Chapter 18: Chamber Of Immortality

Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Chamber Of Immortality

Wind slammed against the glass of Michael’s window in irregular bursts, rattling the frame.

The sound filled the quiet room as he sat cross-legged on the bed, bare-chested, sweat running in thin lines down his collarbones and the ridge of his spine.

His breathing stayed measured through sheer force of will. He had been at this for nearly an hour, trying his best to use his circulation technique, but every attempt to push spirit through the proper channels ended the same way: the flow reached a fixed point inside him and collapsed, snapping back like a frayed rope.

Previously, he had experienced this same reaction while circulating his mana.

Back then, he had assumed it was mainly due to his mental state, especially with all the tension between him and Seraphine.

Yet even now, after they had crossed that line and made it clear they were more than just sponsor and benefactor, this shit was still happening.

And every single time, it happened after that dream.

That damned dream he couldn’t remember.

No matter how hard he tried, or how many hours he spent pondering it, he was unable to drag anything from the back of his mind.

Nothing.

Except for the image of those terrifying golden-red eyes.

Michael’s jaw tightened.

"Fuck."

Honestly, he had considered telling Seraphine about it. She was a Sovereign, after all. Besides, she already knew about the System. Admitting that he had integrated a strange Dragon Gene and was now suffering from recurring nightmares wouldn’t exactly be strange, nor would it put him in any danger.

Yet the thought of adding another problem to her plate made him stop.

She already carried enough weight. With the impending domain war and the increasing number of rifts appearing throughout her territory, the burden on her shoulders would only get heavier.

Relying on her for this little obstacle wasn’t wise. It would only make him more of a burden.

Besides...

Deep down, Michael felt that if he could force this blockage open on his own, the strength waiting on the other side would push him far beyond the limits of his mediocre Tier 9 talent.

Even without the System’s upgrades.

Michael slowly opened his eyes, his face pale, dark circles hanging beneath them. He rubbed his temples with both hands and sat there for a long stretch, shoulders slumped as he listened to the wind outside.

Finally, he let out a long sigh and was about to fall back onto the bed when the System window flickered into existence without invitation.

[Warning: Three Free Gacha Spins will expire soon. Please claim your rewards.]

Michael stared at the glowing text with a frown.

Pulling the Gacha while his mind felt this fractured was the last thing he wanted to do.

Yet the longer he stared at those three spins, the harder it became to dismiss them.

A small, almost ridiculous thought surfaced in the back of his mind.

’What if...’

Michael frown deepened.

It was stupid.

There was no guarantee the Gacha would give him anything useful. For all he knew, he could burn all three spins and get three completely worthless rewards, because apparently his luck had decided to take a fucking vacation these days.

But still...

For an otaku like him who had consumed enough novels, manga, and webnovels to fill an entire fucking library, there was one rule he knew better than most:

When the protagonist had a mysterious problem and a suspiciously convenient system sitting in his head, there was almost always a bullshit solution hiding somewhere in the rewards.

Michael stared at the three spins.

He was sure as hell that he wasn’t some damned protagonist.

But considering his current situation...

He was willing to take the gamble and stake all his current savings on this.

Even if it was only a one-percent chance, he would take it.

Michael stared at the System window for a few more breaths before finally replying in a calm voice.

"...Fuck it. Pull the Gacha."

The system’s voice carried an almost eager edge.

[Of course, Host.]

Before Michael could even register its words properly, light detonated around him.

The bed, the walls, the sound of the wind—everything vanished.

Michael’s consciousness tumbled through a brief, weightless darkness before slamming back into place.

He landed hard on his back atop a circular stone platform. The impact felt heavy, yet strangely enough, there was no pain.

Michael groaned and slowly pushed himself upright, his eyes opening groggily.

"What the hell...?"

As his vision cleared and took in the sight before him, his mouth fell slightly open.

"WHAT! THE! HELL?!"

The place he was in wasn’t his room.

It wasn’t the mansion.

Hell, it wasn’t even anywhere within Seraphine’s Sovereign Realm that he had seen before.

Stars of every color burned across an endless black expanse.

There was no horizon.

No ground beyond the platform.

No sky.

Just an immeasurable void stretching in every direction.

And then Michael saw them.

Seven towering white doors stood at equal intervals around the platform, each one glowing with a different hue—from brilliant gold to pale blue to deep crimson.

They had no visible handles.

No hinges.

No carvings.

Nothing.

Yet each door felt impossibly ancient.

Their positions formed a perfect seven-pointed star around him.

Michael stared at them, his confusion slowly giving way to something else.

For the first time since obtaining the System...

He had absolutely no fucking idea what was going on.

"System. Where am I?"

Ding!

[This is your Astral Space—also known as the Wish-Granting Space.]

"Wish-granting?"

[Yes, Host. From now on, special rewards will be delivered here.]

[Note: Within this space, you cannot die, be injured, or age. Any wounds present upon entry will be fully healed. Additional functions will unlock as your strength increases.]

"Wait, hold on!"

Michael rubbed his temples lightly before glancing at the back of his hand.

"Is this my real body, or just my soul?"

[Your physical body has been transported directly into this space, Host.]

[At your current level, you may bring one person inside if they are standing close enough to you at the moment of entry. There is no time limit on your stay. The sole restriction is that entry is possible only when a reward is available to claim.]

Michael’s eyes widened before a slow, sharp grin spread across his face.

’What type of OP feature is this?!’

An immortality chamber.

A perfect retreat.

A literal healing temple that could serve as the ultimate safe zone.

Perhaps if another Awakened had received such an ability, it wouldn’t have been nearly as useful, since they would still have to go outside to hunt monsters and increase their fame to earn World Points, which they could then use to buy skill, gene, and stat runes to grow stronger.

But things were different for Michael.

Although he still had World Points grinding as a viable path to growth, he could also stay in this safe space, assign missions to his heroines, collect Growth Points, and simply wait until he became overpowered.

He was just about to burst into loud laughter when a sudden thought entered his head.

He quickly asked, "Wait system, how exactly does time move here?"

Ding!

[You may synchronize it with the outside world, accelerate it, or slow it slightly. Greater control will become available once you deepen your understanding of your Creator Dragon Bloodline, which unlocked this space.]

"Wait, this ability came from the rune? Not from you?"

[That is correct.]

’I guess the rune isn’t as bad as I thought.’

Michael glanced around the Astral Space. ’Gaining this ability at F-rank... How strong will it be at the later stages?’

As if just realizing, he asked. "Then if this place is connected to the rune, is it also connected to the strange dreams I’ve been having?"

[...]

[I’m sorry, Host. Your current comprehension remains too low to obtain such information.]

Michael let out a weary sigh and ran a hand through his hair. ’I guess getting all the answers today won’t be easy.’

Ding!

[Host. If you are having problems with a dream, I recommend improving your current comprehension. Once you do so, you will understand the purpose of that dream.]

Michael nodded in understanding.

"Then do I gain comprehension by upgrading the rune?"

[No. As the Dragon Bloodline transcends all others, it cannot simply be upgraded, nor does it require an upgrade. As long as you use it, understand it, and give in to your draconic desires after synchronizing with the rune, it shall grow infinitely.]

Michael exhaled and turned toward the seven white doors.

"Then what are those?"

[They are one-way gateways. Further information can only be obtained by the user himself.]

Michael clicked his tongue in annoyance.

This damned System really didn’t like him one bit. Couldn’t it be more like a big brother and give him some secret-sauce information?

Still, Michael didn’t have much to complain about when it came to this Astral Space. It seemed his gamble had already earned him a massive reward before he even made his Gacha pulls.

Though, he still had one more question.

"System, you said earlier that I can’t age here. Does that apply to the people I bring in too?"

[The Host has the authority to either allow aging or remove it. However, how long you can use this authority depends on the purity of your Dragon Bloodline.]

Michael smirked.

’So I could just throw a big bad guy inside here, accelerate the time, allow him to age, then come back and reap the rewards?’

It was more than a viable strategy, assuming his current limit on aging and time acceleration was high enough.

Michael let out a long breath and rolled his shoulders.

"Okay, let’s get the pulls over with."

[Understood. Of the seven doors surrounding you, you may open only three. Each opened door yields one reward.]

He stood at the exact center of the platform, his hands flexing once at his sides. The stars overhead burned steady and distant. Somewhere beyond the doors waited whatever the System considered worthy of three free spins—power, knowledge, or another complication.

He no longer cared which.

He only needed something that could push back the golden eyes that refused to leave him alone.

Michael fixed his gaze on the nearest door and spoke under his breath.

"Come on, System. Don’t screw me over now."