―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 alreadyexisting 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.
―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/velvetribbon-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.