14 Doomkeep

Gris could finally relax alone as all his guests had left. He recalled that he had to investigate Solnisca de Amarthia.

But how to meet her without raising suspicion? Blayz did not easily permit people to leave the mansion without urgent reason.

After thinking hard, Gris came up with an idea. "Ah, I think I can use that method!"

In every corner of this world were scattered areas named Doomkeep that appeared after the apocalypse was determined. Doomkeep was the eerie haven where the monsters lurked, biding their time until the dreaded Doomsday Wave commenced.

The monsters would not come out of Doomkeep if the Doomsday Wave had not been announced. But humans could pass in, so all kingdoms closely watch the area.

Doomkeep became popular after heroes used it as an extreme training ground. It would naturally have differences since it was a place different from normal areas.

"This is a good idea. The Empire can't know what's happening in Doomkeep, including detecting magic. I can rent a doomkeep with my father's influence, right?"

Gris would use the excuse of practicing in Doomkeep to get out of the mansion. Blayz would allow it if he went with the guards and only invaded low-danger Doomkeep.

"Now, I have to remember another important thing. System or whatever it is, can you explain roles and points?"

[You named the magic connection with Lord Veilrath as a system! From now on, you can call the connection with the keyword 'system.']

[A role is a side that you can take. To take a role, think seriously about the role you want. Remember, choosing to be neutral cannot take advantage of points.

Points are earned after you complete certain orders. It can be used to buy anything in the Magic Shop. Currently, you don't have any points, which means you can't buy an extra Soul Room.]

Gris thought about his Soul Room that could only be filled with one undead after he bound the Infernoclaw Scorpion. Inevitably, he had to add Soul Rooms for his development.

"System, what are the regulations regarding removing undead from the Soul Room?"

[Releasing the soul bond with the undead in the Soul Room does not cost dark energy. But the length of the unbinding process depends on the level of the soul you are bound to. The stronger it is, the longer the process!]

"Well, it looks like I'll have to test my strength on humans soon."

For now, Gris had yet to determine which human he would choose. He would determine it carefully while making plans regarding his raid in Doomkeep.

***

Blayz had yet to announce that Gris was officially getting the necromancer class. But everyone in the mansion already knew, thanks to Rowena throwing a tantrum over not receiving the god's blessing as soon as he did.

The news surprised everyone more than when they learned Gris passed the Forest of Death Test. At first, they thought he was lucky to have escaped the forest.

But their view of him was slowly changing. God's blessings were not easy to come by. One must have a strong will.

Heroes had to show their humanity and earnestness to help others. Usually, people without magical talent will join the knight training to show their sincerity.

The same goes for the villains. They must bear a strong reason to destroy human civilization. But most of them are ordinary criminals who enjoy doing evil, not caring about what happens if the world is destroyed.

"How did that weird kid get Lord Veilrath's blessing?"

A group of youngsters in their teens were chatting after finishing their physical training. Every day, they had to train physically because they did not have a magical talent like Rowena.

They also often went out, with Blayz's permission, to take out immoral people like rapists. They did that to show the apocalypse should be implemented to wipe out such people.

Of course, it was ironic and probably funny that they were doing that to join the Doomsday Committee, mostly filled with criminals.

"That kid never even comes to the training grounds," a curly-haired boy grumbled resentfully. "If only I'd gotten to class earlier, I wouldn't have had to take any tests!"

The boy next to him giggled. "Maybe you should try resurrecting your dead ancestors. I heard that Griswalden could receive divine blessings because he had a strong will to become a necromancer to bring back his dead mother."

"The problem is I don't know where my grandmother and grandfather's graves are!"

"Then you'll have to try harder, hahaha!"

The group of youngsters laughed at the joke. But they immediately shut their mouths as Gris passed through the hallway of the training ground with Alberic.

"This is a place where you can train your physical strength," Alberic paused to give Gris a chance to look at the training ground carefully. "You can train here while you wait to prepare to leave for your land."

Gris listened in silence. Some time ago, Alberic had met him at the Oleander Pavilion to discuss the training grounds he had requested.

The Amarthia Empire had rare items that could detect powerful magic, such as teleportation. Gris used Soul Bond to summon a dead scorpion, but it was not detected because his magic power was still weak.

Nevertheless, Blayz was worried about Gris unleashing powerful black magic. That was why he gave him land near the forest in the disputed territory between Amarthia and Austertrus, a kingdom whose people mostly worshiped Austertrus, the Sky Guardian.

Since it was a disputed territory, the two kingdoms had yet to resolve the problem. As a result, the region was heavily occupied by evil people.

Amarthia could not install magic detection items, nor could Austertrus since they had no authority over the territory.

"About when can I go to my estate?" asked Gris, not interested in using the facilities in the mansion after he became a hot topic.

"Probably in two or three days. There's something your father needs to prepare first. You will go with some guards."

"Alright. And when should I be back?"

Alberic was silent for a moment. "I can't give you a definite answer. The academy doesn't have a fixed schedule to avoid being stalked. You may have to wait until next year, or maybe an academy representative will show up today. No one knows."

"Tell me more about the academy."

"Sure. Let's move to a more comfortable place."