Chapter 24 - the second Darven inheritence

The ancient forest had changed.

Kael could feel it.

Every step he took seemed to awaken something beneath the ground.

The black metal bullet remained in his possession, the strange artifact pulsing faintly whenever he moved toward the deeper parts of the forest.

He had reached Level 12.

But the inheritance had given him something far more important than a few levels.

Darven Arsenal Domain.

For the first time, Kael understood what his bloodline could truly do.

And he had only touched the surface.

Three Days Later

Kael stood inside an abandoned stone structure.

Weapons floated around him.

The Darven M-01 pistol.

The Darven MP-01 submachine gun.

The Darven AR-01 assault rifle.

The Darven SR-01 sniper rifle.

The Darven MG-01 machine gun.

The Darven SG-01 shotgun.

The Darven GL-02 grenade launcher.

And the Darven HW-01 heavy weapon.

They rotated slowly around him.

Kael raised one hand.

All eight weapons moved simultaneously.

Then—

BOOM!

Every weapon fired at once.

The targets ahead shattered.

Kael immediately dismissed them.

His breathing was heavy.

[Darven Arsenal Domain proficiency increased.]

[Beginner → Intermediate.]

Kael smiled.

“Better.”

But he wasn't satisfied.

The temporary weapons created by the Arsenal Domain were powerful, but they consumed enormous amounts of mana.

He needed something else.

Something permanent.

He opened one of the books from his father's inheritance.

Darven Advanced Arsenal — Volume II

The first page contained a single sentence.

A true Darven does not merely control weapons.

Kael turned the page.

A true Darven becomes the weapon.

His eyes narrowed.

The next section was titled:

Metal Manifestation

Kael read carefully.

Metal Control had three fundamental stages.

Control.

Creation.

Manifestation.

He had reached Advanced Metal Control.

But he was still primarily controlling existing metal.

Creation was different.

It meant forming weapons directly from mana and metal.

Manifestation was something else entirely.

It meant temporarily forming Darven weapons directly from the bloodline itself.

Kael stared at the page.

“So that's why the Arsenal Domain feels incomplete.”

He continued reading.

The ability required an extremely strong connection between bloodline, mana and weapon knowledge.

The stronger the weapon blueprint—

the greater the mana cost.

Kael closed the book.

“I'll learn it.”

The Hunt

The next several weeks were different.

Kael stopped wandering randomly.

He created a training route through the forest.

Every day had a purpose.

Morning—

physical training.

Afternoon—

monster hunting.

Evening—

weapon creation.

Night—

inheritance research.

He fought constantly.

But he didn't blindly attack stronger monsters.

He learned.

Against fast monsters, he practiced the pistol.

Against groups, the assault rifle and machine gun.

Against armored creatures, the heavy weapon.

Against distant targets, the sniper rifle.

Against creatures that moved through cover, the grenade launcher.

Against monsters that got too close—

the katana.

Every weapon became an extension of his fighting style.

And Kael's levels began climbing.

Level 13.

Five attribute points.

• Strength +1
• Agility +2
• Vitality +1
• Intelligence +1

Level 14.

• Strength +1
• Agility +1
• Vitality +2
• Intelligence +1

Level 15.

• Strength +2
• Agility +1
• Vitality +1
• Intelligence +1

His body was changing.

His mana pool was expanding.

His movements were becoming faster.

Most importantly—

his control was becoming sharper.

By Level 15, Kael could control more than twenty individual pieces of metal simultaneously.

By Level 16, he could fight while controlling his weapons without consciously thinking about every movement.

By Level 17—

he created his first weapon directly through Metal Manifestation.

A pistol.

Black metal.

Crimson lines.

The Darven crest.

It appeared in his hand without being forged.

Kael stared at it.

[Darven M-02]

Type: Manifested Magical Pistol

Grade: 4 — Spirit

Condition: Perfect

Special Trait: Bloodline Synchronization

Kael smiled.

“Now we're getting somewhere.”

Level 18

The forest suddenly became dangerous.

Kael was hunting a group of Level 15 monsters when something attacked from above.

He barely dodged.

BOOM!

The ground exploded.

Kael rolled away.

A massive creature landed where he had been standing.

[Threat Analysis.]

Species: Ironback Devourer

Level: 23

Grade: Boss

Potential: Lord

Traits: Heavy Armor, Mana Resistance, Earth Charge

Kael immediately summoned the SR-01.

He fired.

The shot struck the creature's head.

It barely reacted.

“Great.”

The creature charged.

Kael ran.

The monster smashed through three trees behind him.

Kael jumped onto a stone platform.

He fired the GL-02.

The explosion slowed the creature.

Kael switched to the Darven M-02.

He fired repeatedly at the same damaged section of armor.

Cracks appeared.

The creature roared.

It leapt.

Kael rolled underneath it.

He reached out.

Metal Control.

The damaged armor twisted.

The creature stumbled.

Kael immediately summoned the AR-01.

A concentrated barrage struck the exposed area.

The monster collapsed.

[Ironback Devourer defeated.]

[Level Up.]

[Level 19.]

Five attribute points.

Kael allocated:

• Strength +1
• Agility +1
• Vitality +1
• Intelligence +2

Then another notification appeared.

[Bloodline Progress: 7% → 8%]

Kael looked at the message.

“Only two percent.”

He was getting stronger quickly.

But the inheritance was clearly holding something back.

Something major.

The Ancient Library

At Level 19, Kael discovered something unexpected.

A massive stone building was hidden beneath the roots of an enormous tree.

Nightfang stood beside the entrance.

“I've been here before.”

Kael looked at him.

“When?”

“Before I met you.”

Nightfang's expression became unusually serious.

“I couldn't enter.”

Kael approached the door.

A Darven symbol appeared.

The door opened immediately.

Nightfang stared.

“You can enter.”

Kael stepped inside.

The library was enormous.

Thousands of books filled the walls.

But unlike the books his father had left him—

these were ancient.

Some were thousands of years old.

Kael walked deeper.

Then he saw something that stopped him.

Three enormous murals.

The first showed a black lion surrounded by shadows.

The second showed a black-and-green serpent surrounded by enormous defensive barriers.

The third showed a gigantic skeletal warrior holding a glowing staff.

Underneath them was an inscription.

THE THREE WHO WERE NEVER MEANT TO BE MASTERED.

Kael stared.

The three Legendary Beasts.

He had finally found information about them.

He turned the page of an ancient book.

The first entry was about the Shadow Lion.

Its natural power was terrifying.

But there was a weakness.

After thousands of years inside the pocket world, the Shadow Lion's shadow energy had become unstable.

Its imprisonment had prevented it from hunting.

Prevented it from moving freely.

Prevented its body from recovering naturally.

The second beast—

Verdant Serpent.

Its defensive scales had become partially fused with ancient sealing energy.

That made its defense extraordinary.

But it also restricted its ability to regenerate.

The third—

Bone Sovereign.

Its undead body could survive enormous damage.

But the ancient magic maintaining its skeleton had become unstable after thousands of years.

Kael slowly closed the book.

“They aren't invincible.”

Nightfang looked at him.

“No.”

“But they are still stronger than anything I've ever seen.”

Nightfang nodded.

“Far stronger.”

Kael looked at the murals.

“How strong?”

Nightfang was silent.

Then—

“Strong enough that even now, if you fought one directly…”

He paused.

“You wouldn't survive a minute.”

Kael smiled slightly.

“Then I'll have to become stronger.”

A System notification appeared.

[Hidden information acquired.]

[Three Legendary Beast weaknesses recorded.]

[Future battle preparation unlocked.]

Kael's eyes sharpened.

Then another message appeared.

[Second Darven Inheritance requirement approaching.]

[Current Bloodline Progress: 8%]

[Required: 10%]

Kael looked toward the deepest section of the library.

A single black door stood there.

Unlike everything else—

it had no Darven crest.

Instead, it had three symbols.

A lion.

A serpent.

A skull.

Kael walked toward it.

The door opened by itself.

Inside was a single sentence carved into the wall.

“When you defeat them, they will decide whether you are worthy of what comes next.”

Kael stopped.

He immediately understood.

The Legendary Beasts weren't simply enemies.

They were part of the inheritance.

But there was something else.

A final line appeared beneath the inscription.

“Their children must survive.”

Kael's expression changed.

“Children?”

Nightfang looked at the inscription.

Then slowly looked at Kael.

“They have offspring?”

Kael stared at the three symbols.

For the first time, the three Legendary Beasts no longer felt like distant monsters at the end of his journey.

They were part of it.

But Kael still had a long way to go.

He wasn't even Level 20.

And the beasts were waiting somewhere far beyond his current strength.

Kael closed his fist.

“Then I'll reach them.”

Deep within the pocket world—

three enormous ancient eyes opened.

The Shadow Lion growled.

The Verdant Serpent stirred.

And beneath an ancient throne of bones—

the Bone Sovereign's blue flames burned brighter.

They had felt it.

A Darven had entered their inheritance.

And for the first time in thousands of years—

they were no longer alone.