Chapter 132
“Wow. This place is as splendid as any mansion in the capital.”
Josh marveled at the luxurious reception room with his mouth agape.
Having completed the trials of the two ancient masters, Raul and his party entered the grand mansion behind the training grounds.
Although the mansion was empty and quiet, it was impeccably maintained without a speck of dust and adorned in an ancient style, giving it a decidedly antique elegance.
“Since we’ve been through a tough ordeal, let’s take a break. I’ll contact you via guild communication, so rest comfortably in your rooms until then.”
“Yes, Master. You’ve worked hard.”
“See you shortly.”
Josh and Ken found suitably sized rooms and left to rest, while Raul stayed behind to organize what he had gained from the duels.
Passing Zeinak’s trial yielded rewards similar to those from Jeremiah.
『Mansion Storage Key B』, 『Title – One Acknowledged by Zeinak (S)』, 50,000 Player Coins, and a large amount of experience points.
Raul’s level when entering the dungeon was 84. After defeating spirit monsters and passing the trials of the two masters, he had reached level 88.
‘I didn’t expect to level up this quickly. This is the thrill of conquering ancient dungeons.’
Certainly, completing high-rank quests seemed more beneficial for leveling up than regular hunting.
「Check titles.」
『Title – One Acknowledged by Zeinak』
Grade: S
Effects: +20% power and proficiency gain for combat and psychokinetic-related skills.
‘Nice.’
With the combined effects of two titles, Raul could now receive buffs for spear techniques, unarmed combat, and psychokinetic abilities.
While buffs for his primary skill, swordsmanship, would be preferable, he could obtain those from other sources later.
During the trial, he had also managed to use Copycat to steal 『Zeinak’s Combat Techniques (A+)』.
Although he hadn’t embodied it fully and his proficiency was only Beginner Level 6, proficiency could be increased with practice.
‘Now, what’s left….’
Raul glanced at the two items on the table. One was the crude orb he received from Zeinak after the duel, and the other was a brilliant red gem.
He picked up the crude orb first.
『Zeinak’s Spirit Orb』
Grade: S
Effects: Enhances some of the user’s psychokinetic abilities or allows the user to learn Zeinak’s psychokinetic abilities.
Description: A special spirit orb left by Zeinak for his successors. Grants unique powers based on the user’s choice.
‘An S-Grade item!’
In his past life, Raul had only received a B-Grade spirit orb.
Raul had believed that the initial reward would always be a B-rank spirit orb, since those who visited this dungeon later, even with high evaluations, only received C-rank or lower spirit orbs.
With the B-rank spirit orb, Raul had experienced tremendous growth, which had allowed him to reach the highest ranks. He couldn’t even imagine how incredible the S-Grade spirit orb would be.
Gulp.
Swallowing dryly, Raul steeled himself and popped the spirit orb into his mouth.
As he did, a system message appeared before his eyes.
You have consumed the S-Grade spirit orb 『Zeinak’s Spirit Orb』.
The effects of the spirit orb are spreading throughout your body. Scanning your psychokinetic abilities.
Title 『One Acknowledged by Zeinak (S)』 detected. The effects are compounded, allowing you to select two options.
Displaying growth effects compatible with the player. Select two.
‘Two choices! What a bonus!’
A broad smile spread across Raul’s face.
Opportunities for quests or growth related to psychokinetic abilities were more limited compared to other combat professions.
Such opportunities rarely came by, and now the reward was doubled. Raul couldn’t help but feel elated.
What appeared next on the system screen made Raul’s eyes widen in disbelief.
1) Learn Zeinak’s psychokinetic ability 『Pyrokinesis (A+)』.
2) Learn Zeinak’s psychokinetic ability 『Zeinak’s Physical Enhancement (A+)』.
3) Enhance Psychokinesis 『Power』 – Increase the total weight manageable through psychokinesis by 10 times.
4) Enhance Psychokinesis 『Control』 – Increase the number of objects controllable at once by 10 times.
5) Enhance Psychokinesis 『Range』 – Double the range of detection and psychokinetic projection.
6) Upgrade Flicker – Upgrade B-rank Flicker to A-rank.
“Is this for real?”
Raul muttered to himself unconsciously.
His face lost color, and he felt dizzy.
‘I need to choose from these?’
Although he had expected great things from the S-Grade spirit orb, he never imagined it would be this amazing.
In his previous life, he had chosen an option from the B-rank spirit orb that reduced the mana consumption of psychokinesis by 50%.
Even that had significantly boosted his psychokinesis, but these options were on another level entirely.
“Hoo, hoo.”
Raul took a few moments to calm his breathing and methodically go through the options.
He immediately ruled out options 1, 2, and 6.
While they were tempting, the psychokinesis-related options were just too powerful.
‘Zeinak’s Physical Enhancement would blend well with unarmed combat techniques, but it can be substituted with psychokinetic enhancement.’
The problem was deciding among the psychokinesis enhancement options.
The core principles of psychokinesis boiled down to three aspects: Power, control, and Range.
Power referred to the total weight he could move with psychokinesis. Greater power allowed him to move heavier objects more quickly.
Control determined the number of objects he could move simultaneously and how precisely he could manipulate them.
Range defined the effective distance within which he could detect and project psychokinetic influence.
Since all three aspects are fundamental to psychokinesis, Raul found it difficult to make a decision.
‘These options are too good! How am I supposed to choose?’
After much contemplation, Raul finally made his trembling choice.
He selected 『Power』 and 『Control』.
『Power』 was an obvious pick as it directly correlated to combat strength, and 『Control』 was the most challenging to improve, making it a logical choice.
Moving multiple objects simultaneously with psychokinesis wasn’t something that could be achieved through effort alone.
Most people struggle to perform different tasks with their left and right hands at the same time. How much harder would it be to move dozens or hundreds of objects independently?
Even Bae Dohyun, who was renowned as a prodigy, could only finely control about a hundred objects later in life.
‘To freely control thousands of objects?’
Raul never imagined he would achieve one of his past life’s goals so effortlessly.
Moreover, as his proficiency increased and he approached the master level, that number would only rise.
While 『Range』 was also a good choice, it was relatively less urgent.
Unlike his past life, Raul in this life was a highly skilled ‘Advanced Expert’ knight with formidable combat techniques. He didn’t need to maintain a distance from enemies.
In confined spaces like dungeons or gates, the importance of 『Range』 was diminished.
‘Hoo.’
After taking a deep breath, Raul selected the two options. The energy of the spirit orb that had spread throughout his body converged in his head, cleansing his soul.
He felt light as if he had been reborn, and waves of realization surged through his mind.
Whirrr.
Golden particles scattered around Raul, lifting him slightly off the ground.
As if floating like an immortal, the surrounding energy was drawn into his body, his eyes snapping open.
Gently.
Raul moved as if stepping on clouds, finally landing softly and consolidating his newfound energy.
‘So this is how it feels.’
It was a different sensation from when he reached master-level psychokinesis in his past life.
Honestly, he felt confident that he could defeat Bae Dohyun in a battle of psychokinesis right now.
‘No, I’ll definitely win.’
Thanks to the 『Quercus Meditation Technique (S)』 obtained in Mira, Raul had already accumulated an amount of spiritual power comparable to what he had built up over 15 years in his past life.
He had regained his previous life’s baseline skills, and his power and control now far surpassed them.
The only thing lacking was his mastery level, and the soul aura, which could be used upon reaching master level, could be compensated with power armor and sheer numbers.
‘Let’s calm down.’
Overconfidence was dangerous.
He hadn’t yet fully mastered his newly obtained power, and becoming complacent now could be disastrous.
Considering the true enemies he would have to face in the future, his current strength was far from sufficient.
Raul steadied his mind and shifted his gaze back to the table. A single red gem, emitting a captivating glow, lay there.
This gem had materialized in midair as Raul left the training ground and fell into his hand. Even in his previous life, when he had cleared this dungeon, Raul hadn’t encountered this peculiar reward.
『Dungeon Core of Zeinak’s Dungeon』
Grade: EX
Effect: Grants management authority over the ancient dungeon 『Zeinak’s Dungeon』. You can create and close the dungeon entrance at will.
Restriction: Cannot tamper with the dungeon’s central mechanism.
Warning: If the core is destroyed, the dungeon will be too.
‘Incredible!’
That was Raul’s first thought upon holding the core.
He had heard rumors in his past life that a select few ancient dungeons could grant management rights if certain conditions were met.
It was said that some large guilds had secured ancient dungeons that way.
However, this had never been verified, as information about ancient dungeons was top-secret. Not even Bae Dohyun, who ran an intelligence cafe, could obtain accurate details.
‘To think I would verify it firsthand like this.’
The key point was that he could generate the dungeon entrance at his desired location.
Although Raul and Ken had already claimed the core rewards from the two ancient masters, regular quest rewards would continue to be available.
For psychokinetics, especially those without proper mentors, this dungeon was indispensable for growth.
‘Even a C-rank spirit orb would have a tremendous effect on psychokinetics.’
Such rewards would be invaluable not only for players but also for the NPC psychokinetics Raul was secretly nurturing within his guild.
‘After finishing the dungeon assault, I’ll relocate the entrance near Calix Castle.’
This way, any players, psychokinetics, or knights from the Greer Marquis family wishing to visit Zeinak’s Dungeon would need Raul’s permission.
Feeling pleased to have gained an excellent bargaining chip, Raul sensed a wave of mana.
‘It seems Ken has also achieved her breakthrough.’
Just as Raul had received a hidden reward from Zeinak, Ken had attained a reward from her family’s ancestor, Jeremiah.
She had received a small mana ring and a spearhead. The mana ring was consumable like the spirit orb, and the spearhead contained the long-lost secrets of the Greer Marquis family’s spear techniques.
Although Ken was still at the intermediate-level expert post-awakening, she would likely advance rapidly.
***
A little while later, the three gathered in the reception room started their exploration of the mansion in earnest.
They needed to check the 『Mansion Storage Key A』 and 『Mansion Storage Key B』 they had received from Zeinak and Jeremiah.
The main building of the mansion was nothing special. There were plenty of ancient artifacts and antiques that seemed valuable.
The items in the main mansion are illusions. They cannot be taken outside the mansion.
Even without the system message, a small watch vanishing like smoke as they stepped out of the mansion’s door confirmed it.
“Tch. I wanted to take a souvenir. No romance in this dungeon.”
Josh said, looking sadly at his empty palm.
Raul patted Josh’s back, laughing.
The storage was hidden in the basement of a separate building, not in the main mansion.
“Wow, this must be real, right?”
In Storage A, they found various weapons, dozens of skill books containing B-rank combat techniques, chests filled with ancient gold coins, and rare weapon materials.
In Storage B were various armors, skill books for combat and psychokinetic techniques, and more chests of gold coins.
Among these was a skill book for 『Zeinak’s Combat Techniques (A+)』, which delighted Raul.
‘This will be perfect for Dylan.’
They filled their inventories with the smallest and most valuable items and then headed to the final location: the back of the mansion.
Unlike the well-maintained gardens and training grounds at the front, the back was overgrown with weeds and bushes, giving it a desolate feel.
Pushing through the thickets and passing through the woods, they came upon a ‘graveyard.’
“……!”
On one side was a mountain of bones, presumably the remains of those who had vanished searching for the dungeon. On the other side was a heap of their belongings, scattered like junk.
“Ugh, ugh.”
Josh nearly retched from the stench of decaying corpses and the foul liquids seeping from them.
“Master, is there something specific you need to find here? I, Josh, will search even if my nose rots away!”
The resolute Josh declared his loyalty even in this situation, and Raul spoke to Ken.
“There’s something we need to find, right?”
“Yes, Master.”
Ken’s voice sounded tinged with sadness.
(To be continued)