I held the sword and swung it to test it. Its weight is perfect, and the edge is flawless. I can use this inside the dungeon without any problems. "Since this sword comes with a skill called 'Magic Boost,' I don't think I'll have to worry about my magic."
I walked over to the training dummies that had been replaced and used the sword to cut one of them without activating the "Lightning" skill. I tried to maintain the best posture possible.
My strength increased a bit after my last dungeon exploration, so I think I'll be able to cut through this dummy without any trouble.
To my satisfaction, the sword went through the dummy, slicing it in half.
As half of the dummy fell to the ground, I looked at the blade.
Still perfect. It wasn't damaged.
"All right, now for the skill called 'Lightning.' Judging by the name, it sounds like a pretty powerful skill. Should I test it here?"
After thinking it over, I decided to test the skill inside the training room.
"Is it like the 'Flames' skill?" I swung the sword and said the skill's name in my mind. Contrary to what I expected, a lightning bolt wasn't launched forward like the "Flames" skill.
Instead, lightning struck down from the ceiling, hitting the dummy directly.
It wasn't weak lightning.
I was blinded and deafened for a few seconds when the lightning struck the dummy. The dummy hit by the lightning turned black and caught fire. "What the hell! I must've caught everyone in the house's attention!"
The entire room shook.
I should've thought this through better. Damn it. Sword skills are way too powerful!
Then, someone rushed through the door.
"Eryk? What's going on?!" It was Tsubaki, her face filled with concern.
"Nothing happened. It was just a little accident." I gave a weak laugh and put out the fire on the dummy.
"What do you mean nothing happened? What is this?" Tsubaki looked up and then at the floor. The room's ceiling was cracked and blackened, and the floor beneath the dummy was charred, with a few cracks running through it.
"It was one of the sword's skills. I ended up testing it here without thinking. Don't worry, it's fine. I just need to fix the ceiling and the floor."
"This was caused by a sword skill?" Tsubaki eyed the shiny, beautiful sword in my hand, her eyes sparkling. "Let me test it!" she exclaimed, trying to grab the sword from my hand.
But I took a few steps back.
"No, it's better if you don't."
"Don't be stingy! I won't break it. Please?"
"All right." I decided to hand the sword to Tsubaki. As soon as she took it, her eyes widened.
"What is this? Suddenly, my body feels warm and full of energy. Is this another skill of the sword? How did you create something like this? And is this mithril? Did you manage to forge it using mithril!?"
"It took me all day to forge this sword. It's no big deal."
"It's incredible. You managed to forge a sword like this using mithril in just a few days." Tsubaki was enthralled. "Tell me… what skill did you use?" She gave me a mischievous smile.
She wanted to test the "Lightning" skill.
"Forget it. I'm not letting you use it."
"But…"
"I don't want to break the room even more. The Goddess will be furious."
"I'm not furious, just worried. What happened here?!" Hephaestus walked into the room right at that moment, her expression full of worry.
Seeing her so worried about me made me feel guilty.
####
The next day arrived. I woke up in the morning feeling excited—not to forge new swords but to head back into the dungeon.
This time wielding my new rare-rank sword.
Since this sword has a skill that boosts my magic, I can use it without any issues.
Speaking of magic… I haven't tested what happens when I put magic into the sword. I only tested the "Lightning" skill.
If I use the sword, just putting magic into it to increase its attack power, I should be able to explore the dungeon for a long time.
I need to use it that way because, even with a skill that boosts my magic, if I overuse the "Lightning" skill, my magic will run out quickly.
"Goddess, I'm heading into the dungeon again today. I'll be taking my new sword. I want to test it inside the dungeon."
"The sword you used to destroy your training room yesterday?"
"I didn't destroy the room."
"It may not look like it, but the damage was significant. The ceiling and floor were heavily damaged. It'll take a whole day to fix."
"You guys renovated the entire training room in a few hours, and now it'll take a full day to fix a hole in the floor and ceiling?"
"It's harder than it looks!"
"I'm just teasing."
"Be careful."
"Don't worry. I'm not going to use the sword on anyone, just monsters."
"I wouldn't mind if you used it on someone. I'm telling you to be careful not to hurt yourself!"
"Pfft." I almost laughed, and Hephaestus pouted.
"I shouldn't have said that, should I? It sounds like I don't care about people."
"Do you care?"
"Of course I do. I just care about you more."
"Hahaha."
"Why don't you take Tsubaki with you? She can help. I'm sure she wouldn't mind."
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why not? She's strong and won't get in your way."
"You're suggesting this because you want her to protect me, aren't you?"
"Damn it, you guessed."
"Hahaha. Don't worry, it'll be fine. If anything goes wrong, I'll run and leave the dungeon as fast as I can."
"That's right. If something like last time happens and all those monsters show up, run as fast as you can."
"..."
####
I left the house and went straight to the tower to enter the dungeon again. My sword drew even more attention this time due to its bright and beautiful hilt. Ignoring the stares, I headed to the dungeon entrance.
After descending the spiral staircase and reaching the first floor, I drew the sword from its sheath at my waist and prepared for battle.
However, no monsters appeared, even after several minutes.
I walked around the first floor and found only a few monsters. I used the sword to cut them down without any issues.
The sword sliced through them as easily as my previous one. I didn't notice much of a difference.
When I reached the second floor of the dungeon, I finally decided to test what would happen if I infused magic into the sword.
I put magic into the sword, and its brilliant blade began shining even brighter. I felt my magic being drained, but it wasn't a significant amount. "This will work," I said, smiling.
I searched for the nearest monsters and attacked them while infusing magic into the sword.
This time, the sword cut through them even more effortlessly.
It felt like when I used the skill "Perfect Cut LV2." It was as if I were slicing through butter.
"This is so satisfying," I said, picking up the magic stone from the ground. "Should I continue to the third floor?"
Descending to the fifth floor wouldn't be a problem.
I pressed forward, advancing faster than I had expected. This sword had improved my performance by 300%.
I may be underestimating myself too much.
Even if I'm weak, I'm still an adventurer, right?
Eventually, I reached the third floor.
The atmosphere was the same. The dungeon felt very similar, and the monsters were weak.
I moved quickly through the third floor; before I knew it, I had already reached the fourth!
My pockets were stuffed with magic stones and a few items. "I can't carry anything else in my pockets. Should I keep killing monsters just to gain excelia? I don't need the magic stones anyway."
The items were interesting since I could use them to forge weapons and armor. "But these items come from goblins and kobolds; they're cheap."
After thinking it over for a few minutes, I decided to keep moving forward and hunting monsters.
"Today, I'll go up to the fifth floor. That's enough."
Even though it didn't seem like it, I had already been inside the dungeon for several hours.
I couldn't overdo it. My wife is waiting for me at home and is probably very worried about me.
"What sword is that?" Someone approached me from behind. I hadn't noticed their presence or heard anything. Was I that distracted?
"?" I turned to look at the person behind me.
Since the voice was feminine, I assumed it was a woman, but I was surprised when I saw her appearance.
White hair and red eyes.
"Bell?"
"Huh? Do you know me?" the woman asked, her eyes cautious.
Wait a second. Something's not right.
####
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Next chapters: Chapter 29 - You should get a boyfriend. / Chapter 30 - Forging an armor. / Chapter 31 - Hephaestus' help. / Chapter 32 - Possessive. / Chapter 33 - Don't look. +18 / Chapter 34 - The system that ruins a story. / Chapter 35 - Boss.