Chapter 47: Legacy

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Legacies.

They were long forgotten inheritances from ancient and unknown Authorities.

Instead of needing to travel through unknown ruins, temples, or tombs, the System facilitated the acquisition of these Inheritances — these Legacies — by merely fulfilling the specific conditions they required.

Some people speculated that they belonged to unseen or extremely rare Authorities that had yet to reveal themselves to the world. Among them, Riven could feel it clearly...

Whoever was behind the Ten Thousand Poison Heart Sutra was a true monster of an Authority. If he could complete its hidden conditions even further, he was certain of it...

He might even obtain yet another Authority, and perhaps even meet the Legacy’s original creator one day.

"Well, it’s amazing... I wonder if there’s such a Legacy for a Pierrot?" Daniela wondered aloud.

"There is," he nodded. "It is also one of the reasons why you have to work hard. I believe it’s achievable by... obtaining ten thousand A-Rank or above items from drops, yeah."

"H-HUH?!"

Daniela felt that such a quantity was simply unbelievably ridiculous and completely unachievable. Yet that was exactly how the Jester King of the future that Riven came from had achieved his own ascension.

"To become someone worthy of a Legacy, you have to be incredible enough to gain the attention of its owner, an Authority. That is part of the requirements," said Riven.

Realizing he sounded like he was boasting, Riven quickly clarified what he meant. "Ah, don’t look at me like that. I got this one by just cheating."

"Hahah... I guess that’s true," Daniela chuckled softly.

Indeed, it was pure cheating. The one who had tried to do it honestly still never managed to assimilate ten different toxins because of how deadly they were. Riven had done it easily thanks to the Authorities of Gluttony and Greed, which allowed him to gain a Skill that facilitated the entire process.

"Now, let’s keep moving. We can’t waste more time."

After storing what remained of the Myconids — mostly their cores and a few intact corpses — they continued their journey through the second floor.

It did not take long for them to discover the origin of the humid air and thick mist. There was a gigantic mushroom forest growing in the middle of the large caverns. According to what Riven had investigated earlier, the forest stretched all the way down toward the staircase that led to the third floor.

"There’s not a single soul around here," Daniela said while walking and admiring the giant mushrooms that rose high into the ceiling, taller than most trees. "Do hunters not even dare to go this far?"

"Most don’t. The way down is dangerous. You already have to get through dozens of monsters. Without a large quantity of supplies, you’re dead meat," said Riven. "Mana and Stamina aren’t infinite... well, for most people. I have a lot of Vitality myself. This allows me to recover quickly from exhaustion and keep going for days. I can eat raw monster meat, something not many can do without cooking it properly first, and my technique can produce drinkable water."

"I guess you were made to explore these dungeons, Riven..." Daniela said, looking around with a slightly absentminded expression.

"Don’t lower your guard," he said suddenly, stopping in place. "Looks like we’re being chased."

"Eh?!" Daniela did not even feel a thing. "Where— Oh?!"

FLASH!

Suddenly, from the thick mushroom canopies above, several rapid figures rushed at them while melding into the shadows.

Sharp fangs and claws reached for Daniela’s neck in a single second.

She gasped and managed to dodge by a hair’s breadth as a large creature landed heavily on the ground, glaring at her with a furious growl.

"Assassin Panthers?!" she gasped.

And it was not just one. Two more jumped down from the canopy, descending ferociously and attacking while constantly melding into the darkness to catch them by surprise.

"This is their natural habitat," Riven said calmly, deliberately letting the two Assassin Panthers catch him. The beasts latched onto his body, their claws digging deep into his skin — or at least attempting to — while their fangs tried their hardest to bite into his jugular.

However... to Riven, these powerful predators felt like nothing more than two adorable kittens. "I don’t really need to eat you anymore. I already ate one earlier... but my second Class only levels up by killing monsters, so... forgive me."

After apologizing quietly, Riven crushed both of their necks with his large hands, ending the two creatures in a single second. The strength he had gained from his new Cultivation Method made the motion even easier than before.

As for Daniela...

"Uuggh! It’s so fast! I can’t catch it!"

She was constantly dancing with the remaining Assassin Panther. Both of them kept sneaking behind each other, dodging, and then attacking in rapid succession.

"It only has enough Mana to shift through the shadows for a couple of seconds at a time," Riven gave her a clear tip. "And when it does, there’s a short timeframe where it has to stand still!"

"Oh?!"

Daniela’s eyes sharpened. She landed firmly on the ground and deliberately relaxed her stance, slowly allowing the monster to attack her from behind.

Then she suddenly dodged to the left and threw her first dagger at it.

The Assassin Panther avoided the attack easily and then... began to disappear into the shadows.

In that brief timeframe, it had to stand completely still for almost a full second.

"Heh! There!"

Knowing this weakness, Daniela predicted its movement perfectly. She threw a second dagger and activated her skill at the exact right moment.

"Dice Thrust!"

She imbued the dagger with Dice Thrust right as it struck the monster’s forehead.

It landed on a...

"Five!"

Double damage.

The Assassin Panther’s hard skull was completely unable to resist a dagger dealing double damage. Its head was stabbed clean through and it died on the spot.

A glowing item dropped from the monster’s body right afterward — a beautiful black bracelet that then shone even brighter because of Riven’s presence.

"Woooah! More loot!"

"Hah, you’re really lucky."

[x10,000 Reward Multiplier Activated!]

[Dropped Item [Assassin Panther Bracelet (C Grade)] has been multiplied by x10,000!]

[You have obtained the item [Abyssal Assassin King Bracelet (SS++ Grade)]]

And it was not just any item. It had been a C-Grade Bracelet that transformed into an SS++ Grade item once boosted by the Authority of Greed.

Moreover, it seemed perfectly tailored for Riven’s current fighting style.

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