Wild Instinct

Nedeli's ascension took longer than expected. The main reason was probably that she had forcibly wielded Heavenly Power before completing her ascension, damaging her body in the process.

Yuan Chen wasn't in a hurry. He simply built a wooden enclosure around Nedeli, then began waiting quietly.

It took nearly three days for the flames of Heavenly Power around Nedeli to gradually fade...

No, not fade. From what Yuan Chen could see, it was more like Nedeli had absorbed them into her body.

As a long mane of dazzling golden hair fell behind her, Nedeli slowly opened her eyes.

Unlike her brown eyes before, Nedeli's eyes were now a crystalline blue-white. Even in broad daylight, Yuan Chen could still sense the radiance of Order within them.

The Earth Vein Spear had changed too. It was no longer a wooden-shafted spear, but a gemstone-like lance formed from pure Heavenly Power. The change wasn't merely cosmetic; its attributes, as revealed by Scout Skill, had changed as well.

Name: Celestial · Dawn Spear

Quality: Epic

Skill: Celestial Edge

This weapon has been enchanted with Heavenly Power and can only be wielded by its chosen wielder. When the chosen wielder uses it, their attacks gain a spell-breaking effect: they ignore spell resistance and pierce enhanced and defensive magic.

Formless Edge

This weapon has no fixed form and can transform into a blade, sword, teeth, ribbon, or armor according to its wielder's needs. Thrown weapons can also return automatically, regardless of distance.

Order Domain

While this weapon is carried, it will warn its chosen wielder when someone harboring hostile intent approaches. This skill can be set to defend against enemies on its own; energy consumed during combat will be supplied by the chosen wielder.

Order Artifact

This weapon judges its targets. If a target is deemed "chaotic," "disorderly," or "evil," its attacks will gain additional effects such as Celestial Suppression, Mana Burn, and Shock.

Weight Enhancement: Omitted

Note:

Heavenly Power has only begun enchanting this weapon. With use and the passage of time, the Dawn Spear will gradually progress from Epic to Legendary and then to Ultimate, with a small chance of surpassing the limits of its grade.

Seeing the effects of the Earth Vein Spear... No, the Dawn Spear, Yuan Chen couldn't help raising an eyebrow.

Until now, the Earth Vein Spear had been an Excellent creation.

He didn't know much about forging, but as far as he knew, Excellent was the limit for most human craftsmen. Across all of Runeterra, the number of people capable of forging an Epic creation could be counted on one hand.

Most of them relied on the exceptional quality of their materials. As for those who could truly forge divine objects from mortal ones...

As far as Yuan Chen could recall, there was only the Ram Demigod of Freljord.

And now, the Dawn Spear was only Epic, but its potential was already beginning to show. At the very least, both it and Lupe's Skarner's Flying Wheel were Epic Quality, yet hers only had two equipment skills.

And this one? It already had five effects, and it hadn't even finished evolving...

All he could say was that the native demigods of Ixialia were still a long way behind the native gods of Immortal Heaven...

As he thought this, Yuan Chen used Scout Skill on Nedeli again.

Name: Nedeli

Race: Celestial

Condition: At full strength, enhanced by Heavenly Power

Class: Shapeshifter LV6/Assassin LV5/Dawn Bringer LV1

Equipment: Dawn Spear (Epic, upgradeable)

Skills: Omitted

Trait: Dawn Bringer (Legendary)

Effect 1: Death's Dawn

The Dawn Bringer's soul is protected by Immortal Heaven. Once each dawn, she can draw upon the power of Immortal Heaven to strengthen herself. After locking onto a target, her next attack will be greatly enhanced!

It will also gain the following effects: guaranteed hit, spell-breaking, burning, magic suppression, fear, critical hit, execution, and crushing pressure on the soul! These effects are compulsory. Non-Mythic lifeforms and Mythic classes cannot resist them. They ignore resistance and have unlimited range.

Effect 2: Life's Dawn

The Dawn Bringer's soul is protected by Immortal Heaven. If she dies in the mortal realm, her soul will automatically absorb scattered Heavenly Power and convert it into Dawn Power. Once she has converted more than three hundred strands of Dawn Power, the Dawn Bringer will be resurrected. Remaining uses: (3/3)

Effect 3: Dawn Judgment

When attacking an enemy, Order Power will judge the target. If the target is a chaotic creature, the attack ignores magic resistance.

The attack will also apply a mark. Attacks against the marked target will deal greatly increased damage, and the target will be executed once its total vitality (stamina and physical strength) falls below a certain threshold (around fifteen percent, with some variation depending on the individual).

Effect 4: Newborn Dawn

When injured, the Dawn Bringer can convert the Dawn Power within her body to heal herself rapidly, strengthen herself, and restore mana. Each strand of Heavenly Power restores sixty percent of her total stamina. Storage limit: (0/3)

Effect 5: Path of Dawn

The Dawn Bringer can disappear into the first ray of light at daybreak, using dawnlight to travel and move rapidly. She cannot bring anyone with her, and the ability can be affected by concealment and interference magic. The amount of Dawn Power consumed varies with the distance.

Note: Heavenly Power is extremely scarce in Runeterra. On average, one strand of Dawn Power can be gathered every three natural months.

However, when the Dawn Bringer is in a special area, the rate at which she gathers Dawn Power may increase or decrease to varying degrees.

Wild Call (Epic): Omitted

Holy crap!

Seeing Nedeli's current condition, Yuan Chen couldn't help narrowing his eyes—

He was afraid that if he opened them too wide, she'd see how red with envy they'd gotten.

He'd thought Death's Dawn was already ridiculously overpowered. Now it seemed he'd just been ignorant.

TMD, changing classes gives you three extra lives? And you get execution and teleportation for free? What kind of Dawn Bringer was this? She might as well call herself Wind Spirit Moon Shadow. At least that name would be easier for him to accept...

Out of envy, Yuan Chen looked at Nedeli with undisguised disdain—

Anyone would have a hard time accepting it if their little sidekick, who'd been following them around yesterday and was inferior in every way, suddenly became a big shot.

Sensing the familiar chill of being watched, Nedeli looked over at Yuan Chen. A flicker of disgust crossed her eyes.

"Hm?" Noticing her expression, Yuan Chen froze, then asked uncertainly, "What's with that look?"

If Nedeli had decided to kill the donkey after it had finished grinding the mill, Yuan Chen didn't have any real way to stop her. He couldn't beat her, but he could still run.

What puzzled him was that Nedeli wasn't that kind of person.

At least, from the time they'd spent together, he knew that although Nedeli disliked crowds, villages, cities, and civilization, she didn't hate them. Most of the time, she simply lived quietly in her own world.

You leave me alone, and I leave you alone. She was a reclusive, herbivorous anti-civilizationist.

But her dislike of civilization came from the environment she'd grown up in. It wasn't a matter of life and death, nor was she some fanatical animal-rights activist...

Hearing Yuan Chen's question, Nedeli froze too. She immediately lowered her head and closed her eyes. After a moment of silence, she rubbed her brow, then raised her head with a helpless look.

"Sorry... Uh, the Demonic Aura caused the Dawn Power inside me to fluctuate a little..."

Yuan Chen was at a loss for words—

The power of demons was a native force of Runeterra, one that leaned toward chaos and disorder. The Azure Guardian Dragon's power came from Immortal Heaven; it was pure, proper Order Power.

Of course the two didn't get along.

Seeing the speechless look on Yuan Chen's face, Nedeli simply shrugged, unconcerned. Her power came from the Azure Guardian Dragon. She had no hostility toward Yuan Chen, but that didn't change the fact that the source of her power rejected chaos.

If Yuan Chen was a Great Demon under Oshirresh, then Nedeli was a bona fide Divine Emissary, pure in origin.

Yuan Chen had been above Nedeli before, but now she'd changed classes and had risen above him.

Nedeli glanced around, then asked, "How long has it been?"

"Three days since I woke up. Nearly five since you threw that spear."

Nedeli nodded thoughtfully. She looked at Yuan Chen, and after a moment's silence, a teasing smile appeared on her lips.

She hadn't said anything yet, but Yuan Chen was already on guard. Usually, when she wore that expression, it meant she had a whole lot of mischief pent up and was eager to let it out.

Sure enough, after sensing Yuan Chen's current condition and level of strength, Nedeli stood and walked over to him. Ignoring his deadpan expression, she patted him on the shoulder with great amusement.

"Well, well, if it isn't the guy who beat me up before. Haven't seen you in a while. How'd you get so pathetic?"

"..."

Yuan Chen rolled his eyes and said nothing.

Nedeli didn't mind. She glanced around, then raised an eyebrow. "Where is everyone?"

"They left ages ago," Yuan Chen said.

"Sorting and packing up the Dragon Corpse, and gathering the valuables we need for the trip to the county...

"The Meat-toothed Beasts suffered more than fifty percent casualties in that hunt. If Milio hadn't awakened in time, they might have lost even more."

Yuan Chen sighed as he spoke... He'd quite liked those passionate Reform Youth from the Carnivore Beast Tribe.

But that was how it went... Reform was a heavy burden. Any change was always accompanied by Blood and Conflict.

Or maybe he just hadn't been strong enough.

Nedeli nodded in understanding and sighed apologetically. "Sorry I couldn't join the fight in time..."

"It's not your fault. Nobody expected becoming a Dawn Bringer to take so long." Yuan Chen shook his head.

"You did everything you could to keep your promise. I was the one who underestimated how difficult a Legendary Profession would be."

Nedeli stared at Yuan Chen for a while. Then she turned and looked around again. When she spotted the campfire and signs of life nearby, her gaze turned complicated. "Were you waiting for me all this time?"

"What else? Leave you here?"

Yuan Chen took a few fruits out of his coat and started eating, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Don't make my life sound so miserable. Your family was standing guard nearby too."

As Yuan Chen spoke, several cougars emerged from the bushes nearby. They looked at Nedeli, uncertainty in their eyes—

Neither her aura nor her body was mortal anymore. Heavenly Order flowed through her veins.

Even the cougars who had grown up with Nedeli—though they weren't blood relatives—or her Vastaya Shuray ancestors wouldn't have recognized her origins.

Nedeli let out a beastlike growl. At once, the cougars rushed over and crowded around her, sniffing her all over.

Nedeli placed her hands on her family. As light enveloped them, a faint Celestial Aura lingered around the cougars, slowly altering and strengthening them.

Given enough time, they would no longer be ordinary beasts. They would become Spirit Beasts, like creatures of the Spirit Realm.

Yuan Chen watched without interrupting, quietly eating his fruit. But just then, a sudden Pop! sounded beside his mouth.

Feeling the pain, Yuan Chen instinctively covered his mouth. Nedeli glanced at him, a helpless expression on her face.

"Did you forget everything I taught you? How could you eat the seeds of an Exploding Fruit?"

Exploding Fruit was a plant unique to Runeterra, commonly found in tropical rainforests, especially in Ionia and Ixialia.

In the game, hitting an Exploding Fruit only sent you flying. In reality, its explosion could easily kill a Shadow Wolf.

Even an unripe seed, like this one, had left a shallow bloody gash inside Yuan Chen's mouth. He'd undergone Dragon Blood Enhancement, after all. An ordinary person would've lost their jaw.

"I wasn't paying attention when I gathered them... Damn it, I don't even remember picking any Exploding Fruit."

As he spoke, Yuan Chen rubbed the corner of his mouth and grumbled indistinctly.

"Whatever... Guess I need to bite down on a lighter, just like that knife guy."

While Yuan Chen was still muttering, Nedeli suddenly cupped his face in both hands and kissed him on the lips.

Hm?!

Yuan Chen froze, but a moment later, he felt a warm, gentle current welling up in his mouth. The wound at the corner of his mouth quickly stopped bleeding and healed.

Nedeli casually wiped the corner of her own mouth, then turned her head to look into the distance. "Now I don't owe you anything."

Yuan Chen could only rub his brow. "I've got mixed feelings... Give me a moment to figure out what to say."

"There's no need to agonize over it. I love this wilderness more than anything." Nedeli shook her head. She didn't seem affected at all, and her voice remained calm.

"I'm a wild creature. I was only following my instincts."