“Teleportation really is a useful combat spell. It allows me to immediately catch the opponent off guard.”
With a touch, Cain transferred the decapitated earth dragon into his Item Box. He then continued further into the forest. There really were a lot of A-rank monsters this deep into the forest. However, to Cain they were essentially just free XP, so he continued to casually farm them for levels.
Deep inside the forest, Cain suddenly came upon a clearing with a towering rocky mountain in the middle. The trees near the mountain had all been torn down, as if something had gone on a rampage in the area. Part of the mountain was missing as well, revealing the entrance of a cave.
Cain used Search and investigated the cave. He sensed a large, dense concentration of mana deep within the cave that far exceeded anything he’d encountered thus far. “Oh, there’s something deep inside the cave. It’s definitely stronger than that earth dragon.”
Cain cast Light Ball, summoning a glowing orb that illuminated his surroundings. He cautiously continued into the cave. As he made his way deeper, the cave floor became increasingly cluttered with bones, likely the remains of whatever the inhabitant of this cave had eaten.
Cain continued to spread his mana out in front of him, attempting to detect any nearby threats, but his senses were overwhelmed by that one large concentration of mana. He couldn’t focus on anything else. Because Search was unreliable under these conditions, Cain had to rely on his Light Ball spell.
Cain entered a large cavern. The monster that was likely the master of this place was laying in its center, surrounded by the remains of monsters it had consumed. It was likely sleeping after having eaten its fill.
It was a red beast, covered with durable-looking scales. Even with its wings folded, it was still roughly thirty-two feet long. It looked exactly like the dragons he had dreamed about in the past.
Noticing Cain, the dragon raised its head and looked at him. Its sharp eyes bore into him as if it had just found new prey to hunt. It lifted its neck, which was over ten feet long, and opened its mouth. A compressed ball of fire shot out of its open maw and rocketed towards Cain.
“Whoa!”
Cain dodged to the side and readied his sword. He then used teleportation to close the distance and slashed at the dragon’s neck from above.
Clink!
He had been able to slay other monsters in a single blow with this move, but this superior Variant dragon was covered in incredibly durable scales. They were significantly stronger than anything Cain had encountered before.
“Yeesh… I guess taking out a dragon in a single blow isn’t realistic,” Cain winced, shaking the numbness out of his hand. He used teleportation to create some distance between him and the dragon.
Now that it had been attacked, the dragon fully recognized Cain as an enemy. It stood up, raised its wings, and roared. It sounded like the rumbling of an earthquake. The dragon then began to shoot rapid-fire fireballs at Cain.
Cain dodged the fireballs as he teleported next to the feet of the now upright dragon. He stabbed his mana-infused sword into the spot where there weren’t any scales, under its chin. Although he met with resistance, Cain managed to press his sword deep enough to finally reach the dragon’s brain. With its brain destroyed, the dragon collapsed to the ground.
Since it was stuck deep within the dragon’s head, Cain let go of his sword and teleported a short distance away. He cautiously observed the dragon for a bit. After confirming it had stopped moving, Cain let out a sigh of relief.
“Unlike earth dragons, real dragons are strong… Their scales can repel my sword. Fortunately, the combination of teleportation and a mana-infused sword really is unstoppable.”
Cain approached the dead dragon and pulled his sword out. With a touch, the corpse was transferred into his Item Box. Cain took out a water bottle to quench his thirst, then looked around the cavern. He noticed a road leading further into the cave. Curious, he followed it.
The road dead-ended at a giant hoard of treasure, consisting of rare items of all different colors and varieties.
“I’ve heard that dragons like shiny things, and I guess it’s true. I’ll need this in the future, so I’ll gladly accept it.”
Cain began to put the treasures that the dragon had likely accumulated over many years one after another into his Item Box. He also checked the room to see if there were any hidden levers, but he didn’t find any, so he quickly left. By the time he exited the cave, the sun was already starting to set.
“Oh, no. I need to return before Sylvia realizes I’m missing.”
He took off his blood-stained armor and cleaned it with magic before putting it away in his Item Box. He also cleaned himself with Everyday Magic, removing the sweaty smell from his body. After changing clothes, he cast teleportation magic and returned to his room.
“I should be safe now… I sure got a large haul on today’s adventure. I met a dragon for the first time, and I also defeated tons of other monsters. I should’ve leveled a bunch, right? Last time I checked, I was level 8.”
Cain casually called forth his Status and checked.
“Status.”
Status
Name: Cain von Silford
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 6
Titles: Margrave’s Third Son, Reincarnator, Disciple of the Gods, Prodigy, Natural Enemy of the Forest of Monsters, Dragon Slayer
Level:248
Health: 3,692,240/3,692,240
Mana: 82,287,920/82,639,240
Rating: SSS
Magic: Creation Magic Level 10, Fire Magic Level 10,Wind Magic Level 10, Water Magic Level 10, Earth Magic Level 10, Light Magic Level 10, Dark Magic Level 10, Spacetime Magic Level 10, Everyday Magic
Skills: Appraisal Level 10, Item Box Level 10, Military Arts Level 10, Martial Arts Level 10, Physical Tolerance Level 10, Magical Tolerance Level 10
Blessings: Blessing of the God of Creation Level 10, Blessing of the God of Life Level 10, Blessing of the God of Magic Level 10, Blessing of the God of Earth Level 10, Blessing of the God of War Level 10, Blessing of the God of Technology Level 10, Blessing of the God of Commerce Level 10
Cain’s updated Status stunned him. He wasn’t sure what most people’s levels were at, but he immediately understood that these numbers were not normal. Garm had told him that having over 10,000 mana qualified one to become a palace mage, but Cain had over 80 million. Although he used teleportation multiple times to fight, his mana had barely decreased. As for his new title, “Natural Enemy of the Forest of Monsters,” he immediately understood why he received it. After all, he used Search as he explored the forest, and would annihilate whatever monsters he encountered, settlements and all. As for the “Dragon Slayer” title, it was likely because he had slain that red dragon at the end of his adventure.
“…I might’ve gone too far. I can’t show anyone this Status.”
Cain hugged his head in consternation as he began to regret getting carried away like that.