was just an excuse, but it was indeed what he had been wanting to do recently.

However, his seclusion earned him the approval of his own side. Recently, his reputation has become too prominent, and his series of achievements have brought too much attention. As Dania's first knight, he has also greatly increased the prestige of the princess.

This may not be a good thing for the current cooperation mechanism among the major powers. At least in the eyes of many people, Rean does need to keep a low profile.

He himself didn't seem to care much; he had more important things to do.

With Lana and Hela as his training opponents, his improvement speed is very fast. A first-level monk is always first-level, and his actual combat strength is quite subtle, but some things have indeed undergone fundamental changes.

"That's interesting. Even without the abilities of a paladin, my current combat strength might not be weaker than before." Rean was quite satisfied with his training speed and also took the opportunity to spend some quality time with Lana and Hela.

"He's not as good against evil creatures, dragons, and giants as before, but if it's just about killing, he's definitely stronger than before." Hela judged that even now, Rean could still fight the Great Warrior to the death.

The biggest change is not the improvement in hardware attributes; in fact, the data and instantaneous output have even slightly decreased.

“By the standard of killing, the monk is probably the most perfect profession.” Looking at the training grounds that had been reduced to ruins, Hela sighed. She had lost several swords in the past few days.

"Many people have a prejudice against monks, thinking that they only fight with their fists. In fact, their whole body and even things outside the body are their weapons."

Shoulder strikes, kicks, knee strikes—anything that is part of your own body can be used as a weapon.

The reason why fists are used more often is simply because it is easier to protect the arms with air; high-ranking monks can even kill people with their breath.

"Dragon feathers, dragon claws, dragon head, dragon tail"

Rean, on the other hand, is even more outrageous in this respect, with more "limbs" and "fangs and claws" than anyone else.

His aura is quite limited, or rather, its quantity is quite astonishing (the life energy of a three-headed dragon), but its quality is problematic. Its multi-elemental attributes and multi-headed nature make the aura very mixed and chaotic. This is not a major problem; it's just a loss of control due to a low-level monk being equipped with a high-level body. As long as he continues to improve his monk level, he will eventually make the aura controllable.

"It could be used to strengthen oneself and enhance self-healing."

The towering "half-dragon," with its tail and two dragon heads under its canopy, continuously leaps up and down in its dragon chariot.

With its formidable strength and stable control, the dragon wings adjusted the wind direction, and the thick-skinned half-dragon constantly exchanged wounds with its human companions, using its qi and divine arts to heal and support itself.

The dragon is the king of hardware and attributes.

The Dragon Monk is an extremely overpowered melee unit, a truly insane fighting force that can fully utilize its advantageous attributes.

"Uh, why are Dragonborn Monks and True Dragon Monks so rare? Okay, I was talking nonsense."

After confirming the absurd compatibility between this profession and race, Rean was still a little curious as to why such hybrid professions were extremely rare.

But he quickly realized it.
"Martial monks are extremely rare." Martial monks are the epitome of training to the point of near death. Given other options, no one would choose to leave this self-torturing lifestyle and training method.

Dragons and their offspring have such excellent innate conditions; what profession can't they do? Even becoming a mage is an innate elemental blessing, so why torture themselves through arduous cultivation?

"Blue Dragon Monks do exist, but they rarely leave the desert."

Blue dragons are also a unique race among the true dragons. In fact, none of the branches of the true dragons are like normal people. In a sense, blue dragons are the proper people among them—proper evil and tyrants.

They are somewhat similar to the sapphire dragons of the same color, having grown up in a life of asceticism and militarism. Unlike the solitary sapphire dragons, they are extremely rare "family dragons." They will actively interfere in the mortal realm, control trade routes, and even secretly control kingdoms.

The reason for mentioning this is that in Rean's "home" desert kingdom, there are some rather powerful blue dragon families, some of whom have even become part of the kingdom under the alias "human nobles".

These power-hungry dragons are rare and unusual creatures who are extremely willing to mingle with "mortals".

The Blue Dragon Clan is an extremely rare dragon bloodline with a very clear hierarchical structure. Descendants must prove their worth to the clan leader and their predecessors, and real combat strength is the greatest value of a young dragon. In this regard, the harsh environment of the desert is also suitable for honing the skills of a hardworking monk.

"Perhaps later, I can go to the desert to cultivate in seclusion."

The training of a martial monk is a lifelong endeavor, and after entering the sect, there are countless branches.

The more powerful the monastery, the more "main roads" it can take, and the more numerous and detailed the career branches it can offer.

That Dragon Monastery in the desert has a history of at least a thousand years, and its lineage of cultivation paths is probably the most complete.

Rean doesn't need to envy those blue dragons; he has his own good teacher.

"Four Symbols Monk, Shadow Monk, and Striker (Fighting) Monk. This hero's legacy is truly complete."

(End of this chapter)