An audible groan filled the room, escaping from the lips of a woman seated behind a desk stacked with a pile of paperwork. Despite her disheveled, long black hair, she possessed a striking appearance, characterized by her sharp, eagle-like brown eyes, although they bore the fatigue of someone who hadn't slept in ages. With a sluggish movement, she reached out for a coffee cup placed within her reach.
*Knock, knock!*
The sound of knocking abruptly disrupted her momentary respite. Uttering a response with a voice tinged with exhaustion, she called out, "Come in, I know it's you."
"Oh, you're quite astute. You recognized me even when I altered my appearance and mana pattern," remarked the woman who entered the room, wearing glasses and with her black hair neatly tied up. Her tone carried a hint of jest, seemingly teasing the woman at the desk.
"Of course, because I was the one who summoned you, Luna," retorted the seated woman in a playful yet taunting manner, effectively parrying Luna's earlier words.
"Oh, never mind that. I'm here to report on the mission you assigned me, Aria," Luna replied in a grave tone as she took a chair, settling herself with a serious air.
"Concerning the outbreaks in dungeon and rifts, it's indeed a fascinating puzzle to unravel," she added, her voice taking on a darker timbre, lending an air of mystery to the conversation.
"Yes, I've unearthed a lead, and it seems to be intertwined with Vard Zero," Luna continued, her countenance shifting noticeably as she mentioned Vard Zero. The mention of it seemed to evoke a troubled history, hinting at a narrative far from joyous or benign, a fact evident in Luna's troubled expression.
"So, the tainted past resurfaces once more, and it appears to be the handiwork of Rulxa, yet again," Aria declared, her frustration evident as she slammed her hand onto the desk, causing the papers and files to flutter lightly from the impact.
"It's vexing, but I've managed to glean some clues that trace back to an ancient artifact known as the 'Elixir of Life.' It seems they're after it," Luna revealed, placing a meticulously crafted report on the desk. Her action bore a hint of pride, a silent plea for recognition for the strenuous efforts invested in compiling the document.
Instead, Aria shot Luna a look of pure disdain, her gaze drifting down to the desk, as if silently expressing her exasperation at the overwhelming pile of paperwork before her. Her voice, heavy with fatigue, seemed to convey the weight of her exhaustion.
"Jesus, I already have an abundance of work piled up, thanks to you wreaking havoc on missions, wreaking havoc, killing people, and destroying property. While I do appreciate your efforts, it's just not fair," she lamented, her eyes glistening with moisture, subtly trying to paint herself as the victim of overwhelming labor.
"So? What am I supposed to do when every mission I embark on is swarming with thugs and mindless monsters, utterly devoid of reason or sensibility? Aren't we among the ranks of the ascendant dark guilds at this point?" Luna retorted sharply, her tone blunt, leaving no room for misinterpretation, effectively rebutting any accusations Aria had directed towards her.
"Seriously?" Aria retorted sharply, her irritation palpable in response to Luna's unyielding demeanor. "Even though we're operating as one of the top 'dark guilds,' carrying out heroic deeds for the citizens and taking on government-sanctioned mercenary work, we must maintain a low profile. Our survival depends on keeping our identity hidden, ensuring less paperwork and fewer complications down the line. The government's favor could shift swiftly if we don't handle things meticulously. Do you not grasp that?" Aria's words carried a hint of frustration, her attempt at imparting a critical lesson to Luna's straightforward yet seemingly dense mind evident in the heavy sigh that followed.
"Are you truly set on embarking on this mission? We could be placing ourselves in peril by tangling with Rulxa. We aren't yet powerful enough to confront them head-on. This 'Vard-19' of ours might be a small haven, but we can't afford to see it razed to the ground due to some petty guild feud," Aria's tone bore a mix of concern and steely resolve, urging Luna to consider the gravity of the situation more carefully.
"Don't worry, it's me! Nothing's going to happen. You know how talented I am, right!" Luna replied, her voice exuding confidence, unyielding in her conviction.
Aria's laughter echoed through the room at Luna's self-assured proclamation, and her worry seemed to ebb slightly. With a smile, she replied, "Yes, you're right. If it's you, then I know you can do it." Their laughter filled the space as they delved into various other topics, momentarily forgetting the weight of the unfinished tasks awaiting their attention.
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Across the expanse of a towering apartment building, a woman exuded an overwhelming aura of both bloodlust and potent mana, potent enough to eradicate anyone who dared to stand in her way. Her focus was fixed on the unfolding devastation, a massive rift tearing open the sky, unleashing a horde of ravenous beasts, each exuding an insatiable thirst for blood and a voracious hunger for flesh.
Within minutes, the tranquil streets that had teemed with peaceful pedestrians transformed into a scene of chaos. The sudden onslaught of monsters instigated pandemonium, sending people into a frenzy. Some unfortunate souls bore the brunt of the falling creatures, their lifeless forms painting the streets crimson. Amidst the cacophony, the air filled with the anguished cries of children, while men and women desperately fled, beseeching for salvation. Limbs were rent asunder, and decapitated bodies lay strewn about, mercilessly claimed by the towering creatures that resembled three-headed wolves, descending from the skies, each towering over seven meters in height.
"Damn those abominations," she cursed, though it was unclear if her ire was directed solely at the monsters or perhaps at someone else.
Utilizing her superhuman speed, she burst through the building, evading a fatal swipe from a colossal, two-headed lion-like boss monster, its fiery skull glaring menacingly in place of its head, towering at roughly twelve meters in height.
"Great, now I have to rebuild my apartment again," she grumbled in an irritable tone, even as she surged forward to confront the looming threat.
"It's an A-rank boss monster, which means the rift must be an S-rank. How vexing! These creatures possess a knack for regeneration unless you obliterate the core within their bodies. The size of the core corresponds to the rank of the monster; lower-ranking monsters tend to have larger cores," she muttered, deftly evading the blazing onslaught from the two-headed lion, its scorching skull laying waste to what little of the apartment remained.
"An S-rank creature like a dragon has a minuscule core, nearly as small as an ant, and it moves within their bodies at supersonic speeds. Destroying it is a monumental task unless you're an SS-rank hunter or above, or a Demon Hunter of considerable prowess," she mused, drawing the blood strewn across the street, fashioning it into a makeshift weapon. With precision, she hurled the weapon towards the beast, deftly maneuvering in mid-air to deliver a powerful blow to the skull of the two-headed lion.
"Hions... it's an A-rank, so the core will be at least as large as a bird, and relatively sluggish. Different monsters may harbor varying numbers of cores, with some possessing up to eight, but I reckon this one will have at most four," she analyzed, her movements fluid and purposeful. The Hion, immobilized by the blood weapon's strike, fell victim to her crushing blow, only to witness its prompt regeneration. Amidst the heated fray, she continued to aid the distressed civilians, employing her mastery of blood manipulation and telekinesis to dispatch the encroaching wolf-like creatures.
As the shattered head of the Hion slowly began to regenerate, Luna's annoyance became palpable. She realized the difficulty of simultaneously defending the people and engaging in combat, unless she unleashed the formidable power of darsin. Yet, she held onto the hope that the remaining heroes of Vard-19 would soon arrive to lend their support, allowing her to conserve her strength for aiding Aria later on, who she suspected was in dire straits. Luna harbored a steadfast belief in Aria's resilience, acknowledging her as a formidable individual. Nevertheless, an underlying unease gnawed at her, leaving her apprehensive, sensing something ominous on the horizon.
Nonetheless, she unleashed the potent force of darsin, empowering herself with an array of formidable magical abilities such as flames, ice, and thunder. However, she refrained from resorting to these powers, instead opting to swiftly dart past the Hion. Upon a closer inspection of the Hion's body, Luna discerned a collar nestled within its ear, a telltale sign of the beast tamer's influence. With her bloodlust surging and her aura pulsating, the surrounding environment bore the brunt of her unleashed energy. Witnessing Luna's overwhelming fusion of darsin and mana, the Hion hesitated, momentarily wavering in its attack. Luna seized the opportunity, summoning a colossal wave of pure flame magic, obliterating not just the Hion but also leaving a scorched trail of destruction in its wake.
"Indeed, this boss didn't emerge from the rift. Hions despise Ferneers, considering them nothing more than food, relegating them to a lower rung on the food chain," Luna mused, her thoughts racing as she continued her sprint at supersonic speeds, monitoring Aria's last known location through a holographic display on her smartphone. The once-modern cityscape now lay in ruins, a grisly sight of carnage and wounded civilians.
As she hastened towards Aria's whereabouts, she observed several heroes arriving on the scene, their efforts focused on assisting the injured citizens. Acknowledging their presence, Luna resolved to trust in their abilities, urging them silently to hold the line against the encroaching monsters.
Upon reaching Aria's location, Luna was greeted by a disheartening sight: a decimated building surrounded by the remains of ten to fifteen slain Hions. The signs of a fierce battle were unmistakable, and among the carnage, she spotted the familiar faces of her guild members. A brief moment of nostalgia washed over her, only to be swiftly replaced by an indiscernible mix of emotions—anger, sorrow, regret, resentment, and deep-seated sadness—as she closed in on the scene. A gut-wrenching scream escaped her lips as she despaired at the sight of her guild members' bodies, suspended by thin ropes stained with blood, their wounds bearing witness to a human hand rather than the savage claws of monsters. For Luna, the truth had become painfully evident.
Amidst her profound grief for her fallen guild members, who were once her cherished family and friends, Luna perceived a looming presence slowly materializing from a distance of roughly twelve meters behind her. Sensing this ominous entity's approach, Luna's eyes blazed with an all-consuming thirst for vengeance, an intense yearning to incinerate anyone who dared to cross her path. With a fierce roar, she pivoted on her heels, only to be abruptly halted by the unexpected sight of a familiar figure, their body drenched in blood, adorned with wounds that, though grievous, appeared non-fatal. Struggling to articulate something, the figure faltered, unable to form the words.
In that critical moment, Luna experienced a sudden, disorienting sensation—her head felt strangely absent. As her vision dimmed, she discerned Aria, her dear friend, holding Luna's severed head. The perpetrator responsible for Luna's demise, a skilled individual adept in the art of stealth, had shrewdly concealed both Aria's presence and his own, biding his time for Luna to lower her guard, and he had succeeded. With a callous kick, he sent Luna's headless body tumbling, the lifeless form rolling to a stop at Aria's feet. Luna's final glimpse before succumbing to darkness was of Aria, her tears flowing freely, her frail form trembling with an overwhelming sense of grief.
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After the emergence of mana, the ordinary lives of people began to spiral into an ever-tightening struggle. In this relentless world, survival is assured only for the strong or those with influential connections. Unfortunately, for individuals like myself, lacking both family and influential ties, we were nothing more than disposable pawns, exploited for profit by those in power.
My upbringing was within the confines of an orphanage under the guise of 'Rulxna's Sanctuary.' Instead of the promised refuge, it was a clandestine laboratory, where innocent children, including myself, were subjected to ghastly experiments from a tender age. We were but unwitting subjects, destined to perish, forgotten in the shadows of that subterranean facility.
Life in the orphanage appeared normal for those without the gift of mana or any special abilities. However, for the few endowed with such powers, it was a living nightmare. From an early age, they were indoctrinated into the intricate mysteries of mana and darsin, until the age of 16, when those with exceptional potential were selected for the enigmatic 'Rulxa Demon Academy.' This renowned institution, concealed beneath Vard Zero and connected to all Rulxna-affiliated orphanages, was shrouded in secrecy.
Despite its prestigious status, the academy's training methods remained veiled in mystery, overseen by one of the enigmatic trio known as the 'Three Heroes.' One of them, Zeon Mark, earned the moniker 'Zeon the Destroyer' following a catastrophic event where he almost single-handedly destroyed three Vards due to an uncontrollable, massive S-rank rift spanning over 79 kilometers. Some claim he is one of the three most formidable figures in the tattered remnants of Earth, among the revered thirteen remaining heroes.
We had been indoctrinated from our earliest days with the belief that those who entered the academy were not just fortunate, but destined for a life of secured prestige, fated to become some of the nation's most revered hunters. It was an alluring dream for anyone born into this world, drawing us in with its promises of grandeur and glory. Yet, we remained oblivious to the daunting realities that lay ahead, masked behind this enticing facade.
Just like any other student, I, too, received an invitation to the academy. I wouldn't say I was particularly gifted; it was more that I had witnessed the horrors of rifts firsthand. My family fell victim to monstrous creatures spawned from a ruthless C-rank rift rupture.
During that unfathomable tragedy, I cowered inside the bathroom, trembling with fear, helplessly listening to the gut-wrenching sounds of the creatures tearing my parents apart. The echoes of their agonizing screams still haunt my mind from time to time.
For almost two days, I remained trapped, battling hunger and thirst, clinging onto the hope that someone, anyone, would rescue me from this nightmare. It was then that a group of individuals from Rulxa appeared, liberating me from the clutches of certain demise. I still offer my gratitude to the divine for that fateful day, as it was my stark reminder of the perilous nature of this world. Consequently, I resolved to never be a weakling again, to strive and endure.
Little did I know that this determination and potential would be my curse, for life within the academy proved to be a torment far surpassing the agony I had endured while huddled in the confines of my apartment bathroom, awaiting an uncertain death.
The initial day at the academy unfolded much like any other, with the faculty cordially welcoming us and acquainting us with the regulations and curriculum for the upcoming days. Upon being allocated rooms, I found myself without an assigned space, eventually sharing a room with a senior who had been there a year before me. Fortunately, my roommate happened to be a girl, and not some leering, lecherous boy. Yet, I couldn't help but notice that she often muttered in her sleep, as if haunted by some unseen terror. Despite my attempts to engage her, she would merely stare at me with vacant eyes, occasionally whispering, "Run away."
Initially, I brushed off her behavior as a peculiar idiosyncrasy. When I brought it up with one of the instructors, they casually dismissed it, claiming that she suffered from a sleeping disorder. Naively, I accepted their explanation, unaware of the sinister undercurrents lurking within the academy's ambiance. In the first few days, I failed to notice any other peculiarities, besides the eerie nighttime ramblings of the troubled girl.
Engrossed in my pursuit of survival and strength, I managed to maintain impressive scores within the academy, consistently ranking among the top ten students. Pleased with my progress, I remained oblivious to the subtle changes taking place within my own body, until gradually, week by week, I discovered myself growing increasingly feeble, accompanied by bouts of coughing up blood. Concerned by my deteriorating health, the instructors whisked me away into an underground tunnel of the Rulxa Demon Academy, asserting that I had contracted a serious ailment requiring immediate attention.
It was during this unsettling journey that I caught a glimpse of that same girl, suspended in a chamber, undergoing some ghastly process, her face obscured by blood, the whirring of a machine drowning out any potential cries of agony, thanks to the soundproofing of the room. A chill coursed through my very being as the disquieting thought dawned on me that this could be a premeditated setup, one harboring something malevolently insidious.
The instructor led me into a pitch-black room, my feeble voice trembling as I inquired about my whereabouts, but she remained resolutely silent. With an unsettling grin, she activated a menacing apparatus, maneuvering me onto it. My feeble form, devoid of strength, could do little to resist. As the machine whirred to life, the instructor extinguished the room's light, enveloping me in an impenetrable darkness. What followed is etched in my mind as a haze of excruciating pain, a sensation unlike any I had ever experienced. It was as if my very organs were being mercilessly torn apart, alive and throbbing with agony.
Amidst the torment, I faintly recall the crimson fluid spilling, the mechanical cacophony blending with the searing beams of light that seared through my flesh. Despite the overwhelming agony, I somehow retained a modicum of consciousness, perhaps induced by the drugs they had administered earlier, intending to monitor my brain activity on some screen in the shadowy room.
In a secluded laboratory, a woman engrossed in the holographic display of a computer screen engaged in a heated discussion with a bespectacled man, both emanating an air of professionalism and scientific fervor. Their expressions were a blend of excitement and contention, hinting at the gravity of the experiment they were conducting.
"So, Ms. Ravona, what do you make of Subject 5990's interaction with the vampire essence and the pure darsin harvested from the treacherous S-rank dungeon?" inquired the man, adjusting his glasses as he regarded the woman absorbed in the monitor before her.
Glancing nonchalantly at the screen, she replied, her fingers idly twirling through her devilish locks, "Nothing extraordinary, really. She's likely to meet the fate of the other 5989 subjects; her mana conduits don't appear to be particularly potent, although her regenerative capabilities are rather impressive."
"Ahh, I see. So, will our endeavors bear fruit?" he inquired, an insidious grin creeping across his face.
"We shall ascertain that in due time. Nonetheless, we need to subject her to further experimentation. Her remarkable healing prowess and exceptional mana reservoir, along with her astonishing resilience to the forcibly infused darsin, make her a fascinating case," she replied, her interest visibly piqued.
"Indeed, the immediate mortality rate of 30% was quite disconcerting, but I wonder how long she'll manage to hold on," he mused, a sinister smirk adorning his lips.
The woman, compelled by a surge of madness, rose from her seat, striding purposefully towards the right side of the room. Fixing her gaze upon the dark chamber beyond the glass wall, the room resonated with the cacophony of pain and the unmistakable metallic tang of blood. Amidst the muffled shrieks of a tormented girl, the woman's laughter reverberated in a crescendo of madness, echoing through the confines of the laboratory.
"We'll just have to wait and see, hahahaha!"