Bonds? Burdens!

The real world was not a fantasy novel. Bonds, emotions, protection, faith... these beautiful things could not give people strength. All they could bring... was a soul whose ambition had been worn away, along with endless burdens and hindrances.

Especially at the Legendary level... a powerful Red Robed Mage had said long ago:

"Legendary professionals are immensely powerful. They can alter Laws, pluck stars and seize moons, effortlessly destroy magnificent planes one after another, and obtain anything they desire... But! They absolutely should not, and must not, have 'bonds,' because a sincere bond will forever be the greatest hidden danger a Legendary powerhouse can possess!"

To many professionals of the Good alignment, such twisted nonsense was naturally absurd. After all, goodness meant protecting the innocent, becoming stronger was for protecting those one cherished, and treating one's beloved, family, and companions as burdens was simply not behavior a "human" should have.

But... what was reality actually like?

Azterlan was now experiencing the existence of "bonds" firsthand.

Faced with Punk's perfunctory reply and Kane's mocking gaze from nearby, the Legendary Mage's fury was easy to imagine.

No matter what, he was a Level Thirty-Five Legendary professional. Ordinary Legendaries who had reached Level Thirty were already beyond the category of newly-promoted Legendaries. A Mage like Azterlan could fairly be called an established ordinary Legendary!

Yet now, Punk and Kane—a Level Twenty-Six Mage and a Level Twenty-Four Knight—were openly mocking and ridiculing a "senior" like him without the slightest respect. They had even brazenly laid out a conspiracy and spoken with such certainty. How could a Legendary professional's pride not be consumed by rage? The White-robed Mage was so angry that veins bulged at the corners of his eyes!

In fact, merely because Punk had set up a scheme against him, Azterlan already had