{Argus's POV}
After a fierce battle, Argus cleared the last of them and stood, catching his breath. He gazed at the swirling dungeon portal, his eyes narrowing as his instincts screamed of the danger within. His intuition warned him that entering could very well lead to his death, but he knew he had no choice but to press on.
Not only did he need to prevent the dungeon from causing more trouble, but his quest also demanded it. Completing this would allow him to advance to the next realm, and he couldn't afford to stop now.
'Let's finish this so I can rest.'(Argus)
With a determined breath, Argus stepped through the portal. The moment he entered, a horde of undead greeted him, their lifeless eyes locking onto him. Without hesitation, they lunged at him in droves. Argus quickly sidestepped, dodging their initial attacks with fluid grace. The melee undead closed in, surrounding him from all sides, but he responded by swinging his scythe with precision, cutting them down one by one.
To make the fight more manageable, Argus partially summoned Astrea and Sylvan using his new skill. He knew that fully summoning Sylvan would be risky since it was rooted in place and could easily be surrounded by the undead.
"Do not hold back, Astrea!"(Argus)
Astrea, partially summoned, unleashed her wide-range skill, Starfall, upon the horde of undead. Argus knew that failing to clear them quickly would result in him being overwhelmed. Though these undead couldn't kill him outright, sustaining injuries on the first floor was something he could not afford.
'There are too many of them.'(Argus)
Just as they finished clearing a wave of undead, another batch approached from the shadows. Argus was reluctant to use Soul Assimilation so early. He knew that Astrea's Realm was higher than his own, which meant the assimilation wouldn't last long.
Argus had planned to save this skill for a true emergency, but as he looked at the endless waves of undead pouring into the dungeon, he realized this was that emergency. If he didn't do something soon, he risked being overwhelmed and buried by the sheer number of enemies.
Taking a deep breath, Argus made his decision. He couldn't afford to hold back any longer.
Soul Assimilation: Astrea
Argus activated the skill, expecting to feel the powerful surge of Astrea's energy merging with his own. This would give him access to Astrea's full range of abilities, boosting his strength and allowing him to cut through the undead with ease, at least for a short time.However, as he waited for the familiar rush of power, nothing happened.
The expected fusion didn't occur. Instead of feeling Astrea's presence merging with his soul, there was only an unsettling silence. His heart pounded as he stood there, surrounded by the undead, with no sign that the skill had activated. A sense of urgency pushed him to check his status window, and there it was a notification, blinking ominously. Argus quickly read the message, his expression darkening as he understood the reason for the failure.
[The skill «Soul Assimilation» cannot be currently used on Soulbound Astrea due to not being able to summoned out of the Soul Sea]
Argus tried once again but he received the same notification. He was frustrated and running out of options, decided to try Soul Assimilation with Sylvan.
Soul Assimilation: Sylvan
He hoped that this time the skill would succeed. Sylvan's presence, though not as directly powerful as Astrea's, was still a significant help on his current situation. But just like before, nothing happened. His status window lit up with a new notification.
[The skill «Soul Assimilation» cannot be currently used on Soulbound Sylvan due to not possessing a Humanoid Form]
Argus quickly read the message, and his frustration deepened. The system's restriction was due to Sylvan lacking a humanoid form. Without a form that could interact effectively in combat, the system deemed the skill unusable for the current Sylvan.
He realized that his hopes of relying on Soul Assimilation were dashed. Both Astrea and Sylvan were unusable in this way, leaving him to deal with the horde of undead by himself.
'Tsk... so there is also a restrictions on this skill, huh.'(Argus)
Argus refocused as he would have to rely on his own power to reach the bottom floor. He look at the coming horde of undead and began preparing to face them. Before that he allocated his free stats.
VIT: 374(+25)
STR: 390(↑50)
DEX: 330
INT: 310
Free Stats: 0(↓50)
Argus current battle stats including the buff of his skills:
VIT: 374+239
STR: 390+250
DEX: 330+211
INT: 310+198
'I cannot believe I forgot to turn on my buff because of those dungeon clearings.'(Argus)
Argus muttered as he look at his current stats.
'This should be enough for this level of undeads. Only those Silver and Golden Orb undead can pose a threat to me now.'(Argus)
"Astrea, Sylvan... Do not hold back. We need to clear it as fast as possible."(Argus)
'Yes!'(Astrea)
Astrea and Sylvan expression turned serious. Argus charged at the incoming undead with his Scythe. His dungeon clearing starts again.
'The one who cause this, you will pay for destroying the festival I was gonna enjoy.'(Argus)
***
{Unknown's POV}
Below the dungeon where Argus entered, the Guardian chamber lay deep below the dungeon was bustling with undead creatures. These creatures moved about with purpose, they are diligently performing the tasks assigned to them. The chamber was vast, its walls lined with ancient, dark stone that seemed to absorb the dim light emitted by flickering torches. In the very heart of this chamber, beyond rows of undead guards and piles of bones, stood a treasure room.
Inside this treasure room, a figure cloaked in darkness sat upon a throne crafted entirely from bones. The throne, a grotesque assembly of skulls and ribcages, loomed over the chamber, adding to the eerie atmosphere. The figure's features were completely hidden beneath the cloak, revealing nothing of its identity. It sat motionless, its attention solely fixed on the undead minions that shuffled about, fulfilling their grim duties.
"Tsk."
The cloaked figure muttered, breaking the silence.
"I was a bit late with our plans. It should probably not a problem. Anyway, the most important thing is that all the preparations are ready."
Its voice was low, tinged with a hint of frustration, though it quickly dismissed any further thoughts of delay. The figure's focus shifted to the center of the room, where the Dungeon Core pulsated with an ominous glow. The Dungeon Core, was surrounded by numerous Monster Orbs. These Orbs, from realms unknown, were filled with raw, untamed Mana, each glowing with a silver and golden color.
The Dungeon Core hungrily absorbed the Mana from the Orbs, its energy growing stronger with every passing moment. The figure watched intently as the Mana flowed into the core, its power increasing steadily. As the core consumed more Mana, a transformation began to take place. The once stable and dormant core now pulsed with life, its surface shifting and changing as it prepared to evolve into a higher-level dungeon.
The Guardian Chamber, the central hub of the dungeon, was the first to feel the effects of this transformation. The chamber began to expand, the walls slowly pushing outward, creating more space as it absorbed the influx of Mana. But the transformation didn't stop there. The entire dungeon, from its lowest depths to its uppermost floors, began to grow. The walls stretched, corridors extended, and new rooms formed as the dungeon itself started to expand, feeding off the ever-increasing power of the Dungeon Core.
The excess Mana that the Dungeon Core couldn't absorb didn't go to waste. Instead, it was converted into more undead creatures, which were immediately transported to the floors above. These newly formed undead joined the ranks of their brethren, ready to serve and protect the dungeon. The cloaked figure observed all of this with a sense of satisfaction, a hidden grin forming beneath its hood.
"This dungeon is nearly complete."
It mused quietly, its voice filled with a dark sense of anticipation.
"Once the upgrade is finished, I can finally set my plan into motion. I hope this experiment proves to be a success."
The figure's thoughts drifted to the chaos it was about to unleash. The plan to massacre the nearby village was merely a distraction, a small part of its grander scheme. Its true goal was far more sinister and dangerous, a plan that would, if successful, grant it the power to destroy entire cities.
"If I succeed, I'll have the power to wipe out a city with enough preparation. Zehahaha!" The figure's laughter echoed through the chamber, filled with dark excitement. The sound bounced off the stone walls, adding to the already oppressive atmosphere.
However, the figure was unaware that an intruder had already made their way into the dungeon above. As it meticulously reviewed its plans once again, making sure every detail was in place, it remained blissfully ignorant of the presence of a threat that could disrupt everything it had worked hard to achieve.