Not sure if they're alive

Aeravat Indrath's pov:

Lifting the heavy weight, my muscles bulged with power.

Holding the barbell aloft for a moment, I lowered it down slowly.

Pant!Pant!Pant!

Breathing hard, I sat down and took out a small book from my bag.

Despite the gym being empty since 8 p.m., I stayed, committed to my training. Alone...but soothing.

I casually flipped through the book's pages while sipping water to cool off.

The book spoke of ancient tales of destruction.

In our time, things were peaceful.

But according to Galandrath's ancient legends, chaos would reign in spring 3695 of the magic calendar.

That's the year 2017.

"Only five years left."

Five years until the 2nd cataclysm.

The legends spoke of a second disaster that would bring doom.

Followed swiftly by a third cataclysm.

And then, the release of the demon god, would mark the end of times.

As the danger drew closer, strange questions filled my mind about the naming conventions of these events.

I've read the book many times, but this section always left me puzzled.

It's like there was no mention of it anywhere else.

"Who was Galandrath, and how did the cataclysms start? And..."

'And, should it not be called the 'third' cataclysm, given that the first cataclysm is mysteriously absent from the annals of history and literature?' My brows furrowed.

Something was not right, as if someone had torn the pages of the universe and made it disorderly.

It felt like the universe had been penned down into mere pages of paper, but important details have been missed.

"Huff," I took a deep breath, trying to calm my thoughts.

"Maybe I'm just overthinking?"

***

Clang!

The sound of steel biting steel filled the air. Sparks flew haywire.

Swish! Swish!

"Any news on backup? We can't hold them off much longer," Riley stated.

His group of adventurers was stuck in an E-ranked dungeon, a surprising turn of events.

"I tried to contact for help, but there's no signal!" Sylvie lamented while dispatching the goblin before her.

At first, they thought it was just a simple dungeon with goblins, but defeating the dungeon boss changed everything.

The dungeon morphed, trapping them with debris blocking their way out.

They fought for ten minutes straight against waves of goblins and hobgoblins.

Their situation was grim.

Tressa swung his hammer, a resigned look on his face. He was the team's tank, and he was running out of gas. Not good.

"Frost Blast!" Bright chanted, freezing twenty goblins in one go. "I'm almost out of mana," he gasped. He was their team's support and a support running out of mana? Yeah... not good.

"If this keeps up, we're finished," Sylvie sighed. She was right, they were finished. Only a matter of some minutes.

"Damn it!" Riley cursed under his breath.

Their situation seemed dire.

But suddenly, the swarm of monsters that had been popping up like ants, abruptly stopped. The goblins retreated a few paces.

Were they pulling back?

No, it seemed they were making way for someone.

And indeed, the speculation proved true.

Right then, an ogre emerged from the cave's inner tunnel.

His presence...rank C energy was palpable in the air.

It should be noted that a graded monster surpasses a graded human in terms of power.

Therefore, a ranked C monster is considerably mightier than a ranked C human.

Riley couldn't help but curse his luck; he was leading the team but his strength amounted to no more than (D+).

But despite the dire situation, his team refused to give their opponent any opportunity.

"Bright, this is it! You know what to do!" Riley ordered. "Everyone, unleash your strongest skills!"

As if in response, they all began to act according to the command.

They knew that even in the face of impending doom, surrender should never be an option.

"Boost power: Berserk!" Bright hollered, unleashing his spell.

In a similar fashion he chanted, "Increase speed: Haste!"

These were support spells to temporarily enhance their team's capabilities. They needed a decisive strike, and they needed it fast.

Riley surged forward, his battle cry echoing through the cavern, "Orya! Lacerate burst!"

With unwavering courage, he charged at the ogre, which braced itself for the impending assault.

But, just as the monster prepared to defend against Riley's frontal assault, a thunderous blow from behind caught it off guard. Tressa unleashed a mighty swing of his hammer, momentarily throwing the ogre off balance.

As the ogre attempted to evade Riley's charge, it found itself under attack from an unexpected angle.

"EXECUTE!" Sylvie's swift movements turned the tide as her daggers rained down from above, forcing the ogre to block frantically.

Despite its efforts, the monster couldn't escape unscathed from the relentless barrage of strikes.

Before it could recover, Riley unleashed his ultimate technique with a resounding cry, "Strongest move: STAMP OUT!"

In a blur of motion, he vanished and reappeared before the ogre, executing a devastating strike at an unprecedented angle.

This attack, fueled by all his strength, nearly reached rank C, was further amplified by the support spells, tripling its force to an awe-inspiring degree.

The ogre, now prone on the ground, bore the brunt of the assault.

Boom!

The entire cave shook violently, sending clouds of dust and debris swirling through the air.

***

Noah's pov:

As I waited on the other side of the wall, I could sense the vibrations growing stronger.

I was in the E ranked dungeon—the same one where Riley and his team were trapped.

A heap of rubble and broken wall separated us. Sure, I could teleport in there with a heroic entrance while vomiting my morning breakfast all over the place.

But, sometimes, the world favors pragmatism over heroism.

So, I settled for the sensible approach.

Just as I was thinking about this and that, I heard footsteps approach from behind.

Step! Step! Step!

"Hey kid, did you call us?" A gruff voice inquired.

I turned around to see five men in Central Union uniforms emerging from the other side of the tunnel.

'I wonder if I made the right call?'

"Yep, it was me!" I replied with a smile.

Four of them sported the standard gear: white shirts, black pants, and blue synthetic overcoats marked with "CU".

Their strength felt around (C+).

The fifth, a burly ebony man, donned a similar attire, but his coat was black.

His power felt around (B-).

'He must be the leader.'

"I'm officer Anthony. What's the emergency?" The ebony officer asked while introducing himself and scanning the area.

The others wore skeptical expressions, their thoughts evident.

"Don't worry, it's not some prank," I reassured before they could voice their doubts.

"So, what's the deal?" One of them pressed.

I gestured to the rubble, tapping it lightly.

At the same time, a shockwave rippled through the area, accompanied by vibrations.

"You see...some guys are trapped on the other side. Mhm...not sure if they're alive."

***

The ogre, its chest oozing with green blood, tossed Tressa aside and fixed its gaze on Riley.

Panting heavily on the ground, Riley coughed up blood.

Even as Riley lay sprawled, he could hear it: footfalls.

No, not the monster's footsteps, but death's. Death was coming closer.

It was a shame...

Despite their united onslaught, the monster remained undefeated. They did managed to scar its chest but...that was the extent of their victory.

Meanwhile, Sylvie laid paralyzed on the ground, fear immobilising her body. All she could do was, watch.

In the tense silence, the ogre raised its foot, ready to crush Riley's skull like a tin can.

But...

Boom!

An explosion ripped through the air, shattering the rubble which was obstructing their path.