Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: First War (5)
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As time passed, Theo's advance grew much slower.
At some point, the Dire Wolves that had been appearing one by one started showing up in packs.
From two or three, up to five.
Every clash with them brought Theo to the brink of death.
In the end, about four hours after entering the dungeon, Theo retreated back outside.
“Kyaaak! Young Master!”
“Haa... haa... I'm fine, so don't make a fuss.”
“B-but right now...!”
“I'm really fine, so can you let me rest?”
Theo barely calmed the maid who was shocked by his blood-soaked appearance and opened his inventory.
Fortunately, the dungeon didn't drain him completely dry.
+
[Beginner Healing Potion]
· Type: Miscellaneous
· Effect: Restores 10 health and heals wounds.
+
Theo pulled out a vial filled with red liquid and dumped it into his mouth.
Fwaaah—
A red glow enveloped his body, healing his wounds and easing his breathing.
“If these dropped more often, clearing this would be a breeze. Damn it.”
He should have realized it from the moment the quest difficulty hit C for the first time.
It sucked the blood right out of you, but just enough that you could barely endure it.
A place where one slip could cost your life.
“At least the monsters can't come out past the door, so that's something.”
Theo grumbled as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
Fwaaah—
At that moment, the Beginner Ring on his left ring finger glimmered.
His fatigue-slowed mana circulation sped up, strength returning to his body.
Thump, thump!
Since all his mana was contained in the Dragon's Heart, the ring's effect influenced his entire body.
“Without this, I'd have collapsed ages ago or fled the dungeon early.”
Who knew the first quest reward would prove this helpful.
If he could equip all the other rewards too?
Clearing would get way easier.
“I need to hit level 10 fast.”
Fortunately, just one or two more Dire Wolves should do it.
But there was one problem.
“...My weapon's in terrible shape. What now?”
The Beginner Training Sword had lost all its teeth and was unusable.
He needed a new weapon.
Was there anything decent around?
As Theo scanned the room, he spotted three swords hanging on the wall.
The decorative ceremonial swords his mother Cecilia had gifted him on his fourteenth birthday.
Back then, their relationship was so strained he'd completely forgotten about them.
“...”
Theo quickly unhooked the ceremonial swords from the wall and drew them from their sheaths.
Clack—
Shing!
“Pretty sharp, huh?”
Unlike his worries that the edges might be dull, they were keen enough for immediate combat.
No trace of rust either.
Theo held one up to the chandelier light.
The blade gleamed pure white, like the snowfields common in the North.
Blindingly white.
“Looks like it's made with Frostwhite Ore... Must've cost a fortune. How'd she get it?”
Having handled such info in his past life, Theo knew exactly how rare Frostwhite Ore was.
A mineral mined in tiny quantities even from the eternally snow-capped Winter Mountains.
It shone brilliantly like stars in the dark night, with exceptional hardness and durability.
The Ragnar Family even mandated blending a certain ratio into their fine swords.
Naturally, the price was astronomical—beyond any ordinary swordsman's dreams.
Yet Cecilia had gifted him swords alloyed with it.
All three of them.
In substantial proportions too.
And that wasn't all.
To highlight their ceremonial nature, the scabbards and hilts were adorned with extravagant decorations.
Even to Theo, who knew nothing of art, the immense effort poured into them was obvious.
He vaguely recalled Cecilia's delighted face as she dressed him up in various outfits.
She must have been just as thrilled picking out and commissioning these swords.
Yet he'd hung them as mere decorations for so long, never sparing them a glance.
His throat tightened slightly.
“...”
Theo stared at the swords in silence for a while, then stored them all in his inventory.
One thought filled his mind.
Don't repeat the same mistakes from his past life.
Theo challenged the dungeon for the second time.
* * *
The more he used it, the more wondrous the inventory seemed.
Just like a sub-space artifact.
“No weight at all. Free item storage. Space limit exists, though.”
Thanks to that, carrying three ceremonial swords and various tools didn't hinder his movement one bit.
Grrrrr—
Three Giant Bears appeared, each easily over five meters tall.
Notorious predators even among magical beasts.
But strangely, Theo wasn't afraid.
He felt like he could take them easily.
Shing—
He dashed forward, gripping a ceremonial sword in each hand.
Fwaaat!
Two trails of pure white from the Frostwhite Ore lingered in his wake.
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
As expected, Theo's progress was swift.
He could hardly believe he'd wandered lost here on his first entry.
Whether due to his extraordinary [Strength] coefficient or the swords infused with his mother's care, he couldn't say.
Even so.
By the time he'd cleared half the cave, he'd surpassed level 10.
From then on, he could equip the full Beginner series as hoped.
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[Beginner Set]
· Effect: Mana efficiency +13%, health growth speed +6%, weapon speed +5%, all stats +5
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The Beginner series gave Theo tremendous power.
Mana circulation felt utterly natural, and his sword swings sped up dramatically.
Dragon Flash.
The sword's trajectory, chasing after rays of light, grew ever sharper.
One strike, one kill.
‘I'm getting stronger. Fast.’
Theo felt the frustrations that had bottled up inside him shatter all at once.
At this rate, crushing Axion wouldn't be far off.
[You have cleared the 1st floor.]
[Entering the 2nd floor.]
* * *
Time flew by like an arrow.
One day passed, then two, three...
One month, two months.
At first, he could barely take a few steps.
Now, he could stride far, reaching the dungeon's final stretch.
‘Finally hit level 15.’
His [Strength] coefficient had climbed to 91.
Just nine short of his goal of 100.
And that wasn't all.
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Theo Ragnar (15/Male)
· Level: 15
· Stats (▼)
Strength: 91 Agility: 25
Vitality: 20 Mana: 198
Intelligence: 19 Luck: -6
· [Viewing Restricted]
· [Viewing Restricted]
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His desperate battles had steadily raised his other stats too.
[Agility] showed the biggest gains.
Up 14 coefficients from level 1.
Now he could manage fairly quick movements.
‘[Luck] is almost at zero too.’
A change that started after rumors spread of him blocking Kyle's strike.
Just watching his stats improve daily felt more satisfying than a full meal.
Perhaps that's why.
Lately, a faint smile never left Theo's lips.
-Kids, kids. Doesn't the Young Master seem different lately? Am I the only one feeling it?
-Right? Maybe he's in love or something.
-You! What nonsense to say about someone who swings a sword all day!
-True. He heads to the training grounds at dawn, trains alone in his room till morning, and doesn't even return at night anymore?
-And he's grown taller lately, hasn't he?
-Yeah. The tailor was shocked last time. Said he's shot up nearly ten centimeters in months.
-Muscles too... Especially those veins bulging on the back of his hand when he clenches his fist...! Hehehehe.
-Ew, so gross! Wipe your drool?
Among the maids, Theo's increasingly manly changes were the hottest topic.
His hair tied back to his waist, sweat-slicked as he swung his sword—it was the epitome of cool.
-But he takes ten training iron swords every day? Where does he even use them?
-Right? You never hear them breaking.
-What kind of training is he doing?
The training iron swords were a stopgap once the ceremonial swords' edges began dulling.
He used the inventory's ample storage to conserve them.
But as clears progressed, tougher beasts meant the iron swords didn't last.
So he had to stock over ten daily.
Servants found it odd, of course.
But they only wondered—no one suspected.
Theo was so obsessively dedicated to training.
And.
[Entering the 5th floor.]
[Boss room. A powerful magical beast appears. Be careful.]
At last, the final hurdle loomed.
* * *
“First time seeing a message warn me like this.”
Theo tensed as he read it.
Indeed, from the 5th floor entry, a chill prickled his spine.
The air was oppressively heavy.
Hard to even breathe.
“...”
The 5th floor was far smaller than the others.
In the center of the vast cavern, a massive magical beast lay curled in deep slumber.
‘A dragon?’
For a split second, Theo wondered if it was the mythical beast of legends, but soon realized no.
No wings on its back.
Yet even curled up, its bulk was immense. Sapphire scales glittered like jewels, and its dragon-like protruding maw seemed ready to spew flames.
Drake.
One of the lower dragonkin, classified as a predator for its savage temper and endless gluttony.
But why was a sea-dweller here?
‘At least it seems like a low-rank Lesser Drake...!’
Theo quietly stowed his iron sword and drew a ceremonial sword instead.
‘This won't be easy.’
A thought crossed his mind too.
‘The Ragnars are called dragon descendants. And this weird quest's final boss is dragonkin...? Just coincidence?’
His head spun.
But one thing was certain.
To clear, he had to kill it.
‘I’ll use One Flash.’
One Flash was the thrusting technique Theo had devised lately, imitating Dragon Flash.
Squeezing the Dragon's Heart for all it was worth, unleashing near-100 [Strength] in a single burst.
Not yet at light-speed, but
He was confident it could deliver a fatal first strike.
“Hup—!”
Theo inhaled deeply, twisting his body.
Thud...! Thud...!
The Dragon's Heart pulsed wildly, tension coiling into the ceremonial sword.
Tsssh—
The sword traced an elongated pure-white arc, plunging into the sleeping Drake's right eye.
SPLAT!