Translator: CinderTL
Glorious Execution: When the oath of guardianship resonates with the berserk soul, a brutal battlefield contract is born.
You can forge an invisible chain of oath with a marked comrade, transferring the vast majority of his pain and misfortune onto yourself.
When you turn your blood-burning gaze upon enemies who dare harm your "guardian," your berserk soul will ignite with unprecedented ferocity. Every fragment of suffering will transform into hotter flames of fury, every thread of sacrifice into purer strength.
The moment you deliver the final judgment of blood with your weapon, successfully ending the challenger's life, his dissipating vitality will become a nourishing spring, mending your wounds and cleansing the curses you bear.
Your fated comrade will also feel this surge of vitality and the explosive burst of unwavering resolve born from victory.
As Roland read the information in his vision, the light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
This was different from the extreme personal combat art of Body as Weapon. It was a powerful force born from resonance with the Apprentice Knight profession, one that emphasized teamwork and the domain of guardianship.
"A perfect battle cycle..." Roland murmured, instantly grasping the terrifying potential of this trait.
First, it provided unparalleled team survival.
He could actively forge an "oath chains" with a teammate, directly absorbing most of the damage they sustained. This meant he could become their most steadfast shield in critical moments, allowing vulnerable spellcasters and archers to unleash their firepower without hesitation, and emboldening front-line warriors to execute more daring tactical maneuvers. A protector who feared no harm to his teammates possessed immeasurable strategic value.
Second, it featured a terrifying counter-attack mechanism that transformed pain into strength. This wasn't mere sacrifice; it was about converting endured damage into fuel for vengeance. When enemies dared to harm his "guardians," the agony transmitted through the oath chains didn't weaken him. Instead, it acted like hot oil poured onto a raging fire, causing his "Berserk Soul" to burn with even greater ferocity. This meant every successful enemy attack against his teammates could be striking their own death knell, personally forging a more terrifying avenger.
Finally, it possessed the ability to secure victory through harvesting and restoration.
When he successfully slew an enemy that had harmed his teammates, he not only healed himself from the dual damage caused by the Link and Berserk Soul by absorbing the enemy's vitality.
He could also channel this vitality into his teammates, instantly boosting their overall condition.
This was nothing short of a divine skill in prolonged battles or desperate comebacks!
This is no longer mere individual valor...
Roland was deeply shaken.
This is a miniature war system centered around me, integrating absolute protection, threat redirection, damage conversion, and status recovery!
While this additional benefit might seem balanced on its own, when combined with the Solitary Bastion and Oath Guardian traits granted by the knight class...
It would transform him from a powerful individual combatant into an absolute core supporting the entire team and dictating the course of battle.
This granted him the authority to control the battlefield's rhythm and define the terms of victory.
On a certain level, its value even surpassed that of mere strength enhancement.
Just as Roland was carefully savoring the implications of Glorious Execution, the familiar golden radiance unexpectedly descended upon him once more.
In that instant, it was as if the raging blood surging through his veins had found a strange attraction and collision with another, more tranquil power.
Detected Enchanter class. Job resonance can be triggered.
Job Resonance
Berserker + Enchanter
Additional Benefit Gained: blood-forged contract
Then, a torrent of information—filled with defiance, wild fantasy, and destructive creativity—poured into his consciousness like molten iron.
Blood-Forged Contract: When the boiling blood of destruction collides with the empathy that perceives the essence of all things, a creation that defies all logic is born. Using blood as the blueprint and rage as the chisel, it reforge the very fabric of material reality with brutal force.
When activated, your blood will no longer be a mere vessel of life, but a living enchantment material imbued with the will of the Berserk Soul. You can splash or smear this rage-filled blood onto any object—**
Depending on your current will and burning state, you can apply a variety of rapidly shifting effects: causing enemy metal armor to crumble like rotten wood, temporarily imbuing ally wooden shields with a metallic sheen and resilience, or solidifying the air in a precinct into an Iron Wall, freezing gushing flames into blood-colored Crystal Clusters.
Each act of blood-forging is a one-time drain and distortion of the target's essence, its effects brilliant yet fleeting, leaving the target in a state of extreme vulnerability after they fade.
As the source of this forbidden power, you will accelerate the burning of your Berserk Soul by sacrificing blood infused with soul power. Each creation brings you one step closer to Total Frenzy.
Roland stared at the description of the blood-forged contract in his mind, his brow furrowing slightly.
This was no mere gift of strength, but a forbidden contract from the abyss, its alluring fragrance masking a deadly poison.
"Using blood as a medium to forcibly twist reality—this is nothing short of blasphemy against the laws of creation!"
His breath caught in his throat.
Unlike traditional enchantments, which require lengthy preparation, specific materials, and stable mental power, the blood-forged contract centered on "instantaneity" and "coercion."
It discarded all complex procedures, reducing the intricate art of enchantment to the most primal, direct collision of will.
It cared not for the material, form, or magical affinity of the object.
In theory, even a handful of earth or a single drop of water, once soaked in his hot blood, could be forcibly imbued with unimaginable properties.
The effects of this ability manifested instantly at his will, capable of creating absolute defense, utter destruction, or any distortion of matter he could imagine.
On the ever-changing battlefield, this was equivalent to possessing a "rule-breaking cheat" that could be activated with a single thought.
During combat, he could sprinkle blood in the path of an enemy charge, transforming solid earth into quicksand that devoured everything.
Or he could trace his finger along his sword blade, temporarily imbuing the base metal with the edge to cleave through demon steel.
This power was enough to turn the tide of battle at critical moments.
With this thought, Roland took a deep breath, extended his right index finger, and with a slight mental focus, felt a faint stinging sensation at his fingertip.
A single drop of crimson blood, faintly glowing with an ominous, restless red light, slowly seeped out.
His gaze locked onto a stubborn rock half-buried in the ground nearby.
Without incantation or ritual, he simply flicked that drop of blood, saturated with his furious will, toward the stone.
The blood droplet struck the rock's surface with pinpoint accuracy.
Hum!
A deep vibration, as if matter itself were moaning in agony, resonated through the air.
The blood droplet didn't slide off. Instead, as if imbued with life, it instantly spread across the stone's surface, forming an intricate, writhing network of crimson patterns.
In the next moment, driven by Roland's will, the dull, gray rock transformed before his eyes, rapidly becoming pitch-black and dense. Its surface developed a cold, metallic sheen, and it even faintly emitted a heavy energy fluctuation.
It had been temporarily "forged" into a bizarre entity resembling high-density metal.
This miraculous display startled Roland himself, yet he remained level-headed.
He could clearly sense that after that minuscule drop of blood left his body, the agitation within him belonging to the Berserk Soul had intensified slightly.
Frequent use would be like drinking poison to quench his thirst, greatly accelerating his descent into Total Frenzy.
Moreover...
Roland refocused his gaze on the rock.
One, two, three...
In just over ten seconds, the crimson patterns on the "metalized" rock rapidly faded and dissipated.
With a faint crack, the rock itself fractured, becoming more brittle than before. It seemed as if all its "essence" had been exhausted in that fleeting moment of brilliance.
This meant he couldn't create permanent enhancements; each instance of blood-forging was destroying the target's future potential.
Moreover...
Roland shook his head, calming the turmoil in his heart.
"This power relies too heavily on instantaneous will and violent emotions, making precise control nearly impossible."
"A single misstep could not only fail to achieve the desired effect but also result in catastrophic consequences."
Roland gazed at the pile of now ordinary and even more fragile rubble, his expression grim.
The blood-forged contract had granted him a fleeting, god-like power to create, but the price was his life, his sanity, and permanent harm to the target.
This was an ultimate resort to break stalemates and create miracles in desperate situations, a power that could never be relied upon, let alone misused.
It was like making a dangerous bargain with a devil.
Just as Roland was staring at the lingering traces of the bloody and paradoxical power at his fingertips, a light footfall and a clear voice reached him from behind.
"So, you were here all along, Roland."
He turned to see the elf girl standing by the ruined wall not far away. The setting sun's glow rimmed her hair with a warm edge. She tilted her head slightly, a look of relieved ease on her face.
"Durga and Mr. Bronson are all prepared," Avril announced, her voice light and cheerful. "The shell ship's supplies are fully loaded, and we have plenty of fresh water and those... well, the improved stone rations, all stored as planned."
"Everyone agrees that if we want to catch the mana flow window Mr. Bronson calculated, we should set sail now."
Her sharp eyes swept over Roland, particularly the area where he had just tested the blood-forged contract. The elf's innate sensitivity allowed her to detect a lingering, extraordinary energy fluctuation. It was a contradictory aura, mixing fury and bloodlust with a strange hint of creation.
Her slender eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly, but she didn't press for details, merely letting a flicker of curiosity pass through her eyes.
Hearing this, Roland took a deep breath, slowly suppressing the restless surge of power within him. The fierce aura surrounding him gradually subsided.
"I understand."
He looked at Avril and nodded, a gentle smile spreading across his face. His gaze swept over the weathered ruins of The Granary Hall before rising to the sky, shrouded in both gray mist and twilight.
"Then let's go. It's time to continue our journey."
(End of the Chapter)
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