Asta's Adventure

From the force of the blow, the knight was sent crashing into the ground, his armor cracking even further. At the same time, Asta staggered from the pain and collapsed to the ground. Blood seeped from the deep wounds in his chest, where a sword still protruded. It seemed like the end. But suddenly, the knight slowly rose to his feet.

— You… passed the trial, — he rasped, pulling a small vial from somewhere.

Approaching Asta, the knight thrust the potion into his hands. Asta, barely able to comprehend what was happening, gave the knight a bewildered look.

— This is a healing potion. Drink it, and your wounds will disappear, — the knight said calmly.

Before Asta could ask what kind of magic this was, the knight—along with the sword embedded in Asta's chest—vanished. Only his echoing words lingered:

— You have proven yourself worthy of the treasures.

For a few moments, silence reigned. Grimacing from the pain, Asta examined the vial. Deciding not to waste time, he downed the potion. Instantly, all his wounds vanished, and the exhaustion that had plagued him melted away as if it had never existed. He felt stronger than ever before.

— Alright, now I can run around again! — he exclaimed with excitement. But before he could act on this burst of energy, a bird suddenly crashed into him.

— Ow! Ow, ow, ow! Stop it, Secre, I'm sorry! I won't do it again, I swear!

After a few moments of pecking, Secre finally relented and perched on his shoulder. To Asta's surprise, the bird wrapped its wings around him in what seemed like an apologetic hug.

Just then, David appeared out of nowhere.

— You did it, you little brat! — David shouted, pulling Asta into a bone-crushing hug that could have snapped the ribs of any normal child.

— Yeah, I guess I did, — Asta replied modestly, his face flushing with embarrassment.

A few minutes later, they entered the treasure vault. What they saw made their jaws drop: a mountain of gold, jewels, and ancient artifacts spread out before them.

— Whoa! Look at all this money! — Asta yelled, darting around like a child in a candy store, marveling at every shiny object he could find.

Meanwhile, David pulled out a monocle from his spatial bag and began inspecting artifacts, moving methodically from one to the next.

— Hey, David, what are you doing? — Asta asked, noticing how intently David was studying a peculiar-looking box.

— I'm looking for artifacts, — David replied without glancing up. — This monocle provides a brief description of each item. It helps me figure out what's truly valuable.

— Wow! And what about the rest of this treasure? — Asta asked, gesturing to the enormous pile of riches.

— Take whatever you want. I have more than enough. I'm only interested in artifacts.

Asta's jaw practically hit the floor.

— Seriously?! You're just going to leave all this behind? Who are you, some kind of crazy rich guy?

David simply shrugged.

— By the way, the dungeon will collapse in a couple of hours. You'd better hurry and grab anything you think is valuable, — he added casually.

Without wasting a second, Asta began frantically grabbing anything that looked remotely expensive. Meanwhile, Secre flew off his shoulder, flapping her wings insistently to guide him deeper into the vault. Following her lead, Asta found himself standing before a pile of rusty weapons.

— What the…? — he muttered, furrowing his brow.

Secre, however, kept flapping her wings, as if demanding he take the weapons.

— But they're rusty! — Asta protested. — I don't have enough space to carry junk!

After a few insistent taps from her wings, Asta reluctantly gave in and picked up the weapons.

When they returned to David, he was holding another spatial bag.

— Here, take this, — David said, handing it to Asta. — I found an extra one. I've already put some useful items and a few mementos in it. There's also enough money to let you and a family of ten live like nobles for the rest of your lives.

Noticing the rusty weapons in Asta's hands, David chuckled.

— Asta, why are you carrying around a bunch of rusty junk? They're worthless.

Asta gave Secre a confused look, silently asking, "Are you serious? They're just regular weapons?"

Secre said nothing, but she knew the truth: the weapons possessed extraordinary properties. They could nullify magic entirely, which likely explained why the monocle's analysis had failed, making them appear ordinary.

After a brief exchange, Asta and David finally exited the dungeon. At the edge of the forest, David turned to Asta and extended his hand.

— Well, it's time for me to go. I need to get back home—it's been a while. I promise to check in on you sometime.

— Alright, good luck, David!

The two shook hands before going their separate ways. Asta returned to the village, where Father Orsi nearly had a heart attack upon seeing his bloodstained and tattered clothes. But in the end, everything turned out fine.

(Asta left the dungeon with a rusty sword featuring a ruby, throwing knives, and a shield.)