Translator: CinderTL
"Faith?"
Roland frowned slightly as he gazed at the golden subtitles floating before him.
The "None" listed after "Selectable Faith Direction" indicated that the Job Panel's criteria for faith were remarkably strict. Merely being associated with a god wasn't enough for recognition.
Otherwise, Shar would have at least appeared as a selectable option.
"So... it has to be like Van Buren or Mason—true believers who genuinely worship a god from the depths of their hearts?"
Roland shook his head.
This might be easy for others in this world, but for a transmigrator raised in a staunchly atheistic environment, it posed a considerable challenge.
"Never mind. Faith... I'll put that aside for now."
As his thoughts drifted, a faint rustling came from his waist pouch.
Moments later, a small head with wine-red hair peeked out from the pouch's edge, its eyes filled with the dazed confusion of someone newly awakened from a deep slumber.
"Ugh... Roland? Where... where are we?"
"We're still in what you might call the Mistland..." Roland replied softly, glancing at the dissipating mist around them. He then asked with concern, "How are you feeling, Tracy?"
For some unknown reason, ever since the Demon Capital Gilles was reawakened, the petite pixie Tracy's consciousness had grown increasingly hazy, eventually plunging her into a deep slumber from which she only now stirred.
"I? I feel wonderful! Yes, truly wonderful!"
Tracy shook her head vigorously, then sprang from Roland's pouch, hovering gracefully in the air. Her tiny nose greedily inhaled the fresh air, like a freed spirit.
"Roland, is it... all over here?"
"If nothing unexpected happens, yes."
Watching the pixie flutter before him like a butterfly, Roland's lips curved into a faint smile, and he nodded gently.
"Wonderful!"
Tracy clenched her tiny fists in excitement, raising them high before landing lightly on Roland's shoulder.
"Oh, Roland..."
She tilted her head, her gaze falling on Roland's pouch.
"What was that thing you put next to me earlier? It felt... icy cold, like a block of ice."
"Ice?"
Roland raised an eyebrow and reached into his pouch to rummage around.
After a moment, he withdrew a pitch-black, eight-sided die.
"You mean... this?"
"Yes, yes!" Tracy nodded eagerly.
"And... I sensed a... disturbing aura emanating from it."
Hearing her hushed words, Roland's gaze sharpened, focusing intently on the die in his palm.
"This die... could it be something that fell from the Lich after we defeated him earlier?"
After examining it closely for a moment, Roland found nothing unusual beyond faint traces of magic. He tucked it back into his pouch.
He turned to the pixie perched on his shoulder.
"Tracy, what are your plans now? This area should return to peace soon. Will you go back to find your companions?"
"No, Roland!" Tracy shook her head eagerly. "The Pixie Queen told me to stay with you, and besides..."
A bright smile bloomed on her face.
"I find being with you so exciting and fun!"
"Alright then."
Roland shrugged, gently tapped Tracy's tiny head with his finger, and carefully placed her back in his pouch. He turned and headed back down the narrow path he had come from.
"You're back?"
Roland nodded slightly, meeting the still-bright gaze of Elf Girl Avril. He addressed her and the Orc Freddy standing beside her.
"Avril, Freddy, tell Theresa to rest. The three of you should get some sleep. I'll take over the night watch."
The attribute bonuses from his new Knight class hadn't fully restored him to his peak condition, but he had regained about eighty percent of his strength. Compared to his companions, who had just endured a bloody battle, he was in far better shape.
Hearing this, Avril and Freddy didn't stand on ceremony. After a few brief acknowledgments, they called over Theresa, the silver-haired woman standing nearby, and returned to the temporary camp to rest.
Roland watched them leave, then glanced in Graham's direction.
Confirming that no one had noticed anything amiss, he silently exhaled in relief.
"It seems the effect of the 'Veil of Shadows' trait far exceeds my expectations."
With that thought, he drew the mithril longsword from his waist and held it in his hand. Leaning against a thick tree trunk, he gazed up at the cold, clear moon in the night sky.
"The attribute bonuses and traits gained from becoming a 'Knight' have indeed propelled my strength forward by leaps and bounds..."
Roland stared at the tree shadows cast by the moonlight, his mind racing.
"But in this increasingly dangerous world, that's still far from enough. Besides learning combat techniques from Graham and expanding my offensive capabilities..."
At his mental command, a transparent panel silently materialized before him.
"The most efficient way to rapidly enhance my strength remains exploring and acquiring new professions. By leveraging the traits gained from each profession and the resonance effects between them... that's the true shortcut."
Gazing at the myriad words and symbols on the Job Panel, Roland let out a long, slow breath.
Roland had previously neglected other professions primarily because he had obtained the advancement path for the extraordinary profession [Knight] and had poured all his energy into it.
Now that he had successfully entered the Transcendent Realm, he finally had time to re-examine the Job Panel for more possibilities.
As for other extraordinary professions...
"Currently, the transcendent professionals in the world, besides [Knights], include [Rangers] and [Barbarians]..."
Roland's gaze swept over Avril and Freddy, who were resting nearby with their eyes closed.
"Although I have a good relationship with them, advancement paths of this level often involve core secret traditions. Would they be willing to share? Or rather... would they even be allowed to share?"
After careful consideration, Roland shook his head slightly.
"I'll wait until things settle down before cautiously asking. If there's a restriction preventing them from revealing such information..."
He rubbed the cold mithril sword hilt, recalling the words Lilith had spoken at the Adventurer's Guild.
"Then I'll have to accept and complete high-level quests from the Adventurer's Guild and rely on self-selected rewards to obtain the advancement methods for other transcendent professionals."
"Besides, I can't neglect the path of spellcasting either."
Roland's thoughts shifted to another avenue of power.
"Now that I've successfully opened the Deep Sea of Consciousness, I'm only missing the runes for Ring-tier spells to become a true spellcaster."
"Unfortunately, Mr. Bronson probably can't help me with that..."
Roland shook his head slightly, gazing into the distance.
Not long ago, the Demon Capital Gilles had stood there; now, only a vast expanse of empty land remained.
"Since it was called the 'Demon Capital,' Gilles must have concealed knowledge of Ring-tier spells deep within its ruins. If the situation hadn't been so dire, I could have thoroughly searched that ancient city..."
Just as Roland was lost in this regretful thought, a pulse originating from deep within the earth erupted beneath his feet without warning.
This wasn't a danger alarm, but rather the activation of the Solitary Bastion's bedrock-like protective will.
Like a pebble dropped into a deep pool, it clearly marked an imperceptible "incongruity" in the seemingly empty shadow five steps behind and to his left.
Something was beyond the boundary.
(End of the Chapter)
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