Assimilate All Talents

Chapter 338 Night Watch

After what happened, Sol had trouble facing Amber. Although he had healed her neck, leaving no trace of the harm he'd caused, every time he looked at her, he was reminded of how close he'd come to ending her life.

The memory lingered in his mind, but Amber carried on as if nothing had happened. She remained unbothered, knowing it wasn't truly him but the dragon bloodline's influence at work. It was an accident—an unfortunate consequence of his transformation. But Sol couldn't see it that way.

She spent her spare time practicing her pseudo law technique, refining it further in preparation for her eventual breakthrough.

Sol kept his distance until it was time for them to rest. Approaching her as she put away her daggers, he said, "I'll keep watch. Get some rest, okay?"

"Okay." With a simple nod, Amber entered her tent, leaving Sol to guard the camp alone. Normally, they would take turns, but after what he'd put her through, he didn't mind going sleepless for one night.

'I can take this time to figure out how much the sin of pride affects me when I'm not transformed.' he thought, settling near the campfire.

He had already consulted the knowledge granted by the law technique, [Draconification], and understood the nature of the sins.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

'Sins are ingrained in the blood of dragons. There is no such thing as a dragon without sin. Normally, they are born with these sins and grow up accustomed to them as part of their personality. But I wasn't born with dragon blood.'

Sol theorized that this difference might allow him to isolate the source of the sin's influence. If he compared his mental and emotional state from before and after absorbing the dragon scale, he might pinpoint the cause. Fortunately, his extensive training with [Memory Engraving] and [Mental Scrying] meant he already had a detailed record of his own mind and body to reference.

Glancing at Amber's tent, he used [True Sight (Variant)] to confirm she was resting. Her body lay still on the bedroll, breathing steady. His fist clenched.

'I'll make sure this never happens again.'

Resolute, he turned away and activated [Reinterpret], entering the white room.

'There's no way I can use [Draconification], not even in a life or death situation. The consequences are too severe. I could even end up permanently transformed.'

The memory of the intoxicating power he felt in that state sent a shiver down his spine. With the sin of pride in control of his actions, he feared it would influence him to stay transformed forever. He couldn't even begin to imagine the destruction that would follow.

'The only way I might use it safely is if I max out all my psychic skills, combine them, and raise them into a law technique. That might give me enough control over my mind to keep the sin in check.'

He resolved to focus on mastering his psychic skills. Only after achieving that foundation would he even consider using [Draconification] again.

As he pondered whether to continue practicing, he noticed Amber emerging from her tent.

"Amber? Why are you awake?"

"My turn to watch." She replied simply, moving to the dying campfire. She added a few logs, rekindling the flames with ease.

Sol smiled appreciatively but shook his head. "Thanks, but it's okay. I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight. You should get some more rest."

Her presence reignited the shame and guilt he had managed to temporarily forget while focusing on his research. Just as he was about to re-enter the white room, he saw her sit down beside him.

"Amber?"

She didn't respond, but her actions made it clear she wasn't going back to her tent.

Sol hesitated, then turned his gaze toward the starry sky. Neither spoke as they sat together in the quiet, letting the night pass in peaceful silence.