Anime: Passive Inheritance System

The violent tremor rippled through the stone layers, shaking the buildings above as though it were an earthquake.

"W-What's going on?!"

"An earthquake? Even Orario can have earthquakes?!"

"Everyone out! The ceiling's cracking!"

Before the adventurers in the tavern could react to the sudden shaking, a cat-person waitress shouted loudly. Following her call, all eyes turned toward the wooden beams of the tavern ceiling.

Crack—

A clear fracture appeared across one of the thick, brown beams, groaning under the strain.

Staring at the growing crack in a stunned daze, the adventurers finally snapped out of it and began to scream, shoving and stumbling as they rushed for the exit.

Kai moved along silently with the panicked crowd, walking out of the tavern. His face, however, was anything but calm—it was dark, colder than ever, and his eyes were filled with a killing intent that couldn't be hidden.

The 100th floor…

With his current strength, even if he used every last trick up his sleeve, he could barely reach the 90th floor—and that was assuming he could fight his way back afterward. If he was aiming for the deepest floor he could safely reach, then 70 was already his limit.

And now, the mysterious trial task had finally revealed its true form, but the content was practically mocking him.

Reach the 100th floor… and stay there for ten minutes?

That was practically suicide.

As the violent tremors continued, the entire labyrinth city quaked. The streets were filled with panic and chaos, but Kai only watched with a cold gaze before slipping into a dim alleyway. Once there, he summoned his system interface.

"System."

[Beep!]

As the faint blue light screen appeared before him, Kai asked with a trace of hope, "Isn't this trial task a little too hard…? I mean, is there any way to lower the difficulty a bit? Like the 70th floor instead?"

[The problem the host raised does not present any technical challenge. The system's trial difficulty is determined based on the profession the host acquires. As long as the host can fully demonstrate the abilities of that profession, this task poses no danger.]

"Wait a sec, Mr. System… or is it Ms.?"

Kai paused deliberately, but the system gave no response. He continued helplessly, "...Fine, Ms. System then. When you say 'fully demonstrate the abilities of the profession,' what exactly does that mean?"

[Based on the current Black Swordsman inheritance acquired by the host, the host must at minimum raise all relevant skills to Lv.3 (Proficient), reaching the level once possessed by the extractor Kirigaya Kazuto. Additionally, the host's Swordbone score must be raised to 90, and Light of Resolve must enter its second stage. Only then will it be considered as fully demonstrating the Black Swordsman's abilities.]

"All skills Lv.3…"

Kai fell completely silent at the explanation.

Since arriving in Orario, he had worked himself nearly to death for two months, dancing on the edge of life and death multiple times, spending almost every free moment in the dark dungeon, his days filled with nothing but killing—and all that only got him to the point of just barely lighting up all his skills.

And now, the system was telling him that he hadn't even crossed the threshold to properly use the Black Swordsman inheritance?

So what were the past two months of blood, pain, and effort worth?

All for a trial that would send him to his doom in the monster-infested dungeon, dying somewhere on the path to the 100th floor.

It was too cruel. Too absurd.

He staggered for a moment, then leaned against the alley wall. A low, bitter laugh slipped out from his throat.

"I was dead to begin with. Just a borrowed life… If you're so intent on sending me to die, then fine, I'll play along."

Lifting his head, his eyes gleamed with vicious determination. Kai pressed both hands to his swords. Invisible sword aura radiated from his body, making the air around him grow heavy.

The cold, solid feeling of the hilts in his palms eased his tense nerves slightly. He took a deep breath, closed the system interface, and just as he was about to leave the alley—

"Excuse me, have you seen my children?"

"Excuse me, please…"

Outside the alley, wearing a white cloak, was Hestia. She was stopping adventurers one by one, asking them questions. But with all of Orario in panic, no one paid attention to the tiny goddess.

"Lady Hestia…?"

Kai stepped out and immediately spotted her. He frowned. "What are you doing out here this late?"

Hearing his voice, Hestia turned. Her blue eyes immediately brimmed with tears.

"Kai-kun!"

She ran up to him, grabbing the front of his shirt tightly. "Bell and Lili… they went into the dungeon this evening, saying they wanted to catch up to you. But they still haven't come back!"

"What?!"

Her words made Kai's eyes widen, and his heart surged with alarm.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be worried. It wasn't uncommon for adventurers to spend the night leveling in the dungeon. And after his personal training, Bell had learned several highly practical sword techniques. Protecting Lili while clearing upper-level mobs should've been easy.

But now… with the dungeon suddenly rumbling like this, something was clearly wrong. And Bell and Lili were trapped inside.

"Those little brats!"

Frowning deeply, Kai gently patted Hestia's shoulder to comfort her. "Don't worry, Lady Hestia. I'll head into the dungeon right away and bring them back safely."

"Please, Kai-kun."

Hestia looked up at him with teary eyes, but not a hint of worry for his safety. She updated his status frequently and knew his attributes clearly. And his ten—yes, ten—skills. She had never even heard of anyone possessing that many skills, let alone while still only Level 2.

At times, she even wondered if some mischievous god had secretly tampered with Kai's body.

But because she doted on her child, she never pressed for answers. She simply pretended not to notice. At most, she would show her shock during status updates but would never tell anyone about Kai's abnormalities.

Looking into her trusting gaze, Kai nodded, about to say a few reassuring words—but before he could speak, a sudden commotion erupted in the distance.

"Run! Run for your lives!"

Someone shouted.

Kai turned toward the voice, narrowing his eyes—and saw the source.

A man in heavy armor, holding a massive bloodstained greatsword, was running full speed toward them. His white armor was speckled with red like plum blossoms, his body drenched in blood and gore.

He should've looked noble and valiant—a blood-soaked knight in gleaming armor—but at that moment, he looked like a terrified dog fleeing for his life.

What could've driven him to such a state? What was chasing him?

As the question flashed through Kai's mind, he looked past the bloodied knight and saw it—

"A… monster?"

Chasing just meters behind the knight was a giant, adult-sized creature in the shape of a spider.

And that was only the beginning.

Behind that spider was a wave of monsters—dozens, hundreds, perhaps thousands—all charging down the street in a monstrous tide.

Monsters that should've been sealed within the dungeon…

Why were they out here?

He couldn't figure it out.

But he didn't need to.

Staring at the oncoming monster tide, the adventurers on the street froze in horror—then erupted in screams of terror.

This wasn't something they could fight. The monsters outnumbered them so vastly that resistance felt meaningless. Even the stronger adventurers—Lv.2s and Lv.3s—immediately chose to run.

"N-No way…"

Hestia stared at the dust-choked horizon, her body trembling, her voice hollow. "Why… why would It release the monsters…?"

Unlike her, Kai knew exactly why the dungeon had done this.

To kill the thief that had dared steal from it.

But now that it had come to this, whether he wanted to or not… he had to go in.

"Lady Hestia."

Kai gently pinched his goddess's soft, fair cheek. Feeling the supple elasticity at his fingertips, he smiled. "Please return to the church for now. I'll come find you once this is over."

"…Huh?"

Hearing this, Hestia's brow twitched. She instinctively reached out and grabbed his sleeve, a faint strange feeling welling up in her heart.

"Lady Hestia, if you keep holding onto me, I won't be able to rescue that white-haired brat and Lili."

Looking down at Hestia's small hand gripping his sleeve, Kai gave a helpless smile, then gently pulled away from her hand. Turning to face the oncoming horde of monsters, he drew his twin swords.

Clang!

The long swords were unsheathed, and silvery starlight shimmered along the blades. At the same time, Kai channeled sword intent into his body. Crimson sword aura surged around him like coiling dragons.

"Lady Hestia."

With his swords drawn, Kai stood with his back to Hestia. His black clothes whipped wildly in the wind generated by his sword aura.

"No matter how much time passes, I firmly believe there will be a day we meet again in the unpredictable future… so please, don't forget me."

That one sentence drove Hestia's unease to its peak. Before she could even open her mouth to stop him, two beams of light, bright enough to illuminate the entire street like daylight, erupted from Kai's swords.

The next moment, the beams converged into a single streak of light and blasted toward the monstrous tide in the distance…