"System, is there really no other way?" William asked. His heart was currently aching from the consecutive disappointments that he had encountered since his magic power had been sealed.
< Well, it's not like there isn't a way… but I'm not sure if it's going to work. >
"Anything will do! Just make the ring work!"
< Host, even if we do succeed in activating the Ring of Conquest, the default setting of the Goblin Crypt might get affected. Are you sure you wish to continue? >
"What do you mean when you say that the default setting of the Goblin Crypt might get affected?" William inquired. "Is there even a default setting for the Goblin Crypt?"
< The Ring of Conquest is a Unique Item that was forged by using the fires of the Demonic Lands, and metal that came from another world. The techniques that were used in crafting it don't belong to this world. In order to make the ring work in this realm, it had to adhere to the laws of this world. >
"System, can you simplify things in layman's terms?"
< Host, in short, even if you managed to enter the Goblin Crypt, it might become bugged. >
William contemplated, but still decided to go ahead with the forceful activation of the Ring of Conquest.
"Even if it's bugged, go ahead and activate the ring. This is an order!"
< Understood. Accepting the order… >
< Borrowing the powers of the three divinities present inside the host's soul… >
< Ding! >
< Congratulations! You are now able to activate the Ring of Conquest (Bugged Version) >
---
"Bugged Version?" William muttered. "Well, as long as it's usable then it's fine. System, are you sure that the ring is now usable?"
< Yes. The ring is usable, but the settings of the dungeon might have changed. Host, please prepare yourself for the worst. >
"Don't raise any flags!"
< … Just don't blame me later if anything happens. >
William breathed deeply in order to compose himself. He knew that the system was doing its best to help him, and he was truly thankful for its help. The only problem was that its ominous warning was giving him a feeling of restlessness.
'It's of no use worrying about this stuff,' William thought as he clenched his fist. "Gate Open!"
A blinding flash of light enveloped everyone inside the goatshed. When William regained his vision, he found himself on the Eleventh Floor of the Goblin Crypt.
"Good, it worked!" William pumped his fist. He then immediately checked his herd to see if everyone had arrived safely.
"Is everyone here?"
""Meeeeeh!""
"Okay, let's do a headcount!"
"Meeeeeh!"
"Meeeeeh!"
"Meeeeeh!"
The goats counted one by one and William was relieved that everyone was present.
"Mama Ella, do you feel anything weird?"
Ella pondered for a while before shaking her head.
"How about you guys? Do you feel anything strange?"
Chronos, Aslan, and the other goats also shook their heads.
William looked at them seriously as he gave out his instruction. "There might be some changes inside the dungeon. Do not act recklessly and always follow your team leaders. Do I make myself clear?"
""Meeeeeeh!""
"Ok, let's go!"
-----
Five minutes later…
< Exp Gained: 2 >
< Exp Gained: 2 >
"Um?" William looked at the notifications appearing on his screen. For a moment, he thought that his eyes were playing tricks with him. However, the consecutive notifications proved that everything he was seeing was real.
< Exp Gained: 2 >
< Exp Gained: 2 >
< Exp Gained: 2 >
"... Are you for real?" William rubbed his eyes. Seeing that the numbers didn't change after rubbing his eyes, he immediately cursed inwardly. "Damn it is real!"
The goats were not able to see the notifications like William. They were busy fighting against the Hobgoblins in front of them using their teamwork. After the group vanquished their foes, William immediately ordered them to rush towards the Fourteenth Floor.
He wanted to know if all the floors had been affected by this "Bug".
Along the way, he discovered that the monster population inside the dungeon was denser than normal. It was as if the spawn rate of the dungeon had increased by 4 to 5 times the normal spawn rate.
If this was during the time when the ring was still working perfectly, William would have laughed out loud because more monsters means more experience points. However, right now, he didn't find the situation funny.
Even if the number of monsters increased, so what? It wouldn't change the fact that the experience points he would gain from killing them was terrible.
Ten minutes later…
William watched as the Hobgoblin Shaman disappeared into particles of light after being defeated by Aslan and his team.
The red-headed boy's eyes became as dead as a fish when saw the notification that appeared in front of him.
< Exp Gained: 10 >
'It's over,' William thought as his suspicions were confirmed. The Ring of Conquest was working like it used to. However, the "Bug" had affected the amount of experience points that could be gained inside the Goblin Crypt.
William had been used to seeing experience points in the hundreds, but now, it didn't even exceed the number 10.
The red-headed boy gritted his teeth as he ordered his herd to go to the Eighteenth Floor. William wasn't in the mood to farm experience points and led the goats to the stairs leading to the unexplored floor.
However, on the stairs that led to the Eighteenth Floor, a barrier blocked his way. The goats tried to forcefully break it by using everything in their arsenal. Even Ella stepped in to help destroy the barrier, but it was all in vain.
The barrier stood without a scratch as if mocking their forceful attempts to bypass the law of the dungeon.
"Enough," William ordered with a sigh. "Let's go back. I need to think things through."
William activated the Ring of Conquest and left the dungeon with his herd. The first thing he did when they returned to the real world was to get some fresh air. He went outside the goat shed while dragging a stack of hay. The red-headed boy laid down on top of it as he looked up in the heavens.
While gazing at the countless stars that were shining in the sky, William finally regained his calm. Although he didn't show it, he felt really frustrated at the setbacks that he had encountered as of late.
The loss of his magic power had crippled him in more ways than he imagined and he was struggling to accept his new reality.
It was at that moment when he felt something wet touch the side of his face.
"Mama Ella." William pulled his Mama close to him as he buried his face in her neck.
Ella felt something wet and warm soak her coat. Not long after, she heard William's choked sobs as his body shuddered from time to time.
William had been bottling up the pain and frustration of his loss deep inside his heart. He thought that he would be able to endure it all, but the helplessness he felt inside the Goblin Crypt drove the last nail into the coffin.
The negative feelings that he had been holding back inside his heart flowed like a raging river. The floodgates that had been holding it back had burst open and William's tears fell like rain.
He felt despair. He felt helplessness, and most of all, he felt that he had lost all hope.
Since he was someone who had been reincarnated in a new world, William hadn't had the chance to "act his age". He was an eighteen-year-old boy stuck inside the body of a ten-year-old.
Everyone said that he was "mature for his age", but the truth was, he was still a kid at heart. He was not an adult. When he died, he was just a teenager that was suffering from a terminal disease. A teenager that had made a deal with the Hospital Director to donate his heart at the time of his death.
William did his best to live his second life to the fullest. He gave it everything, challenged anything. With three divinities, and a system that guaranteed that he would stand above the rest, William would be lying if he said that he didn't feel special.
He would be lying if he said that he wasn't a chosen one. After receiving so many blessings, and a cheat that broke the balance of the world, how could he possibly fail?
Yet, here he was, crying his heart out, like a child who had lost his favorite toy. Ella closed her eyes and allowed William to vent out his pent-up feelings.
William rarely cried. He cried when Ella almost died inside the dungeon. He cried when Celine made him her slave, and he cried more when they were being tortured with curses that almost drove him insane.
Ella didn't know how long William cried that night. When she felt his body become lax, Ella instinctively knew that her baby had cried himself to sleep. She then helped him lay down in a more comfortable position, before looking for another stack of hay.
Ella pushed the stack of hay beside the sleeping boy and laid down on top of it. She moved her body closer to her baby, and the latter instinctively positioned himself within her soft embrace.
William's second mother looked down on her son with a gentle gaze. She only hoped for William to be happy. Ella knew that William was currently feeling frustrated, but she believed that he would be able to overcome this hurdle.
After all, she was the one that raised him. She knew more than anyone else, how amazing her little baby could be when he became serious.