Chapter 6 : Chapter 6

Chapter 6

‘This could become truly dangerous if I am not careful. No, has it already become dangerous?’

At present, our House of Lake had no ability whatsoever to stop the imminent F-rank Dungeon Break.

I hated to admit it, but it was the undeniable truth.

The five remaining elite knights of the family had already left to conquer another dungeon.

Father was out of the question, and even if my younger brother Simon stepped forward, it would not be enough.

With the current forces of our house, this was unquestionably a crisis.

And yet, for me, it might instead be a golden opportunity. Was it not said that a crisis was also an opportunity?

‘I had been planning to find dungeons one after another and conquer them to level up anyway, and now one has come rolling straight to me of its own accord. I almost want to thank it.’

For someone like me, who needed to conquer dungeons and grow stronger, what did it matter whether the dungeon before me was dangerous enough to be on the verge of a Dungeon Break?

If anything, it was like a bundle of experience points that had rolled right into my lap.

To my summoned creature Seirei, it would probably be nothing more than a single meal.

‘Besides, a dungeon undergoing a Break Phenomenon is far easier to find. It is perfect for someone with no sense of direction like me.’

A dungeon on the verge of a Dungeon Break emitted unstable mana waves into its surroundings.

That meant that as long as I followed those waves, I could easily pinpoint the dungeon’s location without having to look at a map or ask for directions.

‘Good. I have to make the first move before Father does. These experience points are mine.’

I set off without hesitation.

Haron Village was not that far away.

If I rode in a carriage drawn by a sturdy horse, it would take less than thirty minutes….

Unfortunately, I was currently a penniless pedestrian with nothing to my name.

Since I had to run there on my own two feet, it would take twice as long.

Still, if I crossed the mountain that served as a shortcut, it would be much faster than taking the long way around.

And if I was lucky enough for the dungeon to be somewhere on the mountainside, the time it took to find it would be shortened even more.

And apparently, my luck was fairly good today.

“Bingo!”

Before my eyes appeared a gate of warped space, radiating an ominous and eerie crimson light as it emitted an unpleasant hum.

It was unmistakably a dungeon entrance.

It had not yet been completely stained bloodred, but more than half of it had already been corrupted.

In any case, it was only a matter of time before the entire thing turned red. It was no different from a ticking time bomb.

At the earliest, tonight. At the latest, sometime tomorrow, that gate would be completely covered in bloodred.

And then hideous monsters would greedily pour out through that gate.

I could never allow that sight to come to pass.

“Seirei. You can take care of this, right?”

I asked Seirei, who had been summoned at my side.

She replied with utter confidence, as though the answer were obvious.

“Of course, my lord! I will take care of it quickly and return without falling short of your expectations by even the slightest margin……. Oh, right, while we are at it, could you please refrain from dismissing me and let me stay a little longer?”

Seirei’s chatter burst out once again.

Watching Seirei speak pitifully, even putting on a faintly tearful expression at the end, I gave a small laugh and said,

“First conquer the dungeon and come back. We can talk after that. You need to show results.”

Rather than granting her wish outright, extending her summon time as a reward based on results would be more effective for controlling her going forward.

It was the basic principle of push and pull.

One had to use the carrot and the stick in proper measure.

Seirei looked slightly disappointed after hearing my words, but she soon nodded and leaped into the red dungeon without hesitation.

[You have entered an F-rank Dungeon (Annihilation).]

A system message appeared.

I did not bother following her inside.

Merely having Seirei, my summoned creature, enter was enough for the system to consider me as having entered the dungeon.

If the entry message had not appeared, I would have had no choice but to go in with her, however reluctantly, so it was a true relief.

There was no need to take unnecessary risks.

My life was precious, after all.

[You have conquered an F-rank Dungeon (Annihilation).]

Then, truly in the blink of an eye, less than three minutes after she entered the dungeon, Seirei walked out completely unharmed.

Her footsteps looked incredibly light and relaxed.

At the same time, the entrance to the F-rank dungeon, which had been radiating an ominous red light, faded away like a mirage.

[F-rank Dungeon (Annihilation) conquest rewards are being distributed. 1 Low-grade Skill Enhancement Stone and 1 Low-grade Magic Crystal have been sent to Subspace.]

Another reward message appeared.

Oh, this time it was a Skill Enhancement Stone rather than a Class Enhancement Stone. Not bad.

With Low-grade Enhancement Stones, whether it was a class level or a skill level, one could only enhance up to level 9.

To enhance beyond that, a Mid-grade Enhancement Stone, which was one tier higher, was required.

Of course, in my current state, even Low-grade Enhancement Stones were more than enough to be grateful for.

At present, there were only three skills I could enhance.

Subspace, Knight Order, and Charisma.

Even if I raised the level of the Subspace skill right now, it offered no major benefit beyond slightly increasing my item storage capacity.

‘Subspace is large enough as it is. For now.’

I was tempted to raise the Charisma skill a little as well, but there was a skill I had to raise more urgently than that.

It was none other than the Knight Order skill.

Only once the Knight Order skill reached level 6 or higher could I recruit a new summoned creature into the order.

In other words, even if I used the Random Summon skill right now and drew a new summoned creature, I would not be able to register it in the Knight Order, so there would be little meaning to it.

A summoned creature not registered in the Knight Order could not be specifically called back once it was dismissed.

It carried the fatal drawback of having to rely on Random Summon every time.

‘If I can obtain just one more powerful summoned creature like Seirei, it will feel as though I have gained an entire army.’

That was how unquestionable and reliable Seirei’s combat ability was.

If only it were not for that damned noisy mouth of hers.

‘Next time, please, please let a proper summoned creature come out. Even better if it is taciturn.’

If any god existed, I desperately prayed they would listen.

Of course, there was no need to count my chickens before they hatched.

In any case, whether it was restoring my family or taking revenge on Owen, I reached the conclusion that the surest way to achieve all of those goals was, in the end, to steadily conquer dungeons and level up.

As I organized the dungeon conquest rewards and took a moment to catch my breath, another notification rang in my ears like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.

[F-rank Dungeon (Annihilation) cleared in 3 minutes! You have renewed the shortest clear-time achievement! You can now leave your glorious name in the Books of Divine Revelation of each god. Would you like to register it under the current name ‘Cain Lake’?]

What fresh thunderbolt was this? Had it lost its mind?

System, are you trying to get me killed? You are doing this on purpose, are you not?

What would happen if my name went up in the Book of Divine Revelation right now?

Without a doubt, every powerful figure of note on the continent would start searching for me with fire in their eyes.

I, someone who could not properly handle even a single handful of mana, had conquered an F-rank dungeon in less than three minutes?

To anyone who heard it, it would sound like nonsense bordering on delusion.

It was obvious no one would take it at face value.

‘But the Book of Divine Revelation would never lie, so they may ultimately try to capture me alive and dissect me to uncover the secret.’

The thought alone was horrifying.

Goosebumps rose all over my body.

I absolutely could not leave my real name in the Book of Divine Revelation.

Even ten lives would not be enough.

Clinging to a faint sliver of hope, as though grasping at straws, I cautiously tried speaking to the system.

“…Excuse me, do I absolutely have to leave my real name in the Book of Divine Revelation?”

Judging by the nuance of the notification’s voice, I thought there might be some room for change depending on my choice.

Please, please! Spare me just this once!

[The name must be registered.]

For the moment, I confirmed that communication with the system was possible.

The problem was that its answer contained not the slightest shred of hope.

If I had to leave a name no matter what, then this situation was truly the worst of the worst.

‘Ah, damn it. I thought it would take at least more than five minutes….’

My estimate had been far too complacent.

Whether it was because she had entered the dungeon alone and had no one to chatter with, or because an F-rank dungeon was truly far too easy for her, she had finished conquering it far faster than I had expected.

The damage was already done.

I could not simply sit down and agonize over it.

I had to find an alternative somehow.

Pinning my last hope on a faint possibility, I asked the system once more.

“Then, is it possible to register it under an alias instead of my real name?”

Please, please let this much be possible!

Has my desperate prayer reached the system?

[Yes. It is possible to designate and register a separate name.]

It worked! I was saved!

This much was enough to work with!

As long as I could hide my true identity, I would no longer have to hesitate or waver when it came to accumulating dungeon conquest achievements in the future.

On the contrary, I could actively take on challenges and build up fame.

[If you wish to register under a different name, please state the name you would like to register.]

The system guided me to the next step.

As though I had been waiting for that very moment, I brought out a name I had always kept in the back of my mind, without the slightest hesitation.

The name of a hero in the shadows whom I had admired since childhood.

“Shadow Knight! Register me under that.”

It was the name of a mysterious guardian knight that had been handed down in our Lake estate only as a legend since ages long past, like a dust-covered piece of history.

Shadow Knight.

Ever since long ago, whenever this declining estate was in danger, I had entertained the futile thought that the legendary Shadow Knight might appear.

And in secret, I had come to revere that mysterious being, who was said to have helped my ancestors in the distant past and rendered immense service in founding the kingdom.

I wanted this mysterious name to be recorded in the Book of Divine Revelation, and,

[The achievement in the Book of Divine Revelation is updated under the name 'Shadow Knight'.]

Fortunately, the system newly updated the achievement entry in the Book of Divine Revelation under the alias Shadow Knight, exactly as I intended.