Volume 1 - CH 13

Act 1-13: Development of Long-Range Attack and A New Magic Spell

―8167 years after the start of the game.

Mana is an extremely pure form of energy inside the human body. It’s stored in the elixir field of the human body, otherwise known as the dantian, which is located near the liver. Mana control is a process where someone draws mana from mana’s storehouse, the dantian. At first, I could only draw minuscule amounts of mana from my dantian after a long arduous effort. However, after doing that for a hundred years, I could now draw any amount of mana I wanted and spread it outside my body within a radius of dozens of meters. This had reached a point where I could paint in the air with my mana. The next thing now was practical application. Since I had mastered mana control, it was time to see how I could increase the efficiency of attribute-less magic.

Thus, I started the development of a new magic spell by using the already-existing grimoires as my reference. And the result of my long years of effort was four magic spells.

The first was a physical reinforcement magic spell, 【Herculean Strength】. This spell covered every cell in my body with mana and gave that mana the effect of reinforcement.

The second was a recovery magic spell, 【Panacea(Ultra Recovery)】. The spell made it possible for me to recover at a cellular level. This was a magic spell inspired by the theory in the medical books I had found in this dungeon.

The third was a weapon reinforcement magic spell, 【Magic Clad】. Just like its name, the spell allowed me to cover my weapon with mana to a molecular level, thanks to my extreme mana control. It allowed me to exert the maximum potential of my weapon, and this spell was inspired by a chemistry book.

The fourth one was an exploration-type magic spell, 【Divine Eye】. The spell allowed me to search the area within a dome of 500 meters radius with me as its center.

I wasn’t the one who gave the names to these magic spells. They were already there in the list of my skills when I practiced them.

With this, I had created the foundation for my strength to reach the next level. Now, I needed to put them to practical use to develop a long-range attack.

I had crossed out archery or other long-range weapons at the very beginning. My weapon of choice was a sword. I couldn’t choose anything else. Since that was the case, I―

I held a stone in my right hand and started throwing them.

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―11065 years after the start of the game.

Many more years have passed.

After I kept throwing those stones, I acquired 【Commandement Throwing Art, Beginner】. Then, it rose to intermediate, esoteric, kaiden, and finally to 【Commandement Throwing Art, Pinnacle】. Now, I had cleared all the necessary conditions to gain throwing arts. Naturally, just like magic, this was a part of the necessary foundation to reach new heights. The current me had already cleared the requirement to throw my sword or mana, which had its attribute altered. I had achieved this after 500 years of long trial and error.

Naturally, since I was a swordsman, I couldn’t use this throwing skill as it was meant to be; nor did I want to use it. Thus, I did my best to incorporate 【Commandement Throwing Art, Pinnacle】 into my sword art.

The result of my long, painstaking years of effort was the complete integration of 【Commandement Throwing Art, Pinnacle】, which resulted in the birth of 【True Commandement Sword Art(Shin Kairyu Kenjutsu)】.

Therefore, aside from the already-existing forms 【Deadline】, 【Flash】, and 【Moon Mirror】, I gained an additional three new sword forms.

I then made full use of the special characteristic of the dungeon, namely the refilling of the monsters after a certain amount of time had passed. I started killing the dragons from the 300th to the 349th floor. And just a few days ago, I had received the title 【Dragon Slayer】.

When I got this title, I realized that I could acquire a title after accomplishing a certain feat. The title boosted my stats when I fought against dragons. What a coincidence! It’s just the right title I need to kill that fella.

Anyhow, my current status was much better.

―――――――――――――――――――――

★STATUS

【Name】　Kai Heineman

【Age】　15(Aging Suspended During The Game)

【Gift】　The Most Incompetent in this World(God Rank)

【HP】　9000

【MP】　8000

【Strength】　3214

【Stamina】　2955

【Agility】　　3428

【Magical Power】　　3699

【Magic Resistance】　3026

【Luck】　1020

★Skill in possession: 【Item Box】, 【Special Appraisal】, 【True Commandement Sword Art, One Sword Style】, 【Poison Assimilation】, 【Heat Assimilation】, 【Ice Assimilation】, 【Earth and Sand Assimilation】, 【Wind Assimilation】, 【Water Assimilation】, 【Thunder Assimilation】, 【Magic Poisoning Invalid】.

★Title: 【Dragon Slayer】

★Magic: 【Herculean Strength】, 【Ultra Recovery(Panacea)】, 【Magic Clad】, 【Divine Eye】

―――――――――――――――――――――

My opponent might have higher status than me. Moreover, I had no idea how my attack would affect that fella who had a cheat-like skill called 【Physical Attack Invalid】. Let humans do their best, and leave the rest to God’s will!

I moved toward the last teleportation circle on the 349th floor and went down the stairs toward the 350th floor.

Just like before, the Golden Dragon glared at me while lying down on its lapel.

I unsheathed 【Raikiri】. Lowering my center of gravity, I did my best to suppress the excitement in my heart and glared back at the Golden Dragon.

『Suspended 8th Trial, Defeat Golden Dragon Fafnir! Resume!』

The inorganic female voice resounded again in my head.

Yeah! You’ve been itching to resume this fight too, right? This is a love across 3500 years after all. I’ve been yearning for a battle to the death in the last 3500 years. Now, let’s quickly begin our battle to the death.

Using 【Magic Clad】, I covered 【Raikiri】 in my mana and boosted its destructive power to the limit. I also boosted my power with 【Herculean Strength】. Although it could sound too boorish as a greeting, I decided to give my most powerful strike as a greeting to my opponent anyway.

The current me could pull the power of 【Raikiri】 to its limit and wield it at my will.

I swung 【Raiki】, aiming at the space above the head of the Golden Dragon.

【Raikiri】 unleashed thunderous war, dyeing the space in golden color. At that moment, it released extreme heat that burned the atmosphere. The resulting shockwave and thunderous roars shook my ears’ drums.

That attack gouged the wall behind the Golden Dragon, completely eradicating its form. The sheer heat of my attack had turned the stone into crimson magma.

When Fafnir turned around to see the wall behind them, for some unknown reason, I got the feeling that its face had stiffened. Trembling, it hurriedly plopped on the ground and let out a small scream.

「Well then, let’s begi―」

But then, Before I could even finish my war declaration―

『I give up.』

A little girl’s voice shook my eardrums.

『Confirming the surrender declaration of the Golden Dragon Fafnir. You have cleared the 8th trial.

Since you subjugated the target without injuring it, you have gained a special clear privilege.』

An absurd victory declaration from the inorganic female voice resounded in my head.

「Eh?」

She wasn’t joking. I mean, she declared that I had won without even having to cross blades with my opponent. Moreover, the absurd situation didn’t just stop with that.

A transparent board appeared before me, and following it―

『Let’s see! Golden Dragon Fafnir is looking up to you as if it’s asking to become your comrade.」

WHAT?! It wants to become my comrade?　

『《Yes》 or 《No》』

Even if it was asking me to become its comrade, I might not even need such a giant creature as a comrade.

No, wait a minute! There is no useless thing in this dungeon. Should I make my choice based on that?　

Anyhow, it seems this lizard can talk too. I’ve been a loner for more than ten thousand years. I have been getting these withdrawal symptoms of wanting to speak with someone whenever I hear that inorganic female voice in my head. This might be my first and last chance to gain a conversation partner.

「Then, 《Yes》」

When I chose 《Yes》 without hesitation, the Golden Dragon shone. Its body rapidly shrunk. I see! So it can adjust its size, huh.

I kept watching the spectacle despite the rising tension in my chest. Then―

「Wait a minute! Isn’t it… way too small?」

The dragon shrunk until it became as big as a human. Or should I say that its silhouette was really that of a human?

It had transformed into a young girl in her early teens and with a small build. She was dressed in black and white womanly clothes. Yes, no matter how much I scrubbed my eyes, it really was a little girl. The Golden Dragon turned out to be a SHE. She had long-shiny blonde hair that covered her ears. Moreover, her hair grew until her waist and was divided in half by ribbon. [TL: https://maneaddicts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/velvet-ribbon-blonde-hair-pinterest.jpg]

「It’s nice to meet you. Fafnir is at your service, Master, DESU!」

The dragon gave a light bow as she introduced herself.