Sword Saint's Reincarnation
Book 2 Chapter 19: Basilisk Wilds (4)

Elizabeth gritted her teeth, frowning at Alice. The crimson-haired woman looked back at her with a furrowed brow.

“…What if something happened?” Elizabeth asked slowly. “What if they’re injured? Will you take responsibility for it?”

Alice frowned back and let out a small sigh.

“…To begin with, our deal was two days before we interfered. But I agree. Something’s up.”

“You weren’t thinking that they would spend an entire day in the Dungeon when you came up with your agreement,” Elizabeth quickly continued. “They didn’t come out to spend the night here in town, or to update us on their progress, or anything else. They’re still inside.”

Alice slowly nodded. Elizabeth moved her gaze to the others in the room. Hugo and Rebecca stood awkwardly behind Alice. Rebecca kept throwing glances at Alice, while Hugo stared at the ceiling with discomfort. To her left were Sarah and Aelfric, and to her right was Nathan, that hateful man.

“Stop,” Nathan suddenly said firmly, as if ordering a dog. “Settle down already. We understand what you’re trying to say.”

Elizabeth frowned at him. Anger bubbled within her, increasing in magnitude rapidly.

“Shut up, Nathan. How do you expect me to calm down when my husband and child are in danger? I guess you wouldn’t know. You never cared about anyone other than yourself.”

Nathan narrowed his eyes. Instead of firing back an insult of his own, however, he looked at Alice with a clenched jaw.

“That said,” he said in a clear voice. “I do think we should go in. Elizabeth’s words are true to a certain extent. Something might have happened.”

Everyone in the room turned to look at him at the same time. Elizabeth blinked before a mocking sneer made its way to her face. She didn’t feel elated about her brother’s sudden concern for her family in the least. Instead, all she felt was contempt.

“You,” she suddenly said, breaking the silence. Her voice dripped with disdain. “You are worried that Rylan might get hurt, aren’t you? I was wondering why you weren’t doing much since you arrived, even though you insisted on coming. What, did he mess up your plans by going into the Dungeon alone? Were you hoping to build a connection with him over the course of several Dungeon raids?”

Nathan looked back at her, then frowned. Slowly, he started to stand up.

“You will not talk to me like that.”

Elizabeth felt only even more loathing. She met his angry gaze directly, fully willing to argue.

“You’re pathetic,” she spat out.

Nathan rose to his full height, but she didn’t find him intimidating in the least. As the atmosphere rapidly soured, Alice took a step forward and clapped her hands twice. Elizabeth looked at her, but Nathan’s gaze didn’t even move.

“I understand you’re worried, Elizabeth,” Alice started after taking a breath. “But attacking each other like this doesn’t help.”

She looked around at the others with seriousness.

“We’ll prepare ourselves and enter the Dungeon. Until we confirm that Rylan and Gerard are alright, we won’t leave. If they’re in danger, we’ll help,” she stated.

Elizabeth let out a sigh of relief. Her hands trembled slightly.

…Please be safe.

Even though she was aware of Rylan and Gerard’s power, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was wrong. No, even if it was only her anxiety speaking, she still wanted to follow it. She couldn’t lose them, especially now that the family had begun to rebuild itself.

“I think,” Aelfric’s voice suddenly resounded. Everyone turned toward him. He had his hand raised. “I think we should wait until the two days are up.”

Elizabeth and Alice frowned at the same time. Rebecca blinked, while Hugo tilted his head. Nathan scoffed at Aelfric, but Sarah only nodded with a calm expression.

“…Why?” Alice asked after the room had spent a few seconds in complete silence.

Aelfric looked at her. His eyes were filled with nothing but sheer belief and confidence. He puffed out his chest.

“Because Rylan is there.”

More silence.

Aelfric looked at Elizabeth with a grin. She stared at him for a second before letting out a small sigh.

…I know that he’s strong.

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The day when he’d revealed the truth to her, he had explained Roland’s life in great detail. She was also aware of the battle against Evenon Bled and the circumstances surrounding it. But how could she not worry? Her husband and one of her children might be in danger. Even if Rylan was powerful, could she really put all her faith in his past life’s skills? Even though the Dungeon’s level wasn’t clear?

“Even if something went wrong, I’m sure Rylan and Father can protect themselves,” Aelfric continued with a grin. “Everything’s fine. We should let Rylan kill as many monsters as possible and Level up.”

“I’m sorry,” Alice suddenly interjected with a frown. “But I don’t share your optimism. We’re going in.”

He looked at her.

“Then, give them a few more hours. I’m sure they can do it.”

“No. Why should I? Every second spent in this conversation might be one more second where their lives are at risk.”

“It isn’t. Rylan is there.”

Alice stared at Aelfric in disbelief.

“…Rylan is definitely very powerful for his age, but if an enemy inside the Dungeon surpasses Gerard’s ability to protect him, it would be the end.”

Aelfric shook his head and fired back. After some back and forth between the two of them, Sarah suddenly spoke.

“I think young master Aelfric is right.”

Her statement only gave rise to more comments from Alice. Rebecca and Hugo joined the conversation, trying to mediate the two sides. As the minutes ticked by, Elizabeth stared at this scene with tiredness. It was understandable that Sarah and Aelfric would choose to believe in Rylan’s abilities, as people who knew the truth about him. On the other hand, since the professors weren’t aware of it, they protested.

“I have made my decision,” Alice said loudly after a while, sounding agitated. “Rebecca, Hugo, and Nathan, go get ready to enter the Dungeon. We’re going in as soon as possible. This is for the safety of both Gerard and Rylan.”

Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief.

All that mattered was the safety of her family

***

Rylan pondered as he ran through the dense forest, weighing his options.

I have a lot of Free Points right now.

The choice before him was simple: use them or not.

Before, because stats were easier to raise through training the lower they were, he had held back on spending his Free Points. Ideally, he should have spent years at Level 25, preparing for the best possible future. But reality wasn’t so simple; because of the circumstances, he had chosen to Level up. Because of his Class, all his stats had grown. How effective would ordinary training be at this point? Did possible growth outweigh certain strength, especially now that he was going to fight an unknown enemy?

I’m still not sure what a Basilisk’s strengths are.

It was an enemy that Roland had never faced. Gerard had explained its characteristics to Rylan on the way, but it was different from having faced the creature in battle before. As such, he currently couldn’t gauge whether his offensive or defensive abilities were up to par. If the Basilisk’s scales were too tough, it would make more sense to invest his Free Points into Strength. If it were too fast, Agility would be a better bet. Still, there was a single fatal flaw in this logic.

All physical stats are connected.

The body was a whole, even though the System separated it into its different aspects. If he spent all his Free Points in Strength, the balance he’d worked hard to build would be ruined. For example, his Body stat wouldn’t be able to handle his muscles’ sudden increase in power, forcing him to either limit his strength or suffer an injury.

But what about Intelligence and Wisdom? If he increased them, his mana circulation would become stronger, enhancing his overall power, including his spells. He would be able to use more Sword Arts in succession and fight for longer. But did this increase compensate for the power he’d have been capable of if he had invested all Free Points into his physical stats?

A bit lost in his thoughts, Rylan barely reacted as a Wendigo broke out of the shade of an enormous tree with a piercing howl. With Drifting, he easily avoided its attack. A moment later, Gerard’s flames engulfed its figure. Rylan raised his sword and thrust at the creature’s neck. The blade pierced through its throat and came out on the other side, severing its spine. The Wendigo fell, no longer capable of moving. Rylan pointed his wand at its head as he finished his chant.

“Earth Spikes.”

The ground rippled before stone spikes rose and pierced the monster’s neck. One final spike, larger than the others, separated its beastly skull from the rest of its body. As the kill’s notification rang out in his head, Rylan looked at the wand in his left hand’s grasp.

To begin with, this is the path I chose.

He wouldn’t rely solely on Roland’s memories or on his current life’s magic. That was what he had decided. There was no need for further thoughts.

System. Twenty-four points into every stat.

His body shifted, as did his Mana Core and Circles. His skin and muscles changed, alongside his organs. His senses became sharper as the world became clearer. Supporting all of this was his strengthened mana circulation.

Gerard glanced at him from the side.

“Remember,” Gerard began. “Don’t look at its eyes.”

Rylan nodded after letting out a breath, trying to get a better feel for what he was now capable of as soon as possible.

They made their way ever deeper into the Dungeon. Ironically, the number of enemies decreased, while their general level was the same. Rylan clicked his tongue once he noticed this. Had the Boss realized that every battle made him stronger? Not sending more monsters was a good decision, but it also meant that he and Gerard would try to recover as they ran. In the end, it wouldn’t change the outcome. All that awaited them at the end of this Dungeon was a battle to the death against a powerful foe.

Rylan’s heart throbbed in anticipation.

The journey to the Boss’ lair was rather peaceful, in stark contrast to the hectic past twenty-four hours. Finally, Rylan slowed down as the air changed and became heavier. The surrounding mana became thicker, while a distinct feeling of danger prickled the back of his neck. This only became more obvious the further they went.

After a few minutes, Rylan ground to a halt and raised his free hand. Gerard also stopped without a word. Rylan stared at the beast’s neck, avoiding its eyes. The Basilisk looked like an enormous, green-scaled snake that was as thick as the trunks of the trees around them. However, he couldn’t look at its head: the beast was staring straight at them, and he hadn’t forgotten his father’s main advice.

An enemy I can’t look into the eyes of, huh?

Truthfully, he wasn’t sure how that worked. There was no such thing as an ‘instant kill’ ability at this Level, at least based on Roland’s memories. It was far more likely for the creature’s abilities to revolve around some type of magic. A hiss broke him out of his thoughts. The Boss’ body contorted as if it were about to lunge toward them.

I guess I’m about to find out how it works.

He unsheathed his sword with his right hand and grabbed his wand with his left. Gerard raised his staff.

Both Rylan and the Basilisk moved at the same time.