Dragon's Power

The moment Russell received the necklace, he felt a little panicked. For two centuries, no one in Middle-earth had been able to resist the temptation of the One Ring. The nine kings of the human race, each a genius, had all become slaves to the Ring. There was no reason for him to be an exception.

But a second later, his thoughts changed. What if...

Is this some kind of ghost?

"I'm a man with a system by my side. Maybe with a jolt of my might, the One Ring will immediately kneel before me, betray Sauron, and change its name to Lothar..."

Russell inwardly screamed, knowing his thoughts were pure fantasy. The One Ring was imbued with everything Sauron possessed, even incorporating his own power and will into it. In other words, the One Ring was Sauron, and its master could only be Sauron.

Russell knew that possessing the One Ring was useless to him; Sauron used it to rule over the One Rings, controlling the three races of elves, dwarves, and men, thus achieving his goal of conquering Middle-earth. He was not a native of this world; he would leave once his mission was complete, unless he wished to remain in this plane permanently.

"If I could rule the world... staying here forever wouldn't be a bad deal..." Russell froze, and under the influence of boundless temptation and negative emotions, he blankly slipped the One Ring onto his middle finger.

"No----"

Seeing Russell disappear, Gandalf was heartbroken and waved his staff to cast Illumination Spell.

Let's call it Illumination Spell for now!

A powerful holy light swept forth, with endless halos flowing around it, instantly soaring into the sky and unleashing immense power.

Gandalf was enveloped in a radiant light; his once-dirty Grey Robe now glowed with a holy hue, shimmering with light, making him appear like a god descending to earth. A vast, majestic white light filled the area within a thousand-meter radius.

However, none of this worked. Dark power arose and flowed down from the spot where Russell disappeared. The Nightmare Warhorse below neighed and, empowered by the dark power, transformed into black wings and soared into the sky.

"Quickly, we can't let the One Ring escape!"

Gandalf shouted, and the instant he spoke, the Elf Prince Legolas unleashed a barrage of arrows, instantly riddling Nightmare with bloody holes.

The others also launched a series of attacks. Aragorn's eyes turned bloodshot, and with a roar, he swung his Holy Sword, unleashing a terrifying crescent-shaped sword aura.

Rumble!!

A thunderous roar erupted, and a Silver-white Giant Wolf appeared out of thin air, tearing the oncoming attack to shreds. Naturally, Nightmare, who had just evolved by gaining dark power, was also electrocuted into a charred corpse by the Thunder Beast.

On Russell's side, after putting on the One Ring, his vision blurred, and the sky and earth were all dyed a hazy, translucent gray. Before him, the dark Mount Doom erupted, and within the lava, a huge fireball hovered in mid-air, like a golden-red eyeball.

The fireball spewed out scorching red flames, and black vertical lines, like the eyes of a beast, opened up, transforming into a pitch-black shadow.

Sauron!

Darkness cannot be stared at; what is seen is merely darkness. Sauron reached out his large hand to grab Russell.

"Submit to the One Ring, and I will give you power, strength, wealth, lifespan, everything in the world—everything you can imagine, and more!"

A whispered voice reached Russell's ear, stirring his desire. Just as he nodded in agreement, he suddenly remembered something. "Uh, um, can it increase physique?"

Sauron: "..."

This human is so strange. Why does he crave a strong physique so much deep down?

Sauron, not understanding why, assumed Russell craved greater power and nodded, saying, "Bring the One Ring to Mordor, and I will grant you the Dragon's Power."

Russell's pupils dilated, and the puppet-like figure stood before the darkness, murmuring, "The Dragon's Power..."

"Right!"

"The dragon... the Dragon's Power is insufficient; it cannot turn the tide, and in the end, it will still be slaughtered..."

Sauron: "..."

What did you say?

[Ding! Host has triggered World Quest]

[World Quest: Destroy Mordor, destroy the One Ring, and personally end the Lord Sauron]

[Mission failed, forever trapped in this world, replacing the Witch-king of Angmar as the leader of the Ringwraiths]

The cold electronic voice was like a bucket of ice water poured on Russell's heart, making him gasp and wake up. But soon, under the corrosive power of darkness, his will collapsed once again.

Before being completely consumed by desire, Russell glanced at the One Ring and said with deep reluctance, "System, use 'Skill Card: Mechanical Heart'."

[Skill Card: Mechanical Heart (A near-ruthless rationality, always making the most self-serving judgment)]

The One Ring is powerful, but it does not absolutely control the mind of the ringholder. If one possesses strong self-discipline and a powerful will, one can resist the corruption of dark forces.

Russell was a man of decent spirit and willpower. After all, petty people are very persistent. As for self-discipline... he was alright. He was male and had a female preference, and he never crossed that line over the years.

After using the 'Mechanical Heart' Skill Card, everything changed. His willpower turned to steel, and his reason became almost ruthless. Although he was still male, as long as it benefited him, whether he liked women or not was irrelevant.

Even his fondness for women no longer mattered, so his deep-seated desire for a certain constitution naturally ceased to matter. He was devoid of desire, his eyes calm and still. Amidst Sauron's roar, Russell raised his middle finger and personally removed the One Ring.

Rumble—

The Thunder Beast shattered and vanished, transforming into Lightning Snake that pierced the ground. Russell, expressionless, appeared from the void, holding the One Ring, and walked toward Frodo.

Gandalf and his companions were stunned. Russell had vanished and reappeared, and he had taken the One Ring from them. They vaguely guessed what had happened: Russell had undergone a test and relinquished the One Ring.

But they found it hard to believe. Resisting the temptation of the Ring was difficult, and giving it up after wearing it was even harder. Besides, Russell was a human, and among the three races, humans had the weakest willpower.

Russell strode toward Frodo, who stumbled backward in fright. Gandalf pressed on Frodo's shoulder, signaling the others not to act rashly. He was a wise man, and also a somewhat idealistic one; even though the chances of Russell resisting the One Ring were slim, he was willing to take the gamble.

Russell did not disappoint him, placing the One Ring in Frodo's palm decisively and without hesitation, his indifferent expression remaining unchanged throughout.

"Young people these days are really..." Gandalf wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his eyes full of satisfaction. He wanted to praise Russell, but he didn't know how to describe it.

The learned monk and the scholar who once followed the gods had a truly mediocre level of education; he couldn't even utter a simple "Holy crap!"

"Russell, you did a fantastic job! I knew I hadn't misjudged you." Aragorn hugged Russell tightly, overwhelmed with emotion.

Everyone was overjoyed and surrounded Russell, showering him with praise. Russell's expression remained unchanged, his eyes showing no emotion, as if everything was irrelevant to him.

A moment later...

"Ah..."

"The Dragon's Power would work too, at least it's stronger than I am now, so why, why did you refuse?!"