The gull-like cries of an Eagle prolonged with its talon gripping a pitiful fox as it hovered in the sky, showing its dominance in both land and air.
Its shadow flew past the sleeping Akira, on his chest a half-opened scroll.
The cool morning breeze brushes upon his face prompting his brows to twitch.
Akira slowly opened his eyes and the lavish azure sky welcomed him into a brand new day whilst the clouds covered the morning sun.
He sat up and had to massage his tense neck.
His reading posture last night numbs a few muscles in his body.
He grunted as he stood.
Akira puts the scroll back on the opaque container and walks in a certain direction.
The chirping of birds and rustling of leaves and bushes greeted him until he reached his destination.
The clear pond.
His presence prompted the doe and its fawn to halt from drinking and look up to him.
Sensing he is no threat, they carry on.
Akira kneeled, cupped some water with his hand, and rinsed it on his nape.
Feeling the cold water, Akira undressed, dipped his whole body, and vanished from sight.
Akira stood.
The water is high enough to cover just below his torso.
The clouds slowly move as the wind carries them away from the sun.
The rays from the sun reach the pond fostering the intricate dancing patterns of lights reflected from the small ripples of water.
Akira's wet body glistened under the light of the sun.
Akira immersed himself and remedied the tension in his muscles.
He stayed for a few minutes before deciding to return and make his own breakfast.
While walking, he realized he didn't bring any tools for him to cook. He currently doesn't have his hunting weapon on him.
He might have the Pagoda comprised of foods he received from Jin Boqin but he was too lazy to return from scratch in cooking food.
Left with no choice, Akira decided to purchase from the System.
He brought a few interesting dishes called Curry coupled with jars of water and a couple of buns for 104 Qi Points.
The food materialized after the transaction.
The main dishes were in a ware called disposable items and sealed with some kind of food wrap.
After removing the food wrap, an aroma wafted across his face.
"Strange…and smells delicious…" He mumbled as he stopped and looked at the food for a moment as the familiar sensation crept up to his heart.
Coming across the strange and familiar sensation countless times, Akira didn't bother to ponder deeply.
He made peace in his heart he couldn't unravel the mystery of his past, for now.
After finishing his meal, his eyes fixed on the well-cultivated crops downhill.
Akira began to work on his boredom.
He gathered an arm-thick stick and thin stones with sharp edges.
Using the yuca leaves as ropes he created a spade out of the materials he gathered.
"So, corn it is." He mumbled as he kneeled.
He was contemplating which was the easiest to harvest and after some deliberation, he chose to harvest the corn first.
In all honesty, Akira didn't know what he was doing. He just placed his left hand on the stalk of the corn and grabbed the spike that seemed to be an ear of the corn before twisting it to the side.
Not amused, Akira held the freshly picked corn and scrutinized it.
Akira can smell a small hint of fragrance coming out from the crevices of a husk.
"The green leafy layer husk seemed to wrap the fruit inside…" He mumbled as he pulled the husk one at a time until the luscious yellow kernel of the corn appeared.
Akira smells the sweet fragrance, tickling his nose.
Without a second thought, he took the corn to his mouth and had to close his eyes when the sweet-flavored juices of the kernel exploded in his mouth.
Akira looks at the corn in his hand with a glint in his eyes.
The meals and dishes from the system provide him with an exquisite flavor that if he does not have self-control, he might get addicted to it.
But he can indulge himself by eating corn! He had hectares of it!
The newfound flavor ignited him and decided to harvest all the corn within the day. Not thinking of the fact his hand might get numb harvesting it.
And so, Akira forgets about his worries about the Dungeon.
When the sun was at its peak point in the sky, Akira, sweating bullets decided to slump on the ground.
He wiped off the sweat from his face and drank the water from the pagoda Jin Boqin provided which contained all the foods and ingredients worth ten years.
This Pagoda is considered a treasure. It can store anything, even food, while preserving it.
He is currently sitting on the edge of the crops where the corn was situated so he was near the vegetation across the entrance of the Dungeon.
While he was resting, he heard a branch snap behind the bushes ahead.
Akira frowned. He didn't move and just stared at the bushes.
He is confident the perpetrators of the sounds are not cultivators because if it is the System would have notified him already.
It could be a wild animal.
He retracts his gaze and decides to eat another corn.
As he was about to bite off the kernels another snapping sound was heard.
This time, Akira knew aside from wild animals was behind those bushes.
He was still within the outside barrier so he was not worried.
"Show yourselves." Akira with a slightly raised tone.
Akira waited but none revealed themselves to him.
Tsk. The bushes are not within the outside barrier. Is it worth the risk to learn who was behind the bushes?
After some deliberations, Akira decided to ignore it. He had nothing to lose anyway. He could always activate the barrier to block someone from entering,
From time to time, Akira heard the bushes move but whoever was behind it had no guts to show themselves.
Not until Akira decided to leave.
Akira arched his left brow seeing two little humans, a girl and a boy.
Tattered dresses.
Wounded arms, and legs.
Sullen eyes.
Sunken cheeks. Proof of dehydration and lack of food intake.
Their faces are covered with dirt.
The boy's eyes are helpless but firm except for the girl.
Are they brother and sister? He mumbled to himself.
The little girl is nervously hiding behind the boy's back while gripping the hem of his tattered shirt while the latter valiantly has his left hand stretched protecting the girl behind him while his right hand gripping a dagger nervously.
Though agitation is obvious, the boy still holds his ground.
Amused, Akira took his hat off silently to the boy.
"What were you doing in this part?"
The boy gritted his teeth and said, "I-It's none of y-your business! Hand over the Pagoda to us or y-you'll regret it!"
Akira was not struck the boy was serious. So he just stares at them and responds. "I'm afraid I must decline. You are stepping on my property and you don't have the strength to struggle over this pagoda."
The boy bit his lip and glared at him. "I'm being serious!"
Akira ignored the boy and instead asked them a question. "What's your name and who you were running from?"
"I-I said it's none of your business!" His tone had a mixture of agitation and fear. But there's an assurance that he would protect the girl behind him.
Akira frowned. Do I have the right to meddle with other's affairs?
Akira knew well his own temperament. He was cold and usually emotionally numb. But he still had his conscience and knew what was morally right from wrong.
Despite that, he was holding to the principles he began living in after becoming the Dungeon Master. Equal exchange.
He was about to ask them to leave when he heard a growling of stomach.
He had to arch his brows and glance at the clumsy girl hiding behind his brother's back.
Sensing his glare, the little girl quivered, and her eyes moistened.
For a moment, Akira forgets the equal exchange.
"I will lend you help depending on what words you'll utter next. Take your time and think about what will you say next. What's your name and who you were running from?"
The boy seemed to be thrown at contemplation. His eyes were darting everywhere and Akira had to hide his smile.
Admirable, and tenacious in keeping her sister safe by acting as a strong lad.
"Forget it. Here, you can have this corn. These were freshly harvested."
Akira put down two jars of water out of the Pagoda and a dozen corn still with their husk.
Akira turned around and began to walk away.
Who could possibly hunt these two helpless and clueless kids deep into the mountain?
Small acts birthed a new path. It could either help me in the future or doom me.
Knowing the possibility of cultivators hunting these kids can put him in a dire situation, depending on their realms and who's behind those pursuers.
His current situation can only do this much for his uninvited guests.
Akira simply turned his head around and saw the two kids feasting on the corn.
They are now within the outside barrier. They'll be safe there.
Akira took a shade on a big tree he found and decided to nap since it was already past noon.
As for the kids? He didn't care much. They are free to leave and welcome to stay and eat the crops as long as they like. Just let him be out of their trouble.
Akira closes his eyes and darkness enveloped his world.
The sudden and simultaneous birds chirping away from the specific trees due to being startled woke Akira.
Akira noticed the sun was about to set on the horizon.
At the same time, a notification was prompted by the System.
[Notification: 2 cultivators in Late Stage Qi Condensation Realm entered the Dungeon. The Master Dungeon received 10 Qi Points]
The light indicator told him the specific location of the two cultivators.
They were just 50 meters away from him.
Out of instinct, his response was to look for the siblings and find them in the opposite direction slumbering deeply in the middle of the cornfield.
The sound of a young woman reaches Akira's ears.
"Oh, look at these crops. These were five times bigger compared to their usual size."
The attractive woman cultivator with different shining ornaments on her well-kept and bunned golden brown hair halted when their eyes met.
She senses danger meeting the man's gaze.
She used her divine senses and found nothing extraordinary. Not even a speck of fluctuation of Spiritual Qi transmitted to her.
Nevertheless, this didn't ease her flight or fight response.
"Why so serious?" A man dressed in pure white Changshan asked the woman.
He followed her gaze and saw the man with a beautiful face sitting on the ground, his back against the tree.
"Ge Ryu, the man across is just ordinary, right?"
Gu Ryu smirked and turned his head to the woman.
"Xu Xena, fret now. No harm can befall you while I'm around." Ge Ryu passionately responds, ignoring the question.
Normally, Xu Xena would just roll her eyes. She was used to Gu Ryu trying to hit on her and ignore him all the same time.
But her intuition won't let her do so.
The situation seems…amiss.
"And yes. Here's an ordinary man. No Spiritual Qi fluctuating around him and he doesn't even have a Dantian. He's completely on the last line of ordinary people."
With both hands on his back, standing like a young master of a certain powerful family, Ge Ryu motioned the man sitting on the ground to come at them.
"Idiot! What are you doing?!"
Gu Ryu furrowed his brows. "I'm calling him to give us some respect." He paused and then looked across and saw the man still sitting without care, completely ignoring him.
Infuriated. Ge Ryu flicks his hand and a fluctuation of Spiritual Qi occurs, moving around his hand and forming a fire.
Xu Xena becomes anxious, and she immediately slaps Gu Ryu's nape causing the latter to stumble on the ground.
"Apologies for the intrusion. I hope we didn't impose too much. May we ask you a few questions? We'll leave after we hear your answer."
Unbothered, Akira just scrutinized them.
Seeing him totally unmoved, Gu Ryu clenched his fists.
"You arrogant little dog!"