“Found it…”


    Had it been ten days since arriving in China?


    Atst, I discovered the Mana Lake I had been so desperately searching for.


    “The location… It’s more obvious than I thought.”


    Heaving a deep sigh of relief, I surveyed the surroundings.


    The dungeon was located halfway up a nearly vertical cliff. A cave-like hole was hollowed into the cliffside, and upon entering, thick mist hung so dense that it was impossible to see ahead with the naked eye.


    I raised my hand to scatter the mist. The dreamy mist dispersed here and there in response to my gesture.


    “Oh…”


    A refreshing, clear sensation washed over me. The sensation was akin to dipping my hand in icy water, causing my body to shiver.


    I stepped into the mist.


    The sensation I felt in my arms spread throughout my body as the mist enveloped me.


    Breathing felt easy, and my chest felt as clear as if it had been emptied.


    A smile naturally formed as the fatigue of the past few days seemed to vanish.


    “The purity of the mana is high.”


    This mist was made up of mana.


    Not just ordinary mana but mana of exceedingly high purity.


    The difference in purity was enough to make the misceneous mana outside seem like tainted water inparison.


    The mist was seeping out from deeper inside the cave.


    As I moved further in, the mist grew thicker.


    At a certain point, I stopped walking.


    Reaching out, I tapped the air and felt a hard, transparent wall.


    It was the dungeon’s barrier, preventing external intrusion.


    “Thank goodness… At least I found it…”


    I unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.


    China’s territory is absurdly vast.


    Finding the entrance to just one dungeon is challenging.


    While it’s possible with the use of Observation Power, I was honestly a bit anxious about aplishing it during the break.


    It wasn’t as though I spent every moment measuring the location without a break; I had also done other tasks intermittently.


    Handling minor criminals, dealing with neglected monsters, conducting small-scale rescue operations…


    To aplish these, I roamed back and forth between monster-infested zones devoid of human life and regions where humans reside.


    My path had extended several times longer than necessary. I was worried it might take too long.


    I had feared that, as in Sifnaha previously, there might be no gains. Fortunately, I found it earlier than expected.


    “Lucky me.”


    Finally, I could say it.


    With a slight smirk, I tapped the barrier lightly.


    If only it had gone this smoothly in Sifnaha…


    To be honest, Sifnaha was gued with misfortune. It wasn’t just ack of luck; it was a trip filled with outright bad luck.


    Nothing worked out right, and even a strange disaster struck, forcing me to cross the River Styx.


    It felt as though the world itself hated me.


    “But there’s no point in regret now.”


    There was no point in venting now; nothing would change. If anything, I should probably thank the heavens for finding it this easily this time.


    With idle thoughts, I continued tapping on the barrier.


    Dungeons are fundamentally separate subspaces from Earth, and the boundary dividing the dungeon from Earth is the barrier itself.


    And between these barriers… that is to say, there exists an entrance to ess the dungeon.


    Typically, entrances are manifested in a vortex form, simr to those at the Gate Terminal.


    By throwing oneself into that spot, one crosses through a winding path beyond the barrier to the other side.


    What I was tapping on now was the barrier, not the entrance.


    The vortex shape was nowhere in sight, only a transparent barrier that blocked my view of the inside.


    But strictly speaking, this was the entrance.


    “The entrance to the Mana Lake is truly troublesome.”


    Dungeonse in various types, and among them, the Mana Lake has particrly tricky entrance conditions.


    Somewhere in this Chinesend, there are entrances leading to the Mana Lake.@@novelbin@@


    In the original story, there were supposed to be a couple of entrances, but even if you find them, most are closed.


    These entrances open randomly ording to certain times.


    You might struggle to find one only to see it closed, or it could happen to be open.


    Despite digging through the original, I couldn’t find any specific conditions. They just open and close at random.


    It doesn’t even require any specific materials.


    It’s almost a matter of luck.


    So if you really want to enter, you either sit and wait for the entrance to open or break through the barrier.


    “But if you break it, all the mana will scatter.”


    The only value of the Mana Lake is its extremely high mana purity, which is ideal for increasing one’s mana stats.


    But if you break the barrier containing this mana, the pure mana inside will mix with all sorts of outside mana.


    For that reason, to enter the Mana Lake, you either have to wait for the entrance to open or rely on luck.


    Of course…


    “Things are different for me now.”


    I focused my mind.


    I ced my hand on the barrier, taking in the sensation at my fingertips.


    The dungeon is a subspace connected to Earth, yet separate from it.


    The barrier is the wall dividing that space.


    “Manifest, Authority of Space.”


    If it’s space, I can interfere with it.


    – Wooong…


    My arm trembled.


    As if triggered, the surrounding space began to ripple.


    The ripples spread out like a stone dropped in a calmke.


    “No need to break it. No need to forcibly split it open either.”


    It wasn’t destruction or cutting.


    Just a very slight modification.


    I only needed to adjust the barrier that keeps external forces out, allowing it to ept me for just a moment.


    The dungeon’s barrier.


    I modified a part of the barrier right before me.


    The sensation at my palm changed. The once-solid barrier began to soften like slime.


    – Swoosh…


    My hand, resting on the barrier, started to sink in.


    “It worked.”


    Sess. I didn’t use up much mental energy. I twisted my body and slid through the barrier.


    And in the end, the barrier rippled as it engulfed my body.


    The unique sense of vastness that apanies crossing space overtook me.


    …


    – Swoosh…


    As the distant feeling subsided, the sound of a waterfall filled my ears. Just the sound felt like it was washing my mind clean.


    My senses returned.


    Calmly, I used Observation Power to gather information about my surroundings.


    “Oh…”


    Observation pulled in every detail of the area around me.


    I opened my mouth in amazement.


    True to the dungeon’s name, there was ake nearby.


    A gentle waterfall trickled like a stream from one side of theke.


    Theke water sparkled as if sprinkled with stardust, with vibrant yellow leaves floating on its surface.


    A lush green meadow surrounded theke.


    Large, gray rocks were scattered among the grass.


    Trees bearing yellow leaves, their trunks twisted and bent in odd angles, dotted thendscape.


    The thick mist extended from the waterfall, encasing the dungeon around theke…


    The word “spectacle” came to mind.


    I had seen plenty of mystical ces before, but I had never encountered a ce this overtly fantastical.


    It was like a scene out of a painting.


    It seemed like something you could easily find online, a painting of a mysticalke.


    It was beautiful enough to be likened to such.


    “Hm…”


    Enthralled, I approached theke.


    As I reached the edge of theke, gentle wavespped against the shore like a soft ripple.


    I removed the mask covering my face.


    Then, a cool breeze brushed over my face all at once.


    – Hoo…


    Breathing felt easier. It couldn’tpare to the feeling I had at the dungeon entrance.


    The air tasted sweet. It wasn’t literally sweet, but it was so fresh it felt like it, and the mana purity was beyond imagination.


    “No doubt about it. I’m definitely inside.”


    No room for doubt.


    This was indeed the Mana Lake.


    “No monsters… That’s a relief.”


    Just in case, I scanned the surroundings thoroughly. Although I wondered if any threats might be hidden within this beauty, fortunately, there were no monsters.


    Likewise, no traps were present. After confirming this, I opened a pocket to another dimension.


    “Come out.”


    The space behind me split open with a crack.


    From the fissure, several spirits, radiating in five different colors, popped out.


    These were the low-level spirits I had contracted with, one from each element, giving them a consistent color.


    Although they weren’t yet high enough rank to have strong self-awareness, they seemed to enjoy this space, vibrating and scattering in all directions.


    Spirits, too, loved pure mana.


    However, a few clusters of light lingered near me instead of straying far.


    “It’s fine. Go and y too.”


    – Wooong…


    I patted the ones clinging to me a few times, and they eventually joined the others, flitting away happily.


    They had an unexpectedly cute side, even though they were just clusters of light.


    With a small smile, I took another look at theke.


    True to its name, the Mana Lake was indeed the purpose of this dungeon’s existence.


    Theke water was brimming with mana of such high purity.


    Given my struggles with increasing my mana capacity, thiske offered the perfect environment.


    “…It should be safe.”


    I double-checked, scanning for any hidden traps. There didn’t seem to be any risk of a sudden de emerging to pierce me.


    Nodding, I took off the robe draped over my shoulders.


    I also removed the equipment worn underneath the dark robe and ced the various dimensional pouches hanging from my belt on a rock near theke.


    I slipped off the arm sleeve covering my right arm as well. Although exposing my burn scars felt unsettling, it was necessary to fully absorb the mana.


    I still wore the Heavenly Wings, though.


    The Heavenly Wings was an artifact that performed better the more pure mana it absorbed.


    Though it couldn’tpare to my own mana, it had arge capacity, so it wouldn’t hurt to fill it up.


    The Heavenly Wings clung to me in the shape of wing-like clothing, wrapping itself around me as if it was embracing me.


    With all my clothing removed, the mist brushed against my body.


    “Good thing the air is rtively warm.”


    I let out a sigh of relief and carefully dipped my toes into theke.


    Ripples spread from the point where my toes touched theke. The yellow leaves floating on the water bobbed gently with the waves.


    Thankfully, the water was lukewarm.


    And immediately, pure mana began to seep into my skin.


    “Ah…”


    A sudden shiver ran through my body.


    It was a strange sensation, as if warm and cool energy was simultaneously permeating my body through my skin.


    Despite the tremors from the unusual feeling, I kept moving and waded further into theke.


    The water was quite deep, allowing me to sit down so that only my head was above the surface.


    It must have looked amusing to see my head floating above theke, surrounded by mist.


    – Puh…


    In that state, I exhaled deeply and inhaled the crisp air and the dense, pure mana.


    Mana poured into me through theke water as well.


    “Mana Affinity.”


    I pulled in even more.


    I don’t have the luxury of time.


    Rather than relying solely on natural absorption, I invoked my unique ability to draw in and absorb even more mana.


    The absorbed mana traveled through my circuits to my core.


    Thump-thump. My core pulsated. As it expanded a few times, a smile crept onto my face.


    For the first time in a while, my core showed signs of growth.


    “I’ll stay here for a few days to stock up.”


    I nned to return again in the future, but since I was already here, I intended to make the most of it.


    “As for the Proof of Protection… It should take a few days to appear. I’ll stay until then.”


    With that thought, I refocused and pulled in more mana.


    A fresh ripple spread from me.


    My body itched slightly.


    * * *


    “…Should I dy my ns?”


    The Death God Cult leader, Gyeolwon, ground his teeth as he confirmed a series of brokenmunications.


    Across China, branches that supplied sacrifices had been rapidly destroyed.


    How many branches had been wiped out in just the past week? Nearly a hundred.


    The supply of sacrifices had been disrupted. At this rate, the ritual could not be conducted properly.


    The culprit was obvious.


    The forces of Taesan, which had suddenly stormed into thisnd, were destroying various criminal organizations.


    In the process, even the Death God Cult’s branches were getting caught up and obliterated.


    One force in particr was utterly demolishing branch after branch with relentless ferocity.


    Just that one individual was responsible for destroying nearly half of the fallen branches.


    “Our locations have beenpromised. Some traitor…!”


    There was doubt. Even an insider wouldn’t know the locations of so many branches.


    But that was irrelevant now.


    The reason Gyeolwon gritted his teeth was because the n he had prepared for over ten years was at risk of being dyed.


    With the supply of sacrifices interrupted, the ritual to summon the Twin-Headed Venom Dragon could not proceed.


    Should he mobilize the remaining branches to actively secure more sacrifices?


    No, doing so would only alert the Association.


    Last time, they barely managed to escape. If they got caught now, the Association’s hounds would never let them go, especially with the information from the previous incident.


    “Damn it…”


    Gyeolwon gritted his teeth again. First, the Association had disrupted him, and now, the lunatics from Taesan were interfering with his ns.


    This cursed reality was infuriating, but reality remained as cold as ever.


    All he could do was give up what he had to and hold onto what he couldn’t afford to lose, shrinking back.


    “…Yes, I’ve already waited over ten years.”


    What difference would a few more years make? If hey low, they would eventually tire and leave.


    When that time came, he could resume the n.


    Gyeolwon resolved himself.


    “—Commence the ritual.”


    “...!”


    At that moment, a powerful will pierced through his soul, and Gyeolwon’s eyes widened. Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead to the ground.


    – Thud!


    “My… my god…!”


    His voice trembled with awe and reverence. With his eyes shut, he pressed his head to the ground.


    Even so, he could feel the gaze upon him.


    A colossal and overwhelming gaze that seemed to overshadow the heavens.


    Yellow eyes with vertically slit pupils.


    The sheer magnitude of difference emanating from them was beyond description.


    “I will conduct the ritual…!”


    Performing the ritual now would be dangerous. It would expose them to the Association and lead to the loss of crucial assets to Taesan.


    But it didn’t matter. It was themand of the god he worshipped. Even if it meant giving up their flesh, it was of no concern. Surely his god had ns beyond hisprehension.


    With his forehead still pressed to the ground, Gyeolwon felt tears streaming down his face, overwhelmed by the god’s presence.


    – ………


    The massive eyes looked down upon the devoted follower with a detached gaze.


    As if observing something of little value.


    Soon, the gaze shifted slightly, meeting another set of eyes at the same height.


    Eyes filled with tant hostility.


    But there was no movement.


    It was as if they were like caged beasts, baring their fangs but unable to act.


    But it was the same on this side as well.


    The constraints had not yet been lifted.


    That would happen soon enough, but not immediately.


    The eyes closed.