"Lia... no..." A blue-haired, wild-looking teenager staggered across the black rocks, his face a mess of terror, confusion, disbelief, and heartbreak all mashed into one desperate look. Right in front of him, a female elf collapsed with a thud.
Although this elf named Lia was way older than the wild-haired boy, her face looked like she was only fourteen or fifteen. Her skin was flawless, her figure was sexy and enchanting, her personality lively and fun, her mannerisms adorably naive, and she was a magical archer of legendary skill—a key member of the Elite Dragon-Slaying Squad.
All along the way, the wild-haired boy treated Lia like a peer, and through a bunch of random mishaps, the two developed a mutual crush. The boy, just awakening to love, thought this was his one true romance, and as they say, a persistent suitor wears down even the toughest girl. Lia, who’d never dealt with this kind of thing before, found herself liking the human boy too. Plus, they’d suffered together, trekking mountains and eating bitter meals, so their feelings heated up fast.
But compared to Lia, the archery prodigy, the wild-haired boy was still way too green. Sure, he had talent and was making progress, but he was hands-down the weakest member of the whole hero squad. He’d gone to great lengths to get a good sword from the old holy blacksmith, but the poor kid couldn’t even lift it.
But now, the boy was stunned. Lia had taken a brutal hit to save him—her slender figure struck head-on by a siege hammer-sized weapon, dropping from the air like a wilted flower.
Thud. Her body hit the ground—no sign of life left.
"Lia..." The boy reached out in disbelief, wanting to pull the elf girl up like always, but all he found was empty air.
"Lambert! Fall back!" In the distance, a burly giant was fighting for his life. This so-called Mercenary King was named Barna, a master of combat. Fighting alongside the Mercenary King were the legendary ranger Gerant, the red-clad sword siblings Argetta, the kingdom knight Bescord, the mage leader Karachiu, the priest leader Tramayi, and the elf princess Nairwen—basically a whole crew of top-tier experts.
Honestly, pick any one of these folks and they’d be a big shot in their own field—whether it’s close combat or long-range magic, they’re all at the peak of humanity.
But, in the end, it was all for nothing.
"Rooooaaaar——!!" Just moments ago, a pillar of purple light, packed with malice and oppressive energy, shot into the sky. The massive roar whipped up hurricane winds that swept across the dark mountains. Purple flames blasted from the thick smoke, streaking across the heavens, wiping out a third of the airship fleet and devastating the ground forces on the front lines.
Black dragon monsters swarmed the mountains. Even masters like Barna and the others were in serious danger.
"Lambert!" Barna’s booming voice shook the sky. "Run—watch out!"
While Lambert’s mind was going blank, black dragon monsters of all sizes closed in, surrounding him, weapons gleaming. But Lambert didn’t see any of them—he just stared dumbly at the fallen figure. Then, a furious roar exploded from deep in his chest.
"Aaaaaaahhhhhh——!!!"
His battle cry sent waves of monsters flying—little demons and giant beasts alike went tumbling. The sword he couldn’t lift before now spun like a twig in Lambert’s hands. One left slash—five little demons split in half. One right chop—eight more sliced cleanly. Monster blood splattered the black earth. With a roar, Lambert leapt into the air, his sword blazing with fighting spirit, and cleaved a giant armored beast from head to toe.
For a moment, the wild-haired boy was so strong, nobody could touch him.
"Going berserk—here we go again." On the distant mountaintop, a sky-blue mage robe floated in the air, completely unfazed by the raging winds. Under the hood’s shadow, the mage’s form looked strangely blurry. In front of him hovered a luminous magic cube, spinning so fast and with so many layers it made your head spin just looking at it.
But the mage seemed totally absorbed, lost in thought, like he was using the cube to solve some impossible problem. Only between calculations did he glance at the battlefield—a rare distraction for him.
"You really don’t think much of that Lambert kid, do you?" A sultry voice purred. Black smoke bloomed out of nowhere, and a figure stepped from the shadows. She wore revealing black leather armor, barely covering anything. But her skin looked like it was cloaked in shadow itself, so at first glance she seemed made of darkness, just one big shadowy blur.
One look at those long, pointed ears and you knew she was a dark elf woman.
She also wore a hood, had a face you could never quite see, and her eyes glowed red like twin light bulbs. Flirty moves, a sultry voice, a shadowy presence, and curves that were irresistible even in the dark—basically, she was the textbook femme fatale villain.
This upgraded Conan-style shadow figure was named Elena, former queen of the dark elves. When it came to assassins, Elena was top-tier worldwide.
A mage letting an assassin get this close? That’s risky business. Not to mention, Elena was ambitious and no saint. But outwardly, she behaved herself, reining in her natural flirtiness and putting on a rare show of submission.
"Yeah, that kid’s got more attitude than skills, and he’s caused plenty of trouble on the way. If it weren’t for him, Barna’s airship wouldn’t have crashed. If not for him, the dragon slayers would’ve arrived on time. If not for him, maybe the black dragon wouldn’t have come back. So, in a way, he’s responsible for all the casualties up front." Elena watched the battlefield and laughed softly. "And only after his girlfriend dies does he power up? Where was this energy before? Heh, what a useless waste!"
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The mage under the sky-blue robe didn’t care: "I’m not interested in his personality or personal factors. What I care about is this ‘going berserk’ phenomenon. Power comes from knowledge, from accumulation, from self-cultivation and understanding nature. ‘Going berserk’ is a fascinating thing to study."
Elena wasn’t really interested, but she played along: "So, what have you figured out?"
"You need a foundation for ‘going berserk’," the magic cube spun faster, its inner light growing brighter as if filling up with some mysterious law. The shadow under the robe spared a bit of attention to explain: "Lambert’s actually very special. He’s the weakest in the dragon-slaying squad, but his potential is the highest—almost unheard of in this world. Under intense emotional stimulation, potential turns into power. That’s the theory behind ‘going berserk’. Without that potential, it couldn’t happen at all."
Elena’s red eyes flickered as she glanced at the strange magic cube, her tone unchanged: "So, you’ve got high hopes for that Lambert kid?"
"High hopes? Of course. I’m full of expectations for anyone with potential, for any world with promise. But, there’s always something extra needed to make those buds grow faster." Boom—nearby, a mountain peak exploded, and a colossal black shadow leapt out of the smoke and dust. That was the dragon-slaying team’s target: the black dragon. "This black dragon should provide a little extra motivation."
On the other side, mage leader Karachiu shouted at Lambert: "Lambert, snap out of it! Don’t forget—the Dragon Pearl can take life from the living and bring the dead back!"
"Bring the dead back?" Lambert’s dead-eyed face twitched, and he looked up sharply at the terrifying black dragon in the sky. His expression hardened. "Right—the Dragon Pearl, bring the dead back. That Black Dragon Pearl is mine!"
"You’re not strong enough yet—you still need a little help." Karachiu hesitated, but finally pulled out a strange jewel.
At first glance, it looked like a glowing black date, but if you looked closer, it was bizarre. Deep inside, you could see twisted black matter, following a special multidimensional structure—no matter how close you looked, micro or macro, the structure was always the same.
It was a physical embodiment of the concept of "infinity."
The restless black matter inside seemed ready to multiply and adapt to any environment at a moment’s notice. Anyone with spiritual sensitivity would get chills just looking at it. The jewel’s surface sparkled like a gemstone, but that glow was just a seal holding back the inner substance—a simple layer of faint light, hiding a massive sealing array inside.
The sealing array on the jewel enchanted the whole Lotus Marsh, but even that was constantly being tested, eroded, and broken down by the black substance within.
Karachiu stared at the jewel, her face pale and sweating. But then she remembered the sky-blue mage’s words, and couldn’t help but feel drawn to the possibilities inside that jewel.
Lambert was the most gifted warrior she’d ever met, and he matched the black jewel perfectly.
But what if that mage was lying...
Karachiu was torn, her face changing three times in a split second.
Suddenly, the wind slammed down, and the giant black dragon swooped in, its killing intent crashing like tidal waves. No time to hesitate—Karachiu shoved the jewel forward: "Quick, Lambert, swallow this! You’ll be able to unleash even more of your potential!"