Roars echoed and reverberated around the dungeon hall as several mini-van sized creatures rushed out in a blaze of fangs and claws, aiming to take down a singular being who took up most of their attention.
Incensed Badgers, Level 18.
Incensed Badgers, Level 19.
Incensed Badgers, Level 17.
Their levels ranged from 16 to 19, numbering a dozen in total chasing him. But despite the overwhelming numbers facing him, Aidan wasn’t that worried.
That was because he flew with speed and precision across the floor, his sword in hand as he led the group of badgers around in an open space where there were barely any obstacles. That finally got him the chance to use Craft to distort the air and send a number of bullets straight at them.
The air bullets set off like a machine gun, hitting some of the badgers too slow to respond. He kept flying around in a slow arc, ensuring that his machine gun air bullets hit every single one of them.
Some of them were smart enough to burrow deep underground, but others weren’t as much, getting gunned down with bloody holes covering them all. While they disappeared into the ground, his Sense Vibrations told him of incoming threats, making him fly up to find several badgers exploding through the ground in an effort to pin him down.
Aidan swung his sword and caught two of them by cleaving their heads, his Infused body giving him the power to behead them at once. Other badgers quickly backed off and tried to use their magic, summoning their own earthen spikes to pierce through him.
Aidan commanded the earth from his surroundings to make a wall to stop their attacks, which set off a tiny tangent in his head about the difference between him crafting the earth with a spell while they directly manipulated the earth to do as they commanded. Was there a difference or was there a slight delay or perhaps even an improvement on the difference?
During his fights, he found out that thanks to running Split Mind, he often went off on thought tangents that drove themselves further and further into its train of thought if he didn’t pay attention to it. It wasn’t like it was a bad thing, even finding himself realizing some theories that might work best with his magic.
Unfortunately it couldn’t get anywhere as several living badgers coated themselves in earth armor, covering their bodies and aiming to make themselves weapons by launching straight at Aidan.
They even tapered the ends of their attacks with a sharp point and, at the velocity they were at, could easily pierce through his own earthen defenses.
Thankfully he didn’t have to worry about getting pierced. He poured all of his mental effort and activated Phase, allowing the badgers to go right through him without batting an eye. All the while, another part of his mind, thanks to Split Mind, forced his arms to turn physical, allowing his blades to swipe and cut through the surfaces of their earthen armor.
While that alone normally wouldn't cut through, his Might stat was currently beyond normal as his blade cut through flesh as they passed, taking some of them out.
Before long only five were left alive, and they all went through their own separate avenues. One decided to run, while the four others followed with a ranged earth spike, a tackle, a dig straight into the ground, and one completely covering itself in stone to protect itself.
That was more than enough mental power for him to go through, so he decided to end it all quickly by throwing his swords up into the air, and crafting as many Air Shots as possible while doing so. He commanded them all to strike, launching a plethora of powerful impacts at the surrounding badgers.
The one tackling him at the end was caught by his own hands, stopping it in place. It hissed and growled at him, but Aidan had enough as he gripped his hands tight and delivered a powerful punch straight down at its head, coating his hand with his Crafted air to make a drill of sorts that dug straight into its brain.
Aidan pushed the now dead badger off of him, and he saw that the entire field in front of him was littered in craters, the four remaining badgers left for dead and scattered apart, even the one that dug into the ground and the one that tried to run away.
Several notifications rained down his vision, but he ignored them all as he focused on the ones that truly mattered.
Level Up! From Level 20, you became Level 21!
You have gained:
+1 Free Attribute point
+3 Free Stat points
+1 Intelligence
+1 Toughness
+1 Dexterity
+1 Vigor
…..
Level Up! From Level 21, you became Level 22!
You have gained:
+1 Free Attribute point
+3 Free Stat points
+1 Intelligence
+1 Toughness
+1 Dexterity
+1 Vigor
He nodded to himself, smiling as he spent his points religiously to his lagging stats. Agility was at a decent score right about now, so he at least needed to push his other stats beyond 20. Seeing its important use at the moment, he decided to put his points into the Strength stat.
He just never found himself in a position where his life was in danger. At least not enough to warrant focusing on his Vitality over the stats that he used more often. If he was the type that gets hit a lot, that might have been different, but a Mage focusing on a glass cannon build wasn’t exactly suited for getting hits.
Maybe it might be different if he had any spells or skills that worked with how much health he had, but he digressed.
Damn it, getting distracted again.
Once he put his points into strength, he immediately noticed the change.
You have gained a title!
“Meathead II”
You raised your Strength attribute to 25. You’re becoming stronger and tougher. Perhaps you can even bend mountains and split the rivers with ease!
+2 Strength
One of which, obviously, was a title upgrade. But more than that, there were also the physical changes. He lifted his arm and flexed, noticing the available muscle bulking up quite nicely.
If he kept focusing on his Strength stat, would he get a bodybuilder like physique? Though he noticed that they were leaner than bulky, which was probably the result of his Agility being at a higher stat.
But more importantly, he felt like the Infuse cast on his body was easier to manage, as if the magic easily seeped into the inner muscle and tissue that controlled every aspect of his movements. As he suspected, a stronger body is capable of absorbing more mana, allowing his Infuse to take hold better than just adding more mana into the pot, so to speak.
As he looked around with his senses, noticing no problems around him, he called out to his party members.
“All safe now, you can come out.”
Haley, Van, and Nina stepped out of the hiding spot away from the battlefield, with two of the siblings watching with clear awe and amazement as they studied each corpse that littered the field.
“Y-You’re really getting better at this,” Haley muttered. “You might as well solo the entire dungeon.”
“That’s the plan, at least,” Aidan said, turning to Van. “You think you can process these?”
“It might take a while,” Van said, still looking around at all the bodies surrounding them. He shook his head at the ridiculousness of it all as he replied. “But we’ll try. Might be better if we had some help.”
“I’ll keep a look out then,” Nina said, turning away from the group and going off on her own.
“Gee, thanks,” Haley called out, though her voice was so low Aidan wondered if it was just meant for herself. His Sense might have picked up the wording so he decided to be cool about it and let it be.
“I’ll help out,” Aidan said. “I wanna see if I can get a skill that helps me process the materials.”
“Oh, it’s totally worth it,” Haley said, her mood going back to normal. “Want me to teach you how to do it?”
“Please do.”
Aidan eagerly knelt down beside Haley and Van as he listened to their wisdom while using their hunting knives to pull out the claws and fur off the creatures. He figured Nina just needed some time for herself as, while the others believed she was just being nonchalant and didn’t care as much, Aidan could sense otherwise.
Her soul was rising in anticipation, and most likely she needed time to cool off.
…..
Nina was certain now that she had found a hidden gem that could change everything.
When she first found Aidan, she obviously saw the value he held, not just from him being a special spirit variant humanoid, but from his talent.
But even for her, the level of growth he showed was unlike anything she had seen before.
She knew that the top-end adventurers and even elite knights of the kingdom got to be where they were due to special privileges only they could have. Some would have family backing while others were lucky with their encounters in their travels to gain rare treasures that pushed them up a few milestones in power.
But more than all of that, it was the talent that they were born with. Nina knew that more than anything. Talents could easily decide one’s path in life, and depending on how versatile your talent is, it could make or break your entire livelihood.
For Nina’s case, her talent was so valuable that it ended up causing serious damage to her surroundings, forcing her to go into hiding. Certainly, she cursed her talent at times in her youth, but recognized it for what it was–a powerful ability that no one else in the world could compare.
Unfortunately, while it was useful at times, it didn’t do anything for combat. That forced her to rely more on her own combat skills and learning various techniques in order to survive like so many others.
So whatever talent Aidan had was enough to push himself farther than any powerful veteran Nina had laid her eyes upon. At this rate, soloing the dungeon like Haley said wasn’t just a stretch–it was an absolute possibility.
All the while, that powerful entity capable of doing so was under her control, under her authority as his master.
She had to get away from the party, pretending that she was looking out for any surrounding monsters or trouble despite having Aidan’s monstrous senses easily capable of doing that himself. She had to, because she couldn’t help but have a wide grin plastered on her face.
It was too much for her to take. What she found could literally be the answer to all of her problems. At this point, it might even be worth it to abandon the city as a whole and rely solely on him.
But she wasn’t that foolish. She now saw the true value that Aidan carried, but it didn’t have to be the only thing under her command. Sure enough, his own greed for power was present, so he could easily gain enough levels and just keep getting stronger. Thanks to that, her secret weapon for conquest would only get stronger and stronger.
All she needed to do was ensure that he kept getting stronger. And for that, they needed more than just levels. She took a moment to take a breather, keeping herself steady as she returned back to the party at hand. She saw Haley excitedly teaching Aidan how to process the badger while Van continued to go at his own pace, easily surpassing the two in speed with his deft work.
She was about to head in to help with the processing before Aidan suddenly raised his head. A confused frown showed on his face as he made a strange statement.
“My sword is… getting abducted.”
All three around him looked at him in confusion from his declaration. Nina, however, instantly realized the gravity of the situation.
“Are you saying… Someone is trying to steal one of your swords?”
“Yeah,” Aidan said, sounding perplexed about this situation himself. “There’s someone grabbing my sword right now while it’s flying. I also sense a few other people chasing after it. Uhh… what do I do in this situation?”
“Are you getting it back here?” Haley asked.
“Yeah, I gotta know what’s going on. It just took down a boss, and then somebody just grabbed onto it. They’re making their way here now.”
“That’s… weird,” Van muttered. “What are you gonna do?”
“What do I do to someone trying to steal my shit?” Aidan asked, though that sounded like a question with its own answer already prepped and ready.
“A-Are you gonna kill them?” Haley asked hesitantly. “Because I gotta be honest, if I find a sword floating around, I’d probably consider taking it if it wasn’t owned by anyone.”
“But would you actually grab it yourself?” Van asked incredulously.
“I’m not that dumb!” Haley shouted. “It’s literally flying by itself and just killed a monster! Nina, what’s the plan?”
Considering that neither of them seemed to know what to do, Nina decided to figure it out for them, though she already had a plan on what to do. Hearing Van’s statement about the third floor, the people who end up here shouldn’t be your average run of the mill adventurers. Even more so considering how guarded this dungeon usually is due to Red Riot’s influence.
Which might explain their crazy little stunt of grabbing the sword and just letting it carry them around. Deciding quickly, she answered.
“Just let them come. Let them explain themselves first. In the end, you’re the one going around the floor and taking monsters apart, right? It’s possible that they might even come around to complain.”
“Shit,” Aidan looked horrified at that. “I didn’t think about it like that.”
A few minutes passed, the team waiting eagerly for this supposed intruder to come around. Then something unimaginable came flying about up in the air.
It was exactly like Aidan said. There was someone trying to abduct the sword, and was doing a terrible job at it. A young looking woman with vibrant blond hair was carrying with determination at the hilt of the flying sword, her legs dangling over and under as the sword kept up its pace. Once they got closer, the girl instantly saw the group before stopping her flailing as the sword eventually came right near Aidan.
Rather than letting the girl drop, Aidan made the sword along with the girl float up towards him, the sword lifted just high enough for the girl’s eyes to face Aidan’s.
He just stared at her, while the girl herself remained silent while still grabbing onto the sword.
“So… what are you doing?” Aidan asked after a few moments of awkward silence.
“Uhh… you know,” The girl said just as awkwardly. “Just… hanging around.”
“...Really?”
Aidan asked, and even Nina wanted to cringe at that. He shook his head.
“You got some serious balls to make a clearly worthwhile pun while grabbing onto my sword like that.”
Nina wanted to balk at that statement. The girl, however, just kept chuckling as she eventually let go of the sword. The sword spun around as if it was finally freed of its burden before arriving at Aidan’s back, ready to go at his order.
“So that’s an interesting sword you got there. Mind telling me where you got that?” The girl said, dusting off her leather armor consisting of a vest, shirt, and short pants that showed her well-toned thighs. She had armored boots and gauntlets on, each one of incredible make and design for good protection and easier movement according to Nina’s eyes.
Along with that, she also scanned the girl for everything she was worth.
Nicky Bellond, Level 37
Class: Archer
On top of her high level and Class, she also spotted several titles that were quite impressive for someone of her young age, and her skills and abilities matched the fervor she was showing even now. However, Nicky wasn’t really all that impressive as Aidan replied to her.
“I made it myself,” Aidan answered simply. “Why were you trying to take it?”
“Aah…” The girl, Nicky, answered slowly as Aidan continued to pester her with the same question. Van raised his arm in front of Haley, keeping a steady eye on the girl as she seemed to continue wasting their time before answering.
Soon enough, more people came around as one man shouted loud enough to attract several monsters had Aidan not already culled them.
“Nicky! You’re alive! Thank god!”
The man, wearing a more armored version of the leather armor, shouted while wearing what looked like a metal mask covering his face. He definitely sounded like a young man, carrying a short crossbow on each hip. Another one came out, this one appearing more like a boy than a man, wearing a cloak that obscured most of his own armor while still revealing his silvery hair cut straight before reaching his eyes.
“Guys! Boy, am I glad to see you two,” Nicky said, looking more than relieved. She then faced Aidan with a more confident look in her eyes. “Honestly, it just took my attention and I just wanted to see where it came from! It’s not every day you see a flying sword just up and take your kill out of nowhere, right?”
Aidan kept a stoic expression, but Nina could tell easily from how his eyes widened just a smidge. In the end, he was worried that he was committing some of the acts of taking an adventurer’s kill and their experience points away. Not that he needed to worry, as in the end, the strongest gets to keep the kill if they manage to take it. If by some chance it had been weakened, it would be the original party at fault for not taking care of it sooner. Nina had done plenty of kill stealing herself, and she found no qualm or any reason to feel bad about it.
“So… what are we gonna do about some reparations for taking our kill?” Nicky asked, her hands gently clasping each other as she eyed Aidan. “Not gonna brag, but we took some heavy losses facing that boss you just snagged away from us, so we’re gonna have to ask for a pretty hefty fine from you.”
“Uhh, what?” Aidan raised a brow, the situation becoming a lot more annoying in Nina’s eyes.
“Huh?” The taller man asked, tilting his head. “What are you–”
Before he could say anything more, he made a small grunt of pain before shutting up completely. It was subtle, but Nina easily saw the boyish adventurer do something to him, glaring daggers at him as if daring him to keep talking. The man, of course, stayed silent, but Nina already knew what game they were playing.
“As far as I know…” Aidan hesitated. “There was nobody around when my sword took it out.”
“Oh, you must got some pretty damn good eyes if you’re making that accusation,” Nicky said, now sounding less than pleased. “However, we were actually taking it down and we made quite a few losses. It was a pretty strong boss, you know–a gatekeeper defending a treasure room. But thanks to you, we no longer got access to the treasure room that’s specific to the third floor here. I’m guessing you don’t know how that works since I’ve never seen you all before, but to us, that’s an entire month’s worth of wasted resources.”
Nina could practically smell the bullshit coming from this woman’s mouth a mile away. Aidan, of course, could figure that out as well, but she could tell that he was hesitating. In one way or another, this could actually develop into a fight between a single adventurer against all three veterans.
Nina grinned, an idea worming its way in her head as she liked the details more and more before walking forward.
“That certainly sounds like a troubling issue,” Nina spoke out, getting their attention. She kept walking at a slow pace, keeping a steady eye on the blond-haired girl. “But it also sounds like a load of bull.”
“Oh, and what do you have to say about it?” Nicky propped a hand on her hip, raising a brow. “You plan on covering the losses instead?”
“Not at all, and quite frankly, I don’t see a need to,” Nina said. “It sounds like you have quite a lot of confidence to back up your claims about beating a boss, and I’m sure you know what you’re talking about, being on the third floor longer than us, but… you see, I don’t like that.”
Nina turned and faced them, standing by Aidan’s side. She grabbed her cloak, the Windwalker Cloak, and put it on top of Aidan’s back. He was surprised, but Nina was more than happy to give away the rare enchanted item that boosted his Agility for this.
“And because of that, I’m afraid I have no choice. Aidan–why don’t you teach them not to mess with you?”
Aidan looked back at Nina in surprise, his brows raised which were the same as all the three adventurers in front of them. She spotted Van slowly backing away along with Haley, wisely keeping themselves out of this equation.
“Uhh, what?” The man, known as Bill from her scan, asked. He chuckled darkly as he shrugged. “Listen lady, no offense, but we’re pretty well-known around here. Now how about you just play nice with us and pay us what you owe? It’s only fair, and we really don’t want to ruin any of you guys’ bright futures. We’re actually pretty nice compared to your average adventurers, y’know?”
“He’s got a point,” Nicky followed up. “There’s really no reason to risk yourselves just for an ego check.”
“I’m sure you have good intentions behind your actions,” Nina said slowly, her eyes thinning. “But I’m afraid that doesn’t work in the real world. Aidan… be a dear and show them what it means to mess with me.”
Nina couldn’t help herself. The power of having a strong servant like Aidan was enough to fill her with excitement. Even a veteran group was no match by her estimations of their abilities. Even if they carried a pretty powerful secret weapon in their hands, it didn’t matter at all.
Aidan just looked at her as though asking ‘are you serious?’ before shaking his head. As she expected, the contract forced him to do her bidding, and she was more than keen on watching it work as he forced himself to move forward, properly putting the Windwalker Cloak around himself which got the veteran party to take notice.
“You serious?” The man asked, his hand floating over his crossbows. “You’re gonna take us on? By yourself?”
“I… really don’t have much of a choice,” Aidan said, power radiating off of him. “You guys only got yourselves to blame for asking too much from my dear master.”
Before they could reply, Aidan surged with power and pounced straight at them.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter