Deep within the 24 floor of the Dungeon dwells a great treasure.
A great and mighty tree stands towering in dominion over the large underground cavern that it calls home. Its bark gleams with health and power, leaves glistening a beautiful viridian, but the true treasure populates its branches. Ruby red dots, large dollops of color, are dotted generously across the mighty boughs of this ancient oak. An observer might guess that these fruits are succulent apples, or perhaps some other mystery fruit, capable of granting their consumer some strange power. The truth was even more magical. They were rubies, literal gemstones that reflected the blue moss light with an otherworldly beauty. Somehow these stones grew from the treasure tree, and they simply hung there, waiting to be plucked by a lucky adventurer. But there was a catch.
At the base of the grand prize lay an even grander guardian. A fully grown Adult Green Dragon stalked the shadows cast by the tree, its exhaled breath a curl of smoke drifting up to the roof of the cavern. Hostile crimson eyes darted around the chamber as the dragon continued its steady, certain circling of its chosen territory. It was born for one purpose only: tearing apart any intruders wishing to reap the fruits of the Dungeon. The Level 4 creature made everything else on this floor look like a mere party trick, and it had feasted on the bones of many unready explorers. Official Guild policy for most of the regular adventurers on this floor was to flee if they ever had the misfortune of beholding this master predator.
Footsteps echoed through the tunnel leading to the large room and the dragon’s head immediately swiveled to glare at the single entranceway. Fiery breath kindled in its throat as a figure emerged into the room's light and calmly scrutinized the lizard. He wore a robe of deep burgundy, a creation of Salamander wool woven together to resist both flame and fang. Green eyes, the same color as the dragon’s scales, stared down the monster with supreme confidence. His brown hair was shorn close to the scalp, cut in straight, severe lines. Ivory blade raised; the adventurer struck a combat stance.
Truth be told, Adama didn’t want to spend much more time in the Great Tree Labyrinth. He had bigger and better things to move on to, but there was one last thing he needed to take care of before he did.
Unfortunately for this overgrown snake, Adama needed a new coat.
…
Standing atop a mountain of dust, underneath a spiderweb of overhanging branches, a battered and burned Timaias Adama scrutinized his recently won dragon’s hide. Since it was from an adult, rather than an infant, it should be much tougher than his older version. It looked basically the same, however, glittering mutely in the Dungeon lowlight as he held it up. Adama shrugged and slung it over his shoulder, taking a swig from a healing potion as he did. That stupid lizard had been a bigger challenge than he’d expected, especially with his sub-optimal clothing. It had even found a way to ruin his Salamander wool and scorch him, despite his preparations. But between this life and his old life, dragon killing was becoming something of a specialty.
Strictly speaking, this new coat would be only marginally useful for the next few floors. It was more about the principle of the thing than anything else at this point, however. Adama liked his dragon’s hide cloak, so he’d replace it, simple as that. He looked up at the overhanging branches, ripe with plump rubies, and gave a slight half smile. Well, maybe it wasn’t all about the principle.
…
After he finished his errands, Adama walked through the door to his Familia’s home, moving to greet the ladies sitting in the living room. The entire place had been redecorated for spring, with paintings appropriate to the season and a nice bouquet of sunflowers on the coffee table. Lilli was out running some errands, so it was only Hestia and Emi in the living room. Hestia was sitting on the couch, her back to him, and Emi was kneeling on the floor in front of her. When Adama walked up alongside of them, he noticed that Emi was getting her status updated. That was all fine and good, but status updates required the adventurer to be completely shirtless. Hestia glanced to the side and gave him a sly look with a clear meaning:
“Naughty, naughty boy, Tim.”
Adama did a silent about face and examined some of the paintings tactfully. He wasn’t interested in ogling little girls, which is what Emi felt like to him, despite her being a well-developed 16. Physique or otherwise, her youthful optimism and naïve temperament made him feel like a crotchety old man, though he was technically younger by the reasoning of this world. Timothy Forester was probably around 15, after all. Respecting that, Adama faced the wall as he waited for the rustling of clothing that signified they had finished their business. Turning around, he saw that Emi’s face was beet red and she couldn’t meet his eyes, but he couldn’t help grunting:
“If you want privacy, do that in one of the bedrooms.”
Adama felt he was in the right, but Hestia glared at him from Emi’s side, only half-jokingly communicating her non-verbal message:
“Have some sensitivity towards a young maiden’s heart, you brute!”
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Adama fought back a sigh and changed the subject:
“Anything interesting happen with your update?”
Grateful to be distracted, Emi picked up her Status and handed it to him happily. Adama almost rebuked her for being so quick to share her status details. He was still a near stranger to her, technically speaking. Instead, he just shook his head and took the paper:
Emily Teasanare
Level 3,
Mage: G, Spirit Healing: H, Magic Resistance: I
Strength: I89 -> I90
Defense: I92 -> I94
Dexterity: H189 -> G202
Agility: H172 -> H183
Magic: F353 -> F379
Spells:
Attack Magic:
Reprolapidem
* Mid-Grade Magic
* Chant: “Cornerstone”
Defense Magic:
Calx Aeterna
* Mid-Grade Magic
* Chant: “Rock of Ages”
Enhancement Magic:
Fortis Pugnator
* Mid-Grade Magic
* Chant: “Mighty Protector”
Skills:
Magia Terrae
* Boosts Magic Power and Effects.
* Drastically increases magic recovery when earthbound.
* Enables Chant Connection
Her stat gains seemed pretty good, for someone without a growth skill. Her Strength and Defense were pretty terrible, but that was to be expected from a Mage who spent all their time on the back lines. Her Mage ability was one that increased the power and efficiency of her magic, and Adama was slightly surprised to see it at such a high grade. Having a G grade ability at Level 3 wasn’t unprecedented, but it did put her ahead of the curb considerably. Meanwhile, Magic Resistance was self-explanatory. He didn’t know what “Chant Connection” was, or why her magic was categorized like that, but it was probably a positive omen. He would have to research the subject at a later date.
Adama casually destroyed the paper and nodded once:
“Not bad.”
Emi openly beamed at the mild praise, forcing the ghost of a smile to flit across Adama’s face. Situation successfully navigated, he had Hestia update his own status as well, which was becoming rather busy:
Timaias Adama
Level 3,
Swordsman: G, Spirit Healing: G, Strong Body: G, Hunter: H, Abnormal Resistance: I, Mixing: I, Mage: I
Strength: H148 -> H199
Defense: I98 -> H126
Dexterity: H100 -> H139
Agility: I90 -> H114
Magic: H156 -> G217
Spells:
Rippling Sword
* Swift Strike Magic
Endless Sword
* Mid-Grade Magic
* Chant: “Endless Sword”
Hidden Sword
* Low-Grade Magic
* Chant: ”Look for a Weapon”
Skills:
Predator
* Increased Growth
* Killing Monsters provides increased Growth.
* Killing more Monsters in a short period of time results in an even greater bonus.
Mind of a Swordsman
* Automatic Reception of the Swordsman and Spirit Healing Abilities. These Abilities are automatically raised to grade H upon reception.
* All Grade I Abilities the user possesses at the time this skill is obtained are also promoted to grade H.
* Swordsman and Spirit Healing increase in potency as danger increases, so long as the user can maintain composure.
His Strong Body had upgraded when he hit Level 3, and he’d also gained a whole slew of new abilities. Abnormal Resistance boosted his resistance to poisons significantly, even at Grade I, and was probably a product of how often he got poisoned. Mixing preternaturally boosted the effects of the potions he created. And Mage did the same thing for him that it did for Emi. Adama was a little surprised that he'd obtained it, but given his strides in Magic usage maybe he shouldn’t have been. His stats were also pretty good, considering that he had only been Level 3 for a short time, but what he was truly pleased about was his new spell.
Destroying his own paper, he told the girls where he was going and strode off to the forest. It was time for some practice.
…
“When you’re alone, look for a weapon.”
They were words Adama was familiar with, words he’d meditated upon quite recently, and he watched with satisfaction a blade manifested in his open left hand. It was mid-sized, about the length of Hearthblade, and balanced exactly like his favorite sword as well. It was also completely invisible.
He gave the blade a few experimental swings, then launched into a few complex sword forms. Weaving back and forth, the dark robed swordsman danced a deadly dance on the forest floor, lit by the backdrop of a setting sun. He might have looked a little silly to any onlooker, but the astute observer would have been able to see the very slight distortions in the air created by his moving invisible blade.
While he was holding it, Adama could pour or drain magic from his Hidden Blade to lengthen or shorten it or even change how it was weighted. He did so as he fought invisible enemies, getting used to doing the process quickly and adjusting to the shifting balance. It didn’t conduct sword magic quite as well as Hearthblade did, and it shattered very easily. But its usefulness in a duel couldn’t be denied, as an invisible blade that could change length was an advantage that any swordsman would kill for. As he trained, he unsheathed Hearthblade in his right hand and began to duel wield both blades. Adama’s dual wielding was a bit rusty, but once upon a time he'd fought with multiple sword arms at once. He quickly fell into the grove of things, blades slicing through the air in well-coordinated tandem.
His practice reached its finale when he suddenly released the invisible blade, sending it flying through the air and point first into the trunk of a nearby tree. The moment it made contact, both it and Hearthblade gave a bright chime. Both blades detonated in a small storm of slashes, the invisible blade eviscerating the tree from the inside out and causing it to fall over with a loud BOOM. Then, the forest was completely silent, Adama standing stock still. Like a hunting dog that had caught a scent, he surveyed his surroundings with a piercing gaze, then barked out:
“You going to show yourself or am I going to have to make you?”