Protagonist?Antagonist? I Reject Both

Chapter  35:Transformation

Due to the assassination attempt, Leon decided to cover his tracks and live with his new identity as he knew this was the beginning of endless trouble.

Seph would send his entire force if he found him so Leon decided to leave Aetheria and go for some hunts to gain Kp.

As for the counter-attack points, Sophia and others stopped giving him anymore. He found that once a heroine doesn't have any other thoughts about the villain or has any more interaction, he won't be getting any more counterattack points until he takes them as wife.

Before leaving Aetheria, Leon decided to check the fortune spot he had previously asked about.

As for the academy, it felt meaningless for him.

Except for the Cold War and bullshit, Leon didn't find anything worthy for him to wait there. As for the prizes, he can get more treasure if he becomes a hunter.

Yeah, he might miss the chance to become famous and gain a reputation that would begin with a spirit-awakening ceremony two months later but it didn't matter to him.

As for spirit awakening, he wondered if he had any with this trashy body. So, it's better to go around and become productive rather than waste time there.

He can come back once he is strong enough to face Seph and all others.

Leon, covered in sweat from head to toe, arrived at the waterfall in the Great Pine Forest.

There was a steep rock hill from which water fell. Leon jumped into the river and swam through the powerful currents, managing to get inside a cave behind the waterfall.

"This didn't look natural."

"I think the entrance was broken by force that led to this place."Leon swam out and followed the trail filled with piles of broken arrows, an ancient cracked green jade, and a few beast symbols that looked like a group of lizards spewing flames painted on the wall.

Walking further, he saw a small dried pit. Leon sensed densely packed qi emanating from mud.

"If my guess is correct. This place should be filled with spiritual liquid which Seph had taken, allowing him to advance."

"But if he had taken this then what the fuck am I doing here?"

Leon asked the system if the treasure was still there. Back then it was 100 luck points but now it has lessened to 50 so Leon decided to give it a go.

Leon saw the faint golden trail leading down the mud. Resigning himself to worldly dirt, he jumped down the mud and started purging things.

After an hour of intense digging and bathing in the dirt, he finally found a mural with many mysterious inscriptions.

"What's that? No, how did this go unnoticed in Seph eyes?"

Question marks appeared over his head but after a pondering few moments, he arrived at a certain conclusion.

"Hmm! It seems to be a cultivation technique of some sort or some kind of story. I don't know the language. Seph might have left it here to give the leftovers to the protagonist after all everything the protagonist gains goes to the hero after death. If he takes this after killing the protagonist he doesn't have to spend points to learn it."

The entire thing was a bit heavy even for Leon and with the shifting muddy ground, it was hard for him to carry it out.

"System, is there a way for me to learn it? I don't think I have so-called great comprehension  ability."

[Host, you need to exchange 2 luck points.]

"Do it."

[Break the thing]

Leon, who had thought of countless scenarios, was taken aback.

"Okay, let's do it. At the very least even if I can't learn this, it will make things difficult for the protagonist to find this.''

BOOM!

Leon hugged the rock and applied pressure.

CRICK!CRICK!CRICK!

Cracks started forming over the surface and soon it burst into pieces.

A greenish orb emerged from the rock and emanating a blinding flash hit Leon's forehead making him dizzy.

.....

"Now what is this again?"

Leon placed his hand on his waist and stared at the vast empty dark space. He smacked his lips as he waited for another hot shot to appear.

ROOAAR!

A soul-shrieking roar making the entire place tremble shook Leon's body. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The image of a vast place and an ancient majestic figure appeared roaming the world.

Before Leon's eyes, a huge figure emerged.

With a thunderous roar that shook the very world, a magnificent colossal dragon emerged. Its scales shimmer iridescently, reflecting the fading sunlight, while fiery eyes fixate on the surrounding landscape. Each beat of its colossal wings creates gusts of wind, stirring storms and sending them swirling in a chaotic dance.

The dragon exhaled a billowing cloud of smoke and flame, painting the sky with vibrant hues of orange and red.

"Mortal, you are lucky enough for me, the Dragon Lord Shen Gong, to grace you with my presence. A million years ago, I left a part of my inheritance in this small plane I came across.'

"It doesn't matter whether you are talented beyond heaven or trash with no ability to cause in my eyes everyone is the same."

"Same as an ant, right?"

A mocking voice echoed.

"Correct!Huh!"

Shen Gong's voice faltered and then his large ferocious eyes locked onto Leon, yawning heavily who interrupted him in between his speech.

Surprise etched on Shen Gong's face seeing this.

"Hey, kid aren't you afraid of me? Don't you feel reverence and urge to bow down before me and worship the Dragon Lord?"

"Absolutely fucking not," Leon answered starting at Colossal Dragon.

'Did this guy also have protagonist syndrome? Even that Vesturon couldn't make me kneel and in terms of evolution, you are just a lizard, a bigger one.Much worse when compared to humans who evolved from monkeys.'

"Okay, you are a weird guy.No special physique. Worst tier veins. As ordinary as a commoner, no even commoner in my realms has better body structure than you, however, there is something oddly stimulating, something that is giving me a slight sense of danger."

Shen Gong's eyes then growled fiercely, noticing blood austere covered by Darkness in Leon's soul.

Leon instantly felt an excruciating pain crushing his mind apart.

"Hoho! Is that the Legendary Dragons Fear? It's really terrifying."

Shen Gong's eyes twitched, witnessing the sight of a mere mortal looking deep into his eyes.

"Just who are you? Even the Celestial Overlord tremble before me but you are standing unfazed..."

Shen Gong's eyes then widened with a sudden realization.

"You are someone who has crossed the boundary of death. You aren't afraid of the unknown. You don't have anything that can make you afraid. Neither pain nor death.''

'You are wrong. I also have things I am afraid of. It's just that the thing had never entered my life. It's just that I am good at tolerating.'

"Can we stop this meaningless banter? What is the inheritance you are speaking of?"Leon asked.

Even though he acted fine, he had a seizure of paralysis and pain.

"It's Offensive Art Dragon Claws. I would show this art and test your comprehension but...''

'Oh! So this is the catch. Villain with the system mostly relies on system points to learn the art and the concept that what is yours is also mine, it's a matter of time before this falls into his hands.'

Shen Gong smiled exposing his dark spiny shiny teeth and its face appeared before Leon abruptly frightening him.

"But meeting someone unexpected who managed to surprise this great Lord, I will reward you for amusing me."

"You are a lucky guy to be blessed by me."

Shen Gong's huge body vanished and everything returned to normal.

Just as Leon wondered what was going on, the orb before his head cracked up from which a drop of greenish-shiny liquid emerged that shot into Leon forward.

Before Leon could make out what was going on, an excruciating pain assaulted him, sending a grasp of aches to every fiber of his nerves.

Starting from his forehead veins bulged all over his body.

"DAMNNNNN!"Leon bellowed as he felt his entire body being torn apart.

Leon's consciousness suddenly burst as greenish flames ensued his whole body, engulfing him in the inferno of searing heat.

His skin blistered and cracked, sending waves of pain coursing through his body. His bones cracked and broke but in the next second, it was healed by a luminous green luster.

His hair brunt as well as his whole flesh exposing the bloody interior that has regrown next second.

His clothes had already been burnt into tatters and flames fanned up sucking the dense spiritual energy from the muddy pit.

The process of harm and regeneration went in cycles.

During the process, Leon's eyeballs burst several times and then in a flash,regenerated again which continued until two beams shot out from his eyes blasting a hole through the nearby wall.

After a few moments, a bright glow enveloped his whole body and radiated all around filling the entire cave.

While Leon bathed in the light, a familiar figure made his way towards there.