"Very well, since Mr. Owen is willing to marry my daughter Leslie, we will sign the marriage contract on the spot to finalize this matter!" Duke Charles said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
Despite trying to suppress his emotions, the smile tugging at his lips betrayed his eagerness.
Leslie's marriage had been a headache for him, and House Ravenwood's reputation had suffered repeatedly because of her. No noble son was willing to marry Leslie.
After all, her past actions had been utterly reckless.
She had even burned down the palace of the Third Prince, to whom she was previously betrothed, without a second thought.
Now, this young man with decent looks and talent was willing to marry Leslie.
Duke Charles feared that once Owen learned of Leslie's past, he might regret it.
Therefore, he was eager to finalize the marriage contract as soon as possible.
As long as the marriage contract was signed in black and white, there would be no worry about Owen backing out.
This way, House Ravenwood could not only resolve Leslie's marriage issue perfectly but also secure a promising mage.
It was a win-win situation!
Hearing that the marriage contract would be signed immediately, Owen's heart pounded.
The reason he had agreed so quickly was because of the system task, which he had no choice but to complete.
Agreeing verbally was no big deal since there was no concrete evidence, and it was merely his acceptance without involving actual marriage.
He had planned to bide his time, develop further, and then figure out how to get closer to Leslie.
However, once the marriage contract was signed, it would be a different story!
From what he knew of Leslie, she was a villain who pursued practical benefits.
She could tolerate empty words because they didn't cause her any real loss.
But truly marrying her, affecting her plans and interests, was something she would not tolerate.
She would definitely target him!
Although it was still early in the anime timeline, Leslie's tier and influence were already considerable.
At least around the capital, there was no place for him to hide.
If Leslie sent an experienced gold-tier mage to assassinate him, what then?
Given Leslie's ruthless nature, she would definitely do it!
Owen, currently only a bronze-tier level 9 mage, was two whole tiers below a gold-tier mage!
And if the assassination were carried out, the danger posed by this gold-tier mage would be nearly on par with a platinum-tier!
His current strength was far from enough to handle such a threat.
As Owen felt anxious, the system seemed to sense his distress and chimed in once again.
[Given the host's current low strength, you can choose one of the following three dungeons for training and improvement. Upon selection, you will receive a corresponding passive skill.]
Hearing the system's voice, Owen's eyes brightened slightly. Not bad. This system was indeed considerate. Although he possessed god-tier talent, domains, and even artifacts, his tier was too low to truly harness their power!
He immediately focused his attention on the virtual screen before him.
Nether Island, located on the Volga River north of the capital. The island is filled with strange creatures, ranging from bronze-tier to platinum-tier, containing dragon blood. Choosing this island will grant the passive skill—[Dragon Scales]: Reduces damage from enemies up to one major tier higher by 20%.
"Not bad. With this passive skill, combined with the domineering body technique Obsidify, I'd become a humanoid monster."
Owen blinked excitedly, convinced that the system's offerings were indeed top-notch.
However, his steady nature made him refrain from immediately choosing Nether Island.
While [Dragon Scales] was powerful, it might not be the best fit for him right now.
He decided to check the other dungeons before making a decision.
So, he scrolled down.
Twisted Jungle, located south of the capital, is a gathering place for various jungle spellbeasts. Many powerful spellbeasts lurk there, and there are numerous opportunities for the fortunate. Choosing this jungle will grant the passive skill—[Spellbeast Affinity]: Reduces hostility from enemy spellbeasts by half, neutral spellbeasts will naturally like you, and friendly spellbeasts will be inclined to befriend you.
"This passive skill..."
After reading through the options, Owen's expression became complicated. At first glance, the passive skill didn't seem particularly useful. However, being familiar with the storyline, he knew that most areas of the magic continent were occupied by spellbeasts. Especially in places where rare treasures were born, these areas were almost exclusively controlled by top-tier spellbeasts.
With this passive skill, venturing into those places would not only be much safer but could also yield numerous benefits. Spellbeasts, unlike humans, might treat you as a friend if they liked you, even offering their precious treasures.
It was an extremely unique and rare passive skill. If it weren't for his current life-threatening situation, Owen would have loved this passive skill. Unfortunately, this skill wouldn't boost his combat power in the short term. Instead, it was more like a beast tamer's divine skill.
Thus, Owen looked at the last option.
**Pharaoh's Tower**, located west of the capital. It is rumored that an ancient, unknown emperor is buried here. Wraiths, ghosts, and mummies wrapped in cloth wander within, guarding the emperor's eternal rest. Pharaoh's Tower is a place full of danger and secrets. Choosing this dungeon will grant the passive skill—[Starlit]: Increases the speed of ranged magical attacks by three times (ranked from lv1 to lv3, with lv3 allowing casting faster than the speed of light).
"A divine skill for ranged attacks!"
Upon reading about [Starlit], Owen swallowed hard, excitement flickering in his eyes. Generally, ranged magic attacks were powerful but relatively slow.
With Starlit, he could quickly clear monsters from a distance, ensuring safety, and the attack speed boost would make it incredibly swift!
This was perfect for someone looking to rapidly advance their tier!
Given his current low tier, this was crucial.
Most importantly, he suddenly remembered that Pharaoh's Tower held a tremendous opportunity.
Back then, after being rejected by Princess Marry, John, the protagonist, resolved to improve himself and ventured into Pharaoh's Tower, where he obtained the legendary [Order]—Order of Thunder!
With the power of the Order of Thunder, John's cultivation soared, using the countless ghosts as experience fodder.
Three years later, he defeated Princess Marry, gained fame in the Azure Kingdom, and embarked on his legendary journey!
And considering the timeline, John had not yet entered Pharaoh's Tower!
This was a golden opportunity!
After all, encountering an [Order] was incredibly rare. Once mastered, it could dramatically enhance one's abilities!
While others saw him as a prodigy, Owen knew he was heavily reliant on the system.
His inherent talent was quite ordinary.
But if he obtained the Order of Thunder, he would truly become a top-tier prodigy in his own right.
Facing Leslie, the future villain and Hell Queen, he would feel much more confident.
After thorough consideration, Owen chose Pharaoh's Tower!
Upon making his choice, Owen's personal panel changed accordingly.
[Name: Owen
Level: bronze-tier lv9
Talent: Order of Merlin
Experience: 0/10000
Skills: Mana Void; Supreme Sword; Starlit (0/10000)
Weapon: Godslayer Staff (1/7)
Luck: 90 (Max 100)
Fate points: 300 (obtained by seizing the protagonist's opportunities; 1000 points unlocks rewards in the Fate Store)]
While Owen was choosing from the three dungeons provided by the system, Duke Charles noticed that Owen seemed to be deep in thought and hesitating.
Growing increasingly anxious, Duke Charles quickly took out two marriage contracts, already signed by him, and handed them to Owen as soon as he came back to his senses.
"Owen, don't worry. Although Leslie has a bit of a temper, she'll surely change after the marriage. I'll also make sure to teach her during this time," Duke Charles said persuasively.
Owen understood Duke Charles' intentions at a glance, but he didn't say much.
He simply smiled and said, "Alright, since the Duke insists, I'll sign the marriage contract. However, I plan to head to Pharaoh's Tower soon to improve my tier, so I won't be able to visit House Ravenwood."
Given his current low strength, he didn't want to meet Leslie too soon, especially since he didn't feel confident yet.
He would wait until he obtained the Order of Thunder.
Hearing this, Duke Charles frowned slightly, sensing that Owen might be hiding something. "Could he be planning to use the dungeon as an excuse to run away?" he thought.
With this in mind, Duke Charles turned the heirloom jade ring on his thumb and put on a friendly smile.
"Pharaoh's Tower is filled with numerous ghosts and is extremely dangerous. This is Benedict, the commander of House Ravenwood's Wolf Guard. I'll have him accompany you to ensure your safety. If you need anything, you can let him know."