Staying hidden from everyone else, Max finally learned how Liam and Sharon got rich and how everyone else in the party had 'died' except them.
But that wasn't what he wanted to do before venturing into the training dungeon.
He placed the small mana crystals into a little pouch. After a moment's hesitation, he scribbled a tiny note that read:
"For the eyeglasses."
He tucked the paper into the pouch as well.
Then, while his family slept mid-night, he tossed the pouch through the window of his home.
That should help recover the grocery money his mom had used to buy him glasses.
After that, with his hoodie pulled over his face and his hands in his pockets, he walked away until he reached a dark alleyway.
Earlier, he had struggled to come up with a streaming username for himself.
But now, given his destined mission, he finally had one.
The Rogue Hero.
It had a nice ring to it, making him appear like some kind of a villain, which honestly, he now was.
Pulling out the dimensional key from the system inventory, a translucent blue keyhole materialized before him.
He inserted the key and turned it.
A small beep sounded before an entire door formed and slowly opened.
He stepped inside.
It slammed shut behind him and vanished.
Max now stood inside a vast, pristine chamber with white walls and white ceiling.
The floor was made of smooth, glassy tiles that faintly reflected his feet. The air was cool, clean… and strangely sacred.
At the very center of the chamber stood a colossal tree.
Its branches were thick enough to be mistaken for pillars. Its countless emerald leaves shimmered faintly with an inner glow. The roots vanished into a circular pool of crystal-clear water beneath it.
[Congratulations, Host!]
[You have successfully entered the Dungeon of the Trial of Unholy Ascension.]
[Clear all 500 floors to return to your world.]
[If you die here, revival is impossible.]
[The Sovereign Matriarch will merely select another player to finish the game.]
[Estimated training time: 1,000 years.]
[Good luck.]
The system displayed a chilling message that nearly stole the air from Max's lungs.
W-wait… what do you mean… a thousand years?
[Your training in the dungeon is estimated to take a thousand years. It could be less, it could be more. Duration may vary based on individual performance.]
Insane!! This is crazy!!
My family will be dead by then!! That bastard Liam will walk free after everything he did to me!! What's even the point of all this training?! Send me back!
Send me back right now!!
[Unfortunately, once you enter this secret dungeon, the only exit is located on Floor 500. To leave, you must clear every floor beforehand!]
This had to be a joke, right?
Max shivered, his knees going weak.
This had to be a dream. Yeah… he was dreaming.
He walked over to the pond and splashed water onto his face.
His eyes tingled strangely, then turned blue.
[Pond of Elixir]
[Rank: Divine Tier]
[Effect: Heals all wounds and illnesses]
What the…?
He looked at the tree, and another system message appeared.
[World Tree]
[Rank: Divine Tier]
[Functions: Resurrection, Life Extension, Perfect Knowledge, Absolute Regeneration (Superior to Elixir), and more…]
He couldn't breath for a sexond there after receiving all this information.
So this was the World Tree, huh? And a pond of elixir? He had only heard about these things from stories. He never imagined they actually existed.
This was starting to feel more and more like reality and less like a dream.
He looked at himself, and another screen appeared.
[Pornstar System — Host Information]
[Name: Max Willsons]
[Age: 18]
[Race: Human (Hybrid detected)]
[Class: F-Rank Streamer]
[Level: 1]
[EXP: 120 / 300]
[Mana: 45 / 50]
[STR: 7]
[AGI: 4]
[END: 4]
[INT: 5]
[Charm: 2]
Skills:
Air Slash LV1
Basic Sword Mastery LV1
Appraiser LV1
Title:
Demon Sword Master: turns any sword you wield into a demon sword.
Max stared at the screen, completely bewildered. After thinking it over, he realized it was probably because of his Appraiser skill that he could see information just by looking at things.
His mana reserve was incredibly low, honestly, like most of his other stats.
If he wanted to beat this thing, he had to max out everything. Skills. Stats. All of it. He had to become insanely strong.
But a thousand years…?
Just the thought alone nearly killed his motivation.
[Reassurance: Time flow inside the dungeon differs from realspace.]
[A thousand years inside = 100 days in your world.]
That explanation gave him hope.
So he'd be missing for roughly three months.
Not bad.
He let out a heavy sigh and pulled himself together.
Alright, system. Let's do this!!
With fierce determination in his eyes, he walked toward the grand double doors at the end of the room and pushed them open.
He had expected to encounter terrifying monsters in a dark, hellish place.
But when he stepped onto the first floor…
He was utterly bewildered.
Before him stretched a lush, green world. There was a sun in the sky, thick trees, flowing rivers, a scenery so beautiful it could pass for a world-class tourist attraction.
Then he heard a girl scream from somewhere nearby.
Scanning the area, he spotted her; blonde hair, long pointed ears.
Is that… an elf?
He had no time to think about it as a system screen appeared.
[Quest Initiated: Rescue the Elf Maiden and Increase Her Attraction.]
[If Attraction reaches 50%, sexual consent will be granted.]
[A Pornstar in the Making may not begin true training as a virgin.]
[Failure: All skills reduced. Stats cut in half.]
"…WHAT?!"
Before he could even finish reacting, the girl's scream grew desperate.
She was surrounded by green slimes, dozens of them.
The corrosive monsters crawled over her body, melting her clothes on contact.
They devoured all her favrics, leaving her naked.
She tried to cover her massive breasts in shame, but slimy tendrils shot out, snatching her wrists and pulling her arms apart.
More tendrils wrapped around her legs, lifting her into the air and spreading them wide.
Her body was completely exposed.
The slimy tendrils coiled around her helpless form, wrapping all around her thighs, and even touching her most sacred body parts.
The only thing she could do was hang there, trembling, crying and completely vulnerable.
Max felt his blood boil, and drew the sword from his inventory and charged forward.
"You bastards!!" he roared, slicing through the slimes.
When the girl saw someone come to save her, her eyes filled with hope.
But there were too many of these creatures.
As if to mock him or maybe embarass him in front of a girl, they lashed out their tendrils, binding his legs and yanking him to a halt.
Another slime wrapped his arms together, preventing him from swinging freely.
"Are you kidding me?!" he snarled, struggling.
Slimes were supposed to be weak!
So why were these ones fighting like trained predators?
[Time Trial Activated.]
[Defeat all Green Slimes — 5:00 Remaining.]
Wait… wait… WHAT?!
There was a time limit now too?!
This system was absurd. It truly was built to turn his life into hell.
But then he grinned.
No…
It was here to make him stronger.
"Streaming beasts… I, The Rogue Hero hereby summon you as your master!!"
TBC