For some reason, the adventurers from the Eastern Dungeon had gathered on the first floor.
There was a commotion near the exit. The voices of the guild receptionist and other staff could be heard from there. There seemed to be some arguing, as shouts of “Get out!” and “Don’t come in!” echoed around the area.
Gideon suddenly draws his sword.
“Rion, duel with me.”
The tip of his sword was pointed at me. Then his cronies gather around us. Everyone was grinning at me, enjoying the spectacle.
“Gideon……”
I forget to add “san”.
“Consider this an honour. It’s an honour for a commoner like you to be able to have a duel against a noble.”
Gideon looked down at me and snorted.
I calmed my breathing and asked straight away.
“Why?”
Perhaps it was because I had seen that mythical scene, or perhaps it was because I had defeated the werewolf zombie, but I was able to remain calm in a way that was incomparable to before.
He used to be such a fearsome opponent for me after all.
“I’m going to give you a chance.”
Gideon swung his sword.
“If you beat me in this duel, you don’t have to pay me back. Isn’t this such a good opportunity?”
“……If this is about money, I’ll pay it back soon.”
“I don’t trust you.”
Every time Gideon utters a word, there is laughter around us.
“You got a useless skill you know? It may seem going well by chance but…. aren’t you anxious inside? I don’t think there’s really any chance, is there?”
I exchange glances with Mia-san. I decided to show him the magic stone of the werewolf zombie.
Mia-san took out a high-purity magic stone from the pouch.
“What is that?”
“We got it from the boss.”
“……From the werewolf? Something that big!?”
I puffed out my chest as much as I could. I already learned how to negotiate.
“I’ll pay for my sister’s medicine in full, so I don’t need to duel.”
“Kuku~, I see. But to be honest, I don’t care about the debt anymore.”
“Huh?”
I muttered in puzzlement. Gideon gestures behind him with his thumb.
“I’ve ordered the entrance to be closed, and no one is allowed to leave the dungeon unless I order it.”
“Rion-san”
A voice came from the entrance. It seemed that someone from the guild had really come all the way to the entrance.
“You have no choice but to duel me and lose miserably.”
“And if I lose?”
“Fufu, I don’t think you can get away with all your limbs intact but…… I’ll have you sign this. It’s a pledge of forced labor—also known as a slave contract.”
I think it’s a little strange. It’s as if enslavement is purpose of all this.
Gideon is up to something for sure.
Harassing the son of the man he hated—I felt that there was more to it than that.
“I’ve never liked your family.”
Gideon said with a smile.
“Yes. I just don’t like it…… especially those eyes. Those guys even glorify something that is simply weak, calling it kind or something…”
Claaang!
There was a heavy clanging sound.
Mia-san stepped forward.
“What a bullcrap.”
She glared at Gideon and cut him off.
“……I’ve always thought there was some reason for all that, but to think that it was all real crap. Don’t you think about your reputation?”
“Ha! So you’re Rion’s ally. Mia the axe-cat. Let me tell you, there is an absolute difference between a level 35 swordsman skill and level 30 axeman skill!”
Gideon then added in a sing-song voice,
“Some skills grow depending on the level, while others improve with the use of more skills. Both Swordsman and Axeman are level-dependent skills, but Swordsman is overwhelmingly superior in terms of the strength and variety of abilities you gain depending on your level!”
After saying that, Gideon waved his hand and the adventurers automatically surrounded Mia-san. They are trying to stop her from joining me.
“Mia, just stay there and watch.”
“What if I say I don’t like it?”
“We are going to beat you two together then.”
『Rion, what are you going to do?』
I heard Solana’s voice.
(…… I’m thinking about it.)
I answered her.
This is clearly an unfavorable situation. But strangely, the fear I had felt before was gone. He is a noble, strong, and had an absolute handle on me because of my debt. Before, just him stepping forward made me tense up, and I was crawling to protect my head.
But now I’m different. Little by little, I was getting stronger.
“Mia-san.”
“Yes?”
“How strong do you think the previous boss was?”
“I’d say…. between 30 to 40 I guess.”
Gideon’s level is 35. Of course, if I went in without a plan I would be defeated miserably. But with the support of my skills I was able to fight on equal terms with the werewolf zombie. More than anything, Gideon’s aura made me feel like I have an opportunity.
I feel like if I am going to fight him and defeat him, now was the time.
“Alright. I agree.”
When I took a step forward, I felt completely satisfied.
I see. Deep within me, I must have known that a confrontation with this man is inevitable. He is an opponent I have to fight against.
“Mia-san, please stay out of this.”
Gideon frowned.
“How arrogant! Tsk!”
I pull out my blue crystal short sword and look straight at Gideon. My actions made him completely enraged.
“Such an eyesore. So irritating and unpleasant! Why are you two like that?”
After a short pause, one of his cronies approached and explained the rules.
The decision will be made if one of you is incapacitated or surrendered. The battle area is the entire first floor. Whoever steps away from it, will lose.
“That’s the condition for winning or losing?”
If I win, I don’t have to pay off my debts anymore. But if I lose, I’ll become a slave instead.
My heart feels unreasonably warm.
I’m not that weak anymore.
“Let’s start.”
As soon as he spoke, Gideon charged in. I ducked my body to avoid it.
It wasn’t poisonous like that of the werewolf zombie. It was just a simple attack that was fast and sharp. I dodged it over and over again.
Then again and again.
“…… I’m not scared.”
“What?”
“I said, I’m not scared, Gideon!”
I charged into his bosom.
He must have thought I was going to run away.
Because he was clearly upset, I found an opening. I deflected his unsteady attack with my short sword and headbutted him with all my might.
Gideon presses his jaw and steps back, staggering.
“Again, my jaw! Y-you bastaard!”
“I think you are holding back.”
Gideon’s sword was different from the one I had felt in the dungeon.
It’s not as sharp as the werewolf zombie. It’s a force that has been adjusted so as not to kill, but to inflict pain.
Gideon isn’t serious.
He’s not even looking at me, he’s playing.
—But I’m not afraid of him anymore.
“You damn worthless skill user!”
Gideon used the『Swordsman』skill, strengthening his sword attacks.
“Fine! Dieeee!”
I broke out in cold sweat.
The slashes increased, and I couldn’t parry them all. However, I also had a new skill.
“Wake up!”
The spirits arose and lent me its strength.
“Wake up?”
“Wan!”
A fierce wind blew from my short sword. Gideon lost his balance. I didn’t even need to use my 【Golden Flame】 ability yet. I knew the direction my opponent was taking his sword.
On the other hand, the other party doesn’t know me now.
“I’ve decided to become stronger.”
With Solana’s power, I saw the endless stories of the gods, the constellations. I saw skeletons and monsters called werewolf zombie. I saw the decisive battle of the giant god sealed in the ice.
If the world is not kind, then I myself can be kind and strong!
I decided to keep that promise, so I stepped forward.
I pushed forward and forward.
I can feel Gideon’s agitation with every step I made. He made a high-handed downward swing, but with my increased level, I was able to block his attack just in time. Using my legs that are trained from climbing stairs and going through dungeons, I pushed his whole body upwards.
Then the blade of my short sword pushed Gideon’s sword away.
“With a short sword…… m-my sword was pushed away!?”
There is an absolute difference in reach between a short sword and a longsword. But at close range, I am clashing with the handle —the strongest part of the blade. I have to use brute force.
Gideon and I glared at each other with blades in between.
“Our family is not your toy! Open your eyes, Gideon!”
Gideon used his skill 『Swordsman』 and fled. It was an ability called 【Start Over】. He could do backstepping and wide distance.
| Skill, 『Sun’s Divine Protection』was used. Executing 【Golden Flame】 ―――――――――――――――――――― 【Golden Flame】 …… Improves your physical abilities for a limited time. |
I followed up with a surprise attack skill.
“Y-your skills…..”
Gideon was shaken the whole time. He probably hadn’t taken into account that I had gotten stronger.
My chance of victory is there. Or rather, that’s all there is to it.
I need to take advantage of his agitation and win at once.
Leaving it to my enhanced power, I wielded the short sword with all my might.
“Don’t underestimate me!”
Gideon’s sword is coming from the right. I spun to the left and slashed away with my short sword. Sparks flew and a metallic sound echoed. For some reason, I felt like the blade was hot.
It became quiet.
Except for one person, no one spoke anything.
“—Impossible! My sword was….”
Gideon’s sword was broken in half. More than half of it is stuck in the ground.
『……Isn’t it clear that the decision is made?』
Solana said so, but no one speaks. Gideon looks down and looks at his hands. He is shaking, perhaps from numbness or anger.
“That short sword, Rion…… Just what did you get in the dungeon?”
He asked straight to the point, but I just stared at him
After being silent, Gideon suddenly begins to laugh.
“I see. I see. So there is a secret in the dungeon after all! If I release it….”
It was a terrifying laugh that reverberated throughout the floor.
“Haha! Hey, who prepared this sword?”
Gideon looks around and catches a glimpse of an adventurer. He was an adventurer who always accompanied Gideon.
“I-it was me….…”
“I lost because of you!”
Gideon kicked the man with all his might. A blow unleashed by his high-level combat skill was delivered to an adventurer from the weakest dungeon.
The other party was blown up to the wall and could not move. His arms are twitching, and his face contorts in pain.
“Oh my God!”
“……Rion, let’s start again.”
“But the duel is….”
“I haven’t said I’ve given up. Hey, someone throw me a replacement sword, that one was rubbish and that’s why my hand slipped.”
He is crazy…….
Gideon shots his broken sword to me. I woke up the spirit with my alarm skill and shot it down with a gust of wind.
“Do you want to continue……?”
『He’s really annoying. Want me to help? 』
(…… You don’t have to.)
Though I told Solana that, I was worried about the duration of the skill’s effect. If I used it repeatedly, he’ll find an opening for an attack once I used it again.
As I stepped back, the voice of God echoed in my head.
| Skill, 『Alarm』was used. Achievement has been unlocked. New ability is granted under 【 Unseal】. |
(……My skills can grow?)
It seems the『Alarm』skill has improved by another level.
(A-at this timing!?)
It seems that simply using it like before isn’t enough, and the number of times it’s been used is no longer counted.
I thought about it more, and it seems that the key to the growth of the 『Alarm』skill isn’t just the number of times it’s been used, but the number of times it’s been “unsealed”.
If the degree of growth differs depending on the spirit, god, or other entity that causes it, it can be explained that the counting has stopped.
In other words, it’s not the number of times, it’s the experience!
(M-maybe my skills can still grow.)
I quickly checked my status.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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