Translator: CinderTL
As the golden characters finally solidified, it felt as if a final shackle had been shattered.
Roland's eyes snapped open. Deep within his pupils, countless miniature stars seemed to be born and extinguished, and veins of energy pulsed with light.
My Strength and Agility have increased by a full fifteen points! That's even more than the attribute bonus I got when I took the Extraordinary Profession of Knight! And...
He slowly raised his right hand and stared into his palm.
An unprecedented sense of "control," like a gentle stream, permeated every corner of his consciousness.
With a mere thought—
Vrumm!
A layer of Battle Qi, condensed into a physical form and shimmering with a blood-red luster, instantly enveloped his body.
This was no longer a simple energy coating. It was like a second skin, an extension of his own body. With a thought, he could subtly adjust its thickness, hardness, and even its energy properties.
He could feel that the defensive power of this Battle Qi shroud was comparable even to Dragon Scale Tough Skin.
Another thought—
The Battle Qi enveloping his body abruptly retracted, receding into his body like an ebbing tide.
But in the next instant, he clenched his right hand as if grasping an invisible hilt. A longsword made of highly compressed Battle Qi, its details as sharp and clear as a physical blade, materialized instantly in his hand.
Around the blade, the air distorted slightly from the intense concentration of energy, emitting a low hum.
This was no mere fleeting optical effect, but a true, physical construct of energy, capable of cutting and destroying.
This mastery of Battle Qi was a world apart from his previous attempts, where he could only barely coat a blade's surface with it.
But he wasn't finished.
Roland raised his left hand. Without drawing on his own mana, he issued a "Forced Command" through the Source Law Engine to the stagnant mana in the air. A small, blazing flame instantly ignited and danced upon his fingertip.
Its stability and responsiveness even surpassed the state he had achieved with Tracy's assistance.
At this moment, he himself was the ultimate mana coordinator.
Yet the deeper sensation came from the "harmony" of the powers within his body.
Before this, the wildness of his Dragon Bloodline, the ferocity of his Battle Qi, and the mana that he had to painstakingly channel through his dragonbone had coexisted without conflict, but they had always operated independently.
Now, under the grand and precise "rhythm" of the Source Law Engine, these three disparate forces were as if conducted by an invisible maestro into a single, magnificent symphony.
They retained their unique characteristics, yet could resonate perfectly when called upon, unleashing a power far greater than the sum of its parts.
He felt as if he had become the absolute master of energy.
With a single thought, he could dictate the form, nature, and intensity of his power.
The torrent of strength surged tirelessly within him, yet it was no longer turbulent or violent. Instead, it flowed with the effortless precision of an extension of his own will, filling him with the absolute confidence of omnipotence.
He slowly clenched his fist, feeling the eternal rhythm of the Source Law Engine—the core that now granted him infinite possibilities. A profound sense of liberation washed over him, as if he had shattered his shackles and stepped into a whole new realm.
Compared to before he entered this ruin, his strength had undergone a qualitative leap.
If he were to face the Rust Knight Order again, he wouldn't even need to activate any of his other traits. This newly awakened mastery of power alone would be enough to crush them completely in a casual conversation.
Moreover, Roland could clearly sense that the Source Law Engine—a trait mutated by the adaptive substrate—did not grant a one-time power boost. Instead, it would continuously evolve and strengthen as his own power grew.
This...
This is the true foundation for reaching the peak!
A wave of genuine admiration for the Creator surged in Roland's heart.
"To think a single, small substrate could bring about such a world-shaking transformation after integration... The 'Adaptive Resonance Protocol' truly lives up to its name."
With this thought, Roland's eyes filled with longing for that lost era.
To have mastered mana manipulation and energy coordination to such a divine level... Just how glorious and great must the Crystal Era have been?
And if the researchers at Observation Post No. 7 could create a miracle like the adaptive substrate, then—
A thought naturally surfaced.
Could other areas of this observation post still contain sealed artifacts of equal or even greater magnitude?
The idea set his heart ablaze.
Roland surveyed the vast Bottom-level Protocol Hall once more. After confirming there was nothing else of value besides the shattered construct remains and empty platforms, he turned and walked out without hesitation.
Back in the corridor, Roland unfolded the thick "Structural Diagram of Observation Post No. 7."
His gaze swept rapidly across the map's complex network of passages, eventually locking onto several areas marked as high-clearance or containing critical research functions.
The exploration that followed became a test of both strength and patience.
Many corridors and portals were completely blocked—either by millennia of accumulated silt and sand or by metal components that had collapsed due to structural deformation.
In the past, Roland might have spent a vast amount of time taking detours or simply given up.
But now...
He stood before a barrier of twisted metal and solidified earth and stone, his gaze sharpening.
Without any grand gesture, blood-red Battle Qi instantly converged on his right fist like an interwoven spiral. Under the exquisite coordination of the Source Law Engine, it achieved a perfect balance and amplification with the Dragon Bloodline within his body.
Boom!
He threw a punch. There was no earth-shattering explosion.
Yet the solid barrier, met with a dull thud, shattered and crumbled like a cookie struck by an invisible giant hammer, forcibly opening a path wide enough to pass through.
The flying debris was effortlessly deflected by the invisible energy field on his body as it approached.
Just like that, relying on the immense strength and precise energy control granted by the Source Law Engine, Roland advanced step by step toward the deeper regions marked on the map, carving his way through this ancient ruin that had slumbered for countless ages in a manner both brutal and efficient.
Time slipped away in the midst of excavation and exploration.
Bang!
Another dull thud echoed as the last giant stone blocking the path was pulverized by a kick infused with Roland's strength.
He let out a long sigh of relief, brushed the dust from his clothes, and gazed at the newly opened passage before him, then compared it once more with the map in his hand.
"So, this must be the last major area marked on the map—"
His eyes fell on the prominent label on the blueprint:
Finished Products Storage Vault.
Recalling his search through this vast ruin so far, Roland couldn't help but shake his head slightly.
Aside from the books in the central database and the adaptive substrate in the Bottom-level Protocol Hall, his findings in other areas had been meager at best.
Many workshops and storage rooms were completely empty.
Judging by the remaining traces, this observation post seemed to have suffered some sudden, unexpected calamity in ancient times. The researchers had hastily gathered most of the important materials before evacuating, leaving behind only these ruins frozen in time.
This was why he hadn't found the special materials and dedicated tools necessary to forge the "Entropic Cinder Core" in the areas labeled as the Materials Pre-processing Center and precision workshop. His initially high expectations had been tinged with a faint sense of disappointment.
"I hope this last Finished Products Storage Vault won't send me back empty-handed."
Gazing at the forcibly breached passage ahead, Roland stepped forward, clinging to his final shred of hope.
Unlike the other areas of the ruins, the vault's defenses were far more formidable.
The moment he entered the corridor leading to the main vault, a piercing alarm shattered the silence.
Instantly, hidden compartments slid open in the walls on both sides of the corridor, revealing several hovering drones—their metallic, honeycomb-like frames bristling with firing ports. Rotating energy turrets extended from the ceiling and floor.
More menacing still, four magitech constructs, bulkier in design and armed with massive tower shields and unfamiliar blades, marched heavily from concealed bays. Their crimson electronic eyes instantly locked onto the intruder.
Before obtaining the Source Law Engine, Roland would have been forced into a desperate struggle—perhaps even a tactical retreat—facing such a dense network of firepower and obviously superior constructs in such a confined space.
But now...
Facing the torrent of energy beams and the constructs charging with massive blades, Roland didn't even draw his Radiant Moon Longsword. He simply raised his right hand.
Voom!
A dark-gold Battle Qi screen, condensed into a tangible wall, instantly materialized before him. The incoming energy beams struck the screen, only to be annihilated into nothingness after stirring a few ripples.
Simultaneously, he clenched his left fist. The immense dragon force, mixed with mana refined by the Source Law Engine, transformed into several invisible yet substantial shockwaves. They slammed into the energy cores on the chests of the four heavy constructs like heavy hammers.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Four dull thuds rang out almost simultaneously, and the constructs' forward momentum came to a dead halt. Their chest plates visibly caved in, followed by the jarring sound of internal components shattering. The red lights in their eyes flickered a few times before extinguishing completely, leaving them as mere scrap metal.
As for the drones and turrets, they were felled by the solidified Battle Qi blades Roland casually swung, which precisely severed their energy conduits or smashed their cores. They crashed to the ground, sparking and short-circuiting.
The entire process took only a few breaths.
Roland's expression remained unchanged as he stepped over the debris-strewn floor and approached the massive metal gate.
Repeating his earlier method, he pressed both palms against the door. The Source Law Engine supplied a continuous torrent of immense strength.
Creeeeeak—KABOOM!
With a bone-jarring screech of twisting metal and a shower of light from shattering runes, the gate was forced open by sheer brute force.
But the sight behind the door brought Roland to a sudden halt.
It was a far cry from the orderly rows of gleaming, completed devices he had expected. The interior of the sealed vault was a scene of absolute chaos.
Storage racks lay toppled and broken, many of them completely empty.
The floor was littered with shattered containers, snapped tools, and unrecognizable metal fragments.
Deep scratches and energy scorch marks marred the walls.
This didn't look like the result of a planned evacuation by the researchers. It looked more like—
A robbery.
The Rust Knight Order? Or some other unknown explorers?
Questions swirled in Roland's mind, only to be instantly replaced by an even greater one.
"No, that's not right. The outer defenses are intact. How did they get past all those layers of security without triggering the alarms—or rather, how did they get through after triggering them, completely unscathed, just to loot the place?"
With this mix of wariness and confusion, Roland cautiously stepped into the wreckage.
He searched every corner, overturning each fallen shelf, but the results were disheartening. Almost every item of potential value had been taken or destroyed, leaving behind only genuine trash and debris.
Shaking his head slightly, Roland pressed deeper.
After several hundred steps, he finally reached the warehouse's core zone. Here, his gaze was drawn to the only row of metal shelving that remained intact and neatly upright.
Unlike the chaos in the other areas, this shelf held a diverse array of thousands of items—tools, components, and strange artifacts of unknown purpose.
A flash of surprise crossed Roland's eyes.
"These items look completely undamaged. Why did the looters spare this spot alone?"
With this thought, he slowly approached. Beside the shelf stood a tilted sign made of a crystal-like material, inscribed with clear ancient script:
Temporary Storage Area for Unfinished and Defective Products Awaiting Recycling
"Unfinished... Defective... Products?"
Roland murmured the words, his brow furrowing slightly.
Could the grand discovery he had pinned his hopes on be nothing more than a pile of failures—trash discarded by the ancients?
(End of the Chapter)
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