Chapter 19
Chapter 19
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: First War (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fortunately, the secret of the second-floor storage room had now been fully uncovered.
[You put up a valiant fight against ‘Kyle Ragnar’s’ single strike, raising the evaluation of Tutorial Quest #11.]
[Evaluation: S]
[As additional compensation, you have acquired <Inventory> privileges.]
[You have achieved S-rank for the first time.]
[As rank compensation, you have acquired a ‘Blue Key.’]
Theo realized this when he activated his second privilege after <Observation> for the first time.
Finally, he could use all the items he’d received as rewards so far.
+
[Inventory List]
- Beginner’s Ring ×1
- Beginner’s Necklace ×1
- Beginner’s Earrings ×1
.
.
- Blue Key ×1
+
The new window, composed of countless slots like a go board, displayed descriptions of the items when he hovered his hand over them.
+
[Beginner’s Ring]
· Type: Accessory
· Effect: Mana efficiency +5%
· Equip Requirement: Level 5
+
‘Mana efficiency increases? By 5%?’
He’d been stunned when he first saw it.
If it was real, it was like getting an expensive artifact for free.
Mana-related artifacts in particular fetched incredibly high prices.
Fortunately, taking items out of the slots wasn’t difficult. A light tap with his index finger did the trick.
[Would you like to equip the Beginner’s Ring?]
The ring was simple, like it was made of plain copper, with no engravings or designs.
He’d doubted it at first, seeing no mechanisms or inscriptions.
But the moment he slipped it onto his left ring finger, he felt a massive change in the mana flowing through his veins.
[Beginner’s Ring equipped.]
[Mana efficiency increased by 5%.]
Thump…! Thump…!
His mana circulation became far smoother than before.
It was as if his Dragon’s Heart had grown.
‘It’s real!’
Theo’s eyes widened as he tried to pull out all the other rewards.
But.
[Equip requirement not met.]
[Equip requirement not met.]
Unlike the Beginner’s Ring, every other item had issues.
[Equip Requirement: Level 10]
Theo’s current level was 8.
He didn’t meet the conditions.
‘How do I level up the rest? Can I grind more experience through sparring?’
As impatience set in and he pondered his options,
he spotted one item in the inventory list that stood out from the Beginner series.
+
[Blue Key]
· Type: Miscellaneous
· Effect: Opens dungeon
· Use Requirement: Discover corresponding dungeon gate
+
‘Blue? Gate? Is it referring to the storage room door?’
Right then.
[A quest has arrived.]
+
[Tutorial Quest #12]
Follow the blue light to discover a dungeon and clear it.
· Difficulty: C
· Reward: Material item
· On Failure: ■■
+
In the end, even Julius, Evelyn, and Wellington said they’d return tomorrow and left late into the night.
Theo was finally able to stand before the storage room.
* * *
The storage room was still leaking blue light.
A light visible only to Theo.
Its color matched the [Blue Key] in his hand exactly.
‘This has to be it.’
Theo inserted the key into the door’s keyhole.
Click—
With the sound of the lock releasing, the door swung open on its own.
What lay beyond was a separate dimension.
‘Camellia Palace has a place like this?’
On the other side stretched a long, tunnel-like cave.
Torches lining the left and right walls illuminated the interior.
A solid floor.
Various murals on the walls.
Structurally, Camellia Palace couldn’t possibly have a room like this.
Theo stepped inside with a slightly tense expression.
The moment he did.
Ding!
[You have discovered a dungeon for the first time.]
[As a reward, all experience gains are doubled for approximately 24 hours.]
[Clear the dungeon.]
Theo gripped the sword at his waist and slowly advanced.
‘It feels so unfamiliar since it’s not my usual one.’
The zweihänder Theo had been using was completely shattered by Kyle’s single strike, leaving only the hilt.
Thanks to Julius, he’d been able to keep the hilt, but here he had to use a completely different sword.
One of the rewards from before.
+
[Beginner’s Training Sword]
· Type: Weapon
· Attack Power: 8~12
· Equip Requirement: Level 8
+
+
[Beginner’s Training Shield]
· Type: Armor
· Defense: 10
· Equip Requirement: Level 8
+
Despite the “training” label, the materials on both weapons were decent.
As he moved forward, sword in his right hand and shield gripped firmly in his left,
he spotted something.
‘A wolf?’
Grrr—
A wolf with bloodshot red eyes was slowly approaching.
But…
‘It’s huge.’
Its size was far larger than a normal wolf.
Around two meters?
It looked far more ferocious too, making it seem like no easy opponent.
‘It’s like one of those wolves from the demon sea.’
At that moment, it moved.
Thud—
‘Fast!’
Boom!
The wolf closed the distance to Theo in an instant, lunging with its fangs bared.
He barely blocked with his shield in time, but the pressure was immense.
But.
“If it’s just raw strength, I won’t lose.”
Theo trusted his strength, which had reached 53 and even blocked Kyle’s single strike.
And his Dragon’s Heart too.
Boom!
He poured power into his leg muscles, kicking off the ground to shove the wolf back with all his might, then thrust his sword into its scruff.
But the wolf retreated effortlessly, dodging, and targeted Theo’s side.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The wolf was far more agile and stronger than expected.
It was no easy fight.
‘Its hide is too tough for the sword to penetrate easily. And it’s so fast I can’t keep up.’
Was it really some monster from beyond the North Wall?
The demon sea was known to be impassable even for apprentice swordsmen who’d undergone the Awakening Ceremony.
So it wasn’t strange at all for it to be this tough.
‘That flash of light Father and Julius used… If only I could unleash something like that.’
Theo clearly remembered what Julius had said before leaving Camellia Palace.
—“A flash of light…? Ha! You’re saying you’ve already sensed [Dragon Flash]?”
—“Dragon Flash? Is that its name?”
—“Haha. Truth be told, I don’t know the exact name myself. I just called it that. The Family Head’s sword I saw once was so beautiful… I couldn’t think of a better name.”
—“Will you teach me that flash?”
—“Oh! It’s really struck a chord with you, huh? Well, after seeing and experiencing it firsthand… No swordsman could resist.”
—“Please, I beg you.”
—“What if I say joining the White Dragon Knights is the condition?”
—“I’ll join.”
—“Mm…!”
—“Is that no good?”
—“The truth is… Sigh! I’ll be honest. It’s not something I can just say yes or no to.”
Theo recalled Julius’s bitter smile.
—“It’s impossible to pass on in the first place.”
Julius had explained it like this.
Dragon Flash was a single strike only Kyle could unleash.
What he’d shown was just a forced imitation. Not the ‘real’ thing.
So he knew no incantation, no form, no secret technique.
It was all mere conjecture.
—“When the Family Head bestowed the title of ‘Demon Dragon’ upon me, I begged just like you, Young Master. I wanted to learn it. That’s why I devoted myself to the Ragnars in the first place. But the Family Head said,”
This light cannot be taught.
It is something you realize.
—“I didn’t understand back then. But as I kept reflecting on it, over and over, and managed to imitate it clumsily, I came to know. To produce that light, you must gaze even higher.”
Theo recalled that single strike.
—“If you want to obtain it too, Young Master… You’ll need to look much higher than you do now. But keep one thing in mind.”
Beautiful and radiant.
Shining all the while.
A pure white trajectory.
—“That path… will be one of utter solitude and hardship.”
He couldn’t learn that flash right away—the single strike Julius had named [Dragon Flash].
—“The higher the peak you aim for, the more grueling the ascent.”
But.
‘If I imitate it… maybe someday I can reach it somehow?’
A single strike.
If the key was unwavering resolve poured into one sword, then he needed to start with a sure-kill strike.
So Theo decided to change his strategy.
Boom!
The shield, unable to withstand the wolf’s snapping jaws any longer, shattered, and its teeth naturally clamped onto Theo’s left arm.
Flesh tore away forcibly, bones nearly snapping.
Theo swung his sword fiercely at the wolf’s right eye.
Infusing it with his aspiration to mimic that flash.
Squeezing every ounce from his Dragon’s Heart.
Thump thump thump thump…!
His heart pounded so loudly with tension it rang in his ears.
His vision narrowed in focus, zeroing in on the wolf’s eye.
At the same time, he thought.
‘The basics Evelyn taught me… Among the elements that make up secret swordsmanship, only those specialized in ‘speed’—’
The wolf hastily recoiled to dodge.
But Theo’s sword was far faster.
In this instant.
Theo’s mind burned hotter than ever before.
The forms of all the swordsmanship he’d learned deconstructed and reconstructed repeatedly.
‘Here goes.’
Swoooosh—
The fastest swing he’d ever unleashed.
Splat!
Unlike the hide, the eyeball wasn’t tough, so the blade pierced deep through the eyelid.
‘Not deep enough.’
He’d aimed to reach the brain in one go, but the wolf’s reaction speed kept it from going all the way.
Krrrrraaagh—
The wolf reared its head in agony.
Seizing the opening, Theo dropped his sword and clung to its scruff, locking in a chokehold.
He trusted his strength wouldn’t yield to the wolf’s.
Crack! Grrk!
The wolf thrashed its head wildly to shake Theo off,
but Theo dangled like a stubborn weight, refusing to let go.
If he released now, he’d die.
With that thought, he held on until the end.
Finally, the wolf’s strength ebbed, and it slumped lifelessly.
“Haa… haa…!”
Theo only dropped off once he confirmed it was dead.
The stench of blood filled his mouth.
Covered in dust, his left arm hung limp, possibly broken, devoid of strength.
[You have hunted a Dire Wolf.]
[You have gained 12 experience points.]
[Experience double reward applied: additional 12 experience points gained.]
[Level up.]
[Remaining monsters on 1F: 171]
“F… fuck…! It really was a monster…! And… I have to take down over a hundred more like this…?”
Theo swallowed a curse.
He didn’t even have the energy to get angry.
Instead, focus on the level up.
[Strength: 58]
Pouring all additional stats into [Strength] made his muscles firm up again, and some power returned to his left arm.
‘Investing in other stats wouldn’t help right now anyway. Better to concentrate on one.’
His other reassurance was that when [Strength] passed 50, his aptitude had noticeably shifted.
So what about past 100?
He might even surpass the extraordinary and reach the realm of ‘prodigy’?
He was already physically exhausted.
‘Still, let’s push a bit more.’
Determined to somehow keep going, he rose again.
Dragon Flash.
To grasp even a clue to it.
And.
‘If the message is right, the double experience event is only this once… I can’t stop.’
His ragged footsteps resumed into the cave.