—8,167 years after the start of the game.
Magic power is a high-density energetic substance stored within the dantian near a human's liver. One draws magic power from this dantian reservoir and manipulates it. At first, merely bringing it forth took everything I had, but after a hundred years, I became able to manipulate it at will. I could spread it dozens of meters around me, or even draw pictures in the air with it. The rest came down to application: how to actually sublimate it efficiently into magic.
Referencing the grimoires, I immersed myself in developing new magic. As a result, I devised four spells.
First, a physical enhancement spell: [Vajra Power]. By permeating every single cell with magic power, it transforms that energy into a strengthening effect.
Second, a healing spell: [Panacea]. A spell that likewise enables repair on a cellular level. Gaining knowledge from medical texts made this spell possible.
Third, a weapon enhancement spell: [Magic Armament]. True to its name, this spell enables fine magic control down to the molecular level of a weapon. I came up with this concept after devouring chemistry books.
Fourth, a search spell: [Divine Eye]. A spell that casts a dome-shaped field of magic power across a 500-meter radius to monitor the surroundings.
I did not name these spells myself; rather, as I trained, a "Magic" category appeared on my status, listing them there.
Now, the foundation was complete. All that remained was developing and applying concrete long-range attack methods.
A bow? No, my weapon is this sword through and through. Anything else is out of the question. In that case, it has to be—
I took stones in my right hand and began throwing them.
—Approximately 11,065 years after the start of the game.
An even vaster stretch of time passed.
Since then, by throwing repeatedly, I obtained the skill [Kai-Style Throwing: Shoden]. From there, passing through Chuden, Okuden, and Kaiden, I finally reached [Kai-Style Throwing: Gokuden]. This is an ability concerning throwing, applying to everything I cast forth. This naturally applies to magic power as well. I am now able to transform magic power into the nature of a blade and release it. This, too, was thanks to spending five hundred years on meticulous magic control and its transmutation.
Of course, I am a swordsman. In its raw form as a throwing technique, it is useless in combat, nor do I intend to use it that way. Therefore, I tirelessly experimented with integrating [Kai-Style Throwing: Gokuden] into my swordsmanship.
And finally, [Kai-Style Throwing: Gokuden] was integrated and perfected as [True Kai-Style Swordsmanship].
Currently, my repertoire of sword forms has increased by three more beyond [Death Line], [Lightning Speed], and [Moon Mirror], bringing the total to six.
Furthermore, taking advantage of the dungeon's property where monsters respawn over time, I went on a slaughter spree against the dragons between the 300th and 349th floors of the dungeon. And just the other day, I obtained the title [Dragon Slayer].
A title seems to be a concept acquired by mastering a certain domain, maximizing one's stats specifically for battles against dragons. It should be perfect for killing that beast.
At any rate, my status is as follows:
————————————————————— ★ Status [Name] Kai Heinemann [Age] 15 (Aging suspended) [Gift] The Most Incompetent in the World (God-Rank) [HP] 9000 [MP] 8000 [Strength] 3214 [Endurance] 2955 [Agility] 3428 [Magic Power] 3699 [Magic Resistance] 3026 [Luck] 1020
★ Possessed Skills: [Item Box], [Special Appraisal], [True Kai-Style Swordsmanship: One-Sword Style], [Deadly Poison Assimilation], [Heat Assimilation], [Ice Assimilation], [Earth Assimilation], [Wind Assimilation], [Water Assimilation], [Lightning Assimilation], [Magic Poisoning Immunity].
★ Titles: [Dragon Slayer]
★ Magic: [Vajra Power], [Panacea], [Magic Armament], [Divine Eye] —————————————————————
On pure stats alone, the chances are high that it is still superior. Moreover, how well I can counter its rule-breaking effect, [Physical Nullification], remains an unknown. I have done all that is humanly possible. All that is left is to await the will of heaven!
Teleporting to the magic circle on the 349th floor, I headed down the stairs below.
Just as before, the golden dragon lay there, glaring sharply at me.
Drawing [Raikiri] from its scabbard, I held down my soaring excitement with all my might, lowered my center of gravity, and glared right back at it.
"The suspended Eighth Trial, 'Defeat Fafnir the Golden Dragon,' will now resume."
The familiar inorganic female voice rang out in my head.
Yes, yes! I can hardly bear it! And why wouldn't I? This is, so to speak, a love 3,500 years in the making. I yearned for it so intensely that I nearly went mad. Come, let us kill each other without delay.
I cloaked [Raikiri] in magic power and layered [Magic Armament] onto it, drastically increasing its power. Furthermore, via [Vajra Power], I elevated my physical capabilities. First, an unpolished yet full-powered strike to serve as a greeting.
With my current ability to freely manipulate magic power, I can draw out the full performance of [Raikiri] without holding anything back.
I swung [Raikiri] with all my might, aiming just above its head.
A roar of thunder burst from [Raikiri], dyeing the world in a single shade of golden electrical current. In an instant, a heatwave, a shockwave, and a deafening roar swept forward.
The wall behind the dragon was gouged out so severely it retained no trace of its original shape, melting into a sludgy mess like magma.
Fafnir turned its neck around, its dragon face twitching dexterously. It let out a sound akin to a tiny shriek, planted its head on the ground, and began to tremble violently.
"Now, let us duel fairly—"
Just as I was about to utter the call to battle—
"I surrender, I do!"
A young girl's voice vibrated against my eardrums.
"Surrender of Fafnir the Golden Dragon confirmed. The Eighth Trial has been cleared. Due to defeating the enemy without inflicting damage, a special clear bonus will now appear."
Such a nonsensical, inorganic female victory announcement echoed in my head.
"Hm?"
You have to be joking. This time, our blades have not even crossed. And the unexpected developments did not stop there.
A transparent plate materialized before my eyes, displaying the following:
"Lo and behold, Fafnir the Golden Dragon has stood up and is looking this way, wishing to join your party. Will you take it along as a companion? <Yes> or <No>"
—so it was written.
Join my party? How could such a gigantic creature follow me around in the first place?
No, wait. There has never been any waste in this dungeon. If so, it might transform into a form that can follow me. Should I view it that way?
Regardless, it seems this lizard can speak. After all, I have spent over ten thousand years completely alone. I had developed such pathological withdrawal symptoms that even the occasional inorganic female voice brought me comfort. This might actually be a stroke of good fortune.
"Umu, <Yes>."
Without hesitation, I pressed <Yes>, and the golden dragon shone brilliantly, rapidly shrinking. Oh. As expected, its size is being adjusted.
My spirits lifting slightly, I watched on, but—
"No, isn't that shrinking a bit too much?"
It finally became the size of a human. Or rather, that is a human, through and through.
A petite frame clad in women's clothing based in black and white, with the youthful face of a girl in her early teens. No matter how you looked at it, she was a young girl. Golden, glittering hair grew long enough to hide her ears, parting from ribbons into two twin tails that reached down to her waist.
"Master, I am Fafnir, I am! Pleased to make your acquaintance, I am!"
The dragon gave a polite little bow of her head.