Anime: Passive Inheritance System

The deep red silhouette charged through the chaotic crowd, trailing a brilliant silver glow, targeting the roaring giant.

Clang—

As the distance between them shrank, a piercing metallic clash rang out, almost louder than the Goliath's roar. A dazzling sword flash sliced through the air, slashing hard at the monster's ankle.

The blade silently severed tendons and ligaments. When it struck bone, the silver glow intensified, cutting deep like a hot knife through butter.

"AIOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Its ankle severed, blood gushed from the wound. The Goliath let out a pitiful howl and toppled to the side.

As it fell, that sword glow flashed again—this time aimed at...

Clang—

The sword tip pierced the Goliath's forehead, clashing against the skull with a sharp sound.

Kai gripped the hilt tightly. Staring into the monster's crimson eyes, he was surprised by the emotions he saw—fear, horror, confusion, reluctance.

Monsters had such complex feelings?

The thought lasted only a moment. Then the silver light flared again, piercing straight through the monster's head. Sword Aura burst inside its skull, grinding everything within to mush.

By the time Kai withdrew the blade, the Goliath—whose forehead now bore only a tiny bloody hole—had already collapsed, lifeless.

Only then did the others realize what had just happened. Their eyes filled with disbelief as they stared at Kai.

This guy... was way too strong...

From drawing his sword to slaying the monster, only a few breaths had passed. The Goliath, which should have required a team of Lv.3 or Lv.4 adventurers, had been killed by him alone.

Who was he? What level was he?

As everyone pondered this, someone suddenly shouted.

"I remember now! That's Kai!"

...Kai? That name sounded familiar. Where had they heard it?

"Ah! I remember too! He's the 'Dark Sword Saint!' The 'Hestia Familia's Young Blade!' Kai!"

With those arrogant, wildly individualistic titles—"Dark Sword Saint," "Young Blade"—everyone immediately recalled the stories.

In Orario, there might be people who didn't know Kai by name, but no one would fail to recognize the 'Dark Sword Saint.' That title alone had inspired countless legends—tearing through Lv.4 and Lv.5 adventurers, leveling terrain with a single move, a future disaster in the making...

Of course, most rational adventurers dismissed those stories as exaggerations. After all, Kai was only Lv.2. There was no way he could perform such feats.

But now, after witnessing how he cleanly took down that Goliath, and recalling how he defeated "Ferocious Wolf(Vanargand)" Bete with a single sword at the training ground, people began to believe—maybe those rumors weren't all fiction.

Noticing the change in everyone's expressions, and hearing the murmurs of "Dark Sword Saint" and "Young Blade," Kai's serious demeanor cracked. He awkwardly twirled his sword before charging at the next Goliath.

...

The entire crystal ceiling shattered, plunging the 18th floor into dimness like the others.

Dozens upon dozens of Goliaths rampaged across the floor. Their massive feet thundered with every step, shaking the rocky terrain.

A supposed safe zone had now birthed dozens of floor bosses. No adventurer, veteran or rookie, could stay calm. Everyone rushed toward the vertical ladders, desperate to flee this slaughterhouse—until...

RUMBLE—

Just as they approached the exit, a violent tremor came from the ladder passages. Massive boulders fell, sealing both the upper and lower floor exits.

"What the hell?!"

"Damn it! Why did it collapse all of a sudden?!"

Young adventurers who had just reached the 18th floor screamed in confusion. Why was everything going wrong at once? First, floor bosses spawning en masse, and now both exits blocked? It was like the dungeon wanted them dead.

"Sealing..."

Unlike the clueless rookies, experienced adventurers immediately understood the situation.

"The dungeon is enraged. These aren't normal cave-ins. The rocks are laced with the dungeon's hatred... If we don't kill all the Goliaths, no one's getting out."

The news of the sealed 18th floor spread fast. Adventurers who were fleeing or fighting all froze upon hearing it.

The way back had been cut off.

Now, only two options remained: win or die.

...No, maybe a third—surrender and wait for death.

"Bastards! Who the hell's just gonna wait to die?! Screw that!!!"

A towering, burly man raised his head and roared. His furious red face twisted as he swung a spiked club and charged at a Goliath.

That act seemed to flip a switch. Around him, adventurers raised their weapons and surged toward the towering giants.

The madness spread like wildfire. Soon, nearly all adventurers were in battle.

Goliaths stomped and roared with sonic shockwaves. Adventurers charged like tides, slamming into their bodies again and again.

The 18th floor had become a bloody battlefield, the earth dyed red—some Goliath blood, but mostly adventurer blood.

In such a brutal war, strong individuals became "stars." Weaker adventurers naturally rallied around them.

Among these stars, a few stood out most.

On the western island town of Rivira, a golden figure danced with a bloodstained rapier. Nearly ten Goliaths had already fallen to her blade.

Loki Familia's "Sword Princess," Ais Wallenstein.

On a northern cliff, a blue-haired girl lay prone, bow in hand. Beside her sat her god, Hermes. She supported adventurers below with pinpoint arrows. Thanks to her, casualties in that area were minimal.

Hermes Familia's "Omnipotent One(Perseus)," Asfi Al Andromeda.

In a sunken area to the east, a green-haired elf in a cloak wielded a wooden sword, wind magic swirling around her. She held off several Goliaths, giving adventurers time to organize a counterattack.

From the Hostess of Fertility, allies unknown, elf adventurer—Ryuu Lion.

And finally, on the central plains, a black-haired man rampaged like a meat grinder.

Hestia Familia's "Dark Sword Saint ," Kai Takashina.

Unlike the other battlegrounds, there wasn't a single adventurer within dozens of meters around Kai.

But dozens of meters beyond, a huge crowd had gathered—occupying 80% of the entire floor's remaining adventurers.

Between them and Kai, twelve red-scaled enhanced Goliaths had encircled him completely.

Just before, Kai had slain another Goliath, but before he could rest, a thunderous stampede came. The twelve enhanced Goliaths ignored all others and trapped him.

Only then did Kai realize...

The others were just a prelude.

This... was the dungeon's true gift to him.

"Such special treatment... I'm flattered."

Kai muttered, looking at the twelve towering Goliaths around him.

But instead of charging, they surrounded him and spoke in clumsy unison: "Leave... the dungeon..."

"—Thief!"

Kai frowned.

Why call him a thief again?

If it was about magic stones, every adventurer took those, didn't they?

Unable to figure it out, Kai raised his glowing sword.

In the next instant...

WOOOM WOOOM WOOOM—

Multiple bursts of radiant light erupted with a single slash. As the sword fell, the ring of enhanced Goliaths collapsed.

Seeing Kai slay over a dozen clearly stronger Goliaths with one strike, nearby adventurers raised their weapons and roared in triumph.

...

After hours of battle, only a third of the adventurers remained. But the near hundred Goliaths had finally been wiped out.

As the last one fell on the central plain, everyone finally exhaled.

Some roared with blood-soaked pride. Others cried like children. Most just wore grim expressions as they dragged the corpses of fallen comrades—companions from the same familia or squad.

The heavy mood spread. Even Bell, who had been excited about surviving the fight, now looked gloomy.

"Hey, white-haired brat."

Seeing Bell standing alone, looking sadly at the dead, Kai walked over and patted his back.

"Senpai..."

Bell turned and saw Kai beside him. His lips moved, wanting to speak, but no words came.

"You did great this time."

"Huh...?"

Seeing Bell's confusion, Kai repeated, "You did great, white-haired brat. Even I'm a bit impressed."

"N-No... That's not true... Senpai, you... I'm not... Ah..."

Hearing Kai's praise, Bell's face turned red. His words stumbled into a mess.

Kai was briefly stunned by Bell's over-the-top reaction. Then he let out a light chuckle, patted Bell's shoulder, and said seriously, "Alright, kid, there's a limit to modesty. You really did great this time. You mustered the courage to face a monster like the Goliath, and even managed to protect both Lady Hestia and Lili. If I had to describe you, I'd say you were like a real hero."

"No, I'm definitely not a hero…"

Feeling Kai's broad, warm hand on his shoulder, Bell suddenly felt something stir in his heart, and his nose tingled slightly.

"Oh, come on… Just accept the compliment properly, will you? If you keep acting all awkward, I'm going to get mad, you know?"

"Yes, Senpai."

Satisfied to see Bell regaining his posture and composure, Kai turned and started walking toward the forest at the edge of the plain.

"Senpai, where are you going?"

"Somewhere quiet… I need to think about a few things."

Waving behind him, Kai walked alone into the forest.

"System."

Once he was sure there was no one else nearby, Kai called out in a low voice.

[ Ding! ]

A light-blue screen appeared, quietly floating in front of him. It looked no different from usual.

Staring at the screen for a moment, Kai suddenly asked, "Those monsters earlier… why did they call me a thief?"

[ Because the host has been plundering the dungeon's origin. ]

The system answered coldly and instantly, not hiding anything.

"I plundered the dungeon's origin?"

Kai was stunned. Then he reacted and quickly asked, "When did that happen? I didn't even know about it!"

[ Every time the host kills a monster in the dungeon, the system seizes the moment when the monster's essence returns to the dungeon and forcibly creates a channel to extract a fragment of the origin. This energy is then used to enhance the host's inherited class abilities. ]

"What?!"

Kai's composure shattered. His eyes widened at the interface, as if trying to find some hidden detail in the glowing screen.

"So all my skill upgrades have been powered by the dungeon's origin?!"

[ The host may understand it that way. ]

"Damn it!"

Kai cursed. Now it all made sense. The dungeon didn't go crazy on him because it sensed he was a transmigrator—it was because the system had been quietly robbing its origin behind his back.

No wonder the dungeon kept sending waves of monsters after him whenever he entered. He thought it was just bad luck. Turned out, the system had been stirring up the hornet's nest.

Now that he finally understood, another thought struck him. "So what you're saying is… you don't actually have the power to enhance my skills. That's why you've been stealing from the dungeon's core. But what happens if I leave this world?"

The system replied bluntly and concisely.

[ Every world has its own origin. ]

"So that means I'll be hunted every time I go to a new world?"

[ Some worlds have not yet developed self-awareness and will not react with hostility to the host. ]

"So basically, I'm a scumbag who bullies the weak and runs from the strong?"

[ The host may choose not to enhance skills. The system will cease constructing channels to plunder world origins. ]

Hearing that icy, emotionless response, Kai's expression fell.

…Forget it. Guess he'd just keep being a thief then.