"Took long enough," Kyle commented as he saw the familiar image of the stone dog dragon thing.
He had done it.
He managed to travel all the way to Theodor's inheritance crypt.
"Quicker than expected," Theodor said. "I assumed you would never manage to get back here. Alternatively, if you managed to get back here, I would have thought it would happen in ten or twenty years."
"You grew much faster than expected."
Kyle nodded. "I'm not faulting you. I used to be quite lazy. I also wouldn't have believed that I would manage to get back here."
"But now, it feels almost like it's not such a big deal. All the rooms filled with enemies seemed impossible to overcome in the past, but it actually wasn't that difficult."
The dog looked at Kyle.
"Hieronymus, down!" Kyle shouted.
The dog, which was about to stand up, quickly went onto its belly again.
"Good boy," Kyle said as he walked past it.
While he passed by it, Hieronymus looked at him.
Kyle's instincts were screaming at him.
They were telling him that this thing could kill him without even putting in any effort.
The dog was just as terrifying as the first time he had seen it.
In front of this powerful golem, it was like Kyle hadn't changed at all.
All the power he gained didn't make a difference.
Kyle approached the big gate and opened it easily.
As he saw the grand hall, he was reminded of the first time he came here.
He had been an inexperienced nobody.
Back then, he only knew a tiny bit about fighting and hunting.
Now, things were different.
"Sulfur!" Kyle shouted as he walked into the room.
A moment later, the gigantic stele at the end of the hall rose from the ground, and the humongous form of Sulfur rose to its full height.
It was beyond imposing.
Kyle felt like an insect in front of this gigantic titan.
"What a pleasure to see you, Lord Kyle," Sulfur said with a polite smile. "It feels like you have only been gone for a year or two."
"Then, your feeling is accurate," Kyle said. "It should have been around two years."
"Oh my, and you're already back?" Sulfur asked. "That is faster than expected."
"I grow quite fast," Kyle answered.
"You certainly do, and I can tell that you achieved it with your own strength," Sulfur said. "I can see that the Lord has chosen a worthy successor."
"What brings you here, Lord Kyle?" Sulfur asked.
"Nothing, really," Kyle said. "I just wanted to see if I could get back."
Sulfur released a polite chuckle. "What a profound reason."
"Was that sarcasm?" Kyle asked with a smile of his own.
"No, Lord Kyle. Sometimes, the simplest things demonstrate someone's accomplishments the best."
At that moment, one of the doors opened, and Granite walked in.
It looked at Kyle for a bit, and Kyle just looked back.
Granite nodded. "Welcome back, Lord Kyle."
Kyle just nodded back.
In the past, Granite had treated Kyle like a child. After all, Kyle had essentially just started taking his first steps on his path to power.
But now, Granite treated him like someone worthy of respect.
"Tell them that broth is for the poor," Theodor said.
"I am supposed to tell you that broth is for the poor," Kyle said.
Sulfur's eyes widened in positive surprise.
"And the meat is for the strong," Granite answered. "The resources in the inheritance crypt are at your disposal."
Kyle blinked a couple of times.
He didn't know why Theodor told him to say this sentence, but he had done it anyway.
Who would have expected that Theodor would allow Kyle to make use of all of Theodor's wealth?
"Thanks," Kyle said.
Theodor didn't answer.
"I am only here to check in. I didn't really have any intention of making use of the crypt's resources," Kyle said. "At the moment, I don't need them. If I ever do, I will return."
Granite just deeply looked into Kyle's eyes for a while.
It was shocking how much this human had changed.
It was like several Ether Crystals' worth of resources were not a big deal for him.
Kyle scratched his temple in thought.
"I am more interested in scouting out this cave system," Kyle said. "While I am already approaching my limit, that won't be forever. I will grow stronger in the future, and I believe another journey like this will be beneficial to my strength."
"We can fulfill that order," Granite said emotionlessly. "What are your specific requirements?"
"Scout as many caves as you can. Survival should be the priority. Sending Hieronymus would probably be the best option. I want to know about any dangerous or valuable locations. If there is a significant threat in one of the caves, I want you to retreat. Do not engage. Only engage if the threat follows you back to this place."
Granite nodded. "Do you wish your orders to be incorporated just as you have given them, or are you willing to give me freedom of command?"
"You can have freedom of command," Kyle said. "You know better how to command the golems than me."
"As you wish, Lord Kyle," Granite said. "A proper evaluation will be completed within a couple of days. There is a significant number of tunnels we have to investigate."
"Of course," Kyle said. "I won't be staying here. Just write the results down somewhere. Most likely, I will be back within a couple of years to take a look at these caves."
"As you wish, Lord Kyle," Granite said.
"One more thing," Kyle said. "I managed to gather a bunch of ore in the caves. I have a big wagon parked in front of the entrance, but carrying the ore back would take way too long. Could you send a couple of golems to help me transport the ore?"
The next moment, ten of the golems that had administered the trials entered the room.
As Kyle looked at them, he took a deep breath.
They were all only at the Mid Second Realm.
Yet, their powers were crazy.
With his experience, Kyle could tell…
He wouldn't be able to win against even a single one of them.
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