Jakob – POV

  I stood there with my jaw hanging open, unable to form a single coherent thought. The entire chamber had fallen into a stunned, breathless silence. No cheers. No applause. Not even the usual murmurs of awe that ripple through a crowd after a hard?won victory. Just… silence.

  I looked around, and every single one of us; veteran knights, seasoned adventurers, hardened soldiers; wore the same expression. Slack?jawed disbelief. Eyes wide. Minds struggling to process what we had just witnessed.

  We had expected a long and brutal fight. I had already instructed my people to intervene the moment my son and his summoned creatures were overwhelmed. I had prepared myself for the possibility of injuries, maybe even casualties. That was the reality of facing a floor boss.

  But what happened instead… defied every expectation.

  A ten?year?old boy had just faced off against a level 25 floor boss; a chimaera, no less. One of the most bizarre, unpredictable, and notoriously difficult monster encounters in any dungeon. A creature that even elite parties approached with caution.

  And Nathan had slain it. Not with luck. Not with desperation. But with ease.

  The more I learn about my son’s abilities, the more convinced I become that he is favored by the gods themselves. A born leader. A prodigy in magic. A summoner of terrifying potential. A strategist with instincts far beyond his years.

  And yet… beneath all that awe, a knot of worry tightened in my chest.

  Not because I doubted his capability. No... his capability was undeniable. What unsettled me was the way he killed. The way he smashed the lion head of the chimaera without hesitation, without fear, without even the slightest flinch.

  There is always hesitation during a first kill. My children had it. Most adults have it. Even I had it. Even my knight marshal and captains had it. That moment of human recoil, that instinctive pause before taking a life, monster or not.

  But Nathan… Nathan was steady. Focused. Unshaken.

  Was he always like this? Or had something shaped him into this?

  I would have to speak with him. Soon.

  But one thing was clear as daylight now: Nathan was more suited to lead this house than any of my other children. Serena and Jack were capable; exceptional, even; but compared to Nathan?

  Serena and Jack were bonfires.

  Nathan was a raging inferno.

  Dianne – POV

  My heart had been pounding so hard I thought it might burst. The creature towered over my boy, dwarfing him and even his summoned minions. Yes, I had seen his minions fight before; lethal, efficient, brutal, and unwaveringly loyal. I trusted them to protect him.

  But mistakes happen. A stray spell. A misstep. A moment of hesitation. Anything can happen in a dungeon, especially to a ten?year?old child. No matter how brilliant or skilled he may be, inexperience can cripple even the most gifted.

  That was what terrified me.

  And then… he slew a floor boss.

  By the gods, how can a ten?year?old boy be like this? He moved with certainty, with confidence, with a calm that no child should possess in the face of death.

  When the chimaera fell, I looked at him; and he was staring at the corpse, unmoving. At first, I thought he was checking his status. Rookie mistake. One should always secure the enemy and the area before relaxing.

  But then I saw his face.

  He wasn’t excited. He wasn’t relieved. He wasn’t even proud.

  He looked… disappointed.

  “Nathan?” I called out, but he didn’t hear me. I walked closer and called again.

  He turned to me, and for a brief moment, I saw an expression I recognized all too well, an expression of someone resigned to a burden they did not choose.

  Then he smiled.

  “Yes, Mother?” he said.

  “Nathan, don’t check your status yet. Make sure the creature is dead and secure the chamber.”

  “Oh, right. Don’t worry, Mother. I already ordered the guys to do so before the boss fell.”

  Always thinking ahead. Always planning.

  “Are you alright? You look disappointed and—”

  “Oh… I just… realized something,” he said.

  “Realized what?” I cupped his face gently.

  He opened his mouth to answer, but before he could speak, the chamber erupted into cheers and applause as our people finally broke free from their shock.

  They swarmed us, surrounding him with praise and celebration.

  I would have to speak with him later.

  Serena – POV

  I couldn’t help but be impressed. My little brother’s first kill was a floor boss. No one, absolutely no one, had ever done that. Not in recorded history. Not in myths. Not in legends.

  It brought back memories of when we were children, when he would surprise us with insights far beyond his age. Now more than ever, I was convinced he wasn’t just a prodigy. He was something more. Someone favored by the gods.

  I was proud of him. Truly.

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  But at the same time, a fire ignited inside me. I refused to let him outshine me completely. That would look terrible. His beautiful, talented older sister? Outshined by her baby brother? Absolutely not.

  I would use this as motivation. I would train harder. Push myself further.

  And if, in the end, he still surpassed me, which I did not doubt he eventually would; it wouldn’t matter. Because I am his sister. We are a family. And no matter how far he rises, he will always find me by his side.

  Whether he likes it or not.

  Jack – POV

  My brother did the impossible.

  His first kill... a floor boss. A level 25 chimaera. And the way he killed it… gods above. If he weren’t still a ten?year?old boy, he would have looked like a war god of old, standing there with that ridiculous skull?shaped mace he helped forge.

  How can a mage even swing that thing?

  Back when we were kids, when he said he wanted to be a mage who also wielded a sword, I thought he was insane. But then I saw him train. I saw him absorb everything I taught him. I saw him teach me sword stances and techniques no one had ever heard of.

  In time, I was the one learning from him.

  His techniques were effective; so effective that my mastery of the two?handed sword skyrocketed. I now rivaled Anda and Warren. If they weren’t so high?level, I might even beat them.

  All thanks to my little brother Nathan.

  The way he commanded those tentacles to restrain the chimaera… and then killed it with a single blow…

  How many levels did he gain? Five? Ten? I wouldn’t be surprised if he was already level 20.

  He would catch up to me. There was no doubt.

  And when he did… where would that leave me? Would Father make him the heir?

  Damn it. My jealousy flared again.

  I thought I had outgrown it. I thought my rapid leveling had secured my place. I thought Nathan and Serena would never catch up.

  With one blow, Nathan shattered that illusion.

  I would have to work harder. Much harder.

  But what I hated most was the envy twisting inside me. When I saw him being congratulated and praised, I felt it again... that ugly, bitter jealousy.

  And I hated myself for it.

  Anda – POV

  Our young lord had just taken down a floor boss for his first kill—a chimaera, one of the most dangerous monsters in any dungeon. Normally, it would take a full party to defeat one, especially if the level difference was within five levels.

  Which meant it should have been impossible for Lord Nathan to kill it alone. Even five level?30 adventurers would struggle against a level?25 boss chimaera.

  And yet… here we were.

  At first, I objected to letting him face it. But when the Hellblazers swore they would protect him, I relented. Their levels far exceeded the chimaera’s.

  I expected them to weaken the creature first, then let Lord Nathan deliver the finishing blow.

  But what we witnessed was unheard of.

  How powerful is Lord Nathan? What was his starting level? What is his level now?

  The young lord will become a great man. With this feat, I am more convinced than ever that we will reclaim my lord’s lost lands. Perhaps even more.

  I smiled at the possibilities.

  Belle – POV

  The kid is a monster.

  When I woke up this morning, I never imagined I would witness a world first; a feat to be spoken of only in myths and legends.

  What is he?

  I need to check the records. Update them. I will ask Lord Jakob and Lady Dianne. Wait… did he even have a record? I can’t remember making one for him.

  He should be in the books.

  I think.

  Christine – POV

  My Lord Nathan has done it again. He continues to impress me beyond measure.

  My resolve to accompany him in future delves only strengthened. Others said I would hinder my growth by staying with him, since he was supposedly starting at level one while I was already level fifteen. Even he said so.

  I didn’t care.

  I wanted to grow together with my lord.

  But now? This changes everything. A floor boss kill would have given him multiple levels. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was already at my level; or higher.

  I smirked.

  Considering these new developments, it might be me who benefits from delving with him.

  Nathan – POV

  Well… it’s official.

  I’m broken.

  Not that I minded the victory, but it still felt like a letdown. I had expected the fight to drag on; imagined myself darting in and out of reach, bobbing and weaving the way anime protagonists did, testing my limits, pushing my body, actually learning something. Instead, the chimaera went down in a single, anticlimactic blow.

  If I wanted a real challenge, I needed to stop relying on my Shadow Tendrils for low?level enemies. They made everything too easy, too clean. No tension. No thrill. And if I truly intended to become a blademaster; or even a proper weaponmaster; then I had to earn it the hard way. Floor by floor. Fight by fight. Grinding from the very first level, using spells only when things genuinely got dangerous.

  Otherwise, I’d never grow into the fighter, a spellblade, I wanted to be.

  I’m happy with my strength though, but as Uncle Ben used to say, with great power comes great responsibility.

  After the excitement died down, Father ordered everyone to return to the fort for debriefing. I knew what that meant.

  Questions. Lots of them.

  I would have to man up and answer honestly. No more hiding. I promised myself years ago that I wouldn’t lie to the people I love.

  It was time.

  As we began walking back toward the dungeon entrance, I pulled up my status page.

  Status:

  Name: Nathan Mayweather- Abensberg

  Noble House: Mayweather – Abensberg (member)

  Class: Shadow Mage, Warlock Demonologist, Affliction, Destruction

  Title: Otherworldly Knowledge, Master Chef, Quaeritor Artium, Deificandus

  Name: Nathan

  Class: Shadow Mage, Warlock Demonologist, Affliction, Destruction

  Level: 58

  HP: 1340

  MP: 7740

  Strength: 58 + 25 + 1 = 84

  Stamina: 58 + 25 + 1 = 84

  Agility: 58 + 25 + 1 = 84

  Dexterity: 108 +25 + 1 = 134

  Intelligence: 774 +25 +5 = 804

  Constitution: 108 +25 + 1 = 134

  Affinity: Shadow SSS+, Fel Energy SSS+

  Active Skills: Shadow Bolt 10, Immolate 10, Summon Imp, Shadow Tendrils 10, Corruption 10, Curse of Weakness 10, Life Tap 10, Curse of Agony 10, Fear 10, Summon Voidwalker, Drain Soul 10, Create Healthstone , Health Funnel 10, Drain Life 10, Curse of Recklessness 10, Unending Breath, Searing Pain 10 Create Soulstone (Greater) , Ritual of Summoning, Summon Succubus, Summon Incubus, Rain of Fire 10, Demon Armored Skin 10, Eye of Kilrogg, Shadowmeld 10, Drain Mana 10, Sense Demons, Banish 10, Summon Fellhunter, Subjugate Demon 10, Hellfire 10, Curse of the Elements 10, Shadow Ward 10, Detect Invisibility, Summon Felsteed, Howl of Terror 10, Death Coil 10, Curse of Shadow 10, Soul Fire 10, Detect Greater Invisibility, Summon Infernal

  Passive Skills: Mana Sense 10

  One-handed Sword Mastery 41

  Two-handed Sword Mastery 46

  Spear Mastery 49

  Dagger 41

  Maces 20

  I focused on the new title glowing on my status page. Latin again. Deificandus. I didn’t need a translation; I already knew what it meant... one who is to be deified, one destined to become a god. The word sat heavy in my mind, colder than any dungeon air.

  Minutes later, we stepped out of the cavern. Sunlight hit my eyes, sharp and blinding after the dim glow of mana-lit stone. Around me, our people talked excitedly, voices rising with praise about how impressive I was, how far I would go, how great I would become.

  Exactly what I needed... more expectations.

  I exhaled slowly and looked up at the sky, offering a quiet prayer. My Lord… what is Your plan for me? Why place me on this path?

  Silence.