“What, attracted to my solid physique?”
Looking at the rare change in expression on Annie’s face, Romu was extremely satisfied with his physical condition.
Did she not understand what talent was?
A system bestowed by the heavens was, of course, a form of talent.
“What kind of medicine is this…?”
Annie’s gaze shifted away from Romu’s near-perfect muscle lines, her tone filled with a hint of inquiry. She was indeed a bit unsettled.
Talent?
In this era, the upper limits of talent had long been rendered obsolete by the infinite possibilities of the alchemy system.
“A person like you, whose head is filled with nothing but earning credits and refining cards to get stronger, how could you believe in something as illusory as talent?”
“Actually, I really do believe in it.”
In Romu’s mind, countless memories of lucky and unlucky card draws suddenly flashed.
Ten years of hard study only to end up on a soul-crushing factory assembly line. The ecstasy of getting nine gold cards in a ten-pull, only to be immediately struck by a fate-changing truck… luck was a very balanced thing.
“Hmph.”
Annie let out a soft snort, every cell in her body screaming disbelief.
Magic potion.
It had to be some kind of top-tier magic potion that had never been made public, or perhaps an alchemy card with heaven-defying effects!
If this technology could be mass-produced and every soldier in the Duchy of Russell could receive a single injection… Annie’s breath hitched slightly.
That would mean they could arbitrarily exterminate any heretic in the world who dared to disobey.
Her keen intuition as an Assassin Class allowed her to clearly perceive another layer of change. The aura surrounding Romu had become even harder to capture, yet also sharper and filled with a primitive sense of threat.
‘It seems this is the effect brought about by that change,’ Annie judged internally. ‘I must observe carefully to see what exactly happened to his body.’
“Oh, right.”
Romu pointed at the captive on the ground, who was still unconscious.
“Give this one another shot of sedative later. Don’t let her be eliminated prematurely.”
He didn’t want anyone to know just how strong he was right now. Trump cards should be saved for the most critical moment.
“I don’t want others to know the current strength of our team.”
Annie’s eyebrow arched. “Did your ego not grow along with your muscles?”
“Sigh, look at you, typical woman’s logic.”
Romu waved his hand, looking like he couldn’t be bothered to talk anymore.
“No use talking, no use talking.”
As he spoke, he simply closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the deep sea of his spirit.
It was time.
Time to grind today’s credits.
Enter, Illusionary Sea Chamber.
***
His consciousness plummeted.
The surroundings were no longer the silent forest and the flickering campfire. Endless grey-white mist enveloped him.
But this time, the feeling was completely different.
Under the influence of **[Transparent Mind’s Eye]**, this originally chaotic Illusionary Sea presented a different sight in Romu’s perception.
It was no longer just mist.
Instead, it was a torrent composed of countless infinitesimal, shimmering runes and lines. They were projections of the world’s primordial rules, the trajectories of mana flow, and the traces of passing time.
Romu could even “see” how his conscious form interlaced and interacted with these lines.
Just then, a cold system notification sounded in his mind.
**[Detected Class Advancement: Dragon Ninja (Tier 4)]**
**[Illusionary Sea Chamber Trial Mode Updated]**
**[Unlocked New Trial Module: Dragon’s Nest]**
Rumble — !
The grey mist in front of him suddenly surged and receded.
A magnificent giant tower, constructed from countless dragon bones and obsidian, rose from the ground, piercing straight into the endless sky. Every floor of the giant tower was shrouded in a powerful and tyrannical Dragon Might.
At the top of the tower, a pair of giant, lava-like eyes slowly opened and locked onto Romu.
**[Dragon’s Nest · First Floor: Challenge Guardian · Crow Clan]**
**[Challenge Objective: Defeat the guardian without using ‘Ninjutsu: True Dragon Bursting Flame’.]**
**[Reward: 20 Credits, Dragon Ninja proficiency increase, probability of obtaining ‘Dragon Materials’]**
**[Failure Penalty: None]**
“Restricted skills?”
Looking at that rule, Romu was not angry but delighted.
“There’s actually such a good thing?”
“Not letting me use the guaranteed-hit area-of-effect skill… is this trying to force me to practice my martial arts and sword techniques?”
He clenched his fists, feeling the same explosive power permeating this conscious body. Then, he drew the Dragon Sword, which had also been replicated here.
The heavy blade felt like an extension of his body in his hand.
“Probability of obtaining Dragon Materials?”
Romu’s eyes instantly became incredibly burning. That was a necessity for the next tier of advancement!
Sylvia?
Who was Sylvia?
Relying on a woman wasn’t as good as grinding it out yourself!
“Bring it on!”
Romu’s figure turned into an arrow leaving the bow, rushing toward the gate of the giant tower.
Replicating himself meant there was difficulty management; it would definitely be a step-by-step process. This was a total carry mechanism!
*Click.*
The door opened, and Romu saw a figure.
A figure that looked very similar to him and possessed the aura of a Dragon Ninja, yet was completely different.
“So you’ve come.”
The man turned around and looked at Romu.
“A rookie Dragon Ninja? Allow me to properly… educate you.”
“Crow Clan Ninja, Tai Lan, at your service!”
Crow Clan Ninja?
Romu looked at the other person’s outfit. He was indeed wrapped up very tightly. The rumors were true.
“Come! My intermediate challenge!”
***
*Thwack!*
Romu looked down.
A shuriken was already embedded in his chest.
?
No, wait, brother?
Amidst the intense pain, the scene before his eyes distorted, and Romu saw the vision change. It went from a serious trial ground to a giant, blood-red word: “NOOB.”
Wait, where did this guy have any elements of the original game left?! What kind of strange things did the production team write when they were designing the world-building?!
“That was remarkably merciless…”
Now, Romu was starting to sweat.
He was actually a master!?
‘Darn it!’
Realizing his daily credits were at risk, Romu immediately snapped out of the lingering sensation of being killed.
Even though it was only for a split second, he had clearly seen Tai Lan’s movements. It was just that before he could process the meaning of that movement, the shuriken had already pierced his chest.
Simply put, he hadn’t figured out the boss’s moveset yet.
As long as he fought a few more times and familiarized himself with the mechanics, he could naturally break through!
“Again!”
One minute later.
Romu’s head was slammed hard against the ground, shattering like a watermelon.
“Again!”
Three minutes later.
Romu was sliced in half at the waist.
***
“Holy crap, I still haven’t cleared it?!”
After challenging exactly twenty times, Romu was stunned.
“I won’t even mention the jumping around and the shurikens, but this guy even knows the Hidden Lotus? If I miss a single parry, I have to restart?!”
“Is this the Illusionary Sea Chamber or the Illusionary Sea Jail?!”
Did a Dragon Ninja have to constantly torture himself just to earn some credits?!
Thinking about it this way, Romu was immediately hit with a wave of déjà vu!
“This is basically just going to work!!”