Chapter 49: The Land of Dead

“Medea, I’ll be back in a second.”

A sweaty workout with Medea dehydrated him. He opened the door, only to find an abundance of darkness outside as if his room had teleported into the depths of the abyss.

“Haru, you’re too careless,” Kaede gently scolded him. “You didn’t put a bounded field around the room before you pounced on her. Think about poor Sakura.”

Haruki rubbed his forehead. “Thanks, Kaa-san. You saved me.”

Her caring side always touched him. He got so horny that he ended up forgetting about his new lover. He didn’t know how to face Sakura if she heard Medea’s moans.

Kaede brushed his hair with the wind. “It’s my responsibility.”

She didn’t seem bothered by his intercourse with Medea.

“What did you do by the way?”

“I isolated your room in a different dimension. It’s an advanced-level bounded field. I’ll teach you after the war.”

A glance at Medea’s surprised expression told him how impressive his mother’s feat was. Medea could build a bounded field that isolated an area from the world, but with days of preparation.

“I look forward to learning from you,” Haruki said.

“And I look forward to the day I’m back, Haru.”

Kaede ended the bounded field. Haruki went into the kitchen and hydrated himself.

‘I want an inventory.’

He was so jealous of the protagonists who could carry everything in their inventory.

‘I'll obtain one of the True Magic for this.’

He only knew the Second, Third, and Fifth Magic. None of them governed over the concept of space so far. The First or Fourth Magic might be related to space.

Haruki returned to his room and stepped into the door with Medea. He felt the space around him shift. Iridescent light exploded and dyed the black surroundings. He opened his eyes to a jaded door. Torches lit by vivid blue embers were mounted on both sides of the wall. The peculiar flames reminded him of will-o'-the-wisp from folklore.

Medea’s eyes darted around. An evil aura clung to the walls, even mixing itself in the air. She couldn’t grasp where or what this place was, just that this place had an evil aura. Usually, her magical energy should have stopped anyone from teleporting her. Yet, she was pulled in all the same without her consent.

Haruki was calm as ever even in the face of this evil aura. Rather, he didn’t feel a thing as if his dragon body made him immune to such effects.

“Let’s enter,” he said.

Haruki stepped forward and pushed open the door with one hand. The same blue torches illuminated the way to an otherwise dark corridor.

[First floor: The Land of Dead.]

‘You even modified the system for this?’

“I had to,” Arch said, taking pride in her achievement. “I have modified the system for a couple more high-ranking items that function like the key.”

‘You’re sweet.’

“Your glib tongue won’t work on me.”

‘I never use my glib tongue on others.’

Before stepping into this unknown world, Haruki created numerous tasks. The failed gacha attempts made him lust for more coupons.

Task #7: Training

Objective: Clear the first floor of the Land of Dead.

Difficulty: F-Rank

Rewards: 3 X Low-Rank Gacha Coupon

Task #8: Training

Objective: Clear the second floor of the Land of Dead.

Difficulty: F-Rank

Rewards: 3 X Low-Rank Gacha Coupon

...

A task for the floor of the Land of Dead. The E-Rank difficulty spanned from the 5th to 6th floor, and each task rewarded him with 1 Mid-Rank Gacha Coupon. While 7th to 14th floor were D-Rank, giving 1 High-Rank Gacha Coupon for each task.

‘This difficulty was scaled for me before my awakening?’

Otherwise, this place wouldn’t be in low-difficulty mode. Arch molded an entire place for him to grow stronger, how could she let him have it easy?

‘Arch?’

“What?”

The goddess answered as if she couldn’t read his thoughts.

‘Forget it.’

Two balls of blue flames appeared at the end of the corridor. A skeleton with a helmet atop its head and a rusty sword in its hands. It looked like a level 1 skeleton every role-playing game dungeon had.

“Medea, don’t interfere in any of the fights unless I’m close to death.”

Medea was taken aback by his declaration. Knowing his strange ability to grow through battles, she nodded in acknowledgment.

“I won’t.”

Haruki gripped his spear and charged at the skeleton. A simple swing of his spear launched the skeleton back into the wall. It crumbled into dust, leaving behind a white marble.

“A drop. It’s like a game dungeon.”

“Indeed,” Arch agreed. “Pick it up.”

Haruki walked over and grabbed the marble. He could feel the magical energy inside the tiny marble.

[Magical Essence (Low-Rank)]

Info: The crystallization of magical energy.

His mind raced at that moment, and a plan too mischievous to be put into words formed. He tucked the marble in his pocket and grinned.

‘It’s perfect.’

“Wasn’t it weaker than my Dragon Tooth warrior?”

Haruki nodded at Medea’s question. “Well, it’s only the first floor.”

‘Let’s hope Arch didn’t put an evil god on the last floor.’

“You’re raising flags there, my boy,” Arch humored his fighting spirit. “Though this recklessness is what makes us dragons.”

‘Speak for yourself. I’m a cautious fellow.’

He continued his journey in the dungeon. He encountered a couple more skeleton soldiers before a new type of skeleton blocked their path. The bones peeking out of its dull bronze armor were pure white as though someone polished them not long ago. The ax in its bony hands was thicker than the rusty swords wielded by weaker skeleton soldiers.

The skeleton guarded the door that led to the next floor.

‘It’s boss?’

Haruki repeated the same process of rushing at the skeleton and swinging his spear. The skeleton instantly crashed into the wall to its left and crumbled just like its minions.

[Task completed. Well done!]

[3 X Low-Rank Gacha Coupons rewarded.]

“Boss,” Haruki muttered with a deadpan face. “Was that it?”

[Magical Essence (Mid-Rank)]

Info: The crystallization of magical energy.

At least it dropped a higher-ranked marble after its demise.