ATP 14

Chapter 14

“Ugh…”

After using Divine Descent, I spent a full two days bedridden, cared for by Dad and Prinz, with Bianca stopping by to check on me.

True to its name, the “Divine Fever” burned relentlessly, forcing me to stay in bed the entire time. Thankfully, the Thousand-Day Prayer quest allowed for a two-day absence, so I didn’t fall behind.

Most of the time, I was asleep, and even when awake, I was groggy, causing a lot of worry among those around me.

Even the gods seemed concerned.

[‘The Word of World-Building’ sighs, saying they didn’t expect such side effects.]

“Oh… Word, when did you arrive?”

[‘The Word of World-Building’ replies that they left work on time and just got here.]

I felt grateful to the god. Thanks to their decisive action—which I was prepared to report formally—I had successfully completed the dungeon raid.

I grinned.

‘Even for a short while, I got really strong. Seeing me take down an A-rank boss in an instant… I think I could solo an S-rank dungeon. Maybe even on par with the protagonist’s twentieth run?’

[‘The Word of World-Building’ says the power of Divine Descent could grow even stronger in proportion to your potential.]
[‘The Word of World-Building’ warns sharply not to overuse it, though.]

“Got it. I’ll get stronger on my own.”

[‘The Word of World-Building’ encourages me, saying I should continue praying, training, spending money, and spreading faith diligently.]

Prayer and training I understood… but the spending and spreading faith part made me chuckle.

‘Of course. The fastest way to power-up is spending and evangelizing. A special cash shop for possessed ones where you can buy abilities and skills. A multi-level system where increasing believers strengthens your buffs. Amazing.’

[‘The Word of World-Building’ clears its throat, suggesting I call it a pyramid business instead of a multi-level system.]

“Yeah, yeah, I will.”

As I joked about the Divine Pyramid Enterprise, a realization hit me.

‘The faith of people here directly influences the gods.’

Until now, I’d approached this world with a somewhat shallow mindset, thinking it was just a story I’d possessed. But watching a real god accumulate believers here made it clear: this world is just as “real” as Earth, in its own way.

A fully-fledged world.

One that’s slowly crumbling.

The souls of its inhabitants must be real, too. And the only monotheistic god who once ruled had abandoned everything and left.

Maybe if ‘The Word of World-Building’ expands its influence, it could be good for this world.

“Ah! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine now.”

“Thank goodness. I was really worried.”

When Bianca heard I had gotten up after just two days, she rushed over, beaming. I deliberately flexed my fists to show off my health.

I felt genuinely strong. The post-fever penalties were gone, and my body was lively, unrecognizable from someone who had been burning with fever just days ago.

It seemed Bianca had kept the dungeon events secret.

Divine Descent carried a high cost, and technically, it was borrowed power—something best kept private.

I was going to suggest keeping it a secret, but Bianca, clever and perceptive as the future head of the family, had already made a good judgment.

So our raid on the Graveyard Dungeon, where we defeated the boss, remained quiet. My illness was blamed on overwork, and my workload decreased significantly.

I decided it was a good opportunity to cut back slightly on my time spent cooking and serving tea.

Carefully, I admitted that I felt alchemy suited me best among Dad, Faesha, and Isela.

Dad tried to hide his pleasure but turned red with effort. Faesha and Isela hinted that they weren’t giving up on me yet—they wanted to see how things would unfold.

I had worried they might be disappointed, but it was unnecessary. They seemed to thrive on challenges, burning brighter for the hard-to-obtain.

But my choice was firm: selling healing potions to adventurers was the most profitable. In a world this harsh, power alone wasn’t enough. Wealth mattered too.

I figured it was time to reread the Seagukai records and organize dungeon information, including the most-visited dungeons and strategies.

‘Oh, right.’

I suddenly remembered the dungeon I now owned. Its fate had to be decided.

After a boss is defeated, a dungeon generally has two outcomes.

First: keep it open for adventurers. Without the boss, the difficulty drops, but adventurers can still farm magical beasts, rare plants, minerals, and other valuable resources. Most dungeons follow this route.

Second: closing it, effectively destroying it. This happens if the dungeon has no valuable resources or is too dangerous.

My dungeon fell into the latter category.

It was a graveyard filled only with bone monsters, no special plants or minerals, and I’d cleared it with Divine Power. Now, it was a barren wasteland. Plus, it was awkwardly located on someone else’s property—hardly ideal.

So logically, closing it made sense. But…

It was my first dungeon. I felt strangely attached.

I decided to postpone the decision and talked it over with Bianca.

“Using your powers really takes a toll on your body, right? You collapsed even though you were fine before.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Then try to hide your strength and use it sparingly.”

“That’s the plan. Now that I think about it, I must have caused you a lot of trouble in the dungeon, carrying me to the exit.”

I felt guilty imagining young Bianca struggling under my weight.

“No, it was fine. I had help.”

“Help?”

“Yeah. The skeleton monsters helped move you.”

“What?”

I couldn’t believe it—skeletons survived and even helped us?

“Really. When I told them to help instead of just standing there, they did.”

I could easily picture Bianca giving the command with the refined authority of a countess’s daughter. It made sense.

“Hmm… They must have survived because they were deep underground. They’re probably conditioned to follow orders, being Ardiman’s enslaved army… Ah! That’s it!”

“Ah?”

A sudden thought struck me. I immediately retrieved the passive skill book I got from the dungeon raid.

[<Skill> “Fear Reverberating Through the Undead World (Passive)”
Undead who see you are inflicted with the ‘Fear’ status.
Note: Works best on weaker undead.]

“Infamy! Fear! Perfect!”

I opened the possessed-only cash shop and purchased the familiar product.

[<System> Purchased “Job Change Package (Non-Combat)”]
[<System> Selected “Farmer’s Hands Rivaling a Druid,” awakened Cultivation Lv.1]

Perfect timing—herbal resources were necessary for selling healing potions. I smiled in delight.

“Woohoo!”

“Ah… Ai?”

I grabbed Bianca’s hand, who looked puzzled.

“Come on, Via! We have somewhere to go!”

Skeleton Soldier No. 1004. That was the name he carried.

Of course, it hadn’t been his original name. Over time, like his worn-down bones, his memories faded, leaving only numbers.

It happened before the name Gillette appeared on the continent’s maps.

Skeleton Soldier 1004 set out on a training journey, as was tradition.

Diligent, he completed missions across the continent, and was now ready to return to his castle and inherit the throne.

On his way back, he passed near the current Gillette territory…

• “Prince! Move!”

• “Gah!”

By misfortune, a dungeon sync occurred, plunging him straight into an A-rank dungeon.

• “Hehehe, welcome!”

Welcomed by necromancer Ardiman, he and his companions became Skeleton Soldiers 1004, 1005, 1006, and 1007.

Their grueling life as demon slaves began then.

They labored in graveyard expansion, stood guard against intruding adventurers, and during attacks, they served as Ardiman’s living shields. Their bones were shattered and reformed countless times.

‘No! Someone save me!’

Their inner screams echoed as mournful rattling.

One day, finally, Ardiman was defeated.

Skeleton Soldier 1004 felt joy, believing at last he could rest in death.

‘Though I have no grave to lie in, nor headstone, at least…’

But then…

“From now on, I’ll turn this land into a herb field. So everything from here to there, clear it! Begin!”