I don't know how much time has passed. The sky above my head has changed.

I wiggle my ears in the sand. There is no sound of cockroaches. Not even the smell of death is present.

I sit in the sand. Feeling it under my feet, something that should be familiar to me is alienating.

How long was I dead?

I touch my whole body and no trace of the wound is present.

In the distance, several creatures are seen.

It must have rained during my sleep. A dreamless sleep. Perhaps the [Bakenekro] do not dream when dead, free from their power.

Ci-cin.

Pulling myself up, I see a reflection in the ash: the umbrella and the blade.

I'm going to collect them.

“In the end, I couldn't get revenge on you…” I murmur as I look at that blue rapier.

I sheath it and stretch my arms.

There are several System notifications. I feel.

“Open.”

[Necromancy] is now [mastery: 2].

[Poisonous Bite] and [Scan] are now at [mastery: 3].

[Cosmic Regeneration] has been replaced by [Immortality].

Also, from [lv: 28] I see the entry [up: +15].

I bite my thumb and let the blood drip onto the pages.

My level goes up.

[lv: 43] [xp: 29840]

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Not bad.

The defeat had some positive consequences.

Now I have to arrange the many deceased who have rained down during my sleep. I have to catch up so I won't be able to spend time with them, they've probably been here too long already.

Oh, wait.

Trying to close the grimoire it resists.

There is one last notification. I didn't notice it immediately because I thought it was the unusual warning of [Immortality].

“Show.”

WARNING!

A deceased being of [lv] equal to or greater than [50] entered the Underwasteland dungeon without the supervision of the [Empress].

Identified as [Kirlh'iau] [lv: 61(59)].

Intentions: hostile.

Elapsed time: 28,876.53 hours.

A mix of emotions runs through me.

Positive: the poison has had an effect. I'm also not dead.

Neutral: I know how much time has passed.

Negative, especially fear and anger. I know where it is going, but I don't know how to find it.

The Underwasteland is an immense space. There are so many rooms that my father's entire life wasn't enough to index them.

My curious ancestors have mapped various areas. But the most visited will be around a hundred. And of these hundred rooms, only about twenty are visited frequently.

Certain areas are practically forgotten since they are ancient and unused.

With [Dungeon path] I can move around at will, but I have to know where I want to go in the Underwasteland. I can't just get to Kirlh'iau.

On the bright side, I know where it's headed: to the dungeon [core].

Now.

I slept almost thirty thousand hours.

Enough time to see the desert with the deceased wandering around, but not enough time to reach the dungeon [core] on foot.

Even assuming that Kirlh'iau's brief teleportation allows it to accelerate the pace…

It certainly won't arrive for three or four million years.

Hmm…

Its God of Wisdom has proven to know many things. How is this possible then? To know about the Underwasteland the only way is to have been there.

Only the dead can pass through… is it a resurrected person?

Hm-Hmm…

It does not make sense. However, the resurrected have no such knowledge.

This is someone who knows my species well and who can counter my moves.

Ergo, even if I wanted to not care, I can't let it hang around. It will surely arrive at its destination earlier than normal time.

However, this is not the time. If it hasn't arrived yet, it means it still needs time.

I feel thrilled. This situation is the most terrible and most stimulating that has happened to me so far!

Okay, okay. Let's calm down.

First of all, [Dungeon path].

I’ll check the [core] area.

I appear directly in front of the plate and listen. I strain my ears and try to smell the air.

If there is a deceased being its smell will give it away.

…

Well, no one is there. I have time.

[Dungeon path]

I return to the house.

I have to work.

Ci-cin.

How many deceased! In completely different conditions. They range from enormous animals such as elephants and wyverns, up to humanoids and pigs.

There must be a thousand or more!

Let's roll up our sleeves.

Ci-cin.