Translator: CinderTL
Under Roland's gaze, the armor covering his entire body began a stunning metamorphosis.
The once slightly heavy plating seemed to "come alive," as if infused with a living spirit.
A faint, dense click-clack emanated from the joints of the armor plates. Its structure was undergoing self-adjustment and optimization at a visible speed.
The cold, matte surface appeared to be washed from within by the deep blue core energy, shedding the accumulated grime of ages. It now radiated a profound, night-sky-deep dark blue metallic luster, with starlight specks of the same origin as the [Heart of the Spellweaver] faintly flowing across it.
At the same time, the armor's lines became smoother and more closely fitted to Roland's form.
The pauldrons, gauntlets, and greaves were reshaped, shedding unnecessary angles in favor of curves brimming with power. This made the overall ensemble no longer look bulky, but rather like a second skin designed for speed and explosive force.
The articulation at the joints became more delicate and flexible, allowing for unhindered movement.
The faceplate had also become more streamlined, its visual sensor area pulsing with a calm, icy blue light.
But the most striking change began at the "Heart of the Spellweaver" embedded in the center of his belt.
From there, slender, brilliant veins of azure energy spread out like a plant's root system, tracing pre-existing, previously dormant channels within the armor. They rapidly covered his entire body, forming a complex and mysterious neural network. These energy veins pulsed faintly in sync with the core's beat, as if pumping blood and soul into the armor itself.
This is... a complete transformation—
Roland stared down at his newly revitalized arms, feeling an unprecedentedly tight bond between his body and the armor. He was awestruck. This was no longer just wearing a piece of equipment; it felt as if he had merged with a living, powerful symbiote.
Yet, beyond the dramatic change in appearance, what truly sent a shockwave through Roland's mind was...
Boom!
He had merely clenched his fist in a subconscious gesture, yet a faint sonic boom echoed through the air.
A sense of power, far surpassing his normal state, surged naturally from his every limb and bone, as if he could tear through steel with his bare hands.
Sensing this anomaly, Roland tentatively took a step forward.
The next moment, his body seemed to lose all weight, gliding several meters forward with a speed so fluid it left him astonished. This was not merely a boost in strength, but a comprehensive enhancement of his agility and reaction speed.
Immediately after, a thought naturally surfaced in his mind.
Defense.
As the thought arose, the deep blue energy patterns on his left arm flared to life. The light swiftly converged and expanded on the outer side of his forearm, instantly forming a translucent, pale blue rhomboid shield of pure energy.
The shield's surface shimmered with a flowing radiance, emitting a steady energy pulse. He could even feel it slowly drawing in the faint mana from the surrounding air to sustain its existence.
Strength, agility, and a nearly instantaneous energy shield.
And these were merely the initial changes.
Roland's superhumanly sharp senses captured deeper information.
He could clearly feel the energy flowing between the Heart of the Spellweaver at his waist and the armor. Though the flow was immense and steady, it wasn't a hundred percent seamless.
Between the two, there seemed to be an extremely thin "barrier" that required time to wear down and adapt to.
This core—it wasn't custom-made for this armor, Roland realized.
It's only because of its incredibly high compatibility that it can drive and enhance the armor so smoothly.
The current resonance was more like a powerful but temporary "fit," rather than a perfect "fusion."
This meant that if given enough time for the armor's system to fully familiarize itself with and deeply integrate the Heart of the Spellweaver's energy characteristics...
The armor's effectiveness would absolutely soar to a level he couldn't even imagine right now.
Only after realizing this did Roland fully focus his attention on the deep blue core at the center of his belt.
Although the stats on his Job Panel weren't updating in real-time, Roland could still gauge the effects through his precise control over his own strength.
While wearing the armor, his Strength and Agility stats received a percentage-based boost.
The magnitude of this increase sent a jolt through his heart.
He knew that the comprehensive stat boost from successfully advancing to the extraordinary profession of [Knight] had only granted a mere 12 points to Strength and Agility individually.
Yet now, the initial fusion of the armor and its core alone provided a stat boost that surpassed the entire bonus of an extraordinary profession.
Furthermore, as his own base stats increased, this boost would continue to rise—acting like a permanent buff.
What exactly is the origin of this Heart of the Spellweaver?
Roland gazed at the artifact slowly rotating within the belt, its interior swirling with a star-like nebula, his mind filled with questions.
Its appearance possessed a futuristic, sci-fi aesthetic that defied its era, yet Roland could clearly sense that the core's energy remained rooted in the realm of magic elements.
This sensation wasn't the result of a new energy source being created. Instead, it felt as if the gentle, dispersed magic elements permeating heaven and earth had been forcibly condensed and compressed to an extreme degree—by some technology beyond his comprehension—and then tightly bound within this tiny core.
"But this technology..."
Roland shook his head slowly, a chill creeping through his heart.
The magic elements in the air were usually gentle and stable. But once compressed to such an inconceivable density, the energy contained within would become terrifyingly unstable.
The technical difficulty and the precision required to control such energy were simply monstrous.
If even the slightest error occurred during the compression or containment process, causing the energy to spiral out of control—
The result would be nothing short of a world-shattering explosion.
It would be enough to instantly wipe the entire ruins of the Granary Hall, along with the vast surrounding region, completely off the map.
"The technology of the Crystal Era..."
Roland took a deep breath, his voice laced with an indescribable mix of awe, reverence, and a hint of wariness.
"It's truly awe-inspiring. And not just that..."
Roland slowly closed his eyes, focusing his senses on the faint yet continuous flow of energy within his body.
The next second, he opened them again, his pupils shining with irrepressible delight.
"I never expected—this core can actually actively draw in the magic elements dispersed in the air, then perfectly convert them through the armor to directly replenish my body!"
"Let's see what its limit is—"
Driven by intense curiosity, Roland focused his will, attempting to drive the [Heart of the Spellweaver] into a higher-load operational state.
In an instant, the core at his waist blazed with brilliant light, and the star-swirl within it suddenly accelerated.
An invisible yet clearly perceptible energy vortex formed with Roland at its center, frantically seizing the magic elements from the surrounding air.
The once-peaceful, permeating energy now surged in like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, greedily absorbed, compressed, and purified by the core.
It then transformed into an even more majestic and pure torrent of energy, continuously pouring into his body through the armor's energy network.
The surge of power was so immense that it created the illusion of his body being filled to the brim, his strength swelling to the point of nearly overflowing.
The deep-blue energy runes all over his body shone with blinding intensity, as if blue electric arcs were leaping and flowing across the armor's surface.
Unlike the slow drain of mana through the dragonbone on his wrist, the mana drawn and transmitted by the [Heart of the Spellweaver] was several times more efficient, rushing in like a floodgate thrown open.
More importantly, this mana—refined and purified by the core—had become exceptionally pure and docile. It could integrate directly into his own energy circulation to replenish his reserves with almost no mental power required for control.
The difference between the two methods was like comparing a crude, heavy stone axe to a divine weapon forged from mithril. It was a night-and-day difference.
Just as Roland was savoring the magnificent sensation of this surging power and the tidal wave of mana pouring into him, familiar lines of golden text reappeared in his field of vision. But this time, their behavior was completely different.
[Abnormal energy circulation pattern detected...]
Analyzing energy source... Parsing energy conduction path... ——————
The subtitles abruptly froze, leaving only a long string of blinking ellipses.
It was as if a running program had suddenly encountered an incomprehensible problem and fallen into a logical loop.
A flicker of doubt rose in Roland's mind.
What's happening?
The sight before him was just like the system lags and unresponsive programs he had seen in his past life.
Just then, the frozen golden subtitles violently began to scroll again, but the content they displayed made his heart tighten.
Error! Energy Absorption Module not activated! Error! No supporting skills or traits detected! Re-scanning... Error! Logical Conflict! Error...
The continuously flashing, crimson-red word "Error" instantly put Roland on edge.
This state of complete, out-of-control anomaly was unprecedented.
He frowned, focusing all his attention on the changes in the panel.
After this unsettling silence lasted for a few seconds, the frantically refreshing error messages abruptly stopped.
The golden text resumed its steady flow, as if the recent chaos had been nothing more than a passing storm.
[Redefining energy acquisition protocols...]
[Integration complete.]
[Skill acquired: Mana Induction. Current Level: Lv.1]
[High-concentration arcane energy source detected: Heart of the Spellweaver]
[Analyzing energy source tier... Analysis complete...]
[Energy Source Tier: High]
[Recalibrating...]
[Simulating energy characteristics... Reconstructing perception module...]
[Calibration complete.]
[Characteristic: Mana Induction has been upgraded.]
[Skill learned: Arcane Siphon. Current Level: Lv.1]
(End of the Chapter)
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