Who Says I’m Not a Legitimate Adventurer?

Combining the additional hints previously provided by the panel, Lance quickly sorted out the chain of cause and effect in his mind.

If he had not consumed the 【Earthdrake Marrow Gel】 today to replenish nutrients and accidentally ingested extremely pure dragon-vein material, then the specialty he would have normally obtained upon breakthrough would absolutely have looked completely different.

The System was practically telling him outright that this Breathing Technique was the original version created by the First Hunter King back in the day.

That technique itself had been created with hunting Dragons as its ultimate objective. The specialty originally derived from it was most likely some kind of ability that maximized lethality against Dragons to the extreme.

Yet after the technique reached his hands, because of a single bottle of tonic medicine, it had completely mutated.

Lance stroked his chin, his expression turning somewhat strange.

If he really managed to obtain the title of Hunter King in the future, then activated Dragon Form in full view of everyone—

would other hunters think this new generation’s Hunter King had completely defected to the enemy side?

But wasn’t the best way to defeat enemies precisely to join them, dominate them, and finally reshape them into one’s own form?

“What a pity.”Lance muttered softly.

The Dragon Form description clearly stated that once health dropped below 1%, it would automatically deactivate.

Originally, he wanted to exploit a loophole in the specialty.

Because he possessed the Legacy effect obtained earlier, allowing him to enter a combat continuation state with three minutes of death immunity after receiving a fatal blow.

If he could exploit those three minutes to maintain Dragon Form infinitely, then this ability by itself would absolutely deserve Legendary Rank.

Unfortunately, the System had already sealed off that loophole.

Even so, Lance quickly combined all his current trump cards together in his mind.

【Ouroboros Ring】 + 【I Successfully Resisted Death】 + 【Dragon Form】

These three divine abilities stacked together could completely form an outrageously twisted desperate-combat fighting style.

Just imagine that scene.

When he activated Dragon Form and burned his life away, enemies would think he was making one final desperate struggle.

Then once his health reached zero and triggered the three-minute continuation state, enemies would assume he was truly on the verge of death.

Yet after he exhausted his final breath and collapsed—

the next second he would revive at full health and activate Dragon Form again!

A truly powerful gatekeeping boss absolutely had to possess multiple combat phases.

Lance felt that if this template were placed into the Soulslike games from his previous world, countless players would definitely curse him as a garbage boss with absolutely no gameplay experience.

Just as Lance was still excitedly planning future combat strategies in his mind—

an extremely strange sensation suddenly surged into his heart.

It was a peculiar feeling originating from the soul itself, as though somewhere within the unseen, someone was frantically calling out to him, searching for him.

Lance abruptly turned his head.

On the brick wall surrounding his courtyard, an eerie figure had appeared at some unknown time.

By the faint streetlight beyond the wall, Lance finally saw the other party’s appearance clearly.

Using the faint streetlamp outside the wall, Lance clearly saw the other party’s appearance.

It was a sinister-looking young man, yet his current state could only be described as miserable.

His clothes were already torn to shreds, while a large portion of the flesh over his chest had decayed into a grayish-black rot.

Lance recognized the face instantly.

Buck!

The hidden boss behind the Ghoulhound gang.

And at this moment, Buck was crouching atop the wall.

One hand tightly gripped a bizarre old compass.

Extreme disbelief mixed across the man’s face as he stared fixedly at Lance standing in the center of the courtyard.

“How is this possible?!”

He glared at the young man inside the courtyard.

If the Curious Object of Fire Theft would not deceive him, then the cruel truth stood right before his eyes.

It was this utterly insignificant bastard who had killed so many of his subordinates!

Taken away half a month’s worth of cargo payments!

Even maliciously framed the Blood Copper Coins, forcing him to bankrupt himself buying alchemical explosives and poison, ultimately ending in catastrophic mutual destruction.

So from beginning to end, he had targeted the wrong enemy!

The veins on Buck’s forehead throbbed violently, looking as though his blood vessels were about to burst apart.

“How dare you! You’re not even a Professional!”

He roared through gritted teeth.

A bottom-tier adventurer who had not even become a Professional actually dared toy with him like a monkey.

Right now, Buck wanted nothing more than to eat Lance’s flesh raw and drink every drop of that bastard’s blood.

I’ve been discovered?

Standing in the courtyard center, Lance was slightly surprised.

Naturally, his gaze fell upon the compass tightly clutched in the other party’s hand.

So that was the Curious Object of Fire Theft mentioned within the Codex secret?

It seemed the thing possessed some kind of compulsory tracking ability. No wonder the man managed to locate him so precisely.

While Lance pondered—

Buck atop the wall had already swiftly stuffed the compass into his pocket.

He drew out two sharp short blades in reverse grip and clenched them tightly in his palms.

A layer of grayish-green light visibly spread across the blades’ surfaces.

Lance’s eyes narrowed.

The newly advanced Level 4 Dragon-Hunting Breathing Technique instantly activated at maximum intensity.

Scorching currents exploded within his chest.

Whoosh!

Buck directly left behind an afterimage where he stood.

This burst speed was even slightly faster than Lance’s.

Immediately afterward, a sharp gust of wind struck from his left-side blind spot as an icy blade mercilessly slashed toward Lance’s carotid artery.

The opponent was too fast. Defending now would definitely be too late, so he could only attempt offense as defense.

【Blazing Rending Claw】

Lance abruptly gritted his teeth.

Using a powerful twist of his waist to explosively generate force, he dodged the blade while spreading the five fingers of his right hand wide, his fingertips carrying scorching air currents as they viciously clawed toward Buck’s face.

This was a completely life-risking fighting style.

As long as the attack landed, even if he took a slash himself, trading injury for injury would absolutely not be a loss.

Lance sharply judged that Buck’s strength was not much greater than his own.

After all, the opponent was an agility-oriented Thief. Even though he had crossed the Professional threshold, his absolute physical strength could not exceed Lance’s by much.

However, Lance had still underestimated a Professional’s combat standards.

Buck’s combat techniques and reaction speed were completely incomparable to low-level monsters like Hobgoblins.

Facing the claw strike aimed at his face, Buck reacted extremely quickly.

His knees suddenly bent, decisively abandoning the originally lethal stab. His entire body leaned backward at an incredibly tricky angle.

Lance’s Magic-Body Technique instantly missed, leaving only several crimson afterimages clawing through empty air.

Their bodies narrowly crossed past one another.

At the instant they passed—

the backward-leaning Buck flicked his wrist, and the sharp blade tip ruthlessly sliced across the outer side of Lance’s thigh.

Lance felt a sharp pain spread throughout his body from his thigh.

He immediately reacted, heavily kicking off the ground with his right foot and rapidly widening the distance between them during the brief moment after their clash.

Within just several seconds of exchange, Lance failed to leave even a single wound on the opponent, while he himself ended up injured instead.

He lowered his head toward his thigh.

The flesh surrounding the wound had already curled outward, displaying a bizarre grayish-green coloration.

Even the blood dripping from the wound had turned into a disgusting ink-green color.

Lance could even feel the muscles in his leg rapidly stiffening, while their flexibility continuously declined.

What exactly had been mixed into that grayish-green flowing light to paralyze nerves with such terrifying effectiveness?

Little did he know that Buck opposite him was even more shocked internally.

Buck stared fixedly at Lance.

This young man clearly had not undergone class advancement yet, and judging from his combat posture earlier, he was obviously walking the path of a strength-type unarmed melee fighter.

Yet under the enhancement of that bizarre Breathing Technique, the explosive power he unleashed actually surpassed Buck himself as a Professional.

As for agility, although slightly inferior to Buck’s, the difference was only slight.

This was simply impossible!

Buck had mixed around Graystone Town for so many years and witnessed countless so-called geniuses, yet he had never once seen an unadvanced ordinary person capable of contending against a Professional head-on to this extent.

However, after the shock faded, Buck soon let out an inward sigh of relief.

A Thief’s combat style rarely required stupid frontal clashes.

What they excelled at most was utilizing poison, traps, and prolonged harassment.

He looked toward the wound on Lance’s thigh.

His Source Furnace could attach energy onto blade edges while strengthening the toxicity of poisoned weapons. Combined with his class bonus that enhanced poison penetration—

even if the opponent’s attributes matched a Professional’s, he still could not compare to a true Professional.

Buck was certain the opponent would soon completely lose all combat capability.

Although he himself currently suffered under the Blood Boiling state, killing this poisoned young man before him would absolutely pose no problem.

Buck carefully observed Lance’s expression.

He knew perfectly well that when the poison took effect, it would continuously stab at the enemy’s nerves, bringing suffering worse than death.

Yet the young man not only failed to scream—

he instead stood calmly in place.

No wonder this young man was already so terrifying before even advancing classes. Such iron-like willpower truly inspired fear.

Still, as long as he could personally strangle an unparalleled genius before he fully matured, a twisted sense of joy surged within Buck’s heart.

Of course, even greater than that—

was the ultimate pleasure of finally completing his revenge.

Lance inhaled a deep breath of icy night air.

The numbness in his leg was growing heavier and heavier. He knew he had to end this battle as quickly as possible.

He could no longer hold anything back.

【Dragon Form】!