《The core of the jungle》 Fallen from the sky The projectile fell into the jungle like a meteor, disturbing all the wildlife. Birds, panthers, and reptiles, all shuddered as if their environment had changed forever. And it had. The rock fell deep into the forest, where no man had ever set foot. The impact was so violent that the surrounding trees and ferns were pulverized, burned by the fire caused by the impact, though the flames were soon extinguished by a downpour that shook the beasts even more. The projectile that had fallen from the sky, thrown by the serpent goddess Tlaloc, awakened its consciousness. ¡°What am I?¡± That was its first thought. It was a good question. It couldn¡¯t move, trapped in its own body. Nevertheless, it was fully aware of everything around it: the small embers being drowned by the rain, the dense plants that had shuddered at its presence, the creatures hiding slyly in the jungle¡¯s thickness. It thought of its mother, the goddess who had cast it from the heights. It remembered the time it had spent in her womb and the affection she had shown. Still, it was here, in the middle of nowhere, unable to move. ¡°What do you want from me, mother? How am I supposed to face this if I can¡¯t even move?¡± No response came. A loud thunderclap echoed through the storm now flooding the jungle. The consciousness of the rocky egg, now trapped halfway into the ground, thought about what it had to do. If it existed, there must be a purpose. It knew its mother was a goddess¡ªa deity wouldn¡¯t abandon one of her own. It tried to move, to escape its rocky prison. Nothing. Still motionless, frozen in the rock that eagerly absorbed the falling rain. The sky continued to thunder furiously. It was its mother. It wanted to scream at her to take it back, to return it to her womb, to sail through the clouds alongside her, but it was futile. Apart from the storm, no response came. Suddenly, sleep took over¡ªa lethargy it couldn¡¯t control, made worse by the droplets on its rocky body. With nothing else to do, its consciousness faded. It woke again to a blazing sun. It could see the cracks caused by its impact, and a few leagues around, ceiba and cedar trees teeming with weeds and orchids filled its world. It could see no further. It tried to move again. Nothing. Any attempt to escape its stone cage was in vain. Then, something began to stir among the trees. Fear gripped its consciousness for long moments, the dread of the unknown and the helplessness of being unable to defend itself. It didn¡¯t know what to expect but was aware of the dangers such a place could harbor; the instinct its mother had passed down told it so. Suddenly, a small furry creature emerged from the nearby ferns. It was tiny, with dark orange fur. The fear it had felt soon turned to curiosity. Such a small creature couldn¡¯t harm it. ¡°A primate,¡± it thought immediately, for some strange reason recognizing the animal. The small monkey began walking around its world, moving its tiny feet between the cracks caused by the fall, observing the stone egg with curiosity, emitting light chirps. The consciousness trapped in the oval tried to move again, to scare or perhaps catch the animal that approached. Again, nothing happened. Before long, the primate came close enough to touch the rocky wall. Seeing nothing happen, it climbed skillfully, as if searching for an opening. Somehow, the creature¡¯s closeness provided sustenance to the consciousness. ¡°Life energy.¡± It had felt this same sensation upon waking, caused by the puddles and dew. Somehow, this gave it more nourishment, more motivation to stir inside, to free itself from the rock. The creature continued walking around it, as if it, too, felt invigorated by the proximity. It wagged its little tail in ecstasy and soon began to chirp and beat its chest with its insignificant hands. ¡°That¡¯s right, little one, give me your energy.¡± Then the consciousness realized: if there was a way to escape, it was by absorbing the energy of creatures like that. But it was going to need much more. Sensing its need, the small primate leapt from the top of the rocky shell and disappeared into the underbrush. It felt the cold of loneliness contrasted with the warmth of the afternoon. The wind rustled the leaves of the trees and underbrush around it, but the consciousness felt abandoned. Now a prisoner in that rock embedded in the jungle, it nostalgically remembered seeing the world below from its mother¡¯s eyes when she flew over valleys, jungles, and seas. Now its world was reduced to a small cracked space surrounded by vegetation in the middle of nowhere. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll give myself a name. If I can¡¯t do anything, but I exist, the least I can do is name myself.¡± It didn¡¯t know what its mother¡¯s name was or what she might have wanted to call it, so it decided to improvise. ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll be Leye,¡± it thought. Somehow, it felt like the right name, though there was no one to hear it. Soon the rain returned, drenching the world, and with it, the sounds of animals around. The sadness of loneliness was contrasted by the nourishment the rain provided. It felt stronger, though its attempts to move still failed. Suddenly, a screen appeared in its mind, visible as clearly as the ceiba trees around it in the night. Snake Egg: Leye Fallen Core of the Goddess Tlaloc This type of egg does not hatch, but absorbs nutrients from its surroundings, and is capable of growing indefinitely if it manages its resources wisely. Current Resources: Water-energy: 10/100 Controlled Creatures: 0 Structures: 0 Area of Influence: 0.5 leagues "Interesting. So this is my welcome, mother. A series of scribbles I barely understand. You could give me a little more information." Although Leye could comprehend the sudden information that appeared before him, he barely understood it all. Somehow, the figures gave him a sense of growth, but he couldn¡¯t see how he could overcome his current situation. He was still trapped in that inert body, over which birds and insects now began to walk with indifference, certain that nothing would happen after the initial impact. The next day, however, things began to change. The "water-energy" had increased to 20 points, thanks to the exceptional downpour that hadn''t allowed him to rest, and now he felt he could tremble slightly, scaring off the insects that tried to crawl on the rock. The ants that tried to build nests under his surface, competing with beetles, were flung away. Although the movement wasn''t strong enough to intimidate the vultures and parrots pecking at his surface, it was something. "Now I just need it to rain." Soon the monkeys returned. This time, a small group of five monkeys, all with orange fur, like the one that had already visited, and which was among them. The primates began to walk on his surface, hitting his rocky wall with small stones, as if hoping they could peel her, like a giant fruit. "Is this the fate you want for me, mother?¡ªhe thought with his pride shattered.¡ªFor a bunch of primates to mock me?" Despite the humiliation he felt, the presence of the monkeys provided him with energy, food. Even though there was no rain, and it was a cloudy day in the jungle, his water-energy points began to rise slowly. About two per hour. He saved them. If he tried to move and "shed" her rocky surface, not only would he waste them, but he would also scare off the entertained monkeys that were now contributing to his nourishment. He remained calm. Now things had another perspective. The text before his eyes clearly showed it. ¡°This type of egg does not hatch, but absorbs resources from its surroundings, and is capable of growing indefinitely.¡± Leye knew that now he had to remain calm and endure the annoyance of a few primates pounding his surface. When he grew, if he ever managed to escape this state of helplessness, he would decide whether to control or eliminate those creatures. The small clan of monkeys hammered at his surface for several hours, scratching his shell furiously, to no avail. Soon they grew bored, and just before dusk, they disappeared into the underbrush again. The water-energy points on his screen had increased to 18. Not bad for a group of primates, although their presence was more annoying than the rain, and they provided fewer resources. He decided to do nothing. he would save those energy points to control a creature when the time came. The name of the game now was patience. That night, it didn¡¯t rain. Puzzled, Leye waited for the thunder sent by her mother or some other sky deity to provide the nourishment he craved, but it didn¡¯t come. Suddenly, an unbearable pain began to emerge in the lower part of his structure. "What the hell?" Although he couldn¡¯t see it, he perceived it clearly. It was as if a hook was slowly penetrating the lower part of his "body," with ten times more force than the blows the monkeys had given him that afternoon. "Mother, make it stop, for heaven¡¯s sake." It didn¡¯t stop. On the contrary, as the hours passed, Leye felt as though at least five spears were penetrating his interior, slow but sure. The pain was so strong that he was certain he would die. Suddenly, he realized that if he directed some energy points to the places where he was being pierced, the pain lessened. He began to spend them, draining them without hesitation, only to see the pain return after a while. "I have to get out of here!" He knew he couldn¡¯t. His body was embedded in the earth almost halfway, and in any case, it was a rock that could only move on sloped terrain. Everything around him was as flat as the surface of the sea. Water-energy: 0/100 He was out of resources, but the pain didn¡¯t stop. The rain and the creatures he now missed didn¡¯t appear, as if sensing his need. The strange things now penetrating his interior continued to advance toward his core with each passing hour, increasing the pain. He knew it was the end. Thinking of his mother and the happy time he had spent inside her, when everything was simpler, he surrendered to the silence and the pain that shattered both his interior and his rocky surface. His last thought was for her, as she saw the roots now emerging around him, reaching his core, his consciousness. In his agony, he wondered if he, too, had had to go through this before becoming the proud being that galloped through the clouds with elegant reptilian movements, while distant thunder heralded a powerful storm. Visitors... He awoke in the darkness, with a tempest falling as if the sky was about to break. Around him, the mud and puddles were so high they almost covered his entire rocky body. Leye focused on the screen that provided information about his current state. His water and energy points had increased to twenty-five. Then he remembered everything: the suffering caused by the subterranean intruders who had pierced his being, and the pain that left him unconscious. They were still there, but the extreme pain was now merely a nuisance. The prolonged rest must have increased his tolerance to the multiple branches embedded in his interior. Soon, daylight returned, giving way to a relentless sun, and with it, the parrots and macaws arrived. Although they provided much less energy than the monkeys, their presence and the touch of their feet on his rocky surface rejuvenated him. "It''s incredible that I survived. Not only did my consciousness remain, but now I feel more powerful." Then he noticed something he hadn''t perceived before due to the bewilderment of his survival. His area of influence had expanded to a league. Not only that. The branches that had pierced Leye were now part of his core and allowed him to see through three nearby trees, like small watchtowers at his disposal. He saw leagues filled with trees, much taller than those he now controlled, blocking his vision. But it was something. A thought came to his mind, probably transmitted by the infinite wisdom of his mother. "Whenever there are two nearby entities, one tends to prey on the other. There will always be a struggle for power between two beings that coexist." He thought about the trees he now controlled. They had tried to dominate him when he entered their territory, but the victory was his. He spent a significant portion of the energy points the downpour had granted him to study their branches, trunks, and leaves. He extended his consciousness to them. They were large and lush, especially the one in the middle of the other two. Weeds and other shrubs grew around them, full of beetles and ants. "I can''t do anything to eliminate them. I''ll use them to my advantage." Now that he had a bit of energy at his disposal, along with what the birds walking on his shell provided, he tried to move. Again, he managed to tremble a bit, causing small waves in the puddle around him, but not enough to scare the parrots away. His energy dropped to ten points as he studied the ceiba trees, whose leaves moved indifferently in the afternoon wind. Instinctively, he knew that if he gave them some of his energy, their fruits and leaves would grow faster. He kept observing. The "0" on his screen in the "creatures" section sparked his curiosity. He knew that at some point, he could control the insects, monkeys, birds, and other creatures that came within his reach, but he didn''t know how. He also didn''t know if he would gain that power before something destroyed him. "These ceiba trees were about to erase my consciousness. Even though I was the one who eventually controlled them, if they had attacked a bit faster, perhaps the story would be different," he thought, as he felt more and more birds walking on his body. "But if more powerful beasts or humans come, my existence will be at risk. I will need to evolve soon, or I''ll be doomed." He recalled the human cities he had seen from his mother''s womb: huge cities full of pyramids and stone walls, along with groups of armed men riding felines; they moved in large groups and fought among themselves. If he were discovered by one of them before he was ready, he''d be lost. He wondered if he could extend his consciousness to thinking beings like those. "I''d better focus on controlling the monkeys for now. If I somehow find a way to handle their small bodies to bring me resources, I¡¯ll be able to grow quickly and be prepared for any attack." If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The prospect was good, but he had to work with what he had now and use wisely the few water and energy points at his disposal. "We barely escaped," Nilu whispered among the bushes, holding his sword tightly. "Shh. Don¡¯t say a word. We don¡¯t know if they¡¯re still close by," Naya sighed with eyes wide open, her bow fully drawn. The girl ran like never before, and sweat still beaded on her forehead. Her sobs were barely audible. The three companions had spent at least an hour in those thorny brambles. They remained silent a while longer, but seeing that nothing happened, they crept out. They were at the forest¡¯s edge, covered in mud so the jaguars from the Eyen squad couldn''t track them. "It''s going to get dark," Vidul said, sheathing his two daggers into his belt. "I think we can head to the nearest village." "I don''t think it''s a good idea, brother. Those guys seemed determined to catch us, and I don¡¯t think the darkness will stop their hunt. It¡¯s better to delve into the jungle for a while," Nilu sheathed his sword under his cloak but remained vigilant, taking advantage of the last rays of light. "I''m sure we can hunt a snake to avoid starving." "If they don''t hunt us first." In the end, they did as he said. He was their group leader, and so far, his decisions had kept them alive, both inside and outside the dungeons. The path became denser as they advanced, but they didn¡¯t stop for at least three hours when the density of trunks and branches barely allowed them to move forward. Naya, the best tracker on the team, soon spotted an anaconda and hunted it with a precise dart to its huge head. Nilu and Vidul used their weapons to clear the brush around them and lit a fire to cook the animal. Though the fire could reveal their position, it was unlikely that their enemies would come searching for them deep in the jungle. After a few days, they¡¯d probably get bored and leave them alone. The three trackers were experts at moving through the jungle since childhood, which allowed them to use it to their advantage, attacking enemies from the shadows and disappearing without a trace. "This is where the explosion occurred, isn''t it?" Vidul asked while chewing on a piece of grilled meat. "I think so, but by now the branches have probably absorbed it. I doubt we¡¯ll find more than a piece of moon rock. It¡¯s best not to stray too far from the Anen valley. After all, there are several dungeon portals we can loot once the Eyen squads lower their guard. Although they¡¯re fierce, they don¡¯t have the numbers to clear so many portals quickly." "My lord, it¡¯s a sensible idea. But many times, those meteors bring materials we could sell at high prices in the markets, and they might even surpass the energy gems the portals offer, not to mention we wouldn¡¯t risk so much against enemy troops." There was no reply. Nilu knew his companion was right. Although they¡¯d have to travel many leagues in rough terrain, they were skilled enough to cross it while the enemies pursued them and return to the valley once they had given up. "What do you think, Naya? I don''t think the plan is that far-fetched," he said after a while, once he¡¯d satisfied his hunger. The escape had barely left him with any energy. "We could investigate." And that''s what they did. After resting for a while, they ventured deeper into the jungle. The mud on their bodies kept the mosquitoes at bay and protected them from being detected by the jaguars, which they could easily dispatch, but weren''t their target. The only jaguars they were interested in were those from the portals, whose magical teeth and skins sold very well in the markets. As they moved cautiously among the ferns, they began to talk about the country''s situation. After all, they still had several leagues to go before reaching the spot where the meteor had fallen two nights earlier. Nilu had heard the boom just as they were exiting a level 3 portal, which had left them with a few gems that wouldn''t even cover the cost of repairing their weapons. "I think our country will soon be annexed by the empire, without any way to avoid it," Vidul said, routinely cutting through the brush with his daggers. "You¡¯ve seen the size of their squads. They have at least six men, all with level-five auras. There are few warriors who can face such a threat. Not to mention the huge jaguars they ride; I¡¯ve never seen creatures that big." "It was predictable," Naya replied, who was right behind him. Nilu brought up the rear, ready with his sword for any threat. "Ixtul is much larger and more powerful than our little country. Besides, they''re allied with the Eyen mercenaries. We stand no chance." The group leader sighed. It was true. Since they had decided to venture into their lands, they¡¯d done nothing but push their forces further into the jungle. Not to mention, they¡¯d taken control of most of the portals appearing in their lands, killing the local trackers who dared to clear them. They massacred them as they emerged, exhausted from the portals, stealing their loot. "We¡¯ll have to fight with what we have," he told his companions, trying to boost their spirits. "A country isn''t defeated as long as its people''s spirit remains unbroken." They continued advancing throughout the next morning until they reached where the meteor had fallen. It was a huge stone, with a greenish, scaly shell like a crocodile''s skin, and about half the size of a house. Around it, the trees and shrubs had burned from the impact, though a good number of branches and saltpeter had already settled in the surrounding terrain, and some colorful birds walked on the mound as if drawn to it. "It''s beautiful," Naya whispered. "It is, but be careful. Don''t touch it; we don''t know what it''s made of or if it might contain some demonic spirit," Nilu cautioned, weapon in hand. His companions also drew their weapons unconsciously, as if someone might be watching them from afar. Once they felt safe, they began to move slowly toward the rock. Somehow, they felt drawn to it, captivated by its beauty and the energy it emitted. Invaders. "Impossible," Leye thought, perplexed. "How is it possible that humans have managed to infiltrate this remote place so soon?" The core had been able to observe the three people long before they reached him, through the trees that he controlled in increasing numbers. Still, there was little he could do. "Two men and a woman. Warriors. Mother, please get me out of this." The three approached with their swords and bows at the ready, as if someone were going to attack them. Although his energy points had increased, he could barely control a pair of parrots that had perched on his body. He couldn''t even control the apes that were nearby. He considered attacking the intruders with the birds, but it was useless. The woman with the bow would kill them long before they reached her, and he would be left without sight of his surroundings. "Approach cautiously," said one of the men, who seemed to be giving orders to the others. "I can feel immense magical energy emanating from this place." The three beings approached and surrounded Leye, curiously observing the branches now sprouting from the ground around him. When they saw there was no danger, they sheathed their weapons and began touching his scaled surface. "I''m sure more than one lord would be willing to pay a fortune for this... specimen," said one of the men, but the other didn''t seem to agree. "There''s no mineral to profit from, except that it''s clearly a rarity. Besides, you tell me how we''re supposed to get this thing out of the depths of the jungle." There was no reply. Leye could do nothing but watch. He cursed his luck. If the first explorers had arrived, it was only a matter of time before a larger group of humans came with their wooden machines to extract him. "I¡¯ll end up in some museum as a trophy. My story ends here." H However, the woman with them finally spoke after circling the core for a while, studying its rough surface. "It¡¯s emanating too much magical energy to be a lunar rock. I think it''s a power core," the woman said, studying the branches beneath the stone. "Power core? What the hell are you talking about, Naya?" said the man who had suggested removing Leye from there. "You know, the source that gives power and resources to the portals we raid. This one seems to be in a gestation state, but the masters speak of cores even in some of the most powerful cities of Ixtul, which could very well be highly powerful dungeons themselves." "Damn, she knows too much." "Sounds interesting. I wonder if there''s any way to use it to our advantage. I mean, now that no one else has found it, I see no need to sell it to some merchant, only for it to eventually end up in the hands of our enemies," said the man who seemed to be the leader. "I agree, my lord. It also seems to have adapted very well to the terrain. Do you know if there''s any way to communicate with this thing, Naya?" The woman shrugged as she handed her bow to the man in the green hood. "I¡¯ll try." The woman placed a hand on the center of the rock and began to chant magical words in a language Leye didn¡¯t understand. Suddenly, he felt connected to the human, whose eyes began to glow like two torches. "Who are you, and what are you doing in our lands?" "What am I? That¡¯s a good question, as I¡¯m not even sure myself. I think I¡¯m the egg of a goddess." Although the woman continued to speak in a strange language, Leye seemed to understand her... but on another plane. "How long have you been here? Give us a good reason to consider something like you as an ally... or we¡¯ll deal with you." "I have no side. I just appeared, that''s all. But you can bet that if you help me, I¡¯ll use my abilities to your advantage. At first, I couldn¡¯t control anything, but now some trees and small creatures are at my disposal. I¡¯m sure I can expand, which could benefit you in some way." The woman removed her hand from the rocky surface of Leye, which remained embedded in the ground like a dragon''s egg, with pools of water and large roots surrounding it. "Now I¡¯m sure this is a dungeon core," she told the others as her eyes returned to normal. "My mana points skyrocketed while I touched it... as did my energy." The men looked at Leye with keen interest as the woman now examined the terrain, from which the creatures had disappeared due to the humans¡¯ presence, although Leye could sense some apes in the nearby bushes, watching with curiosity. The leader of the three looked at the woman again, stroking his square jaw. "If it''s a core... it could start creating structures, halls, and traps, like the dungeons we find in the portals, right?" "I believe so, sir. Although I¡¯m not entirely sure. There are cores that never reach such capacity, just as there are others capable of creating empires if they are not stopped in time." "Interesting, dear Naya. I think we might get something out of our little incursion, as long as we manage to keep all of this a secret. Communicate with it again. Ask if it¡¯s willing to cooperate, and we''ll certainly do what we can to accelerate its growth." And so she did. Over the next half hour, the woman spoke frankly with Leye. They turned out to be dungeon hunters, whose portals had begun appearing in their country a few years ago, sparking envy and interest from a powerful regional force, which had invaded them because of it. "I didn''t know the human communities I saw from my mother¡¯s womb were so complex, but it seems these budding beings could prove quite useful to me." H "He explained that water and the presence of animals seem to increase his energy points," the girl told her companions once she stepped away from Leye. "He asked us to test this by bringing water from a nearby stream, as well as some live creatures we can capture, to see if his power indeed increases." "Very well, I¡¯ll go," said the man in the cloak. "I¡¯ll fill my canteen. You two wait here." He disappeared into the undergrowth after saying this. "Don¡¯t you think if he can control the apes and birds... he could control us too, Naya?" The man with the sword seemed worried. "It¡¯s possible, sir, but not to the same extent that he controls animals. He could influence us to be friendly toward him, but not bend our will to his whims. Or at least, that''s how the shamans explain cores work. You know they tend to be secretive about their matters." After a while, the third man returned with his container full of water. They poured it into the ground around Leye. "Your water-energy points have increased by five." The message appeared on Leye¡¯s bluish interface. He felt indescribable pleasure at receiving the liquid, a sense of well-being that he didn¡¯t experience with rainwater. A cluster of ferns and branches sprouted rapidly around him, an instant germination. The woman touched the surface again and then urged her companions to do the same. Leye watched with satisfaction as their faces lit up at the mana he provided. "Seems like I¡¯m not so lost after all." "This is incredible," said the man in the hood. "I feel like I''ve had a restful sleep, and all from just touching this thing for a moment. This really is magic." "I feel the same, Vidul. And you saw how the plants grew around it. I think this is getting interesting." The man in the hood kept bringing water in quick trips, while the woman and the swordsman cleared the brush around the core. Somehow, Leye knew they were going to need rocks to start preparing for expansion. "Bring me as many as you can," he told the woman. They brought wet stones of various sizes and placed them next to the rocky egg that made up the core. Leye focused intently, and suddenly, a stone pillar emerged from the ground, with a snake-shaped face. "Did I create that? Or was it you, Mother?" Fallen core of the goddess Tlaloc. This type of egg doesn¡¯t give birth, but absorbs nutrients from its surroundings, and can grow indefinitely if it knows how to manage its resources. Current resources: Water-energy: 100/200 Controlled creatures: 2 feathered birds. Structures: 1 Area of influence: 3 leagues. "So now I have a structure in my favor," Leye thought, feeling slightly tired as he watched the humans stare in astonishment at the structure that had appeared out of nowhere. "Although I still don''t control these people." "By all the heavens," said the leader, still gazing at the pillar. "We created a structure in a matter of minutes. Carving a pillar like this would take months, if not years. This is incredible." "Indeed. Though I¡¯ve never seen this deity before, my lord." "It must be its mother," the girl said. "Somehow, it must control the structures born from its core." "Mother or goddess," said the leader, the burly man with the sword. "We¡¯ll use it to our advantage. I think we''re going to have a lot of fun. I hope building dungeons comes as naturally to them as looting them." The humans smiled at their master''s words. Somehow, Leye felt the same. The game had just begun. "Will these beings end up controlling me? Or will it be the other way around?"
Tlaloc moved her graceful body amidst the clouds, as the thunder echoed in the distance and the rain pelted her face. The serpent-shaped goddess had access to two worlds: Tulta, the world of endless jungles, and Exeral, the world of eternal snows, which the dwarven gods had gradually taken over and barely allowed her to visit anymore. She returned drenched to her jungles, where, despite her efforts, she had never managed to thrive. Rival gods, like the feathered Merdu, had caused several cities to prosper in the few valleys of that forested world, and now they relegated the other gods to the most hostile territories. With the energy the game master had granted her, she had managed to leave three eggs hidden in places inaccessible to the other gods. If any of them discovered her precious eggs in their vulnerable state, they would destroy them. Only if their cores reached adulthood could they defend themselves, but even then, with the power the other gods had amassed, they wouldn''t stand much of a chance. One had already been destroyed¡ªthe one she had deposited in the caves of Landon, in the far north of the country. Somehow, a god had discovered it and obliterated it with a devastating lightning bolt. Two remained: one she had hidden at the bottom of the mighty Uth River, which was her hope, and the one in the jungle, from which she didn¡¯t expect much, as it was close to a powerful country, full of powerful adventurers on the hunt. At that moment, she flew near the jungle, so she decided to take a look, moving her colossal green body through the clouds. "It can''t be," she thought, observing the small map in the middle of the jungle with her keen eyes. There were already some stone buildings around the core. "It¡¯s been discovered by humans, but somehow it seems to be thriving." Excited, she sent Divine Energy points to the area to accelerate its growth. She would be left exhausted, but it was a gamble worth taking. ******* "I can''t believe this is considered a dungeon," Orec said as he sheathed his sword. He had already massacred most of the enemies with his greatsword while riding his jaguar. The men would take care of the rest. "The portals that emerge in this country match their level." "There are those who say that''s exactly how they''re designed," Yowo said beside him, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Lately, she''d become more haughty. Orec suspected it was because of her beauty. All the men in his squad drooled over her, but of course, only he could enjoy her curves and ferocity, though he wouldn¡¯t tolerate her turning against him. "Well, I find it boring. I want to get out of this estate." Normally, he and his group would have waited for the exhausted Anen hunters to exit the portal, ready to ambush them and steal their loot. But this time, Orec himself had rallied his men to enter early and attack right there. The timing had been perfect: his fierce warriors fell on the enemy''s rear just as they were struggling with the dungeon boss and his entourage¡ªa group of muscular, green-skinned orcs in a sandy valley. The poor hunters stood no chance, caught between the Eyen squad at their back and the weakened orcs. Orec himself had charged into the fray with his diamond sword, slaying the dungeon boss, a hulking orc archer, and claiming the monster''s experience for himself. He then took out the strongest anaita warriors, tripling his experience in the process. He needed no more, so he left the remaining monsters and hunters to his men and the beautiful girl at his side. He¡¯d let them divvy up the loot too. He couldn''t be too greedy; otherwise, his men might turn on him eventually. "A few more portals like this and a few more defeated natives, and I''ll be the most powerful chief of all the Eyen squads. It won¡¯t be long before I¡¯m named Quartermaster Chief of the Guild, and I can leave this mosquito-infested hellhole," he thought as he watched his men ruthlessly looting the orc corpses, their greenish blood splattered across the canvas tents. "But I¡¯d better keep that to myself. Envy can arise even among my men, especially with this beauty beside me. Her curves and flawless white skin don''t fool me¡ªshe¡¯s as ambitious, if not more so, than I am. I need to proceed cautiously." Being the leader of a mercenary squad wasn''t easy. In a nest of piranhas, if you wanted to rise, you had to be discreet in how you gained power. That way, by the time others noticed your strength, there¡¯d be nothing they could do about it. He glanced at the girl beside him, who, from atop her white panther, watched her loyal men gather gold. Her bare legs were incentive enough for the men to strive in battle. Yowo knew this well and kept their relationship hidden from the others. That suited Orec just fine. He enjoyed her ferocity in bed but didn¡¯t see her as a woman to cherish. She was an ally, but he knew that the privileges of her beauty were probably shared with other men as well. "So be it. I only need her skills with a short sword to gain a bit more experience, and then I can discard her like any other dungeon monster." He thought. "Hurry up!" he suddenly shouted to his men, as if an urgent inner voice had spurred him on. "The portal will close in a few hours. Take as much gold as you can from these creatures, though it doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s much. But you''d better be quick if you don¡¯t want to get trapped in this wretched portal." Once he was sure there was nothing left to oversee, he left the portal, returning to the jungle landscape of Anen, where there were barely any valleys to traverse. "My feminine intuition was right," Yowo said, riding her panther beside him as they neared the camp. "We should''ve gone to the northern portal. We didn¡¯t find anything valuable here, except for the meager experience from the creatures. And you took it all." She was right. However, the other portal was in the dense jungle. Somehow, Orec didn¡¯t feel comfortable in such dense terrain, though his panther could easily navigate it. "It was an opportunity I couldn''t pass up," he said with a shrug. "I promise you''ll get all the big monsters in the next portal." Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. By now, the girl was almost as strong in experience and weaponry as Orec himself¡ªa privilege the squad leader had allowed her in exchange for other benefits. But she stood no chance against him in an open fight, so he could let her gather power up to a point. Then, as they neared the main camp, he felt it. A wave of energy unlike anything he¡¯d felt in this country. Only in the largest portals of Ixtal had he experienced such magical energy. It came like a breeze of pleasant scents suddenly filling his nose, accompanied by a rush of memories. "Do you feel that?" he asked the girl, who had undoubtedly felt it too. "Yes," she replied quietly, as if afraid their flanking men might overhear. "It seems to be coming from deep within the jungle, from where that projectile fell from the sky a few nights ago." Orec looked in that direction, where a forest as dense as midnight loomed before them. "Damn, I hate the jungle," he thought, feeling his greed intensify. "But that¡¯s too much magical energy. I can¡¯t pass up this chance." He chose to stay silent, pretending nothing was amiss. That night, while his men got drunk in the camp, celebrating the slaughter in the orc portal, he drank just enough. When his desires demanded it, he led Yowo to his tent, and intoxicated by her beauty, he removed the short clothes she wore for battle and took her with the same fervor he had when slaying his enemies earlier that day. After their passionate encounter, he held her, stroking her shoulder. Outside the tent, he could hear the voices of his drunken men. "I can still feel the magical energy from where we passed," he told Yowo, who was still catching her breath from their fervent encounter. "We''ll definitely have to go, but we should do it alone. I thought about not telling you, but I think I¡¯ll need your help." She simply sighed. "Fine, but we¡¯d better do it at dawn, when the men won¡¯t suspect anything. Just be a bit more generous with the experience we find there." Orec agreed. If it turned out to be a challenging dungeon, they could always retreat. Something told him that the loot they¡¯d find would save them many months of fighting in other dungeons against the local natives. "I must achieve my goal at the lowest cost, and this seems like the perfect opportunity." He wasn¡¯t thrilled about having to share the experience with Yowo, but he knew her help would secure their victory. In any case, with the power gained there, he¡¯d still be stronger than her, and he probably wouldn¡¯t see her again after that mission. Filled with excitement, he turned her around and took her again, sealing their alliance. She seemed more willing than ever. Nilu felt exhausted, but happy. He had spent most of the day like a farmer, using his combat sword to cut down unnecessary plants and trees around the core. Whenever he ran out of energy, he placed his hand on the rocky egg, and it would provide him with more. By the time he finished the work, however, he threw himself onto the ground beside the egg and enthusiastically observed the surrounding terrain, ready to place the stones the core had requested. After a while, his companions, Vidul and Naya, returned. They were carrying several pendants that had undoubtedly given them the energy to return there so quickly. The magical gems embedded in the jewelry gleamed in the depths of the jungle. "So? How did the mission go?" he asked as they both unloaded their weapons near the small stone house they had created in less than a day. "Easier than we thought," the man said, sitting next to his leader. Although he didn''t seem tired, Nilu noticed his companion''s lack of energy only when he got closer. "I never thought that two people could clear a level three portal on their own. This is incredible, though I must admit that most of the dirty work was done by Naya with her magic arrows. The trolls in the dungeon were smarter than we would have liked, but our skilled warrior positioned herself on top of a hill and took them out without much trouble. My job was mining and looting." Nilu knew his friend was being modest. While everything he said about the archer''s skill was true, a level-three dungeon wasn''t cleared solely with the abilities of one warrior. No doubt Vidul''s magical and slowing attacks had been necessary. That would explain his low mana level, which he was now replenishing rapidly since sitting next to Leye, as the girl had told them the core was named. "From what I see, you haven''t been idle either, my lord," she said after coming out of the small house where she had left the jewelry and mana gems. As the days had passed, her companions had cleared the nearby dungeons, which, thanks to the core''s magic, they could track more easily while remaining hidden from the dangerous Eyen squads. "We already have the space we need to get to work." "That''s right," Nilu thought with satisfaction, as he looked at the small space where he had been clearing the undergrowth. Beside the house and other pillars with snake faces that the core had created to honor its goddess, a small wall the size of a bull had risen around the rocky egg, giving it symbolic protection. With the mana gems his companions had obtained, soon that wall would be high enough to fully protect the core. "Rest as much as you need; you must be exhausted. The jungle has provided us with some rabbits for food. Soon, the real work will begin." His companions sighed but followed his instructions. They started a fire, and in no time, they were roasting the meat, its aroma piercing Nilu''s senses. "I hadn''t realized how old I''m getting until I enjoyed staying here, setting up camp, more than going out to clear portals in the valley with you. Did you notice any significant changes in them?" "No, sir," said Vidul. "The monsters are just as fierce, and some, the higher-level ones, have complex and difficult terrain to navigate. We need to assess the situation beforehand rather than rush in like wild beasts. Other than that, the monsters fall to our spells and give us as much mana and loot as always." Nilu nodded, looking around curiously. At that moment, the place they now called camp looked like a pigsty full of puddles and half-finished stones. But the leader of the small anaita squad saw everything with different eyes¡ªthe eyes of the future: soon, that place would be a true fortress, a labyrinth that would make reaching the core impossible. They would only need enough mana gems, along with hard work and effort. "No, this will be much more than a fortress. It will be a city¡ªan imperial city covered and protected by the jungle." He thought, excited. Once they finished eating, they followed their routine from the past few days. Naya, who was the only one who could communicate with Leye, placed her hand on the rock, and after a moment, she began drawing on a flat stone with charcoal, following the map that the core suggested to start building around it. "It doesn¡¯t seem very complex, though it will demand more work than we''ve done so far. We¡¯d better make the most of what¡¯s left of the day. Something tells me we need to have this wall ready as soon as possible." "Yes, sir. Apparently, Leye has a bad feeling, too. He says he hopes we complete these walls so that by morning, we can start on the second level." "Alright, let¡¯s get to work." The rest of the day, they focused on building the walls that the core had demanded. Although it seemed like a simple task, they had to rest every now and then. The three hunters channeled their energy with outstretched hands until, little by little, the small stone blocks started to materialize, stacking themselves as they appeared. They hadn''t even reached the halfway point when night fell. "We¡¯d better rest a bit. It¡¯s time to regain energy naturally. I¡¯m sure that by now, even the core needs to rest," Nilu told his men. "I''ll take the first watch. I''ll wake you up in a few hours, Vidul." And so they did. Night arrived with heavy rains, so the leader also moved away from the core to take shelter in the house they had already built. Suddenly, the sense of foreboding he had felt manifested as a tangible wave of energy. Something or someone, visibly powerful, was headed their way. He instinctively grabbed his sword. A battle was coming. They would have to step over his and his companions'' corpses before they could take the core.
Leye was overflowing with happiness. His mana points, or "waterenergy" as they appeared on his interface, kept rising. Now that he had three humans linked to his center of gravity, his mana was doubling every minute. Moreover, the constant rain continued to grant his good waves of experience, which he channeled to the three hunters. "I hope they don''t betray me and actually build the walls that will save me from other adventurers." It was the deepest part of the night, and the leader of the human heroes had gone to sleep in the small stone house they had created, which now served as their armory. In his place, Naya had sat beside Leye''s rocky ground to keep watch through the night. Of the three outsiders who now made up his group of warriors, he was the one Leye liked the most. It was obvious, as she was the only one who could communicate with him, indicating how to build the walls around him in a way that would be more effective in an eventual defense. Leye began to tremble. The girl knew that whenever the core did this, it wanted to communicate with her. So, she placed her hand on it to enter the telepathic plane. Although Leye understood some words of the hunters'' language, there were still many gaps, which frustrated him. "Have you been to other dungeons?" Leye asked the woman as she observed the small half-built stone walls around him. "I understand that you¡¯re hunters. I suppose, even if you''re low-level, you must have looted several. And I bet at least one of them impressed you." The girl seemed amused by Leye''s question. "You can bet we''ve been through several portals. Lately, our level has gone up a lot, but the ones we''ve looted so far have been average low-level. They don''t go beyond level three. Some are dazzling¡­ and terrifying." "So, what level am I right now?" "You haven¡¯t even reached level one, but I think you''re just a few hundred experience points away from hitting it." Leye hadn¡¯t realized how vulnerable he was until that moment. These people could have overpowered him, but for some strange reason, they had left him alone, and now they were helping him grow. Was that kind of luck just random, or was his mother behind it? He wondered how much power a goddess like that wielded. "I can''t help but ask why you helped convince your companions to help me¡­ instead of selling me in some human market." She sighed before responding. "You have no idea how cumbersome it can be to move a rock of your size in a place like the jungle. While the people of Anen are known for our ability to travel great distances through the jungle, it''s still complicated to move a rock of your size, especially with so many enemy hunter squads around. On the other hand, the prospect of creating a dungeon is never a bad thing. Who knows? We might build a true walled city around you, which could, in turn, control many cities nearby. I think being part of something like that excites my companions as much as it excites me." "That makes sense. I suppose building cities the traditional way, without the help of a core, isn''t as fun." "You can bet it''s not." "I guess it makes sense to want to create a portal after raiding several. Tell me about one that was difficult to loot with your friends and that also impressed you. I want ideas for the dungeon." She thought for a moment, her eyes gleaming at the rock. "Not long ago, we were in a huge portal, an ancient forest where dinosaurs were the main monsters, although there were also some naga and blue dragons, which turned out to be harder to defeat than we expected." "A forest? It didn¡¯t have any structures to protect the core?" "No. Just the forest''s density. In this case, the core was a creature, a red tyrannosaurus the size of a castle. The bastard almost devoured us. We call that a wild dungeon. This one was low-level since those that have intelligent monsters building structures usually require larger groups of hunters to clear." "Or more powerful hunters." "Indeed. Although I see where your question is headed. You want to know what kind of buildings we could create around you. Something striking." "Striking, but above all, secure. I wouldn''t mind if it looked like an old cave or the slums of a human city, as long as it''s a nightmare for adventurers to navigate. But if it can kill intruders effectively and look stylish too, all the better." The girl pondered for a while, staring at the ground. "We were in a dungeon on a frozen mountain. The building where the boss, a steam technology mage, was located had five levels, with the difficulty increasing as we climbed. As you can imagine, at the top was the mage himself, surrounded by deadly traps. Even so, our previous experience and Vidul''s revealing spells allowed us to come out victorious, with a good amount of mana gems." That seemed like a good idea. "I think that sounds pretty good. A building with multiple floors, with me at the top." "That¡¯s going to be a bit tricky since you¡¯re anchored to the ground. But we could build a pyramid, where the higher floors are the easiest levels, and as they descend, they become more complex." Leye agreed with the idea. After all, she didn''t want to lose her connection to the roots that pierced through her, allowing her to control more and more trees. The same trees that, at that very moment, felt a powerful presence approaching. Naya withdrew her hand from Leye''s rocky surface and stood up to look eastward, like a wolf sensing an approaching enemy pack. "For heaven''s sake, it¡¯s a truly powerful force," the core thought, starting to feel fear, a terror she hadn''t felt since those hunters who were now her allies had first entered her territory. "I¡¯d better wake the others," the girl said, and with a bang, she opened the wooden door of the house. "You¡¯d better grab your weapons; we have visitors!" The three warriors positioned themselves behind the few walls they had built around Leye, waiting for whatever was approaching. After a few minutes, two intruders emerged from the bushes, riding panthers with orange fur. "Eyen squads," Nilu whispered in his language. Leye understood from his tone that they were bad news. A burly man with shoulder-length hair wielding a sword in each hand and a pale, beautiful woman at his side. Her gaze was more ambitious than the beast she rode, and her two short, curved swords seemed to have no intention of being sheathed. "We know you''re there," the man said in a calm voice. "Show yourselves now, and maybe things won¡¯t go too badly for you." Nilu was the first to step out from behind one of the stone walls. His companions followed, keeping their weapons visible to the intruders. "Anaita hunters," the woman said, looking at the defenders with curiosity. "Though you don¡¯t really seem to be the source of so much energy." "We¡¯re more powerful than you might think, Ixtalites," Nilu replied, his voice unfriendly. "You¡¯d better leave. Believe me, you don¡¯t want to fight us. Not in the middle of the jungle." The woman burst into laughter. "You¡¯d better watch your words, vermin," she replied, glancing amusedly at the man with two swords. "A hunter as low-level as you wouldn¡¯t last even three minutes in a fight against us." "Maybe not in common terrain, but in our dungeon, there''s not much you can do against our power." "Dungeon?" The two intruders laughed in unison at this last remark. "Are you calling these three crumbling walls a dungeon? You must be more desperate than you look. I''m feeling generous today, so I''ll make you an offer I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t refuse: disappear into the underbrush like the forest rats you are. You have one minute if you want to keep your miserable lives for a few more days until we find you again." For a moment, Leye feared the worst. Despite his limited powers, he could sense that these intruders were much stronger than his allies, who stood their ground with clear trepidation. As the core analyzed the evident power of the intruders, the minute of mercy the enemy warrior had granted passed quicker than desired. "Very well, you inspired so much pity that we decided to give you a chance, but since you insist, we¡¯ll take that mysterious rock and the insignificant experience your corpses will give us," said the man as he leaped at Nilu without hesitation. Leye could see the surprise in the enemy''s eyes as he realized the swordsman was defending against his strikes with skill, though with effort. Suddenly, a voice resonated in Leye''s mind as his other allies struggled to survive the onslaught of the reddish-brown-haired female hunter. "Can you hear me, son? I am Tlaloc, the thunder-flying goddess." Leye felt an indescribable joy at hearing his mother''s voice for the first time, along with a surge of energy flooding into his being. "Mother? How wonderful to hear from you. Some words of encouragement wouldn''t hurt right now. As you can see, I''m in a bit of a tight spot." "I''m sorry, son, we¡¯re not allowed to speak to our cores until they surpass the initial levels. But I sensed you were in danger, so I used some bonus points I had to reach out to you," the voice sounded distant and deep, with an echo. "Listen, I¡¯ve just transferred a good amount of energy points to you. The adventurers are more powerful than the heroes on your side, but if you transfer the points immediately, your allies might stand a chance. Distribute them wisely, or you may not make it out of this. I don''t have any more points to keep communicating, but if you manage to reach level six, we''ll meet again. Good luck, son." His mother''s voice faded, but a message immediately appeared on his bluish interface. Leye looked at the creatures he controlled on the interface. Some represented the parrots and the monkeys he had managed to control with his energy, while others were the faces of the heroes now struggling to survive against the enemies. Although he knew the burly swordsman was the group leader, something told him he should allocate a greater amount to the archer, who deep down seemed to have more influence over the others. Using the interface, he allocated seventy points to her and forty to the other warriors. Instantly, he could perceive a sky-blue aura emanating from his allies, and another message appeared on his personal interface. Suddenly, the battle began to turn in favor of Leye¡¯s allies, who were now fighting with more skill than the enemies. With a swift slash, Nilu killed the beast the woman was riding by driving his sword into one of its eyes. The creature died with a heart-wrenching roar, but the adventurer leaped off the animal and continued fighting. Almost simultaneously, one of Naya¡¯s arrows struck the other panther¡¯s face, killing it instantly. Leye received a surge of mana and experience from the two fallen creatures. However, the enemies seemed to be fighting even better, now that they were on foot like the defenders. A reddish aura began to surround them, and Leye could feel their energy increasing. They were regaining the ground they had lost, pushing the three dungeon heroes back toward the core. ¡°Damn it, the only thing holding them back are Naya''s annoying arrows. If they reach her, it¡¯s all over.¡± The enemies seemed to sense unconsciously that the archer was the most powerful, and indeed, her arrows were making them fight with less precision. Nilu and Vidul did their best to keep the enemies at bay, but they fought with a fluidity they hadn¡¯t shown before. The allied mage struggled to use his obstruction spells, summoning plants from the ground to distract the invaders, but their level was too high to even notice them. Then, without warning, the female enemy adventurer allowed her companion to move ahead, spurred on by the adrenaline of the fight, and drove one of her short swords into his back. He turned to her, stunned. ¡°What have you done?! You damn bitch!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? I¡¯m getting rid of you, idiot.¡± The heroes defending Leye didn¡¯t waste the opportunity. They struck the wounded adventurer with empowered attacks simultaneously, and he died with a harrowing scream. Leye¡¯s mana and experience increased significantly as the enemy¡¯s body evaporated. The three allied warriors seemed invigorated by the death of one of their opponents, though the core could sense their fatigue. Their energy and mana levels were drained. The enemy woman appeared ready to keep fighting, but she stood with her swords raised, gazing mockingly at the three warriors, who also had their weapons at the ready but didn''t attack. ¡°Don¡¯t even try it, rookies,¡± she said, eyeing them all without flinching. ¡°Even though I¡¯m alone now, it wouldn¡¯t take much for me to finish you off. I¡¯d take your experience and that core you¡¯re so fiercely protecting.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t stand a chance,¡± Nilu replied, raising his sword. ¡°We¡¯ll give you one chance to leave. Do it now, or prepare to die in this desolate jungle.¡± The girl smirked but sheathed her swords, though she never took her eyes off the allied heroes. Her reddish aura also began to fade little by little. ¡°You don¡¯t even believe your own words, Anaita. In your current state, you couldn¡¯t repel even a band of monkeys; but it¡¯s your lucky day. Since you helped me get rid of this greedy idiot, I¡¯m willing to negotiate.¡± Leye was as perplexed as the heroes. Though he didn¡¯t dare intervene, he focused on his allies¡¯ expressions, who remained with their weapons ready. ¡°Negotiate? We have nothing to bargain with a filthy Ixtalite. While we speak, the territory is gradually restoring our energy. You have no chance, especially with your watchdog dead.¡± Vidul tried to sound threatening, but Leye knew he wasn''t fooling even himself. ¡°Oh, I bet you do,¡± the woman said calmly. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m no fool: I know what¡¯s behind you, and why you¡¯re so keen on defending it with your lives. It¡¯s a core. I could tell the moment I saw its shape. Now, I¡¯m sure that with my experience and yours, we could turn this little rock into a promising dungeon in no time.¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± the allied mage responded. ¡°This is just a treasure with some experience. And you can be sure we won¡¯t share it with a mercenary like you. Now, get lost the way you came¡­¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Nilu interrupted. ¡°You say you can help us expand this core. If it really were such a thing, how exactly would you help us?¡± The huntress sighed, though her eyes shone with ambition. ¡°Are you kidding? I¡¯m a powerful hunter, as I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already noticed. The idiot I just killed before your eyes wasn¡¯t even up to my ankles, but since he had the support of the other members of my squad, I hadn¡¯t been able to take him out. Now, I can claim he died in an ambush. If you allow me to bind myself to the core, I¡¯ll provide more experience than you novices could ever hope to. Not to mention my knowledge will help you forge more solid defenses. What do you say? It¡¯s that, or I leave and return tomorrow with an army to claim this core as a possession of the Ixtalite Empire. You decide.¡± The three heroes kept their eyes on the intruder, who stood calmly with a mocking smile, her hands on her hips. ¡°What she¡¯s saying is true,¡± Leye thought with a pang of fear in his core. ¡°Even though my allies have regained some energy, they wouldn¡¯t be able to catch this girl if she decides to leave now. We have no choice, and they know it too.¡± ¡°What you¡¯re saying is tempting,¡± Nilu finally said. He seemed as aware of the situation as Leye. ¡°But what guarantees us that you won¡¯t betray us, like you did with the other Ixtalite? Why are you so interested in expanding this core?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have to guarantee you anything. You know I could kill you right now and claim the core for myself. But it would take time to grow the structure, and I¡¯d have to stay hidden here for a long while, which would eventually prompt my colleagues to investigate.¡± The woman looked around in every direction as if studying the terrain¡¯s potential. ¡°With your help, I can leave and tend to other matters while you make my empire grow. I¡¯d have to share it, but it would definitely make the pie bigger.¡± The woman brushed a lock of hair away from her face. Leye thought she was genuinely attractive, even though her gaze brimmed with ambition. ¡°And as for why I want to grow the core, I think it¡¯s obvious. Who the hell doesn¡¯t like playing god?¡± The winged shadow of the forest. Leye was now protected by a stone dome. Thick rocky blocks covered the sphere in which he was trapped on all sides, except from above, where a halo of sunlight fell upon him. Through the trees he controlled, he observed the building the human hunters had constructed to protect him. It was an enormous dome, surrounded by several houses and four stone archers that acted as sentinels, vigilantly watching everything that approached. They were autonomous, although Leye could fire their rocky arrows at will. Fortunately, he hadn¡¯t had to put them to the test. Only the apes and macaws, attracted by his energy, visited. Within the range of the sentinels, the humans had built several marble wells, in which bluish mana rested, increasing the dungeon¡¯s energy regeneration per minute. Beyond the archers, there was a shrine dedicated to the goddess Tlaloc, which, once it received enough gems, could begin summoning creatures for defense. However, for the time being, it was only adorned with statues of the goddess and serpents of various species slithering from one place to another. They had also built a restoration hall and a resource warehouse to store treasures. Leye''s mind could travel through each of these places, inside and out. All the buildings were made of the same material and had small gargoyles shaped like serpents. The apes moved about, carrying fruit and carefully avoiding the snakes that hissed and flicked their tongues. "My beautiful dungeon is finally taking shape," he thought, satisfied. "Although, for some reason, I don¡¯t feel safe." This growth would not have been possible at such a pace if not for the experience granted by the strange huntress who had betrayed her companion and bonded with the core. Although the other humans also worked to gain experience in dungeons outside the jungle, they didn¡¯t send even a quarter of the experience the foreign warrior provided. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. "No doubt she could have handled the other heroes on her own. She only used them to get rid of the guy who came with her. The worst part is that I¡¯m under her power. I¡¯d better be very careful with that foreigner, at least until I¡¯m stronger." Regardless, her experience had been very useful. He appreciated the other group of heroes more, who were currently fighting in some high-level dungeon, but they weren¡¯t nearly as productive. The dungeon¡¯s heart decided it had enough mana to get to work while waiting for news from its allies, so it set to work. He focused all his energy on the shrine dedicated to his mother. He instinctively knew it was time to start creating monsters of his own. The humans had proven to be useful allies, but they were as fickle as the winds, and at any moment, they could betray or abandon him; it was best to be prepared. He began draining his mana points, which were just over five hundred at that moment, while directing all his concentration to the star-shaped altar in the center of the building. Among the marble columns and the snakes moving indifferently throughout the place, a light began to emerge a few meters above the ground. Leye started to weaken as he funneled all his energy and resources into that small corner of the dungeon. The snakes writhed and slithered faster as the light in the shrine grew stronger. When he had little more than ten energy points left, a message appeared on his interface: You have created your first monster! Nava''rel, the winged shadow of the dark forest. She will be under your control once she awakens. Level: One. Leye looked at the creature with pride, admiring her beautiful form. She resembled a human, with hair as black as night and small wings on her back, as well as sharp claws on her hands and feet. The harpy rested in a fetal position on the altar, surrounded by serpents. She slept peacefully and indifferently. "She¡¯s beautiful," he thought, admiring her perfect curves. She was as defenseless as the core had been the night it had fallen from the sky. "I feel weak, but it¡¯s been worth it. Now I just have to wait for the mana wells and the fruit the primates bring to give me some sustenance." He didn¡¯t like remaining in such a weakened state, but it was definitely worth it. In no time, that new asset would be as useful for defending the dungeon as for exploring new ones. Besides, he trusted his mother and his allies. It was only a matter of time before experience started flowing through the place again. Now, all that was left was to wait. The sinister wasteland. "We''d better hurry," said Naya, her voice steady, though her eyes betrayed fear. "Enemy squads could fall on us at any moment." The ground was covered in fog. The three companions were wrapped in brown woolen blankets, but the cold penetrated to their bones. After entering the level two portal, they had been walking for several minutes among the frailej¨®n plants, in a desolate moor where only the murmur of distant springs could be heard. "We don¡¯t have to worry unless the fights drag out and the monsters slow us down. We scouted, and there were no enemies for miles around. We have several hours," Nilu said, trying to sound confident to reassure his companions, though he felt uncertain himself. The portal seemed straightforward, but it could always hold surprises. They continued up the slope until they spotted the first group of enemies. They were human. They wore dark-colored woolen tunics that matched the tones of the terrain. At least twenty individuals advanced stealthily among the shrubs, and Naya managed to make out the spears and bows they carried. There were also riders mounted on long-necked, yellow-furred llamas. "They''re low level, but their numbers could be a problem," Vidul said, analyzing their ranks with an ability that made his eyes shine as he activated it. "I don''t think it''s wise to confront them directly." "Then we''ll do the Double Fang formation and use the frailej¨®n plants as a barrier to block their arrows and ambush them," Nilu decided. Like three weasels, the companions began feigning a retreat among the plants scattered across the hill. The portal monsters chased them, just as they expected. The riders advanced first, followed by spearmen and archers running almost as fast as the mounts. "They¡¯re too fast," Naya thought, with her bow at the ready, calculating her movements from behind one of the large shrubs to start firing. Despite her doubts, she soon struck the first one in the shoulder, though she didn¡¯t take him down. "If I don¡¯t take out enough of them, they¡¯ll surround us in a heartbeat." She knew her companions depended on her to complete this rift. Although Leye was sending them mana and abilities from the jungle dungeon, it was challenging to get through it with only three heroes, without auxiliary troops. The range of her bow was the difference between life and death. Determined, she started firing from behind the frailej¨®n, aiming for the enemies¡¯ limbs, who began shouting in a strange language as they closed in. "A war chant." Dodging enemy arrows, she managed to take down one of the spearmen, but by then, the enemies were too close. They clearly knew the terrain, descending the gentle slope with feline agility. The warrior whistled a signal, and Vidul responded immediately, creating several illusions of himself and Nilu to confuse the llama riders who were nearly upon them. The group of monsters, or "mobs" as they called them, focused all their attention on the illusions, convinced they were fighting the warriors. Naya seized those valuable seconds to shoot down several enemies, hitting them in their necks and stomachs, while her experience points steadily increased on her interface. One of the riders, a fierce swordsman with bronze skin and slanted eyes, dodged her darts with surprising skill. "That¡¯s definitely the dungeon boss," said Nilu aloud, a puff of misty breath escaping his mouth. "Don¡¯t shoot at him; we¡¯ll leave him for last." The archer forgot her fear, entering a combat flow state¡ªsomething she had struggled with when she was a novice. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Despite the losses they¡¯d inflicted, at least ten monsters reached them. "It¡¯s time to use your ultimate abilities while I go toe-to-toe with the boss!" With that, Nilu lunged at the fierce-looking rider, who charged toward them with fire in his eyes. Vidul waited until the spearmen and other riders, along with their hunting dogs, were close enough and activated his ultimate skill on the interface before him: ¡°Heart of the Living Forest.¡± Mana cost: 20 points. After his eyes turned metallic and he shouted some words in his tribe¡¯s language, the frailej¨®n plants around them started pulling free from the ground and moving like giant warriors, shielding him and Naya from the surprised enemies. The plant creatures struck the spearmen with their massive branches, slowing them down, while Naya continued shooting her arrows, now with magic fire, which made them twice as lethal, although it drained her mana at an alarming rate. With her mana bar almost depleted, they took down the enemies in what felt like an eternity to the girl. Without time to rest, they ran toward the dungeon boss, who seemed to be overpowering Nilu. Their ally held off the attacks but retreated with each blow. "Cavalry always has the upper hand over infantry, no matter the level," Naya thought, as she readied her special arrow in her bow and mentally selected her ultimate ability on the interface: ¡°Life Drain.¡± "Goodbye, tough guy." The arrow struck the enemy in the chest, piercing his brown cloak. Though it didn¡¯t kill him instantly, the boss began to weaken gradually, and each blow he landed on Nilu grew weaker. With each passing second, Naya¡¯s mana replenished as it drained from the boss. Finally, the rider collapsed, and Nilu beheaded him in one swift stroke, causing his body to dissipate into the mist. ¡°Wow,¡± Vidul said, whistling in relief. ¡°That was close.¡± The interface of the three heroes filled with notifications: You have defeated the dungeon boss. Your experience points have increased by 50. Points to your main dungeon: 30. ¡°Well done,¡± Nilu said, catching his breath as he sheathed his sword. ¡°It took less time than I expected. I think we still have time to explore the portal. We might find some good loot.¡± Naya didn¡¯t fully agree with staying longer. It meant moving farther from the entrance, increasing the risk of an eyen squad attacking them from the rear. But Nilu was the leader, and when he gave an order, there was nothing more to say. *** The corpses of insignificant goblins lay around him and his men like a cluster of vermin, their greenish blood scattered throughout the dungeon, a cavernous tunnel through the mountains. Hunn, the huge warrior with close-cropped hair and golden armor, wiped his sword as he counted the measly experience points he¡¯d gained after the battle in the final chamber. "These portals are garbage. If we don¡¯t find enough experience for the Emperor, I¡¯ll charge against the next Ixtalita city that crosses our path." Heag, the fire mage beside him, was always the one who somehow managed to calm the squadron¡¯s leader with practical words. "My lord, I¡¯m sure all your men, myself included, want the same thing; but it wouldn¡¯t be wise, at least for now. The Emperor has been clear on the exclusive order to clear the dungeons of savages. Though we¡¯re the most powerful advance squad since Orec disappeared, even barbarian cities have many defenses that could surprise us." As he spoke, the mage began to incinerate the monsters¡¯ corpses, channeling mana into himself. "While it¡¯s unlikely that a barbarian city could withstand your relentless might, it¡¯s never wise to go against the Emperor." "He¡¯s right." "True," said the big man, reorganizing his thoughts. "But I¡¯m bored as hell." He sheathed his sword as he turned to the mage. "What have you been able to find out about Orec¡¯s death?" "The last I heard, he vanished from camp, just like that, though some wizards say he went deep into the jungle with Yowo, one of his warrior concubines." The mage¡¯s neck was twisted and his skin wrinkled; he was as ugly as the most hideous of orcs, but his power was very useful to Hunn, and he had some psychic abilities that allowed him to gather valuable information. "It seems the woman is still alive and has rejoined the group, taking control of it." The warrior scoffed. A woman leading one of the most powerful Eyen squads? Ridiculous. "In that case, we¡¯ll capture them and bring them into our special force. I¡¯ll personally see to it that I use that woman however I please. Can you pinpoint that group¡¯s position?" "Yes, my lord, but only when I recover enough mana." "Very well, take all the potions you need, and these worthless creatures'' points. Damn, finally something interesting! I¡¯m sure the Emperor won¡¯t hear about this, and with two such groups combined, we¡¯ll soon clear the toughest dungeons in this country¡ªif you can even call it that. Afterward, we¡¯ll find out what really happened to Orec. I sense there¡¯s hidden treasure behind it all." "Yes, my lord." Shadows of Rava and Underwater Kingdom. Yowo moved through the streets of Rava like a water serpent. Though she¡¯d only been to the city a few times, she had meticulously studied the streets on the mini-map in her interface, knowing every nook and alley, as well as the main and secondary roads. "This place is a rat''s nest," she thought as she walked among the bustling bazaars crowded with beings of every imaginable race, from orcs to werewolves, tritons, and even a shifty-looking elf or two. "Better to know all the exits, though I¡¯m sure none of the ones I¡¯ve crossed paths with could take me on. But the city guards, with their heavy slow-down spells, are always around. I should finish what I came to do in this flea market and head back to the jungle." Despite everything, she felt at ease. She moved through the cobblestone streets wrapped in a green cloak common among locals, which would have granted her some stealth if not for her beauty. Though the people she passed couldn¡¯t see her face, they could glimpse her curves beneath the silk. She hurried to the main market, where a bored-looking goblin with a long beard served customers at a wooden kiosk. ¡°Give me twenty mana potions and a chainmail with added magic damage,¡± she said. The little green creature whistled when he saw the gold coins on the counter. ¡°Seems dungeon raiding pays off quite nicely,¡± he said, handing her a heavy red-tinged armor with metal spikes on the chest and shoulders. ¡°Haven¡¯t sold a level-three item since last year.¡± Yowo merely shrugged as she stored the mana potions in her backpack and gazed in awe at the armor. ¡°Better to be prepared.¡± She headed to a tailor¡¯s shop and donned the chainmail. Then she read the stats displayed on the blue interface before her eyes.
Profane Smith¡¯s Chainmail: 800 health points. Reduces healing: 300 points. Additional Passive: for every second in melee combat, the opponent receives true magic damage.
"Music to my eyes." After drinking two potions to max out her mana, she made her way down to the lower part of the city via some steep steps. A group of burly orcs stared at her for a good while as she walked through a dark alley. "Go on, boys. I wouldn¡¯t mind boosting my experience. Just give me a reason," she thought, meeting the gaze of the leader, a two-meter beast with blood-red skin. Although her new chainmail was ideal for fighting creatures like them, she spared them. With her current stats, defeating a group of high orcs would be as easy as slaughtering a litter of pigs. Yowo had been designed to acquire abilities from four different classes¡ªsomething unheard of for any other character in the server. The most powerful could acquire up to two classes, and even then, the second with significant limitations. Though she¡¯d made many mistakes at first, she eventually managed to adopt the roles of fighter, assassin, and mage. She hadn¡¯t chosen the fourth yet, but she was as lethal as the mightiest warrior. The lower city of Rava was an underground world where sunlight never reached. As she descended the dark cobblestone streets, she saw smugglers, thieves, and assassins of all races. "This must be where all kinds of deals go down. Not even the city guards reach this point. If I were an NPC or even a player, I wouldn¡¯t come here for anything." She quickly found the inn thanks to the mini-map interface and took a seat at a corner table, where the torchlight barely reached. Her contact arrived at the agreed time. He was a sturdy-looking triton in leather pants, in the form that allowed him to exist on land. He greeted Yowo with a disdainful nod. ¡°Gold first, then the information.¡± The girl placed half of the agreed amount on the table. ¡°Sea folk sure are distrustful. I wonder if things down there are half as shady as they are here.¡± ¡°You bet they are. The king of Ixtul¡¯s patrols are guarding the coasts as we speak, afraid that your people will attack by sea too. There are barely any patrols. Your bandits can do whatever they want in the Border Waters.¡± After hearing the news, Yowo handed the triton the other half of the money, and he vanished into the shadows with his smooth skin and ridiculous clothes. She ordered a frothy beer, and as she drank it slowly, she glanced at the stats of the core she had left deep in the jungle. "My new orchard. My new slave farm." Core of the Goddess Tlaloc The last notification caught Yowo¡¯s attention, and she expanded the information on her interface.
Navare¡¯l: The Winged Shadow of the Forest. Level: 2.
She examined the image of the creature closely.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "She¡¯s beautiful, like me. No, her nature makes her even more beautiful." She took a sip of beer as she admired the curves and long hair of the bird-woman. "I need to go see her immediately." Before leaving the lower city, she stopped by a mount shop and bought a tiger with the gold leftover from her last dungeon¡ªa type-three portal infested with vampires. She rode the massive feline up the stairs of the suburbs, soon reaching the outer wall. With the fierce appearance of her mount, she easily carved a path through the streets. It was time to return to the jungle.
Meanwhile, a dolphin devoured sardines with eager enthusiasm on the ocean floor, while Kulad stroked its back gently. "Come on, sweetheart, we don¡¯t have much time." The other triton next to him chuckled, although his gaze darted nervously in every direction. "Relax, brother. It¡¯s Monday in my world; not many players log on to come to the forbidden zone," said FinHunter to reassure him. Kulad tried to calm down, but he couldn¡¯t forget the last time he ventured this far from Coral City. The mission had gone wrong, and a group of underwater bandits had ambushed them, stealing all their equipment and killing them slowly and painfully. He not only lost three levels but had taken a full week to respawn in Nautiloria, the far-off reef capital. "Maybe others think like you do, and that¡¯s precisely why today is a prime time to collect fish... and rookies." "We¡¯re no rookies, Kulad," said his hunting leader as he handed his dolphin a bit of seaweed, having already filled his load. "I¡¯ve been playing this game for over fifteen years." "Sure, but with this newbie gear and hardly any PvP experience, we might as well be noobs." Their dolphin completed its load of two hundred sardines, and they swam back to the nearest coral zone¡ªa tiny habitable island amid the ocean¡¯s vast floor. "There¡¯s no way I¡¯d want to be stranded in a place like this without a mount." He thought, looking at the vastness of the ocean floor. They exited the "Void" within two hours and reached Sky Valley, Kulad¡¯s island, a place filled with houses and buildings made from corals of various colors. These underwater cities were inhabited mostly by tritons, along with other amphibious classes. It took them a while to get through the traffic and reach FinHunter¡¯s small dungeon, if you could call a sardine-and-barnacle warehouse that. The dolphins unloaded seventy percent of their haul, absorbing the rest as fuel. This was their third trip of the day, and according to FinHunter, they still had two more to go. "The longer we stay, the more players will log on, and the greater the risk," thought Kulad, fearful but resigned. Though he wasn¡¯t his partner¡¯s slave, he needed the gold this risky ¡°farming¡± job in the Void provided. It was the only way to support his parents and siblings. For a low-caste triton, this was one of the few jobs that paid enough to survive. The two tritons swam on their dolphins past various coral buildings, slowly leaving behind the high algae dominating the underwater jungle. As they ventured farther from the coral island, the vegetation grew taller and darker, soon leaving behind any official triton patrols mounted on young sea dragons, which regulated farming laws and controlled inter-bandit raids. This would be Kulad¡¯s dream zone, but the loot was cheap, which didn¡¯t appeal to his boss. "He also finds it boring because there¡¯s no risk of evading enemy gangs." As they neared the usual fishing bank, the NPC triton decided to ask his master a question that had been gnawing at him for weeks. "Why haven¡¯t you thought about expanding our hunting party?" he asked, casting caution aside. "If you bring more players, whether you control them yourself or get a friend from your world to join, we could accomplish more with less effort¡­ and far less danger." Luckily, FinHunter didn¡¯t seem offended and responded with indifference. "You know I like to keep things simple, Kulad. What¡¯s wrong with two people doing a job usually handled by seven or eight tritons? True, the loot isn¡¯t huge, but it¡¯s enough to pay you and make improvements to the warehouse. A couple more years of steady farming, and we¡¯ll have enough to hire mercenaries for the dirty work. Then, we can handle fish processing safely back in the shed. For now, let¡¯s focus on getting by day-to-day." "Sure, for him ¡®a couple more years¡¯ means another decade." Kulad thought bitterly. Time was Kulad¡¯s enemy in this job, as he didn¡¯t have many lives left. Without him, his family would surely starve. For his part, FinHunter could easily hire another NPC from the city or create a new character altogether. Kulad focused on the navigation toward the farming area to calm his anxiety. He knew that, for his boss, this was just entertainment¡ªa diversion from his ¡°boring life out there,¡± as he¡¯d mentioned on more than one occasion. He only had to help him enjoy the fantasy if he wanted to keep his job. "For FinHunter, this is just a game¡ªliterally. A game where he can build a fictitious business, feel the thrill of getting decent loot, even if he risks losing gear and mounts he worked so hard to acquire. For me, it¡¯s life itself." Ignoring his situation, he urged his dolphin forward, watching as it swiftly consumed unsuspecting sardines when they reached the pool. Just as both dolphins were nearing full load, Kulad noticed unusual movement in the submarine horizon with his metallic eyes. "It can¡¯t be." He hurriedly opened the blue mini-map in his interface and saw that, indeed, a group of at least twelve beings was moving in their direction. He sharpened his gaze, confirming they were harpooners on orcas¡ªa gang specialized in preying on rookies in the Void. "Sir, they¡¯ve spotted us! We have to go now!" The player looked as scared as him, but ambition gleamed in his eyes. "They¡¯re almost done loading. Then we can lose them in the kelp." The dolphins filled their load points in what felt like an eternity to Kulad, but once ready, they shot off like lightning. From time to time, Kulad glanced back, confirming the hunters were drawing closer. "They¡¯ve got prestigious mounts. If their cosmetics look that good, I can¡¯t even imagine their stats." Kulad and his leader wore only light mail and wielded a silver spear¡ªno match against these hunters. The first harpoon narrowly missed his back. With the orcas'' speed, they¡¯d catch them long before they reached the reef. Killer whales were almost twice as fast as dolphins and far more intelligent, able to perform complex formations and ambushes beyond the smaller cetaceans'' abilities. "We can¡¯t go into the kelp, or they¡¯ll catch us in a heartbeat! Change of plans¡ªhead to the surface. Follow me!" FinHunter shouted, glancing worriedly at the closing enemy players. "How can he enjoy this? I¡¯m about to piss myself," thought Kulad as another splinter almost pierced his smooth skin. Years of experience allowed him to maneuver atop his dolphin with unpredictable feints, but he knew it was only a matter of time before the harpooners improved their aim. "They must have maxed-out ballistic scrolls, giving them homing accuracy." As they neared the surface, fishing traps set by boats started appearing. FinHunter began dodging them with ease, which Kulad quickly imitated, but it shortened the distance with their pursuers. With a quick glance, Kulad saw one enemy caught in a trap. But the rest were still too many. They were nearly upon them. Then the misfortune he¡¯d feared struck. In a rapid attempt to dodge one harpoon, he failed to see a net in time and got caught, along with his dolphin. Before the harpooners closed in with their hungry orcas, the net rose to the surface. It was over. He was now a pirate''s prey, and unless they bound him, he wouldn¡¯t be able to respawn in the kingdom¡¯s capital. His days were now reduced to slavery, and his family left to face poverty in Sky Valley. Three ruffians tied him hand and foot to the mast on deck. "Look, Captain! Our third triton this week, and he¡¯s brought us a fish for dinner. We really struck gold." Upgrowth. Nava¡¯rel saw the massive painted tiger locked in a fierce struggle with its prey¡ªa black aurochs weighing at least two tons. Like a true strategist, she waited in the shadows for the predator to tire, then leaped from the treetops onto him. The feline was not easy to defeat. Despite being exhausted from wrestling the two-horned beast, it fought fiercely against the bird-woman, attempting to slash her slender body with its claws and seize one of her limbs with its fangs. But it was in vain. The harpy was far too fast, predicting and dodging the tiger''s every move with an elegance that resembled a dance. Whenever the predator let its guard down from fatigue, she used her talons to wound its sensitive areas, such as its neck and stomach. The battle lasted at least half an hour, with the dying aurochs watching the scene with its torn neck, as if it wished to know who its final executioner would be before shadows closed its eyes forever. The war of attrition eventually worked. The tiger, in a final burst of strength, tried to finish Nava with everything it had left, unleashing its full energy on the girl, who was barely clinging to her remaining mana. But her cunning outmatched the beast''s instincts. She leapt onto a nearby elm tree, and the feline attempted to climb after her. It was futile. It was too heavy and had spent all its energy in the attempt. Nearby monkeys began pelting it with stones from other trees, demoralizing it further until it fell back to the ground, utterly defeated. Nava¡¯rel seized the moment and, with a precise strike of her talons, landed on the tiger¡¯s nape, ending its life. A notification appeared on her interface: You have defeated Krinin, Scourge of the Thicket. You have reached level 10. You have gained 200 experience points. 100 extra experience points awarded to your dungeon. Catching her breath, the girl watched as the tiger¡¯s enormous body began evaporating into small wisps of bluish vapor. "That was close," she thought, approaching the aurochs cautiously. Blood gushed from its neck in torrents. She began lapping at it, her mana bar slowly refilling. Leye watched the spectacle with satisfaction from the dungeon''s core, now a true stone fortress with battlements and towers that rose high above the landscape. The rocky form he had fallen into from the sky was buried deep within the fortress crypt, entwined with roots that allowed him to control countless trees, granting him vision over the increasingly vast territory under his influence. Despite being confined, he felt free. While he longed for arms and legs to roam the forest as the creatures now linked to him could, seeing through Nava¡¯rel¡¯s eyes made him feel more mobile than ever. Unlike the human heroes who had bonded with the core, or the simians and birds under his influence, the connection with the harpy was profound. They were one, and at that moment, he could feel the bird-woman¡¯s satisfaction as she filled her belly with the blood and flesh of the buffalo the tiger had killed for her. "That''s it, my child, eat. Grow." His own mana and health points increased as the woman devoured the beast. Leye turned his attention back to the citadel around him. Although none of the heroes had returned, he hadn¡¯t been idle. As soon as his new creature reached level three, he used her to construct mana wells and a pair of marble temples dedicated to the serpent goddess Tlaloc. But the most resource-intensive building was close by. It was a colossal coliseum with green walls, towering several meters above the ground. It had become an option on his interface when the dungeon reached level 30. "Beautiful," he thought, observing it from a nearby ceiba tree. It looked like a massive galleon anchored in the jungle, with tiny roots beginning to creep along its base. "I can¡¯t wait to use it, though I¡¯m not sure what for yet." The interior field of the structure had grown into a maze of thickets, pathways, and streams¡ªcompletely unplanned by Leye or his harpy. It had simply appeared the day after its construction. Examining the intricate paths on his panel¡¯s minimap made the core realize its purpose. "It¡¯s a battlefield," he concluded after studying it for a while. "But I don¡¯t understand its purpose." After finishing her feast, Nava¡¯rel rested lazily in a clearing, sharpening her talons playfully next to the animal¡¯s skeleton. The simians carried the remaining meat to one of the storerooms Nilu had built. She was stunning. With each passing day, her body became more feminine. Under her arms, the plumage of an eagle had sprouted, though her figure was that of a human with perfect curves, broad hips, and powerful thighs that could take down any enemy with a single kick. Her large posterior and ample chest were balanced by her slender but deadly arms, with sharp talons on her hands and elbows. "She¡¯s a killer through and through, with initial stealth and lethality abilities. I wonder what her ultimate skill will be once she reaches level 50..." Suddenly, an overwhelming presence pulled Leye¡¯s focus away from admiring the creature. Something was approaching his territory. The sheer amount of energy it exuded was as suffocating as an avalanche. "Yowo." He trembled within his rocky body. It was true that the outsider had sent a considerable amount of experience points, facilitating the accelerated growth of his dungeon, the creation of Nava¡¯rel, and the construction of the buildings¡ªincluding the colossal coliseum that now loomed over the citadel like a giant. But for some reason, he couldn¡¯t trust her. Not after witnessing how she had betrayed her companion, driving a sword into his back at the slightest opportunity.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Moments later, the woman arrived at the very castle where Leye lay. At this point, it was an impregnable fortress, but with Yowo nearby, it felt more like a prison. The massive stone sentinel archers guarding the perimeter of the main castle bowed as soon as she appeared, riding a white tiger and clad in a flowing green robe that did little to hide her perfect curves. She paid them no mind, walking confidently toward the stone fortress and entering through its gates with deliberate grace. "Home sweet home," she said, strolling through the corridors that descended toward the dungeon¡¯s main chamber. The building¡¯s traps deactivated automatically, as they did whenever an allied hero passed through them. When she reached Leye, Yowo inclined her head slightly in greeting, the sunlight streaming through a hole in the ceiling illuminating her black hair. "It is an honor to stand before you again, my lord of serpents. I trust the experience points I sent were useful. Look at you¡ªlaying the foundation of an imperial city in the blink of an eye. I bet the next time I visit, you¡¯ll have several villages under your domain. Now, we just need to start adding people." "That¡¯s true. Though I must admit I feel comfortable with the bonobos and macaws. Humans can be... unpredictable." The woman burst into laughter. "Oh, come now, we¡¯re not that bad. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t think the same of that other group of useless fools who barely contribute any points." "Those ¡®useless fools¡¯ are the ones who built everything you see around you. None of this is the work of the goblins or sprites." "See? We turn out to be more useful than bonobos. Speaking of the creatures in this jungle, I noticed you have a new pet¡ªquite a beauty, by the way. I think I¡¯ll go meet her now." Without waiting for a response and with the same deliberate grace she had entered, the woman ascended the stairs, her sword swaying in its sheath. Leye could only pray she had no reason to harm Nava as he watched the warrior¡¯s sensual form disappear from the crypt. He followed her steps until she reached Nava¡¯rel, who remained in the same spot where she had battled the tiger and feasted afterward. The harpy was still sharpening her talons, but the moment she saw Yowo, she rose and bowed elegantly before the warrior. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady. I have read much about your powers in the main menu." "The pleasure is mine," Yowo replied, looking Nava up and down. She approached the creature, gently cupping her face and tilting it from side to side as if inspecting a horse before purchase. "You¡¯re even more beautiful than I observed on the panel, and your abilities are more striking than your curves. The question is, are you impressive enough to let live? I wouldn¡¯t want you becoming a problem later." "My lady provided the points necessary for my birth. I would be more than pleased to serve you¡­ or to offer you my mana if that¡¯s what you desire." Leye watched the interaction between the two women with unease. All the forest¡¯s creatures were also riveted by the scene, including the white tiger Yowo had brought. "That¡¯s true," Yowo mused, "but there are countless tales of children who scorn what their parents did for them and turn to betrayal at the first chance." She began to circle the harpy, her gaze lingering on her body with undisguised lust. "Tell me more about your powers. Can you fly?" "Only at low altitudes, my lady. I can leap to the treetops and descend gracefully, but my wings are not strong enough to cover great distances. I haven¡¯t even left the jungle yet." "I suspected as much. Few creatures can fly across the server¡ªeagles, macaws, and dragons... and the dragons are on the brink of extinction due to relentless hunting. But I bet you have other¡­ talents. Follow me." Leye watched in alarm as the mage-warrior led Nava to the temple of the goddess, the very place where she had been born. Inside the marble doors, Yowo guided the harpy to the altar and began examining her body. Without a word, she cupped Nava¡¯s face and kissed her. The harpy responded with the passion of a teenager, feeling the human¡¯s hands roam her youthful body, lingering on her most intimate areas. Leye could feel the excitement radiating from both women. Nava soon reciprocated, running her hands over the human¡¯s backside and perfect legs beneath her silk robe. It didn¡¯t take long for her to undress Yowo, and the two women consummated their encounter atop the altar like long-separated lovers. "I didn¡¯t see this coming," Leye thought, watching the scene in astonishment. His mana points skyrocketed in his bar. "But I have to admit, I like it." Throughout their encounter, the forest¡¯s animals seemed to enter a state of frenzy, seeking partners to mimic the two women. Fertility hung palpably in the air. ***** After walking for almost an hour through the frailejones and the cold p¨¢ramo where the portal had brought them, the three heroes arrived at the ruins of what seemed to be an abandoned stone city. ¡°I¡¯m sure this place is full of rewards,¡± Nilu said, eyeing a multi-story building with a half-destroyed wooden door as the only possible entry point. ¡°But we¡¯d better stick together. There could still be monsters inside¡ªor enemy warriors like in the p¨¢ramo.¡± They broke through the door using the leader¡¯s sword and Naya¡¯s arrows, and with a spell from Vidul, they illuminated the interior. There was no trace of monsters. They only found narrow stone corridors reclaimed by the cold vegetation, remnants of murals depicting battles from forgotten times, fragments of pottery, and broken utensils. ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down,¡± Nilu said in a low voice, walking ahead with his sword in hand. ¡°These dungeons are usually filled with traps.¡± Despite his caution, they encountered no tricks, and the only sounds were their own footsteps descending the narrow, steep stairs. At the end of the path, they reached the dungeon¡¯s main chamber, a spacious vault. There was nothing there except the eerie sounds of dampness, some human bones scorched by time¡¯s relentlessness, and rusted armor scattered across the floor. At the far end of the chamber stood a simple stone table, atop which rested a greenish orb that began to glow in their presence. ¡°Don¡¯t touch it,¡± Vidul said, alarmed. ¡°It might be cursed. If my lord permits, I¡¯ll handle it with my immunity spell.¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± Nilu replied, his eyes fixed on the object. Vidul grasped it as though it might explode at any moment. Once he held it, a notification appeared on his interface. Necromancer¡¯s Orb. This item allows you to resurrect the body of a fallen being before it decomposes. The sooner the reanimation is attempted, the higher the chances of success. The revived corpse will match the level of its summoner but retain its intrinsic abilities. Vidul couldn¡¯t believe his eyes and shared the information with Nilu and Naya, who were equally stunned. ¡°I never thought an item like this could exist,¡± the leader said, though he didn¡¯t dare touch it. ¡°I think this is reward enough, along with the experience from the monsters. We¡¯d better hurry before we get trapped in this abandoned city.¡± They exited the ruined building and ran back to the p¨¢ramo where the portal entrance awaited, weaving through the countless frailejones as the fog grew thicker. Before reaching the portal, which was shrinking with each passing second, they arrived at the spot where they had defeated the dungeon¡¯s monsters just hours earlier. ¡°It¡¯s time to test our new toy, Vidul,¡± Nilu said, eyeing the shadows marked on the ground where the fallen warriors lay. ¡°Think you can revive a few of them?¡± ¡°I¡¯m almost out of mana from the fights, but I think I can try with one.¡± ¡°In that case, make it the boss.¡± They approached the widest shadow, still emanating wisps of blue mana, and Vidul began reciting words in the ancient tongue of arcanists, holding the orb aloft over the place where the portal¡¯s main boss had fallen. On the third attempt, the rider rose from the ground, dazed. A notification appeared on the mage¡¯s interface. You have reanimated Illaqu Urku, Guardian of the Mountain Sun. The warrior dismounted from his steed¡ªalso revived¡ªand knelt before Vidul, laying his lance at his side. ¡°Thank you for bringing me back, my lord. I am at your service.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Naya said with a breath of amazement, a puff of mist escaping her mouth. ¡°Things are starting to get interesting.¡± Maritime borders. Yowo knew it was a small country, but its capital impressed her. "Ramenna, the Jungle Port." The salty smell of the sea reached her nose as she moved atop the white tiger. After wandering the streets for a while, she found a mount house among the wooden bazaars to leave the animal behind. It wouldn¡¯t be of much use in the place she was heading to. Her contact was supposed to be at the capital¡¯s dock by now, so she made her way there with quick steps, her hands always close to her sword. This time, it wasn¡¯t the mysterious merman she had seen in Rava but a blonde elf she was set to embark with toward the border waters. She waited in a sardine-smelling tavern while reflecting on her skills. Most of the dexterity points she had obtained in recent days had been allocated to melee combat skills, but she couldn¡¯t neglect her magical abilities. There were very few characters like her, created with three distinct class branches. And while she enjoyed finishing off monsters and enemies with her sword, she needed to be practical: spells caused significant area damage, and she didn¡¯t even have to get close to her rivals, allowing her to eliminate mobs within seconds. Even so, sword fighting was her passion, and she was reluctant to invest points in her magical skills, especially now with her new level-three chainmail, which not only enhanced her melee protection but also dealt magic damage to opponents per second during combat. The contact didn¡¯t take long to arrive, drawing the attention of orcs and other scoundrels gathered in the tavern. She was a light elf with blonde hair and wide hips, a sharp short saber hanging from her belt. Yowo had contacted her through the interface via an announcement from the elf¡¯s guild, which was recruiting members for an anti-pirate expedition. Apparently, fewer and fewer players were logging into the server, and guilds were the most affected when it came to organizing raids. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Yowo,¡± she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She wore light leather armor and had her hair tied back in a ponytail. "She¡¯s very beautiful. She should be in some royal court delighting a king and his courtiers, not in a dingy tavern," was the only thought that crossed the warrior¡¯s mind as she shook the elf¡¯s hand gently. ¡°The ship is about to depart. I¡¯ll tell you the details of the expedition there.¡± The vessel that would take them to the open sea didn¡¯t stand out among the others, though it wasn¡¯t bad. It was a two-deck galleon with white sails proudly bearing Ixtul¡¯s unofficial symbol: a green eagle with its wings spread wide. Its crew was a plague of misfits, mostly humans, although she spotted a few dark elves¡ªmuch less attractive than her companion¡ªand a handful of tritons in their terrestrial form. ¡°What a charming crew.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve gathered what we could, sister. Most of them are seasoned sailors, though they lack your exceptional powers,¡± the elf replied, flashing a smile that could hypnotize the fiercest beast. ¡°Even though the guild summoned us for a raid against corsairs and illegal fishermen, the High Chieftain is offering handsome sums of gold to reinforce the borders at sea.¡± Her blue eyes glimmered with concern against the ocean¡¯s surface. ¡°We¡¯re heading to defend against a full-scale invasion.¡± "Perfect," Yowo thought, feigning concern. "Everything is going according to plan. I just hope this heap of junk doesn¡¯t sink before I get to swing my sword at my countrymen. This crew¡¯s level is laughable. Only this beauty might be of any use, even if just to distract the enemies." She analyzed her companion¡¯s level by activating the bluish interface in front of her eyes. She was a melee fighter like Yowo, with a second branch specializing in healing abilities. But her rank was pitiful. As the ship sailed the ocean alongside another dozen galleons over the gentle waves, Yowo thought about the massacre she had committed just hours earlier. She had encountered the remaining members of Orec¡¯s squad outside a mid-tier portal. She was supposedly there to help them but arrived half an hour late and had killed them from behind while they were battling the dungeon boss¡ªa massive level-180 chimera. Many fought fiercely for their lives, but they were already worn out, and Yowo had used her illusion spell to create fake copies of herself, confusing them. In the end, she slit the throat of Vark, the group¡¯s most powerful tank, feeding on all his experience. She then finished off the chimera herself, though she had taken a couple of scratches on her bare arms during the fight. Watching the experience points climb steadily on her interface, accompanied by the addictive sound of notifications, she thought it was a fair price. "My little contribution to that ungrateful rocky egg in the jungle. I¡¯m still deciding whether to let it die and take that experience for myself. I am the true core. Now I need to sabotage my countrymen¡¯s invasion if I want the whole cake for myself." An inner voice told her she needed to keep the jungle country intact from invasions, as it would make her more powerful over time. But it was no easy task. With each passing day, more guilds and adventurers from the northern country and neighboring regions set their sights on raiding Ixtul and its monster portals. The ship moved swiftly, aided by the wind, as if the gods themselves wanted to hasten the battles in the border waters. After her last trip to the dungeon deep in the jungle, where she had ¡°met¡± Nava¡¯rel, she had hurriedly traversed the country on her white tiger, handing out bags of gold to as many informants as she could to learn the war¡¯s true state. ¡°If you really want to mess with the Aneitas, cut off their supply line,¡± a shaman from a border town had told her. ¡°You won¡¯t achieve anything by directly facing their swords: for every head of the hydra you cut off, three more will appear. Instead, starve it. Most of their troops rely on fish from the ports they¡¯ve already captured since the deep jungle offers few crops to plunder.¡± After gazing at the turquoise sea from one of the balconies, pondering how else she could sabotage the Aneita invasion, she headed to the dining hall to speak with Xyrna. The elf was elegantly nibbling on magic biscuits, ignoring the lascivious stares thrown her way by the guild warriors and the crew from other tables.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°You¡¯re not from around here,¡± Yowo said between bites of her trout. ¡°Indeed. I¡¯m from the Quiviel woods, but I lived there for so many centuries that I grew bored.¡± Yowo¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re quite far from home. What brought you to this continent? You don¡¯t see many fair-skinned elves around here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always loved the sea. Even though I was as old as the rain the first time I boarded a ship, I haven¡¯t been able to leave one since, except to restock. Being in this region is more of a random circumstance. You know, one goes where the gold is. But tell me about yourself. You¡¯re from Anen.¡± Yowo detected the coldness in her voice when mentioning the imperial country, no matter how much she tried to hide it. ¡°Isn¡¯t it curious that you¡¯d want to fight your own people in an almost accomplished invasion?¡± "She¡¯s smarter than she looks. Old demons know more from age than from being demons. I hope I don¡¯t have to kill her. She¡¯s so lovely..." "Yes, I¡¯m from Anen. But my people betrayed me, so I¡¯ll repay them in kind. I feel like I can atone for my sins in some way by helping the defenseless." The lie rolled off her tongue naturally, though Yowo wasn¡¯t sure Xyrna fully bought it. "Well, it seems you have quite the challenge ahead. The last I heard, the troops are swallowing up the eastern coastal cities with the speed of a collapsing house of cards. Qilari, the second most important coastal city in Ixtul after Ramenna, has fallen, something that hasn¡¯t happened in at least two hundred years. They say it boasted more treasures than even the capital itself. That¡¯s a deadly blow to your aspirations." It was true. As soon as Yowo heard the news, she had ridden her tiger to the outskirts of the fortress city, only to confirm with horror that the banners bearing Anen¡¯s proud wolf already flew over the battlements. According to reports from a peasant spy, the general newly appointed by the emperor, Hunn, had used the cunning of a merman to infiltrate the main troops through the lake west of the city, its only vulnerable point. "And here I thought he was a brainless fool. He surely is, but he knows how to surround himself." From the distance, she had spotted several burly crossbowmen patrolling the walls. "That siege was supposed to hold them off for at least fifteen days. Now it¡¯s just a matter of time before they fall upon the capital with its laughable defenses. And from there, they¡¯ll only be a few leagues away from the dungeon of Leye. Even though it¡¯s growing like wildfire, I don¡¯t think it can withstand an assault by thousands of Anenite warriors who will pierce through the jungle like a spear." Yowo knew there would come a time when the dungeon of Leye would grow strong enough to defend itself against any invasion, even one from the mighty empire itself. But that time was still far off. While the serpentine core¡¯s terrain had numerous buildings capable of creating warrior creatures and mana wells sufficient to sustain them, it lacked efficient heroes and solid defenses. "We need people. But that¡¯s precisely what¡¯s missing on this dying server. NPCs aren¡¯t enough; we need reborn souls from the outside world..." After a while, the ship¡¯s captain approached them on the deck while the rest of the crew worked on the masts and rails, and the warriors played dice and cards with jokes that resounded in a jumble of languages. "It seems beauty can also be fierce," he said, handing each of them an ebony bow and quivers brimming with arrows. He was a burly man with a graying beard and gorilla-like shoulders. "It¡¯s a pleasure to have fighters of your caliber defending our waters. Though things don¡¯t look good, it¡¯s we who steer the destiny of our country. As they say, wars are won on the battlefield. For every enemy you take down with this bow, you¡¯ll gain a twenty percent experience bonus. Good luck!" It took only two more nights of sailing into deep waters before they engaged in their first conflict. Two dozen skiffs with black sails charged a group of fishermen near the area their galleon was patrolling. Yowo was an excellent swordswoman and just as skilled at casting spells with her bare hands, but archery wasn¡¯t her specialty. Even so, she managed to take down several pirate enemies while evading every arrow shot at her. She remembered afternoons in the vast garden of the castle on the outskirts of Dalux, where she had grown up, practicing archery¡ªfirst on targets, then on deer, and finally on eagles. "You¡¯re much better than the rabble," Dulus, her weapons master, used to say repeatedly¡ªa man who later turned out to be a scoundrel, though as a teacher, he was the best. "But talent alone isn¡¯t enough. Only practice will set you apart. If you¡¯ve been granted more skills than other NPCs, it¡¯s because the system needs predators of your caliber to maintain the game¡¯s balance." However, he was a chauvinist and soon confined her to a dungeon in the castle to violate her at will for days until he was foolish enough to turn his back on her, leaving the knife in its sheath. "Never turn your back on a repressed soul." Since then, Yowo had learned that surprise attacks were the most effective. After a couple of hours of crossfire, the deterrent strategy worked. Although the pirates charged at the guild¡¯s galleys in chaotic formations they knew all too well, the loss of warriors eventually made them retreat. The height advantage provided by the galley¡¯s deck was highly effective in repelling the smaller enemy vessels, and the only ship that ventured close enough was engulfed by a rain of incendiary arrows before it could ram them, sinking beneath the rough waves. "Excellent work, warriors!" the captain said during that night¡¯s feast. "We¡¯ve suffered barely any losses. But don¡¯t get complacent¡ªthis is just an appetizer. The boldest pirates will come as soon as they hear what we¡¯ve done to their prot¨¦g¨¦s. Sharpen your weapons!" **** "My lord, I¡¯ve been tracking the woman, but she is as elusive as mist and refuses to be caught." Hunn was reclining at that moment atop the golden dome of Quilari. He was eating shrimp with deliberate slowness, dipping them into tomato sauce served in a silver chalice. "Heagg, I think you¡¯re outdoing yourself in incompetence, something I never expected from you. How hard can it be to catch a treacherous wench? Do I really have to take charge of this myself?" The mage looked distressed as he gazed at the city below, a southern beauty full of marble walls and scantily clad people walking through streets teeming with carts loaded with food. He had contacted as many informants as he could, and one of them had nearly provided the exact location of the woman, right under his nose. Yet, when he sent his riders, she had already vanished, as if somehow aware of his plans. "Of course not, my lord. It¡¯s only a matter of time before I capture her." "That¡¯s what you told me the last time I asked about her. Now it turns out she was spotted just a few leagues from here, and still, she slips through your fingers. You¡¯re trying my patience, old man." "I almost caught her, my lord, I swear by the gods... but she boarded a ship. It seems she joined a maritime raid with the Emerald Veil guild. I assure you, as soon as she sets foot on the continent, I¡¯ll go after her myself, even if I have to descend into hell to get her." "Why wait for that? Why not board a ship yourself already?" "There¡¯s little a fire mage can do surrounded by so much water. She won¡¯t last long out there, my lord. Those excursions rarely last more than a month. Sooner or later, the ships will need to resupply. Then I¡¯ll bring her bound at your feet." Hunn sighed. The mage was right. While he longed to have that woman chained in his dungeons alongside the merman who had helped him conquer the previously impregnable city, he had to press forward with the invasion. Eventually, she would be his. "Fine, but this is the last time I¡¯ll tolerate your excuses, old man. The moment the girl steps foot on the continent, I want to be the first to know, and I¡¯ll go with you myself to drag her here. For now, I want you in charge of the assault on the capital. I want to see if the years haven¡¯t completely dulled your skills. By now, the men are more than ready, and you have plenty of mana. No more excuses." Towards the capital of Ixtul. "Our lord will arrive at the outskirts of the capital at any moment," said the mage in a curt tone. "By then, we¡¯d better be there, triton. Otherwise, you¡¯ll know his wrath." Kulad merely tugged at the reins of the horses pulling the cart, not wanting to test the human¡¯s patience. In the short time he had been in service to that pest, he had realized how effortlessly Heagg could incinerate an enemy warrior with a single spell, without even flinching. ¡°An idiot like him wouldn¡¯t last two seconds underwater, but in this increasingly dense jungle, his abilities are a real danger. Better do as he says if I don¡¯t want to end up tortured like the other stragglers.¡± Heagg was the perfect image of kindness and flattering words when addressing his master, the brutish yet disproportionately powerful warrior Hunn. But to those under his command, he was a tyrant. He had no qualms about using his magical powers to inflict severe burns at the slightest provocation if he was in a good mood¡ªor incinerate anyone to death if his patience was pushed too far. At that moment, the caravan of carts and riders was advancing along a path that was becoming increasingly thick, surrounded by tall trees, dense underbrush, and colorful birds that scattered in terror as soon as they saw the army cutting inexorably through the jungle''s depths. Although Kulad was an expert rider thanks to his experience with dolphins underwater, handling the reins of the cart was a completely different story. And the increasingly swampy path certainly didn¡¯t help. But to the wrinkled old Heagg, none of that mattered. He constantly reminded Kulad how easy it would be to roast him like a salmon if he didn¡¯t make the cart move as fast as possible. The triton hated him, just as he hated the big brute Hunn, who was likely galloping somewhere in the jungle at that moment, smashing the skulls of any locals who crossed his path. "We¡¯ll reach the town these Indians call their capital at the same time as Lord Hunn, but it¡¯d be better if he sees us from a distance¡ªor I promise you, we¡¯ll have problems. He wants his provisions for the battle and won¡¯t tolerate a group of incompetents failing to deliver them on time," Heagg reminded them repeatedly. They had left Qilari four nights earlier, under the cover of the deepest darkness, to keep the spies hidden in the jungle from learning their plans. Since then, Kulad had barely had a bite to eat¡ªmuch like the meager rations he¡¯d received while chained in the dungeons of the fortress city, where they had kept him like a pig. He felt too weak even to drive the horses forward. But the mage didn¡¯t care. ¡°I pray that, in a fit of rage, he kills me. That way, I can reappear in Coral City, even if it takes several weeks,¡± thought the triton as the intense sun filtering through the trees burned his injuries. ¡°But I know the mage isn¡¯t that stupid. He needs me, especially after the feat I accomplished in Qilari and my role in taking the city that had been impregnable until then. I¡¯m certain the brute Hunn wouldn¡¯t hesitate to run his great sword through the pyromancer if he found out Heagg had killed me.¡± ¡°Better keep driving these beasts, or they¡¯ll tie me to a tree and let the crows feast on my body while the healers make sure I don¡¯t die.¡± Night soon fell upon the world, but they were not allowed to rest their battered limbs. The order was clear: they had to reach the outskirts of Ramenna as quickly as possible to begin the assault. Kulad no longer thought of his family, who had most certainly succumbed to hunger or, at best, were reduced to slavery by the triton lords of the deep. His thoughts were solely on what would happen in the coming hours once they reached the city: a battle much like the one that had taken place in Qilari would unfold. He would be healed by the healers of his burns and exhaustion, only to be thrown into his aquatic transformation in one of the streams surrounding the great port city or directly into the sea. There, he would find the sewer systems and guide the elite troops of the Aneitas, catching the defenders off guard. Once the city fell, attacked from two fronts, the triton would once again be bound hand and foot in the dungeons, barely kept alive until his services were required again. Just as it had happened in Qilari.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The only difference was that, in the fortress city they had taken, only a lake served as the vulnerable point. It was precisely there that Kulad had found a way to penetrate its defenses, while the local guard repelled the foreign forces at the city''s walled front. The defenders laughed at the attackers, confident in the height of their walls and the boiling oil, until they saw the colossal Hunn and his vanguard storm through the other side, massacring everything in their path. Soon, they cut through the city like a tornado, reaching the walls where they opened the gates, allowing the bulk of their forces to enter and take the legendary Qilari in two days¡ªsomething other armies had failed to achieve after years of siege. ¡°Although that damned Hunn is as big as a mountain giant, he¡¯s not as stupid as he should be. It¡¯s incredible that he can balance strength and intelligence like that. With a general like him, there¡¯s little the Ixtalites can do to stop the invasion.¡± That jungle-shrouded country meant nothing to him, but he hated Hunn and wanted him to fail at all costs. If it meant his own death, allowing him to be reborn in the depths of his beloved sea, so much the better. While the triton had been clever enough to locate the sewers amidst the muck, the entire plan had been orchestrated by the mighty foreigner. Enduring the obscene curses and burns inflicted by the mage Heagg, Kulad managed to push the cart forward through the muddy road until dawn, surrounded by hundreds of torches. Then they reached a small village of huts and narrow, tangled paths where passage became even more difficult. The tan-skinned, straight-haired villagers dared not confront the enemy troops, though their dark eyes sang a different tune. They gazed with deep hostility at each of the warriors passing through their tiny settlement, as if at any moment they might draw their bows and swords to fight back. Kulad returned their hostile stares, hoping that some villager would resolve to give him the death he so desperately longed for, sending him back to the depths¡ªbut it never happened. Although the rains had left the village roads as muddy as the jungle¡¯s paths, the horses managed to press on with their riders and carts, and soon they were back in open terrain. Suddenly, the landscape changed, and the roads widened as they drew closer to the coast. The rains paused briefly, and under the overcast sky, Kulad could recognize the stone pyramids of the Ixtalite capital in the distance. ¡°You¡¯ve done well, little fish,¡± said Heagg as he crossed paths with him on his black stallion. ¡°Now, we only have to pass through one more small village, and we¡¯ll meet with our lord to finish conquering the few cities this endless jungle harbors.¡± The deep blue of the sea became visible to the advancing army, snaking like an iron serpent along the increasingly broad roads. It filled Kulad¡¯s heart with nostalgia, knowing that beneath that azure expanse, thousands of tritons moved freely through the waters, hunting fish and sharks of all kinds¡ªwhether out of necessity or sheer joy. He felt the urge to mount one of the carts¡¯ horses and gallop to the shore to lose himself in the waters, but he knew it would be useless. Heagg would find a way to reach him long before he got near the coast, and the consequences would be disastrous. After a couple of hours of slow progress through the muddy paths, they reached the last village before the capital¡ªa cluster of huts like the previous one, but slightly larger, with more intricate roads. The villagers were as submissive as before, but the terrain posed the real challenge. The streets were so bogged down that the carts became stuck and could not move forward. Kulad and the other riders had to dismount and start pushing, but it was all in vain. The road was too swampy. ¡°Damn it!¡± shouted Heagg, his sinewy body surrounded by an aura of fire. ¡°If this is some trick by these Indians, I swear I¡¯ll burn every last one of them to ashes.¡± The villagers simply watched the carts and the unwelcome guests with their deep, dark eyes filled with aversion. The Aneita warriors forced the villagers to help, but the wooden wheels of the carts wouldn¡¯t budge from the mud. Kulad had no choice but to open the interior of his cargo, filled with gold and mana potions, which drew curious glances from the locals. ¡°Hurry up!¡± yelled Heagg furiously. ¡°We need to get this cargo to the city, even if you have to carry it yourselves!¡± Hours of hard labor passed as they hauled the minerals and magical potions through the puddles and mud. Over time, an enormous makeshift depot of valuables for the invaders took shape in an open field. As the Aneita soldiers and their auxiliaries grew exhausted from carrying the supplies, a horn blared fiercely through the nearby trees. A small glimmer of hope sparked within Kulad as he saw hundreds of archers and swordsmen emerge from all directions. The terrified villagers retreated into their homes to avoid the battle about to unfold in their village. ¡°Everyone, to arms!¡± roared Heagg, furious, as he began hurling fireballs at the first brave souls who fell upon the defenders of the loot. ¡°I¡¯ll be watching. Anyone who doesn¡¯t fight is a dead man!¡± Kulad managed to spot three heroes leading the enemy vanguard, cutting through the first defenders like the tip of a spear. They were a burly swordsman, a mage, and an archer. A fourth hero, clad in strange garments and radiating a much weaker aura than the others but with a fierce appearance, arrived galloping with a long spear in hand. He rode a creature resembling a horse but with a long neck and wool-covered body. ¡°A llama.¡± Grabbing his trident, Kulad prepared to fight, defending the spoils of men he hated. With any luck, one of those jungle heroes would finally kill him, sending him back to his beloved sea. High seas "I can see through you," were the first words spoken to her that morning, as they awoke in the simple bed they had been sharing for the past few nights, lulled by the ceaseless sway of the waves. "Ever since I saw you at the tavern, I knew you were far more powerful than you appeared." The elf¡¯s eyes, shining like the sea on a sunny day, hypnotized Yowo. "How is that possible? No one knows my true stats, not even the most skilled mages in the world. Only the programmers can access my true powers." Years earlier, one of the moderators had spoken frankly to her about her stats. "You''re one of my favorites," the man had said, appearing before her in a golden robe that matched his shimmering skin. "You''re one of the chosen few, which is why you must be shrewd to stay alive long enough. You must choose your alliances and battles wisely." The man had appeared before her in one of the barracks where she slept, at the headquarters of the Aneita forces near the imperial capital, Dalux. The tiny particles of dust floating around her, visible through her infrared vision, had frozen in place, as had everything else¡ªincluding time itself. "Even me," she had thought at that moment, futilely trying to move her agile fighter¡¯s limbs. "What the hell does this useless guy want from me now?" But the moderator, who looked like a mage wrapped in gold, had allowed her to move¡ªonly her¡ªand handed her a manual. "Read it until you can¡¯t stand it anymore," the man had said, his voice carrying an unfamiliar accent, possibly from the Outer World. "Practice it in your mind with the same fervor you use to hone your treacherous sword techniques." "Why don¡¯t you just upload it into my brain? Aren¡¯t you supposed to control us, to access every line of code that governs our thoughts?" "Not in this game," the man had replied, pacing back and forth inside the barracks, the wooden floor creaking with each step. "This game was developed by an advanced AI, where programmers inserted the necessary codes to emulate a medieval world with its respective gods, to see how events unfold on their own. While only a few years have passed in our world, millennia have gone by in the server. We moderators can only try to keep things in order, but we cannot touch the Mother Source Code." There, on the guild ship, in the arms of Xyrna, whose kisses had lulled her to sleep the night before, Yowo continued to recall that distant night when the nameless moderator had visited her. She remembered the manual in her hands and its title written in the common tongue of the continent, in perfect ancient calligraphy: "The 37 Infallible Strategies of War." "So I have to read this thing like some boring monk in a temple?" "That¡¯s my suggestion." Shortly after, the man had disappeared, leaving behind more clues about his origin and her special abilities, which went far beyond combat techniques. According to him, they were deeply rooted within her, in her mind. But of all the NPCs inhabiting the world, this strange elf was the first to claim she could see her origin through her eyes. "Like you, I also have special abilities, ones that go far beyond the ordinary. But I¡¯ve ignored them, repressed them, distracted as I was by swords and blades," the elf said, caressing Yowo¡¯s smooth, tan skin. Yowo tried to kiss the lady again, but she turned her face away. That beautiful face that drew her in like the allure of heights, like the forbidden. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. She had seduced her with another manual the moderator had given her during one of his sudden appearances¡ªone that contained all the arts of seduction. Yowo was attracted to both men and women, but she felt more at ease with the latter. Her encounters with them were tender, if not as physically pleasurable as those with a vigorous man. They filled her soul more. "There¡¯s no time for this," the elf said, rising from the bed. "I sense we must be ready for what¡¯s coming." It was then that Yowo learned of Xyrna¡¯s true power: Foresight. "That¡¯s how she knows my true abilities. This elf can see the future. But for some reason, she doesn¡¯t want to reveal what¡¯s coming." Like a cornered beast, the Aneita fighter got out of bed and began to dress. When they reached the deck, they saw that trouble had indeed arrived. The guild¡¯s ships, fifteen in total, were clustered like grapes around the few coral islands nearby, providing some flank protection and allowing them to defend the Ixtulite fishing boats, which desperately cast their nets, sensing the impending battle. The sight before them was terrifying. "There are ships as far as the eye can see," said Vog, one of the dark elves, who wielded two curved obsidian blades on his forearms. "The time has come to die fighting, to enter the feasts of Nurhim." "By the new and ancient gods," Yowo whispered. Hundreds of ships approached them, surrounding them like a crescent moon. All flew the black sails typical of pirate vessels. "Butchers!" shouted Ridis, the burly captain of the ship, after assessing the enemy forces from the crow¡¯s nest. "Don¡¯t expect mercy from those sea wolves! Once we fall into their clutches, they¡¯ll slit our throats one by one, night after night, for their amusement, while they make us speak with steel pressed to our necks!" The enemy ships continued to advance like a stalking predator, as the dark, cloud-filled sky roared with deafening thunder. When the captain descended to the deck, sailors and guild warriors gathered around him, weapons at the ready. Yowo could see the terror in their eyes. Fear also grew within her, but she suppressed it with one of her mental replacement spells. "The time has come to fulfill what we set out to do in this godforsaken place!" The captain¡¯s voice boomed like thunder trapped in an oak drum. Yowo¡¯s hair stood on end. Despite the spell, fear continued to gnaw at her as the first drops of the storm began to fall on the deck. "Before you lie thousands of experience points that will send you back to the shores of Ixtul as true heroes¡ªor your doom! The choice is yours!" The captain drew his greatsword and pointed its blade at the countless ships still approaching. The bastard knew about this. He led us into a dead end on purpose, to win or die, without caring about his own skin. "You and I both know what will happen if darkness covers our eyes today!" the old sea wolf continued. "We are not reborn, who can return to this world twenty-four hours after death! If we die here, our remains will feed the fish and the squid!" He glanced back at the battlefield. "The corals protect our flanks! These fools will have to come straight at us! Let¡¯s show them what we¡¯re made of!" Yowo took the bow she had received from the burly man in the last battle, which now seemed like child¡¯s play compared to what they were facing, and positioned herself near one of the wooden railings, where she would begin firing as soon as the enemies were in range. Her ship was at the forefront of the formation. "We won¡¯t make it out of this," she said to the elf. "I know you can see the future," she added, as the furious raindrops began to soak her face. "The future is something we cannot know," her lover replied, her thunderous voice carrying a heavy accent, rising above the clamor of the crew. "You do know it!" The elf stared at her for a long time with her deep blue eyes before responding. "The joy of life and its beauty lie in the fact that life is a continuous surprise," was all she said before firing the first probing arrows, with the faint hope of deterring the countless enemies ahead. "It¡¯s useless," Yowo thought as she, too, began firing arrows left and right. "The storm won¡¯t stop them. This attack was planned months ago. For seasoned pirates, this is the perfect battle scenario." She managed to make out some faces on the enemy ships, crowded with men of many skin tones, all sharing the same look of ruffians and scoundrels, regardless of nationality. The green-skinned orcs and goblins accompanying them offered no reassurance either. Xyrna handed her a silver crescent-shaped blade. "To plunge into your heart before you fall into the hands of those beasts." "You can see the future, but I know we won¡¯t die today," was all Yowo replied. "These men won¡¯t kill us. Look at us. We¡¯re attractive, with beautiful faces and glorious bodies¡ªeverything a man desires. They¡¯ll chain us in the hold of one of their ships and violate us for eternity. Our future won¡¯t be pleasant." "I know you can see the future. But I know we won¡¯t die today," Yowo simply replied. Defenders of the Citadel. "The jungle defends itself," Nava¡¯rel thought over and over as she ventured deeper and deeper into its domain. Hunger roared in her flat stomach. She had been hunting for hours, exhausted from the mangos that didn¡¯t provide enough energy for her journey. The need for sustenance forced her to continue delving into the jungle, navigating the difficult terrain with increasing skill as she traversed muddy paths and the intricate branches of the trees. "I¡¯m too far from home, and there¡¯s no food here. The damned jungle keeps prey away from the paths I take." She knew it. In her mind, she carried the encrypted knowledge of the World, and as she grew and leveled up, the harpy deduced her surroundings with greater precision. The jungle was a living entity, and she felt she belonged to the citadel that, little by little, grew in its domain like a giant marble fungus. The jungle was a hive mind that controlled all the creatures within it, whether plant or animal, and moved them across the map to its advantage. And against me. It had been at least two days since she had last fed on a swamp fawn. Though she had devoured it to the bone, leaving the poor creature a skeleton, the coveted level eleven still eluded her. Exhausted from her journey through the jungle, whose dense darkness made it impossible to track other creatures, Nava¡¯rel paused to check her experience bar. Experience points needed for the next level: 34,712. She used her claws to switch menus and navigate to the skills section. Next skill to unlock: Stealth. Required level: 11. This skill allows you to enter partial invisibility when near solid structures, such as trees or buildings. Other players or creatures will only be able to see you when you attack or if they carry a revealing item. Nava knew this skill would make things much easier for her, and she had been saving her skill points to maximize its level. But if she didn¡¯t get enough food, she would never be able to use it. "Goddess Tl¨¢loc, help me," she thought, closing her eyes and focusing all her attention on her other senses. Suddenly, as if the goddess had heard her, her pointed ears picked up the sound of a stream far to the east, deep in the unexplored jungle. "Water. Water is life. There must be prey nearby." With the speed of an assassin, she moved through the difficult terrain, farther and farther from her home, from her father Leye. It was all or nothing. She kept moving until she reached the river. Though her eyes couldn¡¯t see what lay beneath the surface, her ears and instincts helped her detect a caiman floating among the logs. She didn¡¯t know when she would find another prey. Nava was running on empty. She couldn¡¯t afford to fail. She leapt into the water with the certainty of a jaguar and sank her claws into the reptile¡¯s skin, which began to thrash violently against its sudden attacker. The world transformed for Nava as she clung to the animal¡¯s back, and the depths of the river swallowed her. "I don¡¯t have much time. If I don¡¯t finish this beast soon, other predators might come for me. I¡¯m in deadly territory." Though she was out of her element, and the lack of breath drained her mana, the fall had been lethal, and her claws were embedded in the small reptile¡¯s neck. She held on tightly and finally managed to bleed it out, returning to the shore without releasing her hard-earned prey. Once she caught her breath, she climbed to the top of a massive elm and devoured the caiman desperately, as if a hungry feline might pounce on her at any moment. There were many jaguars hiding in the shadows, and she had to compete with them for the limited prey. After her meal, her experience bar had shortened, but she still hadn¡¯t reached level eleven. Her mana bar had also increased to a quarter, but it wasn¡¯t enough to return to the crystal wells surrounding the father core. "I¡¯m too far. I have no choice but to hunt bigger prey until I refill my mana," she thought as she rested after her meal, ready to continue exploring the inhospitable jungle. But her heart skipped a beat when she noticed strange huts appearing as yellow dots on the eastern part of the jungle on her minimap, which she had just unlocked. There were at least three of them, glowing like small yellow dots in the middle of the green "sea" of the interface. That could only mean one thing. There were people nearby. The universal knowledge of the World sent her the memory of a tribe that inhabited the deepest parts of the Naxtul jungle. Right where she was heading. According to legends, they were a tribe of medium-sized beings who fought with shield towers and spears, and whose people moved through the jungle like nomads, much like schools of sharks traversing the Seven Seas. According to the collective memory that flooded the harpy¡¯s mind, its people barely wore clothes to cover their private parts and were fierce warriors deep in the jungle but practically useless in open valleys and fields. As night fell and the little light penetrating the jungle canopy signaled to Nava that it was time to keep hunting, the harpy descended from the massive tree and began to move through the dense foliage. She had two options: continue straight east, risking being seen and attacked by scouts who were surely lurking in the darkness like relentless felines, or veer slightly north, where the terrain was vaster and she would have to move more but with better chances of finding prey. In the end, she chose the second option. Heading east would be suicide at best. It was almost dawn when Nava¡¯rel found her next victim: a wild boar with massive tusks approaching a small stream to quench its thirst. The harpy sensed a slight lethargy in the animal, which had likely just finished grazing, and it hadn¡¯t noticed her presence. Without the "stealth" skill yet, but with the cunning of an experienced predator, Nava waited in a nearby bush and, with imperceptible assassin-like movements, positioned herself on the animal¡¯s back. With her mana nearly depleted and just enough energy, Nava leapt onto the powerful beast, latching onto its hairy back as she had done with the reptile. The boar thrashed violently, but there was little it could do with its massive tusks, as its attacker was anchored to its back. After a while of struggling, the exhausted animal could only bellow as Nava began to tear into its back with powerful bites, spending her last reserves of mana in the process. Stolen novel; please report. In the end, she succeeded, and the boar died with a piercing howl as Nava began dragging the carcass into the underbrush to finish her meal. This time, it took her several hours to devour every last piece of meat. When she was done, her interface exploded with the long-awaited notification she had been waiting for. Nava¡¯rel, The Winged Shadow of the Forest: You have reached level 11. Your mana is fully restored. You have learned a new skill: Stealth. With the excitement of a little girl, Nava allocated all her skill points with quick movements of her claws across the interface screen. Lethargy began to take over her, and she knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to move for several hours as she digested the boar¡¯s meat, its bones scattered around her. As she began to fall asleep, she reflected on the immense jungle surrounding her and its infinite wisdom. "It wants the creatures that roam it to strive for its precious resources. This helps it maintain the balance of its ecosystem, allowing only the most cunning predators to survive without letting its herbivores be exterminated." Soon, she gave in to rest under the shade of a giant palm tree, her dreams filled with a tribe that dwelled deep in the jungle, its people beginning to stalk from the shadows. ******* Leye observed the empty citadel around him. Like a mushroom growing among moss, the marble buildings were becoming more numerous. The massive coliseum loomed over the houses and mana wells like a galleon surrounded by skiffs. "So majestic, yet so empty," he thought, watching it from one of the elms that gave him the best view of the terrain. "Except for the bonobos and macaws, this place feels abandoned. Even the buildings are starting to be devoured by the undergrowth." He noticed the voracious vines climbing the white buildings. Every now and then, he received waves of experience from his linked heroes, especially Yowo, who was the most efficient. Otherwise, it was all solitude. As he gazed at the vast green and brown world stretching beyond the abandoned settlement, he felt more imprisoned than ever. The heroes should be here, using their mana points to grow more buildings, or bringing allies, merchants, soldiers, and other humans with various trades to inhabit the monkey-infested houses. But instead, they were far away, exploring the world, while he remained trapped in his rocky body, confined to this colossal fortress. The bonobos moved disorderly through the muddy paths, bathing with impunity in the crystal-clear mana wells and scattering banana peels everywhere. But there was little he could do. He couldn¡¯t control his allies, and his only hope was that they wouldn¡¯t decide to abandon or betray him. Not even his own daughter, Nava¡¯rel, was entirely his. Though he could suggest some thoughts to her, as she was more deeply connected to Leye than the others, she was as independent as Nilu and the rest, and at that moment, she was somewhere far away. "If a group of outlaws finds my position, they¡¯d only need a level one peasant and a fighter to conquer me. I literally have no defenses, except for these four stone archers around me, as anchored to the ground as I am." Fortunately, his immobile condition didn¡¯t completely prevent him from contributing to the growth of his domain. After the encounter between Nava and Yowo at the Temple altar, small floating orbs of mana had remained inside the sacred chamber, and soon they began to take shape over the altar. Leye knew that, somehow, he had to dedicate all the mana to this incipient glow, which could only mean the birth of a new creature. Suddenly, a notification appeared before his eyes in the depths of the serpent-infested dungeon where his rocky body lay. Your creature Nava¡¯rel has leveled up. You have gained 700 experience points. Your dungeon level has increased to 15. You are entitled to a new monster. Leye¡¯s rocky body trembled with excitement at the new options unfolding in the interface. He read them carefully. Choose a new monster: Zar Quar: Jaguar Warrior. This fierce being with a feline face and a human body possesses the strength of fifteen gorillas and wields a mace capable of felling the strongest of enemies with a single blow. Type: Tank warrior with siege bonus. Ideal for melee combat, though weak against ranged enemies. Navira Scale Arrow: This fierce amphibian witch archer not only slows enemies with her water-type arrows but also possesses area damage abilities that can turn the tide of battle. Ideal for precise defense, though she requires high mana costs and is slow and vulnerable in melee combat. Leye weighed the options. A naga could always be useful, and he wasn¡¯t overflowing with ranged units. Only Naya and Vidul attacked from a distance. Still, he decided to follow his instincts. He didn¡¯t have a strong enough vanguard warrior to withstand an assault. Nilu and Yowo were experienced swordsmen, but they were berserker types, making their attacks more effective from the flanks and in later stages of combat. It would be risky to have them fight at the start of a battle. Nava¡¯rel, on the other hand, was an assassin who benefited more from picking off isolated targets from the shadows and avoiding battles altogether. He chose the jaguar warrior. You have chosen Zar Quar, Defender of the Pyramid! Your monster will come to life in a few hours. Immediately, he saw the altar deep within his mother¡¯s temple begin to glow. The energy took the form of a burly, feline warrior, whose dark, spotted fur floated over the circular altar. Leye marveled at his new creature. Though it couldn¡¯t compete with Nava¡¯s beauty, its robust body and jungle colors gave it a masculine appearance that filled the core with pride. Its humanoid legs with feline claws were covered by leather pants, and a long tail grew from its muscular rear. As the hours passed, weapons appeared around the creature. Leye opened the emerging notifications to see what arsenal accompanied his new monster. Mace of the Mythological Minotaur: Lost in the annals of time, this powerful, indestructible artifact can shatter armor of any material. Bonus attack against structures. Helmet of the Feathered War God: This beautiful obsidian helmet increases its wearer¡¯s armor and health by 500 points. The wearer¡¯s headbutts slow enemies for seven seconds. Impenetrable Chainmail: This item makes its wearer invulnerable to melee damage, though it reduces magic resistance by five points. Leye was amazed by his new monster¡¯s weapons. Nava hadn¡¯t brought any weapons with her at birth, except for her sharp claws and elbows. In contrast, the anthropomorphic creature now sleeping peacefully in his mother¡¯s temple, glowing with an aura, came fully equipped. It had to be due to his dungeon level increase. He noticed the helmet. The obsidian¡¯s colors shimmered between green and black intermittently, with elm wood finishes over the eye holes, as well as the chainmail itself, with thorny spikes across the chest. It must have belonged to some god, given its beauty. The mace looked more rustic, dark orange with faint bloodstains that hadn¡¯t washed away over the eons, giving it a menacing aura. The next morning, after Leye¡¯s rest, the creature came to life. It crawled on the ground, looking around, dazed. Finally, it stood up and instinctively grabbed the mace lying before it on the marble floor. It tested it with a few swings in the air. Then, it donned the helmet and chainmail. As if by instinct, it walked with heavy steps toward the temple exit and headed to the dungeon¡¯s main castle. It entered the dungeon where Leye lay, as the snakes fled in terror at its presence. "It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, father. I am here to defend your domain from our enemies," it said, kneeling before Leye¡¯s rocky body. Leye thought the helmet worn by the dark-furred, panther-like feline warrior was even more beautiful up close. But a new notification distracted him from his new monster¡¯s headgear. Coliseum Notification: You now have more than five creatures linked to the core, allowing you to access a new game mode in your "Lost Sun Coliseum" building: Field Battle: Two heroes can choose two types of minion units and compete in the coliseum by defeating neutral monsters they encounter, which will drop items and experience. The hero with the most resources (and skill) can defeat the other, claiming their experience and destroying their base to win the match. Cooldown time per match: Two days. "Now things are getting interesting," Leye thought, still admiring the muscular build of the jaguar warrior kneeling before him.