Chapter 326: To Break the Narrative
Virion’s words settled over me like a clarion call.
The frantic, fearful calculations that had been spinning in my mind—odds of survival, scales of power, lists of potential enemies—slowed and then stilled.
He is right . I was overthinking.
But beneath the anxiety, I had never forgotten the core truth. Or that I was the disciple of a Primordial Dragon.
I had allies, not just the ones he named, but others. Cassandra, with her sharp mind and her mysterious system. Aeron and Emory whom I had a good relationship. I had built these connections for a reason.
And I certainly wouldn’t mind having more loyal, powerful allies by my side.
Besides, having a target on my back(head) wasn’t new; it had been there from the moment I ’found’ myself in this world. It was just getting bigger and heavier, its scope expanding from local nobles and family rivals to encompass ancient beings and cosmic threats.
The funny thing is, I’m not even that strong yet. A flick from one of those enemies, and I am reduced to ashes...
Which only meant one thing...
I need to get stronger. Faster.
The ambition had always been there, a quiet ember since the day I first grasped the nature of this world.
And Virion’s words ignited that spark into a blazing, undeniable inferno that demanded growth, demanded power.
"Thank you, Master," I said, my voice firm, the last traces of doubt burned away. "I will always keep those words in my mind."
"Jie~ Jie~" Virion laughed, a sound of genuine approval that rumbled through the domain. "That’s the spirit, my boy! That’s the look I want to see!"
The fire of determination he had stoked made his next words land as a promise. A path laid bare before me.
"Your engagement, if it becomes true, is not a death sentence. It is a crucible," he continued, his voice hardening back into that of the wise ancient mentor. "It will forge you in fires that would reduce others to ash. Your enemies will be great... but so too will be the power you must gain to crush them."
He leaned back, his emerald gaze sweeping over me as if assessing raw material, seeing not my current weakness, but the potential shape of the weapon I could become. "The choice, ultimately, is yours. You can refuse the destiny she speaks of and seek a safer, quieter life. Or you can embrace the storm, and become the kind of tempest that even primordial beings respect."
The options were clear. One path led to a manageable existence, forever looking over my shoulder, hoping the storms of greater powers would pass me by.
...Just like an ordinary background character.
The other promised unimaginable danger, pain, and struggle... but also the strength to stand eye-to-eye with the very forces that shaped worlds. To not just survive the storm, but to command it.
...Just like a protagonist.
There was no choice.
"The power to protect what is yours is not given," Virion concluded, his tone leaving no room for argument. "It is taken. And I will ensure you learn how to take it."
I met his gaze, the inferno within me burning steady and clear.
...To hell with protagonists and background characters.
Those are just labels in a narrative I never asked to be in. I won’t be a character at all.
I’ll be the reader who closed the book, the player who left the game, the author who finished the story, an anomaly that broke free from the script.
I will break the narrative itself and become something entirely new, something for which there is no name.
’...’
I paused.
Then a soft chuckle reverberated in the quiet of my mind.
Well, that sounded incredibly arrogant, didn’t it?
The grandiose thoughts about breaking narratives and becoming something beyond definition - it was the kind of dramatic internal monologue that belonged in the climactic scenes of those cultivation novels. Here I was, barely able to hold my own against a weakened Architect, and already I was planning to transcend reality itself.
Well, in my defense, this seemed like the proper conclusion that I hadn’t realized till now.
But the truth was simpler and more grounded than my momentary flight of fancy.
I didn’t need to break any cosmic narratives or become some unnamed force beyond comprehension. I just needed to stop being afraid of the path I was already walking.
The engagement, the enemies, the cosmic threats - they were all part of the same fundamental challenge I’d been facing since the day I arrived in this world: survive, grow stronger, and protect what mattered to me. The scale had grown larger, but the core remained the same.
"Master," I said, my voice steadying as the melodramatic thoughts settled into something more practical. "About getting stronger faster - what should be my immediate priorities? I know I have potential, but potential means nothing if I’m dead before I can realize it."
Virion’s eyes gleamed with approval, as if he could sense the shift from grandiose ambition to practical resolve.
"Now that," he said with satisfaction, "is the right question to ask."
"Let’s take a look then~" Virion began circling around me in a slow, contemplative orbit, his serpentine form moving with fluid grace as he examined me with those ancient emerald eyes.
"Oho~ you have already subdued your third locus and harmonized them perfectly," he muttered, his voice carrying a note of assessment. "You have already broken through from Initiate Resonator to a Path Seeker as well. What a pleasant surprise~"
"Hmm." I confirmed.
"So, your next step is obvious. It is time to choose a Path."
He paused in his circling, fixing me with a penetrating stare. "You have three loci, weird abilities, you are also compatible with many paths - Mystic, Warrior, Channeler, and even a Specialist..."
"Given these circumstances, your path..." he continued, though his tone grew more contemplative. "...Well, now this is difficult."
It indeed was. But the system said something about it in the Paths tab before.
"Have you chosen yourself yet?" Virion asked, his ancient gaze seeming to pierce through to my very thoughts.
I shook my head slowly. "No, but I have been thinking about it and wanted to discuss it with you as well."
"Hmm..." Virion’s expression grew thoughtful, and I could practically see the gears turning in that ancient mind as he considered the implications of each potential choice.
...I need ot check out the system.