Translator: CinderTL
The moment the golden characters materialized, a torrent of searing heat, utterly distinct from the Solitary Bastion, surged through Roland's entire being.
This wasn't the tempered resilience of forging, but a boiling from the very core of his soul.
As if invisible Covenant Runes were being etched onto his heart, molten oaths coursed through his veins, eventually settling into a heavy, unshakable sense of responsibility and strength.
He felt his spiritual perception stretch and expand invisibly, like an intangible spiderweb cast into the void, its central nodes anchored to those he truly sought to protect.
Though the web remained empty for now, its very structure hinted at the potential to tear through space itself.
"Ignoring spatial barriers... at the cost of self-immolation... precisely blocking fatal strikes... forcibly repelling and intimidating..."
Combining this internal anomaly with the description of the ability, Roland mentally dissected each word, each phrase.
With each layer of comprehension, his inner shock deepened.
His breath caught involuntarily, his pupils contracting sharply with a mixture of awe and wild elation.
"This is a miracle that defies all conventional logic!"
Ordinary defenders, no matter how sturdy their shields or how resilient their magical barriers, all share a fatal limitation: distance and reaction time.
You can only protect what's within your immediate vicinity, within your line of sight, and what you can react to in time.
If the target you're guarding is attacked from afar or from an unpredictable angle, the defender is often powerless, forced to watch helplessly as tragedy unfolds.
Even the most advanced Spatial Mages, capable of instantaneous teleportation, still require casting time, precise targeting, and a massive expenditure of magic. In the face of rapidly shifting, lethal attacks, these delays can prove fatal.
But the Oath Guardian is entirely different.
It bypasses all physical and magical limitations. When the pre-set conditions are triggered—specifically, when the designated target within Roland's spiritual perception range suffers a lethal attack—the Guardian's ability activates automatically at a speed surpassing thought.
No incantation is needed, no gestures required, not even Roland's conscious command.
The Guardian's protective will itself forcibly warps space, instantly "pulling" him to the target's side.
This reaction speed was so swift, it was as if time itself had been folded.
Before an enemy's blade or destructive magic could fully descend, Roland's protection would already be in place.
However, the true power of this ability went far beyond mere defense.
The spiritual shockwave generated upon successfully blocking an attack not only neutralized the immediate threat but could also instantly turn the tide of battle.
Imagine the moment an enemy's seemingly fatal strike is mercilessly shattered by Roland's shield. Instead of retreat, they are met with a soul-deep spiritual impact.
Those with weak wills would likely be instantly stunned or paralyzed by overwhelming fear.
Even the strongest warriors, caught off guard, would inevitably be staggered, thrown off balance, or even disarmed.
More importantly, its effect was area-of-effect.
Any malicious allies nearby would be caught in the storm, instantly plunged into chaos, paralysis, or other debilitating conditions.
What did this mean?
It meant Roland could not only save companions from certain death but also instantly create a golden window of opportunity for his entire team to launch a desperate counterattack.
This ability granted his allies and the person he was protecting a precious moment to catch their breath, regroup, and even launch a counterattack.
"Forced area control... Willpower suppression..."
Roland took a deep breath, his chest heaving with excitement.
On the battlefield, this power was nothing short of a strategic game-changer.
It granted defenders unprecedented initiative, transforming passive defense into a force capable of dominating the rhythm of localized combat—a deterrent and control mechanism that reshaped the battlefield.
Unlike the Solitary Bastion's inward-focused resilience, as steadfast as the earth itself, the Oath Guardian was the most fervent and extreme manifestation of the guardian's will.
It transformed the oath of protection into a space-spanning miracle, elevating the moment of defense into a clarion call that could reverse the tide of battle.
Though it demanded immense energy, each activation could rewrite the boundaries of life and death, reshaping the very fabric of the conflict.
"The traits granted by the Apprentice Knight previously leaned toward group buffs. I assumed the extraordinary profession of Knight would follow suit, but I never expected..."
Feeling the oath-fueled power surging within him, Roland watched the slowly fading subtitles and clenched his fist tightly.
"I never imagined the final result would be so powerful, so distinctly reflecting my personal will!"
"While both Solitary Bastion and Oath Guardian lean toward defense, their extraordinary capabilities grant them tactical value far beyond mere defense. Not to mention..."
Roland's gaze slowly shifted upward, settling on the numbers in his attribute panel.
"With the attribute bonuses from becoming a Knight, my strength and agility are both nearing the critical threshold of fifty points."
He took a deep breath, carefully sensing the changes in his body. When he opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashed in them.
"My raw physical power should now be comparable to that of an ordinary transcendent professional like Reggie. But my overall combat prowess undoubtedly far surpasses his!"
"Even before becoming a Knight, I could defeat Van Buren in combat by leveraging various traits and skills. Now..."
Feeling the surging power coursing through his veins, Roland's lips curled into a faint smile.
But in an instant, the memory of Graham's earth-shattering figure resurfaced in his mind, instantly crushing the nascent pride that had begun to bloom in his heart.
"Even among transcendent professionals, there exists a vast gulf, a chasm as wide as the heavens and the earth."
Recalling the terrifying spectacle of the Lich's battle against the transcendent professionals from the River Domain Nations, Roland took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart.
"The emergence of a high-level spellcaster signifies that the world, under the influence of the magic element's resurgence, is hurtling uncontrollably toward an unknown future."
"In the future, we will undoubtedly encounter even more powerful and enigmatic transcendents, including those who practice mysterious professions lost since the Year of the Apocalypse."
"Therefore, to prepare for the dangers that lie ahead, we must never slacken our efforts to enhance our strength."
He shook his head lightly, but when his peripheral vision caught sight of the number next to the mental attribute, his eyebrows twitched, and he let out a soft exclamation.
The mental attribute, which had previously lagged behind strength and agility, now stood at an astonishing forty-eight points, far surpassing the other two.
"This is..."
During the chaotic aftermath of the Lich's defeat—the collapsing city and the urgent need to escape—Roland had no time to examine the strange changes in his body.
Now that he finally had a moment to breathe, the battle against the Lich flashed vividly through his mind.
Along with it came that peculiar sense of clarity from the depths of his consciousness.
"Could it be..."
Roland's eyebrows arched slightly, and a flicker of undisguised joy lit up his eyes.
"The Deep Sea of Consciousness?"
(End of the Chapter)
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