Episode 38: Promotion (4)

Ding-dong!

<‘Featherback’s Special Privilege Reward’ will be given to the warehouse keeper who recorded excellent results!>

An unexpected bonus reward.

Soon, a rectangular object dropped from mid-air.

Thud!

I examined it closely.

“……A coffin?”

It was a massive coffin large enough to easily fit two adult men.

At that moment, Jeanne shouted in a tense voice.

“Master, it’s dangerous! Please step back!”

“?”

When I turned my head, I saw Jeanne’s pale face.

She was even breaking out in cold sweat while cautiously retreating step by step.

This was the first time I’d seen her this tense.

Soon, Jeanne spoke in a trembling voice.

“An indescribably evil aura is pouring out from that coffin. An intense grudge that crushes the body. Even the piercing stench of corpses… It’s hard to even stand properly.”

But I felt absolutely nothing.

No oppressive feeling, no rotting corpse smell—nothing at all.

Meanwhile, Jeanne was dripping with cold sweat.

“Don’t you feel this overwhelming deathly aura?”

“I’m fine, though.”

Jeanne then looked at me with an expression of reverence.

“As expected of Master! To not even bat an eye at this level of deathly energy. H-however, I… I don’t think I can even approach it…”

“Don’t push yourself. Just stay back.”

“I-I’m ashamed, Master.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Jeanne quickly distanced herself from the coffin.

I examined the coffin more closely.

It was made of an unidentifiable material.

Whether metal, wood, or stone—it was impossible to tell.

Grotesque hieroglyphs were embossed along the edges, and the surface was carved with people writhing in agony.

Only countless scratches proved how ancient this object was.

At that moment, the guidebook flipped open.

Flap—

<Coffin of the Dead>

– Storage Number: MRG-2368

– Storage Grade: Safe

Long ago, there lived a grave robber named Kosel. 

Unlike other grave robbers, he had no interest in the treasures or relics buried in tombs. 

Kosel’s only interest was corpses—specifically, “fresh” ones that had not been dead for long.

This was because he was a necrophiliac who felt intense desire only for bodies from which the soul had departed. 

Kosel enjoyed lying and sleeping with stolen corpses inside a giant coffin he had made himself, regardless of the corpse’s gender, age, or appearance.

One day, while wandering deep in the mountains, Kosel discovered a massive underground mausoleum. 

The bodies there all possessed noble visages and remained perfectly intact, as if still alive.

Of course, Kosel did not know. 

That place was the grand mausoleum where the heroic spirits who died for the Sorcerer Emperor slept.

A fitting punishment was bestowed upon the corpse-robbing thief who dared defile the Sorcerer Emperor’s private property. 

The Sorcerer Emperor disassembled Kosel alive, then used his bones and skin to craft a giant coffin. 

He bestowed upon it necromantic arts, turning it into a coffin capable of summoning the corpses of the dead.

Perhaps, to him, it was a reward. 

For now he could embrace new corpses for all eternity.

“Ah, why do they not know? That the flesh from which the filthy pollutant called the soul has departed is the truly ripe and luscious fruit.”

Corpse Robber Kosel

“Another disgusting backstory. So this was made from a person too…”

Following the purse made from human skin, now a coffin made from a person.

Why does the Sorcerer Emperor love making things out of people so much?

Some kind of attachment material?

Anyway. 

Among the guidebook’s contents, only one sentence concerned me.

He bestowed upon it necromantic arts, turning it into a coffin capable of summoning the corpses of the dead.

So this thing can summon corpses?

I cautiously opened the coffin lid.

Creak—

The lid opened wide with a sharp metallic screech.

The interior was filled with pitch-black darkness; nothing was visible.

I reached in to touch the bottom, but…

“What the—? There’s… no bottom?”

Even when I pushed my arm deeper, I couldn’t reach the floor.

It felt unsettling, like sticking my arm into the gaping maw of a monster.

At that moment.

Ding-dong!

<Coffin of the Dead – Manual>

1. Place a part of the deceased’s body or an item related to the deceased inside the coffin.

2. Firmly close the coffin lid and picture the deceased in your mind.

3. Stand on one leg and move: two steps west, one step north, five steps east, three steps south.

4. Spit twice toward the coffin, then check if the deceased’s corpse has been summoned.

※Warnings※

– During the ritual, you must never close your eyes or even blink.

– If you hear screams or muttering during the ritual, do not react.

– Corpses of the living belonging to this world cannot be summoned.

If a wandering soul is placed into the corpse robber’s coffin, that soul will be dragged into the Hell Underworld.

“The ritual is insanely complicated.”

It was an artifact difficult to use right now.

What was I even supposed to do with a corpse anyway?

I put the Coffin of the Dead into my inventory.

Only then did Jeanne approach, letting out a sigh of relief.

“That was truly terrifying deathly energy.”

Jeanne being this nervous was quite novel.

Well, she’s undead, so it makes sense it would be dangerous for her.

If she accidentally ended up inside that coffin, it would be a one-way ticket straight to hell.

Well then, shall we claim the rest of the rewards?

Ding-dong!

<Inventory>

-1. Growth Potion (NEW)

  └ Upon use, select one stat to increase by 100.

-2. Observation Zone Key (NEW)

  └ The holder of this key may enter Morgue’s Magical Warehouse, 2nd Floor Observation Zone.

Two new items appeared in the inventory.

I first examined the ‘Growth Potion.’

An emerald-colored vial filled to the brim with sloshing liquid.

Drinking this raises a stat by 100 points.

One stat point is based on the average of ordinary people.

In simple terms, increasing Strength by 100P makes one’s physical power 100 times that of an average person.

Hmm, which stat should I raise…

Generally, Strength, Agility, and Stamina are safe choices.

They’re useful in any situation, and Intelligence and Mental Power are mainly beneficial for mage classes.

Well, nothing urgent right now, so I’ll just keep it in the inventory.

Soon, I opened the guidebook.

From the Safe Zone to the Observation Zone.

Dozens of artifact entries had been added.

I started scrolling through the Safe Zone table of contents.

“……Let’s see.”

· Dog collar that forces obedience to its master.

· Full-body mirror that reveals one’s fated partner on the night of a full moon.

· Incense stick that puts nearby people to sleep.

· Pendant that absorbs all surrounding light.

· Broom that possesses ego and speaks.

Once again, the place was packed with all sorts of bizarre and ingenious artifacts.

And this… oh boy…

“Infinite Garlic Pouch? Garlic pours out endlessly. Perfume that changes one’s gender? Just the name sounds dangerous…”

There were also several artifacts that altered appearance.

Watering can that makes you taller when sprinkled on the head.

Plaster mask that sharpens facial features.

If only I were a bit taller. If only my skin were a bit clearer.

If only my eyes were bigger, my nose higher.

If only I were born pretty or handsome…

Is there anyone who has never had such thoughts even once in their life?

Yet every appearance-related artifact came with Featherback’s comments without fail.

And every single one was spectacularly over the top.

His Majesty ‘T’ has never used an appearance-altering artifact. Nor will He ever need to in the future.

For His Majesty already possesses nobility and grace far surpassing any being in existence.

At the Sorcerer Emperor’s beauty, birds forget to flap their wings and fall to the ground; fish forget how to swim and sink;

Even the moon hides behind clouds, and flowers hide behind leaves.

Praise Him highly! Look up in awe! Long live the Sorcerer Emperor! Long live! Long live for ten thousand years!

-Featherback

Every time, I’m reminded that there’s no fan more extreme than him.

I turned another page of the guidebook.

Then an artifact entry that caught my interest appeared.

“This one…”

– Monocle that Reads the Memories of the Dead

→ A monocle made by gouging out the cornea of a shaman. Wearing it over the left eye allows one to view the deceased’s memories from life.

Quite a few death-related artifacts today.

Still, this could be pretty useful.

At the very least, when investigating murder cases or such.

Soon, I opened the section marked ‘Observation’ in the guidebook’s table of contents.

[Guidebook Table of Contents: Observation Zone] (NEW)

– Observation Zone: Grade where isolation and containment have succeeded but require further observation.

Morgue’s Magical Warehouse, the second zone—Observation Zone.

What kind of stored items would be kept there?

With a mixture of worry and anticipation, I tried to turn the page.

But the pages were firmly stuck together and wouldn’t separate.

Ding-dong!

<You may view the corresponding table of contents after entering the Observation Zone!>

It seemed the structure required entry first.

In that case.

Let’s just go down for a quick look. If it feels off, I can bolt right away.

I took out the Observation Zone Key from my inventory.

A bone key larger than a human palm dropped into my hand.

At the same moment.

Ding-dong!

<Morgue’s Magical Warehouse, 2nd Floor ‘Observation’ Zone is now open!>

The warehouse floor began writhing as if alive.

Kugugugugugugu—

Soon, the ground sank in a circular shape, forming stairs leading downward.

I peeked down the stairs.

Complete darkness with not a single speck of light.

Screams, wails, and the sound of something scratching came faintly from afar.

I hadn’t even taken one step, yet I instinctively knew.

That the place below was incomparably horrific compared to the Safe Zone.

But I had no intention of hesitating here.

Soon.

“Give me some insane artifacts. Nothing like Rozchild, though.”

I began descending the stairs, one level deeper into the abyss.