According to Eudite, there were three treasure chests in the deep layers of this dungeon that contained skills.
One of them was the chest where I had originally obtained Provocation. That meant there were only two left for me to claim.
"A hidden passage? Here?"
Eudite held her hand out toward the wall, and a hidden passage appeared before us.
"There is a treasure chest just ahead."
True to her word, we found a treasure chest waiting at the end of the corridor. Inside lay a transparent crystal.
▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽
You have obtained a Crystal of Wisdom.
The effect will now be forced to activate.
△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△
I’d seen this message before. I recalled something very similar appearing the first time I had opened a treasure chest.
▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽
Please select "one" skill you wish to acquire from the following list:
S-Rank Item Box, Enhanced Recovery, Enhanced Mana Recovery, Intimidation, Reading, Precognition
A-Rank Healing Magic, Fire Magic, Water Magic, Wind Magic, Earth Magic, Lightning Magic, Alchemy, Curse Magic, Telepathy, Enhancement Magic
B-Rank Swordsmanship, Archery, Axemanship, Spearmanship, Martial Arts, Staffmanship
C-Rank Physical Enhancement, Presence Detection, Mana Generation, Fire Resistance, Water Resistance, Wind Resistance, Earth Resistance, Sharpness Enhancement, Accuracy Enhancement, Evasion Rate Enhancement, Night Vision
D-Rank Appraisal, Strength Enhancement, Endurance Enhancement, Agility Enhancement, Vitality Enhancement
△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△
The list was similar to the one I’d seen before, but some of the options had changed.
"Lady Eudite, which one should I choose?"
"Well, Swordsmanship, I should think. We can hardly begin our work without it."
Following her advice, I selected the Swordsmanship skill.
▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽
You have acquired the skill: Swordsmanship.
△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△
With that, I had successfully obtained Swordsmanship. I was fairly certain that skills like Intimidation and Reading hadn't been available the last time I looked.
"Now then, let us go and claim the final skill."
With one chest down, we made our way toward the location of the second. It was situated near the Deepest Part of the Dungeon.
"The Dungeon Boss resides just beyond this point."
Eudite’s gaze was fixed on a door that was significantly larger than any we had passed so far.
"If we defeat this boss, we can finally leave the dungeon, right?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Does Lady Eudite also have to defeat the boss whenever she goes outside...?"
I asked the question because I was genuinely curious. The hideout Eudite had built was furnished with beds and tables. That implied she went to the surface frequently to purchase supplies.
"Yes, indeed."
"I imagine any boss would be a simple matter for someone as powerful as you, Lady Eudite."
"No, that is not quite the case," she denied. She paused for a beat before continuing. "In truth, I have not been able to set foot outside for nearly fifty years."
"...What?"
"In recent years, the power of the boss has grown significantly. Even for me, defeating it is quite a difficult prospect at present."
She spoke while gritting her teeth in visible frustration.
"I see..."
I was stunned. A boss that even she couldn't defeat? I couldn't even imagine what kind of monster that would be.
The second treasure chest was located at the end of another hidden passage near the Boss Room.
▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽
You have obtained a Crystal of Brilliance.
The effect will now be forced to activate.
△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△
A Crystal of Brilliance? That was an item I hadn't heard of before.
▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽▽
You have acquired the skill: Attribute Enchantment.
△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△
"My, you have pulled quite a rare skill."
"Um..."
"A Crystal of Brilliance is an item that bestows a random skill upon the user. However, this is a bit of a dilemma. Since Attribute Enchantment is a magic affinity skill, you cannot use it until you acquire the Mana Generation skill."
"So, does that mean I've drawn a dud?"
"There is no need to be so disheartened. You simply need to plan on acquiring Mana Generation at a later date."
"I understand..."
The way she said it made me wonder if she already had a plan for how I would obtain it.
"Now then, shall we begin your special training tomorrow?"
With those words, my days of rigorous training under Eudite began.