2nd Floor
As soon as Rael and Alice entered the 2nd floor, the bright neon sign and the large wall disappeared.
They were standing in the middle of a desert, and they were surrounded by tall dunes of sand.
"This is the 2nd floor," Alice muttered, and she scanned their surroundings.
"Yeah, and it's a desert," Rael said, his tone was calm, and his gaze was fixed on the dunes.
"A desert?" Alice asked.
"Yes, a desert. The place where there is nothing but sand and hot weather," Rael explained.
"Oh, I see," Alice replied, her voice was quiet, and her face was still flushed.
"Yeah, so, let's go."
Rael walked ahead, and Alice followed him.
The air was hot and dry, and the sun was scorching.
The sky was blue without any clouds.
There were no trees, no bushes, no plants, no animals.
Only sand and rocks.
The silence was eerie, and the atmosphere was tense.
The ground was soft, and the sand was fine.
"It's so quiet," Alice spoke, her voice was soft, and her expression was nervous.
"Yeah, it is," Rael agreed, his tone was calm, and his gaze was serious.
They walked forward, and after a few minutes, they reached the top of a hill, and their eyes widened.
The desert stretched for miles, and it seemed like it went on forever.
It was vast and desolate, and there was nothing but sand and rocks.
There were no monsters showing up, nor, did the boss of the 2nd floor make its appearance.
"Weird."
Rael was confused, and his expression was troubled.
"What's wrong, Rael?" Alice asked, her tone was worried, and her gaze was filled with concern.
"I don't know, it's too quiet," Rael answered. "It shouldn't be this quiet."
"What do you mean?" Alice was confused.
"There should be some monsters, or the boss, attacking us," Rael explained.
"Just like the first floor, there are no monsters in the 2nd floor. But, that isn't how it should be. There should be something here."
Rael was concerned.
He had read in the report about the dungeon that the 1st floor had goblins, Orges, and Orcs.
But, it was different.
The 1st floor had none of those creatures.
It only had a blue dragon and nothing else.
The 2nd floor was supposed to have Demons, Minotaurs, and Trolls.
But, there were none.
No monsters, no enemies, no creatures.
The 2nd floor was completely empty.
Leo said the report was accurate, and there was no way for it to be wrong.
And, yet, the dungeon was different from the report.
'Something is definitely wrong,' Rael thought.
He felt something was off, but, he couldn't put his finger on it.
'Something is not right.'
He tried to think about the reason, but, he couldn't come up with any answers.
'It's too quiet, and the atmosphere is too weird.'
The silence was deafening, and the tension was high.
It was as if something was about to happen, but, he couldn't figure out what.
Haaaa!
He let out a sigh and shook his head.
'System, activate 'Real-Time Status'!'
— Infinite Harem System —
— Skill 'Real-Time Status' has been activated.
As soon as the skill activated, a crimson, raging fire-like aura covered his left eye.
And a neon red display took over his left eye's sight, and his vision was replaced by an image of a screen with words, and a few numbers.
'Good, now I can check the status of everything.'
'Including Alice and the dungeon.'
It was an ability that allowed him to check the status of anything he wanted.
Be it, people, or, dungeons, or, even himself.
It was very useful, and it allowed him to understand the situation, and take action accordingly.
The dungeon's status was displayed on the screen.
• Your location: 2nd Floor
• Your condition: Normal
• Dungeon's Condition: Normal
It was being displayed at the top left corner of his vision, and there was also a humanoid figure next to it, which was his own.
It was constantly rotating and showed him his position, his status, and his current condition.
He also had a health bar, a mana bar, a stamina bar, and a fatigue bar.
It was all visible on the screen.
'Everything is normal,' Rael thought, and let out a sigh of relief.
'Maybe, I was just being paranoid.'
'Everything is fine, and there is nothing to worry about.'
"Rael."
Rael heard Alice's voice calling out to him, and he looked in her direction.
She was looking at him with a worried expression.
"Are you okay, Rael?" she asked, her tone was gentle, and her voice was filled with concern.
"I am fine," he answered and smiled at her.
"But, your eye is glowing," she pointed out, her eyes were wide, and her face was pale.
"Oh, this? It's just a skill that I use," he explained, and his attention moved to the screen in his left eye.
'So, her status is...'
Alice's status was displayed on the screen.
• Name: Alice
• Race: Humanoid Artifact
• Type: Unknown
• Rank: S
• Health: 100/100
• Mana: 250/250
• Stamina: 100/100
There were some thick red lines connecting the information to Alice's body, and it was being displayed next to her figure.
'Humanoid artifact? So, she is a humanoid-shaped artifact?'
'That's new.'
Rael was surprised.
He had never heard of a human-shaped artifact before.
And, he had never seen such a unique artifact either.
'Well, that explains why she can float and can distort space.'
'The power is most likely the artifact's power and not her own.'
But, that wasn't the most important thing.
What was important was that Alice was an artifact.
'Does that mean I can get her powers without having sex with her?'
He wondered.
'It's possible.'
He thought if Alice could turn into a bracelet, a ring, or an accessory, then, he could wear her and have her powers.
But, he wasn't sure.
So, he decided to ask her.
"Alice, can you turn into an accessory?"
"Accessory?" Alice was confused.
"Yes, a bracelet, a ring, a necklace, or, anything else."
"Um, I don't know. I never tried it."
She tilted her head and put her finger on her chin.
"Well, then, try it," he suggested, and his tone was casual.
"Okay."
Alice nodded and closed her eyes.
A second passed.
Then, another second.
"I can't."
Her voice was quiet, and her expression was filled with frustration.
"I can't change my form," she muttered, her voice was weak, and her face was pale.
"Maybe, you are not trying hard enough," he suggested, and his voice was playful.
"But, I am trying really hard."
"Well, it's okay. You can always try again later."
Saying so, Rael placed his hand on her head and patted her gently.
"You are right, Rael."
She nodded and smiled, and his hand slid down and rubbed her cheek.
"You are cute," he muttered, and his lips curved into a small smile.
"Cute?" Her eyes widened, and her cheeks turned red.
"Yes, cute," he replied, and his hand moved down her neck and caressed her shoulder.
"Thank you, Rael," she mumbled, and her face was flushed.
"You're welcome."
He grinned, and his hand trailed down her arm and grasped her wrist.
"Let's go."
"O-okay." She was flustered, and her heart was beating fast.
The atmosphere between them had changed, and her heartbeat quickened.
But, she didn't mind.
She was happy, and her mood was lifted.
Rael was happy too.
"Hmmm, it's getting dark," Rael muttered, and his eyes narrowed.
It had been more than 5 hours since they had entered the 2nd floor, and the sky was getting dark.
"Yeah, it is," Alice agreed, and her gaze was fixed on the sky.
It was going to be night very soon.
And there was no place to rest.
Because there was only sand, and rocks, and nothing else.
"So, where are we gonna sleep?" she asked.
"Don't worry about it. We are not gonna sleep tonight," he answered, and his eyes were scanning the surroundings.
"Why?"
"Because we have to clear it tonight."
His tone was firm, and his expression was serious.
"But, it's gonna be dangerous." Alice was concerned.
"If we sleep then it is gonna be even more dangerous," he pointed out, and his eyes were cold and sharp.
"Huh? How is it going to be dangerous?"
"Haaa, look Alice, it is a desert, and we are in the middle of it," he explained, and his voice was filled with annoyance.
"There are no monsters or creatures here, and the only things here are the sand and rocks," he added, and his eyes were scanning the desert.
"But, even though the monsters are not here, it is dangerous," he concluded, and his eyes were filled with determination.
"Because, in the desert, animals only appear at night. So, there is a high chance, that the monsters which haven't appeared in the day will show up in the night."
"That's a good point," she said, and her face was pale.
"So, what are we gonna do? Even if we stay up at night that doesn't mean the monsters will know our location."
"You're right," Rael replied, and his gaze was on her.
"That is why. I have a plan."
"A plan?"
"Yes, a plan."
He had a sly smirk on his face, and his eyes were gleaming.
"A plan to deal with them once and for all."