POV Eris Greyrat
In a few days it will be Rygar's third birthday. He is going to be fifteen.
Many things have happened since we arrived at the Sword Sanctuary, and I have also become much stronger. And every time I felt some real improvement, I would go and challenge Rygar; I was determined to complete his challenge of defeating him without him using Touki.
And even though Rygar is also getting physically stronger, the last time I challenged him... I gave him a long cut on his arm.
Of course, it was just a trap and I was defeated in the very next moment.
But still... that's amazing, right?!
Actually, I was creating a special technique to defeat Rygar, and when I saw him creating one technique after another in the past, I used to think that it was out of this world.
But both Rygar and the Sword God encouraged me to create my own path in the Sword God's Style.
And that's what I was doing; if I really manage to create this technique, I believe I can catch him by surprise once.
I am still far from the Dragon God, but among the younger ones in the Sword Sanctuary, I was the strongest.
Except for Rygar, obviously.
Anyway, when we left the Sword Sanctuary to gain combat experience, I even cut off the head of a red dragon with a single sword stroke!
Along the way, we challenged hordes of monsters, killed red dragons, and even conquered an S-rank labyrinth that had not yet been explored!
The latter was more difficult; Rygar even had to help once thanks to Isolte almost being caught in a trap.
But overall, we managed to complete it almost without Rygar's help. Although he joined the battle against the dungeon boss for fun.
In any case, in all the challenges we faced, I could say that I performed the best in real combat.
Rygar complimented me a lot for that. I was very happy.
Anyway, I am getting stronger and stronger.
Rygar was right: as long as I keep in mind that I want to cut off the head of the Dragon God, few things really seem challenging.
But I wasn't the only one getting stronger.
Nina, Isolte, Ghislaine, Aisha, and even Jino, Nina's friend.
There were also some warriors from the Iron Legion training in the outer dojos of the Holy Land of Swords, and one of them had recently become a Saint, but I didn't bother to remember his name.
Anyway! Rygar's birthday.
What could I give him? He didn't need anything.
I thought about the gifts he gave me... he personally made me a wolf pendant on my second birthday, he gave me my sword, which was forged by the Ore God...
Should I give a pendant? But I don't know how to make one... Rygar also already has good swords... If he wanted, I would like to become his woman... but he kept telling me that I was still too young for that.
There were few things he didn't have, and even fewer that he needed. I became anxious as I thought about it.
While I was anxious, Aisha gathered us for a mission.
Apparently, she noticed that some of us might be in doubt about our gift.
She had prepared. Very much so.
She spoke with the members of the Iron Legion outside the central dojo and used her authority as Rygar's direct disciple to order them.
I didn't even know she could do that... Apparently, not even Rygar knew until she tried, but he didn't stop her.
Anyway, she was building a network of information since they arrived at the Sword Sanctuary, and in the past few weeks, she found out about a labyrinth that existed in the region.
Legends said that inside there was a magical item with mysterious powers at the bottom of the labyrinth, but it seemed that this had been debunked after adventurers came from far away and did not find the item.
Aisha then hired some adventurers to investigate the truth, and they indeed found the people who supposedly had seen the magical item, which appeared to be a magical cloak, and it was confirmed—even if it hadn't been found, it was there!
She then suggested that we go after this magical item, since it would probably be more useful than anything we could buy with money.
Aisha was amazing... Even though she was younger than us, she thinks much more.
She is a bit like Isolte, but she is smarter.
Sometimes I think that maybe only someone like her is truly worthy of being Rygar's disciple...
She is learning all kinds of magic with him, and relying on that knowledge she can kill monsters even more easily than us, sometimes.
Even when everyone hesitates for a moment, she seems to already have a plan ready, already knowing which spell to cast, which decision to make.
Maybe I'm a little jealous... but it's a good jealousy. Admiration, perhaps.
After hearing Aisha's suggestion, Nina, Isolte, Jino, and I set off under her leadership.
Rygar was in one of those moments when he spent several days training non-stop, completely focused, and it was a great opportunity for us to go there without raising suspicion.
Still, I wanted to give him something personal... While thinking about it, we passed through some small towns on the way to the labyrinth region.
The streets were sparsely populated, but there were still merchants and adventurers; it was even less busy than the sanctuary.
Nina and Jino couldn't read, and I simply thought that Aisha would handle the travel details better, so I let her and Isolte take care of everything.
Accommodations, supplies, they even managed to gather some extra information.
Soon, we arrived at the labyrinth.
Apparently it was an S-rank labyrinth, very dangerous, but it had already been cleared a few years ago by a group of renowned adventurers who had come from the Asura kingdom because of the rumor about the magical item.
Aisha managed to buy a guide about the labyrinth from a somewhat bald merchant with an onion-like smell, who insisted that he was a true expert, even though he was scared just at the thought of entering there.
Aisha elegantly ignored him and paid for a map and an ancient book about the dangers of the place, written by someone who barely survived.
We started our expedition at dawn.
The interior of the labyrinth was damp and dark, with wide corridors covered in moss and cracked stone walls, where small creatures crawled in the corners.
As we fought, I constantly thought about what gift I could give Rygar.
He already had so many things... I didn't really need to focus much on the labyrinth itself.
Aisha walked ahead with the guide open in her hands, as if she had already memorized the path.
She guided us perfectly through the floors, anticipating what would come. "There will be a Berserk Snow Bear monster on the next floor," she said confidently.
And it was exactly what appeared. Bears with ice-made tusks and fur that seemed armored.
If they had any special ability, Aisha explained how to avoid it and how to kill it.
Sometimes she even corrected us in the middle of the fight: "Don't get too close — they have wide-area attacks!" or "Keep an eye on their backs! They pretend to die!"
The monsters were strong, and the labyrinth had hidden traps in the ceiling, moving passages, and enchanted stones that whispered things to disorient the mind.
But Aisha could handle almost everything with her magics; sometimes she made specific barriers, light attacks, opened walls with earth magic, she did it all.
With her precise magic, Isolte's well-coordinated attacks, Jino's speed, and Nina's tenacity — and my sword, of course — we managed to safely advance through the levels.
Each floor seemed more stifling and loaded with a kind of magical pressure that made the hairs on my arm stand up.
Until we reached the boss room.
The double stone doors opened by themselves, revealing a huge, damp chamber, with the floor covered by a light mist.
The sound of scales scraping against stone echoed through the walls.
It was a colossal snake with emerald-colored scales, shining with a dull light under the magical illumination of the ceiling.
Its eyes were like red gems, and its forked tongue flickered when it moved.
It was extremely resilient and very fast.
Its attacks were brutal — it moved in spirals and would slam its body against the walls to create tremors that threw us off balance.
In one of its strikes, it whipped Nina and Isolte against the wall with its thick tail, opening deep cuts in both of their ribs.
But before the creature could finish the attack, Jino made an impressive leap, delivering a single blow that pierced one of the snake's eyes.
The creature screamed in agony, thrashing wildly. Aisha took advantage of the opening and cast several layers of ice magic, enveloping parts of the creature's body and reducing its speed.
It was what I needed.
I ran, dodging the violent spasms of the gigantic body, jumped, and, with a spin, slashed my sword across the creature's neck, using the ever-reliable Longsword of Light.
The snake's head fell with a dull thud, splattering warm blood across the room's floor.
We caught our breath for a moment. All injured. Tired. But we had won.
Still, after searching the entire boss room — which had ruins, broken columns, and an ancient altar at the back — we didn't find any magical item.
Only bones, old armors, some coins... and silence.
While Aisha investigated the boss room, I was lost in thought.
This was rare... I almost never thought so much. My head was even hurting.
The more I thought about a gift for Rygar, it seemed as if I were trying to solve an impossible riddle.
He loved fighting and creating new combat techniques, those creative, unique ones that seemed to defy what was publicly accepted as right.
He liked to hunt, and he loved meat.
He was kind to us, but ruthless with his enemies.
He loved magic... he would always show us his magical discoveries one after the other.
And more than anything, he seemed genuinely happy when he saw us happy, or when he realized that we had gotten stronger.
Ah, and he also really enjoyed "that" with Ghislaine...
What could I offer him that he didn't already have? I knew a little about magic, knew how to read and write, and was also very good with a sword... And even so, he surpassed me in all of that.
Hmm... He liked to create new techniques... What if—
If I managed to create that technique, could I possibly teach it to him?
The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. It was something only mine. Something that perhaps, only I could give to him.
At that moment, Aisha said out loud:
"I found it!"
We all quickly moved closer. Aisha was excited, pointing to a wall at the back of the boss room.
She had discovered a secret door by using earth magic to sense the tremors, imperceptible, hidden behind a damaged pillar.
The passage led to a spiral staircase that went down. As usual, Isolte took the lead.
The interior was as dark as pitch, and Aisha conjured a sphere of light using Divine Attack magic to illuminate our path.
Nina commented:
"This labyrinth seemed easier than the previous one..."
Aisha replied calmly:
"Actually, it's only because this one had already been conquered before. Knowing what the monsters are and how to deal with them is very convenient. This one must have a similar difficulty to the one we explored with Rygar."
Isolte said:
"But the other one didn't have a secret room, did it?"
Aisha made a thoughtful expression, looking upward:
"I believe not..."
We continued down until we came across a simple yet sturdy door. We prepared for combat, weapons in hand, magics ready.
But when the door opened, there was no enemy. Only a small silent room, covered in dust and smelling of old mold.
We entered cautiously, eyes alert for any sign of a trap. The room was simple, but there was something intriguing about it.
In the center, there was a sturdy table of dark wood, covered with books and papers.
The walls were adorned with faded paintings depicting a war — humanoid, demonic, and bestial figures, amidst flames, screams, and blood.
I approached the table and tried to read one of the books. I frowned.
"Aisha!" I called out loud, "What language is this written in? I can't read it!"
Everyone moved closer. On the table, there were three thick books, with metal locks and covers adorned with strange patterns.
They were worn by time. Next to them, an inkwell, a feather, scattered papers and others organized inside a drawer. There was also a closed box next to the table.
Aisha stepped forward, creating a small earthen staircase to reach the table's height. She picked up one of the books and tried to read.
"Hmm? I... don't know…" she said, confused.
Isolte also looked at the books.
"I don't recognize these characters either."
Aisha shook her head:
"I can say for sure that this is not a human language, nor the language of the Fighter God, the Beast God, or the Demon God..."
"So what is it?" asked Nina.
Aisha was thoughtful for a moment, and then answered:
"I don't know... but I think that if we take them with us, the master might know."
Jino, who was observing the box beside it, asked:
"And this box here?"
Aisha, as a precaution, used magic to open it from a distance.
The lid slowly lifted, revealing its contents: a black cloak with neatly folded golden lines, and a silver ring with intricate details, full of runic patterns that glowed faintly.
At the top of the ring, a white magical stone pulsed slightly.
"We found it?" said Nina, excited.
"These two items are certainly magical... but are they magical items or magical tools?" questioned Isolte.
"Is there a difference?" I asked, tilting my head.
Aisha replied:
"There is, older sister. But for us, that doesn't matter now. We got the master's gift!"
She raised the box with a victorious smile.
We all smiled too, and the atmosphere lightened.
After testing the effects of the items — and being completely shocked by the magical properties they carried — we began our way back through the dungeon.
I was happy to already have a guaranteed gift.
But now, I had a new objective.
I needed to finish that technique.
That would be my personal gift.
Something that only I could give to Rygar.
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