The Second Son of the Marquis Wants to Laze Around-Chapter 87: Aberration Dungeon (4)

"This is getting more annoying," Eren grumbled, stepping away from the twitching corpses. The other ghoul, the one with just one leg left, was still dragging itself toward him, growling lowly like a stubborn mutt.

The only way to properly kill these things was by destroying their magic gems. But unlike the skeletons, who conveniently stored their magic cores in their skulls, these ghouls had theirs buried somewhere deep inside their disgusting, regenerating flesh.

"Useless?" Eren called out to his system.

[Already scanned them, Master. Their gems are in their chests.]

With a tired sigh, Eren stabbed his sword straight into the ghouls’ torsos. Exactly right where Useless has pointed.

—Puff! Puff!

The monsters exploded into dark particles of dust, leaving behind their cracked, broken magic gems. With a casual flick of his hand, Eren used telekinesis to collect them and stored them in his inventory.

"This strategy isn’t sustainable..." he murmured, sheathing his sword.

This marked the fifth time he had run into ghouls. And every time, they proved to be more trouble than they were worth. The cursed flesh not only made them more durable, but also allowed them to move silently—completely unlike the clattering of bones from the skeletons.

They were much faster, stronger, and surprisingly smarter. Some even had the intelligence to lie in wait within the dungeon’s dark corners, waiting to ambush him. It was why Eren now held a small enchanted flashlight in his left hand while walking, just to avoid being jumped.

To make matters worse, the dungeon itself had changed. Ever since he passed the eleventh floor, the tunnel paths had grown darker, wider, and far more complex. Multiple branching pathways had started to appear, turning it into a proper maze. Naturally, this made it even easier for ghouls to sneak up on him.

Just then, Useless spoke in its usual robotic voice.

[Master, if I may suggest something?]

"Hm?... Yeah, what is it?"

[Why not learn fire magic? These monsters are highly vulnerable to flames.]

"...!"

Eren’s eyes widened. Of course! In Valoria Legends, fire magic was especially effective against undead monsters like ghouls and zombies. It not only did extra damage, but the burning effect interrupted their regeneration too.

After thinking it over, he finally nodded. "Alright then."

He opened his system shop, scrolling through his options.

Useless, seeing this, nearly trembled with joy as it want to cry (if it had eyes). Its master—finally—was about to purchase a genuinely useful magic spell!

....

But seconds later, that joy crumbled into utter despair.

---

[8,160 SP has been converted into 40,800 Coins.]

[You have purchased a Magic Flamethrower!]

[Thank you for your purchase!]

---

A burst of blue light flashed in front of Eren, and an item materialized on the ground.

It was the magic Flamethrower—a hybrid magical weapon forged from enchanted steel and alchemical crystals. The body of the weapon resembled a sleek, obsidian-black rifle with glowing red-orange runes etched along the barrel. The back chamber pulsed with a swirling core of fire mana, held together by a heat-resistant crystal casing. A magical gauge showed the mana pressure level, and the ignition trigger was designed to respond only to its wielder’s aura.

Eren check its item’s description as he apprised it.

----

[Inferno Flamethrower M.I]

Type: Magic Weapon – Fire Element

━━━

[Description]

A powerful magic-based flamethrower crafted with alchemical runes and a reinforced mithril casing, designed to channel condensed fire-element mana into a controlled, high-pressure flame burst. This weapon does not use fuel, but instead operates by drawing mana directly from the surroundings or a linked mana crystal.

The Inferno M.I can unleash a steady stream of burning flames capable of incinerating most low to mid-tier creatures. Its ignition core contains a miniature flame spirit sealed within, ensuring consistent heat output and flame intensity.

Bonus Effect:

[Burning Purge] – Fire generated by this weapon leaves a lingering burning status on enemies weak to fire, dealing continuous damage over time.

━━━

Maintenance Tip: Overuse may cause mana exhaustion. Recommended to use in short bursts.

-----

"Time to barbecue some rotten meats," Eren muttered as he lifted the weapon.

Useless could only hover silently... wondering why it expected anything different from this master.

....

....

13th Floor of the Aberration Dungeon

Deep within the twisted corridors of the 13th floor, where darkness loomed like an eternal fog, a group of ghouls shuffled through the narrow path. Their grotesque figures—half-rotted, groaning, and mindlessly wandering—resembled classic horror zombies from a budget movie.

Suddenly, a flicker of light shimmered from the far end of the pathway. The ghouls instinctively turned toward it, their hollow eyes blinking in unison.

The light grew—brighter, hotter, fiercer—until it swallowed the shadows whole.

–FUUUOOOOSHHH!!!

A roaring seam of orange flames burst down the corridor like a blazing tidal wave, engulfing the ghouls in an instant. The creatures let out hideous, high-pitched shrieks as they were set ablaze.

–KRRRREEEEEEEEEEHHHH!!!

On the other side of the inferno, Eren stood calmly, sunglasses on, whistling a cheerful little tune as if he were exterminating a swarm of pesky flies. He held a sleek flamethrower like a rifle, torching monsters with the casual air of someone watering his backyard garden.

–Whistle~

He stopped a few meters ahead, lifting his sunglasses with one hand to admire his handiwork.

Before him lay five roasted ghouls, their decaying bodies now charred black, resembling overcooked barbecue skewers from a cursed festival.

–Puff! Puff! Puff!

One by one, the ghouls’ burnt corpses puffed into dark smoke and disintegrated into glittering black particles, each leaving behind a single glowing magic gem.

Eren nonchalantly floated the gems toward him with his telekinesis and dropped them into his inventory like loose change.

He glanced down at the mana gauge on his flamethrower. The indicator was nearly empty.

"Empty already," Eren muttered.

Without hesitation, he opened the system shop and bought a fresh mana crystal, swapping out the darkened, depleted one from the flamethrower’s chamber. The exchange was quick and practiced—clearly something he’d done many times.

Meanwhile, a certain someone was groaning internally.

Useless, the system’s ever-complaining assistant, hovered nearby with an invisible frown. If it had a forehead, it’d be wrinkling in stress right now.

The reason is because its Master was burning through SP again... literally!

’Mana crystals are expensive, you know! Do you think SP grows on trees!? I swear, if this continues, I’m going to &(@£#&÷!!!’ Useless thought.

From an outsider’s perspective, it was honestly kind of scummy, greedy, and selfish how Useless was acting over some SP. yeah, it might cost more to buy it fresh from the system’s shop, but the system has.more than millions SP now, so the idea of spending alot is fine.

Refilled and recharged, Eren pulled his sunglasses back down, adjusted his flamethrower on his shoulder, and whistled once more as he continued forward through the dungeon—casually incinerating anything that moved.

This routine—torch, loot, reload, whistle—repeated itself countless times over the next three hours, until Eren finally arrived at the 17th floor.

He decided it was time to end the day.

...

Without fuss, he summoned his camping gear. A comfortable bed, soft pillows, warm blankets, and even a nightstand popped out of his inventory like items from a magician’s hat.

He changed into his pajamas, flopped onto the bed with a satisfied sigh, and he plan to—ahem—rest. Definitely resting. Not lazed around, nope, not at all.

He pulled out his gaming console and began playing casually, munching on a bag of fantasy potato chips while sipping from a juice box labeled, Mana Mango Mix!

Useless watched in silence, floating in a corner like a tired ghost, as it couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

At the very least, its master was still progressing through the dungeon. Slowly. Casually. Recklessly. But still progressing.

....

....

....

Sixteen Days Later...

It had been sixteen days since Eren first entered the Aberration Dungeon. Now, he stood on the 27th floor, facing against a new type of monster that is big, while wielding his sword rather than the usual flamethrower.

A curious sight.

Why the sudden change in strategy, you ask?

Well, let’s rewind a little with a short flashback.

.....

About four days ago on the 22nd Floor...

When Eren reached the 22nd floor, he noticed something... unpleasant.

The ghouls had evolved. A lot.

Gone were the standard zombie types with exposed bones and squishy, rotting flesh. These new variants were far more advanced—and far more annoying.

Some could dodge his flames with freakish speed. Others hid in tight, narrow corners like cursed cockroaches. And a few had thick, grotesque armor that made them slow to burn. Worst of all, some began using weapons—actual weapons made of bones and cursed flesh—and even magic.

The era of simple torching was over.

There were tree new type of Ghoul monsters he encountered. the first was the Wraith Ghouls. freёweɓnovel.com

Or as the Valoria Legends game called them—Phantom Ghouls.

These nightmare fuel monsters were cloaked in dark mist, giving them an eerie, ghost-like appearance. Like a crossover between a wraith and a cursed dementor. Their flesh was semi-transparent and infused with dark energy. They moved without sound, slipped through walls, and crept up behind you like horror movie jump scares.

Their preferred weapons? Bone daggers. Or sometimes just their disgusting clawed hands.

Their most annoying trait?

An ability called "Life Drain Touch" – one brush and they’d suck away your stamina like a freeloading cousin during dinner.

Eren’s flamethrower didn’t work on them. They slipped right through it. Physical attacks were useless unless he allowed them to touch him first.

And no, that wasn’t ideal. He can’t let those disgusting weird rotten hands touch him.

Na’ah

So, he turned to Valoria Legends for answers inside as he took a "Short" 14 hours break pf playing the game, to get to know those monsters more.

...