Chapter 32

"Amazing, Zeros! Not only did you knock down the enemy's magic one after another, but you even delivered the final blow... How do I put it, it was incredibly cool!"

"Ah, yeah. Thank you, Shuna."

After the battle, Shuna came to me with excitement, praising me.

I wanted to thank her for her help and praise her for knocking down the magic, but she didn't give me the chance.

Just as I was wondering what to do, Shuna continued.

"Yeah, it was really amazing... It was as if you were like Lord Zeronity."

"..."

The name that came out of Shuna's mouth was, coincidentally, my name from my previous life.

My battle style must have overlapped with the legends of Zeronity in her mind.

However, hearing that, my feelings were quite complicated.

(Hmm, I actually tried to surpass Zeronity...)

Nine consecutive successful Twilight Falls is a godly feat that even my previous self couldn't achieve.

Still, aside from that, Zeronity's stats and skills were overwhelmingly superior.

(Well, when I truly surpass my past life, I'll show it to Shuna again.)

Just as I had reaffirmed my resolve,

I noticed something.

"Huh? Is that...?"

At the spot where the Dark Sorcerer disappeared, there was a staff left behind along with the magic stone.

I picked it up and checked the information.

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【Staff of the Magic Spirit】

- A staff equipped by a Dark Magic Spirit

- Recommended Level: 35

- Intelligence +27

- When using magic skills, increases power and activation speed by 15%.

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The Staff of the Magic Spirit.

A drop item from the Dark Sorcerer with a low drop rate.

The 15% increase in power and activation speed is quite excellent, and it can be considered a premium weapon for early stages.

Getting it here is quite lucky.

I offered the staff to Shuna.

"Here, Shuna. It's a drop item."

"Eh? ...What kind of stats are these!? I can't accept something like this! You defeated the boss, so you should take it..."

"I don't plan to use a staff for a while, so I don't need it. Besides—"

Here, I told her the most important thing.

"Beating the Dark Sorcerer was only possible because you were there. I would have definitely been killed without you. So if you don't mind, I want you to take it."

"...If you say so, Zeros, I can't refuse."

She hesitated for a moment but ultimately accepted the staff, hugging it tightly.

"Thank you. I'll treasure it forever."

"Forever... You should replace weapons as you level up."

"That's not what I meant... Zeros, you idiot!"

For some reason, she got angry.

I wonder why.

While we were having this conversation,

a rumbling sound echoed, and the Inheritance Shrine appeared from below the boss room.

Seeing it, Shuna's eyes widened in surprise.

"Hey, Zeros, that's—"

"Yeah, I haven't explained it yet. That's the main reason we came to this dungeon."

I explained the process to Shuna, and we showed our crests to the shrine together.

Then, a familiar system sound echoed.

"Verifying crests..."

"Crest names: [Crest of Nothingness] and [Crest of Magic] confirmed."

"Conditions met. Skill inheritance will now begin."

"Inheritance complete."

"Skill [Dark Enchant] acquired."

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[Dark Enchant] Lv.1

- A magic skill

- Attribute: Dark

- By consuming an additional 50% MP, grants the Dark attribute to your magic and increases its power by 30%.

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After the skill inheritance, Shuna was dazed for a moment before slowly speaking.

"S-So this is the secret technique you mentioned to acquire skills?"

"Yeah, that's right. It seems to have been inherited by you as well."

Hearing my words, Shuna nodded, looking flustered.

"Y-Yeah. Dark Enchant... The name and content are similar to my Sacred Enchant."

"That's because they're from the same category. However, this one has the effect of increasing power by 30% regardless of compatibility."

"Really!?"

Shuna seemed to realize this after I mentioned it and exclaimed in surprise.

Then, she cleared her throat to regain her composure.

"But, dark attributes are rarely a weakness for monsters, right? So, in terms of effectiveness, it's almost the same as Sacred Enchant..."

"Basically, yeah."

"I see. But unlike Sacred Enchant, being able to use it without choosing the target is a nice bonus."

She smiled at me cutely.

"Not just the staff, but getting such a skill too... I can never thank you enough, Zeros. Thank you so much!"

"...Yeah, you're welcome."

While nodding in response to Shuna's gratitude, I was thinking about something else.

Shuna was happy about the high versatility of Dark Enchant, but the reason I went through all the trouble to get this skill wasn't just that.

This skill has a further effect when a certain condition is met.

And currently, the only one who can fulfill that condition is Shuna...

(But I can try it next time. I don't have any MP left anyway.)

Just as I reached this conclusion,

the entire boss room was enveloped in a blinding light.

"Kyaa! What is this light..."

"It's a teleportation magic for returning."

In hidden dungeons, especially those with open boss rooms, after defeating the boss, you are sometimes forcibly teleported out to reconstruct the internal environment.

Whether there is a teleportation or not varies by dungeon, but it's good to think that it saves the trouble of retracing your steps.

After explaining this to Shuna, she seemed to understand, despite her confusion.

"Anyway, we've successfully cleared it. Thank you so much today, Shuna."

"Thank you too, Zeros!"

A few seconds later, the teleportation finally activated.

We left the [Spirit Temple of the Netherworld] with the joy of our victory.

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