Chapter 207 Chapter 26: The Strange Dungeon
Raven entered the portal cautiously as the blue light enveloped his body and allowed him entry. Luckily, his pass seemed to have been upgraded by Nene in secret, allowing him to enter an impossible dungeon.
'Let's see what kind of thing they are so worried about.' Raven said inwardly as the blue light suddenly flashed away.
He found himself in an endless abyss with black mist everywhere. Strange runes flew through the air like fireflies, giving the dark room a mystic aura.
The light was dimmed, and barely any objects were inside the dungeon, yet something in the deepest depths called to him. He felt drawn toward it like a magnet, as if some invisible power drew him deeper.
As he made his way through the vast expanse, the void began to form landmasses out of nowhere. Strange floating islands covered in black miasma were created one by one as a massive, deep crater emerged at the bottom of the dungeon.
Raven had a bad feeling and quickly picked up speed toward the centre while constantly on guard, but he could find no threats within this place, only a strange pressure that was getting stronger by the second.
'This...this place, what the hell is going on?' Raven couldn't help but exclaim as he stopped right before the edge of a cliff.
His vision focused on the crater's interior and what was inside it.
'Is that an egg?' An extremely massive egg the size of an entire castle resides peacefully within the dungeon; 'What the heck?' Raven couldn't help but look around in bewilderment.
The black and blue egg was radiating powerful mana waves. They were so strong that they kept colliding with each other. The waves created a violent whirlpool that threatened anyone close to the egg.
However, there was something even more strange.
Humanoid creatures had made a small village close to the egg and seemed to worship and praise it, for their voices were always directed toward the giant object.
"The egg is sacred! It will give birth to a deity and protect the people of the village from harm."
"Our god is born! Hail the dragon lord!"
"Praise the holy dragon god."
Raven was stumped, speechless.
"Are these people insane? Dragons?" He asked in disbelief.
"At first, he thought they were adventurers lost in the dungeon, but then he noticed that these humanoids were not creatures he found on his planet... Nor were they monsters he had seen before."
They were not human beings, elves or halflings. Instead, these creatures had purple scales that looked reptilian and were between two and four metres tall.
They had lizard-like snouts, clawed hands, tails, and wings with a sharp tip on the end.
"What the hell is going on here?" Raven finally found his voice again after being shocked to his core.
He looked at the massive egg, relieved it showed no signs of cracking. It was clear to him that this was no normal egg, as even he could feel its terrifying aura.
'Where did this egg come from? No... what did these humanoids mean when they mentioned a 'Deity'? Just how much more did he need to learn?'
'Is the government hiding things from us?' Raven started to think differently after all that happened.
He was shaken because all dungeons followed a pattern, and the inhabitants either patrolled or held a certain routine, yet these monsters were completely alive!
"Something isn't right; I better check on the guild or Nene, as it seems the council has kept some vital information hidden from us," Raven murmured before leaving the dungeon, ensuring that none of the reptilian humanoids could detect him.
It seemed he needed to start taking a closer look at his surroundings.
***
Once out of the dungeon, Raven walked down the path to the reception hall. As he passed by an alley, a few shadows rushed at him at high speed.
Raven moved quickly, his movements swift. He dashed behind one of them and used the shadow of a nearby tree to his advantage. He grasped a dagger and stabbed the creature, piercing the heart.
Before the second figure could react, Raven threw the weapon and beheaded him with a single hit.
"What!?"
The creature... it was one of the dragonkin from inside the dungeon.
'But this is outside!?'
He looked back, but there was no trace of the corpses. The figures had completely vanished as if they had never been there.
"A projection? An illusion? This can't be..." Raven couldn't believe what had happened, yet there was no corpse or anything else to suggest that it was all in his head.
The attack had been real, and the dragonkin had tried to kill him.
"Is that even possible?" Raven couldn't help but be confused as he was utterly bewildered by what was occurring.
Taking out his phone, he called Nenethrana directly, a cold sweat dripping down his back, "This is a bit difficult to understand.
I was attacked outside the dungeon; they were the monsters meant to be locked inside it."
Raven considered it might be due to a dungeon wave, but no other monsters came out, and there were no signs of huge amounts of creatures leaving... 'Strange...'
*Brrr* *Brrr*
"Mmmmm, hello, Raven darling? Do you miss mommy?"
"What! Stop it already. I am just asking you about something; listen closely because this is strange, okay."
"Ufufufu, then speak, darling. Let your wonderful mother hear those beautiful words of yours. I adore those sweet things that you whisper in my ears. So dirty."
"Can we just talk about work already, or is flirting your only skill."
"Why are you always so aggressive with your mom? Can't a girl have her fantasies?"
"Haa, whatever; I was at the dungeon, and a monster tried to kill me just now."
"That sounds like normal?" Nene replied with a confused tone.
"I was attacked by one of the monsters outside the dungeon, outside its limits. That is not a dungeon wave; that's just madness!"
Nenethrana instantly turned serious. "You saw it; tell me more."
Raven quickly explained his situation and that the creatures had disappeared without a trace.
"Come here.... make sure nobody sees you, keep an eye out and do NOT return to the mansion... Raven, hurry at your fastest speed."
"..."
Raven couldn't reply, not even knowing what was happening anymore.
"If you find yourself in danger, use your full power and kill. Do not take it easy, hold back or speak, just kill!" Nene hung up after her final instructions, her tone growing more anxious the more she spoke.
"This is bad, right?" Raven's eyes grew serious, and his face looked grim as his mind recalled the sudden disappearance.
He rushed towards the guild, his mind constantly looking out for danger and his guard never dropping as he constantly felt a figure lurking behind him.
Raven's muscular legs tightened as she leapt off the ground, running up the walls of a building as his claws tore into the stone, rushing towards the bureau where Nene and Emily lived; he covered his body with the dread mantle and focused his mind on the creatures chasing after him.
Raven didn't understand why these humanoids would want his life or even know of him.
These monsters could not live within a dungeon—no core was inside it, and the room layout was much too large and had been built.
They were not simple monsters. They were intelligent enough to create a village.
His thoughts raced. 'Why are those creatures inside a dungeon?'
The thought made Raven shudder and realize something was wrong, something serious.
He kept his mind open and noticed a few figures hiding in the darkness.
'Those bastards...' He had to hold back, but after seeing the look in their eyes, Raven felt a sense of danger, causing him to prepare for an ambush.
Suddenly, the cloaked figures began rushing towards him, and one of them let out a ferocious roar.
"DIE!"
'It seems I can't leave any of you alive.'
Raven's body was holding onto the building while the strange lizard creatures jumped along the top, holding his huge axe. Raven leapt onto the roof and decided to kill them now, not wanting to run like a coward.
'Now or never, Raven,' He said as he grasped his massive battle axe and swung towards one of the monsters.
The figure snarled and drew a long sword with a slight red glint. It slashed the weapon down and struck Raven's, sending shock waves and a blast of fire into the air.
BAM!
Raven used his axe and spun the huge weapon around. He chopped forward in a circle, slamming it down into the opponent, who attempted to defend and use its scimitar, but the power was too much.
*Bam* *Crash*
Raven's axe smashed through his weapon and cleaved his entire torso, turning him into bloody chunks that exploded over the alley's ground.
The creature had a momentary look of surprise before his body fell, unable to survive.
"Dammit! He is strong!" Another creature exclaimed while jumping through the air towards Raven, holding his weapons as if attempting to take advantage of his current state.
But before he could strike, another voice shouted in warning. "He carries the scent of a Daemon; be careful!"
"Hmph, not a chance!"
Raven's expression was grim as his black hood flapped, showing his burning neon blue eyes. His hand grasped his battleaxe firmly, his body releasing powerful waves of energy that could not be held back any longer.
Raven rushed forward, the axe sweeping in a half-arc that he rotated midair. It spun rapidly and cut the creature into three bloody chunks before smashing into the wall, blowing up a pile of debris that turned the monster into bloody flesh, crushing it instantly.
*Swish* *Swish*
The last figure threw its long spear towards the fleeing Raven. The spear moved fast, the air splitting as the sharp tip broke through the sound barrier and rushed at his back, the point penetrating his skin.
*Ting* *Ting* *Ting*
'Damn it; I almost let it get me. This bastard was smart.'
Raven couldn't help but praise the attacker, and if not for the dread mantle he was wearing, it might have cost him his life.
'Still, this thing is too fast!'
Raven cursed, and a faint scar appeared on his shoulder as blood dripped. He gritted his teeth while his hand tightly gripped the shaft and stopped its trajectory, ripping the spear from its hands, and tossed it behind him.
His movements were fast, his body using his shadow as an anchor as he slid past the other monster, twisting his body as the shadow mantle sliced through the enemy's flesh, his hood blown back from his momentum, and his body burst forward, leaving his enemy stunned by his incredible speed.
His left arm pierced through its heart, the force so immense that the body exploded, and only a bloodstain was left behind.
His speed was impressive, the skill to hide his killing intent astonishing, but Raven couldn't help but recall some words from the dragonkin before:
'Daemon? What are Daemons, and why are they so focused on me?'
After clearing his way, Raven looked down the dark path to find that Nenethrana's office seemed clear, and the presence watching him seemed further away.
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