"Huh?"
Zachary froze in his tracks upon hearing Leon's words.
"Wait! Master Leon, what do you mean... we have to handle all these alchemical golems ourselves?"
Zachary asked with a look of utter confusion, staring at the horde of Gramophone Golems and various other constructs behind them that seemed eager to rush forward as if for a commemorative photo.
There were at least two hundred alchemical golems in that group!
Among them, the Gramophone Golems could even launch long-range mental attacks through sound!
If a hundred Gramophone Golems attacked simultaneously, not even a Gold rank powerhouse could withstand it, let alone a Bronze rank transcendent like him!
Without calling for help, their group dealing with this swarm of golems wasn't just a matter of having no chance of winning—it would be a miracle if they even survived!
"Not us. Me."
Leon thought to himself, 'You guys better not try to steal my experience points.'
"Zachary, once we're back up, take a few people and relocate outside for now," Leon said. "The situation here won't be resolved quickly. For the safety of you and your family, move out and find a place to stay for a while."
"Then, Master Leon, you..."
Zachary had already been considering moving out temporarily, but since the trouble was in the ruins beneath his own manor, he felt like a deserter leaving Leon to handle it alone. He couldn't set his mind at ease.
"With your level of strength, you don't need to worry about such things," Leon said.
"If you stay here, you'll only be in the way."
"...Yes, I'll go up and tell my family to move out immediately," Zachary replied, realizing he had no other choice.
Leon turned to Ratahn and said, "Take the rest of the men back to the cathedral. Pack some equipment and luggage; we'll be staying here for a while."
"Yes, sir!" Ratahn didn't hesitate and led the remaining Falcon warriors away.
"Then, what about me?" Alicia asked, seeing that she and Leon were the only ones left in the underground passage.
"Alicia, you stand guard for me. I need to meditate to recover my mental power."
Alicia nodded. "I will... protect... you!"
Leon gave a slight nod. He stepped forward a few paces, stopping at a spot where the Gramophone Golems in the ruins could see him, and focused his mind on his panel.
Several streams of light flashed across the panel, and Leon checked the most recent ones.
【You have leveled up Radiance Perception. You may choose one of the following three traits to enhance it:】
【Extension: The range of Radiance Perception expands from 40m to 80m. Additionally, you can stretch the originally circular perception field into other shapes, with a maximum extension distance of up to 150m.】
【Precision: Contract the Radiance Perception field to a 5m radius around your body. Within this range, perception accuracy is significantly increased. You can detect the flow of Battle Qi, mana, mental power, and arcane power within the range, as well as capture muscle movements and all subtle actions.】
【Linkage: Link with the Divine Art 'Walking Meditation'. When you perform this meditation, Radiance Perception will automatically synchronize and activate, receiving a boost from the Sea of Mental Power. The stronger your mental power, the wider the perception range and the higher the precision. Current mental power provides a bonus of +40m perception range and +100% perception precision.】
"The 'Extension' trait increases the breadth of perception, suitable for wide-range strikes and long-distance combat..."
"The 'Precision' trait increases accuracy, making it suitable for close-quarters combat..."
"But as for 'Linkage'..."
"I choose to enhance the trait: Linkage!"
After a moment of deliberation, Leon decisively chose Linkage.
【Enhanced Trait Selected: Linkage】
Linking Radiance Perception with Walking Meditation meant that Radiance Perception would be active almost constantly.
Since Leon was performing Walking Meditation at all times—whether walking, resting, or fighting—this meant he would always be aware of his surroundings, preventing any sneak attacks!
With this, he would no longer have to rely solely on the "Alicia-type sensing device" for detecting killing intent!
While Leon fully trusted Alicia's combat instincts and her ability to sense killing intent, what if an assassin was exceptionally good at hiding it?
What if someone didn't harbor killing intent but was simply monitoring him?
Leon didn't want his every move to be tracked by others.
Furthermore, Linkage could increase both the range and precision of Radiance Perception.
And this increase was determined by the strength of Leon's mental power.
At the Silver rank, his mental power already added +40m. If he reached the Gold rank, wouldn't it add hundreds of meters?
What about the Diamond rank? The Epic rank? The Legend rank?
He might end up with a perception range of tens of thousands of meters!
That would basically be the equivalent of a cultivator's divine sense!
"Hmm?!"
As he finalized the Linkage trait and resumed his Walking Meditation, perception images immediately flooded his mind.
And within these images, Leon suddenly discovered—there was someone else!
Besides Alicia, he could sense the presence of another aura in this underground passage!
Leon's expression tightened, but in the next instant, he forced himself to suppress the urge to look in that direction.
He turned his gaze toward the Gramophone Golems in the ruins, making it seem as if his change in expression was caused by them.
He stood up and moved to a different spot further out. The blurry figure in his perception followed him, moving outward while maintaining a certain distance.
"The perception is very unclear, like looking at someone through a thin veil. This being's strength is very high; even Radiance Perception can't capture details, only a vague sense..."
Leon thought with extreme calm.
When did this being start following him?
What was their purpose? Which faction sent them?
From the looks of it, they had been keeping a set distance and following him for a long time.
Many questions clouded Leon's mind, but the biggest one was—were they friend or foe?
"If they were an enemy, I probably would have been assassinated long ago..."
Leon's thoughts were incredibly clear. Given this figure's stealth capabilities, he would have been ambushed and killed already if they were hostile.
Moreover, Leon didn't believe the Sage King would leave him unprotected after learning about his talent and potential...
"Wait, is this a guard sent by the Sage King to protect me?" Leon suddenly thought.
The possibility was quite high.
However, Leon didn't dare to gamble on it.
And he wasn't sure when the stalker had started following him.
If they had been by his side for a long time, then he couldn't go to Bishop Miles or Viscount Finn for help.
Since even they hadn't noticed the stalker, it meant they were weaker than the stalker, and seeking them out wouldn't solve the problem.
"The letter from Aaron said he's already left the capital and will arrive in Eldenborg soon."
Leon's mind raced:
"He'll definitely have Royal Guards with him. If those Royal Guards detect this person's presence but don't expose them, it means this person isn't an enemy, but a protector sent by the Sage King."
"Otherwise, they're from some other organization with ulterior motives..."
The sudden realization of this presence made his skin crawl, much like the time he was caught by that white-haired old man in the Royal Library.
"For now, this being hasn't realized that I've noticed them..."
Leon decided not to alert the stalker and instead wait for Prince Aaron's arrival before making a decision.
"Good grief, this world is far too terrifying! Without enough perception, I wouldn't even know someone was constantly stalking me..."
A powerful desire to increase his strength surged within Leon once again.
No matter what, he had to level up Walking Meditation as quickly as possible!
Rate on N.U.
