----------
Guys, can I get some powerstones please???
š 11 Days Remaining until the giveaway begins! Join us on Discord!
----------
Translator: CinderTL
Huff...
Roland returned to his residence silently, triple-checking for any signs of being followed before finally exhaling softly and removing his disguise.
He lit the oil lamp on the table, its dim yellow glow instantly dispelling the darkness in the room.
Then, he carefully retrieved the scroll he had been safeguarding in his robes, setting the Zone of Truth scroll aside for the moment. He slowly unfurled the Holy Strike scroll across the table.
Under the flickering lamplight, he began to read intently.
Though the light was dim, it was sufficient to illuminate the ancient, powerful script on the scroll.
The scroll's contents were divided into two parts:
1. Methods for wielding positive energy. 2. More profound principles of guidance.
As he had understood, the methods for wielding positive energy were straightforward and explicit.
By imbuing weapons or fists with this pure energy, one could sear evil, particularly effective against undead creatures.
The scroll used simple diagrams and text to illustrate different forms of energy output and control techniques, which Roland found easy to grasp.
The true challenge lay in the guidance methods described in the scroll's first half.
Here, the descriptions became abstract and obscure.
The scroll didn't specify a particular energy source, instead emphasizing "inner radiance," "pure will," and "the heart that defends life and order."
Between the lines, it implied that positive energy wasn't generated by the practitioner themselves, but rather required "requesting," "resonating," and "drawing" from a higher dimension.
Roland closed his eyes, attempting to focus his mind as instructed in the scroll.
His breathing gradually steadied, and his consciousness slowly sank inward.
Yet as time passed, beyond the warmth and vital energy generated by his Knight's Breathing Technique, he felt none of the "warm," "blazing," "shadow-dispelling" energy source described in the scroll.
After a moment, he opened his eyes, his brow furrowing slightly.
"It's not as simple as I thought."
Guiding positive energy seemed to require not just skill or innate talent, but also a certain inner conviction or spiritual state.
And that was precisely what he currently lacked.
Realizing this, Roland's gaze involuntarily drifted to the Mithril Longsword.
Ever since Fairy Queen Estelle had lifted the curse upon it, this "Treasure Tool" had been perpetually wreathed in a layer of divine power.
According to Estelle, it was the purest form of positive energy.
Yet despite Roland being able to sense its presence, he had never been able to freely summon or guide it.
Perhaps...
An idea sparked in his mind.
If I can't guide it from within, could I first borrow it from without?
Roland's gaze shifted between the cryptic instructions on the scroll and the Mithril Longsword beside him.
After a moment's contemplation, he took a deep breath and firmly gripped the hilt of the Mithril Longsword with his right hand.
His left hand pressed against the open scroll, reconfirming the techniques and pathways for manipulating positive energy.
Then he closed his eyes, focusing all his senses on the warm, sacred energy flowing through the blade.
At first, the process was agonizingly slow.
He could clearly sense the positive energy coursing through the sword, but it felt like observing a gentle flame through a pane of glassāvisible yet untouchable.
He attempted to "draw" it forth using the mental techniques described in the scroll, but it was like trying to move a giant stone with a thread of nothingnessāimpossible to budge even a fraction.
After several attempts, he managed only to produce barely visible ripples in the sword's faint glow. Each attempt left him mentally exhausted, as if battling some inherent resistance.
But Roland refused to give up.
By channeling his mental power to its fullest extent, his perception of energy grew increasingly acute. Finally, he managed to discern the unique "frequency" of the positive energy.
Instead of attempting to forcibly seize the energy through brute force, he shifted his approach. He meticulously adjusted his mental vibrations, like carefully tuning a delicate instrument, patiently striving to establish a faint "resonance" with the divine power.
Silence enveloped the room as time slipped by unnoticed. Fine beads of sweat slowly seeped from his forehead.
After an indeterminate period, a sudden change occurred.
As his will gently touched the energy with a unique rhythm, the positive energy within the sword stirred from its dormancy. Like a plucked string, it emitted a clear, resonant humāa sound perceptible only to him.
Hum!
Roland's eyes snapped open. Without a shout or any dramatic movement, he purely through his will guided the awakened energy along the sword's hilt.
Following the method described in the scroll, he concentrated the energy at the sword's tip and silently swung it forward.
Sizzle!
An almost imperceptible hiss sliced through the air.
A faint golden light flashed briefly along the keen blade of the Mithril Longsword, vanishing as quickly as it appeared, like a shooting star streaking across the night sky.
The light wasn't dazzling; it barely pierced the shadows clinging to the desk. Yet the warmth and purity that erupted from it were unmistakable.
It sliced through the night's chill, radiating a sense of reassuring, righteous strengthāthough only for an instant.
"It worked!" Roland exclaimed inwardly, his heart swelling with elation.
"So, channeling positive energy through the Mithril Longsword to execute the Holy Strike is indeed possible. But..."
His fingertips traced the sword's surface, lingering on the faint warmth that lingered. Roland sighed softly.
He knew this success was largely accidental. It required precise spiritual coordination, a perfect resonance, and...
No small measure of luck.
With his current mastery, he doubted he could replicate the feat even once in ten attempts, let alone execute it in battle.
"Still, that's just a matter of practice. The real question is..."
Roland's gaze returned to the scroll spread across the desk.
"If external forces can work, what do those abstract descriptions of the source of positive energy in the scroll truly mean? The 'inner radiance,' 'pure will,' 'requests and guidance from higher dimensions'... What's the underlying truth?"
Roland laid the Mithril Longsword flat across his lap, his gaze fixed on the scroll's opening passages, which vaguely described the connection between guiding power and faith.
The scroll's text remained cryptic, repeatedly mentioning "the light of the heart," "sincere intent," and "the unwavering belief in dedicating oneself to the highest good."
Traditional interpretations undoubtedly pointed to devout faith in a deity or supreme being, using this faith as a bridge to resonate with and draw positive energy from their domain or conceptual realm.
Roland's fingers unconsciously traced the words, his brow furrowing slightly.
He himself held no particular faith, let alone the fervent devotion to any deity that could ignite such power.
What, then, had been the source of his success moments ago?
He recalled the fleeting instant before the energy erupted.
It hadn't been a prayer to or communion with an external deity.
Rather, it had been an intensely focused, inwardly concentrated force of willāa fierce conviction that "this power must be unleashed now"āthat pierced the barrier separating him from positive energy.
A daring hypothesis flashed through his mind like a sudden spark in the darkness, illuminating his thoughts.
"Positive energy originates from faith... perhaps that much is true."
Roland's eyes gleamed with contemplation.
"But perhaps the scroll has misled everyone, or rather, humanity's understanding has been too limited."
"The object of faith need not necessarily be a deity suspended beyond the celestial realm," he mused, recalling the sensation of that moment of success.
It hadn't felt like an external blessing or response, but rather an internal resonance, ignited by an unwavering will, establishing a faint connection with a dimension of pervasive positive energy somewhere in the world.
The essence of faith...
Roland pondered, unconsciously stroking his chin.
Perhaps it's the extreme purity and unwavering certainty itselfāa conviction in a particular ideal, a belief in a certain order, or... a faith in the strength of one's own will.
His gaze deepened.
If this hypothesis held true, then the greatest obstacle to channeling positive energy wasn't the lack of a deity to worship, but the absence of that unshakable inner strengthāthe kind capable of shaking the very rules of reality.
Does this mean... the object of faith could be oneself?
Believing that one's own path is the light, believing that one's will can dispel darkness, believing in one's own existence...
Roland's eyes, previously unfocused in thought, gradually sharpened, now gleaming with a resolute light.
Could that very belief become the embodiment of "good," capable of drawing forth positive energy?
Before his thoughts could fully settle, a new line of subtitles appeared before him.
(End of the Chapter)
---------------------------
š You are reading [194] Chapters behind.
š„ Read up to Chapter [498] now, only on šššššš£š„š.šš š.
š« Also get FREE lifetime ad-free and join the giveaway by joining our Discord!
---------------------------