Resurrection System: Become the Strongest

Chapter 06

A low-frequency rumble echoed throughout the massive hall, sliding across the pristine white marble floor and vibrating against the tips of the boots of the nobles standing and watching.

The pitch-black light radiating from within the Aptitude Assessment Crystal Stone no longer merely glowed, instead spinning to form a small vortex of a storm that swallowed every reflection of natural light from the stained-glass windows on the side of the hall.

"Extraordinary," whispered a Drag family elder with a choked voice, both eyes wide open as if he were witnessing the collapse of the sky. "The crystal has never reacted like that for the past three centuries!"

Above the crystal stone, which stood as tall as an adult's chest, subtle cracks began spreading at a terrifying speed.

Jet-black lines crept to every side of the stone's surface, spreading a scorching heat that burned the surrounding air. A sharp creaking sound was heard every time the c***k grew longer, as if the high-value stone were bearing an immense load that exceeded the limits of its structural capacity.

Richard stood tall without the slightest trace of fear. His palm was still perfectly pressed against the surface of the violently vibrating stone.

Within his body, a dense and scorching new flow of energy churned wildly, fusing perfectly with the meridian system that had just been completely cleansed of lingering poisons.

The numbness and pain that had haunted his physical vessel for years had now vanished without a trace, replaced by extraordinary physical strength and an endless capacity of mana pouring down like a waterfall from high mountains.

Ding!

[The system detects an energy surge exceeding the external target's capacity.] [Mana Attribute Activation: Black Flame is triggering a chain reaction on the test medium.] [Warning: The Host is advised to withdraw their hand to avoid the total destruction of the object.]

Although the system provided a transparent warning at the corner of his vision, Richard had no intention whatsoever of letting go of his hand. A faint smile curved upon his lips. He wanted to see how far the power of this new attribute could shake the foundations of a family that had looked down upon him for so long.

A suddenly suppressed explosive sound rumbled from within the crystal stone. Followed by a melt of thick black liquid mixed with reddish-gold sparks spilling from the stone's cracks, flowing down and hissing as it touched the marble floor to produce puffs of thin smoke. The aptitude test crystal, touted as the Drag family's strongest magical artifact, finally broke into pieces, shattering completely into scattered fragments of crystal dust over the hall floor.

A chilling silence immediately enveloped the room. Not a single person dared to breathe too heavily.

Nobles from various other noble factions invited as witnesses appeared frozen in their seats, their mouths agape in absolute disbelief.

A young man who had long been labeled as a disgrace, trash, and a cripple without a single drop of mana had just shattered a high-tier aptitude test stone simply by touching it.

"This is impossible!" Leonardo shouted hysterically, breaking the frozen silence. His once arrogant face now turned pale, filled with a mixture of shock, denial, and overflowing anger.

"He must be using a dirty trick! There is no way this trash has a mana capacity capable of destroying the ancestral crystal!" Leonardo stepped forward hastily, pointing toward the crystal fragments still billowing with thin black smoke.

Leonardo's shout made several elders snap out of their shock. Whispers began to sound in overlapping echoes among the crowd of nobles.

"That's right, could there be a hidden artifact he used to damage the stone from the inside?"

"The kid has been known for over a decade not to have a mana pathway. There is no way in three days he suddenly exceeded an Archmage's capacity."

"But, you saw that black smoke yourself, right? That's not ordinary magic. That is a high-tier elemental manifestation!"

Hearing those doubtful whispers, Duke Harrison von Drag's expression grew even darker. As the head of the family possessing advanced magical power, he could clearly feel the lingering remnants of terrifying aura left in the air.

That aura was not an illusionary engineering or cheap trick. It was the pure pressure of a dragon's soul combined with an extremely dense dark element, something far surpassing even his own level of magical achievement.

Duke Harrison stood from his throne. His heavy footsteps echoed across the marble floor as he approached the crystal shards, then shifted his sharp gaze toward Richard.

"Richard," Duke Harrison's voice sounded low and authoritative, laden with psychological pressure capable of crushing an ordinary person's mentality. "Explain what just happened. Where did you get such immense power in such a short span of time?"

Richard showed no trace of fear before the intimidating gaze of his own biological father. He slowly pulled his hand back, then straightened the collar of his robe with a casual yet elegant movement.

"Instead of asking where I got it, wouldn't it be better if you asked what this family has actually been hiding from me all this time, Duke Harrison?" Richard replied with a calm yet sharply piercing tone.

The use of the title 'Duke Harrison' without the prefix 'Father' caused the family head's jaw to instantly tighten. In the eyes of the elders, that action was a blatant form of defiance never before committed by anyone in the history of the Drag family.

"Insolent!" snapped one senior elder while slamming a nearby wooden table. "No matter what, he is the head of the family! How dare you speak with such an impudent tone after causing chaos in the sacred hall?!"

Richard slowly turned toward the elder who had snapped at him. The corners of his lips lifted into a cynical smile that suddenly made the elder feel oppressed by an invisible aura enveloping Richard's body.

"Impudent? All of you gladly let the head butler poison my food every day, left me to live in torment and humiliation in a narrow room, and then called me a family stain. And now, when I prove that I was never the trash you wanted me to be, you call me insolent?" Richard's voice echoed throughout the hall, so sharp and full of conviction that it made the elders who had just shouted suddenly fall silent.

"Where is the justice of the Drag family that you have always been so proud of? Does that justice only apply to those with talent, while your own flesh and blood is left to die slowly just to maintain the clan's prestige?" Richard continued, speaking all the painful truths he had experienced all this time.

"Shut up!" Leonardo could no longer contain the envy and jealousy burning in his chest. He stepped forward with reddened eyes, radiating deep hatred.

In his heart, the position of sole heir candidate that he had long desired and painstakingly prepared for was now threatened to be seized by someone he had always considered petty trash. "Don't you dare try to turn the tables with sweet words! You are nothing more than a parasite who should have died in that shabby room! If you are truly great, fight me right now! Prove before the elders that your strength is not the result of trickery!"

Leonardo's open challenge immediately drew the attention of everyone in the hall. Inter-kin battles within the Drag family environment were strictly prohibited without the elders' approval, but the current situation was far beyond normal control. The elders themselves were curious whether the power Richard had displayed was truly real or merely a destructive coincidence.

"Leonardo," Selena, who had been standing near her younger brother, spoke out in warning with a cold tone. Although she disliked Richard, she was rational enough to see that the current situation was extremely dangerous for the family's reputation.

"Sister, don't stop me!" Leonardo interrupted with a voice trembling with emotion. He stared sharply at Richard, as if wanting to tear the young man's body apart alive. "I will show everyone here who truly deserves to stand at the peak of the Drag family!"

Richard looked at Leonardo with a dismissive gaze. In his eyes, Leonardo was no more than a spoiled child accustomed to living in a flood of praise and luxury, yet possessing a fragile mentality the moment his position was threatened.

Ding!

[New Side Quest Detected!]