Chapter 99: Chapter 94: The Shadow Beneath the City
The peace didn’t last.
It never did.
Not in a world where monsters lurked behind every horizon and ancient secrets slept beneath mountains.
Still, nobody complained.
The night had been good.
Rarely did they get moments like that anymore.
Moments where nobody was fighting.
Nobody was bleeding.
Nobody was running for their lives.
Just friends sharing stories.
Laughing.
Existing.
For John, it had been surprisingly enjoyable.
Though he would never admit that aloud.
Lythriel would never let him hear the end of it.
---
The camp awakened early.
Dwarven discipline ensured that.
Before the first lanterns brightened, warriors were already moving through the ruins.
Weapons were checked.
Armor inspected.
Scouting reports delivered.
The atmosphere had shifted from relaxed back to professional.
The deeper they ventured, the greater the danger.
Everyone understood that.
---
John slowly opened his eyes.
His massive body was curled around part of the plaza.
The stone beneath him was warm from his presence.
Dark mist escaped his nostrils as he stretched.
Several dwarves nearby instinctively stepped back.
Then remembered he was an ally.
Awkwardly.
---
One younger dwarf scratched his beard.
"...I still don’t think I’ll ever get used to waking up next to a dragon."
His companion nodded.
"Fair."
---
John chuckled.
The two dwarves immediately straightened.
---
"Morning."
John said.
---
The younger dwarf blinked.
Then awkwardly waved.
"...Morning."
---
That somehow made the interaction even stranger.
---
Before anyone could say more, Lythriel appeared carrying breakfast.
Or what counted as breakfast.
---
She tossed something toward John.
The dragon caught it.
Looked down.
Raised an eyebrow.
---
It was enormous.
A roasted underground boar nearly the size of a horse.
---
"...Breakfast?"
---
Lythriel grinned.
"You eat like a natural disaster."
---
"Fair."
---
The dragon immediately began eating.
---
Several nearby dwarves watched with fascination.
---
One of them whispered,
"How much can dragons eat?"
---
The older dwarf beside him replied,
"Yes."
---
The younger dwarf nodded solemnly.
"...Makes sense."
---
John pretended not to hear them.
---
Mostly because they weren’t wrong.
---
Soon Aerion and Sylvara joined them.
The group gathered around one of the larger campfires.
Maps were spread across a stone table.
Thargrum stood waiting.
Alongside several clan leaders.
The atmosphere immediately became serious.
---
The old dwarf pointed toward the map.
---
"This is where the swarm came from."
---
A series of tunnels had been marked.
Deep beneath the city.
Far beyond the areas previously explored.
---
John studied the markings.
---
"They retreated here."
---
Thargrum nodded.
---
"Every scout we’ve sent confirms it."
---
One clan chief spoke next.
---
"Whatever controls them is gathering forces."
---
Nobody liked hearing that.
---
Especially not after witnessing hundreds of Tier Nine monsters.
---
Sylvara frowned.
---
"How many?"
---
The chief hesitated.
---
Then answered.
---
"Thousands."
---
Silence.
---
The entire table froze.
---
Thousands.
---
Not dozens.
Not hundreds.
Thousands.
---
Even Aerion’s expression hardened.
---
"You’re certain?"
---
The dwarf nodded.
---
"We lost three scouting teams confirming it."
---
Nobody spoke for several moments.
---
John’s mind immediately started working.
---
Thousands of Tier Nine creatures.
Organized.
Controlled.
Waiting.
---
That wasn’t an army.
---
That was a catastrophe.
---
And someone was commanding it.
---
The system suddenly chimed.
---
**[Threat Reassessment Complete]**
```
Current Mission Danger:
Catastrophic
Recommended Action:
Eliminate Command Source
```
---
John wasn’t surprised.
---
Kill the leader.
Break the army.
Simple.
---
In theory.
---
Reality was rarely that cooperative.
---
Thargrum pointed toward a large structure on the map.
---
"This."
---
The building stood near the center of the ancient city.
---
Massive.
Circular.
Different from everything surrounding it.
---
"What is it?"
Sylvara asked.
---
The old dwarf shook his head.
---
"We don’t know."
---
"Helpful."
Lythriel muttered.
---
"Very."
Aerion agreed.
---
Despite the seriousness of the situation, several dwarves chuckled.
---
Thargrum ignored them.
---
"Every path leads there."
---
John looked closer.
---
The dwarf was right.
---
Roads.
Bridges.
Tunnels.
Everything converged toward the same location.
---
Like the city itself had been built around it.
---
That immediately made him suspicious.
---
The system agreed.
---
**[Potential Primary Structure Detected]**
---
Interesting.
---
Very interesting.
---
"Then that’s where we’re going."
John said.
---
Nobody argued.
---
Because everyone had already reached the same conclusion.
---
Whatever answers existed.
They waited there.
---
## Into the Ancient City
The expedition departed shortly afterward.
This time, nearly every warrior was armed and ready.
No one expected an easy journey.
---
The deeper they traveled, the stranger the ruins became.
---
Massive statues lined the streets.
Not dwarves.
Not elves.
Not humans.
---
The same four-armed race whose skeletons they had discovered earlier.
---
Even in stone, they seemed unsettling.
---
Tall.
Elegant.
Alien.
---
Several statues depicted individuals holding glowing spheres.
Others appeared to be studying stars.
One particularly massive monument showed dozens of figures kneeling before a gigantic crystal.
---
Sylvara spent nearly half an hour examining the carvings.
---
Her excitement grew with every discovery.
---
"This civilization was incredibly advanced."
---
"More advanced than the dwarves?"
Lythriel asked.
---
Several nearby dwarves looked offended.
---
Sylvara wisely chose her next words carefully.
---
"Different."
---
The dwarves relaxed.
---
Mostly.
---
John observed the ruins silently.
---
Something felt wrong.
---
The city was too intact.
---
Too preserved.
---
Thousands of years should have reduced much of this place to rubble.
Yet entire districts remained standing.
---
It didn’t make sense.
---
The system finally provided an answer.
---
**[Environmental Preservation Field Detected]**
---
John blinked.
---
A what?
---
**[Ancient Mana Network Active]**
---
His eyes widened.
---
Active?
---
After thousands of years?
---
That should have been impossible.
---
Unless—
---
Whatever powered this city...
Was still functioning.
---
The thought sent a chill through him.
---
Because if the city was still powered...
Then something had maintained it.
---
For millennia.
---
And that something was probably still here.
---
## First Blood
The attack came suddenly.
---
Not from below.
---
Not from the front.
---
From above.
---
CRASH!
---
A building exploded.
---
Stone rained downward.
---
"CONTACT!"
---
John reacted instantly.
---
Abyssal energy erupted around his claws.
---
A massive shape emerged from the collapsing structure.
---
Then another.
---
And another.
---
The expedition immediately formed defensive positions.
---
The newcomers weren’t Void Burrowers.
---
They were different.
---
Humanoid.
---
Roughly three meters tall.
---
Covered in black crystal armor.
---
Their bodies resembled ancient soldiers.
---
Except their eyes glowed bright blue.
---
And their movements were far too mechanical.
---
**[Analysis Complete]**
```
Designation:
Guardian Construct
Tier:
9+
Status:
Hostile
```
---
Constructs.
---
Artificial soldiers.
---
Wonderful.
---
Because giant monster armies weren’t enough.
---
The lead construct raised a crystalline spear.
---
Then charged.
---
The others followed.
---
The battle exploded instantly.
---
## Battle in the Streets
John met the first construct head-on.
---
CRASH!
---
The collision shattered stone.
---
Unlike monsters, the construct showed no fear.
No hesitation.
No emotion.
---
Only purpose.
---
Its spear thrust forward.
---
Fast.
Far faster than something that large should move.
---
John twisted aside.
The spear grazed his scales.
---
Sparks erupted.
---
The construct immediately adjusted.
---
Learning.
---
Adapting.
---
Just like the Stone Maw.
---
That realization alarmed him.
---
"Aerion!"
---
"I see it."
---
The swordsman was already moving.
---
Silver light flashed.
---
SLASH!
---
His blade struck the construct’s shoulder.
---
The impact created sparks.
---
But barely any damage.
---
"...Durable."
Aerion muttered.
---
The construct retaliated immediately.
---
A punch.
---
Aerion ducked.
---
The fist destroyed an entire section of roadway.
---
Stone exploded outward.
---
Lythriel whistled.
---
"Okay."
---
She spun her spear.
---
"Now we’re talking."
---
The elf launched herself forward.
---
A blur of movement.
---
Her spear struck repeatedly.
---
THRUST.
SLASH.
THRUST.
---
Each hit landed perfectly.
---
Yet the construct continued fighting.
---
Relentless.
---
Unstoppable.
---
Until—
---
"Sky Piercer!"
---
BOOM!
---
Her spear finally punched through its chest.
---
The construct froze.
---
Blue light flickered.
---
Then vanished.
---
The giant body collapsed.
---
"One down."
---
Unfortunately—
---
There were dozens more.
---
## The Commander Appears
The battle intensified.
---
Constructs flooded the streets.
---
The dwarves fought bravely.
---
Axes clashed against crystal armor.
---
Magic exploded across ancient buildings.
---
The ruined city shook beneath the conflict.
---
Yet despite their success—
The constructs kept coming.
---
More.
And more.
And more.
---
Then suddenly—
Every construct stopped.
---
The battlefield froze.
---
Nobody understood why.
---
Then a voice echoed through the city.
---
Calm.
Ancient.
Powerful.
---
"Unauthorized entities detected."
---
Everyone looked around.
---
The voice continued.
---
"Assessment ongoing."
---
John felt every scale on his body tighten.
---
The voice wasn’t organic.
---
It sounded...
Artificial.
---
Like some ancient machine.
---
Yet somehow alive.
---
"Threat level determined."
---
Blue light began appearing throughout the city.
---
Windows.
Roads.
Statues.
Buildings.
---
Everything started glowing.
---
The ancient city was awakening.
---
After thousands of years.
---
The entire expedition stared in disbelief.
---
Sylvara whispered,
"...Impossible."
---
The voice spoke again.
---
"Defensive Protocol Seven activated."
---
Then—
---
The sky above the city lit up.
---
Not a real sky.
---
The cavern ceiling.
---
Ancient runes ignited.
---
Thousands of them.
---
Millions.
---
Enough to illuminate the entire underground world.
---
For the first time—
They saw the true size of the city.
---
And everyone froze.
---
Because the ruins stretched far beyond what anyone had imagined.
---
Not one city.
---
Multiple cities.
---
Entire kingdoms.
---
Buried beneath the mountain.
---
Connected together.
---
A civilization larger than any currently existing nation.
---
And at the very center—
Far in the distance—
A colossal tower rose toward the cavern ceiling.
---
Larger than mountains.
---
Larger than castles.
---
Larger than anything they had ever seen.
---
Blue light pulsed across its surface.
---
Awakening.
---
Waiting.
---
Watching.
---
The voice echoed one final time.
---
"Primary Administrator notified."
---
The system suddenly blared warnings.
---
**[DANGER]**
**[DANGER]**
**[DANGER]**
---
**[Ancient Entity Detected]**
**[Threat Level: Beyond Current Evaluation]**
---
John’s pupils narrowed.
---
Beyond evaluation?
---
That had never happened before.
---
Not once.
---
Not against Tier Nine monsters.
Not against the Stone Maw.
Not against anything.
---
Yet now—
The system couldn’t even measure the threat.
---
Far away—
At the summit of the colossal tower—
A single golden light appeared.
---
Like an eye opening.
---
And somehow—
Even across such an impossible distance—
John felt it looking directly at him.
---
The world seemed to stop.
---
The eye watched.
---
John watched back.
---
Then a new notification appeared.
---
**[Main Quest Updated]**
```
Secrets Beneath the Mountain
New Objective:
Reach the Central Tower
Current Progress:
45%
Warning:
The truth of this world may alter your future permanently.
```
---
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
---
Finally—
Lythriel broke the silence.
---
"...Well."
---
John already knew what she was about to say.
---
"This is definitely the biggest mess we’ve ever gotten into."
---
Aerion nodded.
---
"Without question."
---
Sylvara stared at the impossible tower.
---
"I want answers."
---
John’s gaze remained fixed on the golden eye.
---
"So do I."
---
And deep inside—
For the first time since entering the ruins—
He felt something awakening.
Something connected to his evolution.
Something tied to Tier Ten.
Something ancient.
---
The path forward had finally revealed itself.
---
And whatever waited inside that tower...
Was connected to him in ways he still couldn’t understand.
---
100 ps = 1 extra Chapter
200 ps = 2 Extra Chapter
1 Golden ticket = 3 Extra Chapter
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