With directions given by Ink, Kai reached a part of the forest which was filled with bushes and trees... There was no place to sit.
[Ink: Now put your right hand on the tree's trunk in front of you]
Kai followed his instruction and felt an unfamiliar warmth flowing in his right arm. The unknown force belonged to Ink, a spiritual being within his body.
Ink's force was black like ink.
(wind blowing)
A black circular portal opened on the left side of the tree.
[Congratulations! You have discovered a D-rank dungeon. Defeat Kurohana, the dungeon boss who suck men dry. She is an F-rank succubus.]
[D-rank task: Make her say that she loves you.
Rewards: Necromancy Art and 1,000 points.
Punishment: Kill yourself if you can't even do this]
Kai shook his head at the ridiculous task and entered the dungeon.
Backing down wouldn't change anything.
As he stepped inside the dungeon, torches with green fire lit up on the walls of the narrow corridor while the portal disappeared.
"Hehehe... Another foolish human... Struggle as you like, but you won't escape my labyrinth in less than an hour... "
Kai heard the voice of an old man who was filled with arrogance and spite for humans.
"What if I can?" Kai was a professional writer who knew how to screw people with a word game.
"Hmph! Impossible. I can sense your weak aura. I am positive you can't even find the exit in two hours, " the dungeon spirit was confident.
"Oh boy~ What a pity~ I could have shown you my special skill but I am sure this dungeon is full of traps. If only I had to find the exit without caring about the traps, then I could have done it in a couple of hours, " Kai pretended to be a hidden genius.
"Nonsense! You need to have super awareness or a high-level sense to find the exit in a couple of hours. What skill can beat such high-level skills? I have never heard of such a thing, " the dungeon spirit's voice seemed to be coming from the green flames.
"Why should I tell you? It is not like you will deactivate the traps and tell me the length and width of this labyrinth you are so proud of, " Kai said with a smile.
He hadn't moved an inch since entering the dungeon.
"You-- Insolent brat! Fine. I will deactivate the traps. This labyrinth is 400 meters long and wide. It is not a dangerous labyrinth without the traps. But it is still impossible to find the exit in one hour. If you can really find the exit in one hour, then I will pass down my legacy to you, " the dungeon spirit was furious and curious.
'Ink, start writing the book. But instead of words, use lines to draw the labyrinth according to my vision. It is doable, right?' Kai asked in his mind.
[Ink: Smart kid. It is doable. But can you handle it? You will probably have to run more than 10 km]
Kai said to the closest fire torch on the right side wall, "Hey, old man, undo the traps. I want to go home soon."
"Hmph! It is done. But mark my words, if you fail, I will turn you into a ghost slave, " the dungeon spirit gave him a chilling warning.
A small window appeared in front of Kai, it had a blank white page with a square in the center. A green dot could be seen in the bottom left corner of the square. It was Kai's location.
Kai was going to draw the whole labyrinth with his Ex-rank skill, 'Ink, fill the corridors with dead ends by red cross signs.'
[Ink: Got it, buddy. Let's finish this quickly and find that female ghost]
What began next had baffled the dungeon spirit. Kai wasn't making marks on the walls. Even if he had tried, he wouldn't have been able to because the magic spells within the walls could swallow those marks.
He was just running as fast as possible. His head had stopped bleeding temporarily thanks to Ink's powers. But he still needed medical attention.
He knew that but then again, he couldn't rest. He wanted to strive for success. He was done being bullied and looked down upon by others.
In this new life, Kai Kudo was the son of an escort guard and a nurse. He had been under pressure from his birth to become a swordsman and join the ranks of a government samurai. They were stronger than average soldiers and got respect and wages more than others.
But even without past life memories, Kai was a good boy who liked simple things and wanted to become a painter even though he wasn't good at it.
What he had learnt from his two lives was these things... First, without talent, he would never have the things he wanted like money, power, and women. Second, making excuses wouldn't change anything. Third, the good guys were fictional. Only bad guys with the faces of good guys ruled the world.
'I will not be outdone by others. I will get anything I want by any means. People will think I am a villain who only cares about power. But I don't care about their opinions. If women can use men for their selfish desires, so can I' Kai thought inwardly.
...
Somewhere, in Sato City... Nohara Clan.
It was a noble clan with hundreds of martial artists as just guards.
The patriarch of the clan was Kenichi Nohara (age 59), B-rank martial master, known for his swordsmanship. He had maintained a clean reputation with his clan despite doing business with the yakuza in secret.
He was sipping tea in his chamber when a door slid open and a beautiful woman stepped in, wearing a beautiful, floral-printed white yukata with a wide red sash. Her blonde hair was tied in a bun. Her face had the matching features of Western people. Her blue eyes confirmed that too.
"Concubine Nicole, what brings you here? Reiko will not be pleased with this, " the bald man with shaved face said.
He was Kenichi Nohara and the woman was his second wife, Nicole Nohara (age 43), B-rank witch.
She wasn't a mage because she practiced curse magic, also known as witchcraft.
"I am not here to get into your pants, " She said respectfully but her aura was cold.
"Ahem!" Kenichi cleared his throat, "Still, today is the day I am taking Reiko for a romantic walk."
"None of my business, baldy, " She had no filter.
I like her already.
In terms of power, she was no weaker than Kenichi. Furthermore, she was excellent at fighting against multiple enemies.
She didn't close the door purposely. So the servants who were loyal to Reiko, the main wife of Kenichi, could snitch. She didn't really care.
"My only daughter and your second daughter have regained her consciousness. But she is making a fuss that her soulmate is in the Diamond Kingdom. She wants to find him and marry him; otherwise, she will kill herself, " she told him, her voice remained cold.
"Nani (what)? Just two years ago, she was head over heels for that young commander of the west border and wanted to marry him. Now, I am so close to making her his concubine... Argh! Just what does that girl want?" Kenichi raised his hand to pull his hair in frustration, but awkwardly lowered his hand at the realisation of emptiness.
"Heh!" A soft laugh escaped Nicole's mouth.
Kenichi sharply looked up at her. He was still sitting on the tatami mat.
But Nicole still had an expressionless face, "This time it is serious. That time, it was a foolish puppy crush. But this time, it is a divine calling. Because she saw the face of his soulmate in her dream."
Kenichi got surprised, "Is that normal with witches?"
"Yes. Pity that I didn't get the dream of my soulmate and had to marry you because you took advantage of my drunk state and put a baby in my belly, " She sounded sarcastic now.
"Now-now, that's a false accusation. You accepted me in that state. That's proof that you wanted me to take you to the heights of pleasure, " Kenichi defended himself.
"Height of pleasure my foot! You barely reach my breasts. You, five-foot midget old man, " That's Nicole for you.
"You... Don't make me divorce you!" Kenichi turned red like a tomato.
Still not standing up.
"But you are still my only man, I love you, dear, " She sounded sincere but still lacked the right expression.
"How about a smile?" Kenichi's mood changed.
Nicole smiled from ear to ear. But she looked like a death goddess. Scary!
Kenichi turned his towards the garden beside his chamber, "Forget it. You go with the girl, too, and bring the man of her dreams. I have to see him myself before anything."
"Bye baldy, " Nicole said while bowing.
Kenichi closed his eyes painfully, "If only she weren't so strong, I wouldn't be getting so embarrassed in my own home."
...
In the labyrinth...
Kai had exited the labyrinth in 45 minutes and had entered a bright, lit room with a green fireball hovering in mid-air in the center of the room.
He leaned on the room's wall. He was panting and showing dizziness. But he still managed to say these words, "I told you... *pant* I can do it with my willpower... Now *pant* let me rest... "
His eyes shut down as the fatigue from running and blood loss had finally struck his body and mind.
A humanoid ghost manifested in front of his body. It was an old man in a green kimono with long white hair and a beard. Even his eyes were green.
"Boy... You have caught the attention of this forgotten poison and alchemy master... Tang Bo, you have finally found a disciple with grit, " the semi-transparent ghostly figure talked to himself.