Acquired the Scam Rune in the Academy

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Whoosh-!!

Zap-!!!

As’s speed over the water defied imagination.

The loud movements matched its incredible velocity.

Just like when we first saw it…

It felt like we were riding a small, high-speed boat.

At first, the overwhelming speed was hard to adapt to, but as time passed, I gradually got used to it.

“The trees were handled.”

“…You’re right.”

Master and I had manifested magic on our bodies and were sticking tight to the tree trunks on As’s shell.

The ornamental trees on As’s back that I had dismissed turned out to be handles.

By holding onto them, there was no chance of falling off no matter how fast it went.

As I regained my bearings from the dizzying speed, I spoke to As again.

‘As.’

– Yes, speak.

‘How long until we arrive?’

– We’re about halfway there now.

Since it’s been about 3 minutes so far…

And halfway means the total time is 6 minutes.

That was about the time it’d take to travel 4 subway stations.

Can a turtle really go this fast?

That’s the kind of useless thought that crossed my mind.

But among As’s stats, its Speed stat wasn’t actually that high.

<Contractor Information>

◎ Name: As (Aspidochelone)

– Contractor: Do Jae-hyun

◎ Classification: Sub-Dragon Turtle (Special/Ancient)

◎ Attribute: Water

◎ Affinity: Loyalty

◎ Status: Normal

◎ General Stats:-

◎ [Strength: 61 (+14.2)]

◎ [Magic: 101 (+14.6)]

◎ [Speed: 35 (+15.0)]

◎ [Divinity: 40 (+10.0)]

◎ [Toughness: 108 (+11.0)]

◎ [Willpower: 83 (+10.8)]

◎ Possessed Runes:-

◎ [Dragon Turtle Shell Lv.20]

◎ [Swirling Tidal Waves Lv.16]

◎ [Magic Control Lv.20]

◎ [Draconian Spells Lv.17]

◎ [Underwater Sprint Lv.Max]

◎ [Underwater Breathing Lv.Max]

◎ [Transport Expert Lv.Max]

◎ [Magic Domination](*Restricted)]

◎ [Horn of Bravery](*Restricted)]

To be exact, it was extremely low.

35.

Even with the additional stats from our contract, he barely reached 50.

Maybe because it’s a turtle, its Speed was way too low compared to its transcendent stats in other areas.

Instead, it had the runes [Underwater Sprint] and [Transport Expert] that were Max level.

In other words, while its innate Speed was very low, when moving through water or transporting others it could demonstrate speed that exceeded its limits.

‘You’re more focused on magic, huh?’

– That’s right. My strengths are my sturdy Endurance, and the water-attribute magic I can unleash while enduring attacks. I hope these abilities can be of help to you, my contractor.

‘I think they’ll help a lot.’

While I have [Elemental Master], having a contractor who can adeptly control attribute runes can only be a good thing.

Especially since As has a fighting style completely opposite of Bon.

While their Toughness stats are similarly high, their combat tendencies are totally different.

Bon focuses on physical combat with its high Strength and support runes. As specializes in magic control and spells as an aquatic-type monster.

With them I could summon and utilize contractors to maintain a good balance in combat.

‘As.’

– Yes, speak.

‘Can you tell me what kind of place the territory of the great existence is?’

The double dungeon <The River Touched by the Breath of a Dragon>.

The so-called ‘Territory of the Great Existence’ that Master and I would soon raid.

Since As was a dragonoid who once served a dragon lord, I wondered if using its information would make clearing the dungeon easier.

But As’s reply was negative.

– My apologies, but I do not know either.

‘You don’t know?’

– That’s right. While it’s true I once resided in that being’s domain, most of my memories of it have been erased. Not only that, but I don’t have many memories left about the great being itself either. I just have the sense of duty that I once served it, and must now fulfill my current role dutifully.

This was quite a shocking revelation.

While I knew the monsters and heteromorphs that came to the modern age were existences from other dimensions and boundaries, I didn’t know their memories were erased by the System before they arrived.

When I talked with Bon last time, it said something similar about only having its dragon heart left as an undead. At the time I just thought it was because Bon was an undead dragon.

‘So… Most of the dungeon monsters have lost their memories?’

Of course, this might only apply to Bon and As.

Since the only beings from other worlds I’ve properly spoken to after getting the [Language] rune are Bon and As…

It looked like I would need to research this topic more deeply.

‘I’ll have to go over it as soon as possible’

I secretly recalled a dungeon in my mind.

<The City of the Mad Wolves>.

The dungeon where the ‘heteromorphs first appeared, who the Holders had tried communicating with in the original story.

I had the key to enter that dungeon, the [Madman’s Howling Journal] item. And after raising my level appropriately for the highest difficulty dungeon, I was ready.

In order to solve the mysteries about other worlds and dungeons…

It was time to tackle that dungeon head on.

– Master, we have arrived.

With the sound of crashing waves, As announced our arrival.

The rugged boundary between the river and land.

Lush forest spreading next to the downstream.

“…We really did arrive right at the double dungeon entrance.”

Hearing Master’s slightly admiring voice, it seemed we were in the right place.

I got off As’s shell and lightly landed on the ground.

Then I looked back at As and said,

‘Thanks As. We got here quickly thanks to you.’

– I merely fulfilled my duty.

‘Oh right, when making a contract with me you’ll need to choose a residence…

I look around the large river and its surroundings for a moment.

Among my numerous dungeons I own, none of them have water this expansive.

The most suitable residence for As is…

No matter what others say, it’s this <The River Touched by the Breath of a Dragon>.

‘As expected, your previous home is the best right?’

At my words, As shows a rare happy gesture and says,

-If you permit it, I’d like that.

‘Good. Let’s settle here then. When I need you, I’ll be sure to summon you from a place with water.’

-Understood. I’ll be waiting.

‘Alright. Then now… oh.’

As I was about to greet As who safely transported us, I snapped my finger at a thought that suddenly came to mind.

I almost forgot the most important thing.

The reason why I wanted to increase contracted monsters.

I used the special effect of [Promise Bound by Dragon].

[Assign the ‘Soul’s Cry (Normal/Lv.4)’ rune to contractor ‘Aspidochelone’. The rune is removed from the Holder’s information.]

[Assign the ‘Triple Saber (Normal/Lv.11)’ rune to…]

[Assign the ‘Simple Curse (Rare/Lv.5)’ rune to…]

[Assign the ‘Tainted Body (Rare/Lv.5)’ rune to…]

[Assign the ‘Hand of Illusion (Rare/Lv.7)’ rune to… The rune is removed from the Holder’s information.]

A total of 5 runes were assigned to As.

With [Promise Bound by Dragon]’s rune level already at 5, the number of runes I can assign to a contractor also increased from 3 to 5.

I’ve already given Bon 5, and now I’ve given As an additional 5.

I wanted to give runes that suit it since I had the chance, but with my rune slots completely filled, I had to get rid of the more unnecessary ones first.

As already has much better runes than these anyway, so they probably don’t hold much meaning.

-How fascinating. Is this the Holder’s ability?

As shook it head repeatedly at the newly obtained abilities.

With that giant turtle shaking its head, it seemed like an earthquake was happening.

I smiled and replied,

‘They’re your abilities now.’

-I strangely feel as if I’ve gotten better at using a sword. When I don’t even have hands to wield one.

‘Hahaha. Anyway, see you next time As. And thanks for moving me today.’

-It was an honor. May the blessing of the great existence remain with you, Holder…

Wooooo–!!

Swwooosh–!

“…Its really is fast.”

Watching As swiftly swimming up the river again, Master murmured vacantly.

I smiled and answered,

“Its speed itself isn’t actually that high.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. It seems to be because of a rune that makes it swiftly run through water.”

We exchanged light chatter as we headed towards the passage with the dual dungeon.

The border between land and river.

The ground where the river water has pooled, and the trees near it.

Beneath a mystical large tree with overflowing energy, two spaces that can fit a person were set up.

Master stepped onto one and said,

“You just have to enter this circle-like place. And input magic at the same time.”

“Understood.”

Since I’ve entered dungeons so often, I was already used to it.

Master and I stepped onto the space and simultaneously input magic.

Perhaps because it was a dungeon entrance that required special conditions, an informational window appeared before we even entered.

[All special conditions required to enter the great region are satisfied! The magic shot out by the two beings resonates with the warp gate heading towards the great region.]

Afterwards was the same as usual when entering dungeons or using [Warp Gates].

We instantly left the <The River Touched by the Breath of a Dragon>, getting sucked into a new space.

And….

…

…

[Amazing Achievement! Realm of the great existence, space that all beings revere. You have encountered ‘Dragon’s Lair’. Ancient mysteries and long histories are alive and breathing within this space. Witnessing this legendary place broadens your horizon.]

[All basic abilities increase by 2 due to the nature of the achievement.]

[Forgotten memories occasionally come alive again upon reunion! Following the Guardian’s Flame, you’ve now witnessed the Torrent of Dragon’s Bravery. With the pact’s memories that have floated up one after another, proficiency in related runes rapidly rises.]

[The level of the ‘Promise Bound by Dragon rune has risen.]

[2 Leadership acquired due to the rune’s nature.]

[The level of the ‘Forgotten Dragon Knight’s Pride rune has risen.]

[The level of the ‘Forgotten Dragon Knight’s Pride rune has risen.]

[1 in all basic abilities acquired due to the rune’s nature.]

Upon entering the dual dungeon within the <The River Touched by the Breath of a Dragon> that As called the ‘realm of the great existence’, informational windows that I could barely read flooded towards me.

While analyzing runes and monsters, the ‘amazing achievement’ occasionally pops up.

This time it showed up from simply discovering the dungeon.

Thanks to it, my abilities rose and various rune levels instantly went up.

It was a ‘chance encounter’ that Holders very rarely have while exploring dungeons.

“Jae-hyun, Stealth!”

But the real important thing wasn’t these chance encounters.

Hearing Master hurriedly shout at me, I used [Stealth] without any doubt.

Master always makes rational judgements.

Telling me to suddenly hide in this situation, there must have been a reason.

——!!

——.

However upon hearing that quiet yet…

Ironically, scream-like sound from somewhere in the sky.

I felt something had gone terribly wrong.

[Legendary existence from myths. Sensing the tranquil roar of Blue Dragon of Bravery, Fluvius. With overwhelming magic and energy, all abilities of the Holder greatly decrease.]

Dragon’s Lair, Realm of Great Beings.

This double dungeon…

The boss appears right when you enter…

It was a completely absurd dungeon.

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