In the next few seconds, chaos ensued in the dungeon. Beams of light scorched across the walls, burning the mossy stone walls. A shadow weaved through the attacks with ease, and delivered a swift swipe.
A severed finger fell onto the ground.
Neo gritted his teeth as he paused. Clenching his bloody hand, he ran towards one of the survivors.
"Heal me, quick!"
The green-haired challenger panicked as they tried to cast a spell. Pink runes flew through the air, but before they could gather…
They fell to the ground, organs spilling out of their bisected bodies. One by one, the frozen survivors began to disperse. Nox watched as some of them approached the unconscious Elysia, with resolve in their eyes.
'3 of them..'
[The Fourth Myth has been written.]
[You gain heightened senses when approaching something from the shadows.]
Feeling a sudden connection to the darkness, he imbued energy into his blade. Opal shone with a dim glow as it responded to him.
He silently traversed the dungeon, using the shadow from the collapsed ceilings, Nox tailed the group.
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"We should just leave!" An Otherworlder spoke, running into the corner of the dungeon.
A woman cut him off, "Killing the girl might give us some points and an item. We all know that Neo would never let us have anything."
"I agree. Pierce and Neo always took the kills. The girl might be the only chance we have." A third voice followed, panting.
The three ran through the dungeon, not knowing that something was stalking their every move.
"There she is!"
There, fainted on the floor, was Elysia. With her azure robe draped over her body, she looked to be peacefully sleeping.
Nox made his move. Emerging from the shadows, his blade cut through the air, easily parting a head from the body.
[You have slain an Unawoken Challenger.]
[You have gained 1 point.]
[Total Points: 2]
A wave of frost rushed over him as he felt his senses slow. Simultaneously, wooden spikes grew from the floor, threatening to impale the boy.
His eyes shone with a purple hue as he entered the world of strings.
There he saw it, blue strings covered the right side of his body.
'The frost…'
He reached for the threads and pulled them away from his arm. Every movement in this world wasted willpower instead of energy, so he had to be careful.
Regaining control over his body, the boy observed the wooden spikes. Weaved together by brown threads, he looked for a weak spot.
'Found it.'
In the center of the wooden armaments was a thin clump of string. Nox brandished his blade and cleaved through.
Splitting apart the spikes, the remaining two Otherworlders barely got a chance to breathe as he rushed in.
The woman held up her hands, preparing for another wave of frost. The boy threw his blade, cutting into her cheek. She screamed and fell to the floor.
During the brief moment of delay, he spun around and delivered a kick straight into the other Challengers' chest.
Thrown back into the mossy stone walls, he coughed as the ceiling collapsed above her. The Otherworlder gave off a final roar as he was crushed under the falling rocks.
[You have slain an Unawoken Challenger.]
[You have gained 1 point.]
[Total Points: 3]
The dungeon had already been damaged during the battle between the beast and Neo, making it crumble with a simple enhanced attack.
As Nox slowly approached the last survivor, she screamed. Still covering her bleeding face, she scrambled towards the azure blade.
Holding it in front of her with trembling fingers, she threatened.
"G-get away from me!"
The boy continued to walk towards her. Rubble slowly fell from the ceiling as the dungeon went quiet.
Each step rang as the Otherworlder seemed to accept her fate. Color drained from her face as she dropped Opal and closed her eyes.
Staring at the Challenger, Nox felt a sudden sense of regret. Just like him, everyone had their reasons for awakening. He didn't know why the women challenged the Otherworld, but one thing was for certain.
'She tried to kill Elysia.' Nox told himself.
He wasn't sure if he was convincing himself that this was the right thing, or if he just wanted to justify his actions.
Nox pierced the woman's heart, giving her a swift and painless death.
[You have slain an Unawoken Challenger.]
[You have gained 1 point.]
[Total Points: 4]
Walking over to Elysia, he lifted the black-haired mage and brought her over a dark corner. Hiding her in the darkness, he looked towards the other side of the dungeon.
Suddenly, a bright flash of light enveloped the entire room. He heard an explosion as a shadow blew past him, smashing into the wall.
Taking a closer look, it appeared to be the beast that had appeared earlier. Tattered and riddled with bloody holes, the massive panther struggled to get back up.
Nox looked towards the distance. The blonde-haired Challenger was covered with a golden aura, slowly approaching the monster.
'He awakened his second aspect.'
He guessed. It was the only way he would have beaten the beast that took out tens of Otherworlders at once.
The air around Neo shook as waves of heat radiated from his body.
"After I kill you, I'll burn down the remaining survivors…" The Challenger mindlessly repeated, almost tripping over a piece of stone.
Making a decision, Nox approached the injured beast. Using the darkness as cover, the panther didn't notice him until it was too late.
With a quick slit to the throat, he finished off the monster.
[You have completed the Hidden Mission!]
[Calculating Rewards…]
[You have gained 3 points.]
[Total Points: 7]
+
[You are eligible for one of the following rewards.]
[1. A random Relic.]
[2. Revive a fallen Challenger of your choosing.]
[3. An upgrade to your Divinity.]
[4. A random Familiar.]
+
'Sorry, Elysia.' Apologizing to the girl in his head, the boy made his choice.
[You have selected the third reward.]
[Upgrading your Divinity…]
[An error has occurred.]
[Due to the nature of your Divinity, it cannot be fully enhanced.]
[You have received a partial awakening.]
With no time to process the messages, Nox dove back into the shadows.
A blast of light tore through the remains of the beast, turning it into ashes.
Neo's head slowly turned around, scanning the surroundings.
"COME OUT." A robotic voice emerged from his lips. The Challenger had given in to his divinity, letting it control him.
He felt a torrent of energy gather around the blonde-haired man as another wave of light devoured the surroundings.
The whole dungeon was engulfed in flames as Nox was forced out of the shadows.
He had to finish the battle quickly, or his teammate would be in danger.
The boy felt something form inside him as he grasped the living weapon.
[The Fifth Myth is being written…]