Dragon's Wrath: The Cursed Returnee

It was quite strange to see someone moving so fast while pulling a cart that had a person in it, and it was even stranger to see that person muttering to himself. Still, Lili didn't say anything, not even when Ethan pulled some equipment out of nowhere. She only saw the girl who saved the world a few times, but not only she saw and feel that those people from other worlds were full of mysteries. Still, if anything, it was awe-inspiring to see them from up close.

Regardless, while Lili was thinking about those things, Ethan was thinking about how he could learn the synthesis skill before he reached the capital. He lost his powers and all the experience he obtained while using them. However, he still could remember using certain skills to relearn them.

Ethan just needed to think logically and applicate that logic, but that was the hard part. He couldn't quite understand how to synthesize worked. He was a warrior by nature, so it was only natural that most things related to magic would be quite weird in his eyes. Still, it was doing or giving and relying on his power as an exp stealer.

"It looks like I'm ignoring quite a few steps on my magic training by learning that, but I still need to learn it no matter what. This power-up will grant me the chance to face even more powerful enemies since synthesize will work on several pieces of equipment, and it can also upgrade them quite a bit."

Since the path ahead of them was quite quiet, Ethan had a lot of time to understand the logic behind the skill. Even without putting his theory to practice, he could more or less understand it. He had several hours to think about it, after all. Basically, Ethan would have to transfer the mana of a medium to his equipment. Anything with mana would do it, be items from his magic shop or even corpses of monsters.

"I can't quite remember how much mana that skill used, but I will bet it will consume at least one hundred points of mana… I have to increase my magic again, but I guess that isn't so bad. It will improve my control and power over mana, after all."

Name: Ethan

Class: Omni Hero/ ????

Level: 25 (7700/30000)

ραпdα nᴏνa| сom Health: 350/350

Mana: 295/295

Stamina: 175/175

STR: 45

MAG: 40

PHY: 10

END: 25

RES: 05

SPE: 30

DEX: 05

EVA: 05 + 07

ACC: 05 + 1

Coins: 24230

Status Points: 00

Skill Points: 44

Skill List

Physical: Dash Lv 13, Bash Lv 08, Brutal Swing Lv 05,

Magic: Meditation Lv 03, Water Ball Lv 04, Mana Tracking Lv 01, Neutral Enchantment Lv 04,

Passive: Martial Arts Lv 02, Rest Lv 04, Swordsmanship Lv 10, Spearmanship Lv 01, Evasion Mastery Lv 07, Block Mastery Lv 08, Fire Resistance Lv 13, Cold Resistance Lv 04, Wind Resistance Lv 04, Earth Resistance Lv 06, Heat Resistance Lv 09, Frenzy Lv 04, Axemanship Lv 02, Acid Resistance Lv 03, Pain Resistance Lv 04, Impact Resistance Lv 04, Eagle Eye Lv 01,

Ethan increased his magic and strength, and thanks to it, Lili couldn't help but frown at his sudden growth. Somehow, Ethan could become just stronger just by running. Still, that growth was limited to a certain aspect she couldn't quite understand. However, when he used the free status that he obtained, his whole presence got bigger, and that was the proof that he got stronger.

"Are all the people in the world of heroes like you?" Lili asked.

"No… that would be terrifying and kind of creepy," Ethan frowned at the sudden question. "In any case, we surely don't deserve that title."

Putting his weird opinion about himself aside, Ethan noticed that the sun was rising. Thanks to that, he could see another town being attacked by monsters. He didn't expect a battle would last until morning, but it looked like he had misjudged the resistance of the monsters. That was a problem, but it was also convenient because by using the corpses of the monsters he defeats, Ethan will have plenty of chances to practice synthesizing until he learns it.

Although Ethan had to face even more monsters, the next fight didn't get complicated. After fighting for so many hours, neither monsters nor humans were at the peak of their strength. So, Ethan had an easy time killing hundreds of them. Some of the enemies were giant slimes, and thanks to them, Ethan obtained a lot of cores.

Those would be perfect for his practice. Even if he fails a lot, the cores will resist for quite a while. Regardless, after collecting some of them, Ethan hurried to cross the town, ignoring the guards who wanted to thank him. The medicine he received earlier would last for quite a while, so he didn't have any reason to waste time talking.

"… Do you really plan to reach the capital in just a few days?" Lili asked, wondering when Ethan would collapse since his body didn't look like it would hold much longer. "Although I really don't mind that, I think your hurry will only make you waste more time in the long run. Once your body collapses from exhaustion, you won't wake up for several days."

"Oh my… I am really being looked down upon by a spoiled daughter of a noble family, aren't I?" Ethan laughed a little.

"It wasn't my intention," Lili lowered her head. "I'm sorry if I offended you."

"No worries," Ethan shrugged. "I'm used to being underestimated by allies and by enemies. Do you want to make a bet? I will bet that we will reach the capital tomorrow before sunset."

Ethan's plans got even more unreasonable than before. Still, Lili could imagine that he might succeed since his running speed was increasing at a steady pace, and she also could sense that he still had some ace up his sleeve. However, that would only happen if they didn't have to stop and fight along the way.

"I really don't see any purpose in betting on something that will only be disadvantageous for both of us, but it is fine," Lili said. "I will bet that we will only reach the capital in two days."

"No can do," Ethan shrugged. "We are the only ones betting on something since I bet that we will arrive tomorrow before sunset. Any point beyond that is your win. If you win, you can ask me anything, but if I win, then I will have the right to demand anything from you."

Again, Lili couldn't sense any purpose in that, but since there was no malice in Ethan's words or actions, she quickly accepted that. Truth be told, there was also something she wanted from him. Regardless, after that conversation, Lili fell asleep. It was only natural that something like that would happen.

She didn't have much combat experience, and since the tension of the night disappeared thanks to the brightness of the day, her nerves relaxed. Although that was a bit troublesome for Ethan, he had earned plenty of coins in the last two battles to buy stamina potions and compensate for that. In fact, he had been waiting for that because he finally had time and space to learn his new skill.