??? Pov:
The Night Was Cold, But What He Was Seeing Was Much Colder,
It Was Raining, It Always Seemed To Be Raining In That Day,
A Seven-Year-Old Boy Sat On A Plastic Chair That Was Too Big For Him,
The Air Smelled Of Antiseptic And Stale Coffee,
The Rhythmic Beep... Beep... Beep... Of The Monitor Was The Only Music In The Room,
In His Hands, He Held A Tattered, Slightly Burned Hardcover Book,
Le Morte d'Arthur, The Tales Of The King Of Knights,
???: Read... To Me...
A Weak Voice Whispered From The Bed,
His Mother, She Was Covered In White Bandages, Her Skin Burned Far More Than 3rd Degree Burn, Tubes Running From Her Arms Like Spiderwebs,
Boy: But... The Dragon Comes Next....
The Boy Whispered, His Voice Trembling.....
Boy: Sir Lancelot Fights The Dragon.....
Mother: He Wins... Right ?
She Smiled Through Her Bandaged Face, The Unbearable Pain Shot Through Her Body, Yet She Still Smiled..... For Him...
Boy: Heroes Always Win.... They Save..... Everyone...
The Boy Stated With The Absolute Conviction Of A Child, A Naive Mind....
She Squeezed His Hand, Her Grip Was so Frail....
Mother: .....My..... Little.... Knight....
Beep... Beep... Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep !
The Hero Didn't Come, The King Of Knights Didn't Kick Down The Hospital Door With Excalibur To Cut The Severe Burns Away, The Boy Was Left Alone In The Gray Room, Clutching A Book Of Lies.....
That Was The Day The Colour Drained From His World,
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.
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.
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The Scene Shifted, The Antiseptic Smell Was Replaced By The Scent Of Pine Needles And Damp Earth,
The Boy Was Older Now, Ten Years Old
A Half-Dark Elf With Ears That Were Slightly Too Long And Skin That Was Slightly Too Light For The Dark Elf's, But The Skin Wasn't Like Those Other Elf's.....
The Air Was Fragrant With The Scent Of Blooming Jasmine And The Fresh, Crisp Smell Of Laundry,
???: The Wind is Picking Up !
One Of The Younger Maid Servants Called Out, her Pointed Ears Twitching,
A Sudden, Violent Gust Of Wind Swept Through The Courtyard, It Was A Playful, Chaotic Gale That Caught The Heavy, Damp Linens Hanging From The Drying Lines, With A Series Of Sharp Snaps, The Wooden Pins Gave Way,
A Collection Of Royal Silk Tunics And intricate Lace Veils—Valuable Enough To Buy A Small House—Shot Into The Air Like White Bird....
??? 2: Oh No ! The Lady's Veil !
An Elf Maid Shrieked, Reaching Out In Vain,
Reya Vandris Was Standing Near A Large Wooden Basin, A Simple, Long Wooden Pole In Her Hand Used For Propping Up The Drying Lines,
She Looked At The Flying Silk, She Didn't Even Drop Her Calm, Patient Smile,
Little Lucian Watched, His Breath Hitching, To His Child-Eyes, Time Seemed To Slow Down,
Reya's Grip On The Rough Wooden Pole Shifted, In A Heartbeat, The 'Laundry Stick' Ceased To Be A Tool And Became An Extension Of Her,
She Stepped Forward, Her Bare Feet Pivoting On The Stone With The Grace Of A Dancer,
'Whish !'
The Pole Blurred, Reya Lunged Upward, The Tip Of The Wood Catching The Center Of A Flying Silk Tunics Mid-Air,
With A Flick Of Her Wrist, She Spun The Pole, Gathering The Fabric Around The Wood Like A Ribbon On A Baton,
Without Stopping, She Transitioned Into A High Arc, The Other End Of The Pole Snagging A Lace Veil Just As it Was About To Clear The Estate Wall,
She Moved With A Fluid, Terrifying Efficiency,
One Thrust,
One Spin,
One Catch,
'Thump !'
She Planted The End Of The Pole Back Into Its Socket In The Ground, Hanging Neatly From The Top, As If They Had Never Fallen,
Those Were The Three Most Valuable Pieces Of Laundry, Perfectly Preserved And Untouched By The Dirt Of The courtyard,
The Other Maids Stood Frozen, Their Mouth's Open In A Silent "O"
??? 3: Reya-San... That Was.....
??? 4: You're Like A High Elf Warrior !
Another Squealed, Rushing Over,
??? 1: How Did You Move So Fast ? Teach Us ! Is That A Dark Elf Secret ?
Reya Let's Out A Soft, Bashful Laugh, Rubbing The Back Of Her Head,
Reya: It's Just Balance Girls, And Besides, If The Lady Saw Her Veil In The Mud, She'd Have Us All Scrubbing The Stables For A Week ! Now, Back To Work, Or The Wind Will Win The Next Round,
The Maids Giggled, Their initial 'Worship' of The Exotic Dark Elf Softening, The Easy Camaraderie They Always Shared With Her,
They Had Long Gotten Used To This High Dark Elf's Personality,
Reya Had A Way Of Making Her Brilliance Feel Like A Warm Hearth—Something You Wanted To Sit Near, Not Bow Down To,
Little Lucian Remained On The Bench, His Eyes Wide, His Tiny Hands Clenched Into Fist,
He Just Saw A Maid, His Mother, Turn The Laundry Pole Into A Hero's Image,
Strong, With Enough Strength To Protect The Weak, And Prove That,
Lucian: " I Want To Be Just Like Mom... Strong Just Like Her !"
The Scene Fractured,
The Sunlight Vanished, The Forest Was Dark,
It Was Two Weeks Before His Sixteenth Birthday,
Reya Lay On The Ground, Not In Bed, But On The Wooden Box, Lain On The Cold Earth, Her Chest Was Still, It Was Time To Put Her Body For Rest.....
Lucian Stood Over Her, He Felt Screaming, But No Sound Came Out, The Darkness Of The Forest Swallowed Him Whole, The hero Stories Were Lies, They Always Were.....
Mother Died, Heroes Were Late And The World Was Cruel,
Lucian Pov:
Lucian: Ah !
I Sat Up Faster Then I Could Process, Sweats Formed On My Body, As If Almost Had A Fever...
Lucian: That Again...
Though It's Not Repetitive, I've Been Getting The Same Or Similar Dreams For A Few Times Over Since I Recovered My Memories,
But That..... Why Is It Always That....
Almost Like As If Another Bad Promotion Will Be Happening.....
Lucian: Forgot It, I Have To Go To The Dungeon Today.....
I Got Up From My Bed And Went To Freshen Myself Up,
It's Going To Be A Long Day.....
Timeskip.....
In The Dungeon,
Floor 8,
Lucian Pov:
'Thud !'
'Slash !'
Lucian: Predetor,
I Watched The Half Destroyed Body Of Killer Ants And Kobold Being Consumed By The Vortex Of Dark Mist, Though I Left 3 Killer Ants Body Behind, I Still Needed Them To Start Another Killer Ant Swarm,
Lucian: I Really Need A Sheath For My Caliburn....
I Looked At My Slightly Covered In Purple Blood Wooden Sword, Through If A Actual Blacksmith Would Examine It, He Would Scream Out 'First Class Weapon'
Great Sage Didn't Cut Any Conners, She Perfectly Created A Longsword, Though Slightly Less Longer Then Normal Ones, A Replica Of The Famous Sword, Excalibur....
'Crack' !
I Immediately Rushed Towards My Left Back, Mana Bursting Through My Legs And Body, And Pierced Through A Slightly Hard Fur Body, Damaging The Magic Stone, Which Disintegrated It's Body Into Black Mist,
I Extended My Hand And Used My Skill To Reep My Efforts, As I Consumed More Exelia And Mana....
Lucian: Predator.... Another Kobold.... But They're A Stronger Variant..... But Still, Great Sage Is Excellent....
The Move I Just Used,
Skill, Mana Burst,
Though It's Not Registered On My Status, It's Still Usable Through Great Sage's Help,
This Is The Skill That Literally Is What Defined Arthur Pendragon's Fighting Style,
Not To Mention It's Overpowered.....
Need Speed ? Use Mana Burst,
Need Strength ? Use Mana Burst,
Need Defence To Survive A Strong Killing Blow ? Use Mana Burst to Reinforce Your Body,
Need To Use A Magic Type Attack ? Use Mana Burst To Create A Enhanced Sword Strike, That Hits Harder Then A Normal Magic Would,
It's The Most Versatile Combat Skills I Have, And I Can Understand Why Saber Was So Damn Strong.....
With Her Mana Levels, Defeating Her Opponents Using This Skill Is Enough, If Not, Blast Off An EX-Calibur....
As For Me, Since The Mist And Body Contains Mana, Each Time I Use Predetor, I Get Another Refill,
If We Ignored My Physical Limits And Mental Limits, I Can Basically Fight For Days....
Besides, Aside Taking A Break From Killing Monster, It's Been Pretty Good Harvest,
I Have Killed Over 300 Monster In Just 4 Hours.....
And There's Still.... It's Around 1 Pm, So About Another 4 Hours Before I Leave ?
But Thinking About It ... My Way Of Collecting Exelia Is Getting..... Slow, If I Farm Them In A Open Place Like This, It's Likely I Wouldn't Be Like In A Pincer Attack, Making My Gains Less,
So, I Stood Up, Using Predetor On The Remaining Body, But This Time Keeping It Intact, I Still Need The Pheromone Glands For The Repeating Swarm If Killer Ants,
I Started Walking, Looking Through The Endless Maze, Scouting Out The Perfect Spot I Needed,
After About 10 Minutes Of Searching, Great Sage Finally Found A Suitable Place, As I Walked Towards Where Great Sage Was Had Located The Place,
I Found A Lone Scout Scuttling Near A Corridor Entrance,
'Swosh !'
In A Instant, I Flowed Mana Into My Body, And In A Single Movement, My Sword Had Already Pierced Through It's Head....
Also, To Mention That This Place Nearby This Corridor Was A Dead-End Room With A Narrow Entrance—A Perfect Bottleneck, This Place Should Be Perfect For My Next Grind....
Lucian: Sage, Locate The Pheromone Gland,
Fortunately, I Don't Need To Use The Stored Body, Just Turn Them Into My Nourishment,
(Great Sage: Understood..... Pheromone Gland Located At Thorax, Third Segment, Confirming Extracting Magic Stone From Stored Body.....)
I Took Out A Small Knife, Made For Extracting Magic Stone Usually,
And With Great Sage Helping, I Surgically Removed The Small, Foul-Smelling Sac, And Smashed It On The Floor In Front Of Me,
The Smearing The Pungent, Musk-Like Fluid On The Center Of The Room....
The Smell Was Instant And Chemical, I Have Already Seen How They Work....
'Click... '
'Click-click...'
Lucian: Here They Come, It's Really Almost Instantaneous.....
I Took A Deep Breath, Then Taking A Two-Handed Stance With The Caliburn,
(Great Sage: Hostilities Detected, Sources: 15... 20... 30.....40...., Notice Skill, [Avenger of the Rejected]'s Passive Activating, Stats Temporarily Rising.....)
Good, The More The Better I Gain,
Then, It Came,
3rd Person Pov:
The First Killer Ant Burst Through The Tunnel, It Was The Size Of A Large Dog, With Mandibles Strong Enough To Snap Steel,
Then Came The Dance Of The White Blade,
The Ant Screeched And Lunged....
Lucian: Mana Burst....
Lucian's Single Swing From The Sword, Had Pulsed A Shockwave Of Mana Through The Spirit Wood Blade, Caliburn, The White Wood Flashed With A Blinding Silver Light,
'BOOM !'
He Stepped Forward, The Mana Explosion Acting Like A Thruster Behind His Swing, The Wooden Blade Hit The Ant's Hard Chitin Head,
There Was No Resistance, The Mana-Infused Wood Acted Like A Hot Knife Through Butter, Cleaving The Monster's Skull In Two,
'Splat'
One down. Thirty-Nine To Go,
They Poured In, A Red Tide Of Exoskeletons,
(Great Sage: Incoming Attack: Right. Trajectory: Femoral Artery )
Lucian Pivoted On His Left Heel, The World Slowing Down As [Great Sage] Highlighted The Attack Vector In Red Lines Across His Vision, He Didn't Just Block–He Flowed Around The Snapping Mandibles,
He Reversed His Grip,
Mana Burst: Agility.
Blue Light Flared Around His Leather Boots And Legs, He Vanished From The Ant's View, Reappearing Instantly At Its Flank,
A Horizontal Slash. The Caliburn Hummed, Decapitating The Monster Before It Could Turn,
Two More Leaped From The Ceiling,
Lucian Looked Up, He Gripped The Sword Tight, Channeling Mana Not For Speed, But For Raw Repulsive Force,
Mana Burst: Impacto.
He Swung Upward, The Air Itself Distorted Around The Blade, The Shockwave Slammed Into The Mid-Air Ants Before The Blade Even Touched Them, Shattering Their Carapaces Literally, The Follow-Through Turned Them Into Semi-Paste....
'Click-Hiss !'
A Soldier Ant—A Variant—Larger, Armored In Dark Red—Charged Through The Corpses Of Its Kin, It Ignored The Pheromone, It Wanted The Killer First,
A Anomaly
It Swung A Massive, Serrated Claw,
Lucian Stood His Ground, He Couldn't Dodge This In The Narrow Space Without Losing Position,
Exactly Why He Chose This Place, To Create A Natural Looking Harder Fight,
Lucian: Mana Burst: Harden,
He Pumped Mana Into The Sword, Reinforcing The Spirit Wood's Structural Integrity To Diamond-Like Hardness,
'CLANG !'
Wood Met Chitin, With The Sound Of A Bell Tolling, The Soldier Ant Shuddered, The Vibration Traveling Down it's Arm,
Lucian Didn't Budge, Fortunately His [Avenger] Skill Was Singing Without Restraint Now,
His Strength And Other Stat Artificially Inflated By The Sheer Number Of Enemies Wanting Him Dead,
Lucian: My Turn~
With A Playful Gesture, Lucian Slid His Blade Down The Ant's Claw, Sparks Flying, He Stepped Inside It's Guard,
Mana Burst: Point Blank.
It Was Another Variant Application Great Sage Had Created For Him To Use,
He Placed The Tip Of The Caliburn Against The Soldier Ant's Chest,
'FLASH'
A Beam Of Concentrated Mana Erupted From The Tip Of The Sword, Blowing A Hole Clean Through The Monster's Torso,
The Recoil Sent Lucian Sliding Back A inch, His Boots Digging Into The Stone,
The Soldier Ant Crumbled, It Died Physically But Because Of The Core Magic Stone, It's Body Remains,
Lucian: Time For Harvest, Great Sage Your On,
(Great Sage: Acknowledged, Engaging Combat Correction Protocol.....)
The Grind Beings Finally,
The Swarm of Killer Ants Clicked And Hissed, Pouring Out Of The Walls As Well,
Keeping The Mana Burst. Flow At Minimum To Gain Combat Experience, He Moved,
An Ant lunged,
(Great Sage: Updating Data, Correction: Pivot left 30 degrees, Thrust....)
He Sidestepped The Mandibles Snap By A Hair's Breadth And Thrust The Wooden Blade Into The Ant's Thorax, Piercing The Nerve Cluster,
One Hit.
One Kill.
He Withdrew The Blade And Spun, The Next Ant Was Already Dying Before The Last Hot The Ground,
Stab.
Step.
Slash.
Step.
He Was Efficient, Brutal, He Killed Them By The Dozens, The Black Mist Rose From Their Corpses, And He Inhaled It All With [Predator], Feeding His Sub-Space And His Soul...m
A Few Hours Later, The Room Was Silent,
The Floor Was Carpeted In insect Parts And Magic Stone,
The Black Mist Was Slowly Leaking Out Swirling Like A Fog In A Graveyard,
Lucian: Predator,
The Vortex Appears,
He Absorbed The Very Atmosphere Of The Room, The Mist, The Pheromone, The Shattered Chitin Pieces—Everything Went Into The Stomach,
Lucian: Just Convert The Mist To Exelia And Store The Drops... Oh Wait, They Don't Have Drops....
He Almost Forgot That They Naturally Didn't Drop Any, And If He Even Made One, It Would Be Called Rare And Many Unnecessary Eyes Would Drop On Him, So In The End They're Just Extra Mana He Could Use Anytime He Needed,
Wiping The Monster Blood Off His Cheek, He Checked The Caliburn, Not A Scratch, The Wood Was Pristine, Glowing Softly As If Asking For More Mana,
Lucian: Good Sword,
Lucian Muttered, Then Putting It Inside His Stomach Storage As Well,
He Checked His Loot Count Via [Great Sage],
Killer Ant Magic Stone, 612
Kobold Magic Stone, 12, 1 Kobold Nail,
Frog Shooter Magic Stone, 6
Goblin Magic Stone, 17
Lucian: That Should Pay More Then Enough....
He Turned And Walked Out Of The 8th Floor,
Timeskip....
Lucian Pov:
After Having Another 'Heartfelt' Advice Session With Rose, I Was Returning Back To Home,
Surprisingly, I Gained Only 279,400 Valis,
I Knew It, Drop Items Are Definitely Better In Terms For Earning Money,
Though The Killer Ant Magic Stone Each Is 450 Valis, Reasonable,
From Lower Floors Goblin, Like 7-8 Floor, Thier Magic Stone Is Sold At 100 Valis, While From 1-4th Floor Are Sold At 50 Valis, Though They Do Get Stronger Then The Upper Floors,
As For Kobold Magic Stone, 1-4th Floors One Give 100 Valis, And Lower 7-8th Floor Gives 150 Valis, Kobold Nail Is 500 Valis,
I Wonder How Much Exelia I Have Gained In This Trip, Though I Can Definitely Tell I Got More Then Enough To Reach A Stat In Everything,
With Easy Movement, I Enter The Stardust Garden,
I Looked Around, The Former Overgrown Grass And Dirt Had Vanished, Replaced With New Flowers That Had Been Swon Into The Land,
Especially, I Could Smell Something Great....
Well, Looks Like She Is Cooking.....
With Steady Steps, I Entered The Living Room,
And As I Did, Astrea Also Came Out Of The Kitchen,
Astrea: Welcome Back Lucian, How Was Your Day Today ?
Lucian: Well, I Dived Into The 8th Floor Today, Got Over 270,000 Valis Alone From The Killer Ant Magic Stone.....
Silence....
For A Few Seconds, Silence Followed The Room,
Astrea's Facial Expression Twitched A Bit, Then She Sighed, Like She Was Tired Of My Antics.....
Astrea: Your ... Really, Wasn't It A Bit Too Fast To Dive Into The 8th Floor ? But Again, It's Something Only You Would Do.....
She Shook Her Head,
Astrea: Go Take A Bath, We Will Talk Later ....
Lucian: Alright,
Besides, I Was Also Carving For A Bath, A Former Japanese Can't Live Without Daily Bath's.....
Timeskip....
Lucian Pov:
Astrea: Take Off Your Shirt And Sit Down,
Astrea Pointed At A Empty Chair, And I Took Off My Shirt,
We Had Already Eaten Our Evening Meal, It Was A Light Meal,
It Was Because She Was Going To The Banquet Of God's Tonight, Something That Happens Sometime Before The Denetus Begins,
Besides Ganesha Has Specifically Invited Her, The City.... It Needs A New Hope, Astrea Retuning To Orario Would Boost Thier Morals,
As For Dinner, I Either Need To Cook For Myself, Or Just Visit The Hostess Of Fertility....
'Drip'
Feeling That Same Sensation, Divine Blood Falling On My Back, As Well As My Stats Being Updated,
Astrea: Lucian ....?
She Whispered My Name Slightly, I Could Already Tell That My Growth Has Surpassed Her Expectations.....
I Waited Until She Took A Paper And Imprinted The New Status,
Then I Took My Shirt And Wore It,
While Astrea Still Couldn't Shake Off Her Expression.....
I Bet She Might Be Worried, After All, If Anyone, Heck Even Freya Would Snatch Me The Next Second She See's This,
With A Slightly Wary Expression, Astrea Hands Me My New Status,
I Took It And Saw Finally What I Had Gained,
Name: Lucian Vandris Alf
Level: 1
Strength: F (350) → A (879)
Endurance: F (310) → A (860)
Dexterity: F (390) → S (967)
Agility: E (404) → S (989)
Magic: F (303) → SS (1,067)
Development Abilities: None
Magic: None
Skills:
1. [Great Sage]
2. [Predetor]
3. [Pain Nullification]
4. [Mana Burst]: Allows The User To Momentarily Store And Infuse Mana Into Thier Body, Armour Or Weapon, And Release To Increase Speed, Strength, Durability Or Increase Their Strikes
That Was It,
Another Versatile Skill, And Damn, I Didn't Expect My Magic Would Reach SS Class.....
Astrea: Lucian, Promise Me You Would Never, Even If You Somehow Get Drunk Or Drugged, Don't Tell Anyone About Your Status Or Skills !
This Time, She Gripped My Shoulder, Her Eyes Filled With Fear And Worry For Me.....
She.... Really Is Someone You Can Relate Like A Mother...
Lucian: Don't Worry Astrea Sama, I Won't L
et Anyone Know Of This, I Promise.....
With The Promise Secured, She Relaxed Somewhat....
But Thinking About It, She Is Going To That Banquet, Surely Freya, Loki, Hestia, Would Notice Her,
The Former Two Would Definitely Talk With Her, After All, Astrea's Good Deeds Aren't Forgotten Yet, Nor The Respect She Gained During The Dark Age....
Hestia.... I Don't Doubt It, She Really Has A Wide Collection Of Connection's Everywhere,
Besides, Being Another Virgin Goddess, She Is Likely Friendly With Astrea...
Astrea: I Should Go Get Ready, As For Dinner, I'm Afraid I Won't Be Able To Return Until Tomorrow, But Be Sure To Eat Your Fill,
Lucian: I Will, But Be Safe Astrea Sama,
With That, She Left For Her Own Room,
While I Went To My Own,
I'd Like To See How Good The Food Is In That Place,
Next, Hostess Of Fertility