Awakening The Only SSS-Rank Class! Now Even Dragons Obey Me

Chapter 131: Lake Of Dead

As soon as he heard the warning sound from Daniel, Nariok immediately entered battle mode. Above their heads, countless figures cast their shadows.

Daniel looked up to see them, and what he saw left him shocked. Were these the ghosts he had heard about?

Clusters of dark gas and energy with hundreds of terrifying eyes appeared in the sky.

It was the first time Daniel had ever seen something like this in his life. They were truly horrifying and strange.

Without hesitation, he pulled his sword out from his inventory and got ready to fight. But as he noticed their overwhelming numbers increasing by the second, a frown appeared on his face.

Without wasting time, he summoned the rest of the Fallen—everyone except Azrak and Pride appeared behind him and prepared for battle.

But… nothing happened. The ghosts just stood still in the sky, staring at him coldly.

It was like they were analyzing something. Daniel tried to read their thoughts through their eyes, but all he saw was coldness and death.

”If Iʼm not wrong, they must be condensed Death Auras,” he thought, analyzing them the same way they seemed to be analyzing him.

It wasnʼt hard for him to figure out what they were. If he wasnʼt mistaken, these were all Death Auras.

Death Auras that had developed awareness—now that surprised him. How had they become conscious?

”Compared to a tree branch and a fruit turning into a Dark Elf, I guess this is more logical.” He chuckled, remembering his earlier adventure.

Since entering this mountain, heʼd seen so many strange things that conscious Death Auras didnʼt even feel that weird anymore.

Minutes passed slowly. The ghosts—Daniel decided to call them ”Death Wraiths”—didnʼt move at all. They still covered the sky, staring at him with cold eyes.

”Maybe theyʼre waiting for me to make the first move?” Daniel thought. But after another glance at them, he decided against attacking.

He didnʼt want more Death Aura invading his body. Just one had nearly killed him, and he still hadnʼt been able to neutralize it.

”You may pass.” While he was still thinking about what to do, the wraiths suddenly spoke in unison. Their voices were terrifying—like Death itself was speaking.

Daniel frowned. Pass? Go where? In front of them, there was basically nothing—just a barren land as far as the eye could see.

But to his surprise, the dead land suddenly began to shift and turned into a lake. A boat floated on its surface.

”Whether you succeed or die will be up to fate,” the Death Wraiths spoke again with that hellish voice, then dispersed.

Danielʼs frown deepened. He dismounted from Vorak and walked toward the lake. The lake wasnʼt colorless or blue—it looked completely white and lifeless.

It felt like a lake that led to the world of the dead. And how could there even be a lake inside a mountain? One so large that its end couldnʼt even be seen?

”Get on it?” he murmured as he looked at the boat, hesitating for a moment.

”In the worst case, Iʼll use Fallen Step to escape.” He was still curious about what this mountain really was and whether all the rumors and stories were true or just lies.

He canceled the summoning of all his Fallen except for Nariok and Zargort, and the three of them got on the boat.

The boat suddenly began moving on its own, without anyone steering or controlling it.

Daniel stood silently on the boat, staring into the distance. He was already on board—now all he could do was wait to see what would happen.

While the boat continued on, Daniel glanced at Nariok.

”How much do you know about this mountain?”

”Not much, my lord. But it was the suggestion of the woman I loved—that branch of the World Tree. She told me this was the only place even the highest-ranking Elves didnʼt dare to enter,” Nariok replied.

”Even the strongest Elves wonʼt come here, huh?” Daniel muttered to himself.

That could mean two things: either because the mountain was in the Central Plains and the Elves didnʼt dare to come due to otherworldly guilds…

Or because there was something in this mountain that even powerful beings feared. Now that he thought about it, the death rate among powerful specialists seemed higher than that of weak Climbers.

This place was basically a graveyard for the strong. Many deaths among Rank B and A Climbers had happened here.

What kind of secret was this mountain hiding?

”In all the years Iʼve lived here, Iʼve never left my residence. Thatʼs why I donʼt know much about the mountain. Iʼve sent my soldiers a few times to investigate. Many were killed by these wraiths. But a few returned, and thanks to them, Iʼve learned a bit about the structure of this mountain.”

”So you spent most of your time raising your daughter,” Daniel said with a smile.

”In truth, my lord, I spent most of it trying to carry out my plan. Unfortunately, I failed in the end,” Nariok sighed.

”…”

”My lord, look over there,” Zargort suddenly said.

”Huh? What the hell is that?” Daniel turned and frowned as he saw something appear in the distance.

It was a massive multi-story building. Its architecture was strange, but Daniel wasnʼt unfamiliar with it.

”A pagoda?” Thatʼs right—a pagoda had appeared in the distance, floating on the water, as if it had emerged from nowhere.

The boat approached the pagoda and stopped in front of its entrance. Daniel didnʼt get off—he just frowned, and with each passing second, his frown deepened.

He had never heard of a pagoda in this mountain. In fact, there was almost no info about this place at all. So what was the deal with this pagoda?

Should he enter or turn back?

Daniel wrestled with himself over what to do. In the end, he just sighed, stepped off the boat, and walked to the platform connected to the pagoda.

Suddenly, the pagodaʼs doors opened for him—grandly and with power. A blinding light shone on all three of them.

”In the worst case, I die,” Daniel laughed loudly and took another step forward, entering the pagoda.

Nariok and Zargort tried to follow him, but the moment Daniel entered, the doors closed and wouldnʼt let them in.

”My lord!” Both of them immediately began banging on the pagodaʼs doors, but it was useless.