With the corpse of the magic boar lying motionless before him, Jericho finally had a moment to breathe.
His chest heaved with each gasp, his heartbeat pounding in his ears like a war drum.
"I... I did it," he said between breaths, staring at the beast. "I slayed that magic boar." The words felt unreal as they left his mouth; he didn't expect to survive, much less win.
His eyes drifted to the bloodied branch still in his grip, and in that moment, all that was in his head was the question of how he did it.
"Wait..." His brow furrowed. "How did I do that?"
Before he could complete the thought, the system screen popped up before his eyes with a new message.
[Threat has been eliminated.] [Congratulations, Jericho. You have completed your first task from the Divine Sun System.]
[Reward has been awarded for the completion of the task.]
Immediately after displaying this message, the screen shifted once more, revealing his reward granted by the system.
[Reward: Special Grade weapon, SOUL SLASHER DAGGER.]
Jericho's eyes widened as the system screen materialized in front of him, displaying his reward. He hadn't paid much attention to it earlier because he assumed that the system wouldn't actually grant him a Special Grade weapon.
After all, Special Grade weapons are no ordinary weapons. In the world of magic arms, there were four known ranks.
Regular Grade weapons: These are weapons crafted from the mana crystals of weak magic beasts. Though they are powerful, these weapons are nothing compared to the other ranks and are widely used.
Then there are Special Grade weapons. These weapons are forged from the mana crystals of stronger and more dangerous magic beasts. These weapons are very expensive and are mostly wielded by nobles and rich folks.
The Elite Grade weapons are weapons forged from the mana crystals collected from rare, high-tier beasts or even lesser demons. These weapons are much more expensive and are only wielded by royals and high-level Demon Slayers.
And finally, there are the Master Grade weapons. These are rare weapons forged from pure mana crystals collected from the most powerful demons and are unavailable for sale.
Since the demons were sealed five hundred years ago, there are only seven Master Grade weapons in the world. These seven relics are priceless and are passed down only to the most powerful Demon Slayers in the world.
"Is this thing for real?" Jericho said in his head, excitement bubbling within him. "Am I really about to get a Special Grade magic weapon?"
As excitement bubbled up inside him, Jericho froze. Before he could even react, a soft pulse of light shimmered around his hand, and with a flicker of energy, a crisp, gleaming dagger materialized in his right palm.
He stared at it for a moment, clearly stunned from it materializing from thin air.
The weapon felt almost weightless, yet perfectly solid. The blade was a dark, obsidian black with faint, glowing lines of mana etched into its edge, pulsing softly like a heartbeat. The hilt was wrapped in smooth, dark leather, and it fit his grip like it had been made for him.
Before Jericho could react to the dagger, the system screen popped up again with a notification.
[SOUL SLASHER DAGGER acquired.] [Equip the blade to add it to your inventory.]
Jericho carefully read the screen's content, making sure to take in every word displayed on the screen.
"Equip? How do I do that?" he asked the system in confusion.
As if responding to his thoughts, a different screen appeared before his eyes with an equip menu.
[Do you want to equip the SOUL SLASHER DAGGER?]
Jericho immediately said yes, and without missing a beat, the screen display shifted again.
[SOUL SLASHER DAGGER has been equipped.]
"So this thing just gives me rewards every time I complete a task? This is amazing!" Jericho said in excitement.
Still in disbelief, Jericho tightened his grip around the dagger's hilt, ready to test it. He raised the dagger, feeling the balance, then gave it a few experimental swings. The blade cut through the air effortlessly, leaving behind faint traces of glowing energy as it moved through the air.
Curious, he turned toward a nearby tree, and without thinking, he slashed the dagger in its direction. A thin line of light shimmered across the tree's surface. Then, with a soft crack, the entire trunk slid apart and collapsed, cleanly sliced in two.
Jericho's eyes widened as he saw that he had sliced the tree in two without even making contact with it. He immediately revealed a wide grin and swung it around a couple more times.
"Whoa... this thing's amazing," Jericho breathed, staring at the fallen tree. "It sliced right through without even touching it."
He turned the dagger in his hand, still stunned by the power radiating from it. "If I'd had this thing earlier, that magic boar wouldn't have been a problem at all."
After testing the dagger, the system screen popped up again with more notifications.
[You have leveled up.]
[Level: two.]
[Five experience points have been awarded to you.]
[Point tab.]
[Health points: ten.]
[Magic points: zero.]
[Experience points: five.]
On seeing that he leveled up, Jericho's face lit up with a grin. "I leveled up after killing that magic boar? That's sweet!" Jericho's grin grew wider, his eyes locked on the system screen hovering in front of him.
A second later, the display flickered. The screen shifted with a soft hum and brought up a new tab, the task tab.
[Main Task has been completed.]
[New Main Task has been unlocked.]
[New Main Task: Reach Level ten.]
[Side Tasks: No Side Tasks Found.]
Jericho raised an eyebrow. "Huh. No side quests? That means the side tasks must be assigned at random... Probably based on whatever situation I find myself."
Before he could finish the thought, the screen flickered again and shifted to the skill tab.
[The Skill Tab has been unlocked.]
[New Skill has been acquired.]
[Skill name: Inventory.]
"Inventory? What's that?" Jericho asked silently, his eyes narrowing.
As if the system were listening, the screen's content shifted again to explain the inventory skill.
[Skill: Inventory.]
[Description: This skill allows the user to store items, weapons, and equipment inside an endless dimensional storage. The inventory is only accessible by the user and can be accessed anytime.]
Jericho's jaw dropped. "That's awesome!" He grinned wide, holding up the dagger. "That means I don't have to carry this thing around with me. I can just store it inside the inventory and summon it whenever I need it."
Without hesitation, he focused on the weapon, and with a soft flicker of light, the dagger vanished from his hand into the inventory. Immediately after, the screen popped up with a notification.
[SOUL SLASHER DAGGER has been successfully stored in your inventory.]
Jericho's smile widened as he gazed at the screen. "Yeah... this is definitely a great skill."
After storing the weapon in his inventory, the system screen vanished from view, leaving only a burning thought in Jericho's mind.
"It's settled, then. I'll take the Demon Slayer Academy entrance exam... and I'll become a Demon Slayer." His fists clenched at his sides.
"That way, I can get revenge on the demons for taking my family from me. With this system by my side, it shouldn't be that hard."
Jericho raised his head to the sky, eyes fierce, and a determined grin tugging at his lips.
"I'll become the greatest Slayer the world has ever seen. It's the least I can do... to honor my family."
And with that, Jericho began his journey out of the forest toward the royal capital of the Kingdom of Camelot, where the Demon Slayer Academy entrance exam would take place in just three days.