As the words at the bottom of Jason's heart echoed, a warm flow rose from his stomach.
The night, grew ever deeper.
The darkness, so thick you couldn't see your hand in front of you, enveloped everything before Jason's eyes.
Faint sounds began to appear in his ears.
At first, they were barely discernible.
But just a second or two later, these sounds became clear.
And they sounded like the flapping of wings.
They also resembled the sounds of crawling creatures winding their way forward.
In Jason's perception, they were getting closer.
Then, about a meter away, they stopped.
Because specks of light began to appear.
Very familiar specks of light.
They were the power of "Protection Against Evil".
But unlike before, where the specks were like fireflies, now they were starting to gather together.
They connected, forming larger patches of light.
And there was a tad bit of something within that Jason couldn't understand, something that would take time, that needed... to upgrade "Protection Against Evil" to the next level.
As he gazed at the weeny patches of light, no larger than a pinky fingernail, a realization dawned on him.
Then, by the light of the patches, he peered into the darkness.
He couldn't make out anything clearly.
The darkness was like a tangible wall standing before him.
The rustling sounds started up again.
They seemed to want to break out.
But, in the next moment—
This Dufol Language imprinted on Jason's heart burst forth with a dazzling brilliance.
Such brilliance illuminated Jason's heart, making its beat more vigorous and strong.
The circulation of blood within became more pronounced, yet the change needing time continued.
The rustling sounds paused for a moment.
Then, they began to move away.
They started to retreat.
Moving away faster than they had approached.
Jason silently observed the impenetrable darkness, his mind full of speculation.
Was this a "legacy" imprint?
What the creator of "Protection Against Evil" faced and saw at that time?
Could it be discerned only when "Protection Against Evil" reached the Master level?
Was it a message left intentionally by someone?
Or perhaps… a warning?
Such thoughts emerged in his mind, but none could be confirmed.
And everything before his eyes vanished swiftly.
Only the emergence of words remained—
[Consuming 35 points of Fullness, 8 points of Excitement of Feast, upgrading Protection Against Evil (Expert → Master)!]
[Protection Against Evil (Master): As an undisputed master in using this Seal Imprint secret technique, on top of its original basis, you have enhanced it using a special power and integrated a similar force to strengthen it further! In the city, in the suburbs at night, it lets you ignore those malicious intents lurking in the depths, but you still need to expend significant Physical Strength to activate this Seal Imprint secret technique! Remember: Just the city and its suburbs! You are not yet able to venture further! This is the Night Watcher's warning! As a member of the Night Watcher, you must heed this warning as if it were a legacy passed down to you! Once, a Night Watcher made slight modifications to this Seal Imprint, giving you this long-range attack skill; likewise, the changes you make to the Seal Imprint can also be incorporated into this legacy! Effects: 1, A special force field attached to the surface of the body, not only defends against negative energy creatures' attacks (beyond Chariot level), but also dispels them and their associated power (beyond Chariot level); 2, You can direct the expulsion of evil forces towards any creature or object within a 15-meter radius centered on you, for a single long-range attack.]
[Upon reaching Master level in Protection Against Evil, you automatically obtain the fixed Talent: Mastery of Glyph Replication]
[Mastery of Glyph Replication: This is an upgrade to Glyph Replication, allowing you to store two instances of Protection Against Evil in advance, with the same consumption as the regular Protection Against Evil; due to your improvements, it can last for 5 days; over these 5 days, the power of Protection Against Evil will gradually weaken, completely vanishing at the end of the 5th day; any time within these 5 days, you can replenish Protection Against Evil; when releasing, you only need a brief Dufol Language syllable (Yi)]
"Chariot level and above and an extra chance to cast it, huh?"
"Protection Against Evil" had once again been enhanced, and for Jason, this was most important.
And "Mastery of Glyph Replication" gave him even more room to maneuver.
As for the substantial Physical Strength still required,
Jason couldn't help but think back to the prior 'darkness'.
Clearly, it was a last-ditch effort with all one's might in a desperate situation.
Full effort was essential!
Of course, that was that stage.
Jason believed that as his 'attribute physique' improved, this situation would change.
If it didn't change, he would eat more, store up more Fullness, and make everything more manageable.
Then, Jason's gaze involuntarily locked onto 'Remember: Just the city and its suburbs!' and 'You are not yet able to venture further!'.
"Does this city refer to 'Lorde'?"
"It's probably not the 'Lorde' I'm in now, but an earlier time, even before the city of 'Lorde' existed."
Jason surmised, based on the text before him and the 'darkness' he had faced before.
After all, it was clearly marked as the 'warning of the Night Watcher'.
Other than in 'Lorde,' he had not encountered any other Night Watcher.