Chapter 155: The Second Hibernation (3)

Fwssshhh.

The stone door smoothly slid open to reveal a staircase leading down into the underground chamber.

bread stepped through the entrance.

In that moment…

Boom!

The door slammed shut behind him with a resounding noise.

Beep beep!

A strange sound accompanied the transformation of the stone door. It had been made of solid rock, but it suddenly changed color and developed a metallic sheen.

Startled by this sudden change, bread instinctively turned back. His face hardened at the sight of the now uniform metal door.

This isn’t ordinary metal, he thought.

Immediately, he drew his sword. The blade’s edge transformed into a sky-resembling crystal form. This was the ultimate Holy Sword technique—a one-tier warrior’s weapon capable of slicing through anything.

With a steely gaze, bread swung his sword at the door.

Krak!

A massive explosion erupted, sending white smoke scattering in all directions.

Bread was stunned to find a perfectly intact door amidst the destruction.

“What the hell?!” he muttered.

Despite swinging his holy sword at it, the door wasn’t even scratched! He struck the door repeatedly.

Bam! Bam!

The explosions echoed, but the metal door remained unscathed. Only a flicker of light danced across the door each time his attack landed.

After trying for a long time, Bread finally gave up. At the same time, cold sweat streamed down his back.

…It won’t be easy.

The rumor that no one had ever returned from the Great Tomb of Nazarick flitted through his mind. Fear arose but was swiftly devoured by greed.

I must… obtain control of this place.

If he could reach the top tier by exploring the dungeon, then he could overcome this obstacle.

As Bread, once again steeled in his determination, was about to descend the stairs, a white light flared before him. Startled, he raised his sword. “Who’s there?!” His voice boomed, filled with bewilderment.

What his eyes beheld filled his vision entirely: letters. Oddly, they seemed to form a voice in his mind—an unsettling voice, at once angry yet joyous.

As Bread scrutinized the script closely, more characters appeared.

Bread detected arrogance in the terse messages popping up one after another. It rubbed him the wrong way.

I don’t know who you think you are, but don’t you dare underestimate me, Bread!

Who did he think he was? Bread of the Wild Wind! He didn’t care who owned this arrogant dungeon; whoever they were, they’d picked the wrong opponent.

Empowered by this thought, he took another step forward.

That’s when the messages emerged once more.

Bread’s expression darkened at these mocking messages.

Bread swung his sword at the text. As the blade cut through the air and the words scattered, Bread let out a deep breath.

Whoosh.

Compose yourself. Unnecessary emotions are poison when you don’t know what’s in front of you.

Like a veteran of countless battles, Bread easily brushed off the provocation from an unknown entity. He slightly tensed up again, honing both his body and mind.

Then, a thought suddenly crossed his mind:

What does ‘Welcome to Hell’ mean?

It was a phrase he had never heard before. But such musings were fleeting.

With nothing left to obstruct his path, Bread resumed his steps, moving cautiously downward.

One foot in front of the other, he descended into the underworld, blissfully unaware of the hell awaiting him.

Time had twisted slightly…

Beeeeeep, Beeeeeep!

Hearing the warning sound from Louis’s door, Valentina gazed upon the intruder. Her face was rigid with tension.

”…How?”

Normally, a barrier that prevented detection was cast around Genelocer’s lair—a rather high-level one at that. Valentina had trusted in this barrier and, even when humans appeared near the lair for the first time in ages, she believed they would soon depart.

For humans, he’s quite strong, but he doesn’t seem to have the ability to break through the barrier.

Valentina expected the human to leave soon enough. Seeing this, she was about to turn away, thinking no harm would come of it.

If only a fleeting image of her slumbering son hadn’t crossed her mind at that moment…

The child of destiny… Her dear son, forever walking with death at his side.

Valentina recalled what Louis had experienced during his first slumber and paused, suddenly reluctant to leave. She watched the human intently.

How long had he been here?

She was astonished.

How?!

The man, who had seemed about to depart, suddenly exhibited suspicious behavior. It appeared as if he had discovered the weakness in her barrier through some entirely unexpected method.

Moments later, the human stepped across the threshold into the restricted area. And would you believe it—he headed directly for Louis’s sleeping chamber.

Watching this unfold from start to finish, Valentina felt goosebumps creep up her spine.

If I hadn’t known what Louis went through during his first sleep…

Had he lowered his guard and allowed that man to pass unchallenged… Surely, it would have put Louis’s life in jeopardy.

If such a thing had actually happened…

Could he have borne the weight of that guilt? Just contemplating this unwelcome future drained the color from Genelocer’s face.

Suddenly, darkness surged to life at his side, solidifying into his familiar form. Having sensed the intruder’s presence, he paused mid-step, his expression darkening at the sight of Bread descending the stairs.

“An intruder?” he muttered, incredulous. “But how did a human manage to slip through our barrier undetected?”

Valentina recounted exactly what she had witnessed, addressing her husband’s query.

Genelocer clicked his tongue upon hearing her account.

“I never thought such a flaw could exist in the barrier,” he muttered, seemingly contemplating the need for repairs.

At that moment, he noticed his wife’s pale complexion.

“What’s wrong? What’s troubling you?”

”…”

Valentina hesitated briefly before confiding her thoughts. In response, Genelocer gently embraced her shoulders.

“Don’t dwell on it. Why upset yourself over something that hasn’t even happened?”

“But…”

“Even if you missed the humans’ intrusion, I would have detected it. And…”

Genelocer’s gaze shifted towards the area where Bread had been going down into the ground.

“Haven’t you seen what it’s like down there?” asked Genelocer.

Valentina’s expression softened as she nodded. “Well…”

She understood how much work Louis had put into that underground space over time. Even if she and Genelocer hadn’t known about any intruders, this human wouldn’t stand a chance of even laying eyes on Louis.

Seeing Valentina’s mood improve slightly, Genelocer smiled. “Let’s keep an eye on them just to be safe.”

“Agreed.”

From now on, they had only one task: To see how long the intruder could survive.

Bread’s trial began when he thought Louis had disappeared for good only to reappear once again.

More than half of these new messages were nonsensical, but Bread didn’t have time to ponder their meaning. As soon as they vanished, arrows suddenly rained down on him from all directions.

Shunk.

Arrows flew towards Bread straight from walls, ceilings, and even stairs. The flash of his eyes hardened as he vigorously swung his sword while dashing forward.

Hwoosh.

A gust of wind was generated when he conjured up his attribute power, causing the arrows to bend and avoid hitting him. With such finesse, he managed to clear dozens of meters and descend.

The stairs suddenly quaked as the new message emerged.

Drum rumble…

Ch-ch-ch-k!

The edges of the steps quickly retracted, creating a steep incline.

Swish, swish, swish…

A brown liquid trickled out from the cracks in the slope.

Bread, caught off guard by the abrupt slipperiness, felt a surge of panic.

What is this?!

A sharp odor assaulted his nostrils.

Oil!

Already dealing with a sudden increase in incline, the added slickness made maintaining balance a formidable challenge.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

Shwip-shwip-shwip!

The arrows, momentarily stilled, resumed their relentless assault. Blades began to emerge from various points on the sloping surface.

Feeling slightly tense, Bread slipped and slid down while swinging his sword, narrowly avoiding the traps.

Once again, it seemed as though Bread would easily overcome the second stage. However, just as before, the signboard abruptly appeared:

Fire!

No sooner had the letters formed than sparks erupted from the slope before Bread. The flames quickly spread, engulfing him in an instant.

Whoosh!

Bread was instantly enveloped in a suffocating wave of heat that caused beads of cold sweat to stream down his body. Arrows and blades rained down on him from all directions. As he struggled to avoid these relentless traps, Bread’s movements became increasingly frenzied, with a few blades managing to graze his body.

Krrrk.

Shhhk.

The traps continued to activate, yet none dealt a fatal blow to Bread. As he swiftly descended the slope…

As the Conundrum Screen vanished, water surged from the walls and floor.

What’s this now?

The deluge doused the flames, puzzling Bread.

Why would it extinguish its own trap?

While Bread pondered this dilemma, the rising water had already reached his ankles. Shrugging off his questions, he sprinted ahead.

I don’t know what’ll happen next, but… I just need to get out of here!

Once he escaped this narrow sloping corridor, with its walls on both sides, Bread figured he’d be relatively safe. He pushed himself harder, moving even faster.

As if reading his thoughts, the Conundrum Screen materialized again:

As soon as the letters appeared, Bread heard an ominous sound.

Zzzt.

“N-no way!?”

The sound lingering in his ears compelled him to summon all his elemental power. In response, lightning crackled around him from all directions.

Zzzzttt.

“Arrrrgh!”

Despite protecting himself with elemental power, it was impossible to remain unscathed amidst the surging electricity.

I-I have to get out of here!

Bread gritted his teeth and pressed forward. Each step, each movement, sent pain surging through his body. Yet, he persisted, moving forward no matter the cost.

Who could say how much time passed?

Finally, Bread emerged from the narrow stairway, collapsing onto the ground with a thud.

“Grrrahhh…”

In the narrow passage, any ordinary being would have been instantly fried by the electric shock. But Bread, now in tier 1, had even survived that. While it caused him considerable pain and left burns all over his body, it wasn’t enough to kill him.

“Ble cough!”

Bread took deep breaths, then coughed as he struggled into a sitting position. His mind cleared, and he looked around.

Where am I…?

At the foot of the stairs, he found himself facing a very large open field. It appeared to be at least several hundred square meters.

As Bread examined his surroundings, the familiar Word Board popped up again.