Galaxy's First Ruler

Two carriages conjoined together from their ends to create a long and wide corridor-like compartment.

Tomislav and his teammates were seated opposite the two Viscounts, and between them, there were many delicacies on a table.

"So this is the second level?"

As Trifon spoke, all heads involuntarily turned towards the window and looked outside. Besides the ever-present mist, they couldn't see any other planets or stars. It was debatable if this place even had a sky or not.

Deserted Paths had taken over the ground to the farthest reaches where their eyes could see. The path was brazen, with cracked earth, and on either side, there were graves lined up. The tombstone on the graves had statues covered with a yellow or green pillar of light.

But things didn't end there.

Between every two graves, there was another path that ran to the horizon. There were graves on its side too, and similar paths could be seen branching off from it. The entire place was a maze covered with paths and Dungeons with no sense of direction and destination.

In the distance, one could see a wall without an end. But countless people had tried to reach it. One could see the fates of those people in the rotting bones on the dead paths.

"The Endless Paths."

Tomislav's voice took out of their reverie as they heard the despicable name of the second level.

"How do you plan to find out the right path among these?"

Viscount Rayko took a bite of the juicy meat and asked Tomislav. It was apparent that even he, a Viscount, wasn't sure to escape the clutches of these paths if he were to travel alone.

Tink!

Before Tomislav could reply, a sharp noise attracted all gazes towards it. On the right of Tomislav, Christin had somehow managed to spill the wine over her unbuttoned jacket. The wine ravaged her breasts and the bra over them. By the time the cup stopped rolling on the floor, a transparent outline of her nipples came protruding out in front of everyone.

"Damn it, Christin!"

Tomislav used a cloth to rub the contents away from her breasts, while her eyes had already become watery. The absolute look of a beast seeing its prey on Trifon's face hadn't gone unnoticed by any of the Dreamers on the table.

"My Lord, you can say that I have a splendid memory."

Even a child could have guessed that treading on these paths in search of a way had nothing to do with memory. Tomislav's answer must have ticked off Rayko as he put down the fork and asked again.

"I…"

FRAAP!

Another noise overshadowed Rayko's voice. And this voice brought an unpleasant smell with it.

"Sorry, my bad."

Berb apologized in a raspy voice for the fart and kept eating with no care of the raging eyes of the Viscounts. Tomislav glanced at Berb, towards his left, and tried to change the topic.

"The Recordless' hasn't come out from their carriage. Don't they need to eat too?"

"Hmm? Are you implying that we should let them sit among Us? At a place where I am having my meal?"

Trifon looked at Tomislav in disgust and retorted.

"I am sure he didn't mean that."

Viscount Rayko intervened with a doubt in his eyes. Tomislav could only shake his head in return.

"If I may ask, My Lord. Why do you want to raid a Baron-level Dungen? I know that all Barons that had attempted it had died, but still, it's nothing compared to a Viscount."

"We aren't offering you an Oath Breaking Stone to ask questions."

The smile on Tomislav's face vanished as he heard Trifon's remark. Viscount Rayko noticed the tension and tried to pacify the famous adventurer.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Tomislav. Using the Oath Breaking Stone differs from becoming Recordless after all. You would only lose the ability to level up in place of the Random-Allocations. You can still go on raids, equip Items, and access Inventory."

"Haha! That's right! I forgot that there is a difference between the two. You are just a lesser coward than the Recordless. I have an offer. Why don't all three of you become Recordless and come under House Venomous Rose? I would take care of Christin and put her to some good use. Hmm?"

Thwack!

"Trifon! Just eat and don't speak."

Viscount Rayko slammed his hand on the table and narrowed his eyes at Trifon. Tomislav's hands were already holding back the shudder of Christin's hands and the bony hand of Berb, who was about to take something out of his pocket.

"Tomislav, we heard about the new Dungeon while passing through the Death Separation. And though there are no signs of Random-Allocation, still many Dreamers have lost their lives. Our young master fancies exactly such strange things. Haha!"

Tomislav didn't believe a single word. Even Viscount Rayko didn't believe them, as shown by the hearty laugh turning into a wry smile before dying down completely.

"Let it be as you say, My Lord. But the third level isn't as silent as the first two. The first level has Common Dungeons, and the second has Rare. But the third level is full of Crawlers, and Dungeon breaks are a normal sight there. One wrong step and even Viscounts would lose their lives, even if they have more than one."

The hearts of all skipped a bit as they remembered the Dungeon break they had faced in the past. For the first time, even Viscount Trifon seemed unusually quiet in the eyes of Tomislav and others.

"Tomislav, you are from a Barren Earth, right? Was there any Dungeon Break there?"

Tomislav stared at the empty plate in front of him. His eyes lost the cunning focus they possessed for a second. He took a deep breath and answered as if talking in dreams.

"Yes, but after I left the planet. A Baron-level Dungeon Break."

Sniff!

Christin had yet to finish her plate, but her tears made the left-out food even saltier. The low cacophony of bugs around Berb filled the temporary dining room with an eerie atmosphere.

"Well-well, you couldn't find a trace of life on that planet when you returned to it, right? Maybe now it's among the planets at the first level of Death Separation. HAHAHA!"

Trifon's crazy burst of laughter was like the thorns on the rose, bleeding not hands but the hearts of Tomislav's trio.

Alas, none could see the deep sorrow hidden deep in Trifon's eyes. Not even his uncle.