*Birthmark*

The sound of the System echoed again in his head, and a message similar to those he had already received appeared on the holographic screen:

[ Congratulations, you killed a level 10 Knight Goblin. You earned 450 gold coins, 150 experience points, and a low-grade box. ]

[ Congratulations, you have leveled up. 1 point has been added to all your STATS. ]

Kevin still couldn't believe it. If fighting monsters gave him so many experience points, he would need to find more dungeons in the future to train.

[ STATS ]

Name: KEVIN

Race: Human

Level: 3

Class: Mage

Experience: 80 / 300

Strength: 6

Agility: 6

Stamina: 6

Soul Force: 186

Perception: 12

HP: 26 / 30

Axel came up to Kevin's side and took the hand he had used to stab his blade into the knight goblin's eyes. Axel frowned and said, "Good thing you have everything we need to take care of that wound in your magic bag. We can't afford for it to get infected. Maybe you should just bandage each of your hands if you're going to use your blades like this. I felt that you had two more on your back earlier and maybe you put some elsewhere too, right?"

Kevin nodded, feeling a little strange. It was the first time someone had cared for him, and it actually felt great.

He took out what he needed to heal and bandage his hands as Axel had suggested, but Axel didn't intend to let him do it alone. He took care of the wound on Kevin's hand himself and bandaged both of his hands to limit his injuries.

Axel then asked, "So, how many blades do you have on you?"

Kevin smiled and replied, "Always six, not counting my daggers, of course: two on my back, one on each forearm, and one on each thigh."

Once his hands were bandaged, he said to Axel, "Thank you, it's much better this way."

Axel replied, ruffling his hair, "You're welcome." He then added, his eyes shining with excitement, "That monster probably had to protect something; let's go check it out, Kev."

Kevin smiled. Axel seemed to love looting dungeons, so he asked him, "Axel, is it easy to find dungeons?"

Axel promptly replied, "Not really. There are only about 40 to 50 openings around the Sun Sect every month, and everyone is fighting for them."

Seeing Kevin look disappointed, he reassured him, "If you really like it, I could always try to find some in more remote places. But I can't promise that I'll let you fight every time; you'll see when we get to the boss room that these monsters can be very dangerous."

Kevin nodded and said, "I would love that; it's perfect for training. Plus, this treasure hunt is super exciting!"

Just as he finished his sentence, the System sound echoed once more in his head, and a message appeared out of nowhere, pointing to a rock at the end of the tunnel.

[ MEDIUM GRADE BOX ]

Kevin grabbed Axel's hand and dragged him toward the rock. At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary rock, but Kevin leaned over to examine it more closely. After fumbling around, he finally found a mechanism that resembled a lock.

He looked more closely and said to Axel, "Axel, do you think that with my dagger you could destroy this lock?"

Axel, who was kneeling near the rock to see what Kevin was doing, never would have discovered that this rock was a hidden box. How had Kevin guessed it? It was obvious that it was his first time entering a dungeon—so how?

Axel took Kevin's chin and swiveled it toward him. "If you want me to trust you, I told you to tell me the truth. So how did you find this hidden box?"

Kevin sighed, smacking his hand. "You were the one who wanted me to tell you the short version. Remember, I had no intention of hiding it from you, even though I think I'm already lucky that you believe me this far."

Axel then caressed Kevin's cheek with his thumb, which made him blush. Axel said, "Even if I still had doubts—and that wasn't the case—they would have been swept away after seeing you fight those goblins. So, Kev, what are you still hiding from me?"

Kevin said, "I hope you have an open mind, Axel. And stop doing that; I can't concentrate."

Kevin removed his hand from his face, and while Axel smiled at his behavior, he said, "Three days ago, Kevin turned 18, and the director of the orphanage gave him two things: 20 gold coins to enroll in the Sun Sect and a book his parents had left for him. This book was sealed, and he couldn't manage to open it. Luckily, I had seen you train with your sword; otherwise, Alan would never have talked to me about the blood pact you made with it. Anyway, I tried this method to open it, and it worked."

Axel opened his eyes wide and exclaimed, "You mean this book was a magical artifact?"

Kevin nodded, stood up, and took off his shirt to show Axel the pentagram that had appeared on his chest, wondering if Axel would know more about its meaning.

Axel didn't have time to appreciate the sight of Kevin's bare chest; his gaze fell on the mark, and he instantly turned pale.

Kevin saw his reaction and asked, "What's the matter? This mark appeared when I opened the book."

Axel stood up and leaned against the wall of the tunnel, then said to him, "You really don't know the meaning of this mark, do you?"

Kevin shook his head, waiting for the rest, and Axel continued, "It's a birthmark, Kev. It means you belong to the royal family. And no matter how recently this mark has appeared, with it, you can inherit the throne. Congratulations! You just have to go to the capital, and all doors will be open to you."

Kevin smiled at him; he understood the sarcastic tone with which Axel had said that. He saw that Axel was very upset, probably thinking that he would leave him to go to the capital and enjoy that kind of treatment.

He was just too cute to act like this. He got dressed and moved to hug him, saying, "I already told you that I had no intention of leaving and that I wanted to stay with you."