A quick inquiry into his system earned Lokus an explanation of what the Perception stat was.

According to it, Perception was a measure of his ability to perceive things, whether with touch, taste, smell, or any other methods he had. This sounded obvious, but there was a caveat to this that caught Lokus’ attention.

His Domain was included.

As his Perception increased, so too would his Domain’s range and effectiveness, which down here was essential.

In the grand scheme of things, a twelve-meter radius was small. This was especially true in this underground cave system he found himself in, as it seemed to go on forever. He had been walking for hours with no end in sight. He hadn’t even found a wall yet.

So even if this Throne was absolute garbage, which he was unable to determine because of his lack of experience, it was exactly what he needed in this place. He could be attacked at any moment, and the quicker he could recognize such an event, the better his chances at survival.

More importantly, it would make that horrid gurgling give him a wider berth.

On a side note, Perception also affected the strength of his Edicts. In his current situation, that was little more than worthless, but he was sure that as time went on, that would become more important.

After reading over how to use this new Noble Throne of his, Lokus began to pass the time by training his Domain. Despite the flashy name, Opening of the Celestial Gateway was rather plain in execution.

With every exhale, Lokus would push his Domain out against its boundaries and attempt to break past them, the equivalent of stretching his arm out as far as it would go and straining to go even further.

With every inhale, he would bottle his Domain up inside of himself, attempting to constrain it into the smallest ball possible. This left him temporarily unable to see his way forward, but he’d use the moments his Domain was out to memorize the next few feet, to avoid tripping on wayward stones.

It was similar to working out a muscle, only not as intensive as a full-blown workout. It was actually rather relaxing. Since synching it to his breathing was a prerequisite, he was railroaded into focusing on every breath he took.

It distracted him from his current unfortunate situation, from the slight ache in his legs from all of his walking, and even helped him forget the shudder-inducing gurgling that continued to play out in the darkness.

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For what could have been either days or hours, he did nothing but breathe, walk, and train his Domain.

Every now and then, he would hear that terrible gurgling noise, but he just took two deep breaths, pushing it out of his mind and shoving the anxiety it spawned deep down within himself.

Finally…

[Your Perception has improved!]

The improvement to his Domain had been nonexistent for the longest time, to the point he had begun to doubt if this Throne was doing anything.

But when that notification arrived, that intangible boundary his Domain kept straining against shattered, and his range increased by a full meter in each direction before he ran into that boundary once again.

Lokus exhaled deeply, his brain working to process this extension to his senses. It was a little overwhelming, sensing so much more all at once, but he managed to adapt after some trouble.

That gurgling noise came again while he was doing this, and it was with no small amount of relish that Lokus noted that it was still just outside his Domain. His assumption that it would grow farther from him the wider his Domain had proven to be correct.

With a way to spite the thing that had been tormenting him revealed to Lokus, he delved back into training, determined to improve himself until the sound was too far to hear. It may have been a pipe dream, but it was a goal to strive towards, which was something he sorely needed since he saw nothing but walking in his future.

………

[Your Perception has improved!]

Another meter was added to his Domain’s range, another meter around him that the gurgling avoided like the plague.

Lokus continued to stick his tongue out, droplet after droplet dripping down from above and onto his tongue, which he swallowed greedily.

The hours had stretched into over a day by now, and yet still, Lokus wandered. It was only three hours ago that he had run into the very first wall.

At first, he had thought to follow it.

Perhaps he would find a tunnel, or better, a set of stairs out of this place. But after spending around two hours walking along the wall’s length with nothing to show for it, he abandoned the prospect and took off in a direction he hadn’t gone before, eventually finding this water falling from above.

He still had yet to encounter any demons. He didn’t know if it was because of his sickness or if they were just that rare down here, but either way, it was a positive for him.

Or it would have been, if he wasn’t starting to hunger.

His thirst had been an issue for a while now as well, but now that he had found this water from above, he wouldn’t have to worry about it again for a while. His stomach, however, continued to protest at its mistreatment, reminding him every now and then with a hollow feeling that he hadn’t been fed in over a day.

He tried his best not to pay it any mind, but like that reoccurring, maddening gurgle, it refused to go away.

When Lokus decided that he had enough, he closed his mouth and stepped away from the dripping water, turning his head this way and that as he decided on a direction to go in.

‘What about… this way?’

He left the water behind, setting off in the chosen direction.

………

Gruuugukgukguk…

The thing in its sights was sick. That was bad.

But it was getting better, it could smell it. That was good.

Gruuugukgukguk…

Its warning echoed through the cavern, telling others that it had staked its claim on this morsel. Soon, it would eat to its heart’s content.