The night was still, save for the crackle of the campfire and the whisper of the wind brushing against the forest's edge.
Its faint orange glow danced upon armored, faces hardened by battle yet lit with resolve. Around the fire stood six figures,Lord Lugard and his handpicked team,poised to venture into the unknown depths of a dungeon that pulsed with mana and mystery.
Lord Lugard, the Lance of Destruction and Calamity, stood tall at the fire's edge. His gaze pierced the flames, deep and knowing, as if he could already see through the dungeon's darkness beyond.
Chris broke the silence first. "My Lord, what plan do you suggest we use before heading into the dungeon?"
His tone carried both excitement and reverence; few had the courage to question the Empire's most feared warrior.
Lugard's lips curled into a faint smile. "We have six capable combatants,three mages, three brawlers.
Balance and cohesion will be our greatest weapons. We protect one another as one unit. No lone heroes—only survival through unity."
The group nodded, their faces hardening with resolve as shadows flickered over their armor and robes.
Ace, sitting quietly by the fire, listened with wide, eager eyes. At only thirteen, his heart pounded like a war drum.
He had read countless scrolls about magic beasts, their power and savagery—but soon, he would witness them firsthand. The thought thrilled and terrified him in equal measure.
Lugard's commanding voice broke through Ace's thoughts.
"Colt," he said, turning to the flame-haired warrior at his right, "you are a Gold Core Tier Three swordsman,our vanguard, the blade of our assault."
Colt's hand tightened around his sword hilt, a confident grin flashing beneath the firelight. "As you command, my Lord."
"Guwen," Lugard continued, "a Green Core Tier Three fighter. Earth-based and defensive in nature. You are our wall, our shield against whatever strikes."
Guwen smirked proudly. "An honor, Lord Lugard. I'll make sure nothing gets past me."
Next, Lugard looked to the two robed figures standing across the flames. "Xavier, Gold Core Tier Three. Chris, Green Core Tier Three. You two will form our wings—right and left—maintaining our range and covering our flanks."
Xavier nodded, a glint of focus in his eyes. "Understood."
Chris chuckled softly. "We'll give them hell."
Finally, Lugard turned toward Ace and Keshawn. "I, Keshawn, and Ace will be the body of this formation. Keshawn, a Green Core Tier Two mage, and I Lord Lugard a White Core Tier Two Devourer. Together, we hold the structure intact and keep Ace alive."
The young boy swallowed hard but nodded, his excitement tempered by the weight of responsibility.
The group agreed, sealing their strategy with silent determination. Soon after, they hunted and captured a deer,a rare treat before the storm.
The meat sizzled over the fire, the scent thick with wild herbs and iron.
As they ate, a sudden gust of wind swept through the camp, heavy and charged with mana. The flames quivered violently.
Then,light. A radiant pillar burst into existence behind them, glowing with immense energy that made the ground tremble.
"The gate," Lugard whispered, his eyes gleaming. "With this much pressure, it's at least an S-tier gate. Just as the Sorcerer Supreme predicted."
Guwen scoffed, cracking his knuckles. "S-tier or not, we didn't come this far to run from a dungeon."
Colt grinned. "I like that fire, Guwen. Ace—stay close. I'll watch your back."
They stepped through the gate, and the world shifted.
The air was thick and hot, humming with energy. Purple soil crunched under their boots, veined with glowing minerals of every hue.
The sky was an impossible red, streaked with slow-moving blue clouds that shimmered with mana.
Chris drew in a breath, his eyes darting around. "Fire mana… everywhere. We're in a field of pure flame energy. Our affinities will thrive here."
But Lugard's expression darkened. "Don't let your guard down. The air is dense, too dense. This isn't a B-tier… maybe not even A-tier. Something about this dungeon feels wrong."
Keshawn gave a nervous laugh. "Wrong? Lord Lugard, we barely have the numbers for a B-tier dungeon. But if anyone can handle this, it's the Lance of Calamity himself."
Colt nodded. "That's true. With Lord Lugard here, we'll manage."
They advanced deeper, coating themselves with mana. Soon, distant roars echoed through the crimson air,sharp and wild. Then, shapes dropped from the treetops—monkey-like creatures with glowing eyes and elongated arms.
Keshawn's voice rose above the chaos. "A-Rank Babobs! Beasts of mimicry,they can make any sound into reality! Their affinity is—"
Before he could finish, vines exploded from the ground, wrapping around their limbs and torsos. The soil beneath them twisted violently.
"Plant and Earth!" Keshawn shouted, unleashing a burst of flame that incinerated the vines. "Their major affinity is Plant and Earth!"
The battle erupted into chaos. Xavier summoned metallic armor that clanked into place over his body. Chris unleashed lava beams, melting through the thick foliage. Guwen's axe slammed into the ground, raising stone walls to block the Babobs' ambushes.
In the center, Lord Lugard raised a single finger. A spark flared and then the forest erupted in a torrent of fire.
The explosion roared skyward, lighting the red sky in blinding gold. The canopy vanished in a storm of ash.
Then,silence.
A beat later, glimmering spheres of water hurtled toward them from the dungeon's depths. The team dove and shielded themselves with barriers just in time.
"Seems we've been spotted," Lugard said grimly. "Positions!"
They regrouped quickly, covering each other's blind spots. Then they saw them,twelve dragon-like beasts perched on a higher ridge, their scales glimmering like molten glass.
Ace's voice trembled. "Wh-what are those?"
Lugard stepped forward, eyes narrowing. "Egras. A-Tier predators. They're solitary by nature. To see this many at once… something's driving them together."
Keshawn added, "They're called the Lone Predators for a reason. If they're gathered, this dungeon's balance is off."
Lugard's voice hardened. "Colt, Guwen—frontline! We'll cover you!"
The two augmenters charged. Guwen's axe gleamed with metallic energy; Colt's sword ignited in flames.
They clashed with the Egras in thunderous bursts of heat and motion. Xavier launched himself skyward, metal armor glinting, and smashed his gauntlet into an Egra's wing. "Got one!"
Colt followed, releasing flaming slashes that carved through the creature's side. The Egras roared, taking to the air, and rained fireballs upon them. Lugard countered with a storm of fire that consumed three of them instantly.
Wind spears and lava beams flew. The dungeon trembled. The final Egras were annihilated in a cascade of elemental fury, metallic strikes, roaring flames, and spells that turned the air molten.
For a heartbeat, silence returned.
"We did it," Colt said, panting, blood and sweat dripping from his brow. "They're down."
But before relief could set in, a deep growl echoed, a rumble like a thousand wolves crying at once. The ground quaked. The air turned frigid.
Guwen grimaced. "Not again…"
Three shadows emerged ahead—wolf-like creatures with white tails that shimmered in the dim crimson light.
"Udons," Lugard said, voice low and steady. "S-Tier beasts. Their power is not in strength alone, but in precision."
A surge of water shot toward them; they barely raised their barriers in time. When the blast cleared—the Udons were gone.
"They've vanished," Ace whispered, his hands trembling.
"Don't panic," Keshawn warned. "Udons carry three main affinities;Fire, Lightning, and Water, they can conceal both sound and presence. Their stealth makes them killers."
Guwen gritted his teeth. "So they can strike from anywhere…"
The ground beneath them cracked. Distant howls circled closer and closer.
Lugard raised his sword, its tip glowing like a star. "Stay sharp. From this point on,every step could be our last."
And with that, the team pressed forward,into the dungeon's next abyss, where the soil darkened and strange, shattered minerals pulsed faintly beneath their feet.
The dungeon had only just begun to reveal its horrors.