Chapter 120: Sacred Sun (Third Chapter, Nine Thousand Words, Requesting Moon Tickets)

"SOL (Sacred Sun), can I use it?"

When he first used the first Dragon Word spell, ELDER (Furnace Fire), Li En felt utterly drained, nearly exhausting his magic entirely.

Even though he knew his usage was flawed and the Dragon Rune was slightly abnormal, Li En never used it again; most of the time, he found it easier to just swing his blade one more time.

"Try it! Your holy power is nearly ready! But your magic? Full!"

Kuku stated a harsh reality: although Li En was now truly a first-rank mage, with his current skill level, after donning armor, casting spells was out of the question.

Casting in armor fails partly because when you're bound up like a dumpling, your fingers and arms can't move precisely enough—you'll mess it up easily.

On the other hand, metal armor inherently blocks and interferes with magic and spiritual energy.

Combined, these two factors are why spellcasters rarely use metal armor—though this can be partially overcome through practice.

But even experts in this field still suffer significant drawbacks when casting in armor.

With Li En's current spellcasting ability, casting in armor is out of the question.

He either goes unarmored, boosts his speed, and charges in to slash, or in combat, he uses minor elemental cantrips that don't require gestures—but the problem is, with the power of zero-rank cantrips, why wouldn't Li En just use Dragon Flame directly?

The result? Facing these tough Blue Bone undead, Li En relied solely on his Paladin abilities—even Dragon Flame proved mediocre compared to his Holy Radiance-infused Exorcism Slash.

Against undead, it was devastatingly powerful—but the mana cost left Li En, a first-rank Paladin, utterly drained.

He had no divine patron behind him; even though his "strict" oath granted substantial holy power recovery, he couldn't afford to waste it like this.

"The Sun opposes undead! Try it! It'll work!"

Li En's overreliance on his Paladin abilities seemed to annoy his mage teacher, Kuku.

Li En still hesitated—his first Dragon Rune had drained him completely; was he really ready to use the second so soon?

It wasn't that Li En didn't trust Kuku… well, precisely because Kuku suggested it, he had to think twice.

"Dragon Runes are authority! They are crystallizations! There is no hierarchy!"

Kuku meant that Li En had awakened three Dragon Runes from the start, and their essence held no rank or superiority.

Their strength depended only on the user's "ownership" and "understanding."

To command something, you must at least "possess" and "comprehend" it.

The first was Flame—something inherent in Li En's Red Dragon bloodline, something he could use from the beginning.

The second, SOL (Sacred Sun), a word sounding like "Sul," its origin needs no further explanation.

This may be Li En's subconscious understanding of the Paladin class, a projection of Radiant Holy Power into his reality.

"You, after returning, should consider advancing!"

And at this moment, Kuku actually reminded Li En he could advance to second-rank Paladin!

Li En was surprised, but the next moment, it felt entirely natural.

With his abilities and Sul's legacy, he could have gone much further long ago; now, he'd merely seized the Shadow Dragon's dragon soul, completing his physical hardware and fulfilling part of the advancement prerequisites.

Though he hadn't yet slain a Black Dragon, the requirements for second-rank Paladin weren't unreasonable—Li En, as a Dragonkin, already had high enough attribute hardware.

So perhaps he could try using other Dragon Runes.

The Paladin—the one who seeks to illuminate everything around—Sul, what exactly was that being? Did he still need to wonder?

"SOL."

He calmly spoke the word, as if it weren't a powerful incantation, merely ordinary speech.

Or perhaps, he had unconsciously called out that "name."

Hoping he would return, would once again inhabit him.

"Hum." Something seemed to activate.

The next instant, Li En felt searing heat across his entire body, sweat pouring out.

"Boom!"

A sudden vibration came from within himself.

His boiling blood triggered a thunderous heartbeat.

This wasn't merely a simple elemental spell—it was an internal transformation.

"Boom!"

His heart beat rapidly again, like a roaring engine, or a dragon's heart awakening from slumber.

Vast amounts of blood circulated through Li En's flesh; he felt his entire body ignited.

He swung his fist—he felt his body visibly activated, as if boundless power surged forth.

"Is that all?"

His depleted holy power was rapidly recovering; this spell seemed to squeeze out the strength of his soul and body, yet he still wasn't satisfied.

"No, it shouldn't be just this. So this is how you use it."

Li En looked at his arm's skin—now entirely crimson, a sign his blood had boiled to the point of nearly seeping through his skin.

In this world's understanding, Dragon Blood itself is a concentration of magic—a required elemental offering in countless rituals.

"So… I'm no longer human."

As the youth lowered his head, sensing blood and magic seeping from his flesh, he realized this truth.

Humans shouldn't have skin like this, shouldn't have magic seeping through their blood, shouldn't possess hardened dragon scales, shouldn't breathe with magic boiling like a furnace.

"Huh."

It seemed he had to take one step forward.

Recognizing reality and truth was the prerequisite for changing it.

"Awaken."

No incantation needed—only willpower, and the Dragon Blood's instinct on his skin activated further.

"Boom!"

Faint Dragon Flame ignited completely.

And this time, it covered Li En's entire body!

"Oh no!!" At this moment, Li En was utterly stunned—not from fear of burns, but because he remembered he was naked!

Fortunately, this Dragon Word spell wasn't quite that cruel.

This time, the "Dragon Flame" covering his body was unexpectedly gentle, mixed heavily with gold.

Nearby, Larry curiously reached out to touch it—felt no heat at all. But the Mushroom Man, the Magic Girl, and others instantly fled far away, instinctively sensing the danger of this orange flame.

Li En's heart still pounded rapidly, squeezing Dragon Blood to his skin, forcing its magic to seep outward.

This was the product of Radiance and Flame combined—the source radiating light and heat.

"Is this… Sacred Radiant Sun?"

Faint orange (golden-red) light seeped from Li En's body, illuminating the dark tunnel ahead.

And in this state, Li En felt no noticeable drain.

"It seems… it can last a long time."

His stamina and holy power were clearly recovering; the brief rest was over.

The approaching Skeleton Warriors could serve as practice targets.

"Exorcism… no slash!"

This time, Li En simply swung his sword silently, trying to conserve holy power.

"Boom!" But before his blade even touched them, the Skeleton Warriors began to spontaneously ignite!

The holy radiant damage directly set fire to the nearby skeletons.

Even with their special material, they were fundamentally low-tier undead awakened by negative energy—facing the scorching "Sacred Sun," they could only be forcibly ignited.

The skeletons didn't last long in the flames; within seconds, they were directly "purified" and collapsed.

At the same time, Li En felt his "holy power" and "flame" both growing stronger!

"A remarkably versatile supportive ability, with specific anti-undead potency… hmm, very Paladin-like."

Unlike the previous Furnace Flame, Li En sensed this "Dragon Rune" was still incomplete.

It seemed to have other forms he could unlock further—he hadn't used them, hoping to preserve his pants—but even just the Rune itself should grow stronger and more complete as his "ownership" deepened.

The Paladin's power subtly manifested within it; the Holy Flame Aura's traits were clearly evident.

Li En could even sense that in this state, he could still use the Holy Flame Aura—and its effect should be enhanced.

This, perhaps, was the evolution method of Dragon Word magic.

But it also seemed to be the way of Dragon bloodline awakening.

"Next, let me handle it." Li En stepped forward directly—he felt he could fight ten more.

This drain seemed entirely acceptable; Li En even sensed his magic was slowly recovering.

So what exactly was it consuming? Could it really be infinite? Li En felt uneasy.

From his experience, when something offers only benefits with no cost, the price is usually invisible and immense.

"Dragon Blood! Use too much, you'll bleed out!"

Well, better hurry then.

Dragon abilities always had costs and sacrifices—but for Li En now, this loss was barely noticeable, even subtly beneficial.

【Dragonization: 9. %】

His Dragonization level had advanced subtly again—but for Li En now, it was a buff.

And with Li En, now a low-tier undead reaper, leading the way, the descent became much smoother.

Finally, the target was close—the "compass" in Kuku's hand shifted from downward to horizontal.

"Right ahead! Right ahead!"

(End of chapter)