Chapter 14: Reward
Morning class.
Mateo scratched his head several times.
He truly could not stop thinking about his life in Magic World.
It was not because he had started believing it was truly a real world, but because the sensation of growing stronger was something he kept craving over and over again.
No wonder those who successfully entered that world became obsessed with it to the point many of them no longer focused on the real world.
Once class ended, Mateo—who would normally continue by opening a book and reading—could not help but hesitate, wondering whether he should enter Magic World now.
In the end, he could not resist.
Without even leaving the classroom, he fell asleep right there.
Sleeping in class was not a problem as long as it was outside lesson hours. Some people did it either because they genuinely wanted to sleep or because they were entering Magic World.
And when he appeared in Magic World, he discovered that the sun had only just begun to rise.
The sky was turning yellow, though not bright enough yet.
He could still see the holes scattered throughout the small forest.
And indeed, there were countless human bones inside every hole.
On Earth, this would have become a shocking discovery, but here, it had clearly been left alone. There was no way nobody had ever found them before.
Mateo shook his head as he walked away.
Cloud Valley Town was bustling in the morning.
People were leaving their houses and starting their daily activities. Mateo saw many people selling food along the streets while others carried large baskets filled with fruits and wheat.
He inhaled deeply several times, enjoying the refreshing morning air of this world.
"Move aside!"
A group of soldiers wearing copper armor rode past on magnificent horses.
They did not slow down at all despite the crowded streets.
The townspeople hurriedly moved aside and could only frown without daring to protest.
"So it’s true. The Forest Chameleon kidnapped the Baron’s wife," someone said.
"Hmph, the Forest Chameleon isn’t stupid. It knows the Baron was the one who made everyone hunt it. Now it’s taking revenge by kidnapping his wife."
"That Young Baron is finally suffering some bad luck. His wife is the Governor’s daughter. If something happens to her, the Governor might punish him or even strip away his title."
"I hope that happens, hahaha..."
"..."
This world also seemed filled with people who hated their rulers.
Mateo did not care. He left the town, trying to remember the path from last night while picking up fallen fruits and eating them to satisfy his hunger.
All he wanted was to fight the Golden Gorilla again.
His eyes glanced toward every cave he passed.
From the outside, all of them looked pitch black. Leaves that accidentally drifted into the caves seemed to instantly cross into another dimension.
Perhaps because everyone had been busy searching for the Forest Chameleon since yesterday and throughout the night, the morning felt especially empty of humans.
People seemed to be resting while only the Baron’s forces continued searching for the Baron’s wife.
After some time, Mateo finally arrived before the Golden Gorilla’s cave, which looked calm from the outside.
He was extremely confident in his current strength.
Without hesitation, he stepped into the cave.
Faintly, he could hear snoring.
One thing was certain. The moment he entered, his vision became completely dark. Even so, he continued walking until he suddenly bumped into rough fur.
"HMM!!!"
A pair of massive red eyes appeared on the right side, glowing brightly enough to illuminate the entire cave.
What Mateo had bumped into was the Golden Gorilla’s leg as it lay sideways on the ground.
Its eyes blinked repeatedly while staring at him, causing the cave’s light to flicker like nightclub lights.
But the next moment, the gorilla stood up.
Its face filled with rage.
Its two fists merged together before slamming downward toward Mateo with terrifying momentum.
This creature might only fight physically, but its physical strength clearly exceeded all limits.
Mateo felt pressure from space itself—or perhaps gravity had suddenly become far stronger—slowing his movements drastically to the point even his thoughts became sluggish.
While he slowed down, the gorilla’s hands remained incredibly fast.
Mateo could not imagine the pain those combined fists would inflict.
"Fire," he muttered instinctively.
Instantly, he became a bomb exploding with massive flames, the only way he currently knew how to use his fire.
He would need a fire-type Codex Magica if he wanted proper control over it.
All he could hope for was that this explosion would work. Even if it failed, at least the shockwave might push the gorilla’s hands away.
Of course, he continued releasing more flames without stopping.
After waiting for a moment, he realized he was safe.
No attack came toward him.
DING!
(You have killed a Level 11 Boss Monster. You gained 5 Point Heaven Path Soul Energy and 50 System Points!)
[System Point: 50]
[Soul:]
Heaven Path Soul > 5.80 (SSS Class Soul)
The notification appeared while he was still releasing flames.
He quickly stopped.
Once again, he had caused the cave to disappear.
Naturally, the Golden Gorilla had disappeared as well.
Mateo did not even see a Monster Core.
’Convert all my System Points into Heaven Path Soul Energy,’ he immediately commanded.
DING!
[System Point: 0]
[Soul:]
Heaven Path Soul > 10.80 (SSS Class Soul)
He truly wanted nothing more than this.
DING!
(You obtained the Fire Ghost Codex Magica with 15% mastery at the cost of 10.80 Heaven Path Soul Energy, an S-Class Codex Magica!)
(The Fire Ghost Codex Magica possesses an innate Magic Technique called Fire Ghost Wave, an S-Class Technique. Your mastery over the technique follows your mastery over the Fire Ghost Codex Magica!)
[System Point: 0]
[Soul:]
Heaven Path Soul > 0 (SSS Class Soul)
[Body:]
Primordial Life Body (SS Class Body)
[Element Affinity: Primordial Fire, Primordial Life]
[Bloodline: None]
[Codex Magica:]
Life Power Armor > 7.5% (S Class Codex Magica)
Fire Ghost > 15% (S Class Codex Magica)
[Magic Technique:]
Boundless Life Domain (SS Class Technique)
Fire Ghost Wave 15% (S Class Technique)
"..."
