After defeating the Guiding Knight, I waited in place for a while when suddenly the system sound rang out.
"Confirmation: You have successfully cleared this dungeon solo." "Confirmation: The challenger's level was below 10 during the boss battle." "Confirmation: The HP did not decrease during the boss battle." "All conditions have been met." "A door will be generated. Please enter using the designated keyword."
After the system sound, a door appeared on the wall at the back of the boss room. Upon seeing it, I smiled faintly.
"Good. It seems the Inheritance Shrine Grant Point system is still alive and well."
If the door hadn't appeared or if the conditions had changed, I would have had to change my plans immediately. But it seems I didn't need to worry about that.
I moved up to the door and cleared my throat. Then, placing my hand on the door, I spoke the keyword for the "Sword Crest" as instructed.
"Let the sharp blade reside in my hand. Open the path to the true swordsman here."
Immediately after that...
"Keyword confirmed." "The door will be unlocked."
The system sound echoed, and the door slowly opened.
"...Here I go."
As I stepped inside, I was met with a shrine enveloped in a sacred atmosphere. This was the most important system in Cleon - the Inheritance Shrine Grant Point.
I showed the crest engraved on the back of my left hand to the shrine.
"Alright, I'm counting on you."
"Confirming the crest..." "Crest name: 'Crest of Nothingness' confirmed." "All conditions have been met. Skills will now be inherited."
At that moment, a faint white light emanated from the Inheritance Shrine and was absorbed into my crest. It lasted for a few seconds before all the light was completely absorbed into my left hand.
Immediately after, multiple message windows appeared before me.
"Inheritance complete." "Acquired skill: 'Parry.'"
I enthusiastically pumped my fist upon seeing the display.
"Yes, it worked!"
As planned, I obtained the inherited skill 'Parry' in the New Recruit Training Ground.
The effect of 'Parry' is quite simple. Similar to other typical games, it allows me to deflect enemy attacks by timing my strikes accurately. There may be differences in effectiveness depending on the power gap, but I'll set that aside for now.
There was a significant reason why I wanted to acquire 'Parry' in the first place. As you may understand from the explanation, the activation condition for this skill is left to the player's skill and does not require MP consumption.
In the early stages where MP management is challenging, this skill can be extremely useful. To give a more concrete example, let's consider the Guiding Knight battle. If I had 'Parry,' I could have deflected the enemy's attacks head-on without resorting to evasive maneuvers and dealt one-sided damage.
It truly is a versatile skill.
"Anyway, I'm relieved to know that I can acquire inherited skills even with the 'Crest of Nothingness'. If I can learn the skills of various crests, I won't be far from becoming the strongest."
My motivation surged throughout my body. After reaffirming my determination to acquire skills of various crests and reach the pinnacle, I left the New Recruit Training Ground.
The next day, I arrived at the next F-rank dungeon, the Thorn Needle's Nest (Recommended Level: 18), without delay.