"Th-that tower... it's a Dungeon Spawner!"
The tremors around them pause for a moment as the tower's growth finally stops—but...
'Boom!'
That boom that follows is deafening, and from the tower's depths, thousands of monsters and demons spill out, sending Ray into a panic as he realizes the true horror of the Dungeon Spawner.
"We gotta get out of here!" Ray yells, scrambling down the rubble, the guard hot on his heels, terror etched on his face.
They're not the only ones fleeing for their lives towards the evacuation bunker—thousands are scrambling to escape, some screaming for help, trapped beneath the rubble.
Airborne monsters swoop in, attacking and devouring people who were trying to escape, sending the area into chaos.
With no weapon, Ray grabs the terrified guard's sword, and they keep running.
"I'm borrowing your weapon!"
They initially avoided the building debris are now no longer care and continue to head to the Quixa City bunker center—even though the distance is quite far while the monsters are starting to swarm in.
Screams of desperation, fear, and hope echo everywhere, the cries of children scared about death and terror make the atmosphere increasingly chilling.
But what can they do? Saving themselves is not necessarily possible, let alone have to care about others.
One of the winged monsters stops right in front of them and eats one of the civilians there. Ray, who keeps running, grips his sword as tight as possible and uses Perk [Summon], to summon two The Weaver.
Ray closes in, grips his sword with all his might, and swings it down.
He activates Perk [Mana Flux], channeling his mana into his sword, amplifying his strikes.
'Slash!'
Ray's strike lands, wounding the winged monster, and his two The Weaver latch onto its body, tearing it apart and biting down.
The monster roars in pain, its voice so ear-piercing—but Ray quickly delivers a slash to its head, causing the monster's head to be decapitated and separated from its body.
[ You Killed Walker Wyvern... ]
Without waiting long he runs again with the guards continuing to follow him. The Weaver leads the way, he has to get to Quixa city right on time before the monsters come more and more.
Above him, an even larger monster maneuvers through the air, heading straight for him—as if ready to snatch Ray and eat him.
The monster closes in, and with a surge of adrenaline and panic, Ray manages to crouch just in time, narrowly avoiding it.
Ray's lucky, but not the guard behind him. The monster snatches the guard instead, carrying him off into the sky.
"No! No! I don't want to die! Someone help me! He-" the guard's hysterical screams echo as the monster clams him high in the air, before finally biting down on his head, silencing him forever.
"Fuck!" Ray shouts, a mix of desperation in his voice, he immediately resumes running, racing towards the Quixa City bunker.
Above him, jets and helicopters flying in the opposite direction, apparently heading from Quixa City—bullets and rockets rain down on the flying and ground monsters.
Though the monsters and demons are being killed by the attack, it's still no match for the human casualties in Fool City. The ground monsters are moving fast, pushing deeper into the city.
Behind him, a massive monster is rapidly closing in. Ray knows he can't take it on, and keeps pushing himself to run faster.
The monster leaps, ready to kill on Ray, before ultimately...
'Bang!'
Ray keeps running, unfazed. The monster that was about to pounce is now lying on the ground, a bullet hole in its head, courtesy of Quixa City's special forces who've just arrived.
"Get to the evacuation bunker, now! We'll handle the monster here!" the special forces soldier barks, a mana-enhanced sniper rifle at the ready.
He can't call for a horse to speed up his journey—not with the narrow debris filled streets, it'd be a hindrance.
***
On the side, a jet approaches the tower acting as the monsters' and demons' Dungeon Spawner. The fighter jet unleashes a barrage of missiles, aiming to destroy the tower.
'BOOM!'
The pilot's shocked as the explosion misses the tower. It's shielded by massive winged creatures, their skin armored with what looks like impenetrable metal—not even the missiles can scratch it.
The creature counterattacks the fighter jet, releasing a blast of acid whose speed even exceeds the jet's, hitting the aircraft.
The jet loses control as the acid eats away at the aircraft, eventually crashing to the ground in a fiery explosion—but more planes keep arriving from Quixa City to hold the line.
Meanwhile, Ray keeps running, his body battered and bruised by blood, like he's just taken down a horde of monsters and demons, with wounds on his arms and stomach.
Up ahead, the massive Quixa City bunker is within reach. He puts on a final sprint, as elite troops from Quixa City rush past him, heading in the opposite direction.
Not just Ray, some Fool City civilians have made it to Quixa City, some unscathed, others injured, and some with missing limbs.
Hundreds of Fool City civilians are left, struggling to get into the bunker. As Ray nears the entrance, a deafening boom shakes the ground, almost knocking him off balance, he crouches to balance himself.
"W-what's happening now?!" He turns around, stumbling as the ground shakes again—something's emerging from the rubble in the distance.
From the rubble, a very thin creature with a disgusting blackish-red body emerges, the creature even has pores all over its body and its height is around less than 30 meters.
Not just one, but three, and from a distance, it seems they're heading straight for Quixa City.
Ray without thinking long immediately entered the bunker together with the other refugee citizens—while the special forces from Quixa City and other combat vehicles are fully deployed.
The troops are fighting using weapons, there are also those who are using their Perks. There are those who freeze monsters, burn, electrocute, and even other Perk abilities to exterminate every monster and demon.
One of the giant thin creatures is successfully knocked down by jet planes and tanks that keep shooting it—assisted by Perk attacks from special forces that spew fireballs.
***
Inside the bunker, Ray and the other refugees stand frozen, taking in the massive, pristine Quixa City bunker—it feels like a space built exclusively for the wealthy.
The massive bunker is practically a city in itself, housing Quixa City within its walls—though Fool City's overall size is still larger and more sprawling.
The injured civilians and soldiers are quickly healed by special forces with healing Perks.
Ray's also badly wounded with severe injuries to his stomach and arm, but the special forces quickly heal him with their Perks, channeling mana to mend his wounds—it feels warm.
Even Fool City civilians with healing Perks are volunteering to help treat the wounded.
The scene outside is chaotic, but Quixa City's forces are rallying, pushing back against the monsters and demons with growing intensity.
Special forces launch a relentless assault on the monster's tower, taking down the massive winged creature guarding it.
It's not just ordinary monsters and demons they're up against—some wield Perks, unleashing fiery blasts, acidic goo, and other nasty attacks.
A barrage of missiles rains down from the jets, pounding the tower—but it still stands, refusing to crumble.
The foundation and walls of the tower are super strong, even requiring repeated attacks to destroy parts of the tower. While the special ground forces continue to try to repel the monsters and demons that are still coming from the tower.
"Damn! At this rate, they'll just keep coming if we don't destroy the Dungeon Spawner!" one of the special forces shouts, unleashing another fiery blast from his Perk.
"We need to pace ourselves! Watch ou-" a special forces member calls out, before being hit by a monster's acidic goo. "Arghh! Help! Help! Help me!" his body melts away, tragically succumbing to the deadly attack.
***
Meanwhile, back in the bunker, sharp pain stinky smell in his nose is overwhelmed by the stench of sweat and dried blood, amplified by the cramped space filled with hundreds of people.
For the first time, Ray sees the Quoxa City visitors arriving at the shelter—and their upper-class gaze is unmistakable, noses pinched and brows furrowed in distaste.
The sharpfull and disgusted looks they shoot at the Fool City civilians imply they'd rather they hadn't been rescued at all—like the guards should've just left them to die.
"They should've just died."
"Useless peasants."
"What do they have? Stink? Poor? Stupid?"
Hearing that clearly irritates Ray, and he clicks his tongue in frustration.
They're humans too—they just know how to enjoy life's pleasures without knowing how hard life is outside, but Ray stays silent, holding back his emotions.
Even though his own people are being jerks, the special forces and military are treating them like humans, so at least Ray's grateful to be rescued.
"Mom! Mom, are you okay?!" a little kid cries out, not far from Ray.
"I'm fine, I'm fine... Mom's okay," the mother replies, hugging her child tightly.
The scene tugs at Ray's heartstrings, bringing back memories of 7 years ago when the city was attacked, and the whole world felt the impact.
He recalls seeing every member of the orphanage he called family, people he loved and cared for, brutally slaughtered in front of him.
"At least the mother and child are okay," Ray whispers to himself, with a faint smile.
***
The battle on at the tower, explosions and screams of death piercing the air, terrifying and haunting—meanwhile, the special forces on the ground rely more heavily on their Perks.
But their efforts aren't for nothing—the foundation hiding the tower's core is starting to crack open as they keep pushing to destroy it.
"Report, the tower's core is visible, glowing purple—give the order to attack," one of the jet pilots says into the phone, ready to strike the tower's core the moment they're given the go-ahead.
"Roger that, permission granted. says someone on the other end of the phone.
The jet unleashes a Napalm missile straight at the tower's core, and as it hurtles forward, all special forces and armored units are ordered to retreat.
The missile launch closer and finally...
'BOOM!"
A massive explosion obliterates the tower's core, the shockwave generated is so intense it slams into the surrounding area, clearing everything, even sweeping clean into the bunker.
The remaining monsters, few as they are, are swiftly taken down by helicopters and ground-based special forces, leaving none left standing.
Though the partially damaged tower still stands despite the Napalm blast... its core is finally gone, and the Dungeon Spawner is defeated.
That moment freezes the special forces, and one of them breaks the silence with a loud shout.
"We... WE WIN!"
. . .