Chapter 182: Harvest, Breakthrough, and “Conclusion”
Rehanna looked down at the twisted face on the ground, distorted by shock and contempt. The old her might truly have exploded in rage, drawn her sword, and shut this insolent man up in the most direct way possible. But now, she merely gazed at him calmly. In those beautiful eyes, there was even a trace of pity.
“Dog?” She softly repeated the word, then shook her head. “Haka, your vision is still trapped in the tiny swamp that is Demont Province. What I chose wasn’t a backer, but a path worth dedicating my life to. What I follow isn’t a master, but a leader capable of guiding us toward a true ideal.”
Haka froze.
He had prepared himself for Rehanna’s fury, for being struck across the face with her scabbard, even for harsher humiliation. But this was not what he expected. There was no anger, no sharp retort—only a sense of being looked down upon from above.
“Ideals? Since when do mercenaries talk about ideals?” Haka shot back instinctively. “That’s the one thing I always hated about you. You acted all high and mighty before, and now you’re still this naïve!”
“Naïve?” Rehanna smiled, but there was no mockery in it, only relief. “I told you, I’m not a mercenary anymore. Those childish competitions over the title of ‘Demont’s Number One’ now seem ridiculous and pathetic to me. Because I found someone truly worthy of following, and a goal worth protecting with everything I have.”
Once she finished speaking, she no longer wished to waste even a second more on the man. She simply waved a hand toward the escorting soldiers.
“Take him away. Keep a close watch on him.”
The soldiers hauled Haka up from the ground by force.
This time, he did not struggle. He stared fixedly at Rehanna’s retreating figure on horseback. What echoed repeatedly in his mind were not her words, but the light shining in her eyes as she spoke. It was a kind of burning, unwavering resolve he had never seen before—something fierce enough to consume everything.
That was not submission.
It was rebirth.
***
Rehanna quickly returned to the front of the convoy and reported back to Nolan. “A prisoner caused trouble. It’s been dealt with.”
“Who was it?” Nolan asked casually.
“Haka of the Iron Rhino mercenary group.”
Hearing that, Nolan nodded thoughtfully and glanced back at the long line of prisoners.
“Mercenaries fight for money. There’s nothing strange about them accepting employment in war. Those coalition soldiers aren’t unforgivable villains either, they simply stood on a different side. If they’re willing to embrace glory, I’ll give every capable person a chance to choose again.”
Beside him, Hank exhaled a thick ring of smoke from his cigar and agreed. “That’s actually a good way to handle these prisoners. They’re all battle-hardened veterans. It’d be a waste to simply dismiss them.”
Nolan nodded.
For the rest of the journey, he rode in silence, staring ahead.
His companions assumed he was contemplating Coldsteel City’s future strategy after defeating the coalition army, so they all quietly kept their silence and refrained from disturbing his thoughts.
But none of them knew that Nolan’s mind had already sunk into another world entirely. He was staring at the pale blue system panel visible only to him.
【Experience Points: 1,103,420】
Hiss.
Even after the precedent set during the defense of Rosenberg, Nolan still sucked in a sharp breath when he saw the number.
One million one hundred thousand!
In the game Glory, the leveling curve was notoriously steep. Without lucky encounters or deliberate grinding, an ordinary player would need at least two years to accumulate one million experience points—and that was under the assumption they never died and never lost experience.
No wonder people said war was the fastest way to build wealth.
Nolan’s mood instantly improved, and even the internal injuries in his body seemed to lighten considerably.
Continuing downward, he checked the status of his core companions in the Territory Management interface. Aside from Renee, who as a magic-type had yet to break through, everyone else had already reached Gold Rank.
To his surprise, Little Donnie’s combat rating had advanced from peak Silver Rank before the battle to early Gold Rank.
The kid had actually broken through in the middle of combat. Seriously, what a genius. As expected of someone with a hero template.
The fact that history contained no mention of him was truly a great loss for the Elfinians.
More importantly, Ailindel’s panel had also undergone new changes. Since her original strength had already been extremely high, drinking “Dragon Blood’s Oath” did not alter her combat rating much. However, a new progress bar had appeared at the bottom of her panel.
【War Spirit Armament · Strength Recovery Progress: 7%】
Now, the amount of time she could engage in high-intensity combat had increased. But to further restore her strength, Nolan would apparently need to spend his own experience points…
【EXP Required for Next Recovery Stage: 300,000】
Three hundred thousand!
Nolan’s eye twitched. And this was only the early stage. It was practically a bottomless pit.
Still, this also meant Ailindel’s recovery now had a clear progression path, and judging by it, the upper limit was incredibly high. As long as he had enough experience points, the former Valkyrie would eventually return to her peak state.
And that had been the level of a true powerhouse from the War of Heaven.
Thinking of that, Nolan suddenly felt even more motivated to “grind levels.”
He cast a burning glance toward Ailindel beside him. Though she had no idea what was happening, she still responded with a graceful smile after noticing his gaze.
Besides that, there was another unexpected gain. Every member of the Black Armored Legion now possessed a new trait in their status panels.
【Dragon’s Might (Passive)】: When units possessing this trait gather together, their surging emotions trigger spiritual resonance, releasing pressure (strength = number of members × 10 units). All non-immune units within a radius of (number of members × 2 meters) suffer the “Terror” effect, greatly reducing their desire to attack and potentially causing them to rout.
So that was it!
Nolan finally understood.
He had wondered why the coalition army’s morale had collapsed so quickly. It wasn’t just because they had been crushed tactically and physically—this hidden effect had also been at work. He clearly remembered that when everyone drank “Dragon Blood’s Oath,” a strange mental resonance had spread among all the black-armored guards. He had never heard of such an effect before. Perhaps his Dragonkin bloodline had acted as a catalyst, producing an unexpected mutation?
Dragonkin really is a treasure from head to toe, Nolan thought to himself.
As for what exactly the system meant by “units,” it remained frustratingly vague. He would have to test it another time.
Now sitting on a fortune of over a million experience points, Nolan no longer hesitated and immediately began spending them like mad.
【Class “Paladin” leveled up to 25/25 (MAX)!】
Ten levels in one go, instantly maxing out his advanced class! That single action consumed 725,000 experience points. Even the most obsessive hoarder-type players probably had never done anything this outrageous.
【Advanced Classes Maxed: 2/2】
【Power Tier Promoted!】
【Total Level: 51 (Glory Guardian 25/25 MAX; Paladin 25/25 MAX; Demon Tamer Lv.1/25)】
【Power Tier: Gold (Levels 51–75), Physical/Holy Flame】
【HP: 8250/8250】
【MP: 60/60】
【Unlocked Paladin Ultimate Skills: Sacred Body, Supreme Evil-Breaking Slash.】
The instant the system notification ended—
Boom—!
An overwhelming aura far beyond normal suddenly erupted from Nolan’s body, transforming into a visible wave of golden energy that swept outward in all directions. The warhorses neighed uneasily, and even the surrounding air seemed to grow heavy.
“It’s happening again! Big Brother Nolan’s enlightenment!” Little Donnie, standing closest, felt it most clearly. His eyes widened as he cried out in shock.
Hank was reminded of the moment in the Rosenberg guard station when Nolan had suddenly advanced into Silver rank. The memory was so overwhelming that, for once, he even forgot to correct Little Donnie’s “improper” form of address.
This brat had jumped two major ranks within two months?
Maybe he wasn’t the youngest Gold rank in history, but he was definitely the fastest-growing one!
Kayan clasped his hands together, his face filled with fervent devotion as he murmured praises to the Mother Goddess.
The sisters Rehanna and Renee gazed at Nolan with eyes full of admiration and reverence.
Even Ailindel, who rode beside him, could not help showing a trace of astonishment. She had seen countless geniuses and powerful figures, yet Nolan was undoubtedly among the most unique—just like the one spoken of in prophecy.
Vivi watched the radiant figure at the center of the convoy, her heart swelling with joy for Nolan and pride in herself. At that moment, she felt extremely satisfied with her own judgment back then.
The overwhelming aura came quickly and vanished just as fast. Within only a few breaths, everything returned to calm.
Feeling the surging yet perfectly obedient power flowing through his body, Nolan experienced a long-lost sense of familiarity.
He had finally returned to Gold rank!
Hearing the congratulations from his companions, Nolan grinned and gave them a thumbs-up. “As your lord, I can’t let you leave me behind.”
He clenched his fist, feeling strength circulate smoothly through his muscles and bones. Even the internal injuries left behind from his battle with Fenrir had faded by more than half under this sensation of complete rebirth.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed something at the very bottom of his status panel.
The Origin section, which had always been gray until now, was glowing.
His heart stirred, and he immediately opened it.
【Origin: Manifestation Stage】
Nolan’s breathing stopped for a moment. At Gold rank, he had actually unlocked the manifestation of Origin Power ahead of schedule! So this… was the true power of the “Fountain of Potential”?
Suppressing his excitement with difficulty, he continued reading.
But when he finally saw the manifested ability, Nolan completely froze.
There was only one simple word.
【Conclusion】.
…What the hell was that supposed to mean?