Author’s Note:
I’m aiming to reach 25,000 Win-Win unlocks this month. To make that happen, I’ll be releasing 5–6 Chapters every day throughout the month.
I’d really appreciate your support by unlocking the Chapters daily. If we reach 25,000 Win-Win unlocks, I’ll reduce the Privilege price next month to just 10 coins as a thank-you to everyone who supported the story.
P.S. You don’t have to worry about the quality of the Chapters. I would rather release fewer Chapters than compromise on quality. Every Chapter will receive the same care and effort as always.
Thank you for your continued support. It truly means a lot.
...
Isaac almost laughed at the adorable reaction, but he decided not to tease her any further. Time was already running short, and they still had somewhere important to be.
"Thanks for the cake. We’ll enjoy it later," Isaac said, lifting the picnic basket slightly.
"Have fun, and don’t forget to tell me how everything goes afterward." Selene nodded with a gentle smile.
"I won’t, and don’t forget about the appointment we have tonight," Isaac said with a wink, making her blush more.
Then, he left with Catherine. A short while later, the massive entrance to the Great Dungeon came into view, surrounded by a constant flow of adventurers from many different cities.
The area was much busier than before because the recent competition between the Lords had attracted enormous attention. Humans and members of other races entered in large groups, making it obvious that the Great Dungeon had become one of the biggest attractions in the region.
Isaac stopped a short distance from the entrance before opening a Mirror Dimension.
"What are you doing?" Catherine asked curiously.
"I’m just finishing the last of the preparations," Isaac replied.
He still had four Legendary Gift Boxes that he hadn’t opened yet. One had come from recruiting a Sub-Lord who was already a Lord, while the remaining three were rewards for reaching five wives.
Since there was no way of knowing what they contained, opening them before entering the Great Dungeon made the most sense.
Isaac closed his eyes briefly and spoke inwardly. ’System, open the Legendary Gift Boxes!’
Frost Archer Barracks (Rare) obtained.
Hot Spring (Legendary) obtained.
I Am You! (Legendary) obtained.
I, Destroy! (Mortal) obtained.
Four streams of light appeared in Isaac’s mind, each representing one of the rewards. He immediately began checking them one by one, hoping at least one would prove useful inside the dungeon.
The Frost Archer Barracks was the first item he examined. It was a special blueprint that allowed him to construct another barracks even after reaching the maximum barracks limit for his current City Level.
Isaac’s eyes lit up slightly as he read the description. Rare blueprints were already difficult to obtain, and this one ignored one of the biggest restrictions on city development. Before today, he only owned six Rare blueprints, making this an excellent addition.
The second reward was a Hot Spring. At first glance it sounded ordinary, but the description quickly proved otherwise.
Once constructed, it would permanently create a magical hot spring that greatly accelerated physical recovery, multiplied mana regeneration several times over, and dramatically increased the body’s natural healing speed. Anyone who used it regularly would also recover from mental exhaustion much faster and gradually improve the efficiency of their training.
Isaac nodded with satisfaction after reading everything. ’This is much better than I expected. Everyone will be able to recover far more quickly after difficult expeditions.’
He planned to put it in Soulbind Pendant for his wives.
He moved on to the third reward. The name alone made him pause for a moment.
I Am You!
Despite the strange name, it turned out to be an incredibly powerful disguise tool. It was a professional makeup kit capable of transforming its user into anyone with a similar body type, and once the disguise was complete, discovering the deception would become near impossible.
The only limitation was that the disguise couldn’t last forever. After a certain amount of time, it would disappear automatically and need to be applied again.
Isaac immediately thought of Catherine.
"This suits you much better than me," he said as he summoned the makeup kit and handed it to her.
Catherine accepted it before carefully reading the description herself. A hint of surprise appeared in her eyes as she realized how well the item complemented her own abilities.
"This is almost perfect for me. Combined with my camouflage, it would be incredibly difficult for anyone to realize they’re chasing the wrong person," she admitted.
Isaac smiled and nodded. "That was exactly my thought."
Finally, he checked the last reward. Unlike the others, it was simply a black crown with a surprisingly plain appearance.
The crown granted between one and ten additional strength stat points depending on how angry its wearer became. The immediate effect wasn’t particularly impressive, but the line at the bottom of the description immediately caught Isaac’s attention.
It was Growth-Type Equipment.
That meant the crown could evolve into something much stronger once certain hidden conditions were fulfilled. Isaac barely thought about it before making his decision.
’This will suit Alice a lot,’ he chuckled, thinking about his Mad Princess.
He kept the crown inside his mind before speaking, ’System, share the Master-Servant Leash Emily purchased from the Special Shop!’
A collar immediately appeared in his hand. Catherine looked at it curiously before accepting it from him.
She looked at it, then slowly looked back at Isaac with an amused smile.
Isaac rolled his eyes before explaining. "This temporarily registers me as your summon. If I defeat dungeon bosses while wearing it, the System will count them as your solo kills, which should earn you much better Titles and rewards."
Catherine read the description before nodding. "It’s a good plan. Nobody has ever recorded a solo First Kill against dungeon bosses before, so the System should reward something unique like that very generously."
Then her smile slowly became more playful. "But aren’t you worried about the other effect? According to the description, you’ll have to obey every command I give while you’re my summon."
"I’m not worried." Isaac answered without any hesitation.
He would never let Celia have something like this. Giving such an item to the devil sounded like a recipe for the disaster.
Catherine, however, wasn’t the type to abuse something like this because she genuinely enjoyed teasing him through her own efforts instead of relying on equipment.
Catherine laughed softly because she understood exactly what he was thinking.
"So that’s how much faith you have in me," she teased.
She stepped closer and carefully fastened the collar around Isaac’s neck. Even though the entire plan had been his idea, the sensation immediately made him uncomfortable.
Only then did Isaac realize how much he believed that he would rather be the one in control than being controlled.
Catherine quietly studied him after fastening the collar. For the briefest moment, something unfamiliar flickered deep within her eyes before disappearing so quickly that even she almost questioned whether it had happened at all.
Isaac noticed none of it.
The System recognized the contract almost immediately, temporarily registering Isaac as Catherine’s summon. With everything finally prepared, the two entered the Great Dungeon together.
The familiar landscape stretched out before them, but Isaac didn’t waste any time admiring it. He transformed into his Dragon form before launching into the air, with Catherine on his back.
The Thorn Tyrant’s territory wasn’t difficult to find. Unlike the main dungeon bosses, every Mini Boss in the starting area always appeared in exactly the same location.
Less than a minute later, the enormous Thorn Tyrant appeared in Isaac’s vision. It barely had enough time to roar before Isaac crashed into it like a falling meteor.
The fight ended almost as soon as it began. Isaac completely overwhelmed the monster, defeating it in barely thirty seconds before it could mount any meaningful resistance.
Catherine stared at the Thorn Tyrant’s corpse for a few moments before looking back at Isaac. Only now did she realize that he had been holding back during his fight against Beroga, despite how overwhelming that battle had already seemed.
Isaac noticed the look on her face and smiled.
"Surprised?" he asked.
This was actually the first time he had gone all out while using his Dragon Form.
Seeing her silence, he looked ready to tease her a little more, but before he could continue, several notifications appeared before his eyes.
Predator Bloom Gene harvested.
Regenerative Sap Gene harvested.
Dominant Growth Gene harvested.
Isaac blinked in surprise. Harvesting three Livestock Genes from a single monster was unusual, although considering the Thorn Tyrant’s strength, it wasn’t completely unreasonable.
He quickly opened the descriptions to see what he had obtained. Predator Bloom Gene granted a temporary burst in strength and overall combat performance, Regenerative Sap Gene provided limited regenerative abilities, and Dominant Growth Gene allowed growth beyond normal biological limits.
A grin slowly spread across Isaac’s face. These were excellent Livestock Genes, especially the last one. There was a good chance these would combine with his existing crops to produce entirely new War Plants.
The idea excited him.
He was tempted to abandon the dungeon and return to his farm to begin experimenting immediately. He eventually suppressed the urge because there would be plenty of time for that later, and his current priority was helping Catherine secure the dungeon rewards.
The remaining two mini-bosses stood no chance against him either. Isaac eliminated both of them just as quickly, and moments later, a gigantic pillar of light shot into the sky, signaling the appearance of the First Area’s dungeon boss.
The sudden phenomenon immediately caught the attention of every Awakener inside the dungeon. Isaac could sense countless surprised gazes turning toward the pillar, but he paid them no attention as he flew straight toward the boss and ended the battle with the same overwhelming force.
After everything settled down, Isaac landed beside Catherine and smiled.
"So. what did you gain?" he asked.