Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory
Chapter 331: I need to get my head straight

Chapter 331: I need to get my head straight

"Unless what?" Ethan asked quickly, leaning in.

"Unless we can take Sylvanwood as soon as possible, crush the unrest here completely, and then throw everything we’ve got into the naval front... then maybe, just maybe, we could give it a shot. Even if we lose, the consequences would still be manageable," Cicero said, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light.

As soon as he said that, Ethan’s eyes lit up. He narrowed them slightly and grinned. "Then we better give it everything we’ve got! Whether we can wipe out the Dungeon army in one go—it all comes down to this final battle!"

"Don’t worry, Master!" Seraphina chimed in confidently. "Those last few disgusting Dungeon pests? With my current strength, I can sweep them off the map!"

"My Lord," another voice cut in—calm, but serious. "We might need to stall this battle a bit. If we go on the offensive now, sure, our Hero Units are strong, but the gap between our regular troops and theirs is still too wide. I suggest we hold the city and fight defensively. Drag it out. Once Isaryne returns, that’s when we go all in for the final showdown."

"I believe Emerald Castle is strong enough now to hold its own," Auremax said in a deep, steady voice.

"Then it’s settled," Ethan nodded, then turned to Elynn. His tone softened. "Elynn, I’m putting you in charge of the early-stage battle command. You know the city better than anyone. I’ll leave the planning to you."

"I..." Elynn froze for a second, caught off guard. But then she took a deep breath, stood tall, and raised her longsword in front of her with a solemn nod. "Honored Master, your loyal servant, Elven Unicorn Knight Elynn, will carry out your command!"

"Everyone, follow me!" she called out, turning and striding toward the plaza exit.

The other Hero Units didn’t hesitate—they immediately followed her lead.

But just then, Ethan spoke up again. "Cicero, Auremax—stay. I need to talk to you two."

"Yes, Master..." they both replied in unison.

...

Once the others had left with Elynn, only Cicero and Auremax remained.

"Cicero, I need to ask you something... your Primordial Force—what’s going on with it? Have you hit your limit?"

Ethan didn’t waste time. He went straight to the point.

Cicero blinked, caught off guard. Then his expression shifted, a strange look flickering in his eyes as he stared at Ethan, clearly surprised. "I just broke through, and you already noticed... impressive. Yes, my Primordial Force has reached the racial limit."

"Wha—what?!"

"You’ve hit your racial limit?!" Auremax blurted out before Ethan could even react. His massive dragon eyes widened like saucers, locked onto Cicero with a look of pure disbelief.

"Auremax, what exactly is a racial limit?" Ethan asked, watching the dragon’s stunned reaction. He was starting to realize keeping Auremax behind had been the right call.

Racial limit?

That was a term he’d never heard before.

"Hoo..." Auremax exhaled heavily, taking several deep breaths to calm himself. Even then, his face was still full of shock, and for a long moment, he couldn’t find the words.

After a long pause, Auremax finally spoke, his voice low and deliberate. "Master, the so-called ’racial limit’ refers to the maximum potential of a race’s Tier. Lord Cicero is a Green Dragon Hero, born of the 13-Tier Green Dragon race. So his racial limit... is the peak potential of a 13-Tier Green Dragon."

Ethan frowned slightly, trying to wrap his head around it.

He kind of got it... but not really.

"So what happens when someone hits their racial limit?" he asked, pressing further.

"Either they stay where they are... or they evolve," Auremax said slowly.

"E-evolve?!" Ethan blinked, then his expression changed completely. His eyes widened in shock. "Wait—what do you mean, evolve? Are you saying... evolve into a 14-Tier Mythic Unit?!"

As he spoke, his whole body tensed up. A chill ran down his spine, and he felt a shiver ripple through him.

Because if Cicero—who was already a Hero Unit—could evolve... then what did that mean?

That meant he could become a 14-Tier Mythic Hero Unit.

That was insane.

No—was that even possible?!

"You’re right..." Auremax nodded, his face still full of awe. "Whether it’s a regular unit or a Hero Unit, their Tier can evolve. But the higher the Tier, the harder it gets. The lower Tiers evolve more easily. But once you’re up in the 13s..."

He paused, shaking his head slowly.

"For someone like Cicero—a 13-Tier Legendary Unit Hero—to evolve his base Tier... it’s nearly impossible. I’ve lived a long time, and I’ve never seen it happen. I’ve heard whispers, rumors of a few who managed it... but those are legends. No one knows if they’re even true."

...

"And the first requirement for evolving a racial Tier," Auremax continued, "is reaching the racial limit. But even then..." He turned to look at Cicero, his eyes filled with something rare—reverence.

"Even among Crimson Ultimate Heroes, reaching the racial limit usually takes at least three awakenings."

"Even the so-called top-tier geniuses from the major races and factions—if they ever reach the racial limit, it’s usually after two awakenings, minimum. But now?"

"Lord Cicero... he..." Auremax trailed off, his voice catching.

He couldn’t even finish the sentence.

His mind was spinning, completely overwhelmed.

Because Cicero had only awakened once—and he had already hit the racial limit?!

A Green Dragon Hero. A Crimson Ultimate Hero. And he’d already maxed out his racial potential after just one awakening?

Who the hell would believe that?

Hell, even he didn’t want to believe it—and he was standing right here, seeing it with his own eyes.

If word of this got out, who would dare believe it?

By the Order Dragon Asha, the Creator God herself—this was beyond outrageous. It was downright unbelievable.

The sheer weight of it all left Auremax in stunned silence.

Hearing all that, even Ethan was left speechless—hell, "speechless" didn’t even begin to cover it. He just stood there, staring at Cicero like he was seeing him for the first time, completely at a loss for words.

In his heart, Ethan had always known Cicero was powerful. Ridiculously powerful.

Honestly, he’d suspected for a while that Cicero might even be stronger than Seraphina.

But even with that in mind... he’d still underestimated him.

This guy was on a whole other level?!

After hearing Auremax’s explanation, and thinking back on everything he’d seen—his own experience, the data from other Hero Units—Ethan finally understood just how insane this was.

Hitting the racial limit before even a second awakening?

That wasn’t just rare. That was unheard of.

Cicero wasn’t just a Green Dragon Hero—he was a monster in a Green Dragon’s skin.

A terrifying, freakishly strong monster.

It was almost too much to believe.

But then, the shock gave way to something else—pure, unfiltered excitement.

Ethan’s eyes lit up as he turned to Cicero, practically vibrating with anticipation. "Cicero, how do you feel right now? I mean, if you’ve already hit your racial limit... does that mean you can evolve now?!"

His heart was pounding in his chest.

He couldn’t help it.

Sure, he had a whole squad of powerful Hero Units under his command—three Crimson Ultimate Heroes, no less—but even among them, there were levels.

And the difference between a 13-Tier Legendary Unit and a 14-Tier Mythic Unit?

That wasn’t just a step up. That was a leap across worlds.

If Cicero could actually evolve into a 14-Tier Mythic Hero...

That would be a game-changer. A miracle.

But Cicero just gave a wry smile and shook his head. "Master... it’s not that simple. I’ve only just reached the racial limit. As for how to evolve... I honestly have no idea."

Splash.

It was like someone dumped a bucket of ice water over Ethan’s head.

Reality check—hard and fast.

But he didn’t blame Cicero. This was on him. He’d let his excitement get the better of him.

No, no... I need to get my head straight, Ethan told himself, taking a deep breath.

He’s a Crimson Ultimate Hero. Evolving isn’t going to be easy. I can’t let myself get carried away. If I expect too much, I’ll only end up disappointed.

He repeated it in his mind, grounding himself.

Trying to rein in the wild hope that had just exploded inside him.

...