Chapter 11
“…This can’t be.”
At the spot where Morbus had fallen.
Leona, having dealt with the remaining Rat Warriors and rushing straight to rescue Eric, widened her eyes in disbelief as she saw him bring down a Named monster.
“How… how could an incompetent person take down a Named…?”
Even just defeating a Ratman with a single blow was shocking.
But to defeat a Named—something even heroes favored by the goddess struggle against—was unimaginable!
Even if that Named had been injured beforehand and she had arrived late to assist, it was still impossible.
It was like a child taking down a knight with bare hands.
Ding-
[Your body adapts to torn muscles.]
[Strength has increased by 1.]
[Your body adapts to explosive movements.]
[Agility has increased by 1.]
[Your body adapts to its current limits.]
[Stamina has increased by 1.]
As Leona stared dumbfoundedly at Eric over Morbus’ corpse, he leaned against the wall, finishing off the monster, and watched the messages that popped up before his eyes with a satisfied smile.
“Hah! That reward is sweet.”
Strength, agility, stamina.
These were stats that normally took a week of nonstop sword practice to increase by just one. And he had raised all three from a single monster.
Sure, his life had been on the line, but there was nothing better for quickly raising stats in a short period.
“No wonder everyone struggles just to take down a Named.”
Besides leveling up, there were very few ways to directly improve stats.
Eric, satisfied, moved past the messages and checked the other rewards that had been hidden behind. He clenched his fist.
These were very special rewards that only someone of level -99 could obtain.
[GIANT KILLING!]
[A reward is granted to a hero who achieves an incomprehensible feat.]
[Select one of the following traits to acquire:]
<Acidic Blood>, <Neurotoxin>
Giant Killing.
A special reward granted only when defeating a Named or Boss monster with a level difference of 70 or more.
It was a brutal challenge, nearly impossible to even witness under normal play.
Sometimes, when training low-level heroes, one could achieve it by sending in a high-level hero to finish off the monster—so-called “bus drivers”—but even that drew criticism in the meritocratic North.
Eric, however, didn’t need to worry about monster levels, high-level heroes, or gossip.
After all, he was a level -99 and already the infamous useless heir of the Atre family.
Ding-
[Do you wish to select the trait <Neurotoxin>?]
[Y / N]
“Of course!”
Without hesitation, Eric moved his hand toward <Neurotoxin>.
This was the key to winning the upcoming duel with Ivan Atre. Finding Morbus today had been all for this reason.
[You have acquired the trait <Neurotoxin>.]
<Neurotoxin>
Inflicts a nerve toxin that restricts the movements of targets you damage.
Of course, in terms of raw power, it didn’t compare to <Acidic Blood>, which could melt blades instantly. But that came with extreme risks.
Even small wounds, easily bandaged, would worsen with <Acidic Blood>, and in his position as the heir trying to gain the trust of knights, bleeding like a monster was unacceptable.
“Well, <Neurotoxin> isn’t exactly knightly either… but at least it doesn’t show if used properly.”
Eric Atre
Level: -99
Strength [4]
Agility [4]
Stamina [4]
Magic [1]
Traits: <Indomitable>, <Neurotoxin>
After selecting the trait, Eric reviewed his status window to check all the rewards he had earned.
His stats now totaled 13, with two traits—impressive for someone who only four weeks ago struggled to swing a sword.
Even Leona, one of the game’s top-tier heroes, had only one trait.
“…Master.”
He paused, looking at today’s achievements with satisfaction.
From the center of the sewer, over the corpse blocking his path, he turned to the side at Leona’s call.
“How… did you do it?”
Her voice, half in disbelief, half stunned.
“How, you ask? Well…”
“W-wait! Just a moment!”
Clutch-
As Eric nonchalantly shrugged, she grabbed both his arms, and he tilted his head in surprise.
“M-Master… your hands…”
“…Hands? Ugh… aaaargh!”
The flesh of his hands had fused grotesquely from the acid.
Following Leona’s gaze, he checked his own hands and screamed in pain.
“Ughhh…”
No wonder he hadn’t had any strength in his hands earlier.
It wasn’t just exhaustion; both hands were so damaged that the bones were nearly exposed.
‘I thought the few drops on my thighs burned, but the sword handle shoved deep inside the body—no wonder.’
He bit back a groan from his throbbing hands.
It had been strong acid, enough to completely dissolve a metal sword. Luckily, the bones hadn’t melted.
“Why… why do you push yourself like this? You could leave dangerous fights to me! I’m your guard, aren’t I? Or do you not trust me?”
Leona’s voice trembled in frustration as she watched him struggle.
If she had acted faster in the sewer and defeated the Ratmen, this wouldn’t have happened.
“What about the duel in a few days…?”
Thunk-
Leona reached to inspect his ruined hands, but Eric pushed her hand away, scattering droplets of acid across the floor.
“…The duel’s fine. Just get treated by the cleric back at the mansion.”
He hid his mangled hands from Leona’s shocked eyes. Any further complications could trigger <Neurotoxin>.
Stealing monster traits wasn’t something easily explained or accepted.
“Don’t think clerics are miracle workers. Even if it heals, there might be lasting effects. The human body isn’t a machine you can just fix!”
Leona’s voice was firm, though she tried to sound calm.
Both hands were severely injured. Even as a trained knight herself, she winced at the sight.
Even a skilled cleric wouldn’t let him grip a sword properly for some time.
He had swung swords relentlessly, preparing for the upcoming duel.
“Do you even understand your own status? As an Atre heir…”
“Yes.”
Eric nodded bitterly, acknowledging Leona’s lecture.
Eric Atre, the sole legitimate heir of the Atre family, born without a goddess’s blessing, a disgrace to the family.
“So I struggle anyway.”
Though he had only been living as Eric Atre in this cursed game for less than a month, he knew his place and how he was treated.
He had even been nearly assassinated by a knight assigned as his guard.
‘To survive, I must secure the heirship.’
A useless heir was the biggest obstacle to a competent illegitimate successor.
Even after surviving an assassination attempt, others would still try to strike him down to favor Allen Atre.
‘For the next three years, I’ll prove myself beyond dispute and earn recognition from those who despise me!’
Whether to escape immediate danger or eventually clear the game and reclaim his life, he had to secure the heirship.
That’s why he pushed himself to become stronger today.
Plop-
Ssshh-
Ignoring the awkward atmosphere, Eric let Leona collect materials from Morbus’ corpse. He watched the rare materials fall and smirked.
‘Still, all this effort was worth it.’
Teeth and claws that could be forged into fine weapons.
Acid-resistant leather.
Gems for crafting special equipment.
All the rare drops, normally difficult to obtain from a Named, had appeared.
Thud-
Leona packed the materials in sacks filled from previous Ratmen drops. Eric, still awkwardly smiling, turned away.
“…Not you.”
Following Eric, Leona quietly spoke as they headed back toward the chamber where they first encountered the Named.
“Master!”
Thud-
Not hearing her, she caught up and grabbed his shoulder.
“Lady Leona.”
Eric stopped, looked back, and asked:
“Do you know why we came here today?”
“Uh? Because there are monsters in the sewer?”
“Half right, half wrong.”
He recalled a conversation from a few days ago at the training ground.
“Recently, there have been unexplained disappearances in the slums. The soldiers couldn’t handle it alone, so the knights got involved.”
At first, Eric had only planned to hunt the Named for reward.
But now, leaving without checking seemed wrong.
“There are probably missing people somewhere in this sewer. Even if late, we need to recover their bodies.”
A few hours could make a difference.
“It’s the right thing to do.”
Eric muttered, wiggling his aching hands as he walked on.
‘Going to search for the poor, who may be dead or alive, while barely taking care of himself?’
Leona watched his back, shaking her head in disbelief.
“How can you move through this darkness without torches with hands like that? What if you fall and get hurt again?”
A moment later, holding a torch from the wall, she followed, quietly leading the way.
A reckless man.
Where in the world is there such a reckless man?
“It’s fine. I believe you’ll come to help in time, like now.”
Leona, hearing that, lowered her head in silence and continued through the sewer.
‘…Weird person.’
Even as flattery, it didn’t feel bad.
