[Ding, Strength +5, Constitution +5, Spirit +5]
[Skill Acquired: Swordsmanship Lv2, Giant Strength Lv2, Tough Bones Lv1]
Finally, the system notification rang in his ears.
Eric's right arm settled down.
A surge of power began to flow from deep within his body, and his bones started to change, becoming tougher and smoother, with a gleaming white hue.
At the same time, his strength increased significantly, and his soul fire became more condensed and vigorous.
To put it simply, he felt like his body was brimming with power.
He even thought he could arm-wrestle Ponde.
Then, a cold wind blew, and he couldn't help but snuggle closer into Ile's embrace.
Damn, that wind was freezing. Increasing his constitution by 5 points felt like doing nothing at all.
Well, he was still a wimp.
With Eric's help, the Frostbound Sword seemed to sense a familiar presence, and its resistance grew weaker as more of it was pulled out.
Meanwhile, Kate was on high alert, chanting spells to buff herself.
Divine power, magical armor, super-enhanced agility, super-enhanced stamina, super-enhanced defense, the protection of the Goddess of Light...
Every chant started with "Great Goddess of Light..." "By the Goddess of Light..." "Your faithful servant, Goddess of Light..."
Eric thought that if he were the Goddess of Light, he'd definitely slap this guy. Leave me alone already.
As the buffs piled up, his body started to look like a rainbow, like a pay-to-win player in some MMO with all sorts of flashy gear crammed into the character slot.
"Whoosh!"
The cold wind died down.
The ice sword was out.
The sword, like ice, gleamed with a dazzling light, held in Ile's hands.
The famous sword of Lantes, the Frostbound Sword, was now unsheathed.
"Sorry, but this sword belongs to the Church!" Kate charged forward, smashing a huge holy light sphere.
Ile bent her legs slightly, holding the Frostbound Sword, and met the falling holy light sphere, splitting it in two.
Then, without slowing down, she charged straight at Kate.
Kate grasped at the void with both hands, and holy light flowed through them, forming a giant light sword shining with holy light.
The clash of the ice sword and the light sword sent both flying backward, evenly matched.
But Kate was not calm.
"How is this possible? Even with that kid's help, you should have had some of your power sealed!"
Kate shouted.
"So that's why I used this 'girly' strength, feeling all weak and stuff."
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Kate:……
Eric:……
Redefining "girly" and "weak."
Two 'girly' men and a skeleton were left speechless.
"Hand over the Frostbound Sword!"
"It's mine!"
The two clashed swords again, their blades colliding over and over. Golden holy light and icy blue sword energy sprayed everywhere, almost tearing apart the crystal palace.
Eric had no choice but to run with his hands over his head, fleeing from the demolition site.
He hadn't gone far from the palace when it collapsed.
Then a purple streak of light and a golden streak of light kept rising, colliding over and over.
Why am I always around when these "immortals" fight?
Eric felt like he was back on the battlefield.
Only this time, the guys who were on the same side back then were now fighting each other.
"Boom!"
A loud explosion, and the golden figure was smashed from the sky. The holy light shattered, smashing through a large area of crystal.
"You leave. I won't kill you, but this sword is mine."
"As agreed, fair competition. And now, I win."
Ile's figure landed, the Frostbound Sword held horizontally at Kate's neck.
Both had always followed the requirement of fair competition.
Kate didn't use Eric to threaten Ile or strike while she was pulling the sword, and Ile didn't try to kill Kate.
"……How about I wish you guys a hundred years of happiness."
Kate, who had been stabbed through the shoulder, let out a wail.
"Ouch... that hurts!"
"I was wrong, I'm leaving. Damn it, by the Goddess of Light, she's just a T-Rex."
"Kid, let me give you a piece of advice, you can't handle this T-Rex..."
"Alright, alright, I'm leaving, I'm leaving!"
Seeing Ile raise her sword again, Kate cursed and left the scene.
Only Eric and Ile were left behind.
"Thanks, I wouldn't have gotten this sword without you."
Ile expressed her gratitude to Eric.
After that, she went to the collapsed palace and retrieved her original greatsword.
Even with the palace collapsed, there wasn't a single scratch on the sword, showing that it was a fine blade.
"Is there anything you want?"
"Or, do you have any wishes? I'll help you fulfill them within my power."
It was clear that Ile was in a good mood.
But Eric didn't really want anything at the moment. He had already gained a lot from this trip.
If he asked for gold now, it would seem like he had no ambition.
"You can take your time to think about it. I'll be waiting for you in White Bear City. You can find me at this address."
Ile tore off a corner from the map she had drawn earlier, flipped it over, wrote down an address, and handed it to Eric.
"Shall I take you back to the fifteenth level?"
Ile asked, pretending to pick up Eric.
"Wait! No! I can get back myself!"
Damn it, what if someone saw him? What about his good reputation?
"Alright, then I'll at least take you to a safe place."
"……"
He was still carried in a humiliating position.
Damn it, this black history must never be known by a third person.
And being held like this, there was no pleasure in being held by a beautiful woman at all.
All he could feel was the pain of bones colliding with hard armor.
It wasn't taking advantage of Ile; it was torture.
When they reached a safe place, Ile carefully put Eric down.
After all, she often didn't know how to control her strength, and with Eric being so "fragile," she was afraid that if she used too much force, she might crush him.
"Alright, see you in White Bear City."
Ile waved and left his sight.
Eric let out a sigh of relief. Being with Ile was too stressful.
Next up was the real business.
After all, he had promised to help Tadela collect the octagonal fire crystals... Wait a minute, he should have just asked Ile to take him to the twentieth level to collect them while he had the chance. That would have solved everything directly.
Damn it, he had taken a detour.
Eric felt a bit regretful. He had had the chance, but he didn't cherish it.
Well, he was diving deeper into the dungeon with the intention of leveling up. Using Ile as a shortcut didn't fit his goal of self-improvement.
He spread his bone wings and flew towards the place he had fallen from. After a while of flying, he reached the cliff he had jumped off.
There were only a few lizardmen wandering around, and he didn't see the Lizard King or any other lizardmen.
It seemed the Lizard King had left, just leaving some lizardmen to guard the place.
In that case, he would gladly take these experience points.
Eric flapped his wings and charged at one of the lizardmen at lightning speed, drawing his bone sword from his chest and stabbing it into the lizardman's neck.
It went in precisely, and hot blood gushed out as he pulled the sword out.
[Ding, Fire Lizardman Lv15 defeated, +300 experience]
Before the remaining lizardmen could react, Eric plunged his staff into the ground.
"Quagmire!"
An earth-yellow magic circle precisely opened beneath the lizardmen, and they sank.
"First-tier magic, Fireball!"
Fireballs engulfed the lizardmen.
With a one-time increase of 5 points in spirit, his magic casting speed, power, and precision all improved significantly.
Eric threw his staff with satisfaction, nailing the last lizardman who was trying to escape to the stone wall, and then raised his hand.
"First-tier magic, Fireball."
[Ding, Lizardman Lv15 defeated, Experience +300]
[Level up to Lv17]
[Constitution +1, Spirit +1]
[+1 Free Attribute Point]
