Synthesis-type adventurers

Chapter 34 Loading the Red Dragon's Blood entry

[Acquired entry: [Mental Solidification (Blue, Excellent)]]

On the rough wooden table, the residue inside the glass bottle churned up. Due to the collapse of the solidified structure, the liquid inside had completely decayed, turning into a volatile mass of alchemical waste.

This thing no longer has any beneficial attributes; it is now just a pure poison composed of [Soul Tear] and [Nerve Paralysis].

"Hoo..." Rhodes stared at the bottle of residue between his fingers, now drained of its essence, and exhaled a breath of stale air. "If this stuff had an entry related to atomizing liquid, it would be quite good as a poison bomb for sneaky people. Anyone who dares to mess with me, I'll let them experience the taste of a 'soul crusher' firsthand."

He casually pressed the cork back into the bottle and carefully placed the bottle of dangerous red liquid on the corner of the table.

Then, Rhodes closed his eyes and his consciousness sank into the system space, where the blue [Mental Solidification] entry remained.

"Loading entry: [Mental rigidity]"

This process saves you from the torment of swallowing bitter medicine and skips the long wait for digestion in your stomach.

The moment the loading was complete, a cool, powerful force of rules abruptly wedged into the depths of Rhodes' soul.

The originally scattered mental energy in consciousness is gathered and compressed under the mandatory intervention of the rules.

The loose sand was poured into concrete in an instant.

A strong, stable, and resilient anchor was forged deep within Rhodes' soul.

Rhodes opened his eyes, and the world became sharper than ever before in his perception. The dust tracks floating in the air seemed like clear lines directly etched onto his five senses.

"That's right." Rhodes clenched his fist, feeling the absolute control that flowed from the spiritual level to the body. "This is the shortcut, this is the ultimate efficiency of power transfer. Directly engraving the rules into the soul, bypassing the redundant physical transformation—only a fool with no other choice would resort to those deadly alchemical potions."

Now that the foundation has been laid, then...

Rhodes's mental power probed into the deepest part of his consciousness—where a ball of orange light lingered, pulsating in the illusory space, and looked like a heart detached from its body.

A suffocating aura of destruction was radiating continuously from that light.

[Fragmented Blood of the Red Dragon (Orange Epic)]: Originating from the tyrannical essence of the red dragon. Though the bloodline is incomplete, it still retains extreme destructive power. Upon loading, you will gain dragon-like physique and fire talent, but you must constantly contend with the greed and destructive will originating from the depths of your bloodline.

This is Rod's biggest trump card at the moment, and it's a risky all-in bet that requires him to risk his life.

"Come on." Rhodes took a deep breath, unbuttoned his shirt to reveal his thin, taut chest, and placed his finger on his heart. "Loading entry: [Fragmented Red Dragon Blood]."

boom!

In that instant, Rhodes felt as if he had shoved a detonated alchemical bomb directly into his chest cavity.

heat.

An indescribable heat.

The blood boiled instantly, as if flowing magma was rampaging through the blood vessels, scorching every inch of the vessel walls.

"—Ugh!"

Rhodes clenched his teeth, the rusty taste of blood instantly filling his mouth, but he swallowed back the scream that was about to burst from his throat.

The heart pounded wildly inside the chest cavity, each beat carrying a brute force that seemed to shatter the sternum.

The dull sound echoed within the skull, each boom causing a sharp pain in the eardrums and making the brain tremble.

Rhodes' skin quickly became flushed and extremely hot, and the fine beads of sweat that had just seeped out of his skin evaporated into rising white mist.

His vision was forcibly obscured by a blood-red filter.

In a daze, a ferocious red beast that blotted out the sky occupied Rhodes's consciousness space, looking down on him, this insignificant ant, from above the clouds.

arrogant.

brutal.

Destroy everything.

Countless noisy whispers entered my ears, like the roars of an ancient creature's instincts.

[Hallucination (Grayish Inferior)]: Mental pollution caused by high-ranking bloodlines. Influenced by dragon blood, it cannot be separated out on its own.

"Burn them...destroy...the treasure...it's all mine..."

That brutal impulse transformed into a scarlet tsunami, relentlessly battering the dam of Rhodes's reason, attempting to seize control of this body.

At that very moment, deep within his soul, the newly constructed [spiritual anchor] suddenly lit up.

It was like a stabilizing force, firmly nailed to the center of the storm of consciousness, remaining unmoved no matter how the red tide surged.

"Shut up!" Rhodes roared inwardly.

The power of the rule of [Mental Solidification] was activated, forcibly suppressing the chaotic will belonging to the dragons.

The red beast let out a furious roar of resentment, its body disintegrating before finally vanishing into the depths of Rhodes' consciousness.

The boiling blood began to cool, but the power settled down, melting into every inch of flesh and blood, every nerve.

"call……"

Rod was panting heavily, his whole body was soaked in sweat, his clothes clung heavily to his skin, and he looked as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze falling on the full-length bronze mirror in the corner of the room.

The reflection in the mirror was disheveled, but the originally dark pupils had now shrunk into two golden vertical pupils, radiating a chilling light that was captivating.

An invisible pressure spread wildly outwards from Rhodes as the center.

[The Fragmented Blood of the Red Dragon (Orange Epic)] loaded successfully.

[Acquired Attribute: [Weak Dragon's Might (Purple Rare)]: The natural oppression of life rank. Induces instinctive fear in lower-ranking creatures; those with weak wills will be unable to act. Affected by dragon blood, cannot be separated independently.]

[Acquired Attribute: [Basic Fire Affinity (Purple Rare)]: Establishes resonance with the fire element. Greatly reduces damage from high temperatures and allows for basic fire concentrating and manipulation. Due to the influence of dragon blood, it cannot be separated.]

[Acquired Attribute: [Dragon Vein Physique (Purple Rare)]: The tyrannical dragon blood has reforged this frail body, forcibly transforming the pupils into golden vertical irises. You possess the grip strength to tear through pig iron and crush granite with your bare hands, as well as a tough outer skin capable of withstanding blunt force blows. Due to the influence of dragon blood, it cannot be peeled off separately.]

Rod raised his hands, looking down at his trembling palms that were difficult to stop.

Excessive force surged through every muscle, triggering uncontrollable spasms in the body—the husk was still adapting to violence powerful enough to crush rocks.

"Smack."

Rhodes snapped his fingers, and a tiny, orange-red flame flickered in mid-air at the tip of his index finger.

"This is... the taste of power."

Rhodes stared at the flame at his fingertips, the light dancing in his inhuman vertical pupils.

Although those annoying auditory hallucinations still buzzed in my ears, compared to the qualitative changes that had taken place in my body, the price was completely acceptable.

"However, these eyes are a problem." Rhodes leaned closer to the mirror, staring at his own golden vertical pupils. "Retract your dragon's might."

With a slight thought, the terrifying oppressive feeling radiating outwards dissipated, and the almost stagnant air began to flow again.

But the alien in the mirror did not turn back into a human.

That blinding gold still stubbornly occupied my eye sockets, coldly gazing at my reflection in the mirror.

Rhodes frowned, his gaze sweeping over his own stats panel.

[Dragon Vein Physique], [Basic Flame Affinity], and [Weak Dragon Might] are all accompanying rules of [Incomplete Red Dragon Blood].

These three terms are like intertwined blood vessels and nerves, tightly bound to the source of the Red Dragon's Blood, and cannot be separated at all.

"An indivisible term and a forced physical mutation..." Rhodes touched the corner of his eye, "As long as you still crave this power, you must bear this inhuman curse."

In places like Rusty Port, being different often means being valuable, but it also equates to endless prying.

Going out with those eyes is practically flaunting the gold in your hands to all the slave traders and bounty hunters.

"It seems to be more than just combat protective gear."

Rod pulled up his hood, barely covering most of his face, and quickly adjusted the shopping list in his mind.

"I must immediately obtain a pair of one-way gold-plated goggles that can completely block out the outside world. Until I possess enough power to crush everything, these eyes must not be exposed to light."