As the smoke and dust drifted apart, the entire battlefield fell into a dead silence.

Above the cliff, Avril stared at the tall figure below, sword in hand, complicated light moving through her emerald eyes.

"How is this possible..."

She murmured softly, her slender fingers tightening around the bowstring.

"His strength is improving at an absurd pace. He even... didn't use that powerful fire spell. With pure physical strength alone, he..."

Images of Roland cutting through the battlefield flashed through her mind. The Elf girl's throat tightened, and her tongue brushed over her dry lips.

"The Goddess of Death's eye is indeed unique, but..."

Her gaze fell below.

The young man who had just emerged from a bloody battle could still give Teresa a warm smile.

Avril pressed a fingertip against her lips, brow furrowing.

"This doesn't seem to match Lolth the Spider Queen's prophecy."

As her thoughts churned, coldness appeared on her bright face, as though she had remembered something deeply disgusting.

"Heh. That despicable god full of lies may be playing some trick again..."

She shook her head, suppressed the scattered thoughts, and raised the corner of her mouth in self-mockery.

"Still... I am not the only one those hateful gods are watching."

A breeze passed, gently stirring her short brown hair. Avril's gaze rested on Roland, and a subtle resonance stirred deep in her eyes.

"How could someone like him become Shar's apostle? Could he be like me, forced to bear the shackles of a god merely because of an absurd dream?"

The thought stirred a strange emotion in her heart.

Was it curiosity? Investigation? Or...

Some wordless sense of belonging?

She exhaled softly. Her agile figure leaped down with the lightness of a forest deer, approaching the person who might share the same affliction.

Roland naturally had no way of knowing the complicated thoughts moving through Avril's mind.

Clang!

After confirming that the Bugbear was completely dead, Roland drove the longsword in his hand heavily into the ground with a clear metallic tremor.

The mithril blade sank deep into the soil, becoming the only support for his swaying body.

"Hah... hah... hah..."

His sturdy chest heaved violently. Every breath tore at his lungs, and scorching pain spread from his throat into his chest.

Teresa stood frozen in place, her pupils trembling.

Every image from the battle replayed in her mind.

Roland's dragonlike movement. The fatal arcs traced by his sword edge. That final stunning strike that severed the Bugbear's head.

Strength like this...

It had completely exceeded her understanding.

But at that moment, all that shock was replaced by another, stronger emotion.

Her gaze locked onto Roland.

Beneath the tattered leather armor, his exposed skin was covered in fine wounds, and fresh blood dripped down.

"Mr. Roland, you..."

Her usually cold voice carried a nearly imperceptible tremor.

She quickly stepped forward, only to stop two steps away from Roland after realizing her own loss of composure. She turned her face aside and silently took a clean piece of gauze from the pouch at her waist.

"Don't worry, Teresa."

Looking at the worried silver-haired woman before him, Roland gave her a gentle smile.

"They're only superficial wounds."

Roland was not deliberately forcing himself to look strong.

The battle with the Bugbear had looked fierce, but his injuries were not as severe as those from his battle with Gundar.

As his physical qualities improved, even the constantly growing strength and speed under the effect of [Fighting Spirit] remained within the range his body could endure.

The only real injury was the dull pain left inside his body from overloading the breathing method.

But Roland had grown used to this level of pain through countless training sessions, and a few days of quiet rest would heal it.

As for the crisscrossing blood marks on his body, they were only scratches from flying stones.

Although the bloodstained appearance looked frightening, they were shallow wounds that barely needed bandaging.

Even so, Roland still accepted the white gauze. Feeling his legs tremble slightly, he said, "However, Teresa, I may have to trouble you to keep watch around us. I probably... need to rest for a little while."

Teresa carefully observed Roland's expression. Only after confirming that he was not forcing himself did she solemnly nod.

Then she cleanly drew her sword. Her silver hair lifted in the wind, and her sharp gaze swept vigilantly over every shadow around them.

Roland sat down against a rock and began reviewing the battle while he rested.

Recalling the Bugbear's terrifying combat power, he shook his head.

"If not for Avril and the others assisting from the side, even if I went all out, I probably would have had difficulty defeating it completely. And..."

He rubbed the sword hilt in thought, his brow tightening.

"A single Bugbear, recorded in ancient texts as possessing only average strength, already forced me to give everything... Then how terrifying must those monsters stronger than it be?"

Roland raised his head and looked at the clear sky, almost seeing that brilliant ancient era beyond the clouds.

"And before the Final Era, the powerhouses of the various races could suppress all those monsters... What realm did the strong of that time reach? Forget it..."

Pulling back his drifting thoughts, Roland sighed.

"If I encounter this kind of physically powerful enemy again, perhaps I should use [Fire Bolt] first to seize the initiative. Only..."

Recalling the Bugbear's terrifying speed, Roland shook his head inwardly.

It was not that he had forgotten Fire Bolt during the battle. Under the dual states of [Fighting Spirit] and [Focus], while circulating the breathing method at full force, he had no attention to spare for casting a cantrip.

Even with the Extra Buff [Twin Martial Performance], if he could not concentrate enough mental power, the [Fire Bolt] he released would not be able to pierce the Bugbear's thick hide. It would only disrupt his own attack rhythm.

"Recently I've focused too much on the breathing method and neglected cantrip practice... Right!"

Just as he was warning himself, Roland suddenly remembered the strange light film that had appeared when he killed the Bugbear.

"What exactly was that? It could actually block my full-force strike... Although ancient records say Bugbears do obtain certain special abilities because of their faith in deities, they never mentioned them being able to cast spells... Could it have been some kind of magical item?"

As he thought, the battle aura surging within his body began to calm.

When the last scorching sensation faded, Roland moved his limbs and confirmed there was no problem. He was just about to stand when a line of dazzling golden text suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[Upon inspection, you qualify for the hidden occupation: Dragonborn]

[Requirements: Dragon Bloodline]

"Another hidden occupation? Dragonborn..."

Recalling the tragic fate Galvez had once mentioned for those who forcibly fused with bloodlines, Roland did not feel joy this time. Instead, his brow tightened.

With a thought, the transparent occupation panel unfolded.

Beneath the race column, a brand-new line of text had appeared clearly:

[Human + Dragon]

[Current bloodline fusion: 1%]

"Wait..."

The sudden change shook Roland's heart.

"The occupation panel displayed it like this... was it merely recording the process? Or did it mean... it could help me offset the side effects of bloodline fusion?"

"But... why did the bloodline fusion prompt suddenly appear?"

The sensation from the battle returned: boiling blood and scorching battle aura surging against one another. Roland fell into thought.

"Could it be because activating [Fighting Spirit] and overloading the breathing method at the same time produced some kind of strange resonance?"

After thinking hard without results, Roland could only set the question aside for now and continue checking the panel.

"One battle actually made [Nameless Knight Breathing Method] surge by more than thirty experience points and reach level three? It seemed that, like other techniques, real combat improved it far more than daily training. And..."

When he saw that the [Knight Apprentice] job requirement of "organize a squad to defeat powerful enemies" had changed from 0/3 to 1/3, Roland clenched his fist.

"After defeating two more powerful enemies, I can meet the job requirements! However..."

His gaze fell back onto the Bugbear's enormous corpse, and he shook his head.

Based on what he knew, among the monsters that had appeared outside the Misty Lands, this was probably the only one with such strength.

If he wanted to find more powerful enemies, he might have to enter the Misty Lands.

Just as Roland stared at the corpse and fell into thought, he noticed something unusual on the Bugbear's body beneath the glaring sunlight.

He was about to step forward and examine it when hurried footsteps came from behind.

With them came a melodious tune and an extremely exaggerated voice.

"Oh! Gods above! Roland!"

Galvez plucked the strings with his fingertips and leaped to Roland's side in a dancer's step.

His amber eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Look at what a miracle you have created, my dear warrior! Not only did you personally slay a Bugbear, but even more astonishingly..."

The bard's voice trembled with excitement.

"You actually shattered the barrier of Shield with pure physical strength!"

"Wait, Galvez..."

Roland was not moved by the praise. Instead, his brow tightened.

"You mean... that transparent barrier was Shield?"

Roland was not unfamiliar with this basic abjuration spell after reading the ancient texts Bronson had brought.

As one of the most practical first-circle spells, Shield could effectively weaken magical damage.

Moreover, if the caster's attainments were deep enough, it could even completely block physical attacks.

"Absolutely!"

Galvez nodded with certainty, and the strings trembled with the motion.

"Back in Ever Song Forest, I personally saw the Elven elders cast this spell. Look..."

As he spoke, this informal bard did not mind the blood covering the ground at all. He bent down and laboriously removed a ring set with a crystal from the Bugbear's thick finger.

"There must be Shield runes engraved inside this ring. Otherwise, with a Bugbear's aptitude, how could it possibly master spellcasting?"

When the cold metal fell into his palm, Roland felt an irrepressible thrill.

This kind of magical item engraved with spell runes required no complicated casting preparation. As long as one knew how to guide mental power, one could instantly activate the spell sealed within.

This meant that aside from those basic cantrips, he finally had the chance to grasp a true spell in the real sense.

What he cared about even more was...

Recalling the battle just now, the nearly instant speed with which the Bugbear had cast Shield through the ring made Roland's breathing quicken.

Casting through this ring completely skipped the long process of gathering Mana Elements and guiding mental power.

Used properly, it could deploy a defense during fierce battle without warning and disrupt an enemy's attack rhythm.

Even if the shield could not completely block an attack from a powerful enemy, a moment's breathing room would be enough to decide victory or defeat on a battlefield where life and death were at stake.

"Unfortunately..."

Galvez looked at the dim, cloudy crystal on the ring and clicked his tongue regretfully.

"That Shield just now exhausted all the mana stored in the ring. Now... it is nothing more than an ordinary object."

"Ironically, spellcasters before the Final Era were always this extravagant, fond of making these magical items that become useless after only a few uses..."

Hearing this, the corner of Roland's mouth lifted.

Others might be helpless, but he was different.

He knew Bronson, that scholar obsessed with magical research.

Even more coincidentally, that scholar's proudest achievement was precisely spell circuits capable of drawing free mana from the air.

As long as he handed this ring to him for research...

"Teresa, Galvez..."

Thinking of this, Roland scratched his head awkwardly.

"Could I... I mean, Mr. Bronson might..."

Just then, a clear voice came from behind.

"Roland."

Everyone turned and saw Avril standing quietly in the morning light at some unknown time.

The Elf girl's emerald eyes were smiling.

"You were the one who defeated the Bugbear, so the spoils are yours to handle."

She blinked playfully, then patted her chest with lingering fear.

"That really scared me just now. If not for you..."

Her slender finger swept across everyone.

"We probably would all have become torn dolls under that monster's claws."

After her words fell, Teresa solemnly nodded in agreement.

As for Galvez...

The usually noisy bard's mouth twitched, but under Avril's meaningful gaze, he forced out a smile uglier than crying and mechanically nodded.

"Then thank you, everyone."

Roland bowed solemnly.

He knew perfectly well that without the help of the companions before him, he could not have killed this Bugbear by himself.

Moreover, this monster extermination operation had been his personal affair to begin with, yet aside from Galvez's occasional muttering, everyone had helped him without complaint.

Regardless of their reasons, Roland would never ignore this very real favor just because they were friends.

"If there is ever anything you need from me in the future..."

He raised his head, his sincere gaze sweeping over each person's face.

"Please do not hesitate to ask."

The others looked at one another and smiled.

Teresa brushed her slightly messy silver hair behind her ear and spoke first.

"Then I will not be polite, Mr. Roland. I heard the pan-fried silver cod at the Moonwatch Hall in the royal capital tastes excellent..."

Before she finished, Avril had already moved close to Roland's side like a breeze, her green eyes bright with sly light.

"Roland, I don't need anything so extravagant. As long as I can taste stew made personally by you at your home, that is enough."

"After all, in this world, there is probably no one better than you at harmonizing spices."

After her words fell, the smile at the corner of Teresa's lips stiffened almost imperceptibly.

Some nameless displeasure flickered through her heart, though even she herself did not notice the reason.

Galvez completely ignored the subtle atmosphere between the two ladies.

He waved his quill frantically, ink flowing across the parchment in smooth lines.

"Don't move! Keep that pose! Gods, this composition is perfect! The silhouette of a hero standing before the corpse of a monster. I must write this scene into the third chapter of Demon-Slaying Aria!"

Watching his companions make a lively mess, Roland shook his head and laughed.

Then he turned and walked toward the Bugbear's corpse, narrowing his eyes beneath the glaring noon sunlight.

Suddenly, his brow furrowed.

Cold light flashed from the mithril longsword, precisely cutting open the thick hide at the monster's neck.

As a foul rush of bloody air hit him, several clusters of pale blue crystals appeared before his eyes.

They were embedded in the flesh like ice, refracting a strange halo beneath the sunlight.