“Do you think I can stay here?” William asked.

His main goal was to remain in the cave, level up, explore its deeper parts, defeat monsters, and earn experience points (EXP). However, Jhen believed he should wait a while before venturing further.

“You should first master a few more spells,” she advised, leaning forward to whisper to him. “I don’t want my future king to lose his life inside this dungeon.”

She was concerned for him because of his royal bloodline. William was the hope for the people of the demon kingdom, and Jhen would never forgive herself if something happened to him.

William understood her feelings. “Alright, no problem.”

They headed back to the house where they were staying. Along the way, a few villagers came to greet them.

“Thank you for protecting us,” the villagers said.

With every additional soldier from the army that arrived, the villagers felt safer. The dungeon had brought much death, so having the army to protect the area meant a lot to them.

William noted the villagers who had come to speak with them. Despite not being powerful—most were farmers, fishers, and the like—it was evident that their bodies were much stronger than those of the farmers and fishers from the human kingdom. This was due to the demonic bloodline running through their veins.

Victoria was sitting on a wooden chair in front of the house, waiting for their return. When she saw William, she smiled.

“You two are finally back,” she said.

William chuckled. “That’s because Jhen wouldn’t let me explore; otherwise, I would have been gone for days.”

“Really? Remember, you still need to help me train,” Victoria said.

“I know, I know. But first, you need to awaken your bloodline. Speaking of which, how will we do that, Jhen?”

Victoria deserved the bloodline after everything she had done to help William.

Jhen answered without hesitation. “It’s a ritual requiring a few ingredients, the most important of which is your blood. I can gather everything in about three days.”

Three days wasn’t a long time to wait, especially considering Victoria had been patient for much longer. She nodded. “I can wait that long.”

Before they knew it, three days had passed. William had completed another volume of basic demonic training and was now proficient in numerous fire and black fire spells. His mastery of meditation had improved as well, leading to a rise in his Demonic Energy by around 30 points—essentially double what he had before!

Things were looking great for him. His physical attributes had also increased, indicating that the demonic energy was transforming his body in ways he could not fully comprehend.

However, there was still one important thing he wanted, and Jhen knew how he could obtain it.

“Jhen, do you know where I can get a class?” William asked as he and Jhen sat in front of the fireplace one night.

Up until that point, he did not have a class. While he could have chosen a standard class, he wanted something truly suited for him.

Jhen had important information for him. “Remember I told you about the royal palace that’s now underground and how a noble family has taken control of it? If we can get there, there’s a special room where you can access something that grants you your class. I don’t know the details, but that’s how the royal family always did it, and they have the strongest demon classes.”

That was good news for William. He knew that the bloodline he possessed—though he still didn’t fully understand why—was a significant part of his identity. William was one of the summoned heroes, yet from the very beginning, he felt a deep connection to the demon kingdom, to the point where Asura recognized him as its master. For him, ignoring his roots and the potential reasons for being sent to this world was not ideal.

“But it won’t be easy to get to that palace, I assume,” he said.

“You’re right. You’ll need extensive training and to level up significantly. So, prepare yourself because it won’t be easy. Tomorrow, you’ll explore the dungeon and work on leveling up.”

Before William ventured into the dungeon, they performed a ritual to grant Victoria a demon bloodline. The process required specific ingredients that could only be found on the demon island, as well as William’s blood. While any blood could work, the purer, the better. For a moment, Victoria hoped she would inherit a royal bloodline too, but that was not the case.

“The bloodline will be based on your aptitude, which is still unknown. It won’t be a royal bloodline. The only way for you to obtain a royal bloodline is through marriage and an intimate relationship with William.”

Victoria blushed at that remark.

Jhen was the one leading the ritual, preparing the symbols, the ingredients, and the blood that would be directly injected into Victoria’s veins. The process itself was swift; in less than ten minutes, Victoria had her new bloodline. It wasn’t painful!

Well, she had sort of acquired her new bloodline.

“The blood will slowly adjust to your body, so you can expect to see the first signs of the bloodline in a few days. I think you’ll be able to start practicing the new spells you can learn within a week,” Jhen explained.

One of the main benefits of having this bloodline was access to unique meditation techniques, as well as exclusive demonic spells related to fire and black fire.

“Thank you very much,” Victoria said, hugging Jhen.

Receiving the bloodline meant a lot to her.

As for William, he had another mission. While Jhen was focused on ensuring the safety of the villagers due to the recent appearance of bandits in the region, and Victoria patiently awaited her bloodline’s fate, William needed to venture into the dungeon alone to explore and level up.

Jhen insisted that this was for the best. “Only in difficult times can you grow stronger, so you won’t have anyone accompanying you. I trust that a royal member of the demons can handle that place.”

Before he left, William asked Victoria if she could lend him the sword. Technically, the sword was originally his; he had simply allowed her to use it, but she didn’t know that.

“Of course you can have it,” she replied. “I wouldn’t sleep well if you went to such a dangerous place without a weapon to protect yourself.”

After retrieving Asura, William left the house they had been staying in and headed toward the dungeon.

Asura was happy to be with him again. “It’s nice to be with you again, master,” Asura said mentally to William.

“I know. Don’t worry, I’ll find another weapon for Victoria soon.”

The duo arrived at the dungeon shortly after. The guards stationed at the entrance saw William and greeted him.

“Sir William,” they said. “What brings you here today?”

Jhen, their captain, had instructed them to treat William well, and they were following her orders precisely.

“I’m heading into the dungeon,” he replied. “This is the perfect place to level up, right? Keep up the good work, you two.”

The guards thanked him as he entered the dungeon and began his descent, going deeper and deeper. On his way down, he noticed not only soldiers from the army but also adventurers eager to enter and level up.

These adventurers had to pay a fee, and a portion of the loot they collected from monsters inside the dungeon was claimed by the army. Despite this, they still considered it worthwhile.

The opportunity was simply too good to pass up. According to Jhen, the number of monsters below was incredibly high, and for some reason, they kept reappearing. It reminded William of the respawn mechanics he had seen in many different games.

Additionally, the monsters grew stronger the deeper one ventured into the dungeon, making it an efficient place to level up. Anyone could remain within a level range where they felt comfortable without risking their life unnecessarily.

William, however, needed to go much deeper. The army had secured the upper levels, but eventually, he reached an area where it was no longer safe to travel. At the entrance to this dangerous section, army guards stood watch, warning anyone who approached.

They didn’t recognize William. These guards lived and operated in the depths of the dungeon, and to them, he was just another adventurer.

“Be careful now, adventurer,” they warned. “Beyond this point, it’s no longer safe. If you die in there, that’s not our problem.”

William thanked their warnings, and moved forward. The moment he stepped inside, he felt how the atmosphere was different. It didn’t have the warming feeling of before.

There were no guards inside, no places to rest and eat something, nothing. It was just a realm packed with monsters.

Some might see that place as unwelcoming, a place to stay far away and avoid it, but William? It was an opportunity to grow stronger. He wanted to be the strongest summoned hero. He would prove all of them wrong.

The encounter with Sarah, his old classmate, made him realize how far behind he was from them. They had the best resources and teachers. William had to find ways to catch up.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep