The roar echoed in all directions, like a tidal wave carrying far beyond the dungeon's boundary—
And for some unexplainable reason, it reached the other way breaking into one the &*€("/!.?#@% Dimensions.
The *€&#)@'#+ ;=@[1] noticed.
All of them did.
It wouldn't be long before…..
***
POV Aaron
After the roar faded, I felt more at ease than I ever had. Without hesitation, I deactivated my Beastialification.
Null reappeared beside me, seeming… almost cheerful. He pointed toward the Goblin Chief's shadow.
I frowned.
I didn't understand what he meant.
Still, I trusted him.
Through our bond, I gave my approval—and he immediately activated one of his abilities.
[Shadow Devour]—
The Goblin Chief's shadow—along with those of the other fallen goblins—rushed toward him, wrapping around his form and reshaping it.
When he emerged again, he looked even more like darkness itself.
His pauldrons had deepened into a darker obsidian-gold. His boots were now infused with the same dark sheen, and his weapons rested in twin black leather holsters strapped across his back.
'My Prince, it would be wise for you to devour all the essence here. Then we can leave.'
Null's voice echoed in my mind for the first time—dark, mechanical… controlled.
I smirked slightly.
'Nice timing, Null. This will make things much easier. Let's begin.'
He nodded.
And then I activated—
[Devour]—
Cracking-
and
Popping-
The stretching of flesh and bone did not escape my ears as the shadowless corpses began to merge refining itself, fusing together into a mass of condensed magical energy.
Then it surged toward me.
I consumed it.
More—
And more-
And more.
A cool sensation spread through my body as I felt myself growing stronger—if only slightly. The rush ended..
Then—
A sharp click.
I turned.
An opening—the exit from the Plane—was already beginning to close.
Fast.
Without hesitation, I unsummoned Null and dashed forward, slipping through the narrowing gap just in time.
Snap—
The Plane's gate sealed behind me, its echo fading into silence.
Cassandra stood a short distance away, already watching.
Calm. Unreadable.
Without a word, an orb of condensed magical essence formed in my hand. It pulsed faintly—warm, unstable… chaotic.
Tier 2.4.
Cassandra flicked her wrist, tossing a small pouch toward me.
"Store the Essence Orb in there. Take care of it—they're expensive," she said evenly. "One more dungeon. After that, a short training session… then I'll send you back."
I caught it.
Leather. Light.
I opened the pouch—and the space inside twisted, collapsing inward like a miniature vortex. The orb was pulled from my grasp instantly, swallowed without resistance.
I closed it and hooked it at my thigh.
Ahead, Cassandra had already turned. Her auburn hair shifted lightly as she moved—
Then she dashed forward.
I followed.
The ground struck hard beneath my boots with every step. The pace was relentless, but I didn't slow.
Time blurred.
Then—
She stopped.
Abrupt.
"Hold your breath," she whispered.
I didn't question it.
I inhaled sharply, holding it in.
Silence pressed in.
Then—
A rustle.
Soft.
Close.
A heavy thud echoed ahead.
My gaze snapped forward.
A creature stood there.
Roughly three feet tall.
Black fur—unnaturally dark. Its eyes glowed a faint, electric purple, and thin sores pulsed along its skin, crackling faintly with energy.
My body stiffened.
Tier 6.0.
…Too high.
It shrieked.
High-pitched. Piercing.
Two more dropped from the trees beside it, landing with controlled force.
Tier 6.0.
A faint pressure settled over me—subtle, but undeniable. My instincts tightened, something deep inside me urging caution.
They sniffed the air, restless… searching.
I didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Even my heartbeat felt too loud.
Seconds stretched.
Then, without warning, the first one leapt back into the trees.
The others followed.
The pressure didn't leave.
It lingered.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then—
The forest erupted.
Shadows moved overhead.
Branches shook violently.
And then—
They came.
Dozens of them.
Twenty… maybe thirty.
Tier 5.0.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
Not fear.
But close.
Leaping from tree to tree, flooding the canopy like a living tide.
When the creatures finally left, only a hollow silence remained.
Cassandra scanned the area, her gaze sharp, watchful—then gave a small signal.
Follow.
We moved without a word.
Time stretched as we ran, the terrain shifting subtly beneath our feet until another Plane came into view.
A second Minor Plane.
This one… different.
Its glow carried a darker shade of blue. Duller. Colder.
Wrong.
I stepped through without hesitation.
The moment I emerged, the world changed.
A forest.
Dense. Overgrown. Suffocating.
Towering trees choked the sky, their branches twisting together until barely any light reached the ground.
And beneath it—
Silence.
Not natural silence.
The kind that pressed against the skin.
The kind that made the hairs on my arms rise.
Cack—
Cack—
The sound echoed faintly.
Dry. Hollow.
It didn't fade.
It grew.
My fingers dragged through my hair as my eyes scanned the shadows.
Where are they…?
Snap—
The answer came instantly.
A massive maw lunged at me from the front.
My body moved before thought could catch up.
I leapt.
The jaws slammed shut where I had been—
Snap—
Another maw tore upward from behind.
Too close.
Too fast.
The forest was darker than I had realized.
Shapes blurred. Movement hid within movement.
I twisted midair, barely managing to land on a thick branch.
For a second—
Balance.
Stability.
How long will that last?
Not long.
The ground below shifted.
Then—
Roots exploded upward.
They coiled around the tree, crushing, tightening—alive.
My footing faltered.
I looked down.
And saw them.
Two pairs of green eyes.
Unblinking.
Watching.
Crocodiles.
Their massive forms were barely visible beneath the darkness, their scales blending seamlessly with the forest floor.
Only their eyes gave them away.
And their teeth.
Long.
Jagged.
Glinting faintly as their jaws opened—
Waiting.
My body tensed.
Not panic.
But close.
Then it clicked.
Their presence.
Their weight.
The pressure they carried—
Tier 2.4.
And there was more than one.
The tree finally snapped.
I leapt—barely making it onto the next one.
Then, without hesitation, I released Null into the darkness… into the shadows of the forest.
[1] Guess who they Are….