Raving Entity

Levi had no idea how much time had passed. The sky above him remained perpetually painted in hues of blood-red, dominated by the ominous blood moon. 

In this desolate place, there was no sense of day or night—only the endless, eerie twilight. Despite the unsettling atmosphere, Levi pressed on, hunting down the black cocoons one after another.

Each time he killed a cocoon, the familiar notification rang in his mind.

[You have killed a Nascent-Essence monster - Cocoon of Lunacy]

The repetition had numbed Levi to the words. 

Without hesitation, he plucked his makeshift spear from the latest cocoon and retrieved the demonic crystal within. The cocoon, now useless to him, was discarded without a second thought. Carrying them was pointless, he had no means of storing so many, and they were beginning to pile up.

Levi was growing accustomed to this routine. 

Hunt, rest, hunt again. 

The process had become almost mechanical. However, this time, instead of continuing his systematic slaughter of the cocoons, Levi decided to venture deeper into the strange forest of twisted trees.

It was time to search for the boss of this floor.

"Let's see what the boss looks like," he murmured to himself.

Levi had avoided exploring too far into the terrain before, unsure of what might await him. But given that this floor was filled with cocoons, he reasoned that the boss would likely be something similar, just on a much larger scale. 

His curiosity and determination outweighed his caution, and he set off into the unknown.

After about half an hour of trudging through the desolate forest filled with strange trees, Levi finally found what he was looking for.

Before him stood a massive tree, towering above the others with a single, gigantic cocoon hanging from its branches. The cocoon was as large as Levi himself, its surface covered in black, feather-like structures that appeared almost alive, though Levi knew they were merely remnants of dead larvae. As he focused on the cocoon, two lines of text appeared before his eyes.

[Raving Entity] 

[Rank: Inept-Vile (Evolving)]

"Just as I guessed," Levi thought, his suspicions confirmed. The boss monsters in this dungeon seemed to all be in an evolving stage.

"It's already at the Inept-Vile rank...? What could it evolve into?"

Levi's curiosity was piqued, but so was his caution. He found himself torn between two choices.

He could attack the cocoon now, trying to kill it before it completed its evolution. This option seemed wise, as it would prevent the Raving Entity from becoming something even more dangerous. However, it was not as easy as it sounded. The Raving Entity would likely have far more powerful abilities than the normal cocoons, and Levi wasn't sure if he could handle it in its current form.

On the other hand, Levi could wait for the cocoon to finish its evolution. While this was a riskier option, it would allow him to see what the entity would evolve into and possibly prepare for the challenges on the next floor.

"What should I do?" Levi pondered, weighing his options.

Both choices had their merits, but Levi didn't feel confident enough to act on either just yet. His core wasn't fully filled with essence, and without that, he wouldn't stand a chance against the Raving Entity in its current or evolved form.

In the end, Levi decided to push the decision aside for now. He would continue hunting the cocoons, building his strength and filling his core. Once he felt ready, he would return to confront the boss. For now, the slaughter would continue.

***

Outside the Sanctum.

Eighteen days had passed since Levi entered the sanctum, and what was once a gathering of mere hundreds had now swelled to thousands. The crowd around the sanctum no longer consisted of just two factions; representatives from all the major families and powerful factions had converged on this single point of interest.

The news that a special type of sanctum had appeared—and that the person who entered it hadn't emerged for nearly three weeks—caused an uproar in the world of Followers. Initially, people had gathered to seize the opportunity presented by the sanctum. But as the days passed, it became clear that whoever was inside was holding their ground, clearing the sanctum bit by bit. Now, the crowd was filled with a burning curiosity, who could it be?

Among those gathered, there was a familiar face—one that Levi would have instantly recognized if he were there.

Inside a camp marked by a flag bearing the image of a blind woman holding a traditional weighing scale, a group of people sat around a round table. At the head of the table was a woman who radiated authority and calm intensity.

"Be alert! We don't know when or what will happen. We need to seize the moment," Roze, the government representative dispatched to investigate the matter, instructed her subordinates, who sat with her inside the camp.

Her subordinate nodded, his expression focused and tense. Roze then turned to another subordinate, her gaze sharp.

"How is the support coming along?" she inquired.

The subordinate hesitated before responding, "The Mercenary Federation has blocked access to the portal for anyone other than their members. As a result, our support is coming from the nearest available portal. It will take them at least five more days to arrive, possibly a week in the worst case."

Roze's expression darkened at the news, her displeasure evident. "Those mercenary bastards are quick to act when it benefits them," she muttered, her voice edged with frustration.

The sanctum was undeniably extraordinary, and the rewards for whoever was clearing it would be significant. Roze knew they couldn't afford to let this opportunity slip through their fingers.

Her mission from the government was clear: Recruit the person who emerged from the sanctum—or ensure that no other family could claim them.

The balance of power between the government and the influential families was already precarious, teetering on a thin thread. They couldn't allow that balance to be shattered, even if it meant resorting to bloodshed.

---***---