Ayela landed on the wooden barricade Lucius had crafted for their safety, her boots thudded softly against the planks of wood as she steadied herself.
She was still exhausted from barely surviving that ordeal and thanks to Lucius, her clothes still felt wet with blood no matter how much she air-dried it.
The others were already tearing down tents, packing equipnt, and tightening belts in preparation for the next move.
She passed through the group quickly, heading straight for Supre Man’s tent with stiff posture and a face that betrayed nothing.
She stopped at the flap.
"Boss, may I co in?"
"Sure, Ayela," Supre Man replied casually.
She stepped inside and her eyes twitched.
The sll of soap mixed with sweat filled the tent. Supre Man exited the small portable bathroom shirtless, toweling his hair.
Two won were gathering their clothes, both wobbling as if they had just gone three rounds with a hurricane.
One bent over to pick up her ripped shirt right beneath Ayela, and Ayela’s soul montarily left her body.
’I don’t like him,’ she thought flatly.
The Supre Guild... praised across the nation as noble, honorable, and righteous.
The face of that image? It was Supre Man.
To the world, he was a paragon: an S-rank Awakener with power unmatched and morals carved from gold. That had risen due to his imnse physicality and by relying on no magic, it was a good tale and it hooked naive people in.
But... In reality?
He lied on podcasts about "saving himself for marriage" yet Ayela could walk into his office or tent at any hour and find two or more partners crawling around.
This was her final mission as part of his guild, and she had already decided... she wasn’t staying.
’I’m transferring. Maybe Grimmaw. Lucius isn’t a saint, but at least he doesn’t hide who he is like this bastard.’
She inhaled. "I ca to report. I found the Staircase."
Supre Man nodded absently as the two won waved goodbye, limping out of the tent.
He failed miserably at hiding the frustration on his face... the sa bitterness he always felt when thinking of Lucius. First, Lucius had stolen the woman he had a crush on and now he had his eyes set on his sister.
"I expect that much from you... So, I’m guessing it won’t be easy, right?"
"Yes," Ayela replied. "An abomination with endless tentacles defends it."
Supre Man clicked his tongue. "Great."
...
[Stream Is Starting]
Everyone was packed up and gathered now, floating gently through Lucius’s space field.
The P40 drone hovered overhead, stabilizing as the Stream went live. Minerva lingered close to Lucius, excited to be featured again though this ti she wasn’t the one getting beat up.
Supre Man raised his fist dramatically. "We have discovered the Staircase! It lies underwater and is guarded by a powerful monster. We will have to eliminate it to proceed!"
Lucius didn’t even look at him.
They floated away from the wooden barricade.
With a lazy flick of his hand, Lucius allowed space to unravel the entire structure. The massive walls collapsed inward like folding paper and dropped into the Blood sea.
Of course, he compressed it secretly into a pocket-sized chip... there was no reason to show the stream his recycling process.
"Let’s move," Lucius said as he descended lower, leading the pack.
They glided across the Blood sea, the crimson surface rippling below.
Small, round creatures floated peacefully before being devoured in a blink by razor-toothed fish.
[@CuddlePanda_: Noooo why are the cute ones always first to die??]
|__ [@SharkBaitLol: Bro this is a dungeon not a petting zoo]
[@PinkMimo: THEY’RE SO CUTE WHY]
[@lifelessLilac: Circle of life hits too hard here damn]
[@Fla1rz: I would’ve adopted one tbh]
Lucius scoffed as he shook his head. He could imagine the comnts saying that they were cute.
And then they soon reached it... the boundary.
A visible divide where the sea shifted from vibrant blood-red to a dark, ink-stained crimson that reflected no light.
The change was imdiate. The air thinned and the temperature dropped.
[@VoidWalkerr: Yo why does that look cursed]
[@EssyMae: I’m getting anxiety just watching]
[@ZekeSpins: Entering DLC level vibes rn]
[@ButterKnifeHero: Bro even the water said ’nah’]
[@CR1MSON: Don’t go in there 💀]
They crossed.
A black mist seeped upward like ink, swirling around them. It didn’t breach Lucius’s space barriers, but visibility plumted.
Everyone tensed.
’I’m not obligated to help these people breathe easier,’ Lucius thought. ’Unless they pay .’
Supre Man eyed him hopefully but Lucius ignored him.
Ripples appeared on the surface.
Then...
A massive tentacle burst from the water, thick as a tower beam.
Supre Man flew toward it with the help of Lucius’s space and grabbed the base as his muscles tightened.
With a grunt he pulled upward, dragging the full length of the tentacle out of the water.
It flopped limply.
He threw it toward the regular Blood sea, and piranha-like monsters sward to tear it apart.
"We’re okay! We’re ok—"
He froze.
The fog thickened again.
The water beneath them shifted.
Every Awakener felt the dread before they could see the cause.
The entire darker blood sea began to churn violently...
and then a forest of tentacles erupted upward, dozens turning to hundreds, filling the entire horizon with writhing limbs.
"WHAT—"
"MOVE!!"
Screams pierced the air as tentacles converged on the group.
[@taFang: WHAT THE HELL IS THAT]
|__ [@Kukeroni: Turn back turn back OMG]
[@CrystalMintz: BRO??? BRO???]
|__ [@RogueHalo: we need Lucius to solo AGAIN]
[@PanicHamster: That’s not a boss that’s a warcri]
[@ThreeSighs: This is NOT worth the paycheck]
The tentacles lashed wildly.
One curled around a C-rank and dragged him downward. Another whipped sideways, crushing two Awakeners instantly.
Blood splattered through the air, staining the fog.
Lucius sighed.
’Damn, I really forgot to give everyone barriers.’
Tentacles wrapped around Supre Man’s waist... only for him to rip them apart with brute force, roaring as he spun through the air.
More erged, larger ones, with hooked ends ready to shear through bone. The entire dark sea was alive.
Tentacles surged again.
And then...
The fog swallowed everything.
Within monts,
There was blood.
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