"Very well! Since Mr. Owen is willing to marry my daughter Leslie, we will sign the marriage contract on the spot to finalize this matter!" Duke Charles said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
Despite trying to suppress his emotions, a smile tugged at his lips, betraying his eagerness.
Leslie's marriage had been a headache for him, and House Ravenwood's reputation had repeatedly suffered because of her.
No noble suitor was willing to marry Leslie because her past actions had been utterly reckless. She had even burned down the palace of the Third Prince, to whom she was previously betrothed, without a second thought.
Now, this young man, possessing decent looks and talent, was willing to marry Leslie. Duke Charles feared that once Owen learned about Leslie's past, he might regret his decision. Therefore, he was eager to finalize the marriage contract as soon as possible.
As long as the marriage contract was signed in black and white, there would be no worry about Owen backing out. This way, House Ravenwood could resolve Leslie's marriage issue perfectly and secure a promising mage. It was a win-win situation!
Hearing that the marriage contract would be signed immediately, Owen's heart pounded. The reason he had agreed so quickly was due to a system task he needed to complete.
Agreeing verbally was no big deal since it lacked concrete evidence and was merely his acceptance without involving an actual marriage.
He had planned to bide his time, develop further, and figure out how to get closer to Leslie. However, once the marriage contract was signed, it would be a different story!
From what he knew about Leslie, she was a villain who pursued practical benefits. She could tolerate empty words because they didn't cause her any real loss. But truly marrying her would affect her plans and interests, something she would not tolerate.
She would undoubtedly target him!
Though it was still early in the anime timeline, Leslie's standing and influence were already considerable. In the capital, there was nowhere for him to hide. If Leslie sent an experienced gold-tier mage to assassinate him, what then? Given Leslie's ruthless nature, she would most certainly do it.
Owen, currently only a bronze-tier level 9 mage, was two whole tiers below a gold-tier mage! If an assassination were carried out, the danger posed by that gold-tier mage would be nearly on par with a platinum-tier. His current strength was far from enough to handle such a threat.
Feeling anxious, Owen sensed the system reacting to his distress and chimed in once again.
[Given the host's current low strength, you can choose one of the following three dungeons for training and improvement. Upon selection, you will receive a corresponding passive skill.]
Hearing the system's voice, Owen's eyes brightened slightly.
Not bad! This system was indeed considerate. Although he possessed god-tier talent, domains, and even artifacts, his tier was too low to truly harness their power.
Immediately, he focused his attention on the virtual screen before him.
The first dungeon, Nether Island, located on the Volga River north of the capital, was filled with strange creatures, ranging from bronze-tier to platinum-tier, and contained dragon blood.
Choosing this island would grant the passive skill [Dragon Scales]: Reduces damage from enemies up to one major tier higher by 20%.
Not bad, he thought. With this passive skill, combined with the domineering body technique Obsidify, I'd become a humanoid monster.
Owen blinked excitedly, convinced that the system's offerings were indeed top-notch. However, his steady nature urged him to refrain from immediately choosing Nether Island.
While [Dragon Scales] was powerful, it might not be the best fit for him right now. He decided to check the other dungeons before making a decision.
Scrolling down, he came to the second dungeon, the Twisted Jungle. Located south of the capital, this jungle was a gathering place for various jungle spellbeasts. Many powerful spellbeasts lurked there, and fortunate adventurers had numerous opportunities.
Choosing this jungle would grant the passive skill [Spellbeast Affinity]: Reduces hostility from enemy spellbeasts by half, neutral spellbeasts will naturally like you, and friendly spellbeasts will be inclined to befriend you.
"This passive skill..."
After reading through the options, Owen's expression became complicated. At first glance, the passive skill didn't seem particularly useful. However, being familiar with the storyline, he knew that most areas of the magic continent were occupied by spellbeasts.
Especially in places where rare treasures were born, those areas were almost exclusively controlled by top-tier spellbeasts.
With this passive skill, venturing into dangerous places would not only be much safer but could also yield numerous benefits. Unlike humans, spellbeasts might treat you as a friend if they took a liking to you, even offering their precious treasures.
This passive skill was extremely unique and rare. If it weren't for his current life-threatening situation, Owen would have greatly appreciated this skill. Unfortunately, it wouldn't boost his combat power in the short term; rather, it resembled more of a beast tamer's divine skill.
Consequently, Owen turned his attention to the last option.
**Pharaoh's Tower**, located west of the capital, is rumored to be the burial site of an ancient, unknown emperor. Wraiths, ghosts, and mummies wrapped in cloth wander the area, guarding the emperor's eternal rest.
Pharaoh's Tower is filled with danger and secrets. Choosing this dungeon would grant the passive skill [Starlit]: which increases the speed of ranged magical attacks by three times (ranked from level 1 to level 3, with level 3 allowing casting faster than the speed of light).
A divine skill for ranged attacks! Owen thought, swallowing hard as excitement flickered in his eyes.
Generally, ranged magical attacks are powerful but relatively slow. With [Starlit], he could quickly eliminate monsters from a distance, ensuring safety, while the attack speed boost would make his magic incredibly swift!
This was perfect for someone looking to rapidly advance their tier, especially critical given his current low tier.
Most importantly, Owen suddenly remembered that Pharaoh's Tower held a tremendous opportunity. After being rejected by Princess Marry, John, the protagonist, had resolved to improve himself and ventured into Pharaoh's Tower, where he obtained the legendary [Order]—the Order of Thunder!
With this power, John's cultivation soared as he used the countless ghosts within the Tower as experience fodder. Three years later, he defeated Princess Marry, gained fame in the Azure Kingdom, and embarked on his legendary journey!
And considering the timeline, John had not yet entered Pharaoh's Tower! This was a golden opportunity! Encountering an [Order] was incredibly rare, and once mastered, it could dramatically enhance one's abilities.
While others saw Owen as a prodigy, he knew he was heavily reliant on the system. His inherent talent was quite ordinary.
But if he could obtain the Order of Thunder, he would truly become a top-tier prodigy in his own right. Faced with Leslie, the future villainess and Hell Queen, he would feel much more confident.
After thorough consideration, Owen chose Pharaoh's Tower! Upon making his choice, Owen's personal panel changed to reflect his decision.
[Name: Owen
Level: Bronze-tier lv9
Talent: Order of Merlin
Experience: 0/10000
Skills: Mana Void; Supreme Sword; Starlit (0/10000)
Weapon: Godslayer Staff (1/7)
Luck: 90 (Max 100)
Fate points: 300 (obtained by seizing the protagonist's opportunities; 1000 points unlock rewards in the Fate Store)]
While Owen was choosing from the three dungeons provided by the system, Duke Charles noticed that Owen seemed deep in thought and hesitant.
Growing increasingly anxious, Duke Charles quickly took out two marriage contracts that he had already signed and handed them to Owen as soon as he came back to his senses.
"Owen, don't worry. Although Leslie has a bit of a temper, she will surely change after the marriage. I'll make sure to teach her during this time," Duke Charles said persuasively. Owen understood the Duke's intentions at a glance but didn't say much.
He simply smiled and replied, "Alright, since the Duke insists, I'll sign the marriage contract. However, I plan to head to Pharaoh's Tower soon to improve my tier, so I won't be able to visit House Ravenwood."
Given his current low strength, he didn't want to meet Leslie too soon, especially since he didn't feel confident yet. He would wait until he obtained the Order of Thunder.
Hearing this, Duke Charles frowned slightly, sensing that Owen might be hiding something. "Could he be planning to use the dungeon as an excuse to run away?" he thought.
With this in mind, Duke Charles turned the heirloom jade ring on his thumb and put on a friendly smile.
"Pharaoh's Tower is filled with numerous ghosts and is extremely dangerous. This is Benedict, the commander of House Ravenwood's Wolf Guard. I'll have him accompany you to ensure your safety. If you need anything, you can let him know."