In this Second Chance at Life, where I can see skills as clear as day, everything feels like a breeze. And to make it even better, I’m spending my days joyfully with my First Love. - Chapter 31

“Error: ‘Beast Tamer’ cannot ascend further due to unmet conditions.”

“Aaaah…”

To summarize, there were no items like “Skill Orbs” in the DP exchange that could grant new skills post-facto.

Instead, there was a Class Promotion Ticket—an item that allowed you to advance your current class by one rank.

However, I couldn’t use it. Why? Because, according to the system, my conditions weren’t met. (What does that even mean? My class is maxed out, and yet I can’t rank up!?)

Additionally, there were no items to change my occupation entirely, nor any items to grant me magic-related skills.

In short, my chances of becoming a magic user anytime soon had completely evaporated.

Feeling utterly defeated, I slumped down, the very image of OTL.

Out of curiosity, I had Ichika-chan try the same item. But since Witch was an advanced class, the system returned the message: “This item cannot promote a top-tier class.”

Could I rank up if I met the conditions? And if I did, would I finally be able to use magic?

Even though Ichika-chan had demonstrated her spells repeatedly, I still couldn’t understand how magic flowed.

It seemed impossible to acquire magic on my own. For now, I had to give up.

With that resolved, I started re-examining my Dungeon Master privileges, hoping for some hidden functionality. However, I quickly realized that my powers weren’t as omnipotent as I had initially thought.

Sure, I’d been ecstatic at first—thinking I’d acquired the ultimate tool to convert my limitless magic into anything I wanted.

But in reality, the only things I could generate were monsters and their associated drops, including rare ones.

Speaking of drops, the Golden Fairy Papillon’s items were:

• • Golden Scales: a standard drop

• • Nectar of the Golden Fairy: a rare drop

Both were primarily materials for alchemy.

In fact, over 90% of the monsters’ drop items were alchemical or potion ingredients and didn’t have much value beyond that.

Well, it’s fine since Ichika-chan enjoys alchemy and potion brewing. With an abundance of materials at her disposal, she seemed happy, which was great.

Still, I couldn’t help but envy her. Deep down, I wished I could’ve been a Witch too.

Beast Tamer, on the other hand, synergized well with the Dungeon Master role since it allowed me to summon the exact monsters I needed.

But honestly? I wanted to be a mage.

◇

While Ichika-chan happily brewed potions in her alchemy setup, I focused on constructing an especially durable and expansive 31st floor in the dungeon.

The floor spanned a 30-kilometer square area, with ceilings over 1,000 meters high. For aesthetics, I added a simulated sky.

I spent the majority of my magic reserves reinforcing the walls, making them extraordinarily tough—harder than diamond, without a doubt.

Why such a massive space inside my closet? How does the floor even hold up?

I decided not to think too hard about it. After all, if I started questioning the logic behind stats, monsters, and other things, there’d be no end to it.

It’s probably some kind of subspace, I concluded lazily.

As for why I made such a large and sturdy floor—well, it’s all Kanahebi’s fault.

With all the excitement of unlocking my class, helping Ichika-chan level up, and exploring new abilities, I had almost forgotten the frustration from my fight with Kanahebi.

For the first time, I fought an opponent with higher stats than me.

It was my first time entering combat mode and testing out abilities like Magic Mantle Armor, its enhanced versions, and other rarely used skills like Instant Step, Ground Shrinkage, and Life Absorption.

I had gone into that fight eager to test everything and improve myself further.

But instead of a satisfying battle, Kanahebi surrendered after taking a few hits with my Magic Mantle Armor.

The fight left me with a bitter sense of unfulfilled expectations.

So, I created this expansive floor to unleash my frustrations and go all out.

“Kanahebi, step back—it might get dangerous. True Clone.”

Using the special skill I unlocked by maxing out Stealth, a perfect copy of myself materialized in front of me, as if reflected in a mirror.

The clone and I locked eyes.

Summoning it consumed a significant chunk of my magic and stamina, but my Automatic Recovery restored it in seconds.

I enveloped myself in magic—not as armor this time, but by weaving it into the very fibers of my muscles.

This technique, Magic Marionette, enhances physical performance at a cellular level by converting magic into strength and agility.

With Parallel Thought at level 40, controlling this delicate process was no challenge.

I applied the same enhancement to my clone and closed the distance with Instant Step. My fist, accelerated by Boost, aimed directly at my clone.

The clone, sharing my perception, dodged at the last second using Ground Shrinkage.

It was like playing rock-paper-scissors with myself.

Despite being a copy, the clone moved independently, thanks to Parallel Thought. Our senses were shared, so every blow I landed felt like hitting myself, and every strike I received hurt just as much.

But with each exchange of blows, we both learned.

This… is amazing.

I hadn’t used clones before because of the risk of causing collateral damage, but now I could train safely every day.

Even if it’s just sparring with myself, it’s perfect for honing skills like Magic Marionette.

◇

From Kanahebi’s perspective, watching Yasushi spar with his clone was a surreal experience.

The technique he used—Magic Marionette—was far superior to the Magic Mantle Armor Kanahebi had experienced firsthand.

But more than the sheer speed and intensity of the sparring, what struck Kanahebi was the presence radiating from Yasushi.

Even unconsciously, his overwhelming aura and pressure sent shivers down Kanahebi’s spine.

Usually, Yasushi’s overwhelming presence is so well suppressed that it barely registers. However, when he enters combat mode, it becomes impossible to ignore the sheer pressure radiating from him.

The difference in magic power between Kanahebi and Yasushi is staggering—over ten thousand times, even after Kanahebi became Yasushi’s familiar.

Even though Yasushi’s pressure wasn’t directly aimed at Kanahebi, the residual effects alone were enough to…

(“Master… there’s no way you’re human. Even the higher gods wouldn’t…”)

With that final thought, Kanahebi let go of consciousness.

◇

While Yasushi was engrossed in his solo combat training and Ichika was eagerly experimenting with her newly acquired alchemy skills, the government found itself in chaos.

“Prime Minister! We’ve been receiving a flood of reports from across the country about unidentified creatures. The reports describe them as… monsters.”

“…Hmm…”

“It is almost certain that this is connected to Sasajima Yasushi, the individual mentioned in the mysterious voice heard earlier.”

“I see… Yes, whether we like it or not, we’ll need to make contact with him.”

“Public Security is already on the case. They anticipate being able to establish contact with him by tomorrow. If you’ll excuse me…”

No one truly knew who Sasajima Yasushi was.

However, it was clear that he was involved in this unprecedented chain of events—the sudden global appearances of goblins, skeletons, and other monsters, as well as the enigmatic Trial of the Gods announcement that had been heard by the entire world.

Yasushi, meanwhile, remained blissfully unaware of the fact that dungeons—similar to the one in his own closet—had begun manifesting all over the planet. Unbeknownst to him, the world was already moving forward, and the situation was spiraling beyond his knowledge.