My front door leads to a comic strip

Chapter 188, 187: Slaying the Crystal-Shelled Earth Mother, the Earth's Heavy Core—Acquired!

At the same time that Gu Yuan began his hunt, on the ground, at the main camp of the Soma clan.

The setting sun, like blood, stained the luxurious courtyard with an ominous ochre red.

"Bang!"

The office door was flung open, and a member of the regiment stumbled in, his face drained of color, shouting, "Something terrible has happened, Commander!"

Behind his desk, Commander-in-Chief Tsarnis Lustra was engrossed in pleasant calculations.

His thin fingers twirled through the fares, seemingly oblivious to the newcomer. "—The turmoil is over, and the market is finally thriving."

"After handing over this money, the divine wine bestowed by Lord Soma will be enough for me to squander for half a year and control hundreds of adventurers—"

His eyes behind his glasses gleamed with greed; even the blood-red sunset outside the window appeared to him as the alluring color of divine wine.

He even felt a strange sense of "gratitude" deep down for Astrea's Familia for quelling the unrest.

O

The intruder's rapid breathing interrupted his reverie.

Without looking up, Chanis's tone carried annoyance at being interrupted, yet he deliberately maintained the composure of a superior: "What's the panic? The sky isn't falling. Speak slowly, what is it?"

Most likely, it's some good-for-nothing who got their magic stones stolen, or they got into a fight over a share of the divine wine.

He was dismissive of it; the struggles of these lowly scum were like rats devouring each other in a sewer—filthy and insignificant.

"Commander! Commander!"

The member's voice was distorted with fear, almost cracking, "I—I was just outside the Astrea Familia's camp, and I saw—I saw our people!"

"Huh?" Chanis's counting of money suddenly froze, and the money slipped from his fingertips onto the table with a sudden, soft sound. He thought he had misheard.

He looked up, his sharp gaze piercing through his glasses as he stared at his subordinate: "Our people? In the Astrea Familia? Are you sure?"

An ominous premonition crept into my heart.

Could it be that some fool, driven to desperation by bullying, has run to "justice" and beg for protection?

This is practically exposing the filthy inner workings of the Soma clan to the sunlight!

"It's absolutely true! I swear!" The member almost cried; he also knew what this meant.

Chanis's face darkened, and his first thought was to immediately send someone to "invite" that reckless fellow back at all costs.

But the words "Astraea Familia" acted like a cold shackle, restraining his impulse.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, his voice lower and more authoritative: "Who is it? Besides what you saw, is there any other information?"

"Yes—it's a little human child named Lilyluka Erd, about eight years old. The rest—"

—I didn't dare get too close, so I didn't see it.

"Liliruka Erd? Eight years old?"

Chanis paused again, his tense nerves relaxing slightly. A mere brat—

He quickly started to think about it.

If they were truly going to expose the darkness within the Astrea Familia, given the Astrea Familia's intolerant nature, they would probably have already come knocking on their door to demand an explanation, and things would never be as calm as they are now.

He sat back down, leaning back in his chair, regaining his usual composure. He pushed up his glasses, a calculating glint in the lenses: "Fool, what trouble can an eight-year-old brat cause? Probably just a little beggar picked up by the goddess Astraea out of pity."

Chanis tried to convince himself of this, but his suspicious nature, honed by years of working in the shadows, prevented him from feeling completely at ease.

He paused, a sinister glint in his voice: "However, even a small mosquito is still meat, and a child—will grow up and talk. Keeping them around will ultimately be a hidden danger."

He stood up, straightened his not-too-disheveled clothes, and gave the order, "Tomorrow, you will come with me to the Star Garden to visit the Astrea Familia and see if we can persuade them with reason and emotion to bring our lost child back."

"Yes, Commander!" The members, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, immediately bowed and prepared to leave the suffocating office.

"etc."

Chanis stopped him, speaking as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world, "Don't forget to prepare a decent gift; when you visit someone's home, you should always observe proper etiquette. As for the money—deduct it from your allowance this month."

The group member froze as he pushed the door open, a hint of bitterness and helplessness flashing across his face. But in the end, he didn't dare to argue. He squeezed out a humble "yes" from his throat, silently retreated, and closed the door behind him.

After the door closed, Chanis sat back in his chair, his fingertips tapping unconsciously on the table, his eyes gleaming as he began to formulate his arguments for tomorrow.

As a conspiracy brewed quietly in the dimly lit room, the deathly silence of the forty-ninth level of the dungeon, "The Great Wilderness," was suddenly shattered by a thunderous roar as the earth broke through the ground.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A deafening roar shook the dry air as the Crystal Shell Earth Mother, lured by the bait, burst forth from the earth, her enormous body raising clouds of crystal dust, like a mountain collapsing!

Gu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the monster encased in a thick crystal shell. Almost at the same moment it appeared, his magical power surged like a river within him.

With a light tap of his toes, his figure left a faint afterimage in place, carrying a sharp aura that could tear everything apart, and instantly attacked the monster!

"Cut it open."

His deep voice was almost synchronized with his sword-drawing movements.

Until that swift sword light, like the coldest glint in the night sky, vanished in a flash.

The crystalline Earth Mother's dulled senses barely caught the deadly energy fluctuations.

It was clearly too late to defend.

All their struggles vanished in the face of Gu Yuan's prior calculations and surprise attack.

"laugh--!"

As if a red-hot blade had cut into solidified grease, the enormous body of the Crystal Earth Mother, along with its indestructible carapace, was split in two!

The sword mark was as smooth as a mirror, giving the monster no time to even let out a wail!

Finally, with a muffled thud, it burst into countless shimmering dust particles!

boom!

In its place, only a deep yellow magic stone and a dark yellow crystal core about the size of an infant's head, exuding a heavy mountain aura, remained—the [Earth Core].

Gu Yuan slowly exhaled a long breath, calming the surging magic power within his body, and stepped forward to pick up the two items.

The moment he got his hands on it, the astonishing density of the [Earth Core] and the stable and vast energy within it gave him a sense of certainty.

The key to reforging the divine sword has finally been obtained.

Liu walked quickly from a safe distance, looking at the crystal core in Gu Yuan's hand that symbolized the goal of this trip, and a sense of naturalness flashed in her eyes.

Mr. Gu remains as powerful and unfathomable as ever.

But then, a sense of shame, hard to put into words, quietly surfaced – in such a deep exploration, he had almost entirely relied on his power and had failed to provide equal support.

She exhaled softly, quickly suppressing her emotions and transforming them into even stronger motivation.

One day, I will be able to truly stand beside him and fight alongside him, rather than merely being a witness.

"Mr. Gu, the objective has been achieved. Should we prepare to retreat?" Shu composed himself and gently reminded him.

The continuous high-intensity exploration put considerable pressure on her mental and physical strength, even though she was mainly responsible for support and vigilance.

Gu Yuan stroked the incredibly heavy [Earth Core] in his hand, but hesitation flashed in his eyes.

He did not forget his goal—to surpass the demon king who had reigned over human society for thousands of years.

Having advanced to Lv2 and with the reforged divine sword, he should theoretically possess the ability to fight the Demon King.

However, the Demon King's strength is ultimately based on deductions about the Demon General Livale, and therefore remains uncertain.

"Not safe enough—" Gu Yuan stared at the crystal core, silently repeating to himself, "At least we need to have the strength to contend with Lv8 to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

He thought that with his current abilities, even if he couldn't win, he should be able to protect himself.

Thinking of this, Gu Yuan looked up into the deeper part of this desolate plain, where the true overlord of this layer lay dormant, and in his eyes, the final touchstone.

"No, we have one last goal."

「!?」

Upon hearing this, Liu Bing's blue eyes widened slightly, as if she had misheard.

She followed Gu Yuan's gaze and was completely surprised to find that after achieving his goal, Gu Yuan was actually going to challenge the floor master, "Barro," who possessed Lv8 strength and had even defeated all the elite members of Freya's Familia!

But seeing the unwavering determination in Gu Yuan's eyes, and the calm that stemmed from his absolute strength, her shock quickly turned into relief and a touch of admiration.

Perhaps this is how true champions constantly climb to the top: never satisfied with the status quo, always striving to surpass the strongest.

"I understand." Ryu took a deep breath, quickly adjusting her mindset. "So, what can I do?"

After a moment's thought, Gu Yuan handed over the newly acquired [Earth Core] and most of the high-level magic stones he carried to Liu for safekeeping.

Then, he took the "Black Sword of Udeos" that he had been carrying on his back and held it in his hand.

"Please hold these safe for me, if—"

He paused, glanced at his cracked divine sword, which had been pushed to its limits in the previous battle, and thought:

This world cannot conjure a staff out of thin air. If my sword shatters completely in the upcoming battle, having this black sword as a backup will at least prevent my "cutting" magic from becoming unusable.

Liu immediately understood his intention and solemnly accepted the heavy magic stone and crystal core.

She quickly retreated, scanning her surroundings, and barely found a protruding rock as a point of observation and cover.

Gu Yuan held Udayus's black sword in his left hand and his own divine sword tightly in his right, wielding two swords.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath of the dry, cold air of the "Great Wilderness," and when he opened them again, only pure calmness and boiling fighting spirit remained in his eyes.

He strode forward, resolutely heading towards the heart of the wasteland, the place where "Barro" slept, according to the guild records.

It's time to formally challenge this invincible floor master—