[…]
[Route Quests Match: Flame Sword Warrior]
[…]
[Fire Blade Aura Tier 1 - Lv. 1]
[Infuse sword-type weapons with elemental fire magic, empowering and energizing them and allowing the user to apply magical damage through the object.]
[Level 1: Apply 20% fire magical damage to a weapon.]
[…]
[Congratulations, the 1st Flame Sword Warrior Route Quest Cleared]
[You've got a reward of 50,000 Skill Points]
[You've got a reward 1 New Skill Slot]
[Flame Sword Warrior Route Quest 2/5 opened]
"Nice, nice, nice…." Nathan smiled widely in response to the skill he had just created.
He raised his two swords and muttered softly, "Fire Blade Aura."
Immediately, flames appeared on his swords.
"Yes, yes, yes." He smiled, satisfied with what he was witnessing.
"Woah..." Luna clapped her hands. "Cool, cool. Master Nathan, this skill is really a good starting point in becoming a Magic Swordsman."
Nathan raised his head and spread his arms with his serious face. He deliberately faced the direction of the wind so that the cloak he was using lifted.
"Looks like I'm ready for the fight."
Fang growled and ran to Nathan. "Woof… Woof…"
"Come On, Fang!"
Fang returned to his combat form.
Nathan jumped on Fang's back.
Luna floated onto Nathan's shoulders as if sitting there. "Master Nathan, do you know that plant monsters are weak against fire?"
"Huh, really? Why are you just saying this now?"
"You always say that you're still thinking about the best skill you want to make whenever I suggest something," Luna said with a cute pout. "So I did not say anything this time!"
"Of course, I can't be careless whenever I create a new skill. I'll be using them for a long time, anyway. But you should still supply all the relevant information to me. Whether or not I act on them should not be your concern. By the way, raise the level to the max, Luna."
"All right…"
[Level 5: Apply 40% fire magical damage to a weapon.]
"Apply 40% fire magical damage? Isn't this too much?"
Luna shook her head. "Magic sword classes need to be able to precisely adjust their stat combinations. Because of its dependence on magic, the physical damage they can use is slightly reduced. However, the Magic Sword Class is quite reliable in both close and long-range combat."
Nathan smiled wryly. "I think I should learn to restrain myself since I don't have the blessing of gluttony too on myself."
"Are you raising the possibility that you will be acquiring another blessing of the sins in the future, Master Nathan?"
"That sounds scary, but who knows?"
Nathan lightly patted Fang's neck, and the wolf quickly raced down the hill at breakneck speed.
Nathan held on to Fang easily. He was starting to feel comfortable after hunting with Fang for the past few days.
Fang finally stepped on the plains, and the giant monster they were about to face this time was clearly visible before them.
[Rare Poisonous Wild Thorny Lv. 32 (Boss)]
The plant monster looked like an insectivorous plant of enormous size. There were tentacle-like vines protruding from its body, moving wildly around it.
"Fang, let's try slowly cutting those tentacles from afar."
Fang immediately started to run around the monster from a distance.
Nathan gripped his two swords tightly and aimed them at the monster's tentacles.
"Fire Cutting Waves!"
Flames instantly formed on his swords. Within a second, the flames grew several times larger.
Nathan released the flames waves into the air and instantly formed six waves of flames that grew and flew towards the monster.
The waves of fire hit its tentacles with tremendous power. Even though the tentacles didn't immediately shatter, the wounds caused by the Fire Cutting Waves were clearly visible there.
"Okay, I think this can be done. Come on, Fang, let's move on."
Nathan kept circling the monster from a distance.
Within ten minutes, he had splintered down about 6 tentacles.
At that moment, the thing that shocked him happened-
The tentacles that he had so painstakingly severed began to grow back!
"Ah damn, I don't think I can kill it this way. My damage output is still too low."
Nathan patted Fang on the shoulder, and the wolf then stopped.
The plant tentacles continued to move wildly, throwing blows around randomly.
"Isn't it tired of doing things like this all the time?"
[Nathan Gardner]
[Greed Meter: 55%]
Nathan watched his greed meter and hoped to get instant magical damage like he usually did.
"There seems to be no other way than to charge in and attack the monster up close."
Nathan swallowed hard and mentally readied himself. "Okay, Fang. Charge in!!!"
Fang dashed, but this time, he ran straight to the monster.
Giant tentacles instantly flew towards them.
"Fang, left!"
Fang swiftly jumped to the left, avoiding the instant hit of the giant tentacle that instantly cracked the ground.
"Tsk… I can't imagine how anyone else could defeat this monster alone."
Fang continued to run, zigzagging, trying to dodge every tentacle, sometimes swatting at them with his paws with a very slight momentum.
Nathan felt his adrenaline pumping rapidly. He continued to focus on all the senses in his body. He could not afford to be hit by a tentacle even once. If they were hit by a tentacle, he didn't really know what would happen to him. All he knew was that it would be really bad.
"Fire Cutting Waves!"
Several waves of flames instantly shot out of his swords, and this time, the waves hit what seemed to be the head of the monster.
There was a loud roar as if the monster were in pain.
Two tentacles instantly shot toward him.
"Fang!!!"
Fang jumped up nimbly and managed to dodge the two huge tentacles crashing towards them.
"Shit, I have to finish this fight right away!"
Fang continued to explode forward with great agility until he was close enough to the giant monster's body. With a quick maneuver, Fang jumped onto the monster's body and ran vertically upwards.
"Fire Blade Aura!!!"
"Berserker Form!!!"
Nathan gritted his teeth, feeling the drastic change happening to him.
He immediately rested on his feet, trying to plunge his sword into the monster's body.
Nathan managed to do it, and the sword continued to move along in the direction Fang was running.
Nathan's sword thrust created a wide and impressively large wound.
"Keep it up, Fang!!!!"
Nathan tried to hold on to his feet, trying not to fall as he continued to stick his sword in the monster's body.
Within seconds, Fang had managed to get to the top of the monster, past the vast mouthpiece that seemed able to swallow a whole car all at once.
Nathan jumped into the air, "ACCEL!!!"
He flipped through the air, slid, and plunged his sword into the monster's head.
"Fire Cutting Waves!"
There was an explosion at the tip of his swords, immediately visible from the explosion within the monster's head.
The monster's head immediately swayed and began to fall to the ground.
"Fang!" Nathan immediately jumped back onto Fang's back.
He plunged his sword back into the monster while trying to keep his balance as Fang dashed down.
And when it was about to reach the ground, Fang immediately jumped between the tentacles that were rampaging wildly around them.
Fang continued to run between the tentacles.
Nathan slashed his sword wildly as the monster lay on the ground and quivered lightly before showing no movement.
It wasn't easy, but his struggle finally paid off.
[You've killed Rare Poisonous Wild Thorny Lv. 32]
[You received 1,298 experience]
[Level Up]
[636/1026]
[…]
[You have cleared the dungeon. The exit portal will soon open for you.]
[You received 650 experience]
[Level Up]
[Level: Unranked Lv. 26]
[260/1129]
Fang was knocked to the ground at the same time as the notification of their success appeared.
Nathan fell off Fang's back. He hit the ground.
Dust was flying in the air from the great battle they had fought.
Nathan felt his heart beating fast. Adrenalin and euphoria coursed through his veins and made him feel like his body was on fire.
"Master Nathan… Are you alright?" Luna appeared and hovered over him, who was lying down with a radiant look on his face.
Nathan opened his eyes and smiled. "Yes, I defeated that weird monster."
Nathan immediately woke up. "Fang?" And trying to confirm Fang's condition.
The wolf had returned to his tiny body. He walked over to Nathan and jumped into the young man's arms.
"Good job, Fang, good job!"
Nathan turned around and tried to see the marks from his fight. The giant plant monster was now lying dead on the ground.
"Is there anything epic I can get from this battle?"
Right before his eyes, the body of the large plant slowly withered and dried up. The size of its large body immediately deflated.
"Huh?"
Nathan stood up. He carried Fang into his arms.
"Let's see. Is there any chance that we hit the jackpot again?"
"Thanks to Ms. Mary, we managed to gain access to this dungeon. This is a new conquered dungeon."
Nathan nodded. "Yes, yes…. Therefore."
When they got close enough, "Magic Detection."
Nathan detected something odd. "Luna, I sensed a monster core, but this one seems stronger than a normal core monster."
"Really? Does this mean something big again?"
He strolled towards the place where the monster core was. The giant plant's body began to dry up, leaving a crystal in a sphere shape the size of a human hand's grip in the center. A green crystal stone.
"Don't tell me, this is a Monster Soul Stone?"
Nathan ran and grabbed the green crystal.
[Monster Soul Stone Rare Poisonous Wild Thorny Lv. 32]
"Yes! This is a Monster Soul Stone!"
"There's only one chance out of 10,000 someone can get a Monster Soul. And it seems that luck is really on your side, Master Nathan…. I'm very happy. Congratulations!!"