Chapter 343

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on April 8, 2025

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343 – A Time for Advancement #3

“Ah, the gravekeeper of the West Gate. That peculiar fellow who buries corpses in abandoned lands. I’ve heard something about that man.”

The day after visiting Paranoi and the West Gate Cemetery.

I told the gravekeeper, who said he would sell land if I could use necromancy, to give me a bit more time.

Though I can now handle some 1st Tier magic like Light Vessel, I still haven’t learned anything about necromancy.

So, I turned my steps towards Baron Fleur’s villa located on South Gate Street.

As usual, the large mansion was draped in darkness, blocked by heavy curtains covering all the windows.

Not a sliver of light penetrated through. Black curtains sealed every window.

It was a lonely and desolate mansion where no one’s footsteps ever came.

And such a place was the perfect setting for practicing dark magic like necromancy.

Opposite me in the reception room sat Baron Fleur.

Wrapped entirely in black clothing, his blue eye glow illuminated as he addressed me.

“That gravekeeper, indeed, selling land to someone like you should not be unusual. So, you’ve rushed here to learn necromancy from me?”

“Yes. As you mentioned last time, I’ve opened the 1st Tier mana channels. What should I do next?”

I recalled the time I spent with Elpride last week.

What is Elpride doing now, I wonder?

She’s probably holed up in her inn, reading books.

I thought about visiting her, but for some reason, I felt extremely awkward and embarrassed, so I couldn’t bring myself to take a step. Back then, the mood was right.

Thinking about it now, I did something quite embarrassing with her.

I’m wondering how I will even face her again—just as that thought crossed my mind, Fleur spoke.

“It must be done step by step. We’ll start with an introduction to necromancy and its history, spanning approximately four semesters.”

Swoosh.

I remembered that this man named Fleur had once been a professor at a magic academy. It was bound to be extremely theoretical lessons. Four semesters, which means about two years?

But, at the moment, I didn’t have that much time.

“Can’t it be shortened?”

“Of course, it can, but it will be both dangerous and arduous. Tell me, you mentioned before that you could use necromancy before being sealed?”

“Yes, I… I resurrected some Bone Goblins. I also dealt with a dead Wyvern.”

“Ah, I see. Handling Bone Goblins would place you around 2nd Tier and dealing with a Bone Wyvern would roughly be 4th Tier. But, given the blue eye glow, it suggests that the 5th Tier necromancy power-enhancing dominance was already activated deep within you.”

I had no idea what the man was trying to say.

But come to think of it, it does make sense. I’m only at a level where I should just be entering elementary magic classes, whereas he’s teaching me something at university level.

With great difficulty, I managed to ask:

“What does that mean?”

“At the very least, you could proficiently use necromancy up to 5th Tier without flaw. Consider this—most mages can only achieve 5th Tier by the end of their lives, which is quite remarkable.”

“Wow…”

I don’t fully understand what it means, but it seems like I have tremendous potential. But, thinking about it, it does feel rather obvious.

Even now, it’s difficult to accept, but I’m known as the son of Pluto, the god of the underworld, right? If that’s the case, using necromancy should naturally come easily to me.

“You’re the son of Pluto. If you work hard, you can probably reach 7th Tier necromancy. That’s the zenith I barely achieved in this cursed immortal body. Perhaps you can go beyond that.”

“Beyond that…?”

“Nothing is known beyond the 7th Tier yet. I would also like to see what lies beyond. But, for that, you must enter the Ghost Cave.”

“Ghost Cave?”

The mere name sounds foreboding. Chills ran down my spine.

I’ve heard of the Devil’s Cave on Mount Cheonggyesan, but “Ghost Cave”? Is it some kind of horror center in a theme park? Of course, I know it isn’t something so simple.

“Follow me-.”

*

Baron Fleur.

Upon reflection, he was known as a great eccentric in the world of Sodomora. People talked about how he collected bizarre antiques no one wanted, how he exhumed graves to feast on the bodies, and how those who entered his mansion never emerged alive.

All these rumors connected him with haunted houses or abandoned ruins. But seeing as Fleur was, in reality, an undead mage, a lich, such rumors made perfect sense.

Still, Fleur added a small excuse about these rumors.

“Most of the rumors about me stem from this mansion’s basement. There is a deep and vast mine shaft here, where several evil spirits are sealed.”

“Evil spirits…?”

I contemplated the existence of ghosts.

Originally, I didn’t believe in ghosts or such supernatural entities, but in a world where magic and curses exist, they were real.

They just don’t have physical forms, so without enchanted magical weapons, it’s hard to drive them away.

“If you go down here, you’ll find a passage leading to the Ghost Cave.”

With that, Fleur pulled open a heavy iron door.

Creeeak, whoosh-.

As the rusted door opened, a strange cold wind slapped against my face.

The eerie noise didn’t feel like a mere wind but rather like someone’s scream or laughter, giving me the creeps.

“Let’s go.”

Without minding the eerie atmosphere, Fleur moved toward the dark staircase. The spiral staircase, with torches lit here and there.

We descended in silence; only the sound of wind and footsteps echoed against the cold walls.

Thud, thud-.

We seemed to have descended several floors already, but the seemingly endless staircase showed no sign of ending. Wherever would this lead?

Right when I was feeling a bit uneasy, Fleur finally spoke.

“The Lord of the Netherworld, Pluto. Some wicked spirits escaped his gaze and fled to the mortal realm. The creatures sealed in the Ghost Cave were captured by Pluto’s followers and sealed in pitch-black darkness.”

“Does that mean there are a lot of ghosts?”

“There were many. But whether there are still many now, I’m not sure. You’ll see once you enter.”

I had no idea what Fleur was implying. But it seemed he had no intention to explain further, so I didn’t press the matter.

After descending the stairs for quite a while, we finally stopped at the end of the staircase in front of a giant door.

Bathed in the light, it was quite a large door, made of two metal panels. And on it was inscribed a small sign.

“To all who enter here – abandon every hope.”

I’ve seen this phrase somewhere before. The ominous atmosphere of the door and the chilling winds flowing from beyond were all too familiar.

It reminded me of the time I was meditating with Elpride to learn about mana sensitivity. A similarly vast iron door appeared before me as I floated in an endless void.

When that iron door opened, razor-sharp claws with eerie blue eyes swayed as if about to tear me apart.

“Ho, it seems you have some impression of this place?”

Lost in thought, Fleur’s voice brought me back. I quickly responded:

“No, I just feel like I’ve seen something like this somewhere.”

“Of course, you would. This door was modeled after the entrance to the underworld. It’s a makeshift hell built above ground.”

Swoosh, that makes sense.

I chose silence instead of replying.

Fleur continued:

“Enter. We don’t know what will happen or what the outcomes might be, but nothing teaches necromancy like confronting intense fear. Believe me, it’s highly effective.”

“Highly effective? Does that mean someone has tried it?”

“Yes. Many priests of Pluto have entered to gain power. You might even meet them inside. But I hope you don’t —”

He chuckled ominously, a haunting laugh resonating from the abyss.

Creeeek—

Suddenly, the iron door began opening from the inside, though neither of us touched it.

“It seems they know you’ve arrived, Ziggres. Go in. But beware — you’ll most likely face your greatest fears.”

Whoosh-.

A chilling wind.

Interspersed with subtle cries and shrieks.

“Hotssan! What are you doing here? Come inside already-!”

Among the voices, there was one strangely familiar. Luna? Of course, Luna couldn’t possibly be here — she should be heading to Ideope.

These must be illusions trying to lure me, akin to the hallucinations I experienced in Erabor’s Abyss.

Fleur asked:

“Do you hear something?”

“Yes, very clearly.”

“This is the first time since Vincent that anyone can hear voices at this entrance.”

“Vincent? Do you mean Vincent, the High Priest of Pluto?”

“Yes, in my youth, Vincent and I entered and exited this place. A lot has changed since then. Even now, thinking about it gives me nightmares.”

“Even after becoming a lich, you still have nightmares?”

“Yes. What lies here inside is sheer nightmare and fear. You’ll understand better once you experience it firsthand. So, it’s not too late. Would you like to return?”

“Come inside-. Hurry-.”

I faltered between Fleur’s words and the voices coming from the deep darkness. Normally, I would have turned around, closed the door, and fled without a second thought.

But then, flee like your father did. Run away! Run far-.

If I ran away now, it would make exceeding my father’s accomplishments seem like a pipe dream.

Swoosh, all right. Let’s take the bait.

I slowly entered the Ghost Cave. The moment I stepped into the darkness, the iron door behind me slammed shut.

Whoosh-.

With a strong wind, I was left alone in the darkness. I briefly panicked but regained my composure and recited a spell.

“Light Vessel-.”

Small orbs of light floated above my palm. Though it only gave off light equivalent to a small lantern, it was enough to illuminate my immediate surroundings.

But just at that moment.

Swish-.

Something sharp, like a hook, suddenly grabbed my leg.

“Uuuurgh, shi-what the-!”

Regaining my senses quickly, I realized whatever had me was a dark, black hand. Or was it even right to call it a hand?

It felt oddly slimy and slick, like the tentacles of an octopus or cuttlefish filled with ink.

Whooshh-.

The crucial matter was that it had grabbed my leg and was dragging me into the endless darkness.

“Let go!”

Screech-.

I quickly drew my dagger and slashed towards my leg with all my might.

Kkkiiiaa-!

The upgraded Garimori dagger, which cost me two gold, sliced through some fleshy mass, finally freeing me from the restraint.

Kiieeeeek-!!

Under my feet, the grotesque tentacle writhed and shrieked. I stomped on it hard, feeling a squelching sensation, and soon a suffocating silence enveloped the surroundings.

A sticky silence pressed against my body.

Since being dragged by the tentacle, I had been pulled around roughly for tens of meters, leaving me unable to determine my current position.

It was difficult to find the door to exit again.

Considering something might suddenly emerge from the darkness around me, I felt an uncontrollable fear. But to mask my fear and gain some courage, I yelled into the darkness.

“Come on out, coward-!”

My roar echoed loudly. It was quite a loud sound, enough to somewhat ease my fear.

Shouting is perfect for chasing away fear and instilling courage.

You fear so much, Hotssan. Yelling like that won’t change a thing.

At that moment, someone whispered into my ear. It was delicate but resembled the sound of scratches on glass, incredibly awful.

You are cowardly and weak. How could they give up everything and flee just to produce someone like you?

“Huh?”

You are a failure, Ziggres. And yet, you possess everything I desire. I cannot forgive you. I cannot tolerate you.

Clatter, Clatter-.

I’ll make you experience your worst nightmare. Indeed, will you be able to endure it?

“Sh-t! Nightmares you say?”

Only then did I recall what Fleur said at the entrance: that I’d face what I fear the most.

What is my greatest fear?

Since I’m terrified of so many things, it’s hard to predict what will appear. Hydra? Lions? Kanpfride becoming furious because I keep dodging her whip? No, it’s probably not something like that.

I imagined an utterly horrifying giant spider.

A spider as large as me, with huge fangs, popped into my mind.

If such a creature leapt out of this darkness, I’m sure I’d faint in less than a minute. Please, anything but a spider.

After praying for a few seconds,

Swish-.

What emerged from the darkness wasn’t a spider, to my relief.

But, in a way, it might have been even more terrifying than a spider.

The first thing I noticed was its towering height, at least a head taller than mine.

A helmet resembling a crown, with long black hair flowing down from underneath. A thick beard.

An armor crafted from leather, bones, and black fabric covered its muscled arms, holding a double-headed spear.

“Uh… Is this for real-?”

The appearance was unfamiliar, but despite the darkness obscuring details, I knew who this was.