Chapter 247: Chapter 247 - Wooden House
Crunching sounds occurred constantly as he felt his brain throb in anger as he slowly said with anger in his tone, "Clawdia, Stop doing that, I am cultivating right now."
But the sound didn\'t heed his words and the crunching sound occurred again.
"Clawdia, Can you please shut up for a moment and let me concentrate for a moment. Why don\'t you go and eat whatever you want outside this room." William baited her but the crunching sound still occurred.
Hearing the same noise again, William couldn\'t keep his anger in check anymore and barked towards Clawdia as he opened his eyes.
"For Facks sake, Clawdia can you stop with tha-" He was about to say more but he saw that instead of Clawdia doing that, it was a rat that was eating a small piece of cheese looking at him with an innocent look.
"Ohh! Aren\'t you a cute rat?" William smiled and the rat scratched its nose. But contrary to what the rat expected, William quickly shot a Light Bullet towards him, that disintegrated the rat.
"I hat rats." Saying that William paid no heed to the black spot on the with meat scattered around it and closed his eyes to begin the process.
Darkness. Infinite Darkness.
William opened his eyes, only to find himself immersed in an all-consuming darkness, as if it were beckoning him into its depths. He glanced around, searching for something familiar, but strangely, what he sought remained elusive. There was no light, no dark cube, nor was there any trace of the dragon sculpture.
He searched for a while, anxiety beginning to creep in. But before fear could fully take root, a wave of calm washed over him, almost instinctively. He closed his eyes, then reopened them, still encased in darkness. Yet this time, it was different.
The light and dark cubes had appeared, radiating with a dangerous intensity, and the dragon sculpture, with its massive form, loomed ominously as though ready to unleash its fiery wrath.
William sighed inwardly—his ethereal form lacked a mouth to express it outwardly. His body was merely a dark silhouette, resembling an average human figure, with two hollow spaces where his eyes should have been. These voids emitted a light that seemed to have no discernible source. He approached the cubes and the sculpture, gesturing for them to draw near.
Obediently, the cubes and the sculpture floated before him, halting just within reach.
The sculpture, though it didn\'t appear as volatile as the cubes, still harbored a dormant flame, eager to be unleashed. William moved closer, positioning himself to channel his energy without direct contact. Slowly, threads of light emerged from his fingertips, snaking towards the cubes and sculpture, eventually merging with them effortlessly.
As the energy began to flow, William experienced a blend of comfort and pain as the cubes and sculpture began to fracture under the strain. Recognizing that the process had begun, he closed his eyes and allowed his body to switch to auto-pilot. Now, only the glowing cubes and the dragon sculpture remained, steadily absorbing the energy, their hunger seemingly insatiable.
Time passed, and the cubes and sculpture continued to siphon energy without pause. Yet, the stream of energy, which had once seemed inexhaustible, suddenly encountered resistance. William, still in a semi-conscious state, remained unaware and continued to feed them energy. The barrier obstructing the mana from reaching the cubes and sculpture began to crack under the immense pressure.
It wasn\'t long before it shattered completely, releasing a pure, blinding light.
The light exploded between the cubes, sculpture, and the energy threads, rapidly expanding until it enveloped everything—William included. Consumed by the light, William finally felt a shift. He opened his hazy eyes slowly, taking a moment to focus on his surroundings.
His mouth dropped open in astonishment. He was no longer in the dark void of his inner mind, nor was he in his room where he had been cultivating. Instead, he found himself standing before the familiar Japanese-style tatami house, with its comforting, rural village-like atmosphere—the very same house that belonged to the Goddess he had encountered when he advanced to Level TWO.
"What the…?" William murmured, baffled as he stood on the grass-covered ground, feeling the cool, comforting breeze around him. "Okay, what just happened?" he asked, utterly perplexed. He turned his gaze towards the tatami house, its front door ajar.
\'Alright, it seems like I have to go there to find my answers.\' he thought. Rising from the ground, William made his way towards the house. As he approached the door, he hesitated, stepping back before politely asking, "Goddess, may I come in?"
\'Yes\' An ethereal voice echoed in his mind, and he suddenly found himself inside the house. He glanced back at the door, then down at his feet, puzzled—he didn\'t recall walking inside.
\'Strange\' he thought, turning his attention forward. He saw two doors, just like before: one leading to the living room, and the other to an unknown destination. His curiosity was piqued as he stared at the second door, wondering what lay beyond it. But he shook his head, opting instead for the familiar first door that led to the living room.
Inside, the small drinking table was set with two cups of tea, just as before, though the room was empty. "Goddess, are you here? Goddess?" he called out.
\'Sit, and we can talk.\' the ethereal voice responded. This time, his body didn\'t move on its own, which he found somewhat satisfying. He sat down, eyeing the cup in front of him, debating whether to drink it or wait.
Unexpectedly, a voice interrupted his thoughts. "Go on, you don\'t have to wait for me." He looked up to see the Goddess sitting across from him, holding the same cup, smiling as she spoke.
"Oh, okay then," William replied, taking a sip of the tea. The herbal ingredients spread warmth and comfort throughout his body, bringing a soothing sense of relief to his mind.
"Ahhh, now that\'s truly something," William sighed contentedly, nearly drifting off to sleep.
"I can give you the ingredients if you want," the Goddess offered.
"Really?" William exclaimed before recalling the situation. "No, wait! Why am I here again?"
"Before I answer that, answer me one question," the Goddess said. William braced himself, expecting another profound query. He nodded.
"Why didn\'t you come here before?"
"Huh?" William was confused, unsure if he had heard her correctly.
"Before, when you were here, I told you that you could come anytime you wanted. I even waited for you, but you never came," the Goddess explained. Although she was still smiling, William sensed she was both angry and saddened.
"Well… ah… what happened was..." William stammered, searching for an excuse but finding none. He considered lying but knew she would see through it. More importantly, he didn\'t want to lie to someone who had helped him so much.
So, he did the only thing he could in such a situation—he bowed deeply. "I\'m very sorry, Ms. Goddess. I didn\'t mean to forget about visiting you. It wasn\'t intentional, but I completely forgot. I\'m sorry.
Despite all the help you\'ve given me, I forgot something so simple. If you\'re still angry, you can banish me, and I\'ll accept it wholeheartedly."
"Oh, really?"