The Dreamer's POV

[01 Months: 10 Days: 01 Hours]

~WHOOOOSSSHHH!~

In what would appear to most as a swift blur, Drius charged forth, his dark brown hair dancing behind him as he advanced forward.

His opponent was a shadow-like creature, a being covered in darkness, exuding an aura of malevolence. Its body was completely black, except for the red vein-like markings all over it, and its eyes shone crimson.

In this vast hall, an internal space built for the sole purpose of combat training, Drius was racing with all his might to clash with this creature of darkness.

And I… well, I stood by the sidelines watching all of it.

~CLANG!~

The noise originating from their blades clashing permeated the hall, but none of it fazed me in the slightest. I only smiled, folding my hands as I watched the entire scene play out.

"N-ng!" A sound came from the boy who stood beside me, also a witness to the match.

Theo Lyma.

'Seems he isn't used to the noise. He's holding it in pretty well. I guess he doesn't want to show how uncomfortable he is.' My smile widened as I gazed at him for a moment.

Theo had always been that kind of boy; more mature then his age would indicate.

It was one of the reasons I liked him so much.

'Now then, as for the fight…' I returned my attention to the clash between Drius, someone who held the position of one of the Grand Knights in the Southern Kingdom, and my Minion.

He was Rank 15 out of the 21 Grand Knights, and apparently that made him a big deal in the Kingdom.

I also heard that he was among the Top 30 strongest in the entire Southern Kingdom. Not even Bernerd, Guildmaster of Terance, stood a chance against him.

Yet, despite all the acclaim to his name, and the supposedly great might that was implied from his reputation, he didn't seem all that special to me.

I could easily follow his speed, and his movements were also easy to read. His strength was unimpressive, and in terms of overall ability, he was below average in my book.

'Of course, that's my perspective on this…'

I wasn't just a Survivor, who was stronger than an average resident of this new world, but I was also a Ranker.

My view on power was a bit skewed, and I was well aware of that.

'Well, I guess he isn't too bad. Especially considering how he's holding up against Black.'

Black was my Great Elite Shadow, a product of merging all the Essences belonging to the Shadows and Elite Shadows of the Nine Headed Dragon Alliance.

In essence, it was also strong by this world's standards.

However, among my Minions, I could say Black remained the weakest in terms of physical and head-on confrontations. That was why I chose it to battle Drius in order to assist with training him.

'And so far, so good…' I thought, watching the two clash blades and evading their respective assaults.

'In terms of overall power and abilities, Black is superior. But it seems Drius is making up for it with his combat-related skills built from his experiences. He has good instincts too.'

As a result of this, both of them seemed to be in a stalemate.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

'Black isn't suited for direct combat, and it is also not using any of its abilities, per my instructions.'

In contrast, however, Drius was throwing whatever he could at his opponent. Since he could use both Martial Arts and Magic, he utilized both in a fine blend, incorporating everything into his combat.

Compared to when he fought me, I could see Drius acting even more composed. His techniques also seemed much more refined.

Experience more tales on empire

Not by much, but still… he had certainly been training very hard after his loss to me.

'His Fire Element could prove very useful due to its destructive power. However, the major highlight here are his equipment.' I narrowed my eyes as I once again noticed the three Special Items Drius had equipped.

Firmly hugging most of his Torso was the Wooden Armor I gave him. His swift legs were carried by the Wooden Boots he recieved from me.

And finally, his incredibly muscular hands tightly gripped a longsword that was the Wooden Blade he also recently had handed to him.

These three items complimented each other and boosted his abilities, just as I had seen other Special Items do the natives of this world.

'The blade offers more attack potency, the armor improves his defense as well as vitality, and finally, the boots grant him more speed.'

Utilizing these three Items, Drius had definitely gotten much stronger than before. I could say he was maybe twice as strong… though he constantly claimed it was more than that.

Perhaps I just couldn't see it.

"Raaaahhhhhh!!!" I heard Drius roar as he neared Black, utilizing his impressive speed to propel himself for a straight clash, while generating as much force to push the target down.

I smiled, admiring the simplicity and effectiveness of the tactic.

'Drius' Wooden Blade is much stronger than an ordinary blade. It's far more durable, and it can crush weapons made of steel. I guess the only downside is that it can't cut.'

It was a blunt weapon designed as a blade, after all.

But so what? The Wooden Blade also had residual Energy within it that could be restored over time, so it boosted Drius' ability to use Magic while fighting.

Even in a situation where the blade got chipped or broken, it had a 'Regenerate' function, allowing it to return to its original state.

'It's the perfect item for Drius. No, the entire set is perfect for him!'

With his Flame Magic and Martial Arts, he would be quite a formidable foe for most natives in this world.

'If he can grow even further, he'll be useful as a good piece in the grand scheme of things.'

And the very thought of that brought a smile to my face.

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[A/N]

It's time to delve even deeper into this brave new world, as well as what awaits Mikey.

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter