Summer, 990 B.H.
Ten years.
To a human, such a span was long enough for a child to grow into an adult, or for a clumsy maid to master her craft.
To a long-lived species, however, Link felt as though he had merely taken a quick nap.
“Chris, Gatekeeper, close the door. The sun is too bright—it’s glaring right into my eyes.”
The title of “Gatekeeper” was the second gift Link had bestowed upon Chris; in his words, it wouldn’t do to learn magic without having a proper title to go with it.
Chris called out in response, walking in from outside to shut the massive doors tightly.
She had grown considerably taller over the past ten years.
Her once slender, youthful features had filled out, endowing her with a calm and gentle demeanor.
Link, on the other hand, hadn’t changed at all.
Aside from sending a letter to his dwarf buddy every few days to press him to forge new items, his endless lifespan had only made him lazier than before.
“Don’t forget to feed those Starmetal Birds in the backyard.”
“Already fed them.”
“And your cleaning magic? Don’t slack off.”
“Of course, of course! I’m still waiting for you to teach me other magic!”
At the mention of magic, Chris’s green eyes crinkled into a smile.
For a moment, it was as if they were right back ten years ago, with her still that same girl harboring a burning passion for the mystic arts.
This, however, left Link feeling a little embarrassed.
He had originally assumed that all human passions were short-lived.
Evidently, Chris was an exception.
Her enthusiasm for magic had been severely underestimated.
To live up to Chris’s earnest devotion, Link had spent the past decade studying magic himself.
Yet because of the Superhuman Strength Hex, his severely lacking intelligence meant that his journey down the path of magic was destined to be immensely bumpy.
Of course, given his current level of intellect, he was incapable of connecting those two facts together.
He obstinately pondered magical theory all by himself.
Though he slammed into dead ends at every turn, Link firmly believed in the simple principle that every wall is just a door in disguise—and whenever he ran into a wall, he simply smashed through it with sheer force.
I reckon this’ll work!
Relying on this stubborn mindset, Link genuinely believed that his theoretical knowledge was comprehensive enough to publish books and pass down his legacy.
The popular Introduction to Magical Theory (Part I) circulating in the village at the foot of the mountain had been written entirely by his claw.
Naturally, the reception had been spectacular.
The villagers were constantly bugging him to hurry up and write Part II, as all the local kids were eagerly waiting to read it.
Yet to this day, none of them knew that the pamphlets signed with the name “Link” were authored by a giant dragon.
It wouldn’t do to study magic without having a proper title, after all.
He had crowned himself “A 300-Year-Old Rising Star in the Magical World.”
He genuinely hadn’t expected theoretical magic to be so simple.
At this rate, who could even tell the difference between Link and Serie when it came to being a Great Mage?
Theory was one thing, however.
As for practical application…
Well, it wasn’t like he had come away completely empty-handed.
Fire was the watershed separating intelligent beings from non-intelligent creatures.
Link had learned fire magic, which meant he had officially joined the ranks of intelligent beings.
And the fire magic he had mastered was a particularly formidable variant.
Namely: coating his fists in fire and punching people with them.
He had even given this spell a ringing, memorable name.
[Fire Punch]
Ever since Link picked up this move, any adventurer who ventured into his dragon castle coveting his hoard suffered a truly horrific fate.
Without exception, every single one of them was cooked through to perfection.
Crispy, well-done, and utterly toasted.
As for Chris…
Link genuinely had nothing left to teach her.
Every time she asked, Link would stall using the exact same line: “Once you’ve mastered cleaning magic to absolute perfection, I’ll naturally teach you a new spell.”
Chris believed him completely.
She had always felt that Link’s refusal to teach her new magic must hold some profound, hidden meaning.
Perhaps I’m just not diligent enough.
If I work a little harder, that day will surely come, the magical girl Chris thought to herself.
Watching her practice the exact same spell over and over, Link felt a strange, indescribable emotion swelling in his chest.
Looks like this time, I really have to teach Chris something real.
Link made a silent vow in his heart, rolled over, and drifted off into a heavy slumber.
He decided to seek enlightenment in his dreams.
Time was like a wild donkey—once it started running, it just wouldn’t stop.
Given that every long-lived species suffered from chronic procrastination, by the time Chris finally received her second spell, another twenty years had quietly slipped by.
Autumn, 970 B.H.
[Ping!]
[Follow-up Quest: Showcase Stats]
[Quest Objective: After you showcased your mechanics to Serie, she was not intimidated by you. Instead, she only wants to beat you up even more. You must show her your raw stats to thoroughly defeat her, or force her to abandon the request to retrieve the sword.]
[Quest Reward: Hex Selection Count +1]
To be entirely honest, if it weren’t for the system prompt, Link would have forgotten that his Sword of the Hero was stolen in the first place.
Didn’t the Sword of the Hero just spawn naturally in the mountains?
He had merely relocated the mountain to a place with better scenery!
Still, thanks to Serie taking on the commission, Link hadn’t been bothered by anyone else for the past thirty years.
Over those three decades, Link hadn’t received a single system quest either.
He had mulled it over and figured that the system only issued quests when he went out and made contact with story characters or key items.
And for Link, who only wanted a quiet life, his farthest outing in thirty years had been sunbathing right outside the castle entrance.
It was only natural that no quests had popped up.
By now, the growth curve of his Adaptive Defense had pretty much plateaued.
Ordinary attacks could barely scratch him anymore, let alone serve as a means to farm resistance stats.
Having hit a wall with his progression, Link actually found himself looking forward to Serie’s arrival.
After all, she stood at the absolute pinnacle of magic.
Thirty years had passed—who knew what terrifying new spells she might have developed?
Since the system had issued a quest, it meant she was almost here.
How do I get her to abandon the request to retrieve the sword?
Link instantly abandoned any notion of “showing her raw stats and thoroughly defeating Serie.”
Where would he even get “raw stats” from?
Lack of manners, on the other hand, he had in spades.
Repelling Serie last time had relied entirely on his usual hard work; this time, it likely wouldn’t be so simple.
Was it time to trust in his invincible wisdom once again?
At the thought, Link felt as though his intellect had once again ascended to the moral high ground.
“Lord Link, are you thinking about something happy?”
Outside the window, a drizzle was pattering down softly.
The quiet sound of rain enveloped the entire castle, making it a perfect time to chat and pass the hours.
“Something happy? I suppose there is.”
Link rested his chin on his claws, squinting his eyes.
“In that case, I’ll tell you a story about my younger days—back before I ever came down south.”
Chris sat down by the window in response, cradling a warm cup of tea in her hands as she settled into her usual listening posture.
Whenever Link felt happy, he would tell her a story.
Perhaps that was one of the perks of being a long-lived species—they always had plenty of tales to tell.
She always listened with such quiet attentiveness.
As Link spoke for a while, his peripheral vision landed on her.
Chris was looking down, sipping her tea.
He had looked at that face for decades, seeing it almost every single day, to the point where he had never truly stopped to examine it.
When had it started?
Her face had become lined with wrinkles, and her brilliant red hair now bore far more white than crimson.
A sudden wave of disorientation washed over Link.
Right beneath his nose, in a place he saw every single day, Chris had grown old.
“Lord Link?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.” Link withdrew his gaze.
“Where was I? Ah, right. That year, my few elf friends and I were still wandering through the region of Ende in the far north.”
“Back then, just like today, I liked to write things down. I carved a story onto a stone tablet—a tale about a sword that belonged to the Demon King. I can’t remember the exact details; I wrote so many similar stories back then.”
“As for that sword, it was a blade that only true powerhouses among the demons could see—a formidable weapon, the kind that was even stronger to use than my [Fire Punch].”
“My elf friend felt that something so powerful ought to have a safeguard. So, she casually placed a [Barrier Sealing Magic] over it, and I casually moved a mountain to cover it up.”
“It was supposed to be a fun little prank. But then the Demon King somehow lost his mind and sent two Great Demons to assassinate us.”
“During the second assassination attempt, I got separated from her.”
“Now, I have a bit of a temper myself, and I certainly wasn’t about to give them a third chance to assassinate me.”
Chris was utterly engrossed in the tale.
“So you decided to strike first this time?”
“No, I chose to flee even further south.”
“Though I wasn’t idle along the way either—I wrote a good number of short stories. If I had to guess, that demon named Rivale who was tasked with hunting me down is probably still trapped in some barrier, unable to get out.”
Chris suddenly chimed in, “You really should stop researching your Introduction to Magical Theory (Part II) and write some storybooks instead.”
Link let out a soft laugh, leaving her suggestion unaddressed.
Was she joking?
The stories he wrote were all fake—just made-up nonsense to entertain gullible fools.
Who could possibly believe them?
Those magical theory books, on the other hand, were 100% genuine!
Their casual banter was interrupted by a knock at the door.
Unless something unexpected had occurred, Serie had arrived.
Link let out a heavy sigh.
“Chris, Gatekeeper—go open the door.”
Chris stood up immediately, heading downstairs toward the main entrance.