The Red Chains were marshaling their forces for war.
What remained of the rcenary company gathered deep within the cavern system, a place chosen not for comfort, but for defensibility.
So were still being called back from their search missions.
But the majority of the forces were already there, save for a few scouting squads.
The echoes of preparation filled the camp. Armor being strapped tight, shields tested against the ground, bowstrings pulled and loosened, mana crystals checked and slotted into worn staves. They would not underestimate their foe.
They had already lost too much, as three of their squads were gone.
Bolgard’s unit had vanished first, swallowed whole in what was ant to be a simple capture mission. Verdok followed after that, his scheming brilliance ending in blood alongside the squad he had dragged into the dark. And finally, Jargos, one of their most reliable formation captains, had fallen next, along with his n, crushed by a serpent hunt that should never have escalated into a massacre.
Now only five squads remained.
At their center of the camp sat Boldred the Brute. His massive fra was wrapped in reinforced armor scarred by years of combat, his axe resting at his side like an extension of his body. He gazed into the distance and frowned.
Beside him was Percivus, the Battle Mage Commander and second in command.
"We are most likely walking into a trap. The Magma beast might awaken."
"Ha! As if! Those magma creatures seek out monsters and beasts. They do not hunt n if not taunted! That boy is most likely spouting nonsense to make us fear him! And while a trap could be in place where he would pit us against those fire beasts, it would only be against one or two! And that’s why we’ll bring all our n! We cannot fail this mission! If Aram-phen succeeds, our rcenary force will be a respected force in this kingdom! And when war starts..." Boldred was about to smile, but recalled that his brother would not share in their glory.
"Have everyone gather here quickly! We march with everyone in an hour! We’re heading for that Magma Beasts’ den!"
anwhile, far ahead, in the depths where heat and mana twisted together, Thane had returned to the deepest chamber where the Magma Dungeon Core would rest.
Heat rolled upward in thick waves as the room was noticeably hotter.
"It’s definitely back..." Thane focused.
Supre Perception expanded outward.
And this ti, he felt it. Not faint. Not distant.
Deep beneath the surface of the lava, far below where his feet rested, the Magma Dungeon Core had returned.
Thane frowned.
"Hmmm? No Magma golems?"
Thane could not sense any humanoids even as he moved and peered beneath the lava.
Yet the Dungeon Core was unmistakably present.
Thane narrowed his eyes and pushed his perception deeper, forcing his awareness through layers of heat, pressure, and raw elental energy. The sensation that returned made his breath hitch.
"Master..."
"Yeah, I know. This dungeon core’s quite smart!"
As his perception sharpened, the truth beca horrifyingly clear. The Magma Dungeon Core was not a small, mobile core guarded by summoned monsters, as he had initially assud. It was not a wandering being that created beasts to defend itself using its body parts!
"The magma core didn’t move lava..." Libra began.
"Its body was the lava!" Thane exclaid.
Vast quantities of lava had been absorbed, bound, and incorporated into its structure. The Dungeon Core had expanded its physical presence until it resembled sothing closer to a colossal, slimy monster that Thane had often seen in his Isekai TV shows.
"This bad boy needs to be hunted! It had been pretending to be weak, wandering around this place, avoiding any incidents while slowly amassing a huge amount of lava of its own. And when it’s strong enough, it would move out and devour a town or sothing..."
"Dungeon Cores are ford by mana, an abundance of resources to sustain life, and the souls of the living. I believe that many souls once died here, and all ford and were devoured into one, creating a very sentient being. I believe this one would even have mories of a human!"
"Welp, I was right to co here now!" Thane said quietly.
"If the Red Chains reached this place first, and I draw out that Dungeon core, we could just weaken it enough to absorb it!"
"Esau," Thane called out.
Though Esau did not speak, Thane felt the faint echo of understanding ripple back through their party link.
Stay?
"Yes," Thane answered.
"Stay here. Watch the tunnels. If anything moves that shouldn’t, try to reach out to with this party link. I’m sure the Celestial TV will allow to sense it even inside."
"Just don’t watch any TV..." Libra sighed.
Esau nodded once and took a position further ahead.
Thane did not linger. With a single step, he vanished.
The Soul Keeper Channel greeted him with familiar stillness.
The altar pulsed faintly, its runes glowing as the weight of newly captured souls pressed against its limits. Libra’s spectral form erged slowly, his scales already trembling, chains of light shifting restlessly at his sides.
He glanced toward the altar. Ten soul wisps floated above it, flickering in muted hues. All human. All are bound by Libra’s authority.
"There is an excess of one soul. While you managed to seal it, the soul could not remain in this dinsion for long. Place the Dungeon Core back so it can feed on this soul. The altar can only process ten at this level, and I know you want to keep the soul of Jargos."
"Understood. I’ll leap to the Dungeon Core channel. Start the purging of the nine souls."
"At once."
The mont the command was issued, the altar flared. Runes ignited in sequence, chains of judgnt forming intricate sigils in the air. The souls shuddered as the purging process began, their essence weighed, asured, and stripped of resistance.
"I hope it’ll purge faster this ti. The last ti, it took more than a day!" Thane sighed as he stepped towards the Dungeon channel.
Without another word, Thane turned and stepped out of the Soul Keeper Channel.
He reappeared within the Groundling Dungeon Channel.
The mana vein pool pulsed beneath the stone floor, glowing with steady, familiar light. Thane reached out and released the Dungeon Core from storage. The crystal sank gently into the vein, and at once the dungeon reacted.
The mana surged.
The pool brightened as the core resud its role, drawing in ambient energy, stabilizing the dungeon’s structure. More importantly, it began to consu the excess soul essence that Libra had fed into it monts earlier.
Thane watched closely.
With a thought, Thane summoned the massive corpse of the Blast Serpent.
THUD!
Thane observed the gigantic body of the serpent.
"It’s even bigger now that I can carefully observe it."
"The scales would make great armor. The fangs would make great weapons... I had humans who took the corpses of my creations, and even those of the other Zodiacs, and made them weapons. I rember that the war also took a sharp turn when that Hero appeared. Once you absorb this dungeon, you might gain enough energy to level up the Celestial TV. You should consider watching the weapon smiting and crafting channel."
"Oh... I do love crafting weapons and watching those channels about making swords!" Thane laughed excitedly as he moved closer towards the Serpent.
"The soul has not left the body yet. The Soul Binding ability I injected is keeping it still."
"I could... sohow sense it." Thane touched the head of the serpent.
"Welp... Based on the lessons of Aetherion, I need at least a High Grade Core for it to be a good foundation as a mage..."
"Yes. But if you want to be a Harmonic User that uses Mana, Power, and Spirit, you’d need to have a Flawless Grade!"
"Well, we still could improve it based on the theories, although it will be very costly, at least it won’t be the end of the world." Thane chuckled.
"You sound as if the great Overcor will fail!"
"Oh, Libra. Those called by God live a life full of failure and brokenness. That’s how we beca Overcors!" Thane chuckled.
"I’ll do my best. I have only reached Mid Grade Core in all those practices. Let’s hope we can nail a High Grade!" Thane drew Excalliblade.
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