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Editor's Note: Happy new year!! May our lives be filled with happiness. T/L Note: Happy New year guys.
From this week on we'll be posting 3 chapters per week (◍•ᴗ•◍)
**CW: Graphic Depictions of Violence —---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ** There was no time to hesitate. Using the blood from his right palm, Paladin drew disintegration and reintegration magic circles that overlapped with each other. Next, he positioned the magnifying glass directly in front of the open window.Sunlight gathered and fell on the table, producing a strong burnt odor and wisps of smoke that rose slowly.
Paladin gulped. Forcibly suppressing the fear in his heart, he placed the Philosopher's Stone on top of his right palm and stretched it towards the dazzling beam of light!
"AAAAHHHHHH!"
When the gathered light struck the Philosopher's Stone, the magic circles instantly lit up. Something miraculous happened. The extremely bright sunlight passed through the Philosopher's Stone and went under his skin!
At that moment, Paladin felt as if all of the pain in his entire lifetime had condensed into one and coursed through his body. The scorching sunlight felt like countless bugs biting through his skin and moving back and forth between his muscles, blood vessels, and bones. The burning sensation that permeated his bone marrow nearly caused him to lose his mind. His instinct was constantly screaming at him to withdraw his hand.
"NO!"
Eyes bloodshot and body drenched by sweat, Paladin was determined. He knew for sure this method could work and indeed, it could be fused. How could he simply withdraw his arm and waste all of his previous efforts?
"No…. I desire power. I want to acquire what I lack. That which I yearn for! How can this insignificant pain demotivate me?! How can I fall to my knees and beg for mercy?!" Paladin gritted his teeth.
Paladin's bloodshot eyes were now actually shedding blood. As he was tempted to withdraw his right hand, his left hand firmly gripped it in place. For the first time, his body was at odds with his heart.
"Hehehe…. HEHEHAHAHA! Come on! I, Paladin, won't ever give up! Power. I'll get the power!" Paladin became feral. A crazed smile bloomed on his lips while blood and tears streamed down his face. He roared at the Philosopher's Stone which was gradually shrinking.
Rather than saying he was venting his pain, it would be more accurate to say he was venting his pent-up resentment and desire that had accumulated over the previous twenty years and more. Just when Paladin's legs were beginning to weaken and his consciousness began to fade, the Philosopher's Stone in his palm finally cracked and integrated into his arm.
When Paladin noticed this, he immediately withdrew his arm. Unfortunately, as he collapsed to the ground like a corpse, his left hand accidentally knocked over the magnifying glass. His eyelids felt as heavy as a mountain and teary as a river. Waves of drowsiness came rushing in.
"No…. I can't sleep right now. Absolutely can't sleep…."
Paladin was well aware that, should he fall asleep, the guards who were on duty would witness all this. He'd be so dead if that were the case. Paladin, the orphan, forcibly suppressed his drowsiness and sat up weakly. He reflexively checked the condition of his heart that had undergone fusion. It didn't matter whether he checked or not, the sight that caught his eyes shooed his drowsiness away.
At present, the blood vessels connecting his right wrist to his heart had glowed a bright golden color, as if golden crystals were embedded in his flesh.
"Is this…. The light element?"
Paladin examined his hand, his eyes were filled with uncertainty and anticipation. His expression changed out of nowhere. He then stood up quickly and looked around in surprise. With the expression of someone who just witnessed something unbelievable, he exclaimed, "What are these...!"
Right now, Paladin could see more than 50 golden orbs floating around him. Meanwhile, when a certain distance was crossed, the earthy yellow, red, and/or white orbs in the distance were pushed away by the golden orbs' violent attack. Afterwards, the orbs proceeded to float around him again. Paladin began to understand a little more after seeing this. These orbs were the elements of magic. Natural magic elements that floated in the air! These were the most basic magic elements that all things were made out of.
If the earthy yellow orbs represent the element of earth, red represent the element of fire, blue represent the element of water, and white represent the element of wind, what about the golden element that floated around him?
"Sunlight! The sunlight! That's right, I used sunlight, so these must be the element of light, the purest element!"
Paladin's heart was overjoyed. However, there was one fact about these golden bubbles that he couldn't ignore. That was the light element's extremely strong aggressiveness and instability. It had nothing in common with the Holy See's gentle holy magic. Simply put, Paladin got a magic element that no one had previously owned nor mastered. One of the purest, yet extremely aggressive elements!
"Wait... I can see magic elements, I can actually see magic elements!"
When Paladin finally calmed down, this fact shocked him. According to common knowledge, the elements of magic were found everywhere. Magicians were all sentient beings, but none were said to be able to see magic elements. His ability to see the elements implied that he himself had also become an element of magic!
"I... fused with light magic element... Perhaps, I became a magic element as well? Am I still a human? Or, a monster?"
Paladin felt conflicted. He didn't know whether this was a good or a bad thing. Would there be any repercussions in the future? What was certain was that he had gained power. The very power he dreamed of.
The dilapidated door was suddenly kicked open. Two fully-armored guards pointed the chain-sickle to Paladin. One then cursed at Paladin and yelled, not even bothered to spare a little glance at ‘them’ behind him.
"Paladin! You despicable slave! Report to the dean! Call all personnel to gather here! Can’t you hear me?! Hurry up!!" The taller guard shouted. However, before the taller guard finished speaking, he was mistakenly stabbed by the guard behind him. The guard was too shocked when he saw the gloomy room, the skeleton, and the magic circle engraved on the floor.
"Oh…. My Enos…." The taller guard could only gasp before falling down.
Paladin's eyes narrowed as he exuded great murderous intent and madness. He then proceeded to run, quickly approaching the stabbed guard. Paladin, who was running right now, could clearly feel the golden light element surrounding his body vibrating frantically with extreme excitement!
Paladin chanted something in his heart. When he opened his right hand, the golden elements immediately flocked to his palm. A miracle occurred. The fingers of Paladin's right hand transformed into five golden thunderbolt-like light blades! A slight crackling sound could also be heard.
With an ecstatic smile plastered on his face, he stabbed the foolish unconscious guard in the chest with his right hand. The guard’s thick armor felt as brittle as paper to Paladin. One more stab was enough to pierce through the guard's armor, skin, large intestine, and tailbone. The stab resulted in a hole that passed through the guard’s body.
"Enos, bless us!" After the initial shock of the terrifying scene in front of him, the guard who stood behind the stabbed guard regained his senses. In terror, he raised his chain-sickle and attempted to stab Paladin.
"HAHAHA!" Paladin let out an uncontrollable laughter, his face vicious. The right hand that had passed through the guard's stomach was drawn out to catch the chain-sickle’s sharp blade. The sharp blade made of steel was cracked deeply in five different places solely because of the strength of Paladin’s bare hand.
It was already too late for the guard when Paladin succeeded to grab the blade of his chain-sickle and proceeded to pull it hard. The guard lost control of his weapon and was pulled right into Paladin's attack range.
"DIE!" Paladin grinned and slashed the guard’s head with his right hand after letting go of the chain-sickle. The guard's head, together with the iron helmet he wore, was severed violently from his body. The corpse fell to its knees. It couldn’t be more dead than this.
"That's right, that's right! This is the taste of power! This is the real Paladin!"
Paladin, who was laughing hysterically while looking at his right hand, didn't realize that his expression no longer showed half of the hesitation and pity it had before. Instead, there was an insatiable desire to grow stronger.
Was he still Paladin? Yes, Actually, this was the true Paladin.