NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Use a Long Knife as a Crutch?
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"!?"
Ethan flinched as the sand around Anti-Bone Boy suddenly began swirling violently. Just moments after his beast had emerged victorious from a brutal fight, the ground turned into a vortex of spiraling sand, and Anti-Bone Boy was pulled back under.
The vortex spun faster, sucking the giant ant into the earth again. The swirling sand not only buried him, but it also seemed to be attacking him directly.
Shhhh—shhhhh—
A dry, grating noise echoed around Ethan—the sound of fine grains of sand scraping against Anti-Bone Boy's armored shell.
But Ethan didn't panic.
He calmly opened the summon interface.
Anti-Bone Boy's health hadn't even dropped a fraction.
The sand could barely even scratch his shell, let alone cause real damage. All it did was restrain him, slowing his movements.
Ethan stood quietly. "Let's see how long this little trick can last."
Just ten seconds later, the spinning ground stopped. The sand fell silent. The vortex collapsed.
Anti-Bone Boy shot out of the pit with a vengeance.
His six legs kicked at the ground furiously. He was furious.
Before, he had merely been angry.
Now? He was livid.
And the boss was clearly weakened. In a few swift motions, Anti-Bone Boy tore the enormous worm into several bloody chunks.
---
> "System Message: You have slain LV15 Silver-tier Desert Dragon Boss. Gained experience!"
"Loot: Skill Book - Sand Vortex (Green)."
"Skill: Sand Vortex (Green) - Summons a rotating vortex of sand, restricting enemy movement and dealing 100% magic damage per second. (Duration and area scale with Spirit stat)."
---
"A skill book? And a green-tier one at that?" Ethan's eyes sparkled.
Don't underestimate a green skill book. Even if he sold it, it could fetch millions. But this skill in particular… it was a perfect match for him.
The skill's effectiveness scaled with Spirit, and Ethan's Spirit was monstrous.
Each level had given him 50 attribute points, thanks to his class. Add the SSS-tier talent bonus on top?
His Spirit stat was off the charts.
He stared down at the long silver sword still in his hand.
"Maybe I can fake people out."
He pictured a future fight—his enemies thinking he was a melee-focused fighter with high Strength and Constitution… and then—BAM! Sandstorm surprise.
"No... wait, that's backwards. Whatever. I'll work on the act later."
If needed, he could always buy a reset item to reallocate his stats. For now, the skill was too good to pass up.
After all, he wasn't limited by equipment. Beast Masters had total flexibility.
"Didn't some mages in history beat people to death with their staffs?" he smirked.
He learned Sand Vortex instantly.
Sure, he had Infinite Alienation, and his summoned beasts could do most of the work. But that didn't mean he should be useless.
If his summons got pinned down, he needed to be able to defend himself. Otherwise, he'd just be a burden with stats going to waste.
He checked his experience bar—it was barely past the start of Level 7. Enough grinding for the day.
"Decompose," he said, pointing to the massive corpse.
> "Obtained: Silver-tier Desert Dragon Hide."
The hide was huge. Fitting for a creature that might as well be a small dragon.
Ethan slung the sword over his shoulder and began walking back the way he came, toward the dungeon exit.
---
At the entrance of the dungeon, a small group of four had just arrived.
Three men and one woman.
The one in front—the apparent leader—looked up at the sky and then glanced toward his two younger lackeys.
> "Alright. Let's clear this place fast and quietly. No one needs to know we're here."
The girl in the group—Ava, with short, dyed red hair—folded her arms and glanced around the empty area.
> "Why are we sneaking into a Level 15 dungeon? It's not even hard." She pulled her cloak tight. "This seems unnecessary."
The leader laughed and draped an arm around her shoulder.
> "Ava, this place is special. It can drop green skill books, and only a handful of people know that. Keep it between us."
> "The drop rate isn't high. On average, one book every 15 runs."
> "So I bring these two to grind it every couple weeks."
> "Where do you think our silver gear came from?"
His eyes twinkled. "If we get a skill book today, I'll trade it for a gold-tier staff for you."
Ava's expression shifted immediately. She tucked away her skepticism.
> "Seriously? A gold staff? Fine. Let's make it quick. No backing out!"
She smiled sweetly now.
The leader chuckled. "Of course. Just stick close and heal me when needed."
He looked around confidently.
> "This place is low traffic. Newbies don't dare come here, and experienced players think it's too annoying. Who's gonna show up?"
Just as he said that—
> "Boss! Look!" one of the younger guys pointed toward the dungeon exit.
> "Someone's coming out!"
All four of them turned at once.
---
Ethan stood at the bus stop, waiting for the next professional transit.
He had no dirt or blood on him, his uniform clean and perfect. The long silver sword rested casually in his hand, the blade tip dragging slightly against the ground like a walking stick.
The leader stared at him and laughed.
> "So young. Definitely a fresh transfer student. Probably panicked and ran out after seeing his first monster."
> "And he's waiting for the beginner bus? Classic rookie."
> "Look—no battle marks. No stress. Guy must've peeked inside and bolted."
They ignored him and turned toward the dungeon entrance.
> "C'mon, let's start farming. Ava, keep an eye on my health later."
But Ava was still staring at Ethan.
> "You think... he cleared it?"
The leader froze and laughed harder.
> "What? That kid? No way."
His voice dropped an octave.
> "It took us two months to clear this place consistently. We were job-changed for weeks before we could handle this place. That kid just changed jobs yesterday."
> "No matter how high his talent is, he couldn't have cleared it solo."
He gestured toward Ethan with disdain.
> "Look at how he's holding his sword—tip-down, dragging it on the ground like a cane. Does that look like a master swordsman to you?"
> "Besides, we needed days to beat the boss. Even if we gave him a whole day, he'd be lucky to kill a few sandworms."
Still, Ava wouldn't stop staring. Ethan was tall, calm, and collected. Something about his quiet confidence unsettled her.
> "Let's go," the leader said quickly, tugging her arm. "I can feel it—we'll get a skill book this run!"
As they stepped into the glowing dungeon gate—
All four of them stopped dead.
> "!?"
---
To be continued…
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