Chapter 48: The Dungeon (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 48: The Dungeon (4)
After killing the boss of the 30th floor, they arrived in a reward room where an angel was waiting.
An angel.
A spiritual being who serves God.
Their faithful servant and messenger.
Eri, Neria, and Ophelia, seeing an angel for the first time, were utterly astonished.
It was only natural. Angels were beings they had only ever heard about in old tales. They had never imagined they would see one with their own eyes.
Cloud, on the other hand, was indifferent.
He’d seen more than enough angels to be sick of them.
In fact, he looked slightly displeased.
The rewards aren’t here.
In the game, when you entered the reward room, the dungeon clear rewards would be lined up for the player to choose from.
But right now, there were no rewards in sight.
All he could see was a beautiful, platinum-blonde angel, her body covered by a single piece of cloth.
...A chill ran down his spine.
Cloud felt a cold dagger fly through the air and lodge itself in his chest.
...No way. It can't be. It better not be.
If it was, tonight’s dinner would be pigeon stew.
Cloud forced his lips, which felt as heavy as rebar, to move.
“Excuse me...”
“Huh...? The Hero, Cloud?! How did you get here...?!”
Before he could even ask his question, the angel saw Cloud and began to panic, fidgeting nervously.
“Why is the Hero here? How? And of all the heroes, why Cloud...? This isn't a dungeon Cloud should be able to clear in the first place! Ahh... what in the world is going on...?!”
Muttering to herself, she descended into a panic so severe she looked ready to tear her hair out.
Seeing this, Cloud realized something.
Ah, she has no idea what’s going on either.
That put his mind at ease.
“Excuse me, Miss Angel?”
“Yes? Ah, no, ahem...! Welcome, you who have passed the trial. I, Rahmiel, faithful servant of Iries, welcome you.”
At the sound of Cloud’s voice, Rahmiel snapped back to her senses. She cleared her throat and tried to regain her composure, but...
It was too late.
Though he didn’t show it, he had already branded her as a weird angel in his mind.
“A-Are you truly an angel...?”
Ophelia’s voice trembled.
It wasn’t because she was moved to meet a fragment of the divine as a cleric.
It was simply that she felt unworthy to face an angel.
Rahmiel offered Ophelia a benevolent smile.
“O Saint Candidate, as you can see, I am indeed a faithful servant of Iries. These pure white wings are proof of that.”
Rahmiel flapped her pair of white wings, as if showing them off.
Ophelia’s eyes widened as she watched the fluttering wings.
“I-I see. I am Ophelia. It is an honor to meet you, Lady Rahmiel.”
Ophelia clasped her hands and bowed her head. Rahmiel watched her, still wearing that benevolent smile.
“Excuse me, Lady Rahmiel? It’s an immense honor to meet an angel and all, but I came here to clear this dungeon and get the hidden treasure. Why are you here instead of the treasure?”
Cloud’s voice cut in between the angel and Ophelia.
Rahmiel’s smile turned awkward.
“Ah... about that. There’s been a slight complication... Would you mind waiting a moment while I ask the Goddess for her will?”
“Hmph?”
Cloud narrowed his eyes.
At the same time, a strange pressure washed over Rahmiel.
It was a bizarre situation—a mere mortal was pressuring her, an angel.
But she didn't find it strange.
She simply thought that since the Hero was chosen directly by the Goddess, he was different from ordinary mortals.
Rahmiel waved her hands frantically.
“Y-You can’t get angry at me, there’s nothing I can do. You were never destined to come here! But you did. That means destiny has been twisted... and that’s not something I can resolve on my own!”
“...”
Cloud let out a deep sigh at Rahmiel’s excuse. She had a point. This place was originally meant for Mars, not him.
However.
“Is that really such a problem? Destiny or whatever, I cleared the dungeon. That means I have the right to a fitting reward.”
Cloud didn’t give a fuck about destiny.
“That’s why I’m saying I’ll ask the Goddess!”
Rahmiel’s answer was the same. Cloud clicked his tongue and sat down on the floor.
“Ask her as quickly as you can.”
With that, he suddenly pulled out a whetstone and began to sharpen his blade.
Scrape— Scrape—
For some reason, the sound of the blade being sharpened was chilling.
Rahmiel’s eyes wavered slightly.
“Lady Iries... please, hurry...!”
Fortunately, Rahmiel’s anxious expression didn’t last long.
Her face brightened, and after nodding a few times, she turned back to Cloud’s party with a benevolent smile.
“Hero Cloud. I bring you a message from Lady Iries. Though you have strayed from your destined path, that too is a new destiny. I shall acknowledge you as one who has overcome the dungeon’s trial.”
Fwoosh—
Rahmiel’s wings spread wide.
A brilliant halo bloomed behind her. When the light faded, four rewards were floating behind her back.
With a flick of her finger, one of the four rewards flew forward.
It was something that looked like a blue will-o'-the-wisp.
“This is the essence left behind by the knight Ruin Crasio, who commanded the continent a hundred years ago. This essence contains everything of his, including his skills and know-how.”
The three women gasped at Rahmiel’s explanation.
Ruin Crasio.
The legendary knight who was said to have fought for days on end against a Dragon King driven mad by the loss of its child.
To think that the blue flame before them was the essence containing everything that knight was...
It was unbelievable.
Rahmiel snapped her fingers.
This time, an obsidian sword in its scabbard came forward.
“The blood-drinking demonic sword, Dainsleif. The more blood it consumes, the more powerful it becomes. Its only drawback is that it becomes harder to control as its power grows.”
The three women were stunned once again.
Just as Ruin Crasio was famous, there was likely no one who didn't know of his beloved sword, Dainsleif.
After he vanished, countless treasure hunters had scoured the continent for it to no avail, and now that very treasure was right before their eyes.
Before they could fully process their shock, a bottle filled with a red liquid floated forward.
“The Elixir of Immortality. Drinking this will not only stop you from aging, but it will also make you immune to any disease. Of course, you’ll still die if you suffer a fatal wound.”
The Elixir of Immortality.
This needed no explanation.
Since ancient times, immortality had been one of humanity’s greatest desires.
Rahmiel snapped her fingers again.
A large piece of grass shaped like a leaf floated forward.
“This is a Giant Root Herb. As the name implies, eating it will make a man’s genitals enormous.”
“...”
“...”
“...”
The three women’s faces were blank. The difference between this and the previous rewards was just too vast. Honestly, they couldn't imagine anyone ever choosing such a thing.
Rahmiel knew this as well and chuckled softly at their reactions.
“O Hero, you may only take one of these rewards. Once you choose one, you cannot have the others. Please, make a wise...”
“I’ll take that one.”
“...choice. Excuse me?”
Rahmiel looked at Cloud’s pointing finger. Her gaze followed it.
The Giant Root Herb.
He was pointing directly at the Giant Root Herb.
...?
Rahmiel stared blankly at the herb with a bewildered expression.
Thinking she might not have heard him correctly, Cloud kindly explained with words.
“The Giant Root Herb. I’ll take that.”
“...Did I hear you correctly? You want the Giant Root Herb?”
“You heard me right. Hurry up and give it to me. I’m getting dizzy.”
Just as Rahmiel stood there, dumbfounded, a voice shrieked.
“Waiiiiiiit!!!!”
It was Eri.
Startled, Cloud flinched back.
“Ah, you scared me. Why are you suddenly screaming?”
“Cloud, you were just joking, right? You’re not seriously going to pick that, are you?!”
“I am serious.”
“You seriously picked that? That... that herb that just makes it bigger?!”
Eri grabbed her pigtails, horrified.
She took a deep breath to calm herself, then placed a hand on Cloud’s shoulder and began to reason with him slowly.
“Hey... Cloud...? You heard the angel’s explanation just now, right?”
“I did.”
“Then you get that all of those are amaaaazingly incredible items, right? And that this is an amaaaazing stroke of luck?”
Even though Eri emphasized the word “amazing,” Cloud looked unimpressed. She clenched her fists and continued her persuasion.
“You know the stories about Ruin Crasio, right...? The legendary knight acknowledged by the Dragon King. The legendary knight that even the Emperor had to humor because the Empire’s Platinum Knights couldn't handle him...! That’s his essence!”
Cloud glanced at Ruin Crasio’s essence.
A legendary knight, huh...
I see...
That was about all he felt.
Seeing Cloud’s expression, Eri swallowed hard and pointed to the obsidian sword.
“That sword... it’s Dainsleif. The demonic sword Ruin Crasio used. The legendary demonic sword that pierced even the scales of the Dragon King...?”
“But she said it’s hard to control, right?”
Cloud shook his head with a look of distaste.
He already had one uncontrollable sword. A crazy bitch of a sword that would grab a club and beat its master just for yelling a little too loudly.
Now that I think about it, I’m pissed. She screams her head off when she watches movies, so why does she hit me?
He felt a surge of anger but managed to suppress it.
“Ugh... th-then at least the Elixir of Immortality...”
“Giant Root Herb.”
“Please, Cloud... we worked so hard to get here... please...? If you just make the right choice, you could surpass Gis, Lorian, or even Frillite... So please...”
Eri pleaded with a tearful face, but...
“Giant Root Herb.”
Cloud was resolute.
Finally, Eri exploded.
“Why?! Why are you so obsessed with that Giant Root Herb thing?!! Is it that small?! Is it so small you’d give up all of this just for that herb?!!”
In response to Eri’s question, Cloud held up his pinky finger.
Eri’s eyes went wide.
“No way... it’s that small...?”
“No, it’s smaller than this!”
“?!?!”
“What...?!”
“Huh...?”
The three women were horrified by Cloud’s honest confession.
Eri wore a look of disbelief, shaking her head as if to deny reality.
“No... no... that can’t be... No matter how small, how could a person...”
A hand was placed on each of Eri’s shoulders.
“Eri... I’m sorry, but I also think it would be best for him to choose that herb.”
It was Neria.
“That’s right. The Hero must have been through a lot...”
And Ophelia.
“Ah... ahhh...”
Faced with this cruel reality, all Eri could do was sink weakly to her knees.
“All... all that suffering, and all we get is... an herb that makes his dick longer...? What... what did I go through all that for...?”
“Hey, stop being so dramatic. You got plenty of good equipment and magic tomes on the way here, didn't you? That should be enough.”
“Dramatic...? Haha... I see... I was being dramatic...”
Eri muttered, staring at the floor with a vacant expression. Cloud looked at her dead eyes and considered offering some words of comfort, but decided against it.
He turned his gaze back to the angel.
“You heard them, right? I don’t need anything else. Just give me the Giant Root Herb.”
“...Let me just contact the Goddess one more time.”
“You just did, didn’t you? Are you that unhappy with me choosing the Giant Root Herb?”
“Please understand... this is a really important matter...”
Rahmiel said, clasping her hands and closing her eyes.
A moment later, her lovely lips parted.
“Hero Cloud. I will now deliver the Goddess’s words directly. Are you prepared to listen?”
“Yes, I am. Please hurry.”
The moment Rahmiel opened her mouth again, her entire aura changed.
“Hero Cloud. Your strong will to break free from your preordained destiny has been well received. I, Iries, am the Mother of All Things, and even you, the Hero, are my son. As a mother, it is only natural that I grant my child’s wish.”
The Giant Root Herb began to move.
“At this very moment, I shall discard all destinies that were to be bestowed upon you and grant you a new one.”
A pure white light enveloped the Giant Root Herb.
Emitting a soft glow, the herb stopped moving in front of Cloud.
“Eat it, Cloud. With it, your destiny will change.”
“...”
Cloud narrowed his eyes, glaring at Rahmiel. After a moment, he let out a small sigh and tossed the Giant Root Herb into his mouth.
Not even ten seconds had passed since he swallowed it.
Cloud felt his body heat up as if it were being scorched. He also felt that heat gathering between his legs.
He crossed his arms, nodded, and enjoyed the sensation.
When the heat in his groin subsided, he discreetly loosened his pants to take a look inside.
Oh...
A weight that was incomparable to before.
A smile naturally formed on his face.
“Are you pleased?”
“It’s the best. Thank you, Goddess.”
“I am glad you are happy. But it is too early to celebrate. The enlargement of your genitals is only one part of the Giant Root Herb’s function.”
“One part?”
It’s called the Giant Root Herb, but making it bigger is only part of its function?
As Cloud looked puzzled, Rahmiel continued.
“I determined that the original Giant Root Herb would not be sufficient for the new destiny to be bestowed upon you. So, I added one more function. The moment your large member enters a woman’s body, it will change its form. It will shift into the most suitable size and shape for the woman to feel pleasure.”
“So it’s big, but... it’s basically a customizable, shapeshifting dick that adapts to its partner?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
Rahmiel smiled warmly and spread her arms wide.
“Now, Hero Cloud! Your destiny has changed. Your member is superior to that of any other male in this world! With that superior member, go forth and conquer all the women of the world!”
“...?”
Cloud’s mind raced as he tried to interpret the Goddess’s bullshit.
And he came to a conclusion.
This crazy bitch just changed the genre from NTR to NTL and Harem.
“Hmm...”
Cloud looked down at his dick again. The Goddess’s intentions didn’t really matter to him. Whatever she wanted to see, he would move as he pleased.
But it really changes and all that?
“You seem to find it hard to believe.”
“Well, yes... that it would change like that...”
“Hee hee, it is fine. It is a mother’s duty to make her doubting child believe. You may confirm the part you doubt with my faithful servant, Rahmiel, yourself... Huh? Yes? Lady Iries? What did you just say... W-Wha?! What’s happening to my body?!”
Rahmiel panicked as her body was unnaturally lifted into the air.
Cloud was floating in the air as well.
—Click.
A room suddenly materialized in the previously empty wall.
The door opened, and Rahmiel and Cloud were thrown inside.
There was nothing in the hastily made room.
Except for a queen-sized bed.
*
Ophelia and Neria watched as Rahmiel and Cloud were flung into the newly appeared room.
The door slammed shut the moment they were inside.
On the door, these words were written:
♡The Room You Can't Leave Unless You Have Sex♡
[They are not having sex yet!]
“...”
“...”
A moment later, having understood the situation, Neria wailed as she pounded on the door.