He slowly opened the door and peeked his head inside, it was empty, dust covering the place and the windows tightly shut. This was the tenth room he had checked.
Since he woke up, he didn't have to sneak into the kitchen because Skull brought his breakfast. And so, to avoid meeting Darius, Aaron decided to stay in the castle.
Staying still in an empty room was the most boring thing, so he decided to wander around the western castle where he lived. The rooms were nothing but furniture filled with dust. Until now, he had not found anything worth seeing, which made him bored.
"Damn it, I need to memorize the way out."
But it didn't work. Every time he thought he had found the right way, he met a dead end.
"Is this castle a maze? Why do I always get lost in it?"
Aaron sighed in annoyance when he came across two paths. He turned right and left, and without thinking, he took the right way.
Even though the sun was shining brightly in the sky, the corridor was dark, spider webs in the corners, the windows covered with curtains whose fabric was decayed.
He swallowed hard, then looked behind him, thinking of going back. Nothing appeared ahead, and he was not a fool to risk himself.
Aaron felt a presence behind him. He didn't think or breathe, and in one second, he ran at full speed.
He ran in the darkness, unable to see anything, even the ground began to feel far from under his feet.
He stretched his hand, feeling the walls, until he reached a closed door. It was the end of the corridor.
He searched for the doorknob until he found it and opened it.
A loud, annoying creak came from the old wood, revealing a vast room dimly lit.
Aaron was not brave enough to go back, so he stepped inside. He advanced toward the furniture and then rested on what seemed to be a couch.
"Ughhh, the air is full of dust."
He grumbled lightly as he brushed his shoulders. He had barely felt comfortable when he sensed the same strange presence at the door.
The darkness was absolute, so he couldn't see anything, but all his senses warned him of someone's presence.
«Step… step»
That thing approached him slowly, shadows wrapping it, but its eyes glowed blue.
It stood before Aaron and snapped its fingers. The whole room lit up.
Our hero blinked a little to adjust to the light, and when he raised his head, he found a Skull before him.
"...."
An awkward silence filled the room before he exploded at him.
"You damn skeleton, if it was you from the beginning, why didn't you speak?!!!"
Skull smiled slyly, then said innocently,
"I just wanted to surprise you."
Aaron was not the type to be tricked easily. He might look stupid, but he could discover others' tricks immediately, and that's what made him a lawyer in his past life.
He lifted his hand with joy and gave Skull a heavy punch on his face, then beat him without mercy.
But Skull was not easy prey either. He lifted his finger and muttered words that made Aaron's body float in the air, then threw him on the couch.
He straightened himself and said coldly,
"Control yourself, you fool."
Aaron groaned in pain as he fell on the hard couch, dust sticking completely to his clothes.
He brushed himself off and then stood up. The room around him became clear because of the light. It was not a room but a luxurious bedroom.
A large white bed stood in the middle, a wardrobe of black wood engraved with white dragon patterns.
A black couch with some additional furniture spread around.
"Well, this world doesn't understand the meaning of modesty. Wait, is that ivory!!!"
Aaron sighed, then began exploring the suite. His attention was caught by a picture of a beautiful woman hanging above the bed, with long silver hair and red eyes, pale white skin, and wearing a black dress with golden frills.
"The owner of this place definitely loves black."
He approached the small cabinet near the bed and started searching its drawers.
"Useless feminine stuff… boring."
He grumbled loudly while Skull sat, watching with mysterious eyes. He didn't speak or argue, just silently observed.
...
After searching half the suite, Aaron didn't find anything important except expensive belongings and precious jewelry.
"These things could be useful if I ever decide to escape one day."
He smiled widely, thinking about that brilliant idea, then shook his thoughts away. He opened a door inside the suite. An extinguished fireplace stood with furniture of a living room before it. He was about to turn back when he noticed a chest settled in the corner.
"Oh, is this a treasure chest?"
He scoffed coldly, then approached the chest and knelt beside it.
He brushed the thick dust off the lock and opened it.
"Some old clothes… ignore."
He threw the clothes he found on the ground, pictures of the same previous woman, a photo album of that woman, more jewelry.
At the bottom of the chest, there was an egg wrapped with a necklace dangling a black jewel. Aaron blinked to grasp what was before him, then lifted the egg in his hands.
╔═══════════════════════════════╗
" Novel Information "
╚═══════════════════════════════╝
📜 ─── Description ───
╭──────────────────────────────╮
│ 🥚 A mysterious egg found under unknown circumstances.
│ No confirmed data about its origin or contents.
│ Emits a faint magical aura.
╰──────────────────────────────╯
📊 ─── Stats ───
⚡ Power: ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ [Unknown]
🛡️ Defense: ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ [Unknown]
💨 Speed: ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ [Unknown]
💖 Vitality: ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ [Unknown]
📂 Class: ❔ Unknown
⏳ Hatching Time: ❔ Unknown
🔮 How to hatch: 💠 Inject magic
💬 System Note:
⚠️ Any attempt to break the egg by force
may lead to catastrophic and unexpected results.
Aaron studied the system screen and then looked at the egg in his hand, but there was one problem.
"How do I use magic?"
After two seconds, he turned to Skull with a bright smile.
"My pink servant, how do I use my magic~"
"....."
Skull was shocked by the title just given to him. He opened his mouth, then closed it, unsure of how to respond. In the end, he rubbed his forehead in annoyance.
"I really have a damned master."
---
"You need to train."
Skull answered after a while, but Aaron didn't like the answer. He was not lazy, but just the thought of Darius made him shiver from the idea of training.
He put the egg in his pocket, then grabbed the necklace. It wasn't very special, just a chain with a black jewel hanging from it.
"What could this be…?"
He didn't find anything special about it, and the system screen didn't send a notification either, so he decided to wear it. He hid it under his shirt, then stood up and closed the chest after throwing everything back inside in a messy way.
In the air, the system screen appeared again with its annoying voice.
[ Quest System ]
╔═══════════════════════════════╗
🗝️ " New Quest " 🗝️
╚═══════════════════════════════╝
🎯 Quest Name:
"The Secret Door"
📜 Description:
Indicators suggest there is a hidden door in this place,
but its location is completely unknown.
📌 Objective:
🔍 Find the secret door.
⚡ Quest Status: Incomplete
⏳ Time Limit: Only one hour
🚨 Quest Type: Mandatory
🎁 Reward upon completion:
🔓 Unlock 1% of lost memory.
☠️ Penalty upon refusal or failure:
⚠️ Thrown into a swamp full of reptiles.
💬 System Hint:
"Listen closely… secrets whisper behind walls."
(Countdown started 0:59)
"What?"
Aaron stared in shock. The quest was mandatory, yes, but the penalty was to throw him into a place full of reptiles, and that was the thing he hated most.
"Is this damn system messing with me?"
A faint laugh escaped Skull in the background, which made Aaron even angrier.
"Shut your mouth or I'll make you take the penalty with me."
Silence fell immediately. He sighed in annoyance, then started searching for the door, but to no avail. There were only two doors in the suite: the entrance door and the living room door.
He read the system screen again, looking for a clear clue, until he stopped at the system note at the bottom.
"The walls?"
He didn't have much time, so he immediately went toward the opposite wall and started feeling it, searching for the whispering sound.
«Shhh… come… shhh»
There was a very faint distorted sound from behind the wall in the bedroom.
Still, a new problem appeared.
"How do I make it show up?"
His eyes shifted between the wall and the system screen, which showed his time was about to run out.
The wall was decorated with golden patterns and painted black with a light sheen. Those were the only obvious things; nothing else.
He turned to Skull to ask for help, but the other averted his gaze, not caring about his plight.
"Just wait, you pink-robed thing, I'll make you regret it one day."
Two minutes remained before the time limit ended. After losing hope for a peaceful solution, he turned to Skull again and stretched out his hand.
"Give me a hammer."
The other stared at him as if looking at a madman, but he didn't argue and pulled out a hammer.
"What are you going to d—"
He didn't finish his question before Aaron started smashing the wall without discussion.
"What a lunatic…"
A silver handle appeared from behind the wall. Aaron smashed enough to enter, then grabbed the handle and pushed the door.
That annoying sound our hero had grown used to but couldn't stand came again.
[ Quest System ]
╔═══════════════════════════════╗
✅ " Quest Complete " ✅
╚═══════════════════════════════╝
🎯 Quest Name:
"The Secret Door"
📜 Result:
The secret door was successfully found.
The system confirms the quest was completed on time.
🎁 Reward:
🔓 1% of lost memory unlocked.
[ Loading data… ✔️ ]
⚡ System Note:
"A small step… but the road is still long."
Aaron smiled slyly, saying,
"Well, who said magic is necessary to complete quests."
---
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