Monarch of Gluttony: System of Sin

Two sharp blades made purely of blazing energy appeared in each of her hands as Lenora took a first step in the direction of Azekiel.

It appeared as if she intended to hurt Azekiel. Unfortunately, something appeared to change at that moment. She stopped and gazed at the distant horizon to the south.

Lenora stood still as if she was lost in some thought or waiting for some instructions. After a brief moment, she sent her energy blades back.

Instead, she flicked her fingers in the direction of Azekiel before she changed her direction and started walking to the south, completely in the opposite direction to Azekiel.

Following the flick of her finger, a gentle gust of wind moved toward Azekiel, not having any significant force behind it. In fact, the wind was so weak that it couldn't even be felt.

Some mysterious energy appeared to be mixed with the wind, which couldn't be seen by the naked eye.

It was unclear if Lenora could see through the mist but what was evident was that she avoided all the ditches in the ground as she left without having to slow down.

Before long, she disappeared from sight.

On the other hand, Azekiel kept working on the contribution of a shelter. He had already arranged the pillars. He didn't feel the need to create a wall. The only thing that was left was the roof on top and the beams to support the roof.

He used some really firm vines to tie the entire thing. It wasn't easy to create a shelter of this quality, all alone. The first part was easy, but this was where the complications started. Since he couldn't fly,  it proved to be really hard to get to the top each time, carrying the carved pieces.

Another hour passed, and Azekiel was still working on giving the final touches.

"It certainly would've been easier if I could've summoned Raphael. This took so long."

Azekiel sat on the roof, tying everything to make the shelter even more secure.

After tying the last knot, he jumped down to land on the ground.

"There it is... Our shelter."

Standing on the other, still equally drenched, he gazed at his creation.

There were no walls, but there was a roof to protect them from rain and the support this place needed.

He brought a couple more tree trunks and placed them on the ground inside his shelter, making something akin to a bed and to give them some high where they could sit without having their feet buried under the water.

Finally, his shelter was complete with a roof to protect them from rain and a bed where they could sit.

Although the bed was not something comfortable, it didn't matter. It wasn't like they needed to stay here for an eternity. He wasn't planning to sleep here either.

He walked inside the shelter he had created and climbed on the wooden bed. Finally, he could bring the two books out of his clothes.

He brought the two books out. Despite his protection, the two books were already drenched entirely, yet he knew it could've been worse. He kept both the books on the bed, leaving them to dry.

He also took off his wet shirt, only leaving his pants, and that too because Lia was here.

"We should've packed some extra clothes too." Raphael sat beside Azekiel. "You've been in the rain for a long time. You might get cold."

"We will have to pass through this rainstorm once again. Still, I don't worry about that."

"What are you worried about? The time limit of the oath?"

Azekiel shook his head. Instead, he tapped his stomach, highlighting that he was hungry.

He wanted to say that this hunger was torturous, but he avoided saying anything extra just because Raphael was here. Could he really complain about hunger before Raphael, who faced this torment every second? It was going to be like someone complaining about being in the rain for a minute to someone who spent his entire life in the rain.

"If you're starving, you can use the Escape Orb to go to the lower floor from here, then use one to get back on this floor."

"I already considered that idea, but it's not feasible. The Escape Orb will only take me to the floor entrance where we first appeared. In my case, that would be the battlefield on the second floor. Traveling to the closest City will take hours. And then when I come back, I'll have to walk back to the Temple again before I can come here."

"This would take around ten to twelve hours even if I'm fast. That's the time I can't afford to lose, especially with the Blood Oath."

To distract himself from his hunger, Azekiel shifted his attention to the two books.

"The Statues said that the correct map will appear inside the two books as soon as we enter the Temple along with the instructions."

Now that he didn't have to worry about the water coming from the top, Azekiel arranged the two wet books right beside each other.

The pages of the Book were so wet that it was easy to tear the page accidentally. It demanded a lot of care.

Azekiel reached out his hand to open the first book.

[Warning: You are about to open the Cursed Book. Are you sure you want to continue?]

As soon as Azekiel's fingers touched the book, a system warning appeared before him, alerting him.

He retracted his hand instantly. "Cursed Book?"

"There was no warning like that when I opened the book last time? Why so suddenly?"

He had opened the book many times in the past to memorize the brief map that was inside the book. Unfortunately, it was only when he met the two statues at the entrance of the Temple that he was told that the maps in the book were old maps and that new maps were going to appear in the book after he entered the Temple.

That didn't change the fact that he had opened the book before. What changed suddenly? Why was he being warned about the book?

"Is it because the book is inside the Temple? It became cursed for some reason? What kind of curse..."

Just to be sure, he touched the book again, and the same warning appeared before him.

Frowning, he moved his hand to the right and touched the second book. For some strange reason, this time, there was no warning.

"Strange. There's no warning with the second book. So only the first one is cursed?"