Chapter 198: Fourth Floor

“So, you saw that just now.”

Only then did I finally realized why I was unable to take my eyes off Jortu and the maids.

21. Meals will be replenished daily. Please feel free to eat as much as you like.

Considering the Manor could automatically replenish meals daily, I had a doubt whether this place even required a servant.

Of course, having encountered countless ghosts or yokai that could strike one from behind like this, I replied without much emotion.

“Who are you?”

“W-What are you saying?!”

Han So, who was next to me, was bewildered and tried to stop me from asking such a rude question, but the maids’ reacted swiftly.

One maid split in half, revealing a set of densely packed, eerie teeth inside.

It looked like its entire body was one big mouth.

On the other hand, the other maid, who was about to move Jortu’s corpse, ran up the stairs while still holding it.

She covered a distance of five steps at a time and disappeared in an instant.

“Ugh.”

The reaction on this side was also somewhat unexpected. Seemingly having a weak stomach, Han So, also known as the War God, tried to cover his mouth with his hand as he witnessed the maid whose appearance had grotesquely changed.

“Pull yourself together.”

Along with a sigh, blue flames rose from both my shoulders and shot towards the maid.

It was a simple restraint.

However, even after being hit by the flames, the maid showed no reaction, as if nothing was wrong, and simply charged forward.

“...?”

I tried to restrain her once more.

And instead of trying to accomplish something, I was aiming to buy time to coordinate with Han So for an attack or follow up with another magic.

The maid’s giant mouth opened wide to swallow me, and as a precaution, I used protective magic to block her path.

However, the maid phased through the protective magic, as if it wasn’t even there, and flew forward.

“Get down!”

Thanks to Han So throwing himself to protect me, the maid’s giant teeth passed me by, but she quickly regained her stance, emitting a purring sound while preparing to charge again.

“Do you need this?”

As I slowly handed the Heavenly Oath Martial Staff I still held, Han So looked excited and nodded.

“It’s one of the lost treasures of the Han Empire. It was used when martial artists of the past swore to preserve the path of martial arts towards the heavens...!”

“Take it.”

As I handed it without much hesitation, Han So had a bewildered look.

However, then, I gestured towards the maid with my chin.

“Instead, help me deal with that woman.”

“Well, she doesn’t seem to be an ordinary human.”

Holding the Heavenly Oath Martial Staff, Han So stepped forward. He then took a deep breath and stared at the maid, and the confrontation between the two didn’t last long.

Swish!

The maid charged once again.

However, this time, she wasn’t as threatening.

Using the Heavenly Oath Martial Staff, Han So struck her from above with a powerful blow and the charging maid immediately crumpled to the ground, spraying green blood in all directions.

To finish off the writhing maid, Han So stomped on her with his foot.

However, another peculiar event occurred.

Thud!

His sturdy heel passed through the maid, hitting the floor.

“Hmm?”

Flustered, Han So quickly withdrew his foot, but I now understood.

Are they beings that can only be killed with items provided by the Dream Demon Manor?

Judging by the fact that my magic didn’t work on her and seeing how Han So’s heel just passed through, it seemed that one could only deal with these special beings using items obtained as rewards in the Dream Demon Manor.

Lemegeton in my room immediately came to mind. If I could control magic by using it, I could inflict damage.

But I have no souls to control.

Unlike other Necromancers, I didn’t cultivate and utilize souls, so naturally, I didn’t carry any souls within me.

Since I didn’t see any souls wandering around during my time in the Dream Demon Manor, Lemegeton was practically useless to me.

Ultimately, I was left in a vulnerable state with only basic elemental magic or a few other spells at my disposal.

So, what I now had to do was...

“It seems my magic does not work here.”

As I spoke, Han So, perhaps having already noticed, nodded quickly in response.

“If Young Master Deus hadn’t given me this martial staff, I would have been brutally murdered as well. Since I owe you my life, I’ll make sure to protect you here.”

He wasn’t called the War God and praised in the Han Empire for nothing.

With a generous yet straightforward personality that clearly reciprocated what he received, he was also easy to deal with.

“Then, let us head up together. We need to find out where that maid took Jortu’s corspe.”

“Hmm!”

As agreed, Han So and I headed upstairs.

On the second-floor corridor stood the Dark Spiritualist, holding a book with a puzzled look.

Judging by the door plate that said ‘Library’ on the door behind her, it seemed that she stepped out while reading a book because of the commotion.

“What’s going on?”

It seemed like she wanted to find out who was responsible for interrupting her reading time.

I gestured without bothering to explain.

“You should come along with us.”

“What?”

“You probably have nothing better to do anyway.”

Although the Dark Spiritualist seemed displeased about being dragged along, Han So and I ignored her and proceeded to climb another flight of stairs.

Because Jortu’s bloodstains continued to the third floor.

“Hmm, this is problematic.”

Seeing the bloodstains go beyond the third floor and to the fourth, it became problematic.

“We’re only allowed up to the third floor.”

4. Guests are only allowed up to the third floor.

As Han So waited for my decision, I paused for a moment, then conjured a light orb in my palm.

It was a simple spell I had learned from Erica, the expert in light magic.

I swung my shoulder and threw the orb across the room, simply pushing away the darkness and illuminated it without any destructive power.

The magic flew in an arc and burst like a flare, shining brightly.

The human-like tentacles weren’t just rising from the floor but from the walls and ceiling as well.

Moreover, something resembling a giant wasp nest was dangling from the ceiling.

And amidst all this, there were places where the tentacles weren’t rising, and as I frowned at that spot...

Two new rules of the Dream Demon Manor written in red caught my eye.

27. Guest rooms only go up to number 110. There is no Room 111. If you find Room 111 and someone is staying in it, kill them immediately. They are an uninvited intruder.

29. There is no fourth floor in the Dream Demon Manor.

Then, the light went out.

Once again, a damp darkness engulfed us. Feeling the chill run down my spine, I asked Han So.

“Did you see that just now?”

“What do you mean? I did see something that looked like a uvula hanging from the ceiling.”

“....A uvula?”

That was indeed the case.

Initially, I thought it looked like a wasp nest, depending on how you looked at it, it could be seen as an uvula.

And the puzzle pieces finally came together in my mind.

The uneven stairs.

The damp floors and walls.

The unbearable foul odor.

Although Rule No. 27 was bothersome, it was Rule No. 29 that currently had my attention.

There was no fourth floor in the Dream Demon Manor.

Grasp!

I grabbed the Dark Spiritualist’s wrist and dashed towards the stairs.

“Kyaaack!”

As I grabbed the startled Dark Spiritualist by the hand and dragged her along, her evil spirit followed after us hurriedly. Likewise, Han So ran beside me and asked.

“W-why are you behaving like this?”

“There is no fourth floor in the Dream Demon Manor.”

“Th-then, where are we stepping on?”

When Han So asked in confusion, I opened my mouth to answer, but the words refused to come out.

Because I found it even more baffling.

Assuming that the entire fourth floor was the mouth of some monster was a futile and absurd thought to entertain.

“So, did you see a new rule there?!”

The Dark Spiritualist continued running after brushing off my hand. When I replied with a nod, she gritted her teeth.

“Jeez, no wonder I keep feeling that there’s something unsettling about this Manor.”

“It is not just the Manor that is the issue.”

“Huh?”

“What do you mean?”

The Dark Spiritualist and Han So inquired, but I decided not to answer. After all, once we were out of here, both of them would learn of it anyway.

There was no reward this time.

There was no immediate reward for finding Rules No. 27 and No. 29.

That meant someone had already seen the fourth floor and deliberately hidden that information.

The path on the fourth floor gradually narrowed, leaving both of them bewildered. I, on the other hand, felt like the creature known as the fourth floor was closing its mouth to prevent us from escaping.

The human-like tentacles behind us kept chasing us like monsters.

“It seems like we are going to die here.”

The Dark Spiritualist said calmly.

The third floor came into view, but at our current pace, it seemed unlikely that we would be able to escape this place.

However, at that moment, white bandages made of mana extended towards us from the third floor, grabbing and pulling us.

“Huh? Uwah!”

“Whoa!”

I could hear the screams of the Dark Spiritualist and Han So. Even though I didn’t know what it was, I decided to put my trust in whatever was aiding us.

Our bodies floated in the air, and we quickly arrived on the third floor.

Rumble!

And the fourth floor closed at the same time.

Hearing the chewing sounds coming from it, as if it were searching for us in its mouth, were truly disgusting.

Nonetheless, we were able to escape thanks to some external help.

That was dangerous.

Still, we had definitely gained something.

I wiped myself and checked the identity of the person who had just saved us.

It was a young, blond boy.

It was the boy who retreated into his room after hearing Jortu’s warning.

He was definitely in Room 101.

And I remembered him as the boy who occupied the very first room.

“I thought I was really gonna die.”

“Thanks, Kid.”

That came from the Dark Spiritualist, who was complaining, and Han So, who felt grateful.

The boy was scratching his head in embarrassment, but strangely, his hair and appearance seemed familiar.

I casually asked the boy.

“What is your name?”

The boy in the robe blushed, as if embarrassed, and replied.

“My name is Luaneth.”

1. It is an idiom that means something happens in succession, like a chain reaction.