Ch 62 - The Hidden Necropolis

Jester then made sure the Bullkin's migration went smoothly and without drawing the attention of too many players who might notice what was happening and start spreading all kinds of strange rumors.

Because of that, he deliberately asked Lucia to lead the migration through the forest. It would probably take longer because of the Bullkin's massive size, and even though their numbers were actually not that high, their large bodies alone made moving them much slower.

At first, Jester had been a little hesitant about asking Lucia to handle this task. He was worried she might still be carrying trauma from everything that had happened to her. But the situation was completely different now.

Lucia was no longer someone anyone could underestimate. She had gone through several complete transformations and had become many times stronger than before. She could fight, move with agility alongside Faria, and even heal others. She was practically the complete package.

On top of that, Goruk was now bound to Jester through the Bound System, so everything should be much safer than before.

Jester really did not have many other options. At the moment, the only people he could trust with important assignments that were not directly related to Caelan were Lucia and Elora.

He had also found himself wondering more than once what would happen if he revealed his true identity to Igrio and the other maids, admitting that he was not the real Caelan. Still, that was something he would think about little by little as things moved forward. First, he needed to build enough trust with them.

By the time the Bullkin reached Necroton, they would not be staying inside the city right away. Jester still had several preparations to make, and more importantly, he wanted the Bullkin to remain his hidden trump card.

If the situation ever demanded it, he wanted to have a force of high-level Bullkin warriors with overwhelming strength ready to deploy. He also hoped to evolve every Bullkin into a High Bullkin if possible before they ever appeared in front of the public.

That way, no one would connect Caelan to the Bullkin who had raided that small village before. It was not because he cared about protecting Caelan's reputation. He simply wanted to place himself in the most favorable position possible, where every move would work to his advantage.

After assigning those responsibilities, Jester returned to Necroton together with Elora.

Jester headed straight back to his study as soon as he returned. By then, Igrio had already finished leading the expedition to inspect the nearest cave system around Necroton. Waiting inside the study were Sliora and Shade as well.

Igrio carefully spread a large sheet of parchment across the desk. Several hand-drawn maps covered its surface, showing the cave network they had explored. Countless tunnels branched into one another like a maze, connecting multiple massive underground chambers.

"You finished the expedition rather quickly," Jester said.

Igrio gave a respectful bow before beginning his report.

"Your Highness, after thoroughly exploring the area, we finally understand why this cave system has never been fully investigated before. It contains an enormous network of interconnected tunnels, and even reaching the entrance requires descending through an extremely deep passage. It is not a place that can be accessed easily."

"Deep passage?" Jester repeated.

"Yes, Your Highness." Igrio pointed toward one section of the map. "The interior also contains several enormous chambers that are difficult to navigate because of the maze-like tunnel network connecting them. We have not finished exploring everything yet. We will need considerably more time to map the deeper sections."

Jester folded his arms and silently allowed Igrio to continue.

"There is one notable similarity that every chamber shares." Igrio paused before tapping several marked locations on the map. "Based on the structures and remains we discovered, it appears these chambers once served as settlements belonging to an ancient civilization."

"An ancient civilization?" Jester repeated, his brows knitting together.

That was a far more significant discovery than he had expected. This location had never been explored by any players. If he could make proper use of whatever remained inside, there was a good chance he could gain considerable advantages from it.

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"So far, we have not discovered any valuable resources or rare materials," Igrio continued. "However, the cave is inhabited by a large number of undead monsters."

"Undead monsters?"

Igrio bowed once more.

"To be more precise, many of them appear to be vampire variants. Quite a few reside inside stone coffins. There are also ordinary undead creatures roaming throughout the cave. Overall, the entire cave system is populated by numerous dark creatures."

Jester found the explanation oddly familiar. Even among the maids serving him, there were races that belonged to the dark factions. Vanessa herself was a Vampire, while Denisa was an Undead.

"Interesting. What about their levels?"

Igrio immediately answered.

"We observed that each chamber appears to be occupied by monsters of different level ranges. Some chambers contain creatures around Level 50, others around Level 100, and the strongest group we encountered was approximately Level 150. It is entirely possible that even stronger monsters exist in the unexplored depths if we continue our investigation."

Jester thought more carefully about the discovery. For some reason, his mind drifted back to the city's name itself.

Necroton.

Necromancer Town?

Could there actually be a connection, or was it nothing more than a coincidence? If even a single cave beneath the city was filled with creatures like those...

The more he thought about it, the more curious he became about what Igrio had truly discovered down there. Eventually, he asked how long it would take just to inspect the first chamber inside the cave.

"Roughly two hours should be enough, Your Highness. That would allow us to reach the first chamber, where the monsters are still within a relatively manageable level range."

Two hours? Damn!

That estimate only applied to someone who already understood the cave's layout. If they had to explore the labyrinth from scratch, the journey would take much longer.

Players had it easy. Even if they died, they could simply respawn and try again.

Igrio, Sliora, and Shade did not have that luxury. Every expedition they undertook carried real risks, making each of them invaluable.

Shade, in particular, was extraordinary. She could move freely through darkness as if it were her natural habitat.

Sliora possessed countless monster-related abilities that made navigating caves much easier. She was highly mobile and remarkably adaptable in environments like these.

And Igrio… He was probably the most exceptional human servant Jester had under his command.

Some time later, Jester stood before the cave entrance itself.

The opening was hidden beneath a sloping stretch of rocky sand and earth, making it almost impossible to notice from a distance. It blended naturally into the surrounding terrain. Even so, very few people dared to venture inside because of the overwhelming darkness and the complete uncertainty of how deep the cave actually extended.

"It is strange that no players have explored this place before," Jester muttered to himself. "Especially since this area used to have barely any security."

It seemed he would have to strengthen his control over the territory surrounding Necroton.

If he wanted to protect his authority, he could not allow anyone to sneak into his domain and claim treasures that rightfully belonged to him.

After making the necessary preparations, Igrio looked toward Jester once more.

"Your Highness, are you ready to descend into the cave?"

"Descend?" Jester repeated as he glanced toward the cave entrance. The path did slope downward, but calling it a descent made it sound much more dramatic than he had expected.

Without another word, Igrio gestured for Jester to follow.

The group entered through the enormous cave mouth. It was wide enough for nearly ten people to walk side by side. The passage sloped steadily downward, its sandy ground loose and slippery beneath their feet.

It was easy to imagine how anyone wandering inside out of curiosity could lose their footing and be pulled deeper into the cave.

Igrio lit a crystal lamp, bathing the surrounding tunnel in a soft white glow. The darkness retreated just enough for the rocky walls ahead to become visible.

They continued for several minutes before finally stopping.

The tunnel ended abruptly.

Jester froze for a moment as he looked ahead. Beyond the edge stretched a massive vertical shaft that disappeared into darkness. Even with the crystal lamp, he could not see the bottom.

Igrio stepped forward and explained.

"Your Highness, Sliora will assist you with the descent. The shaft is quite deep, and there is no other way to reach the lower level besides jumping."

"Okay."

By then, Shade had already transformed completely into a living shadow. Without hesitation, she slipped over the edge and vanished silently into the darkness below.

Jester remained standing where he was, then turned toward Sliora.

The woman stepped closer before giving him a respectful bow.

"Your Highness, with your permission... this may feel a little unusual, but I promise you will be completely safe."

"Y... yes." Jester answered with obvious hesitation.

The next thing Jester knew, Sliora stepped closer. Standing only about as tall as her chin, he instinctively looked up as she closed the distance between them.

Then those two enormous, unbelievably soft mounds moved straight toward his face.

"Wait..."

Before he could react, his face was swallowed by Sliora's chest.

His eyes widened.

Hold on...

For a split second, he thought she was simply hugging him.

But then he kept sinking. His head disappeared first, followed by his shoulders, then the rest of his body as he slowly passed through Sliora as though her body were made of liquid.

What the hell?!

Before long, Jester realized he was completely inside her.

This actually feels...

...Wet.

...And kind of warm.

"Your Highness, how does it feel being inside me?" Sliora asked. "I'll make sure you stay nice and warm until we're done."

"...It's... actually pretty comfortable," he said.

"I'm glad you like it," Sliora replied. "Just leave everything to me. I'll do all the work. I'll make sure you're comfortable... and completely satisfied."

Why does everything she says sound so wrong?!