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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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Everyone marveled at the treasures, and Calciater smiled, pleased with their reactions.
“Ted, choose something for yourself.”
“Calcia, what could I possibly want from a friend? I’m too old for adventuring now. Magic swords and sturdy shields are of no use to me. But… no one believes that I’m your friend.”
Ted confessed his deepest desire.
“Hmm, then how about I give you a dragon mark?”
The dragon mark.
It was a mark bestowed by a dragon upon a human, a symbol of their recognition and favor.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. You’re my friend, aren’t you?”
Calciater chanted a short spell.
A flash of light enveloped Ted. A dragon mark appeared on the back of his hand.
The mark of the Indigo Dragon granted him the ability to command the lizardmen, draconians, and sea serpents of Atlan.
He could even control the merfolk and the fish.
He was essentially a Sea King. No one would doubt his words now.
He could just summon a sea serpent as proof.
“Please, everyone, choose whatever you desire.”
I hadn’t expected her to open her treasury to all of us.
“May I… touch them?”
“Of course.”
Calciater readily agreed to Vivian’s request. Vivian picked up a few swords, examining them carefully.
She seemed to be assessing their quality. The swords were embedded hilt-deep in the piles of gold coins.
A sword collector would go crazy in here. They all looked incredibly valuable.
“We can really have anything we want?”
Arthur asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement. It was hard to believe.
“Of course, Arthur Pendragon. I swear it on my name.”
Calciater smiled. I looked around the treasury. It was a breathtaking sight.
The story had diverged significantly from the original plot. It was hard to pinpoint exactly where it had gone wrong, but it had probably started with my arrival.
Arthur was currently using the Arken Steel Sword he had won from the blacksmith. It was a slightly different color from mine.
Mine was jet black, while his was more of a dark gray. That’s why people had asked us if we were from Arken Village at the beginning of the semester.
Arthur had used that sword until he obtained Excalibur.
I was thinking about all of this because…
Since Arthur had used the Arken Steel Sword for so long, I figured I should focus on obtaining skill orbs, like him, instead of getting a new weapon.
“Calciater, could we see the skill orbs?”
“Certainly. If you’re interested in skill orbs, please follow me.”
Arthur, just like in the original story, wanted a skill orb. Vivian was examining the swords, and Sepia was looking at the wands.
In the original story, Sonny had chosen a polearm that could change its size and weight, like Ruyi Jingu Bang.
We stood before the skill orbs.
Some of the skill orbs Arthur had considered in the original story were: Crimson Mode, Werebear Transformation, and Light of Miracles.
Crimson Mode was a skill Anya would eventually awaken.
It granted increased pain tolerance, enhanced physical abilities, and increased strength as the user’s health decreased.
Werebear Transformation, as the name suggested, allowed the user to transform into a bear.
In bear form, the user was strong enough to easily tear apart an intermediate-level demon.
Light of Miracles was a healing skill that restored the health of party members. Arthur, who always cared about his teammates, had been tempted by this skill.
“Hmm, this is difficult. They all look good.”
Arthur examined the skill orbs one by one, using his system to analyze them.
He was supposed to choose only one, but there was no rule against taking more.
Calciater gave him space to make his decision.
“Hey, Arthur, could you help me choose one?”
I couldn’t tell the difference between the skill orbs. They all looked different, but I didn’t know what they did. I needed Arthur’s help.
“Sure, Ethan. What kind of skill are you looking for?”
In the original story, Arthur had chosen the “Blessing of Light” skill. It granted high magic resistance and allowed him to protect his party members.
I wanted the “Combat Intuition” skill. It was a powerful skill that allowed the user to instinctively make the best decisions in battle.
The author had even mentioned in an afterword that it was as good as Blessing of Light. It was one of the best skills in the game.
“I’m looking for a skill that enhances intuition, something that would be useful in battle.”
It was one of the skills Arthur had considered in the original story. But he had been able to increase his luck stat through quests, so he had chosen Blessing of Light instead. He had believed that luck could replace intuition.
Of course, he had been wrong.
“Then this one should be good. It’s called Combat Intuition.”
Arthur handed me a skill orb.
“Thanks.”
“I think I’ll go with this one. Blessing of Light. It increases magic resistance and allows me to protect my teammates.”
Arthur smiled, holding the skill orb.
“Let’s find something for Sepia and Vivian too.”
“Sure.”
We walked over to Sepia and Vivian, our skill orbs in hand. Vivian was holding a crimson blade.
It radiated a sinister aura, like a cursed sword.
Vivian’s only hobby, as a Weapon Master, was collecting weapons.
“What did you guys choose?”
Sepia was holding a book. Arthur flipped through the pages. Most of them were blank.
“It looks good.”
“What is it?”
I asked.
“My mage senses are tingling. I think it’s a grimoire. And the design is elegant. It’s perfect for me.”
Wouldn’t a staff or a wand be more suitable for a mage? In “The Strongest of the Dragon Academy,” some items could only be identified after being bound to their owner.
“It’s an owner-bound artifact. It hasn’t chosen an owner yet.”
“You made a good choice, Sepia. It suits you.”
Calciater approached us, smiling.
“It’s the Lemegeton. Spells will appear on the blank pages as the owner grows stronger. It’s an artifact that grows with its user.”
That’s overpowered. She could learn new spells without using skill orbs.
“And Vivian has chosen the dragon-slaying sword, Balmung.”
Balmung. The dragon-slaying sword from the German epic poem, The Song of the Nibelungs. In the original story, it was described as having a blue gem embedded in the hilt. But the one Vivian was holding was a large, two-handed blade, its crimson surface radiating a sinister aura.
Vivian nodded, a satisfied expression on her face.
“A dragon-slaying sword… I like it.”
I suddenly felt bad for Calciater.
We were taking all the best artifacts from her treasury. She probably hadn’t expected us to choose such valuable items.
But she didn’t seem to mind.
“I’m happy that these artifacts have found their rightful owners. It’s better for them to be used than to gather dust in my treasury.”
We thanked her again. It was time to activate the skill orbs.
“Activate.”
I crushed the skill orb, and a white light flowed into my body. I quickly opened my skill window.
My Linchester Swordsmanship had reached level 6, and my Poison Resistance had increased to level 5. And I had acquired the Combat Intuition skill.
I had also increased my Physical Resistance by 1 after being stabbed by Achilles’ spear.
I was getting stronger.
Vivian and Sepia stored the dragon-slaying sword and the grimoire in their spatial pockets. We returned to the banquet hall.
The feast continued. But I couldn’t focus.
I knew what was about to happen.
“Calcia, so I grabbed my oar and shouted at the Stormshark, ‘Come at me! A sailor is not defeated!’”
Ted was regaling Calciater with his tales of bravery. Even the young dragonkin were listening intently.
Suddenly, the ground shook. It felt like an earthquake. Rasel rushed into the hall and knelt before Calciater.
“My lady, I have a report. A group of intruders has entered Atlan.”
“How many are there?”
Calciater asked calmly.
“I’m not sure, but I estimate at least 700.”
“Have you identified them?”
“They’re demons, led by a demon general. Sky Cavalry, warriors, and mages.”
“Evacuate the children and the elderly. And prepare for battle.”
We could hear the enemy approaching, their shouts echoing across the plain. As Rasel had reported, there were at least 700 or 800 of them.
Orcs riding Pegasi and Hobgoblins riding wolves formed the bulk of their forces. Among them were larger monsters like ogres, trolls, and minotaurs.
700 or 800 demons were a force to be reckoned with. They could easily defeat an army twice their size.
We had reached the climax of the Dragon’s Nest arc. The final battle was about to begin. We had to defend Atlan from the demons.
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