Back in Ghukna's room.

Tenta started explaining his potential solution to Ghukna's problem.

{... And that is how it is. After castrating you, we can train Master Semen Dispenser and Master Semen Bull to the peak before healing you. However, that would require considerable time and effort, and I would need to divulge some of my secrets. Do you understand what it means?} Tenta said, giving him a deep look.

Although Tenta felt obligated to see this through and teach him to be a proper thinking adult, Tenta couldn't waste weeks and months of his time for free, and he risked exposing his secrets. The world didn't work that way, and there was a limit to his goodwill. He also had a life.

If Ghukna wanted his full help, he had to pay a price. What Tenta hinted at was for Ghukna to pledge an oath.

The Great System and the gods would judge the validity of the oath with real binding effects.

Ghukna, who lay on the medical bed, returned a genuine look.

"Master... You gave me a new lease on life, a brand new start. You are both my godfather and savior. I am supposed to be your slave, yet you help me so much for my selfish reasons. I owe you my everything." He earnestly said.

After saying that, he looked up at the ceiling as if looking through it to the beyond. And with a solemn voice, he declared:

"I, Ghukna Phidea, with the Great System and all the gods as my witnesses, solemnly swear to serve Master Tenta as my lord for life! If I break this oath, let me be judged!" He solemnly declared.

Just then, Tenta received a message.

 

 

"Eh... I wanted him to swear for around ten years..." Tenta thought. "Oh well... Works for me." Tenta mentally shrugged.

At the same time, Ghukna received an unexpected message.

 

 

"Lord! I gained Ytmir's Divine Protection! And he is considering making me his chosen!" Ghukna excitedly said.

{Oh, good for you!} Tenta cooly replied. {But don't casually agree to be his Champion or Vessel, especially his Vessel, or you will be in deep shit.}

Others would be thrilled by the news, but Tenta didn't care much. He only didn't want to see Ghukna become a clone of Ytmir.

"Yes, my Lord. I know." Ghukna said.

{So, now that this is done, are you ready?} Tenta asked.

"The sooner this is over, the faster I can be on my feet. Please tell them to do it." Ghukna said with resolve.

{Hm. I will visit you after the operation. Stay strong.} Tenta said and left the room.

Waiting outside were Xaverie and a nun.

{He agreed to the operation, and I also agree.} He said to the nun.

"Yes, Young Master Tenta. We shall begin within an hour." The nun bowed.

{Good. I will visit him tomorrow.} Tenta said and turned to Xaverie. {Thank you for waiting.}

"It is my duty, Sir Tenta," Xaverie said, picking Tenta before leaving.

On the way back, more people gazed at Tenta with respect. The rumors about him being a Divine Teacher were beginning to spread...

 

...

 

Back in the mansion...

Kary and Tenta were playing a game of cards while playing chess.

"So you want to help someone get two peak sex-oriented master classes by castrating them first and then teaching them physical skills? Only you are crazy enough to do it." Kary said and took a sip of her semen cocktail.

{It's better than being strapped to a semen-milking machine for decades.} Tenta replied, drinking his milk cocktail.

"Touché," Kary said and moved a piece. "But I am not surprised Ytmir took a fancy to him. His perks and devotion to you, one who was almost picked as Ytmir's Vessel, is right up Ytmir's alley." She added.

{Well, I am not losing anything, so he can do anything he wants as long as he doesn't involve me in heroic shenanigans.} Tenta said, moving a piece.

"Yeah, I would hate getting sent on some errant quest to slay another Green King," Kary replied. "So, you said you're considering getting mild Hyperspermia and Scrotum Gigantism to train as a Semen Bull without being tied up?" She weirdly asked.

{I am considering it, yes.} Tenta replied. {I am a Consentacle Staff, so my body would react differently to those perks. And I can train physical skills with Ghukna. It can work out well.}

"You are not the first to try that, but almost everyone who tried failed or gave up midway, many becoming full Semen Bulls for life," Kary said, moving a piece. "Check."

{But I am not like everyone else. I don't want to sound like a narcissist, but that is already a fact.} Tenta said and ate Kary's rook.

"Suit yourself." Kary shrugged and drank from her cocktail. "If you become a Premium Bull, don't forget your master and bring her some of your supply to drink."

{I'm not sure if I should take what you said as sexual harassment.} Tenta replied.

"As a monster girl, I like semen as you like milk. What's wrong with asking my disciple for some? It's not like we're blood-related." Kary replied and moved another piece. "And aren't you drinking Flossie's milk? In a way, that is like me drinking semen."

{Okay, you made a point.} Tenta nodded and moved another piece.

"By the way, you should create a fake status. Fary already deduced your situation through Cornelia." Kary said. "It isn't my problem if you get targeted, but I give you an early warning."

Tenta paused, understanding what she meant. {I see. I'll need to make adjustments, then.}

He decided to use Shroud of Forbidden Knowledge to hide some... rather MOST of his status.

At the moment, his Overall Bonus stats reached +15,230%, something monstrous. He also mastered 39 classes and 30 lvl 100 skills. If he reaches overlevel 80, he will get an Empyrean Evolution without question.

He decided to make five layers of defense. The first two layers were for his revealed form. The first layer revealed about 2,500% Overall Bonus Stats and 10 lvl 100 resistance skills while hiding his reincarnator status and presented him as a lvl 20 Juvenile Consentacle Staff without the Symbiotic part. He also didn't hide his status as Kary's disciple, as it had a dettering effect.

The second layer had 5,000% Overall Bonus Stats, including his race and the Transcendent Body perk he skipped. And, of course, he didn't forget to add more skills to the mix and reveal his reincarnator status. He also added a fake perk called Downplayer, creating an artificial status window based on the real one.

The third and fourth layers were for his hidden form as a staff. The third would show him as a spiritual Mithril staff, and the fourth would show his revealed form's second layer. These layers were superimposed beneath the already hard-to-decipher hidden form.

As for the fifth layer, he gave it to Cornelia. He didn't give her any hidden layers. Instead, she only had one surface layer depicting her as what he considered normal.

Of course, he didn't forget to omit True Hero, Second Class, Wiseman, Nihility Mantra, and Initial Nihility True Body... And conveniently edited his less-than-savory perk descriptions.

 

 

It seemed like the system recognized his actions as a deceptive move.

After he was done, he spoke to Kary.

{Kary, I'm done. Try to analyze me.} He said.

Kary nodded and attempted to analyze him. First, she saw his first layer and then saw his second layer when she focused more. She couldn't pierce the second layer.

"Impressive." Kary nodded in approval. "This is enough to trick anyone who over-relies on Analysis. But if you reveal your true power, it would raise doubts."

 

 

Camouflage and Disguise, although having similarities, had marked differences. Camouflaging is to hide yourself better but focus more on not being found out. Meanwhile, Disguise was more about socializing, making people believe you are genuine.

For example, Camouflaging can help a thief blend inside a crowd but not extricate himself if he is found out. Meanwhile, Disguise focused more on being in the spotlight, with your confidence being your Disguise. One required more physical appearance alteration, while the other required confidence.

Both of these skills went hand-in-hand. Tenta accepted these skills with open tentacles.

"Oh, and one more thing," Kary said. "Fary decided to hand over Cornelia's awakening ceremony to you."

{... It is because I am the Wiseman, hah?} Tenta guessed.

"Correct," Kary said and then spoke to his mind. {Fary's awakening ceremony is of high quality. But it would pale to what Zeztris could cook up.}

{I suppose. I guess it is time to use my Favor.} Tenta replied and checked Zeztris's Favor Shop.

 

 

Tasks 1 to 10 gave Tenta 1 point each, which amounts to 10 points. Getting peak classes and lvl 100 skills also gave him 59 points. As for the last 10 points, it was because Tenta helped Ghukna.

Tenta was unsure what he could buy with 79 points, but he figured it should be decent.

He then opened the Knowledge section...

 

 

Tenta looked at it and blinked. "Hah..."

After looking at it for a while, he decided to browse...

 

 

The list was alarmingly huge. And it was merely the category selection. Tenta was afraid to pick anything.

Instead, he returned to the previous page and selected manual search.

 

 

"Awakening Ceremony," Tenta said.

Moments later, the list menu was updated.

 

 

"There we go!" Tenta inwardly smiled and selected the mortal type since the transcendent type looked like it was for people who had already transcended.

 

 

"Wow... Everything below Epic is sold in a bundle." Tenta thought. "In other words, Zeztris sees anything below Epic as garbage. As expected of a Greater God, she is domineering alright."

Tenta then bought the Empyrean Ceremony. Since he is investing in his contracted partner, he should go all-in.

After he bought it, he received a 'knowledge node' inside his head. He didn't automatically learn anything. It simply gave him knowledge, like buying a book.

"Fair." Tenta thought and opened the node.

 

 

"Hm... I see." Tenta inwardly nodded and checked the prerequisites.

 

 

"Hm... I see." Tenta nodded. "I can learn it all within a few weeks, but Fary can probably cover this part."

He then checked the ingredients.

 

 

"Hm... Those sound high-grade. But I bet Kary and Fary have them." Tenta thought.

 

 

"Simple enough..." Tenta inwardly nodded.

{Hey, Kary! I have an Empyrean Grade Awakening Ceremony.} Tenta spoke.

{Oh?! Nice!] Kary's eyes lit up. {So? What are the requirements?}

{I need 100g of Empyrean-Grade Prism Crystal dust—}

{HOLD IT!} Kary shouted. {Stop right there! We don't have Empyrean-grade materials! We barely have some Legendary ones!} Kary said with some panic.

{... Eh... Hah...} Tenta blinked. {Is it that rare?}

The rarity of empyrean-grade goods was not covered in the general knowledge he learned.

{Rare?! How about impossible to find!} Kary telepathically yelled. {Mythical ones barely exist in the outside world! As for Empyrean? You need to dive into an Empyrean-Grade dungeon to find those things!}

{... I see...} Tenta dryly replied. He knew how difficult it was.

Like in video games, dungeons exist in this world, created by Wimjir, Greater God of the Chaos, Dungeons, Treasures, and Challenges. He played an integral part in this world by providing challenges to mortals and transcendents alike using dungeons, delivering enemies for them to kill. He also supplied monster crystals and treasures to successful dungeon divers, bringing them riches and ways to elevate their power. These dungeons also had varying rules depending on difficulty. It depended on the Dungeon Master.

Wimjir also had a type of Chosen, but like Zeztris, he only had Apostles he called Dungeon Masters, and they built the dungeons they managed. The kind of dungeon changes from place to place, but all dungeons share a common theme. They all had seven difficulty ratings: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythical, and Empyrean.

Upon entering a dungeon, a challenger can select a difficulty, where he and his party are teleported to an instance of that dungeon. Regardless of rating, the number and level of the creatures are adjusted to the number and level of party members. However, as the difficulty rating rises, so does the dungeon size, number of traps and enemies, enemy race grades, skills, and perks relative to the challenger level. You cannot level up inside the dungeon, and all accumulated experience and rewards are calculated and given at the end based on contribution... if you survive, that is. You can only keep skills, perks, and class experience that isn't from killing monsters.

If you die in the dungeon, you are revived outside, but all your rewards are forfeited, and you are banned from entering for a 10-day week. But that is only for the Common rating. Ratings above gradually have harsher punishments, such as seizing items to the point of being kicked out naked, negative racial levels down to lvl 1, and temporary weakness for weeks to months. And in the Empyrean Difficulty... you die. Game over. The end. The dungeon would swallow everything.

Luckily, you had to clear the first six difficulties before challenging the Empyrean difficulty, so you won't get accidentally killed for being a reckless fool... but most get stuck at Uncommon and Rare, many by choice. Those who power level their race might not even pass the Common rating because their class level, perks, and skills are subpar.

By the way, there is an Arachne dungeon in Shalzima. If you get caught by the Arachne, and you are a guy, they rape you to death via energy drain. Yeah.

Tenta figured he couldn't get those items at the moment, and even if he did, they might not be compatible with Cornelia. For instance, if he clears the Empyrean Grade Arachne Dungeon, the materials are guaranteed to be spider-themed. Fary and Kary might be overjoyed at receiving them... but they might not fit Cornelia.

{What dungeon grade did you and Fary clear again?} Tenta asked.

{Fary and I barely managed to clear the Legendary rating. But I am unsure if we can do that again. At most, we can only securely clear the Epic rating.} She said with pursed lips.

And there you have it. A Legendary City Lord, the slayer of a menacing green king, barely cleared the Legendary rating. It speaks wonders about the difficulty of the Mythical and Empyrean ratings.

{So what am I supposed to do with this?} Tenta asked. {Am I supposed to give up and pick her something lesser?}

{Try looking item section. You might find something.} Kary said.

{Alright...} Tenta responded and opened the item section...

 

 

"... What the heck is that? A sales pitch?" Tenta narrowed his fist-sized eye and checked it...

 

 

"..."

Tenta now realized it. No wonder it only cost 10 points for the ritual. He was scammed. It was Zeztris's elaborate scam to take away his hard-earned points.

And he had to admit, he had no choice but to fall into that scam.