The small birds that had flown off from beneath Li returned in less than five minutes.

In their beaks they carried small marble-sized jewels.

Red, blue and black.

After receiving the jewels from the birds, Li briskly inserted them in the designated colors and order.

With a rumbling sound like an earthquake, the stone monument began to rise.

Like a bamboo shoot sprouting up from the ground, it stretched upward and Li thought it looked slightly unsettling.

When the monument had risen to about two meters high, stone steps became visible in the portion that had been buried.

“Instructor Megan! We did it! It’s stairs!”

Li bounced up and down, showing a completely guileless smile.

Seeing that smile, the female instructor felt as though she herself were somehow tainted.

She even resorted to escapist thoughts such as, ‘So this is what it means to become an adult.’

It was at that moment, while her mind wandered.

The face of a transcendent beauty that rivaled a goddess suddenly drew close.

Li’s aqua-blue eyes stared straight at her.

The impact was so overwhelming that the female instructor felt as though her body had frozen.

Her heart pounded and she thought absurdly, ‘Eh? What? Is she going to kiss me?’

Instead, Li gently pressed her forehead against the instructor’s.

A pleasant floral scent drifted into the instructor’s nose.

“It does not seem you have a fever. Instructor, your complexion looked poor, so I was worried.”

Li pulled back smoothly and took the instructor’s hand with a concerned expression.

Meanwhile, the female instructor’s face had turned bright red.

“I-I-I-I-I’m fine, I’m fine!”

The mature female instructor, her beauty mark lending her an alluring air, flustered in a panic.

She quickly shook off Li’s hand and pressed both hands against her flushed cheeks.

‘What is with you! Geez! Geez! Geez!’ she writhed silently without voicing the words.

“Are you truly alright?”

Faced with the now thoroughly suspicious-looking instructor, Li leaned back slightly.

She was completely unaware of what she herself had done.

“Yes. I’m fine. Now let’s go, Li-chan!”

The female instructor hurried toward the staircase descending underground.

With the instructor taking the lead, they went down the stairs.

Like the earlier rock walls, the staircase also emitted a faint glow throughout.

After descending about thirty steps in the night-light-like brightness, the stairs came to an end.

It was a small landing-like space.

However, the stone wall before them had a double metal door set into it.

“There is a high possibility the area boss is beyond this.”

The female instructor, having regained some composure, said while touching the door.

“Alright. I’ll go in first and check. Li-chan, please provide support.”

“Understood!”

“Here we go.”

She pushed one of the double doors inward.

Through the slightly opened gap, the instructor peered inside.

“Yes, it seems fine.”

Apparently it was not directly connected to the area boss’s chamber.

When they opened the doors fully and stepped inside, the place had the atmosphere of a solemn temple.

It was quite spacious and open.

Only pillars resembling the Doric style seen in ancient Greek temples stood in orderly rows throughout the vast space.

Their central sections were slightly swollen so that they would appear straight when viewed from below.

Beyond those pillars stood a throne with an ominous design.

As Li and the instructor were captivated by the sight, they heard the snap of fingers.

With soft bursts of light, skull-shaped black flames ignited atop the pillars.

“You have done well to come.”

At some point, a skeleton was seated upon the throne.

It wore a crooked crown and a luxurious robe decorated in gold trimming over a black base.

“I have mastered the essence of magic—”

[Seraphic Commandments of the Pure Precepts!]

Trismegistus’s jewel shone and sacred magic was unleashed.

It was magic that could be called the natural enemy of the undead.

Moreover, it was boosted by Li’s vast mana.

“Uboaaaaa!”

The result spoke for itself.

The pitiful area boss collapsed without even finishing its self-introduction and turned to ash.

“Tori-chan!”

“Am I not a capable child?”

Failing to notice Li’s rising anger, Trismegistus responded proudly.

That was precisely why he was not a capable child.

In other words, he could not read the room.

Though perhaps expecting a magic tome to read the atmosphere was a bit unreasonable.

“Absolute Eternal Regalia!”

“W-wait, Master!”

Trismegistus had wanted to show enthusiasm but once again ended up overdoing it.