I walked through the moss-covered forest, searching for something—something only I could find.
Behind me followed eleven women, ten of them dressed in clothes that could barely be called clothes.
Each of them wore an apprehensive, uneasy expression.
Naturally, the prostitutes were reluctant to follow me into the forest, but they weren’t hard to persuade.
What do prostitutes love more than anything?
Simple: money.
And it so happens that my mother isn’t stingy with money when it comes to me.
It still feels odd calling someone else ‘mother,’ even though she’s technically my blood relative and I’ve merged with Asmari.
But I’m slowly getting used to it.
I wandered the forest for a while, glancing right, left, and centre, irritation flaring within me.
Where the hell is this damn mountain?
I grumbled internally.
“Where are we going?” Mina asked curiously.
“You’ll see soon enough.” I replied casually.
She didn’t seem to like that answer.
“Where the hell are you taking us?” she demanded.
“And what’s gotten into you?
You have been acting weird ever since you woke up.”
But I suddenly came to a halt.
My eyes gleamed as I spotted a clearing in the heart of the forest.
Grass blanketed the ground, and the moonlight seemed to shine even brighter in that spot.
I strode eagerly toward the circular clearing.
My foot sank into the grass as moonlight washed over my face.
I shielded my eyes with one hand and looked up.
When my eyes adjusted, I saw it—the thing I’d been searching for.
Towering above, a colossal mountain rose endlessly into the night.
The sky was black, lit only by the blue moon’s cold glow.
It was a breathtaking sight for anyone who hadn’t seen it, and the others’ reactions only confirmed my opinion.
I tore my gaze away and steeled myself.
I placed a hand on my chest and chanted some random words I’d memorised.
“mhklmbak himlu alma tasam.” When I finished chanting, nothing happened.
Mina and the others looked at me with obvious confusion.
I couldn’t blame them; I didn’t even know what I was saying.
I stared at the mountain, anticipation mounting as I counted down from ten in my head.
When I reached five, I suddenly remembered something crucial and dashed over to Mina.
I grabbed her and, with only seconds to spare, hurled her into the forest.
She landed on the mossy ground, completely bewildered.
Before she could say anything, a column of light crashed down on us, flooding the clearing.
I managed some parting words to Mina before vanishing.
“Wait here; I’ll be right back.” And with that, the ten girls and I vanished in the light, leaving a thoroughly baffled Mina behind.
Before I knew it, I wasn’t looking at Mina; instead, I was looking down at a huge forest and, further away, a huge city with neon light everywhere.
I had teleported to the peak of the mountain.
The view was straight out of a fairy tale—even if I was, technically, living in one.
Still, it was extraordinary.
This would make a perfect date spot, I mused.
But before I could get lost in thought, a sudden pressure settled on our shoulders.
The women and I snapped out of our awe and turned around.
There stood an average-sized skeleton, clutching a staff topped with a purple orb.
It wore a dark purple robe that trailed to the ground—an undead, and the guardian of this place.
The pressure wasn’t overwhelming—just enough to command our attention.
But there was something undeniably sinister about it.
“What brings you to my domain?” the skeleton’s deep voice rang out.
I bowed in respect and spoke up.
“I greet the greatest mage in existence,” I said with a fantastical tone.
Of course, this undead wasn’t the greatest magic in existence, not even close.
There were probably third years better than her in the academy.
But I needed him to like me, so that some flattery wouldn’t do any harm.
“Oh, you know of this once greatness?” the skeleton said with a prideful look, but I could also see him taking glances at the women behind me, making them uncomfortable.
“Of course, Sir William; anyone who doesn’t know of your greatness is either an idiot or a moron,” I replied, awe colouring my tone.
My flattery seemed to work—he grew even more prideful.
“So young one, what brings you here?” he finally asked.
“I merely wish to pass, Sir William.”
“Oh, I assume you know you’ll have to fight me to get through, right?” I nodded and replied.
“Yes, but as you can see, sir, I have no way of defeating your greatness in battle.” The skeleton looked amused, but continued listening.
“With that said, I have a proposal.”
“Proposal?”
“Yes, a proposal.” I paused for dramatic effect before continuing.
“As you can see, I brought these ten wonderful women,” I paused again, “and all of them are here to experience Sir William’s greatness.”
All of the women became horrified when they realised why I had brought them here.
The undead smiled in understanding.
“Yes, we need more people like you, young one.
As a reward, I will allow you to pass me.” His smile deepened, lust filling his undead eyes.
I mirrored his excited smile and walked past him, leaving the ten horrified women behind.
“Are you just going to leave us like this?” one screamed.
“Please, I have a family to feed!” another cried out.
“You’re as ruthless and evil as the rumours say, you monster.
No wonder the princess rejected you,” I heard another say.
I didn’t utter a word and continued walking, indifferent to their suffering.
That was all it took for them to drop down on the floor and break down.
If I were just Lukas and not Asmari, I would definitely have felt sympathy for those prostitutes.
But Asmari has done way worse things.
So letting some prostitutes die didn’t really bother me, even though they didn’t do anything.
This also made me realise what personality had more control.
Well, I’ll make sure their family gets their money.
That way, I ain’t totally heartless.
Plus, the stronger I get, the better the chances for humanity to reach a good ending.
So think of their sacrifices as noble.
I shrugged it off and walked ahead for about one minute before seeing some stairs going down into a black hole.
I could hear the women’s cries turning into screams of fear and panic as I walked down the stairs, pretending I didn’t hear a thing.
I’m happy I didn’t bring Mina up here, I thought to myself.
The skeleton would definitely have taken her too, and her Aspect is way too valuable to lose.
I made the mistake of bringing a heroine here; it did not end well for her.
The skeleton ended up killing me and having his way with that heroine.
That’s also how I figured out that the skeleton is just a horny dude in disguise.
Although I still don’t understand how a skeleton could, you know what, never mind.
I swallowed my curiosity and continued walking down.
A while later, I reached the end of the stairs and before me was a huge door.
I seriously never understood why people need to make such a grand door.
I sighed and stepped up to the door.
“Open,” I commanded, and the giant door obeyed, creaking open with a grating sound that echoed in every direction.
I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me feel smug.
As the door opened, I saw a pitch-black room, with light illuminating only a certain part.
In the centre was a pedestal, and on top of it was the whole reason I made my journey here.
A red glowing book spun around whilst floating in the air—the book I had claimed in 99% of the routes I had taken in the game.
My favourite item in the whole game.
The eight-star sword manual.
One of fourteen eight-star sword manuals and one of the worst ones in the game.
Why was it one of the worst ones?
Because it wasn’t compatible with MC Kevin.
It used a katana, and Kevin was a double-edged sword wielder.
But I still chose it every single time because I was stubborn.
Even before becoming Asmari Dragaoth and having dragon blood inside my veins, I always had the stubbornness of a Dragon.
I also happen to be a huge katana fanatic, so that I wouldn’t choose anything other than a katana.
I approached the sword manual, reflecting on how easily I’d reached this stage.
Normally, you’d have to undertake a lengthy treasure hunt in the academy to discover both the location and the method to enter this place.
But since I already knew both the location and the incantation to bypass the skeleton, it was almost too easy.
I grinned and reached out to touch the book, feeling its ominous aura intensify as my hand drew nearer.
My hand made contact with it.
A/N
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