Sword Saint's Reincarnation
Book 2 Chapter 23: Silver Twilight

Rylan sheathed his sword with a sigh, his eyes fixed on the large carcass in front of him.

The Basilisk’s head had been cut clean off by Tempest Break after he continuously weakened its neck with his attacks. All that remained was the nonsensically long body, wounded as it was. The Basilisk’s crimson blood kept flowing into the ash-covered ground underneath them.

Rylan looked around at the stretch of destruction that the Boss had caused. Every sign of life within a diameter of over one hundred meters had disappeared. Beyond, the damage continued, caused mostly by the thin strands of the green smoke that had melted into the atmosphere. Trees had collapsed over themselves, felled by mere traces of the poison. The ashy ground was now completely uneven, filled with holes and small ravines created by his Sword Arts and the Basilisk’s own attacks. He moved his gaze to the monster’s head some distance away.

That thing was powerful.

Even though his stats had increased by so much after Leveling up, the Basilisk had still proved itself a worthy challenge. He could have defeated it alone, but dealing with the smoke without Gerard’s support would have been a hassle. He would have needed to rely on manipulating his Wind Blades spell or use different Sword Arts. Still, this battle had been very useful. He now fully understood exactly what level of power he’d reached after Leveling up.

Rylan smiled at the System notifications floating in front of him. Of course, there were also the rewards.

[You have defeated Young Basilisk (Level 64).]

[You have cleared the Basilisk Wilds Dungeon. Rewards will be distributed according to your contribution.]

The messages then continued.

[You have received XP. You have reached Level 48.]

[You have received 20 Free Points.]

[You have received two new Titles.]

Before he could open his Status Window to check out the new Titles, his gaze was drawn by the last notification.

[A piece of Equipment fitting for your Class will now be distributed.]

The message started to glow brightly, making him squint. The light intensified until it bent and contorted, slowly taking a shape that he recognized.

A sword.

Rylan smiled. The light cracked and fell apart like stone to reveal a beautiful weapon. The hilt was wrapped in what looked like white leather. The silver crossguard was both elegant and simple; it slightly drew the picture of wings with its shape, but it wouldn’t hinder his handling in the least. The double-edged blade was longer than that of Rylan’s current sword and glowed with different hues of purple as the light shone upon it. Along the blade’s center were carvings that looked like symbols.

He extended his right hand. The sword slowly floated down and into his grasp. The System information appeared right after.

[Equipment

Silver Soldier (Rare)

A sword inspired to fight faithfully by a swordsman’s battle. Blessed by the blood of a slain Basilisk and bathed in the sweat of the swordsman’s effort to win, the blade has become tougher than steel. The runes along its body empower the weapon and its wielder.

* Increases all physical stats by 20.

* Increases the power of all swordsmanship used by the wielder by 10%.

* Deals 12% more damage against snake-like creatures. ]

Rylan smiled at the sword.

I guess it’s fitting for the first artifact I get in this life to be a sword.

Still, it felt like the System was telling him that he still relied too much on Roland’s memories and abilities. It wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t comfortable to admit. He let out a small sigh. The moment he was about to raise his gaze and look at Gerard, who was flying back to the ground, there was a change.

[Moonlight’s Eternal Promise is reacting.]

Rylan blinked.

What?

This wasn’t at all within his expectations. Slightly anxious, he stared at the artifact he’d just gotten. It trembled uncontrollably as its information window disappeared. A few seconds later, it stopped. His view was immediately covered by a different window.

[Equipment

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Silver Twilight (Epic)

A sword inspired by a swordsman’s battle and touched by the grace of the white moonlight. Blessed by the blood of a slain Basilisk and bathed in the sweat of the swordsman’s effort to win, the blade was reforged under the dim glow of twilight. The runes along its body empower the weapon and its wielder with the whispers of the longing Moonlight.

* Increases all physical stats by 10%.

* Increases all magical stats by 10%.

* Increases ??? by ???.

* Increases the power of all swordsmanship used by the wielder by 15%.

* Deals 20% more damage against snake-like creatures.

* All of the weapon’s effects are increased by 15% during twilight.]

Rylan stared at the weapon, dumbfounded. Instead of being overjoyed, he was filled with dread.

…What price did you have to pay for this, Yue?

The sword had gone from a weapon that gave him a flat increase to his physical stats to one that increased them by a percentage, ensuring that he could keep using it as he became stronger. On top of that, it was possible that the third line of its effects was related to Aura. This was a complete revolution that would demand considerable influence over the System, even though it had been done through a Title. The cost would have been steep, even for Moonlight.

Rylan read the information again. His chest was gradually filled with warmth. Moonlight’s response to his feelings had been to make the increases to both his physical stats and magical stats equal.

Something like this won’t happen again.

Whatever power Moonlight had still had, it had likely been used up with this. It was now up to him to find his oldest friend, no matter how long it took.

“Rylan,” Gerard’s anxious voice came from above, snapping him out of his thoughts. Rylan looked up at his father’s descending figure. “Are you hurt? Did the poison reach you?”

Gerard landed on the ground and hurriedly ran toward Rylan, looking him up and down. Rylan smiled.

“No, nothing. If I had gotten injured, I would probably be dead.”

Gerard nodded, but didn’t stop his investigation. He only breathed out a sigh of relief after looking at Rylan’s entire body thrice over.

“…Yeah, probably,” he replied with a frown and turned to look at the Basilisk’s carcass. “Can’t believe that thing withstood that Sword Art. And the poisonous fog… I’m glad we killed it before a monster wave happened.”

Rylan nodded and looked down at his sword again.

“You got an artifact on your first Dungeon run,” Gerard continued, shaking his head. “And you told me the heavens weren’t unfair.”

Rylan raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t you also have one? I even retrieved it from Evenon for you.”

Gerard scoffed.

“That’s an heirloom. It isn’t mine. I can’t use it as I please.”

“Is that why you didn’t bring it with you into the Dungeon?”

“Of course.”

Rylan placed his sword on his shoulder, feeling glad for the familiar yet unfamiliar weight.

“Only when the family’s in danger, huh?”

Gerard nodded with a grim expression. Rylan wasn’t surprised. There were weapons that shouldn’t need to be used, even though each and every one was made to be wielded eventually. He didn’t question Gerard’s decision. The family had been in possible danger because of the Open Dungeon, but there had been no way for them to predict that the Dungeon would lock them in during their first run. His father had judged that he would be able to return and get the heirloom if things got too dangerous, but there was no longer any point in entertaining this line of thought.

“Now, let’s go back to the Gate,” Gerard said. “We’re finally done here, but we took too long. There will be questions.”

Rylan nodded with a sigh.

“Yeah. But wait, I need to check something first.”

The information about his new Titles appeared before him. One was called ‘Dungeon Raider,’ which he had already expected to get, based on Roland’s memories about Dungeons. The second one was the one that drew his attention.

[Title

Seeker: your struggle hasn’t gone unnoticed. Again and again, you have forced yourself to confront your limits. As a Dreamer, you never stopped wishing for greater power. The blood you have shed and the sweat flowing down your brow were only evidence of your effort. The goal you seek is closer than ever.

Effects: Increases the speed of your progress toward awakening Aura by 10%. Marginally prepares your body for the awakening of Aura.]

Rylan couldn’t help but smile. Even though he already knew exactly what to do because of Roland’s memories and how to go about it, he still hadn’t managed to awaken Aura, even after so many months. It wasn’t surprising, but he was at least glad that the System was acknowledging his progress toward it. This Title wasn’t the product of the past twenty-four hours of battle alone; instead, it was the culmination of everything he’d done from the moment he remembered his past life. But he had no intention of stopping here.

“What is it?” Gerard asked from the side. “What are you smiling at?”

Rylan explained the Titles to him.

“…Damn,” Gerard replied, rubbing his chin. “I guess it’s really possible. I don’t know what to expect when you do succeed.”

Rylan smiled at him.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’ll protect you. All of you. No matter what. Aura is only a means to an end.”

Gerard blinked, then smiled back.

“…Thank you, son. But I have no intention of handing over my role as the protector. Not until you beat me.”

Rylan laughed.

“Is that a challenge? Because I could do it.”

“Yeah, right. I can beat you with a wooden stick as a wand.”

After some banter, which doubled as resting time, Rylan and Gerard started making their way back toward the Gate. Naturally, there were enemies on the way. Now free from the Basilisk’s influence, the monsters flooded toward Rylan and Gerard, likely by following their scent. This was especially true in the case of the Wendigos and Spriggans, who appeared in waves. Rylan quickly realized how dangerous this situation could be, taking into account the fact that both he and Gerard had been fighting for the past twenty-four hours and had just gotten out of a Boss fight.

The monsters hindered their progress but also granted Rylan an opportunity to evaluate his new weapon’s performance. As expected, the artifact was just what he needed, superior to his current sword in every way. It wasn’t easy to fight through the waves of monsters, tired as he was, but the weapon supported him well.

Every step and slash seemed to speak to him, forcing him to go just a bit further. It was both tiring and gratifying.

Some time later.

On top of the corpse of a Moss Golem that he’d split in half, Rylan flashed a bitter smile at the sword on his waist and caressed its hilt.

“You served me well,” he said.

A scoff came from next to him.

“Stop acting weird with a sword. Come on, we’re close to the Gate.”

Rylan gave his father a tired laugh and nodded. The end was in sight.

They continued to run and defeat everything on their way. Finally, in the distance, between two of the enormous trees, the circle of blue light came into view. In front of it was a group of people. He locked eyes with the crimson-haired woman at the very forefront. She almost jumped in place.

“You!” Alice shouted at Rylan. “What the hell happened?”