Chapter 45: Beings

Lukeas staggered along the jungle path, his legs barely holding him up. He could hear the cacophony of growls and snarls emanating from the thousands upon thousands of monsters that had gathered before him.

They filled the entire commercial pathway, covering it from end to end with their writhing, churning bodies. The sight alone would have been enough to send most people running in terror, but not Lukeas.

Despite being injured, with several fractures and broken bones, Lukeas had never sustained a bleeding injury. His skill [Second Gear] had given him the power to kill the chimera earlier, but he had pushed himself too far and was now paying the price

. He had turned off the skill to conserve his energy, and his once flushed red skin had returned to that of a normal tone. No more steam was coming out of him, but he looked very tired.

With his staff in hand, Lukeas made his way towards the monster horde, gritting his teeth against the pain. He knew he couldn't take them all on at once, but he had to try.

He swung his staff, hitting the first few monsters that came at him with all his might. But the monsters just kept coming, undeterred by his attacks.

Lukeas was now surrounded, fighting for his life against the relentless horde. He spun and swung his staff, taking out monsters left and right, but they just kept coming.

His arms ached, and his breathing became more labored with each passing moment. He was on the brink of exhaustion, but he couldn't give up now. He had to keep fighting.

The monster in front of him seemed to be the leader of the pack, bigger and stronger than the rest. It snarled at Lukeas, daring him to make a move.

Lukeas braced himself and charged forward, staff raised high. The monster lunged at him, and Lukeas brought his staff down with all his strength. The monster let out a deafening roar as it crumpled to the ground, defeated.

But Lukeas knew this was just the beginning. There were still thousands of monsters left to fight, and he was running on fumes. He took a deep breath and then suddenly... He raised his head high...

'What am i doing??' he thought as he confusedly looked around... Getting more and more panicked as he realized his situation.. Then he looked down to his body and saw his arm bent on weird angles... And he cant feel his toes....

'Fuck! Fuckfuckfuck! What's happening?!! When did i-?'

Even before he could finished his thought he interrupted it himself and jump forward to avoided an entire tree trunk slamming on him..

And with any hesitations.. he used his ultimate skill he currently have.. And...

He ran away..

"Why am I fighting with the tide???!! I would have not agreed to this!! I'm not that stupid! And why can't I remember anything??? FUCK!!"

And of course the monster chase after him.. Hissing, roaring, and yelling after him as if calling him a shameful coward.

"THIS IS A TACTICAL RETREAT!! Y'ALL CANT CATCH ME!! FOOL!" he shouted back to them as he ran while hundreds if not, thousand of monster chase after him producing deep rumbling to the earth as they stampede through the forest.

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Mean while deep within the Northern kingdom Xandria, within the safety of the underground bunker built under the city, a council meeting was in session.

The chamber was adorned with intricate carvings on the walls and columns, and the floor was a mosaic of different precious stones. The room was lit by glowing crystals that hung from the ceiling, giving off a soft blue light.

The council members sat around a large round table, each with their own distinct insignia worn or pinned to their clothing. The members were a mix of men and women, all dressed in their finest attire, adorned with jewelry and regalia.

They sat upright and attentive, their faces a mask of composure and professionalism, each one looking to make their own contribution to the discussion at hand.

As the council meeting continued, one of the ladies spoke up. She was dressed in a flowing gown of ash color, which complemented her dark hair and olive skin. A beautiful necklace adorned her neck, holding her council insignia, which featured a finely carved symbol of an owl. Her piercing eyes scanned the room, her voice confident as she addressed the group.

"I believe all of you know how a dungeon formed?" she asked looking at the people around her one by one.

"Im going to tell you about anyway... You see.. A dungeon is formed when a certain place meets a certain equipments. That is: The amount of world mana in the air, and a good supply of mana crystal around it. And how does this two helps?"

"Firstly a single world mana particle contains every single elemental essence. Including the rare spatial elements. And with a proper concentration a pocket dimensions might form.

And this is where the mana crystal comes in." she paused then she continued,

"With it, it can supply the pocket dimension enough energy to keep its spatial gate closed . The more mana crystal present, the longer the dungeon will remain closed, that is unless the crystals run out of juice, or if there are too many monsters inside."

"Usually a dungeon can only open up once it has enough monsters inside weakening the seal of the spatial gate. But 3 years ago... It have been possible to bypass this with the invention of our team.. And now we are able to get inside before the dungeon opens up. "

As she finished speaking, a man interjected. He was wearing a thick, greyish uniform with the insignia of a wolf, marking him as a member of a specialized dungeon exploration team. His deep-set eyes were a piercing shade of blue, and his voice carried a weighty authority that commanded attention.

"If there's too much monster inside, the dungeon's energy reserves will be depleted faster, shortening the lifespan of the dungeon, and causing it to finally open up... Releasing all the monstrosity inside it" he said.

"And that's where we come in. As members of a specialized dungeon exploration team and together with the Adventurers association, our job is to enter and navigate these dangerous dungeons, defeat the monsters before the dungeon upens up, and collect the valuable loot that lies within."

He looked around at the group, his gaze lingering on the woman who had just explained the basics of dungeon formation. "And we rely on people like her to give us the knowledge and insight we need to complete our missions successfully."

The girl smiled and nodded in agreement, "Although.. You might asked... What do these have to do with our current situations?.... Well you see.. That device that we invented is actually quite simple... All we made it do is mimic a monster mana frequency. And pretty much blast the suspected entrance of a dungeon and hope for it to open up... And once it does we sent the exploration team and shut the device and let them deal with the dungeon..."

"W-wait...you dont mean that-

" Yes.... Our team and the exploration team suspects that with the existence of this monster stampede.... It is possible all the nearby dormant dungeons may opens up... And release an even more monster.... And even more stronger ones..."

And with that.. The already tense atmosphere just became even more severe... Everyone have a dark look on thier faces... Some are pale.. Some are sweating.. And few are calm and composed..

"What do you need us to do?"

As the council members were deep in and dark thoughts, the ornate doors at the far end of the chamber suddenly swung open with a resounding boom. Everyone turned to see the king striding in, his imposing figure causing a hush to fall over the room.

""Y-YOUR MAJESTY!!!"" everyone stands up and quickly kneeled on the ground.

"At ease," the king said, his deep voice carrying a weighty authority that commanded attention. And instantly everyone got up and took their seat and nervously watch the king sat on one of the available chair.

He was wearing a simple white tunic with golden embroidery of tapestry, which contrasted sharply with his broad, muscular physique. Even the tunic failed to hide the inner strength that emanated from him, and his piercing blue eyes seemed to bore into each member of the council.

"Tell me... Merlin.... What do your team needs?" the king asked.

Merlin took a deep breath and continued, "Your Majesty, if we may, please allow us to see a map of the kingdom, including all the dormant dungeons that may exist around us. It would also be of great help if we could be given permission to send and give orders to the soldiers of the kingdom, so that we could observe the dungeons and act quickly should anything happen."

The council members looked at each other, murmuring among themselves, while the king regarded Merlin silently.

After a few moments of contemplation, the king spoke. "I understand your concerns, Merlin, and I agree that it would be wise to keep a close eye on the dungeons in our kingdom. I will have a map prepared for you and your team, as well as granting you permission to send orders to the soldiers as you see fit."

Merlin bowed deeply, feeling grateful for the king's understanding and support. "Thank you, Your Majesty," she said.

The king nodded, a faint smile on his lips. "But be careful, Merlin. The dungeons can be unpredictable, and dangerous creatures may lurk within. I trust that your team is up to the task."

Merlin straightened up, feeling a renewed sense of determination. "We will do our best, Your Majesty. Thank you again for your support."

With that and after a few more discussion with the king, the meeting came to a close.. and Merlin left the chamber, her mind racing with thoughts of the task ahead.

'Theres a dormant dungeons near the sector 12... I heard that's where the kingdoms soldier and the monsters meets... This is bad....'

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Meanwhile Lukeas who was running away suddenly jumped to the side.. And a giant tree log fell to where he was supposed a few moments ago.. Sending dust and splintered wood all over the place.

He turned around and saw a huge troll.. Dragging a few tree trunks behind it..

"Fuck!"

Then he continue running again.. What he didn't noticed was. He passed through a pair of tree that stands side by side.. And each one leaning towards the others. Creating something similar to a huge door frame.... And once he passed through... He felt a sudden shift in his surroundings...

He saw a white flash

And everything fades to black.

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Somewhere no human could reach... 7 beings sat on a high throne.. They sat around a round stone like table. And on top of it was a circular paper that has a drawing of a map of a world.. But it wasn't earth.. It was far too different to be earth..

".... He went inside....." one of the being shrouded in crimson flame said.

" we even worked hard just to keep "Those" kinds portals shut... Who would have thought a stampede would bypass it." A feminine voice said.. It was coming from a being with a earthy and a cozy aura.

"Well who's thought it was to make a rule that makes mana gates opens up because of monsters aura anyway???" the crimson man said.

"It was to make it a natural process!!" the earthen lady harrumph

"Natural my ass! What if that humam dies!!??"

"Enough ¿¦#*%! He's not the only champion we have." another said.. He have a dark gloomy shadow dancing around his entire body..

"He's my champion for fucks sake!" the crimson being said.

"Didn't care.. Didn't ask" the shadowy figure snorts and laugh..

"You bitch!!" Crimson cursed

"And besides... All of those portals will opens up once all of our champions completes the... what do you guys call it again?"

"" Tutorial "" the crimson being and the earthen lady replied.

" yes.. That thing... And out of all the champions he's the only one who haven't finished it..." the shadow said.

"Well he came at the last moments... So its understandable" the crimson being shrugged

"Indeed"

"Indeed"

"Indeed"

"Let see if he can survive... If he died even after all that cheat skill.. I'd say he's a moron" one of the other being said.. He was surrounded by gales and tornadoes.

"And wouldn't this be interesting?" Another said. This time the being was made up of flowing waters, with countless aquatic creatures roaming his body..

"" Indeed ""

"what about you? What do you think will happen?" a lady with a gigantic and magnificent antlers asked.. Staring to the void

Hmm. I'd say he'll survive ..I'm pretty sure of it.

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