Reincarnated as a Villainous Duke (37) Who Gets Condemned by His Daughter ～I Stopped Acting Like a Villain, Yet My Daughter Keeps Becoming the 'Ice Lady'～ - Chapter 04: God-Speed Cheat

Chapter 04: God-Speed Cheat

“Orlea Old Stories” was technically a 3D CG game, and the fields were also displayed in 3D. But, of course, the resolution back then was nothing compared to the real forest in front of me now.

I was worried about whether I could navigate based on my game memories, but surprisingly, I reached my target location without any trouble.

Of course, I had to deal with a few monsters along the way, but for someone like me, destined to be a mid-level boss, they weren’t a problem.

“Ah, it’s here.”

In front of me stood an enormous tree. Its trunk alone looked to be about two meters wide, though that wasn’t particularly rare in this forest. What made this spot unique were the large boulders scattered on either side.

“Your Grace, is something the matter?”

Roland, the squad leader, asked as I stared up at the tree.

“Yeah. I’m about to perform a secret technique of House Blaumont. You all need to keep watch from a spot where you can’t see me.”

“Uh… A secret technique, sir?”

“That’s right. You must not watch. If you do, I’ll have to gouge out your eyes.”

“U-Understood! We’ll keep watch from a distance!”

When I put on my “duke-like” intimidating aura, Roland and the other three quickly ran off in different directions. They soon disappeared behind the trees.

Now, the reason I mentioned the made-up “secret technique of House Blaumont” to send them away was because—

“I need to see how much of this world matches the game.”

I touched the surface of the massive tree in front of me and sent a flow of magic into it.

A faint, circular magic circle appeared on the bark. Then, a hole large enough for a person to pass through opened up in the tree’s trunk.

“So it does exist… The ‘Hermit’s Trial Grounds.’”

I felt a mix of relief and disbelief as I stepped into the opening.

The “Hermit’s Trial Grounds” was simply a hidden feature in the game.

The lore described it as a secret dungeon created by the gods for fun. Anyone who reached its deepest level was said to receive a fragment of the gods’ power.

The powers varied, but some were so ridiculously strong they broke the game’s balance, almost like a cheat for bad players. In the game, it was only hinted that such places existed, but there were no clues about their exact locations. Back then, players shared info online, which made finding these secrets possible.

As I walked through the tunnel, which resembled a hollow tree, monsters appeared. They all looked like toy figures made of wood. For a bonus hidden dungeon, the effort put into these details was surprisingly high.

In front of me stood four wooden puppet-like monsters. They held wooden spears, but the tips looked as hard as metal.

“Hm…!”

I stepped in using “Shukuchi” (the high-speed movement skill) and activated “Retsuha,” a skill that extended my attack range. In a single slash, I cut down all four monsters at once. Being a mid-level boss, even in a hidden dungeon, these low-level enemies were no challenge for me.

I continued moving forward, cutting down wooden dog-shaped and bird-shaped monsters along the way. Eventually, I reached a massive wooden door—the entrance to the boss room. It had only taken about 30 minutes to get here. Since this was a hidden dungeon, it wasn’t particularly large.

I pushed open the door.

Inside was a dome-shaped room. In the center stood a giant wooden puppet about three meters tall. It held a wooden sword in each hand, but the blades gleamed with a metallic sheen.

“The ‘Guardian Puppet,’ huh? Let’s see if I can handle this alone…”

I gripped my mythril sword and gathered magic in my left hand. At the same time, the Guardian Puppet started moving.

It stomped forward, its footsteps echoing heavily, moving faster than its bulky appearance suggested.

I launched a preemptive strike with magic, casting “Flame Javelin”—a fiery spear spell. Given that my opponent was made of wood, fire was the obvious choice.

I waited until it was close before attacking, giving it no chance to dodge. All three fiery spears hit the Guardian Puppet directly, causing it to stagger back.

I seized the opportunity and used a combination of “Shukuchi” and “Retsuha” to slice through the Guardian Puppet’s right knee joint.

The puppet toppled over, crashing to the ground. Now it was just a useless wooden doll, thrashing around helplessly, unable to stand.

In the game, destroying limbs never affected enemy behavior like this, so this was a fresh experience. It was a reality-based mechanic, but I had to remember that the same rules applied to me as well.

Keeping my distance, I fired several “Flame Javelins” at the flailing Guardian Puppet until the hidden boss was finally defeated.

As the Guardian Puppet dissolved into glowing particles, it left behind a magic stone the size of a softball and a wooden staff as a drop item.

“The ‘Spirit Tree Staff,’ huh? It just looks like a plain wooden stick.”

At first glance, it seemed like a weak weapon, but since it was a hidden dungeon boss drop, it was a powerful piece of gear for mages, usable even in the late stages of the game. This world was likely the same. In fact, since this was a unique item, giving it to Forsina to win her over might be a good idea.

Though, judging by her attitude, I wasn’t sure she’d happily accept it…

Well, the drop items were just a bonus. What I really came here for was what came next.

As I stored the magic stone and the “Spirit Tree Staff” in my magic bag—a bag enhanced with spatial magic for extra storage—a glowing orb the size of a human head appeared in the center of the room.

Without hesitation, I reached out and touched the orb.

A voice echoed in my mind:

~You have overcome the trial. As a reward, I shall grant you one divine ability. However, you must have the potential to wield this power. Be warned.~

I see, so this is how it works. Unlike in the game, there were no options to select.

“I choose the speed of the gods.”

~Very well. I grant you the skill ‘God Speed.’~

As someone who was destined to be a mid-level boss and the heir to House Blaumont, I had trained relentlessly since childhood. My stats, like Strength, Endurance, and Magic Power, had already been maxed out.

Out of all my stats, I chose to further enhance my ‘Speed.’ In the game, speed wasn’t always the most useful stat, but in the real world, the ability to move faster in every way was incredibly valuable. Of course, even in the game, ‘God Speed’ was a skill that completely broke the balance.

I swung my sword, took quick steps, and even tested “Shukuchi” on the spot. I could feel my movements were ridiculously fast. On top of that, my eyesight and reflexes seemed to have improved too.

“This is a total cheat.”

For the first time since regaining my memories, I felt a sense of relief.

It seemed my game knowledge could actually be used to help me. With this, maybe I could survive this dangerous situation by relying on what I knew from the game.

Feeling a renewed sense of hope for survival, I left the boss room behind.