Azure Dragon Supreme Essence Style

Nia suddenly felt an oppressive tightness in her chest, as if it were stuffed with a ball of wet cotton.

So from beginning to end, she had been the only fool who thought everyone could stay in this little town forever, play cards together forever, and be this happy forever.

It turned out Grayrock Town had no place in everyone else's future.

Her nose stung badly, and her eyes instantly reddened.

But she remembered that today was Lance's joyful housewarming day.

Everyone had broader futures ahead of them. Their lives would get better. I shouldn't be sad. I can't spoil the mood at a time like this.

Nia desperately admonished herself in her heart.

I can't cry.

But her tears refused to listen, already welling in her eyes.

Her lips puckered uncontrollably, as though she were trying with all her might to push the tears back in.

"I'm sorry..."

Nia abruptly stood up, her chair scraping harshly across the ground.

"I... I might have to go back first."

After saying that, she did not dare look at everyone's expressions. With her head lowered, she rushed out of the yard.

Bang.

The instant she stepped outside the gate, the strength she had been forcing herself to maintain completely crumbled.

Lance clearly heard an enormous wail from outside the door.

"I'll go with you!"

Without a second thought, Flora grabbed her shoulder bag and hurried after her with a worried expression.

Only Lance and Amber remained in the yard.

Lance sighed and looked at the red-haired girl sitting across from him.

"You should go keep her company too."

"Finding out all at once that three of her friends are leaving would be hard for anyone to take."

"It'll be easier for you girls to talk among yourselves. Try to comfort her."

Amber nodded. "I'll head over."

When she reached the gate, she suddenly stopped, turned back, and flashed Lance a bright smile.

"Happy housewarming, Lance."

"Thanks."

Lance looked over the empty yard, his gaze falling on the crystal cards scattered across the table.

"Amber, these cards..."

"They're yours."

Without turning back, Amber waved her hand.

"They're your housewarming gift."

With that, her figure vanished into the night beyond the gate as well, chasing after the sound of crying.

Lance stepped forward and gathered up the faintly glowing cards one by one.

These were magical tools personally crafted by that witch. On the market, they would be worth a fortune.

Looking at the heavy deck in his hands, Lance could not help letting out a bitter laugh.

It seemed Amber was the real hidden rich young lady.

She had given away such a precious item without a second thought.

The yard fell quiet again.

Only the remaining coals in the grill occasionally crackled softly, sending a few dark-red sparks flying.

After tidying everything up, Lance sat alone in the empty yard, his gaze resting on the neatly stacked crystal cards.

As if possessed, he reached out and drew another card from the deck.

King of Clubs.

As magic suffused it, a new line of text appeared on the card.

[If time were turned back, would you still choose to meet this group of fools destined to part ways?]

He fell into a long silence.

Memories that had once grown hazy surged into his mind like a tide.

He recalled the summer of his previous life.

That high school graduation ceremony filled with joy and tears.

That day, everyone had cried as they hugged each other, solemnly swearing to be lifelong friends and to reserve a place for one another on the maps of their futures.

Yet reality was always so unforgiving.

After entering university, they kept in touch less and less.

In the end, those once incredibly familiar faces became nothing more than people who occasionally liked each other's posts.

Those brothers he had once stayed up all night gaming with at internet cafes, those friends he had drunk cheap beer and bragged with at roadside stalls, eventually all became gray names in his contacts that never lit up again.

Life was like a train with people constantly getting on and off.

The tickets clutched in everyone's hands all led to different terminal stations.

Some people boarded and traveled with you for a stretch. When they reached their stop, naturally, they had to wave goodbye.

Lance closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Though his past experiences had taught him that parting was a normal part of life, and though reason told him that investing his feelings was bound to bring pain.

Still.

He could not deny the times this group of friends had shared.

Meeting in the first place had meaning.

It was like the old dog he had raised for over a decade in his previous life.

From the moment he brought it home, he had known that a dog's lifespan was only a little over ten years, and that he was destined to face its departure and death.

But if he were given the choice again.

He would still raise it, still walk it through countless sunsets.

Because the time they spent together had been real.

The same was true in this unfamiliar other world.

It was through countless trivial yet warm moments of daily life that he had gradually found a sense of truly being alive and genuinely become part of this world.

Lance looked at the card in his hand and answered softly yet firmly:

"I would."

Though he knew full well that everyone would eventually part ways and set off toward their own futures.

He was still willing to return to that sunny afternoon.

To push open the doors of the Adventurers' Guild and say to the brown-haired girl behind the counter:

"Hello, I'm Lance."

The instant his words fell.

The card in his hand suddenly erupted with a dazzling azure light.

Immediately afterward, its hard crystal material began to melt, turning into countless blue motes of light in Lance's palm.

Rather than dispersing, those motes drifted gently toward Lance as if alive, eventually merging into his body.

In a daze, Lance heard a woman's voice sound beside his ear.

Her voice carried a hint of languor and relief as she softly said:

"I like your choice."

The next second, the familiar system panel popped open before him.

[You faced the truth deep within your heart, and your answer pleased the witch]

[The witch bestowed upon you an unarmed fighting art created by the man she loved most]

[You have obtained: Azure Dragon Supreme Essence Style]

So this was the greatest value of this item.

Not only could it help people confront their hearts, but it also granted unimaginably great rewards to those who were honest.

Before Lance could react, a massive torrent of knowledge about this skill began flooding wildly into his mind.

Countless figures darted and shifted within his consciousness.

They were attacking movements that imitated the posture of dragons.

Fingers like dragon claws, arms like dragon tails, spines like dragon bodies.

Every move radiated a ferocious aura that sent chills down one's spine.

A new skill line appeared prominently on the system panel.

[Azure Dragon Supreme Essence Style LV1 (0/250)]

Only after he had fully absorbed all the knowledge did Lance slowly open his eyes and let out a long breath.

This fighting art was far too powerful.

It could even be called somewhat brutal.

The core of every move could be described in just two words: savage brutality.

It did not care about holding back. Every strike was meant to tear apart the enemy's defenses and break their bones.

And this was also an advanced magical body art.