《The Rise of the Winter Wolf: A Livestreamed Dungeon Crawl LitRPG》 B1 | Prologue Wolf "Hey Wolf!" I hear someone shout from behind me as I walk through the automatic doors of the Engineering and Research Building into the cold night air outside. I turn around to find my friend William hurrying to catch up to me with his hand raised in a friendly wave. "What''s up?" I ask as I stop walking to let him catch up. Quiet chatter fills the area around us as people walk in and out of the building - likely to take their final exams just like I just finished doing. It takes a second, but the man catches up to me whilst slightly short of breath before he says, "I wanted to ask you about how you did on your Algorithms final!" I take a moment to ponder as to whether I should comment on his obvious exhaustion before deciding not to. William is a rather cheery guy in general, but he can be a little talkative at times. The man is about the same age as me, with a short beard, brown hair, and equally brown eyes. And - while I wouldn''t exactly call him overweight - he is definitely pushing it in that area. Hence him being out of breath. "I felt okay on it, but I could probably have done better," I answer him in my usual brief tone as I turn around and continue my way out of the building with him following closely behind me. The smell of the winter air mixed with the light crunch of snow under my feet helps me relax as I walk in the direction of the parking lot. No more tests for the semester. "Really?" William asks in surprise. "I would have thought that you''d have studied to the point of perfection for the final!" I send him a brief glance before noticing someone approaching quickly to my right. As if on instinct, I move backwards while reaching into my pockets, only to find my old knife missing as someone runs past us. Oops. I kind of wish I would stop doing that, but old habits die hard. After mom and dad had that job go horribly wrong a few years ago, they decided to end our ''family business'' as assassins for the government and stopped training me and my sister. Despite us stopping the training, the habits that I built up from it never really left me. Which isn''t exactly very helpful for an engineering major. After all, there isn''t much combat involved when you are sitting in front of a computer programming. "Wolf?" William asks me, confused by my sudden silence as we approach the large parking lot. I turn my attention back to him as I say, "Sorry, I was lost in thought." "Again?" he says with a shake of his head before breaking off from me with a wave. "Anyways, my car is this way, so I''ll see ya next semester!" I lightly nod my head before facing forward again as I continue my way towards my car at the back of the lot. Thinking back on that test, I really should have studied harder for it. But in hind sight, Algorithms was a pretty damn difficult class to say the least. I sigh in relief as I finally reach my car before reaching into my pocket and grabbing my keys. "That aside, at least I only have one semester left until I graduate," I mutter to myself as I unlock my car door and step inside.
It takes me about fifteen minutes or so, but the driveway to my house comes into sight as I drive down the last stretches of our neighborhood into the little cul-de-sac that contains my family''s home. The home itself is a two story building made up of white bricks with a triangular roof. Meanwhile, the drive way is perfectly straight and currently has three different cars parked on it. I guess that means everyone is home. A neighbor walks out of their house to grab a package as I pull into the drive way and park my car. They wave towards me as I get out of my car and lock it before I wave back and start towards the front door. I reach into my jacket pockets to find my keys before pulling them out of the pockets of my light black jacket. Mom gets onto me for wearing nothing but a light jacket despite the freezing cold weather outside, but I do it anyways. I love the cold after all, so why should I bundle up? Anyways, I unlock the door before putting my keys back into my pocket and opening it to hear the sound of Katie - my younger sister - complaining to mom and dad about how long it''s taking me to get home. I raise an eyebrow in amusement as I step out of the cold winter air into our annoyingly warm house before closing the door behind me. For some reason that I will never understand, everyone else in my family has a severe dislike for the cold, so they keep the house really warm despite my complaints. The complaining suddenly comes to a halt as I begin to chain the front door closed before I hear running coming from the living room in my direction. I turn around from the door to find Katie already only a couple of meters in front of me as she yells, "Wolf! Why did you take so freaking long to get home!" My brows furrow in confusion as I answer, partially in question, partially in statement, "Because I was taking my last final exam?" Katie looks frustrated for a moment before she fails to find any fault in my answer and says, "Well, whatever! Have you made any plans to meet with Aidan over the break?" Both of my eyebrows raise in surprise as I walk past her down the hall towards the living room. "You''re still infatuated with him?" I ask her in surprise before turning into the living room to find both mom and dad looking amused as they sit on the couch next to the Christmas tree. My mother has the same brown hair and eyes as me, except with her hair falling down to her shoulders. She is wearing a light gray hoodie, with a pair of sweat pants and slippers. On the other hand, my father instead has black hair, with the same blue eyes that my sister has. He is wearing a simple black suit, with a slightly undone tie. My question makes Katie shut up before she suddenly becomes shy and mutters, "I don''t know what you mean." I roll my eyes at her answer before opening my mouth to say something, only to pause as a strange blue box suddenly covers my vision.
System Notification
This is a warning to all inhabitants of the galaxy known as the Milky Way. This galaxy has been selected by an Administrator to be initialized into the System and therefore, all of the intelligent inhabitants of this galaxy will be reappropriated to a new planet specifically designed for this initialization. You will all have twenty seconds to prepare for any danger that you might face before you are reappropriated.
What the hell...? The strange box vanishes just as quickly as it had appeared before an equally strange timer appears in the corner of my vision. This looks like something that you might see in a video game... Dad suddenly claps his hands and shouts, "Snap out of it! Ignore how strange the menu is and go find something that can be used as a weapon! Now!" His shout snaps me out of my stupor as I quickly rush over to the kitchen and grab the two nearest kitchen knives as the countdown reaches ten seconds. When I turn around again, I find mom holding the western-style sword that was hanging on the wall, with Katie having a kitchen knife of her own, and dad holding his old military grade combat knife that he really shouldn''t have on him right now. Mom notices this as well and glares in his direction. Assuming whatever this is doesn''t harm or kill us, there is no way that she is just going to let that little detail go. The countdown reaches three seconds remaining before mom says, "Stay safe no matter how strange or bizarre this may seem!" All three of us nod our heads before a bright flash of light envelops the entire room the moment the countdown reaches zero. By the time I can see again, I find myself in a completely empty, white room in the shape of a cube. "This is not what I expected to happen when I woke up this morning," I mutter as I carefully put the kitchen knives in my pockets. It''s unfortunate that we didn''t have enough time to grab our emergency bags, otherwise we would probably be better equipped for this. Another blue box suddenly appears in my vision.
System Notification
You will now be assigned a soul-bound ability. This ability will be created based off of your personality, interests, talents, and the System''s choice, and it will grow in strength along with you as you level up.
Ability? Does it mean some sort of magical power, like what you would see in a video game? The box disappears a few seconds after I finish reading it before a loud chime rings in my head and another box appears.
System Notification
You have gained the soul-bound ability: Ice Reaper
Ice¡­ Reaper? Is it just me, or does that sound a little ominous? If that was created based off my personality and interests, then does this System think I am some cold-blooded killer or something? I can understand some of my talents giving me an ability related to a reaper of sorts, but seriously! Or maybe it just chose it itself? Another box appears in my vision before I can continue thinking about my new ability. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
System Notification
Now that you have been given your soul-bound ability, the System Tutorial shall commence.
Well, at least we aren¡¯t just being thrown into this. Although I still don''t know what this is. A new box with a slightly different appearance this time appears in my field of view, taking up about the same amount of space as the last one did.
Tutorial Notification
Step 1: Think the word ¡®Status¡¯ in your head or say it out loud. Note: Swipe this box to move on to the next step. O o o
It wants me to think status? -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Name: Wolf Adler Soul-bound Ability: Ice Reaper Species: Human Level: 1 EXP: 0/100 System Points: 50 Skills List Inventory -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- My eyes widen in surprise as a strange flow of words appears next to the tutorial box before the box shrinks in size to accommodate. So, this really is like a video game then? I can work with this. It said to swipe the menu? Like you would on a touchscreen? I reach out towards the menu and swipe it with my finger before another one replaces it.
Tutorial Notification
Step 2: Mentally select the Skills List tab. You will already have the skills for the three things you are the most skilled at. Skills come from Tiers 1 all the way to 10. You can raise the Tier of a skill by raising its level to ten and paying System Points to promote it. When you are finished, return to the Status menu by mentally selecting Return. Note: Swipe this box to move to the next step. o O o
Okay then. This is getting really weird. Then again, it¡¯s also pretty interesting. I focus on the words ''Skills List,'' only for nothing to happen. What does it mean by ''mentally select?'' I try several more things until something finally works and a new flood of words replace the Status menu. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Skills: Stealth ¨C Tier 3 ¨C Level 2 Knife Mastery ¨C Tier 2 ¨C Level 5 Unarmed Combat ¨C Tier 2 ¨C Level 8 Return -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Okay then, so I just have to focus on it and think ''select?'' Not really sure why it didn''t just tell me that in the first place, but whatever. I read through the skills and quickly find that they are all combat related skills. Is it possible for me to get a description of what these skills do? I play around with the menu, ''mentally selecting'' everything until another menu finally pops up as I select the names of the skills. Surprisingly, the new menu actually appears below the current one instead of straight up replace it. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Knife Mastery This skill raises your proficiency when using short blades such as knives or daggers by 15%. Close -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Nice! So I can get a clear description of what each skill does just by mentally selecting the name of the skill like I would a menu? It¡¯s surprising that the Tutorial doesn¡¯t tell you this. Maybe they want us to figure it out for ourselves? Regardless, I close out of the skill¡¯s description before selecting the return button and swiping at the tutorial notification again.
Tutorial Notification
Step 3: Mentally select the Inventory tab. Select the Tutorial Starter Kit to take it out of the inventory. Take everything out of the box and place them back into your inventory, aside from the stamps. Once you finish this, stamp each and every item you have on your person in order to give it a tutorial enhancement from the System; thereby turning it into a System Item. To identify an item, you must have it in your inventory before you mentally select it while thinking ¡®Identify.¡¯ When you are finished with this, return to the Status menu by mentally selecting Return. Note: Swipe this box to complete the System Tutorial. o o O
Okay, guess it''s time to check out the inventory. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Inventory: Tutorial Starter Kit 1x Return -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Looks like what I would have expected, considering the other menus so far. I select the starter kit and a plain gray box appears in my hands. Okay, this box looks a lot plainer than what I was expecting. Then again, it¡¯s what¡¯s inside that really matters. I open the box and begin to take the items out one by one before placing them all back into the inventory, aside from the stamps. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Inventory: Player¡¯s ID 1x Tier 1 Healing Potions 3x Tier 1 Stamina Recovery Potions 1x Tier 1 Bandages 5x Return -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- It wants me to stamp everything on me? Because that''s not weird at all... Regardless, I begin taking off my clothes so that I can stamp all of them. This takes me a couple of minutes to do before I put my clothes back on and carefully pull the two knives out of my pocket to stamp them with the last two remaining stamps. Huh, just enough stamps to stamp every single one of my items. I store my jacket and one of my knives into my inventory before identifying both of them out of curiosity, causing two separate flows of text to pop up side by side underneath the inventory menu. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Tier 1 Starter Black Jacket: This jacket gives the wearer an extra 5% resistance to both the elements and physical damage. Note: The elements refers to nature and weather, and not magic. Close -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Tier 1 Starter Kitchen Knife: This kitchen knife gives the user an extra 5% pierce and 10% physical damage to any enemy this is used against. Close -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ¡°Those don¡¯t look half bad,¡± I mutter before closing the menus. I mentally select the return button to go back to my status. If this worked on the skills, maybe it will work here too¡­ Instead of finishing the tutorial, I mentally select my new soul-bound ability; Ice Reaper. Surprisingly, another flow of text shows up right below my status. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ice Reaper First effect: This ability allows the user to create and manipulate the ice element within a certain radius determined by the level of the user. The amount of ice element that can be created and manipulated is also limited by both the level of the user and the user¡¯s own stamina. Second effect: Locked Third effect: Locked Fourth effect: Locked Fifth effect: Locked Close -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- That¡¯s¡­ a lot of locked effects. Do I have to reach a certain level to unlock each effect? Or maybe I just need some sort of item? I sit there for a few minutes as I ponder what I might need before shaking my head and deciding to figure it out at another time as I close the menu. There shouldn¡¯t be anything else that I need to look at right now, that I know of at least, so I go ahead and close my status and swipe at the tutorial box. The box disappears before another blue one replaces it.
System Notification
This is a notice from the Administrator who has nominated this galaxy for the Initialization: Congratulations on completing the System Tutorial, you are now an official player of the System! Here is some basic information that you will need on the new world you will be sent to! ----------------------------- First, I should explain some details about the new world that you shall be transported to. This world was created by the System to hold the intelligent inhabitants of the Milky Way Galaxy. You, along with every other inhabitant, will be teleported to one of the safe zones based off of your location upon completing this tutorial. Within these safe zones will be shops where you may spend your System Points on anything from skills to items. However, I should warn you. Don''t be fooled by the term ''safe zone.'' All it means is that you can''t be harmed by non-players within it, so any player can still do whatever the hell they want! Now, you may be wondering, ¡°What do you mean by non-players?¡± Well, that question is a simple one. Monsters, of course! Just before the Initialization, dungeon entrances were placed throughout the entire planet, spawning monsters everywhere along with them! And just so you know, this planet has a diameter of 1,274,198 km. ----------------------------- Now, I should also explain what a ''level'' is. Every time a player gains enough EXP, they will ''level up,'' and every time this happens, everything about their body will improve. Whether that is their physical abilities, mental abilities, stamina, self-regeneration, magical strength, life span, or anything else that you can think of! Don''t worry though, for it will not affect your thoughts or individuality. ----------------------------- Next up are System Points! These are extremely important! They are also commonly known as SP, and you will need to kill monsters to get them! Each monster will only give you one SP, and that¡¯s only if they are the same level as you or higher! Any monster of a lower level than you will not give you any SP! ----------------------------- Now, pay attention, because this next part is extremely important! Yes, I know that I have said this before, but I''m saying it for a reason! After three days'' time, every single player on the planet will be given a choice between three different classes that will be decided upon by various different factors including the player''s personality, ability, actions since the Initialization, skills, and what sort of job they would be most suited for. These classes will be extremely important, so make sure that you choose wisely at that time! ----------------------------- Last but not least - out of the information I am not required to say that is - is that you do not have any sort of numerical value for your health or stamina as some of your gamers might wish to believe. If you ever hear these terms stated, then the System is just referring to the state of your bodies¡¯ exhaustion level, physical health, and ability to continue using your powers. If you play video games, then you can treat the System as if it is some sort of new video game that you are trying out. Except that if you die, then you die. ----------------------------- Now, this particular bit of information is something that I am required to tell you. One thousand of you lovely new players will be randomly selected to compete in the Administrator Dungeon to become Administrators yourselves; but don¡¯t get your hopes up just yet! Not only are your chances preeetty slim of being one of the competitors, but there will also be one thousand floors in this dungeon that you must clear without dying! What¡¯s more is that you must also place in the top three finishers to become an Administrator! Oh, and did I mention that you will be broadcasted live to every single player in existence? Because who doesn¡¯t like being watched for entertainment as they are trying to fight for their lives! This is your friendly Administrator, Astaroth, signing off! Try not to die out there, folks! PS: Using your ability should come naturally to you, so don¡¯t fret about that!
I silently stare at the blue box for a few seconds after I finish reading before it disappears. That¡¯s one eccentric Administrator¡­ Although at least he explained things to me in a much better way than the System did. Another System Notification pops up as I try to digest all of the information.
System Notification
You will now be teleported to safe zone 52 on the planet Aegis.
¡°Well, here goes nothing,¡± I mutter as the same bright light from earlier begins to envelop the room. That strange Administrator said that we would be teleported to safe zones by location, so I hope I end up in the same one as my family. The last thought that I have before the light fully envelopes the room is, ''At least I won''t have to go back to college next semester.'' B1 | Chapter 1 - The New World - Aegis Wolf By the time I can see again, I find myself surrounded by several dozen people in various states of distress. We appear to be in some sort of small village made up of several dozen huts surrounding a clearing. At the center of the clearing is a strange looking totem with the same symbol that was on those stamps located on all sides of the totem. The symbol itself looks like a crescent moon, although I am not sure if it¡¯s our moon or one from a different galaxy. Is that the System Store that the Administrator spoke about? Also, the climate feels almost exactly as it was back in Colorado. Is it meant to be like that? Or is it just a coincidence? Although the time of day is slightly different. It was nighttime back home, but it only appears to be about afternoon here. At least, judging by the position of the blue sun in the sky. ¡°Wolf!¡± I hear a familiar shout from behind me before I turn around to find both my sister and my dad walking over towards me through the snow from the other side of the clearing. I simply nod my head before walking in their direction to meet them halfway. On my way over to them, I pass by a teenager who is repeatedly changing his arm into a sword and back again, so I take the time to look around the clearing some more as I walk. Most of the ¡®players¡¯ ¨C as the System calls us ¨C appear to either be freaking out or playing around with their new abilities as more and more people continue to teleport in. Their reaction is understandable. We did just get sent to another world and told that it would be full of monsters after all. That said, it''s better to act rationally right now instead of flipping out. I recognize several of the people in the clearing as our neighbors, but I also find quite a few people that I don''t recognize at all. They were probably passing through or visiting someone in our area. After sending them a brief look of pity at their poor situation, I proceed to ignore them, focusing on the people nearest me who are messing with their abilities. That''s not actually a bad idea. I glance down at my hand before trying to figure out how to work my own ability. As soon as I think about it, knowledge about my ability fills my head, making it seem as if I had always known about it. "Holy shit..." I mutter as I begin to lower the temperature around me through what the System refers to as ''ice element.'' I''m not sure why they don''t just call it ice... Right as this thought comes to mind, a brief explanation of the ice element fills my mind before I mutter, "Oh. That''s why." No one around me questions my talking to myself as they are all preoccupied with their current situation, nor do they seem to notice the change in temperature. Soon enough, Katie and dad arrive at my location, only to pause as they begin to look around in confusion. Did they notice what I¡¯m doing? I should have guessed that they would notice. A look of confusion spreads across their faces for a few seconds after I stop manipulating the temperature around me before they focus on me, giving me a nod of greeting. I nod back and turn my attention to the crowd around us in order to find mom with the two soon following suit. As I am searching for mom, I pay attention to the many different abilities being used around us. The first interesting ability I find belongs to an old man. He seems to have some sort of injury in his left leg, but, under the eyes of myself and several other people in his vicinity, he lowers his hand to the injury and releases some sort of golden light onto it before the wound slowly begins to heal at a visible rate. A healing ability? That could come in handy. Another person I find ¨C a young woman this time ¨C has a bunch of green vines growing out of her arms. Interesting. Although not as interesting as the next person who has the appearance of a stone golem from a video game. Did he turn his skin to stone or something? Because if he didn''t, then he should probably get that checked by a doctor. Assuming there is one nearby. My thoughts are interrupted as Katie says out of the corner of my eye, "There she is!" I turn to find her pointing in the direction of the totem at the center of the village, where I quickly find mom standing with one of her hands on the totem and another holding onto her sword with a frown on her face. She looks a little bit out of place considering her attire of sweatpants and a hoodie as she holds that sword. And I¡¯m not the only one who seems to think this, considering all of the strange looks she is gathering from the people around her. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Katie briefly snorts in amusement at her appearance before calling out, "Mom! Over here!" Mom looks in our direction before smiling as she starts walking over here to join us. As she approaches, I take a moment to study the village¡¯s surroundings. The small village is surrounded by snowy fields on all sides, with snow covered trees at the edges of said fields. Forests? Or would those be considered taiga? I go back to studying the abilities being activated in the clearing until mom finally reaches us and asks, ¡°Is everyone alright?¡± We all nod in agreement as I turn to look back at mom again, who is turning to look back at the strange totem with an irritated look on her face. "That strange totem over there is the System Store that we were told about, but apparently we can¡¯t use it unless we have killed a monster," she coldly says before turning back to us and continuing, "so with that in mind, I think we should leave the safe zone for now to find a place without any other people." I nod my head in agreement as dad says, "That sounds good." Katie nods her head as well before we begin to walk out of the village.
None of us say anything until we are at least a couple dozen meters away from the village. ¡°Is this far enough away from the others?¡± Katie asks as she suddenly stops walking and turns around to face the rest of us. Both mom and dad pause for a second before nodding in agreement. ¡°I think this is far enough,¡± Dad says, "I know that you are probably surprised by this whole thing, but we should leave that for later. For now, let''s go ahead and share the details of our abilities with each other. Who would like to go first?¡± Katie raises her hand and says, ¡°I would!¡± Dad nods his head and waves his hand for her to continue. ¡°Alright!¡± Katie starts, ¡°My ability is called Nature¡¯s Touch, and it can heal anyone I touch by an amount that is determined by my level.¡± Another healing ability like the one I saw that old man use? That will be useful if we ever get into trouble. And considering how that Administrator painted this world in his description of it, we will probably get into a lot of trouble in the future. Dad goes next as he pulls out his knife and begins twirling it while describing his ability, ¡°My ability is the ability to make slightly inferior magical copies of any knife I have in my possession and launch them in any direction I choose. I also have a small ability to manipulate them beyond just throwing them, but that isn¡¯t going to matter until I level up enough. The ability itself is called One with the Knife¡± A glowing blue knife - similar in appearance to the one he is currently twirling around - suddenly appears in the air above his shoulder as he finishes talking. My eyebrows raise in surprise as I think of all the situations that ability could help with. Not to mention that it¡¯s probably the perfect ability for dad to have¡­ He does love his knives after all. We turn to mom next before she drops her sword and begins to explain her ability as the sword suddenly begins to levitate next to her, ¡°My ability is called Telekinesis. If you can¡¯t already tell what it is by this floating sword or the obvious name, it allows me to levitate and move objects around with my mind.¡± That one is pretty good too. I¡¯m surprised that we all got useful abilities. Although I feel as if mine is stronger than theirs¡­ At least, based off of the information I was given about the ''ice element.'' Everyone turns to me in anticipation. ¡°My ability is called Ice Reaper,¡± I begin before pausing at their surprised ¨C and slightly amused ¨C faces. I knew they would be amused by my power having something to do with ice¡­ Not to mention the ability name itself. I ignore their amusement to continue with my explanation, ¡°The ability allows me to create and manipulate the ice element to a certain degree based off of my level and stamina.¡± Their amusement fades away into a mixture of confusion and interest. ¡°The ice element?¡± dad asks, no longer twirling his knife. I turn to him with a nod as I explain, ¡°I¡¯m not sure how I know this ¨C probably because of my ability and the System ¨C but the ice element is the element that controls everything cold in existence, and it is released by anything that has a temperature below water¡¯s freezing point. With it, I should be able to manipulate anything that is cold with my mind, while also creating the element myself, and decreasing the temperature of anything using said element.¡± Everyone looks at me in surprise before Katie suddenly seems to realize something as she points to me and says, ¡°So that was you earlier!¡± Dad looks at her for a second before understanding dawns on his face. Meanwhile mom just stands there looking confused as she wasn¡¯t with us earlier when I played around with my ability to lower the temperature. Dad notices her confusion and explains, ¡°Earlier, while we were waiting for you, the temperature suddenly dropped near Wolf. It seemed too weak to be an ability, so I ended up writing it off as a sudden gust of wind or something along those lines.¡± He then turns to me and says, ¡°So that was you.¡± I nod my head before closing my eyes. Let¡¯s see how good this ability actually is¡­ I force the ice element in the air to converge into half a dozen foot-length rough blocks of ice a couple of meters above the ground that all immediately fall to the ground and shatter. After that I try it again whilst focusing on my control a little bit more than the last time, making the blocks turn into round spheres and holding them all in the air instead of letting them go after creating them. My families¡¯ eyes all widen in surprise as they stare at me in silence. I raise an eyebrow in amusement at their reactions before launching the spheres of ice at the ground to shatter and asking, ¡°What do you think about that Administrator Dungeon competition?¡± This breaks them out of their stupor as mom answers without any hesitation, ¡°Ignore it. The chance of one of us getting picked is too small to even consider.¡± Dad seems to agree with this as he nods his head. Katie even looks a little bit frightened at the prospect of going into that dungeon, which, if I¡¯m being honest, is a little surprising to me. Knowing her, I would have thought that she would jump at the chance to try something like that. They are right though. The chances of any of us getting picked for that are way too low to worry about. In fact, I think I might feel bad for whoever does end up getting picked. I am with my family here, and we already have experience fighting as a group, but most average people don¡¯t have that experience. Many of them might not even have anyone with them at all, and if they ¨C or anyone else for that matter ¨C were to end up in that competition, then they would be stuck going through it completely alone. Katie changes the subject as she says, ¡°What did you guys think about that Administrator person? I thought they were really weird.¡± You¡¯re one to talk¡­ I do agree though. ¡°They were quite eccentric,¡± I admit, to which both of our parents nod in agreement. A howl suddenly echoes from the direction of the forest on the other side of the snowy plains before we all turn to look. Dad then glances at us with a smirk stretched across his face as he asks, ¡°Do you guys want to go hunt some monsters? It¡¯ll be a good chance to try to raise our levels.¡± That does sound like a good idea. Both Katie and mom nod in agreement before we all turn towards the forest. B1 | Chapter 2 - Monsters Wolf We take off at a jog through the snowy fields towards the forest as a light snow falls around us. At some point during the jog, I start playing around with my ability by making several little balls of ice float around my feet as a form of control training. Of course, since I¡¯m doing it just barely above the ground, no one back at the village should be able to see the balls. Mom either has the same idea as I do or just decides to copy me as ¨C when I glance back at her ¨C I find her floating several small rocks around her own feet. She smiles when she finds me looking, making me snort in amusement before facing forwards again. Although, as I turn, I notice Katie pouting at the both of us ¨C obviously having noticed what we are doing. Oh yeah, her ability needs someone to be injured to use it, so she can¡¯t exactly practice it like we can. At least, not without any volunteers to hurt themselves. Which doesn''t sound like a pleasant experience. As for dad? He is ahead of us and - unless he turns around like I did - can''t see what we are doing. Which is probably a good thing, considering that he could accidentally slice open his foot if he tried doing what we are doing with his knives. Anyways, we arrive at the forest a few minutes later before dad raises his hand to call for a halt. He then points in the direction of the howl from earlier while pulling out his combat knife. I nod whilst grabbing my knives as the sound of metal sliding on metal indicates that mom unsheathed her sword. We all crouch low to the ground before making our way through the forest towards the howl while using the snow-covered bushes as cover. After a few minutes, another howl rings out through the forest from just up ahead, so we slow down our pace even more as we continue to step as softly as we can. Unfortunately, our shoes aren¡¯t exactly built for walking around on snow, so we end up making a little bit more noise than I would prefer. Light growls suddenly begin to sound from ahead, followed shortly by the crunch of snow, so we sprint behind a large bush for cover. Dad then takes a short glance around it and raises his hand towards us with two fingers pointed upwards as a signal to get ready. We all get ready as the snow continues to fall to the ground around us, with the only noise being that of the wolves ¨C judging by the sounds ¨C ahead of us. A few seconds pass in silence before dad suddenly whispers, ¡°Go!¡± prompting us all to sprint out of the bushes, interrupting a small pack of white wolves as they enjoy their recently hunted meal. I try to create a small dagger of ice next to me with a very surprising success before I use my ability to put enough force in it to fly straight at one of the wolves, even after it leaves my range of manipulation. Meanwhile, dad does the same thing to another wolf with one of his copy knives. Both knives strike true into the wolves shoulders, just barely missing their necks due to our lack of practice with these weapons, causing the two wolves to fall with a pair of whimpers, startling the others as they let out a short yelp of surprise. Some of the uninjured wolves then begin to back up from their food to protect the injured ones, while the others immediately break off into a sprint towards us, growling all the while. The two that were hit with the blades struggle to get back up, so I create another ice dagger ¨C except of slightly better quality this time ¨C and send it flying towards one of them before I roll away from another wolf¡¯s lunge. A strange chime suddenly echoes in my head before another blue box appears.
System Notification
Congratulations! You have killed your first monster! As a reward, you will be given the skill ¡®Identify.¡¯
I wave the notification away to focus on the wolf that had just leapt straight past me into a tree. Someone¡¯s a little impatient. Without waiting for it to get back up, I freeze its paw ¨C along with the snow beneath it ¨C to the ground as I rush in, quickly slicing through its throat with one of my starter knives. Another chime rings in my head before I turn to face the others, only to find the rest of the wolves already dead on the ground. I walk up to the wolf with the ice dagger in it before pulling the dagger back out and attempting to put it in my inventory, only for it to not do anything. Huh, I guess I can''t put weapons made by my ice into my inventory. That''s unfortunate. ¡°Those chimes are annoying,¡± Katie says as she wipes her knife on the dead body of a wolf. I glance at her before bending down to do the same, only to pause as I think of something. ¡°Let¡¯s see if this works,¡± I mutter as I look at the blood covering my knife. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Hmm?¡± Dad looks over at me with curiosity as I freeze the blood on my knife without freezing it to my knife. I then swipe the frozen blood away with my hand before holding the knife up to my face. A smile stretches across my face as I mutter, ¡°Cleaning my weapons just became a lot easier.¡± ¡°Okay, now that¡¯s just unfair,¡± I hear my dad mutter before I turn to find him staring at my now-clean-knife. Excuse me? You didn''t even use your actual knife, so you can''t talk. I raise an eyebrow at his comment before Katie comes over and asks, ¡°What¡¯s unfair?¡± Dad just simply points to my knife and says, ¡°Magic is.¡± This confuses Katie for a moment before she notices the frozen chunk of blood on the ground. ¡°Seriously?! You can clean your knife with your ability? That''s so unfair!¡± She exclaims, raising her arms into the air with obvious jealousy. I chuckle in amusement, ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Alright, putting that little bit of unfairness aside for the moment,¡± mom interrupts us before pointing at the wolf corpses. ¡°The hides from these wolves will probably come in handy later, so place the corpses into your inventory.¡± I ignore her little jab as I focus on the wolves I had killed and mentally selecting them in my mind. The wolves then disappear from the ground before appearing in my inventory. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Inventory: Player¡¯s ID 1x F-Class Healing Potions 3x F-Class Stamina Recovery Potions 1x F-Class Bandages 5x Level 2 Wolf Corpses 2x Return -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Wait, these things were level 2? They didn¡¯t seem all that strong to me¡­ ¡°Woah! This is new!¡± Katie shouts out of nowhere. She then enthusiastically shakes my shoulder as she says, ¡°Wolf, look at me, then look to see if there is a little lightbulb above my head!¡± A¡­ lightbulb? What the heck is she talking about? I turn to her and look above her head. Surprisingly, I do find a tiny little lightbulb floating above her head. ¡°What the¡­¡± I mutter, making her giggle in amusement. ¡°Mentally select it like you would one of the menus from the System!¡± she says while still shaking my shoulder in excitement. I push her hand off of my shoulder before mentally selecting the lightbulb. The moment I do, a wave of text replaces it above her head. _-| Katie Adler ¨C Level 1 |-_ What the heck¡­? Wait a second! ¡°Is this that identify skill that we got from killing our first monster?¡± I ask her with both of my eyebrows raised in surprise. She nods her head, ¡°Yep!¡± Interesting. Very interesting! This will help us a lot in planning strategies. After all, it¡¯s best to know how strong our enemies are before we attack. I turn to find both mom and dad staring above each other¡¯s heads, likely trying out the identify skill for themselves. While I wait for them to finish, I begin to mess around with my ability a little bit more to find out the exact radius of which I can manipulate the ice element. After a couple attempts at extending a ball of ice as far as it can go without it just dropping to the ground, I learn that my current radius of manipulation is about half a meter. Does that mean that it will expand by half a meter each time I level up? Or will it only increase by a fraction of that? I am interrupted from my pondering as mom says, ¡°We need more EXP to reach level 2, so let¡¯s go find some more monsters to kill. After that, we can head back to the safe zone for the night.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± my sister and I say at the same time before we begin to follow her and dad through the forest.
I quickly use the ice element in the air to freeze a wolf''s muzzle as it comes charging at me with saliva dripping out of its open maw, causing it to headbutt me instead of ripping into me with its fangs before I grab on to it with one hand and slit its throat with a knife in my other hand. A chime echoes in my head before the box I have been waiting for finally shows itself.
System Notification
Congratulations! You are now level 2!
¡°Finally!¡± I exclaim as I lay down across the grass and snow in exhaustion. Dad looks over at me and says, ¡°Did you reach level 2?¡± I slowly nod my head without getting up as I cover my eyes from the lightly falling snow. Mom looks at me as she says, ¡°That¡¯s good. Now all we need is¨C¡° ¡°Yes! It¡¯s about time!¡± Katie shouts while jumping up and down, interrupting mom as she is trying to speak. ¡°Never mind then. Assuming you are interrupting me because you leveled up?¡± she asks Katie with one eyebrow raised in question. Katie calms down as she says, ¡°Sorry about that, but yeah! I just reached level 2!¡± I stand up from the ground as mom chuckles and says, ¡°In that case, let¡¯s begin heading back towards the safe zone.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± the rest of us say in unison before we begin heading back towards the village. I wonder how the people there are faring?
On the way back, I manage to figure out what my new radius is for my ability while also training my control of it even further. It turned out that my first guess was correct. My radius of manipulation appears to expand by about half a meter each time I level up. The safe zone comes into sight soon before sundown without much having changed since the first time we were here. Although I do notice several of the people near the totem sending us strange looks as we return. Suddenly, one of the people ¨C a middle-aged man who looks like he works out ¨C approaches us with a not-so-friendly look on his face. ¡°Where the hell were you?¡± He shouts at us, further drawing the attention of anyone who wasn¡¯t already watching us. Dad just simply takes a wolf carcass out of his inventory and says, ¡°Hunting.¡± This seems to take the man by surprise before he reaches towards the carcass. Mom suddenly draws her sword from its sheath and uses it to slap his hand away, leaving behind a small scratch in the process. ¡°What the fuck?!¡± The man shouts as he backs away holding his hand. ¡°Keep your hands off of other people¡¯s property,¡± she says in the same cold tone of voice she always uses when talking with people outside of our family. The people around us begin to back away after seeing this, likely afraid that she might turn her sword on them next. The man mom had cut stares at her with anger plastered over his face before glancing at the sword. I don¡¯t like that greedy look in his eyes¡­ Mom stares back at him without backing down an inch as the atmosphere grows tenser and tenser by the moment. ¡°Wolf? Is that you?¡± A familiar voice shouts, completely ignoring the tense atmosphere. I turn to the source of the shout, only to find Aidan sticking his head out from between a couple of the huts. ¡°Aidan?¡± I call back to him in confusion. What¡¯s he doing here? B1 | Chapter 3 - A Welcome Surprise Amidst The Chaos Wolf Aidan Hunter has been my best friend ever since elementary school, but he went out of state after high school to attend a military college in Texas and we haven¡¯t talked very much ever since due to our shared dislike of talking over the phone. ¡°It is you!¡± he shouts at me with a large grin before motioning for me to walk over to him. Why was he back in Colorado? I take a moment to study the people in between us before making my way towards him. The same man from earlier watches me leave my family for a second before he rushes towards me whilst morphing his fingers into metal blades. Is he trying to use me as a hostage to get mom''s sword? Or is he just mad at us and wants to take it out on me? It is interesting to see another person with the ability to change their body into blades at least. I shift my weight the moment he reaches me before grabbing his elbow and spinning around to use his own weight to push him onto the floor. Too bad for him he doesn¡¯t know how to use it properly. Before he can struggle against me, I pull out one of my knives and smack him on the back of the head with the handle to knock him out before getting back up and continuing my way towards Aidan. The people around me immediately begin to clear a path after seeing my display. I glance at my knife before putting it back in my pocket with a frown. It would be nice to have a military knife instead of this crappy kitchen knife. It¡¯s not very easy to knock someone out with a kitchen knife. I ignore the fearful looks being sent my way by the crowd as I pass through to reach Aidan, who isn¡¯t surprised in the least by my display. And why would he be surprised? He already knows that my parents raised my sister and I with the belief that we would become assassins one day. That is, until they decided to retire from the business after their last job. I grimace at the thought before focusing on Aidan again as he nods his head and says, ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again.¡± I return his nod as I reach him before sending a glance back at my family. Mom and dad both nod for me to continue, meanwhile Katie just looks like she wants to run over here herself. She really needs to confess to him already. It¡¯s honestly starting to get a little sad considering how long she has had feelings for him. I ignore her pleading look as I follow Aidan back into the alley between a couple of huts. We walk in silence for a while before he turns a corner and walks behind a hut. ¡°So?¡± I hear a familiar voice as I turn the corner of the hut. "What was the commotion about?" What the hell?! She''s here too?! ¡°Okay, how is it that both of you just happened to be in town again on the day of the initialization?¡± I ask Aidan and Lexi with my arms crossed in front of my chest. Lexi shoots up from the ground in surprise when she hears my voice. Ignoring her for a second, I glance around at the little setup they have here. They have a campfire with a few logs scattered several meters away from it, most likely for seating, along with a wolf skin hung up on the hut behind them. I wonder why they don''t just try going inside of the hut? "I can tell that you are curious about the hut, so I will just tell you about that first,¡± Aidan says, guessing at my thoughts. ¡°Most of the huts around the safe zone have already been taken by the adults and older people who were transported here, so the rest of us were left to camp outside like this." Before he can continue to answer my original question, I sidestep as Lexi suddenly jumps at me for a hug, prompting her to fall face first into the snow on the ground. ¡°Oh, come on!¡± she shouts, not appearing fazed at all by the faceplant, ¡°we haven''t seen each other for over a year! Couldn¡¯t I at least have one hug?!¡± I cross my arms with a frown, ¡°As I have said before; I don''t do hugs. Now would you please just answer my question?¡± Aidan and I met Lexi in middle school and have been friends ever since, but for some reason she ended up developing feelings for me at some point despite learning about my parents'' time as assassins. I have no interest in relationships though, so I turned her down without a second thought. Despite that, my rejection didn''t even phase her as she just continued to act as normal. Like I hadn¡¯t said anything at all. ¡°We were actually coming to pay you a surprise visit for the winter break,¡± Aidan answers my question with a shrug. I glance at Lexi before raising a brow and saying, ¡°Together?¡± Aidan scratches the back of his head and chuckles as he says, ¡°We had actually both planned to come visit separately, when we somehow ran into each other at the airport.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I ask, not lowering my brow. That¡¯s some weird coincidence. I finally take the time to look at the two of them as I ask, ¡°How have you two been doing?¡± Aidan is wearing a light blue jacket and jeans, matching his blue eyes to a tee, with a knitted hat covering his short black hair. Lexi on the other hand, is ¨C for some strange reason ¨C wearing a knee length skirt and a blouse. The skirt itself is black with white polka dots, while the blouse is just straight up black. She is also wearing a similar knitted hat while her long black hair reaches her mid back. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Did she grow her hair out since the last time I saw her? Also, why is she wearing a skirt during the winter? ¡°We have been doing okay so far,¡± Lexi says as she takes a wolf corpse out of her inventory. ¡°We even went out to go hunt and managed to take down a few wolves that were separated from their packs.¡± My eyes widen in surprise as I exclaim, ¡°You two hunted alone?¡± Lexi smirks before a strange blue sphere suddenly appears next to her. She then covers her mouth and whisper-shouts, ¡°Yep! We used our abilities!¡± At least she knows not to go around shouting about her ability. ¡°What does it-¡° I am interrupted before I can finish my question as Aidan throws a rock into the sphere, to which it immediately bounces off before smashing into the ground at a much faster speed than when he threw it. ¡°Oh,¡± I mutter as Lexi starts giggling at what must be a stunned look on my face. ¡°It¡¯s not just that either, watch this!¡± Aidan says with a grin as he points his hand at the ground and a wave of flames comes out of his hand, quickly melting a large patch of snow. Those are some pretty good abilities. I look down as I scratch my chin in thought. ¡°Aw, don¡¯t worry. If your ability isn¡¯t up to snuff, then we can protect you!¡± Lexi says in a playful tone. I look up at her before freezing the moisture in the air around me, causing mist to suddenly begin falling to the ground and building up around me feet. After that, I create several daggers of ice before having them float in an arc around my head. Both of them gape at me in stunned silence. ¡°So, who is going to be protecting who?¡± I ask with a grin before having the ice daggers dissipate into mist. Aidan recovers first as he jokingly says, ¡°Well, you always did have a strange obsession with the cold.¡± His joke makes Lexi break out of her shock into a round of giggles. I click my tongue at his joke, ¡°I do not have an obsession with the cold.¡± Another voice suddenly joins our conversation from around the corner, ¡°Yes, you do.¡± I turn around to see my family turning the corner with smirks all over their faces. Seriously? Aidan and Lexi both laugh at my families¡¯ unexpected intrusion into our conversation. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk, Katie. After all, you-¡° I begin before Katie runs over to me and covers my mouth with her hands, not even hiding the nervous look she is sending towards Aidan. ¡°No you don¡¯t!¡± she whispers in a rush as my parents watch our actions with a smile. I push her hands off my mouth before turning back to Aidan and Lexi, only to find them watching our interaction with a sad smile on their faces. Shit! I didn¡¯t think about it before, but they are probably worried about their own families right now! ¡°Are you okay?¡± I quietly ask them, furrowing my brows a little in worry. Katie goes quiet when she notices my change. ¡°I think so,¡± Lexi says in a small voice as Aidan nods his head in agreement. ¡°There isn¡¯t anything we can do right now except to fight monsters and get stronger. That way we can find our families as quickly as possible,¡± Aidan says with a determined look on his face. Lexi looks at him for a moment before slapping both of her cheeks to snap herself out of it, quickly replacing her sad look with one of determination to match Aidan¡¯s. I smile at this sight. It¡¯s good that they aren¡¯t giving up. I turn to my parents and ask, ¡°So, what happened after I left?¡± ¡°It¡¯s kind of surprising really, but the mayor turned out to be in our safe zone. He was apparently healing someone next to a hut when everything went down, so he smoothed things out with the others as soon as he got back, shortly after you left with these two,¡± dad explains to me with a strange look on his face. ¡°After hearing the mayor out, the other people finally calmed down and stopped paying attention to us. Some of them even thanked us after we offered to give them some of our spare wolf carcasses for food.¡± I wince at the thought of wolves being used for food. Dad looks past me and says, ¡°You two are welcome to come with us if you want.¡± I turn back to Aidan and Lexi as I wait for their answer. They both look at each other for a second before smiling. ¡°Sure!¡± they both say in unison. ¡°We¡¯re glad to have you,¡± I say with a smile. Mom suddenly speaks up, ¡°We should set up for the night.¡± ¡°Right,¡± dad says as he takes the firewood we found in the forest out of his inventory. ¡°I¡¯ll go on watch first,¡± I tell them as I sit down whilst pulling out a wolf carcass to skin it for its fur. ¡°Sure,¡± mom calls over her shoulder as she helps dad add the firewood to Aidan and Lexi''s fire.
I feel someone shaking me as I wake up. ¡°Get ready, we¡¯re going back to the forest to hunt after we check out the totem,¡± I hear dad say as I open my eyes to find him standing next to my makeshift bed. I sit up on the bed before stretching. ¡°What the hell is that!¡± Katie shouts while pointing at my makeshift bed with a shaky finger. I glance at her before looking down at my bed and saying, ¡°An ice bed.¡± While it isn¡¯t anywhere near as comfortable as a real bed, it¡¯s still a lot more comfortable than sleeping on the snow, or on a log. It was also rather simple to make. All I had to do was create a large block of ice before covering it with the skinned fur that I got from that wolf. Worked pretty well if you ask me. I slept like a log last night. Katie just groans before muttering, ¡°That ability is unfair.¡± Mom snorts in amusement as she puts out the fire. ¡°Life is unfair,¡± I retort before getting up and putting the fur back into my inventory. Aidan wakes up to see Katie sticking her tongue out at me. ¡°What did he do this time?¡± He asks her as if I am some sort of troublemaker. Seriously?! I glare at the two of them before walking over to dad as they snicker behind me. ¡°Are we going to hunt more wolves today?¡± I ask him out of curiosity as he practices using his ability. He sends me a brief glance before continuing without pause as he says, ¡°Yeah, but we might also try to find a bear, if possible. It¡¯s possible that one might be a higher level than the wolves. Before we start hunting though, I would like to check out that totem.¡± A bear? That could be interesting. ¡°I wonder when we will actually start to run into real monsters, and not just animals,¡± I mutter as I watch him slowly manipulate a glowing blue dagger. ¡°I doubt it will take very long,¡± dad says before the dagger vanishes. He then turns around to yell, ¡°It¡¯s time to head out!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Everyone says in unison before we begin following dad back to the center of the safe zone.
Inside of a certain Administrator¡¯s office located several galaxies away from the Milky Way ¡°Please explain to us why you initiated that galaxy,¡± I ask the idiot currently sitting in his office chair with his feet up on his desk. The man has crimson eyes that radiate a faint red light, bright red hair, and two large red and gray wings stretching out from behind him as he smirks with a look that makes me want to slap him. Astaroth suddenly teleports a drink into his hand from who knows where and says, ¡°Why, for the money, of course!¡± ¡°Cut the crap, Astaroth!¡± Tiamat suddenly says from her standing position next to the office door, looking ever imposing as her raven-black hair falls over her shoulder, and faint wisps of purple light leak from her mouth and eyes as she speaks, followed by a light flap of her black and purple wings. ¡°We all know you only did it to amuse yourself!¡± Astaroth takes his feet off of the desk and spins his chair around in a circle as he says, ¡°Why, whatever could you mean? I would never do something like that!¡± Tiamat clicks her tongue in annoyance at the obvious lie. I sigh at the absurdity of the situation. Astaroth has always been an idiot. Ever since I can remember, he has always done whatever is most amusing to him. Nothing more, nothing less. How this idiot ever became an Administrator in the first place, I will never know. ¡°You should think before you do stuff like this! What if one of the new initiates becomes-¡° I shout, only to pause as he cuts me off. ¡°I know, I know. You¡¯re worried about one of the one thousand becoming an Administrator, right? Well, you shouldn¡¯t! None of the competitors in the past three galaxies have been able to survive the Administrator Dungeon! What makes you think that will change now, Talroth?¡± Astaroth says before taking a sip of who knows what. ¡°You are too reckless, Astaroth. It¡¯s going to be the end of you one of these days,¡± Tiamat says with a cold glare before vanishing into a dark hole that appears out of nowhere below her feet. I stare at where she was just seconds ago before sighing again and saying one last thing before teleporting myself out of the office. ¡°Try not to do anything stupid during this initialization.¡± Preview for a possible next series and Book 1 on Amazon Kindle Unlimited Year 1395 After Chaos Month 7 The Monarch¡¯s Palace Within a large tower allocated to the Magister of the current Monarch, Tiamat, the Magister known by the name Lazarus Azger stands looking down at a small creature. This creature has the horn of a unicorn, along with various other parts mixed from other creatures. A chimera. But this very same chimera can be seen letting out its final breath, following which Lazarus slams his fist into the table it was sitting on and swears. And not even a second later, a loud crash comes from lower down in the tower, on the first floor. ¡°Magister Lazarus Azger!¡± a booming voice echoes throughout the tower as a man wearing a set of pure black and gold armor with the emblem of the commander of the Monarch¡¯s Royal Guard steps through the shattered remains of what had been the tower¡¯s front doors. Behind him walk in two dozen members of the Royal Guard, each armed with a similar set of armor but without the emblem to match it, and each bearing the aura of a Duke. ¡°You are to be executed for your crimes against nature! If you come with us without making a fuss, then you will be given a merciful death!¡± The Magister in question just turns and sneers at the stairwell behind him that leads down to the first floor before muttering, ¡°Such a nuisance.¡± Without sparing a moment to even consider listening to the Low-Prince Ranked Commander¡¯s words, the Magister simply snaps his fingers and causes several materials to float about the room into a small satchel that he hangs at his waist. He then closes his eyes for a second to focus on creating a portal to the Chaos Plane. Meanwhile, the Royal Guard down below all immediately sense the formation of a portal and begin running up to the third floor, where the Low-Prince Ranked Magister is currently opening his portal. But by the time they reach him, the portal has already opened up fully, revealing a frozen taiga on the other side. ¡°Stop, Magister Azger!¡± the commander shouts after bursting into the room. Lazarus on the other hand simply turns to sneer at the man and asks, ¡°In what world would someone actually listen when told to stop?¡± He then steps through the portal and declares, ¡°You can tell your precious Monarch that I¡¯ll be creating a worthy foe for her. The strongest monster in the world. One strong enough to knock her down from her position as Monarch!¡± Then, without another word, the portal between them closes, leaving the other members of the Royal Guard to enter the room a moment too late. The commander turns to the others and shouts, ¡°Send as many people as you can to the Chaos Plane! I don¡¯t care about being cautious, just catch that bastard before he starts another Era of Chaos!¡±
Chaotic Plane Lazarus looks around the frozen taiga he now finds himself in before turning around and waving his hand through the heavily falling snow. Little orbs of arcane magic fly out of his hand before constructing a large cabin made out of wood right in the middle of the frozen taiga. The cabin itself is surrounded by several spruce trees and appears to be only one story at a glance. The former magister takes a moment to admire his handiwork before turning away from the cabin and closing his eyes. He then begins to mutter a chaotic garble of words under his breath, causing a purple pulse of energy to radiate outward from him into the surrounding area. After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly opens his eyes and begins walking towards the south for a few kilometers until he stops in front of a den of direwolves. And with just a single glance, a maniacal smile emerges on the man¡¯s face as the two-meter-long direwolves all become instantly wary of him, backing up towards the opposite end of the den with several pups hiding behind them. ¡°My new test subjects!¡± Lazarus says while rubbing his hands together in glee. The direwolves all begin whimpering in fear as he raises his hand and levitates all of them into the air before starting back towards his new cabin with over two dozen direwolves in tow.
Year 1395 After Chaos Month 8 Chaotic Plane ¡°Damn it!¡± Lazarus shouts as his eighth direwolf test subject dies before it can complete the experiment. ¡°Not again!¡± Lazarus turns to the serum and mutters, ¡°What could be wrong with it¡­ could it be the dosage? Or maybe I put in too much elven blood?¡± Seven pained whimpers suddenly raise from the other set of direwolves, drawing Lazarus¡¯ attention away from the failed set. A maniacal glee shines in Lazarus¡¯ eyes as he rushes over to the seven direwolves strapped to the metal tables. ¡°Interesting! So, it wasn¡¯t my serum that was the issue, but it was the age of the test subject!¡± Lazarus speaks out loud without taking his eyes off of the newfound intelligence he can now find in the seven direwolf pups¡¯ eyes. ¡®In that case, it¡¯s pointless to waste my time on any more adults if the serum will only work on the newborns,¡¯ Lazarus thinks to himself before waving his hand towards the remaining adult direwolves, making them implode within their cages without a second thought. This serves to further frighten the direwolf pups, but the Low-Prince Ranked Mage doesn¡¯t seem to care as he focuses on the pups again and mutters, ¡°Now that they¡¯ve had the serum, I should move on to giving them a stronger constitution to handle the rest of my experiments.¡± He then turns and manifests a large box in front of him. The box opens with a wave of his hand to reveal ten different hearts of several different powerful species. ¡®Which means I will have to completely replace their hearts and rebuild their constitution from scratch through their blood,¡¯ Lazarus thinks before turning back to the direwolf pups and muttering, ¡°But before that, I¡¯m going to have to run some experiments to see which hearts would work best.¡± As if sensing his intent, the pups all push their way to the back of the cage with their whimpering only intensifying in volume.
Year 1395 After Chaos Month 9 Chaotic Plane ¡°Fiiiiinally!¡± Lazarus shouts as he looks at the two direwolf pups in front of him. ¡°A success!¡± One of the pups has a strange green glow to its body underneath its black fur, while the other pup¡¯s fur has entirely changed color to a milky white. Lazarus looks at the two direwolf pups¡¯ bodies and studies their insides through detection magic before frowning. ¡°Wait a second¡­ there seems to be-¡± Before he can finish, one of the pups suddenly begins convulsing as it attempts to yowl in pain through its muzzle before it begins to turn into a vicious green goo. Meanwhile, the other pup becomes stiller and stiller as its body begins to slowly turn into ice. Lazarus slams his hands into the metal tables and shatters them as he shouts, ¡°Damn it! Those hearts weren¡¯t at all compatible with the direwolves after all!¡± Three of the five direwolf pups locked up in the cage across the room from him try to move further back in the cage out of fear, only to realize that they¡¯re already as far back as they can go. But at the same time, the other two stay at the front as they watch on with interest. A few seconds pass as Lazarus mutters to himself before he looks up and sees the two pups staring at him. ¡°What¡¯s this? Are these two already intelligent enough to understand me?¡± he asks before walking over to the cage, only for the two direwolves to slowly start backing up to join the others. He rubs his chin as he thinks, ¡®These two appear to be advancing faster than the rest in intelligence. Perhaps I should try experimenting on them next.¡¯ This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Year 1395 After Chaos Month 10 Chaotic Plane Lazarus sighs with regret at the sight of both the special pups seemingly growing sluggish, as if they are about to die. But before he can get upset, strange things begin to happen within both of their bodies. The female pup begins to turn an almost clear blue, as if she was made out of water, whereas the male pup¡¯s veins begin to glow a molten red, as if it had molten lava running through them. ¡°They were a success?¡± Lazarus mutters in confusion before jumping up and shouting, ¡°They were a success!¡± Both pups begin moving against their restraints as they regain consciousness and open their eyes to look at the room with an even sharper gleam of intelligence than before. Lazarus¡¯ eyes widen in surprise as he thinks, ¡®Did they both become even more intelligent after the experiment?¡¯ He then frees the two pups from their restraints and levitates them over to himself before he asks, ¡°Would you two like to learn the written language of the natural plane?¡± ¡®Since they can¡¯t exactly speak and all, it might benefit them to learn the language later on,¡¯ he thinks to himself. ¡®If they survive, of course.¡¯ Both of the direwolves nod their heads and yip in agreement. ¡°Great! Then I¡¯ll begin teaching you in between experiments!¡± Lazarus says with a note of finality. ¡®A future Monarch should be literate after all,¡¯ he thinks to himself with a smile before turning to the other three direwolves and saying, ¡°Now, on to you three!¡±
Year 1395 After Chaos Month 12 Chaotic Plane ¡°Well, that¡¯s unfortunate, but I already have these two pups,¡± Lazarus states with a frown before turning to the two direwolves. ¡°Although, I guess you aren¡¯t really pups anymore considering how much you¡¯ve grown.¡± He waves his hand before an open box appears in the air next to him holding four eyeballs with golden pupils. ¡°Let¡¯s see if the eyeballs will work with the wolf with the magma lord heart first,¡± he mutters while looking at the male direwolf with magma flowing through his veins.
Lazarus squats in front of the male with a smile as he stares into the direwolf¡¯s lovely new golden eyes. ¡°Astounding! The fae eyes work perfectly in him!¡± Lazarus exclaims with excitement before turning to the female direwolf and saying, ¡°That being the case, it should work for her as well!¡± He gets up from his squat and begins walking over towards the female direwolf as he thinks, ¡®It¡¯s a shame that there isn¡¯t more than one of that part, otherwise I could make a second ultimate weapon!¡¯
¡°Or not,¡± he mutters as he watches the eyes of the female direwolf grow cold before they dissolve into water as the direwolf dies. Lazarus studies her corpse for several minutes before he finally mutters, ¡°I guess the fae eyes didn¡¯t mix well with the undine heart¡­¡± ¡°Well,¡± he says has he gets up and turns to the male direwolf, ¡°I still have you left!¡± The direwolf continues watching him with a wary look mixed with a hint of curiosity as he stands in the middle of the cage. ¡°I am not so sure about these next parts, but if they do end up killing you, then I can always just get another batch of test subjects,¡± Lazarus says without a hint of pity before turning away and muttering, ¡°although it would be rather difficult to get the parts again.¡± Unknown to Lazarus, a cold look glosses over the direwolf¡¯s golden eyes as he glares into Lazarus¡¯ back with hatred.
Year 1395 After Chaos Month 14 Chaotic Plane ¡°I can¡¯t believe it was actually a success for all of your claws!¡± Lazarus exclaims with glee audible in his voice as the wolf lays still on the metal table whilst occasionally twitching in pain from the procedures. He then leans down and looks at the wolf¡¯s paws while it is still strapped to the table and mutters, ¡°To think, there is now a single wolf with the claws of a wraith, the eyes of a fae, and the heart of a magma lord.¡± He stares at the ominous looking claws before getting up and thinking, ¡®But he isn¡¯t complete. He¡¯s still missing the most important part.¡¯ Lazarus snaps his fingers before the restraints on the wolf suddenly snap off and the wolf begins yowling in pain as he is lifted into the air by Lazarus¡¯ magic. But without being able to enjoy his freedom, the wolf is almost immediately placed back into the shadowsteel cage again. Following which the mage snaps his fingers, making an ominous black box appear out of thin air in front of him. The moment Lazarus opens the black box, waves of chaotic black and purple energy envelope the entire cabin, making the wolf freeze up in terror. ¡°The stomach of the Fallen Lord of Chaos, Fenrir!¡± Lazarus says while staring at the organ in awe.
Year 1396 After Chaos Month 5 Chaotic Plane The Wolf I wake up in my cage after another round of testing to the sound of my torturer and teacher messing around with the terrifying piece of flesh again. Ever since I can remember, my life has been nothing but painful tests and lessons, mixed in with several of what he calls ¡®experiments.¡¯ All in all, quoting from a book the man read to me once, my life is and has always been a living hell. As for the man himself? I have mixed feelings in regard to him. After all, if it weren¡¯t for him, I wouldn¡¯t be able to think like I¡¯m doing now to make me forget about the pain I¡¯m in. On the other hand, he massacred my entire pack, and I wouldn¡¯t be in said pain if it weren¡¯t for him. So, in the end, I both feel respect for him, and want to tear his throat out the moment I get a chance. It¡¯s too bad that he¡¯s too strong for me to do that. A feeling of relief spreads through me as the pain suddenly goes away. Then there are the times ¨C like right now ¨C when he takes some measure of pity on me and casts a spell to dull the pain. My eyes begin to feel heavy again now that the pain is gone. I glance towards the man one last time as he continues messing with the strange piece of flesh before going back to sleep again.
Year 1396 After Chaos Month 7 Chaotic Plane Wolf I am forcefully woken up as I feel the familiar restraints clamp around my mouth, neck, and legs. No! Not again!! I thought we were done with the experiments! The man ignores my whimpers and begins to cut me open as pain engulfs my entire body. Pain much worse than the pain I¡¯m usually in. Stop! Please stop it! I feel tears begin to leak out of my eyes as the restraints around my mouth stop me from voicing my pain and anger out in any way. A very familiar stuffy feeling suddenly mixes in with the pain as he uses whatever spell he has that stops me from dying while still forcing me to feel all of the pain. I then notice him reaching into me and pulling something out as an even more severe wave of pain radiates out of my entire body before he sticks something into a box and reaches into the box containing the terrifying piece of flesh. Wait, what are you doing?! Please stop it! I try to thrash about even harder, only for him to glare at me and cast a spell on me that completely freezes me in place. Please don¡¯t put that terrifying thing in me! My whimpers of pain and terror once again don¡¯t make it past the muzzle covering my mouth as his hands reenter my body with the thing held in between them. I push as hard as I possibly can against the spell holding me down, but I can¡¯t even budge an inch before an even larger explosion of pain radiates through my body and everything in the room suddenly goes dark.
My eyes slowly open again to see everything within the room thrown around everywhere. What happened¡­ The memories of the experiment flood my mind before I realize that I am on the metal table without any restraints. Huh? I rise to my feet before looking around at the table and finding the restraints destroyed. This is a first. What happened after I blacked out? Also, where¡¯s the pain? There¡¯s just nothing now. No pain at all. A groan catches my attention from below the table. When I approach the edge of the table and look down, I find the man lying down with a look of absolute glee and awe as he stares up at me from the floor while looking half dead. What happened to him? And why¡¯s he look so happy despite looking like he¡¯s about to die? ¡°My exp-p-periment w-was a s-success!¡± he manages to get out before coughing out a mouthful of blood. My eyes widen in fear and I find myself turning my head to look at my back, but I fail to find anything different with it. Does that mean that that terrifying thing is inside of me?! Nonononono. Please don¡¯t let that be the case¡­ I turn my head back to the man in a terror-riddled confusion. ¡°Kill me b-before I d-die!¡± he asks me before weakly reaching for a piece of paper and adding, ¡°Everyth-thing you need t-to know is written on this p-piece of paper¡­¡± I jump down from the table before approaching the man with a brief glance at the paper. He wants me to kill him? That¡¯s odd, but I have no problems with that. It wasn¡¯t like I was going to let him live anyways. Right before I clamp my jaws around his throat, he manages to mutter one last sentence that confuses me, ¡°The second era of Chaos shall c-commence as a new Lord of Chaos rises¡­¡± I crush his throat in between my jaws before raising my head again. It¡¯s finally over. Right as I am about to go look at the paper he mentioned, a strange flood of words and symbols appears in my vision. What the¡­ I try to bat the words away with my paw to no avail before giving up and reading them. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Awakening in progress¡­ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- What is awake- Before I can finish my thought, the words are replaced with a new set of words and symbols. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Awakening Successful Congratulations, you have now been awakened to the System! -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- B2 | Prologue Wolf The silence of the labyrinth is quickly replaced by the chirping of cicadas as I open my eyes to see myself surrounded by extremely tall trees and various other flora as the beautiful smell of nature fills me. Unfortunately, the beauty of my surroundings doesn¡¯t last long as a splitting pain echoes through my head before I fall to my knees and begin to feel the existence of dozens of different living creatures near me. ¡°Damn it!¡± I grunt as I hold my head in pain. This skill may take some getting used to. I wince as I slowly let go of my head before getting back up to take in my surroundings. ¡°So the eleventh to twentieth floors will be in a jungle style?¡± I mutter before a notification appears in my vision.
Administrator Dungeon Notification
Congratulations, Competitor! You have entered the eleventh floor! As a reward, you will now be granted the full privileges of a Competitor!
Wait, I didn¡¯t already have the full privileges? Actually, what even are these privileges anyways? Does it mean access to the Administrator Dungeon Competitor menu? I stand unmoving for several seconds in the hopes that another notification will show up to explain it, but nothing ever does. Instead, I feel a life source begin to approach me from the left. I activate both of my claws before slowly drawing my sword while turning to my left. This ¡®full privileges¡¯ stuff can wait until later to figure out. A light smile emerges on my face as I feel the life source continue creeping closer to me before the plants begin to rustle in front of me. And the first monster of the eleventh floor is¡­ A large spider suddenly jumps out of the thick plants straight at me before I raise my hand and shoot a wave of icy mist at it, freezing it into a block before rolling out of the way as it slams into the ground where I was. ¡°A spider,¡± I finish my thought out loud before walking towards the frozen creature to take a closer look at it. The spider is about one meter in length, and half of that in height. It has eight black orbs for eyes, with sharp claws at the ends of each of its legs, and a dark ¨C but very thin ¨C layer of hair covering its body. _-| Unnamed ¨C Lesser Jungle Arachnid ¨C Level 114 |-_ What¡¯s with the different id? Is it because of the new privileges I have? I ignore the id part for now and focus on its species name. A lesser jungle arachnid? Since this is a lesser version, then I¡¯m willing to bet that one of the mini bosses will be a greater jungle arachnid. Or something along those lines at least. Speaking of the arachnid, it¡¯s kind of creeping me out. It¡¯s not even trying to make any noise at all as it¡¯s frozen. Most of the monsters ¨C if not all of them ¨C have made some sort of panicked or angry noise, but this arachnid? Nothing. Actually¡­ I tilt my head at the spider as I mutter out loud, ¡°Can spiders even make sounds through their mouths?¡± Before I can ponder any more on the subject, another living creature enters the range of my senses and begins heading towards me. I raise my head in its direction. Could it be another arachnid? As if answering my question, a mix of a screech and a roar suddenly sounds from the direction of the life source before a creature jumps out of the bushes at me. _-| Unnamed ¨C Jungle Raptor ¨C Level 115 |-_ I quickly roll out of the way right before the monster that I swear looks just like a velociraptor from a certain movie lands right where I was standing. ¡°Overgrown spiders and now dinosaurs?¡± I mutter before raising my hand and creating three spears of ice above my head. Let¡¯s see how it deals with this. I lower my hand to send the three spears at the creature right as the raptor turns to me. The raptor makes another screech as it tries to sprint to the side, only to get struck with one of the spears and pinned to the ground. It¡¯s faster than I had thought it would be, but it still wasn¡¯t fast enough. I create another two ice spears before launching them at the still-pinned raptor, piercing both its eye and its throat and killing it in an instant. After taking a moment to make sure that the raptor is dead, I approach the spider and form a fist with my hand as my ice begins to shrink, slowly crushing it as it noticeably tries to strain its legs to move. Well, that was a lot more interesting than constantly fighting undead. Especially since I don¡¯t have to worry about any stupid infections or viruses. I raise my hand in front of my face and generate a small orb of icy mist over it before playing around with the orb. That mutation may have been painful as hell, but I do have to admit that it really did help with my ability. Not only am I able to create stronger ice now, but I have better control over it, and I can create more without worrying as much about stamina! I look back up from the orb to the large trees above my head. ¡°It¡¯s nice to have sunlight again,¡± I mutter before sending the corpses one last glance and starting forwards through the thick jungle. Maybe I can find a store somewhere to stop and research this Competitor privileges stuff.
Arcadian Live ¡°It¡¯s nice to have sunlight again,¡± Wolf mutters as he begins walking away from the corpses. Mikaela smiles in amusement as he says, ¡°I bet it is. Just the thought of being stuck in a labyrinth for months makes me feel stiff!¡± The audience laughs in amusement before Katherine adds, ¡°Well, tell that to the rest of the competitors, considering that they are all still in that labyrinth!¡± As if on cue, the screen changes to show a man wearing a black t-shirt and shorts with a pair of gauntlets on his arms as he stares at the frozen ¨C and headless ¨C corpse of a zombie knight. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Name: Norbert Heinrich Title: Nosferatu Species: Dhampir You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Level: 107 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Laughter breaks out from both the audience and Mikaela as they see the strange look on Norbert¡¯s face. Katherine also snickers as she says, ¡°And we mustn¡¯t forget about all of the little marks that The Winter Wolf left on the past floors!¡± Mikaela nods his head in agreement while still laughing as Norbert mutters, ¡°This must be the work of that forerunner.¡± He then glances at his sword before raising it and striking at the ice, only for his sword to bounce off without leaving a scratch. Mikaela raises an eyebrow as his laughing comes to an end and he says, ¡°It looks like Nosferatu is trying to test his might against The Winter Wolf¡¯s ice!¡± ¡°And failing pretty miserably at that,¡± Katherine adds while crossing her arms with a smirk of amusement on her face as she sees Norbert grimace at the recoil from the strike. ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Mikaela says before turning to the audience and adding, ¡°from what we have been able to figure out, The Winter Wolf¡¯s variant ice appears to be completely invulnerable to anything below a certain level when compared to his, so it¡¯s no wonder that Nosferatu can¡¯t even leave a scratch on it!¡± Katherine suddenly shivers as she thinks of something. Mikaela notices it and turns to her before asking, ¡°What is it?¡± She just shakes her head before saying, ¡°I was just imagining how much damage The Winter Wolf could do if he was angry at someone. He could freeze an entire village and no one below his level would be able to stop him!¡± Mikaela shakes his head at the thought and says, ¡°You need to remember that he is an ice variant harbinger.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Katherine says while nodding her head before adding, ¡°ice variants tend to be pretty reclusive and prefer to mind their own business over dealing with others.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Mikaela says with a single nod before turning back to the screen as Norbert continues on past the ice statue, ¡°and The Winter Wolf definitely fits that category of person.¡±
Wolf I stand still for several seconds as I stare at the refined wooden door in front of me. The Expanded System Stores on this floor are inside of trees? I glance around at the large trees around me before shrugging and reaching for the doorknob. On second thought, it makes sense. The door opens to reveal a small room with a totem, a table to eat, and a trap door behind the totem that I am assuming leads to the living quarters and bathroom area. I enter the store before freezing the door shut behind me and opening up my status. Let¡¯s see if anything is different¡­ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Name: Wolf Adler Class: Harbinger of Eternal Winter Privileges: Competitor Soul-bound Ability: Ice Reaper Species: Harbinger Level: 113 EXP: 126/11300 System Points: 31.47 Skills List Inventory System Communications Administrator Dungeon Administrator Dungeon Competitor System Clock System Terminal -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Well, that¡¯s new. I identify the word Competitor in the Privileges area to see if anything happens, and surprisingly, a description pops up below my status. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Competitor The Competitor Privilege is a trial executive privilege, granted only to those players who are competing in the Administrator Dungeon. These Privileges grant the Competitor the power to: Use the Competitor level version of certain Standard Tier skills, including Identify. Use ability upgrade tokens if the Competitor possesses one. Stay in a viewing room for a total of ten minutes instead of five. Close -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Wait, so this privilege is similar to Administrator and Moderator in that it¡¯s a sort of executive privilege? Does that mean my player ID is a different color now? I shake my head to dislodge the thought. Not the time. I focus on the part about being able to use Competitor level versions of Standard Tier skills. That would at least explain why the IDs are different now. I open up my skills list to see if Identify was the only one with new abilities. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Skills: Stealth ¨C Tier 3 ¨C Level 2 Knife Mastery ¨C Tier 2 ¨C Level 6 Unarmed Combat ¨C Tier 2 ¨C Level 9 Identify ¨C Standard Tier - Competitor Initiator ¨C Standard Tier - Competitor Razor Claws ¨C Tier 5 ¨C Level 4 Call of the Undead ¨C Tier 4 - Level 3 Predator ¨C Standard Tier ¨C Level 1 Pain Resistance ¨C Tier 4 ¨C Level 5 Sword Mastery ¨C Tier 2 ¨C Level 5 Ice Flow ¨C Tier 4 ¨C Level 3 Increased Recovery ¨C Tier 5 ¨C Level 2 Basic Contracting - Tier 3 - Level 1 Life Sense ¨C Tier 6 ¨C Level 1 Return -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Initiator also has a Competitor version? Well, that¡¯s interesting. I select both of them to bring up their new details. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Identify ¨C Competitor This skill allows a player to identify the name and level of another player, and the level and species of a non-player. The Competitor version of the skill allows a Competitor to identify the name, level, and species of both a player and a non-player. Close -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Initiator - Competitor This skill is only for those players who were initialized through an initialization. It grants the player a discount of 5% on all System purchases excluding purchases from the System Access Store. The Competitor version of the skill grants the player a discount of 10% on all System purchases excluding purchases from the System Access Store. Close -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- So, a larger discount for Initiator, and the ability to identify a player¡¯s species and a monster¡¯s name for Identify? That¡¯s actually pretty good! I am a little disappointed that my Predator skill doesn¡¯t have a Competitor version, but I get the feeling that it¡¯s because it has a level, unlike the other standard tier skills. Anyways, I close out of the skills list before claiming my profits and approaching the totem as I look at the SP on my status. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Name: Wolf Adler Class: Harbinger of Eternal Winter Privileges: Competitor Soul-bound Ability: Ice Reaper Species: Harbinger Level: 113 EXP: 126/11300 System Points: 471.47 Skills List Inventory System Communications Administrator Dungeon Administrator Dungeon Competitor System Clock System Terminal -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Time to go shopping! B2 | Chapter 1 - New Menus Wolf After going through and stocking up on health and stamina potions ¨C fortunately without having to deal with antidotes ¨C I move on to search through the System Access Store to see if there are any menus I would like to buy right now. And fortunately, there are a few menus that I am curious about. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Player Auctions | 200 SP This will allow you to access the Player Auctions menu in your Status. The Player Auctions allow a player to access the Auctions, Buy, and Sell sub-menus. The Auctions sub-menu allows the player to search through the items and skills that are being auctioned by other players, and teleport to a separate dimension created by the System for an auction over any of the items or skills listed. SP, items, and skills may all be used as currency for these auctions The Buy sub-menu allows the player to search through a list of items being sold by other players and purchase them right away through SP. The Sell menu allows the player to either put something up for auction or put up something for the Buy sub-menu. Purchase Close -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- System Map | 150 SP This will allow you to access the System Map menu in your Status. The System Map menu allows a player to see a map that contains their location, any location that they have been, any nearby players within a 100-meter radius that are not shielded by an item, skill, or privilege, any totem, any safe zone, and any dungeon. Purchase Close -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- System GUI | 100 SP This will allow you to access the System GUI menu in your Status. The System GUI allows a player to change the layout of their status and their interface. For the status, this includes changing what information is shown where, hiding menus that clutter up the status, and making shortcuts to particular sub-menus in the status. For the interface, this includes creating small shortcuts and buttons on the side of your vision, manipulate how large or small notifications are when they show up, and where they show up, and displaying certain information on the corner of your interface, such as EXP. Purchase Close -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- What¡¯s more is that I can afford all three of them right now! Barely. In regards to gathering SP, I pity the non-competitors. The only real way that I am gaining SP is through my profits sub-menu, so everyone outside of the Administrator Dungeon must be having a pretty big problem when it comes to getting SP. Putting my pity aside for the moment, I select purchase and confirm on all three before getting three notifications telling me about new menus being added to my status. Now then, let¡¯s check out the System Map first! I open my status before selecting the System Map. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- System Map Mini-Map | Off Full Map Full Map Planet | Administrator Dungeon Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Note: Select the Full Map Coordinates to designate what specific planet the Full Map menu should show on your map. If you are not within 100 meters of a player or other markable object or location, then it will not be shown as an icon on the map. Return -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Interesting¡­ I select Full Map before a very large map appears in front of my vision showing me the same things that I would assume is on my Administrator Dungeon map. That¡¯s not very helpful¡­ I select Full Map Planet and enter ¡®Aegis¡¯ as the planet before closing out of the Full Map and reopening it to reveal a map of the safe zone and forest on Aegis. Although it only appears to be showing what it was like the last time I was there, which makes sense considering how broken it would be for spying purposes. All in all, this System Map is pretty useful. I close out of the Full Map before selecting Mini-Map. ¡°Oh?¡± I utter out loud as a small map appears in the top right corner of my vision. Now that¡¯s useful! An actual mini-map! I can¡¯t help but smile at the thought of it as I close out of the System Map menu ¨C leaving the mini-map in the corner of my vision ¨C before moving on to check out the System GUI while leaving the Auctions for last. Right as a screen ¨C similar to the one on the System Forums ¨C opens, something slams into the door to the Store. ¡°Sorry, whatever you are, but you aren¡¯t coming in here,¡± I mutter as I turn to the door while looking at the new screen as whatever it is continues slamming into the door with no results. Aside from irritating me that is. The screen itself contains what almost looks like an emulator of the status menus and my general field of vision. It even lets me go from menu to menu in it! Next to the emulator is an edit button that ¨C after I press it ¨C makes several parts of the status and what I am guessing is my interface ¨C based off of the description for the System GUI that is ¨C changeable. My smile widens as I begin to play around with the interface to change some things, while also making my status a little bit cleaner by removing the menu that works passively ¨C aka the System Clock. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Name: Wolf Adler Class: Harbinger of Eternal Winter Privileges: Competitor Soul-bound Ability: Ice Reaper Species: Harbinger Level: 113 EXP: 126/11300 System Points: 21.47 Skills List Inventory System Communications Administrator Dungeon Administrator Dungeon Competitor System Terminal Player Auctions System Map System GUI -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- After that, I select save before moving back to my status as I look at the new changes to the boxes and other System stuff in my vision. On the top right of my vision is still the mini-map, but I placed the amount of EXP I need to level up below it, along with my total SP and current level. Meanwhile, below that I placed a shortcut to the System Forums and to my Inventory. Other than those changes, I also decreased the size of the notifications on the side of my vision and made it so that the level-up notifications only appear on the side of my vision instead of in the middle. Strictly because that is annoying in the middle of a battle. I nod my head in satisfaction as I look at everything one more time before I move on to the Player Auctions menu. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Player Auctions Auctions Buy Sell Return -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Okay, on second thought, I don¡¯t actually have any SP to buy anything, so maybe I should check that out when I actually do have some. And as for my Call of the Undead skill? It obviously won¡¯t be useful on any of the next ten floors, so it would probably be best to sell it. Despite that, though, I am going to hang on to it for a few more floors until I have more skills. Who knows? Maybe I might end up finding a use for the skill out in this jungle! Anyways, I return to my status before closing it and opening the store again to get dinner.
Executive Stream ¡°He is doing pretty well so far,¡± Leo comments before turning to Diane from the screen and asking, ¡°so why do you look so irritated over there?¡± Diane turns from the screen to Leo with a light glare before it softens as she says, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s just that I have been trying to figure out how to get him to agree, but I haven¡¯t been able to come up with anything as of yet.¡± Leo raises an eyebrow and asks, ¡°I thought that you weren¡¯t going to try anything until after he reaches the fiftieth floor?¡± Diane looks at him as if he was an idiot as she says, ¡°Because I still have to figure out what I am going to do before I can try anything at that time.¡± Leo¡¯s lips part in minor surprise before he closes them again and says, ¡°So you are planning on doing something on the fiftieth floor, and not after it¡­¡± Diane just nods her head with a smile before she turns back to the screen and says, ¡°He seemed to be interested when I mentioned giving his family my protection, so that is definitely going to be on the table, but it¡¯s honestly a little bit difficult to figure out what he would want.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Leo says before turning to the screen himself as Wolf begins eating a pizza, ¡°he is a strange person. Sometimes he seems to have no ambitions at all, while other times he is madly driven to get what he wants.¡± ¡°Trying to figure out what he might want is like a damn roller coaster! The only thing aside from protecting his family that I have thought of so far is things that might lessen how much work and crap he would have to put up with if he did accept!¡± Diane complains out loud with a frown. ¡°That would work for getting him to be okay with it afterwards, but it won¡¯t be very helpful in getting him to accept in the first place. At least, not the becoming a werewolf part,¡± Leo says as a glass of wine appears in his hand. ¡°If it helps, from what I can tell at least, the things he seems to care about the most are his own freedom, and his family.¡± ¡°Which fits an ice variant harbinger¡¯s personality to a tee,¡± Diane mutters as she taps her fingers on her leg in contemplation. A few seconds pass in silence before Leo mutters, "I am kind of curious about what he will be like if he does turn into a werewolf. He would be the first werewolf harbinger in existence! Or, to be more specific, I guess he would be the first ice variant werewolf harbinger." Diane ignores his words as she stares at the screen while still tapping her fingers on her leg. B2 | Chapter 2 - A Nest of Spiders Wolf ¡°That System GUI is my new best friend,¡± I say to myself with a smile as I look at my EXP, SP, and level on the top right corner of my interface. Level: 115 EXP: 1416/11500 System Points: 31.47 It¡¯s so much easier to check everything. Especially if I am in combat, seeing as the status covers up too much of my vision. I glance down at the spider-popsicle at my feet before moving on through the jungle while chopping at the roots and bushes in my way to pass through. The monsters within this jungle would be a hell of a lot harder to deal with if it wasn¡¯t for my life sense skill. Thanks to it, I can sense all of the monsters before they can get anywhere near me, so they can¡¯t sneak up on me through the foliage despite how hard they have been trying to do so. That being said¡­ I grunt in annoyance as a branch comes back and whacks me in the face after I push it out of the way with my left hand. ¡°This foliage is annoying to move through,¡± I mutter with a frown. Yes, it doesn¡¯t actually hurt, but that doesn¡¯t mean that it isn¡¯t annoying. Several minutes pass by as I continue hacking through the foliage while occasionally cutting down a spider until I find something rather interesting. Is that¡­ My unasked question is answered as an arachnid crawls out of a web-infested cave in the middle of the clearing in front of me. A spider nest? Maybe that¡¯s where the loot boxes are for this floor? I was kind of surprised to not even find a single room throughout the several hours that I have been on this floor, but maybe this is why. Perhaps the loot boxes aren¡¯t always in a ¡®room¡¯ as they were in the labyrinth? Unfortunately, I¡¯m not close enough to the clearing to sense anything but the entrance, so all I can sense are a few arachnids, but just based off of that and the appearance of the entrance alone, it should be obvious as to what it is. That being the case, let¡¯s see if this works¡­ I lower my hand to the ground before looking straight at the den as I generate a large amount of ice element before having it travel across the ground in several different paths as a very light icy mist until it reaches the entrance to the nest. After that, I have the icy mist suddenly shoot towards the spider at the entrance, along with the other two spiders that I can sense near it. While I can¡¯t see the other two spiders, the one that I can see is quickly covered in a layer of ice, turning it into a living statue. I smile before getting up from the ground into a crouch and making my way into the clearing towards the nest. Aside from the first frozen one that I could already see, I quickly find the other two spiders that I had sensed frozen solid as well. Which means that all of my hard work practicing my control throughout this floor has been worth it! Life sense makes a pretty good match with my ability, especially considering that my ability¡¯s range is about 57.5 meters right now. Although it is difficult to control it from such a large distance away. Especially when I can¡¯t even see where I am controlling it, outside of a vague sense of the walls and floor. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the two arachnids were only just barely out of my sight, then I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to get them with it. That being the case, I still need to work on it some more. I also need to level up my life sense, but seeing as it¡¯s a passive ability, I can¡¯t really do anything to make it level up faster. Anyways, now that I am at the nest, I can sense over a dozen arachnids inside of it. Time to go slaughter some spiders!
Arcadian Live The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°This just goes to show how broken some harbinger¡¯s variant element can be,¡± Mikaela dryly states as he watches Wolf freeze all of the arachnids without even being seen by any of them before crushing them all within the ice. ¡°It¡¯s not just his ice at this point, but also his new life sense skill,¡± Katherine adds while watching the stream with amusement. ¡°That skill is always a pretty big game changer for the dungeon if one of the competitors manages to get it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Mikaela says before turning to Katherine, ¡°and since the first competitor to defeat a boss will always get a Tier 6 drop from the first boss, it¡¯s a pretty commonly seen skill within the dungeon. But only by a few of the competitors ¨C aside from us undead who naturally have the ability to sense the living.¡± Katherine raises a brow before turning to Mikaela at the slightly smug tone of voice he used for the last part of his explanation, ¡°You do remember that vampires are only considered half undead, right?¡± Mikaela just turns back to the screen with a shrug and says, ¡°Who cares about the details, I still have the ability to sense the living, don¡¯t I?¡± The audience laughs at their interaction before pausing as a green plume of smoke raises from the floor at the end of the nest of spiders. ¡°Life sense aside, we aren¡¯t likely to see very many rooms from this point on like we did in the labyrinth!¡± Mikaela says, changing the subject right as Katherine opens her mouth to say something. Katherine briefly frowns at him before accepting the change of subject and saying, ¡°That¡¯s true. Every theme has their own way of doing the rooms for loot boxes, with some of them even going as far as not even having anything guarding them!¡± Mikaela nods as he adds, ¡°Like little secrets that the players can search for hidden on the floor.¡± They both go quiet as Wolf reaches out and touches the chest. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Skill | Basic Fireball | Tier 4 Allows the player to shoot a small fireball out of their hand at a target for a small price of stamina. Note: Thanks to the player¡¯s class, this skill is unusable. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Mikaela winces at the last line and says, ¡°Ouch! It¡¯s unfortunate, but that is a side effect of being a harbinger! They can only use their element when it comes to using magic that uses the elements!¡± Katherine nods with a frown on her face as thousands of voices scream out in the audience about how unfair it is.
Wolf ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± I mutter as I stand in front of the loot box in the middle of a cavern filled with cobwebs. I shouldn¡¯t have gotten my hopes up. When I first saw the uncommon chest appear after I finished off the last of the arachnids, I was actually pretty happy. Not only did it prove my hypothesis about different themed floors having different manners of dealing with loot boxes, but the chest that I got was an uncommon one and not the usual common chest! But now? Now I am wondering why my luck keeps changing from great to terrible in the blink of an eye. Despite not being able to use the skill, I reach forwards and collect it anyways before checking my skills list. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Skills: Stealth ¨C Tier 3 ¨C Level 2 Knife Mastery ¨C Tier 2 ¨C Level 6 Unarmed Combat ¨C Tier 2 ¨C Level 9 Identify ¨C Standard Tier ¨C Competitor Initiator ¨C Standard Tier ¨C Competitor Razor Claws ¨C Tier 5 ¨C Level 5 Call of the Undead ¨C Tier 4 ¨C Level 3 Predator ¨C Standard Tier ¨C Level 1 Pain Resistance ¨C Tier 4 ¨C Level 5 Sword Mastery ¨C Tier 2 ¨C Level 5 Ice Flow ¨C Tier 4 ¨C Level 3 Increased Recovery ¨C Tier 5 ¨C Level 2 Basic Contracting ¨C Tier 3 ¨C Level 1 Life Sense ¨C Tier 6 ¨C Level 1 Fireball ¨C Tier 4 ¨C Level 1 Return -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- At least it looks like I should be able to trade it away to someone else, considering that it is in my skills list despite not being usable. Anyways, I turn from the chest and begin walking towards the nest¡¯s entrance. It looks like I have to defeat all of the monsters in a certain area to get the loot box to spawn in for this floor¡¯s theme. Which is a lot nicer than being locked into a room with the chance to be forced into having to open a Pandora¡¯s box. Although it could also just be for this floor and not for the theme, but I still think that it¡¯s probably for the theme that dictates it. I glance at the corner of my interface at my level as I reach the entrance to the nest. At least I managed to level-up from this nest. Right as I am about to leave the nest, a thought comes to mind. I turn back around to look at the nest before muttering out loud, ¡°I wonder what the structure for the raptors will be? Assuming that this is a running thing for this theme that is.¡± My pondering is interrupted as a very familiar screech rings out from quite a distance to my left. Raptors? Maybe I can find the answer to my question if I go that way. Then again, even if I can¡¯t, then it should still be some good EXP. I set off towards the direction of the screech as I leave the clearing. B2 | Chapter 3 - Bad News On a snowy mountain in between Safe Zones 52 and 53 Luke Adler, along with half of the members of The Council ¨C including Lucia Adler, Aidan, Blake, Manfred, Jessica, and Erik ¨C stand on the peak of the snowy mountain marking the border between the territories of safe zone 52 and safe zone 53 as they look at the approaching group climbing the mountain towards them. One of the members of the group ¨C an old, but fit man with a bit of grey scruff on his chin ¨C waves at The Council members on the peak as he shouts, ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again, Manfred!¡± Manfred steps in front of the other council members with a nod as he returns the greeting with a shout of his own, ¡°And you as well, Frank!¡± A younger man in his mid-thirties leads the approaching group to The Council before stopping in front of them and giving Luke a polite nod. The young man looks just like a younger version of the man named Frank as he stands there with his arms crossed in the snow with the grey clouds completely blocking any sight of the blue sun. ¡°Since you aren¡¯t satisfied with the reason we gave for helping you, we might as well come clean,¡± the young man suddenly says, causing the group from safe zone 52 to tense up. ¡°We are helping you because of your son,¡± he says while looking directly at Luke. The Council relaxes before a wave of confusion sweeps through most of them until the man continues, ¡°There are a couple of reasons for this. For one, I have my doubts that he would be happy if we just abandoned you to the wolves, which ¨C in the case that he does clear the Administrator Dungeon ¨C would not be a very good thing for us. And as for the other reason?¡± The man pauses with a shrug before continuing, ¡°I was hoping that he could put in a good word for us to some of those big-shots from outside of our Galaxy before any of them reach Aegis.¡± Luke raises an eyebrow in amusement before shaking his head and saying, ¡°Alright, I will tell Wolf about you and the help that you are giving us, Liam.¡± Liam claps his hands once before moving on, ¡°The next subject for us to discuss is how you are planning on dealing with the upcoming visitors from other Galaxies?¡± ¡°From what we have been able to discover,¡± Manfred answers instead of Luke, ¡°safe zones do not work for people who are not inhabitants of the initiated Galaxy. Meaning that, if one of them tries to enter the safe zone, then monsters may enter it, but they will only be able to harm the visitor, and not one of the inhabitants of the initiated Galaxy. Which means that the visitors aren¡¯t likely to target us for our safe zones.¡± Liam nods his head in agreement before Frank asks, ¡°And if they decide that they want the land anyways? Or that they want something that you have already claimed?¡± Manfred turns to Luke and nods before Luke crosses his arms and states, ¡°Then we will defend what we have.¡±
Wolf One and a half days later ¡°Stupid raptors,¡± I mutter as I freeze another of the raptors currently rushing at me from inside of their den. Why did these stupid things have to have such good senses of smell anyways?! It makes it incredibly difficult to sneak up on the things! A notification suddenly pops up on the side of my interface as I stab my sword straight through the mouth of one of the raptors before yanking my sword back out and raising my other clawed hand to grab one of them by the throat and throw them at another raptor. ¡°Not the time,¡± I mutter to myself while ignoring the notification as I sense another raptor come around to my flank before I swipe my clawed hand behind me, sending a wave of icy water straight into the raptor and freezing it before it can even jump at me. Three raptors all attempt to jump at me at the same time before I duck under them and surround myself with a dome of ice before shooting spikes out of the dome right as they strike it, piercing through them in the process. ¡°I really need some damn AOE attacks!¡± I shout in anger before raising the dome, throwing it on top of one of the remaining raptors, and freezing it to the ground to trap it under the dome as I move on to take down the other two remaining dinosaurs.
After I finish off the raptors, I glance to the side of my screen to read the notification. A message? Right as I start to read the message, a green plume of smoke raises from the center of the largest cavern of the den.
System Notification Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
You have received a message from player: Luke Adler ¡°I know that you are likely busy right now, but I wanted to keep you up to date on the happenings back here. First, thanks to the help of Safe Zone 53, we barely managed to avoid a second clash with Safe Zone 51. If you wouldn¡¯t mind, they asked if you could put in a good word for them to some of the bigshots from outside of the Milky Way that you have come into contact with. Aside from that, we are currently trying to improve our defenses while also raising the overall strength of our fighters through the various nearby dungeons. This is partially because of the other safe zones, but also because of the impending arrival of the ¡®visitors;¡¯ which is what we have decided to call the players who are arriving from other Galaxies to take advantage of the new resources on Aegis.¡±
I frown after reading through the message. They are already going to start arriving soon? I knew that they would eventually come to Aegis, but from what I have been able to find on the forums, it usually takes years for them to find the correct coordinates to portal to! Which raises the question of how they already either know the coordinates, or almost know them. The only thoughts that come to mind are that either a different Galaxy already had someone stationed in the Milky Way, or someone from the Initialization gained an ability related to spatial magic and was able to figure out what the coordinates of Aegis are and sold them to someone. Either way, things aren¡¯t looking very good for dad and the others, so maybe I should ask Diane to help protect them? Although I will have to convince her to do it without agreeing to the requests that she has already made. Anyways, I approach the green chest before touching it. I read the description floating above the green chest before exclaiming, ¡°Finally! Something good again!¡± -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Item | Coat of the Night | Tier 4 This coat grants 20% extra resistance to the elements and 10% resistance to physical damage. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- I take off my starter jacket as a long black coat appears over the chest. It¡¯s about time that I got something to replace this jacket! The stupid thing has literally been falling apart! I reach out and grab the coat before putting it on while rolling the sleeves up past my vambraces. The coat itself is a long black coat that reaches down to about midway down my thighs in length, and instead of a zipper, it has a few black buttons. It also has a few pockets, both inside and outside of the coat, along with a flared collar. A light smile emerges on my face as I look down at my new coat before I start towards the entrance to the den. Now all I need is a new shirt! That or some type of armor that covers my torso but can still be worn under my new coat. I haven¡¯t really seen any armor like that in the times that I have looked through the store, but I probably just missed it. Especially considering the massive number of items in the shop. Right as I exit the den, an incredibly loud mixture of a roar and a screech comes from behind me. I turn to look before finding a large cliff beyond the immediate area of trees. ¡°Is that¡­¡± I mutter before hearing the noise again. I glance at my level before taking off at a sprint towards the cliff. Level 122 should be high enough.
After a few minutes of running, a large life force enters my senses before I reach the outskirts of a clearing surrounding the cliff. The life force itself appears to be inside of the large cave that opens up on the side of the cliff, and judging by the noise it made, and the half dozen raptors that I can see from my position, it is probably their mini boss. Which means that there is likely going to be an exit in this cave! Right as I am about to attempt to freeze the raptors from here, a notification appears in the corner of my interface.
System Notification
Congratulations! Your skill Stealth has reached Tier 3 - Level 3! The skill Stealth decreases the sound of your breathing and footsteps by an extra 3%.
My eyes widen in surprise before I shake my head and focus on the raptors as I snake a few streams of ice element through the clearing towards them. Before they can reach them, the wind within the jungle suddenly shifts and begins to blow towards them from my position. Seriously?! All of the raptors at the edge of the cave raise their heads and begin to sniff before turning straight towards me while screeching. ¡°Damn it!¡± I curse before forcing the ice element streams to bolt as quickly as possible towards the raptors to shut them up, but it¡¯s too late as over a dozen more raptors begin to spill out of the cave towards me. The streams all freeze several of the raptors solid before I jump out of the foliage and draw my sword while spreading the claws on my other hand as over a dozen raptors quickly sprint across the clearing towards me. I swipe my claw in front of me, sending out five thin blades of ice in the form of arcs at the raptors, cutting two of them up a little bit before the first raptor reaches me and I roll out of the way to dodge its leap. Before the raptor can regain its balance, I allow my ice element to begin spilling out of me again as it begins to frost over everything in my immediate area before I raise my hand and push part of the icy mist towards the raptor to freeze it in a thin layer of ice as I sense another raptor approach me from behind. I duck right as the raptor flies straight past me, just narrowly missing pinning me to the ground before I reach forwards and grab its leg with my own claw while leaking ice element directly onto it as I try to crush its leg. The thing cries out in pain just before another two raptors arrive, only for everything to suddenly pause as another loud roar echoes from the cave. And here comes the mini boss. B3 | Prologue Arcadian Live Four Days After Wolf And Sapphire¡¯s Syncing ¡°The Winter Wolf!¡± ¡°The Winter Wolf!¡± ¡°The Winter Wolf!¡± Nearly two million people chant the title over and over again as Wolf wipes his claws on the bloody corpse of the bear of darkness. Meanwhile, Sapphire uses Wolf¡¯s extra ice element to freeze the purple blood covering her claws before smacking her claws on a nearby tree to shatter the frozen blood. ¡°It¡¯s only been four days since The Winter Wolf finally synced up with his soul-bound companion, and they are already about to enter the thirtieth floor!!!¡± Mikaela shouts with a mixture of shock and happiness filling his tone. His shout feeds the audience¡¯s enthusiasm even further as their chanting increases in volume. Wolf walks up to the mini boss chest and touches it as Sapphire shrinks her body back down and climbs back up to her spot on his shoulder. After quickly reading through the item description above the chest, Wolf reaches out and puts the gauntlets that appear in its place into his inventory before turning around and making his way towards the exit. Niklai grunts and says with a hint of amusement, ¡°At this rate, it won¡¯t take long for The Winter Wolf to reclaim his throne as the forerunner. Especially considering what the next floor theme is.¡± The chant begins to die down a little as excited conversations break out amongst the audience at the thought of the next floor theme. As if on cue, the main screen changes to show the current forerunner ¨C Norbert Heinrich ¨C as he spins around the large, two-and-a-half-meter tall monster amidst the bone-chilling weather on the thirty-third floor. The monster has bright red eyes that radiate a faint red light that almost seems to melt the falling snow that gets near them, with four sharp claws on both its hands and feet. It has a build similar to that of a gorilla from the planet Earth ¨C excluding its size ¨C with snow-white fur, and a mouth full of sharp fangs. _-| Unnamed ¨C Mountain Yeti ¨C Level 359 |-_ ¡°You are right about that, Niklai,¡± Mikaela says with a chuckle, ¡°the fourth floor theme is going to be a cake walk for The Winter Wolf!¡± Several excited cheers echo through the audience at this. Meanwhile, Norbert manages to slice a long cut across the heel of the yeti, causing it to lose its balance and fall onto one knee before the dhampir climbs up its back, jumps into the air, and brings both of his swords down straight into the yeti¡¯s skull. The yeti doesn¡¯t even manage to express its pain before the light in its eyes dies and it falls face-first into the snow-covered ground below. ¡°I wonder how Deadshot and Silver Siren are doing?¡± Katherine mutters, turning her attention away from the main screen as Norbert wipes his blades on the yeti¡¯s massive body. Niklai turns to her and says, ¡°You were on break at the time, but they both reached the thirty-third floor at around the same time.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Katherine utters with a hint of surprise on her face before she smiles and looks back at the screen, ¡°that¡¯s pretty good then.¡± Mikaela nods in agreement before rubbing his hands together in anticipation, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see how quickly The Winter Wolf regains his place as the forerunner!¡± The other two commentators chuckle at this, but a light shines in their eyes that says that they are just as excited for it as he is.
Aegis ¨C Safe Zone 52 A knock sounds on the wooden door to Luke Adler¡¯s office within the ¡®zone hall,¡¯ the building meant for all of the administration for Safe Zone 52. The office has very little within it, with the only decoration being the heads of a couple of monsters, along with a hand-axe that Luke had obtained from clearing a dungeon. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. He decided to put it up as decoration instead of selling it due to its limited value, outside of its striking appearance. ¡°Come in,¡± Luke says in his usual no-nonsensical tone of voice from behind his large, wooden desk. The office door opens to reveal a young man in a pale, greenish-white cloak. The man quickly salutes the head of military affairs and intelligence within the Safe Zone before beginning his report. ¡°Sir, we have gotten bad news from Safe Zone 101,¡± the man says with a frightened look on his face, ¡°the anthrovespids from Safe Zone 103 are finally going all out in their attack on their nearby safe zones!¡± Luke grimaces at the update before looking down at his desk for a few seconds. ¡®Damned bugs, why couldn¡¯t they have been further away from us?¡¯ Luke thinks before looking back up again at the messenger, ¡°Does the mayor know about this?¡± The messenger nods his head and says, ¡°Yes, another messenger should be telling him about this right as we speak.¡± Luke nods his head and says, ¡°Good.¡± He then gets up from the wooden chair he was sitting in, grabs his System jacket, and begins walking around his desk as he says, ¡°In that case, I am going to go see him.
After a brief knock, Luke enters what many people in the safe zone have termed, ¡®the council chamber,¡¯ to see the mayor ¨C Manfred Lowth ¨C talking with the head of the law and order within the safe zone ¨C Jessica Lowel ¨C in the center of the dozen chairs spread in a circle around the room. Both of them turn to look at Luke before nodding as he enters. ¡°I¡¯m assuming you have something to say about this development, Luke?¡± Manfred asks without beating around the bush. Luke nods his head in agreement and says, ¡°Yes. We should increase the amount of time the people have to join the hunters to hunt. Whether they are going to fight or not, we need everyone to be as strong as possible for whenever those bugs get here.¡± Jessica flinches slightly at his term for the anthrovespids before letting it go and nodding her head in agreement, ¡°That would be the best course of action for us right now.¡± While Luke doesn¡¯t see the anthrovespids as anything more than monsters to be exterminated, Jessica ¨C having been raised as a cop ¨C doesn¡¯t find the idea of referring to another sapient being as a ¡®bug¡¯ as something that should be done. Even if it¡¯s a technically correct term. ¡°That may be true from a military perspective,¡± Manfred starts with a frown, ¡°but the civilian players amongst the populous, especially the new people who have come over from the more¡­ violent safe zones, won¡¯t take a change like this very well.¡± Luke just shrugs and says, ¡°Too bad. It¡¯s for their own safety.¡± Manfred sighs at this and says, ¡°I know that, but you should also understand that it¡¯s not as simple as that.¡± ¡°Yes, I do,¡± Luke says before shrugging once again and adding, ¡°it¡¯s just that I know that you will deal with that. I have other things that I have to deal with right now.¡± A worried look crosses Manfred and Jessica¡¯s faces as Manfred says, ¡°You¡¯re talking about the abyssal demons, aren¡¯t you?¡± One week ago, two abyssal demon corpses were left inside of the council chamber with a note explaining that they were scouts for the abyssal demons. Luke nods his head with a grim look and says, ¡°Yes. From what we have been told, as soon as the abyssal demon¡¯s main forces reach us, they will be declaring war. And while that won¡¯t be for a long time due to the distance between us, we still have to worry about them more right now than the anthrovespids. They are a powerful faction from amongst the visitors, after all.¡± A grim silence fills the chamber for several seconds before Manfred attempts to change the subject, ¡°How is your son doing?¡± A very rare smile flashes on Luke¡¯s face as he says, ¡°He is catching up with the other Competitors right now and should be entering the fourth theme soon enough.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Manfred says whilst Jessica nods her head in agreement. ¡°Yes it is,¡± Luke says with a nod before his face turns grim again, ¡°now, I have to go deal with training some of the new recruits for our hunters.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Manfred says with a slight smile before Luke nods his head once more and leaves the room.
Wolf I pause to look around the clearing for a few seconds before glancing at the dead mini boss. ¡°I honestly expected more of a fight from it,¡± I mutter, to which Sapphire makes a little screech in what I am assuming is agreement. Ever since fully syncing with Sapphire, we have been fighting together as a team for everything. This has made everything a lot easier to deal with, both normal monsters and mini bosses. It¡¯s like having a partner that you don¡¯t have to share EXP with. I glance at Sapphire before whispering, ¡°Then again, it is exactly that¡­¡± Sapphire looks up at me from my shoulder and tilts her head in confusion. I chuckle at the sight of it before shaking my head and petting her. She closes her eyes and purrs in contentment. At the rate we¡¯re going, it shouldn¡¯t take too long to catch up with the current forerunner. Especially considering what I have heard about the next floor theme. I stop petting Sapphire ¨C to her displeasure ¨C and continue walking towards the exit to the next floor. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this theme,¡± I declare with a smile as I touch the exit. B3 | Chapter 1 - The Thirtieth Floor Wolf As soon as the green flash of light fades, I find myself in a dark forest, shrouded in a thick veil of fog. ¡°Well, this is annoying,¡± I mutter before letting my ice element freely leak out of me to push away the mist. One other benefit of my species is that my eyes allow me to see through ice element, making it appear transparent to me. As if it were made out of glass. Although, strangely enough, it only works for the pure ice element, and not for anything I make with it. Except for the icy mist for some reason. My only guess as to why it still works for the icy mist is because I am not purposefully creating the icy mist. That said, ice element on its own is also pretty useful. Without me directing it to do anything specific, it automatically decreases the temperature of anything it touches for as long as it touches it. Hence why it always comes out in the form of an icy mist. Since it is freezing the moisture in the air. It is also why, as a harbinger, my complete immunity to the ice element, and the cold in general, is a necessity. Because if it wasn¡¯t, then the ice element that my body automatically generates would damage my own body. What I usually do with the ice element I generate is manipulate the temperature of the objects both in the air and the actual physical objects in my ability¡¯s radius, decreasing them to the point of freezing before I use my manipulation ability to freely manipulate the object, after it reaches the freezing point. I look around the clearing I now find myself in after pushing the mist back far enough before noticing something strange. ¡°Are the trees darker in color than the previous floors?¡± I mutter with a glance towards Sapphire on my shoulder, as if she would answer my question somehow. Sapphire just tilts her head at me with a cute little purr before she continues her own look around the area. I chuckle while shaking my head. Sometimes she acts really intelligent for a spider, but then there are others when she is just adorable. Although, less adorable in her true form. I jerk my head towards the west as strange sounds enter my ears. Not too long after that, four life sources enter my skill¡¯s range. Whatever they are, they appear to be making a beeline straight for me and Sapphire. Although the fact that they aren¡¯t making any footsteps leads me to think that they are probably some type of dark sprite. Did my ice element attract them? Or do they just have good senses? Either way, I get into a fighting stance with my claws spread out on both sides of me. Another benefit of my new species is that I don¡¯t need that Razor Claws skill anymore, since all it did was let me shapeshift my hands into claws for a stamina cost. Now that I actually have real claws, I don¡¯t have any use for the skill. I still kept it anyways in case someone wanted it as a trade. It is Tier 5 after all. And a shapeshifting skill at that. Soon enough, four half-a-meter-tall, purple creatures with insect-like wings, and pupilless purple eyes fly straight into the clearing, causing all of my ice element in their path to disappear completely. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. _-| Unnamed ¨C Dark Sprite Spawn ¨C Level 322 |-_ ¡°Spawn?¡± I mutter as the four creatures fly straight towards me whilst making strange sounds that seem to land somewhere in the middle of hysterical cackling and screeching. I¡¯m guessing these things aren¡¯t all that intelligent? Is that why they are called spawn? Hmm, this might be a good time to adjust a little to my other forms. Considering how berserk these guys seem to be. Normally, the stupid sprites are very tricky and like to fly around in circles, constantly avoiding my attacks. It makes them a pain to deal with. Even if they usually die in just a single strike from my claws. An excited grin spreads across my face as my body begins to shift to hunter form. White fur with the texture of ice sprouts all over my body as I begin to grow in size, while my claws grow larger and sharper than before. A slight wave of discomfort assails me as my head and legs transform into my hunter form ¨C particularly from the newly grown muzzle, long, pointed ears, and the newly shaped feet. Despite this, the grin never leaves my face throughout the entire five-second-long transformation before I raise my head to the sky and howl. I then charge straight towards the approaching sprites as Sapphire jumps off of my shoulder and grows to her full size with a short screech. Two of the sprites break off and charge towards Sapphire while the other two continue making their way towards me, with a dark, blackish purple glow radiating around their fists. I briefly take note of it through the fog over my thoughts before ducking under the punch of one of the sprites and being struck in the shoulder by the other one. The area around the punch suddenly explodes in a flash of darkness before returning to normal, sending me recoiling backwards slightly. After taking a brief moment to glance at my armor where it hit me, I focus my attention back on the two spawn before swiping one of my clawed hands at it and reaching forwards to chomp on the other one. My teeth rip straight through the neck and shoulder of one of the sprites, catching the edge of its wing along with it before I force my jaws closed even further as a shriek of pain breaks the creature¡¯s previous noises. Meanwhile, my hand¡¯s claws rip a large, bloody path straight from hip to shoulder on the other sprite, with my liquid-ice venom going straight into the blood and quickly freezing it. I shake my head back and forth once before spitting the sprite out at the other one, causing them both to land with various screeches of pain on the frosted ground beneath them. Before they can get back up, I leap towards them and slam both of my feet straight into them, cutting them with the slightly-duller claws on my feet in the process. After seeing my EXP go up from the kills, I get off of the two corpse and turn my attention towards Sapphire to see her piercing one of her sharp legs straight through the chest of the last of the two sprites that went towards her. The other one I can already see dead at her feet, with its head completely missing. The grin on my canine-like face fades as the thrill of the hunt that has been a noticeable change to my view of battle since getting turned finally fades with the last cries of the sprite before it falls off of her leg. I quickly freeze the blood in my mouth and manipulate it to float out before dropping the chunk of frozen blood onto the ground. After that, I do the same with the blood covering my clawed hands and feet, along with the blood that dripped over my neck and chest from the sprite. ¡°So much blood,¡± I mutter as I finish cleaning myself and turn to see Sapphire doing the same with my ice element that wasn¡¯t dissipated by the sprites. Ever since the first time I hunted in my hunter form, I¡¯ve realized that the form has another effect on my mind outside of just the fog. It also gives me what I call a ¡®hunters mentality,¡¯ where I find satisfaction in hunting. And while it doesn¡¯t actually mess with my thoughts or affect the hunt, it does make me enjoy fighting more than I used to. Which isn¡¯t a bad thing I suppose. I am distracted from my thoughts as I feel Sapphire climbing up my leg towards her spot on my shoulder, having already changed back to her small form after cleaning herself off. After petting her for a few seconds, to which she responds with a happy purr, I focus my attention on the dead sprites while rubbing my chin in thought. Maybe I should turn some monsters on this floor again¡­ at least, for when I fight the boss that is. It would certainly make the battle a lot easier for me. And considering how large these dark sprites were compared to the previous dark sprites, they could actually survive a bite from me. So, this floor, depending on what other monsters are in it, would be a pretty good floor to do that. That said¡­ I look up as I hear footsteps from around four to five dozen meters to my east. ¡°Let¡¯s hunt us some monsters,¡± I say to Sapphire in a gruff tone to match my appearance in hunter form before sprinting off towards the sounds. Before I even think about taking on the boss, I should get some more levels. B3 | Chapter 2 - Floor Themes Lucky Days Visible breaths leave the mouths of both Lily and Chris as they shiver from the cold. They had been traversing the snow covered mountains of the thirty-second floor for hours without finding anything other than three solitary monsters. Toby watches them as they struggle along with a look of pity before he says, ¡°I pity the Competitors moving through the fourth floor theme.¡± Many people in the audience mutter agreements with this statement before Sam says, ¡°Except The Winter Wolf of course.¡± His comment leads to several chuckles and muted laughter from the audience as Toby glances at him and says, ¡°That¡¯s true. This theme is the complete opposite for him from what it is for the other Competitors.¡± Both commentators fall silent as they watch the two Competitors ¨C both in heavy garments, having forsaken their previous outfits for more comfortable ones ¨C while they continue their climb. ¡°The Winter Wolf is lucky that the first hazardous theme is perfectly suited for him,¡± Toby mutters with a grim look on his face without taking his eyes off of the cold suffering of the popular duo of Competitors. This statement confuses many of the newer viewers amongst the audience ¨C those who had never seen a previous Administrator Dungeon run before. Sam glances at the audience once he notices their confusion before waving his hand without saying anything. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Administrator Dungeon Themes As categorized by the inhabitants of the System. Puzzle Themes ¨C The floors of this theme are filled with various ¡®rooms.¡¯ These rooms contain either loot boxes, mini boss areas, or boss areas, and they will often contain some sort of puzzle that the Competitor will need to complete in order to leave the room. The first theme of every Administrator Dungeon is an example of a puzzle themed floor. Combat Themes ¨C The floors of this theme have no ¡®rooms,¡¯ and little to no puzzles. They are often filled with a large quantity of monsters and have a high focus on combat. Hazardous Themes ¨C The floors of this theme have no ¡®rooms,¡¯ little to no puzzles, and often have more powerful monsters at a further distance from each other than the previous floors. The environments of these themes are always hazardous to the Competitors ¨C sometimes even more so than the monsters held within. They have a focus more on endurance than surviving any particular battles. However, as a way to balance out the lower amount of monsters ¨C and therefore EXP ¨C these floors also have a unique item that can only be found on a hazardous themed floor within the Administrator Dungeon. These items grant a set amount of EXP to the user one time before becoming unusable. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Gasps of surprise run through the audience as those who are still relatively new to the Administrator Dungeon read through the information on the hazardous themes. ¡®It¡¯s the same reaction every time,¡¯ Toby thinks whilst shaking his head, ¡®everyone is always surprised by how harsh the hazardous themes are.¡¯ Everyone suddenly pauses to focus on the main screen as a loud shriek echoes from it. ¡°Oh?¡± Sam mutters, ¡°is it another one of those?¡± Both Chris and Lily get ready for a fight as a pale, ghostly figure floats out of a nearby patch of snow. The figure is vaguely human shaped, with white claws on the ends of its hands, no pupils in their eyes, and no clothing or any sort of feature discerning whether they are male or female, appearing similar to a genderless mannequin from Earth with eyes and a mouth. _-| Unnamed ¨C Frost-bitten Haunt ¨C Level 351 |-_ Lily begins to prepare her ability as Chris turns both of his hands into steel while raising one of his arms, bringing a small shield strapped to it up towards the monster. The haunt suddenly becomes enveloped in snow as the snow coating the ground and falling from the skies in its nearby location begins to float around to form a small blizzard around the creature. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Both Competitors brace themselves as the blizzard suddenly forms into a cone shape before a half-a-meter-wide beam shoots directly at them from the tip of the cone. ¡°These haunts are kind of creepy,¡± Toby mutters with his arms crossed. Sam glances at him with an eyebrow raised and says, ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s supposed to be creepy.¡± Toby quietly mutters to himself, to the amusement of the audience. After a brief wave of laughter, everyone grows quiet again as the beam of snow strikes Chris¡¯s shield directly, forcing him backwards slightly with his feet dug deep into the snow. Chris grunts from the exertion as electricity continues to build around Lily¡¯s hands. The beam continues to push him backwards further and further until the snow finally begins to run out, leaving two large piles of snow on either side of Chris and revealing the figure of the haunt again. The haunt begins to shriek even louder before rushing forwards with its feet only inches from the snow. Suddenly, Lily shouts out loud before a large beam of electricity, spanning about a quarter of a meter in width, suddenly blasts out of her hands directly into the haunt seconds before it can reach Chris. ¡°Holy shit,¡± Toby mutters as the beam drills a bloody ¨C and crispy ¨C hole straight through the torso of the haunt, ¡°it¡¯s hard to believe that that was only a partial charge¡­¡± Sam nods his head in agreement and says, ¡°True enough. She might just have the strongest direct attack in the dungeon. If it weren¡¯t for how long it takes to charge it up, and that if she is interrupted mid-charge then it could either fizzle out or even electrocute her a little bit, then it would be one of the strongest abilities I have personally seen!¡± Now that the haunt is dead, Chris falls exhausted to the ground with a light sheen of sweat covering his forehead, despite the bitter cold of the mountain. ¡°It¡¯s too bad that the haunts are immune to physical attacks,¡± Toby says with a frown, ¡°otherwise they wouldn¡¯t have to rely on her ability to take it down.¡±
Wolf One day later I shift back to my neutral form as the notification appears in the corner of my interface.
System Notification
Congratulations! You are now level 338!
¡°That sh-¡± I begin before pausing at the difference between speaking in my hunter and neutral forms. In an attempt to adjust to my hunter form, I had been keeping myself in it for this entire floor up till this point. Sapphire lightly screeches as she reaches my shoulder again ¨C likely wondering why I cut off mid-sentence. I pet her as I begin speaking again, ¡°That should be enough levels for now.¡± She screeches again in contentment before I focus my attention on the top right corner of my interface. My Info: Level: 338 EXP: 10463/33800 System Points: 2493.20 Viewing Room Profits: 9085 That should be enough to get something good on the auction. I open my map whilst rubbing Sapphire¡¯s head with two of my fingers to search for the closest Expanded System Store.
I raise an eyebrow as I read the message in my interface.
System Notification
You have received a message from Competitor: Crystal Leblanc ¡°Hey, Wolf! If you¡¯re interested, I have something that you might want! I got it from a mythic loot box, but it isn¡¯t something I can actually use. It is an item that allows the user to teleport ice element within a certain distance around them. From what I could find on the forums, this looks like something that you would want. Message me if you¡¯re interested in buying or trading for this.¡±
¡°Okay,¡± I mutter with surprise in my tone, ¡°she was right about me wanting that¡­¡± An item that lets the user teleport ice element¡­ that would make a lot of my stealth attacks a lot easier, while also giving me a faster attack speed in combat. Since I wouldn¡¯t have to bother with manipulating the ice element over towards the opponent, possibly revealing it in the process. I glance towards Sapphire as she continues eating her food in her true form next to the long table. Now I have another reason to catch up with the other Competitors. And a reason to save up my SP in case she turns out to be harsh in negotiating¡­ ¡°Anyways¡­¡± I mutter, catching Sapphire¡¯s attention as she glances towards me and tilts her head out of curiosity, ¡°now would be a great time to test out how a lycanthrope army would deal with a theme boss.¡± I reach out to pat Sapphire¡¯s head before she purrs for a few seconds and goes back to eating her food. But before I can do that, I need to go on a turning spree. Which will likely mean apologizing to anyone who ends up on this floor after me, but that¡¯s something to worry about at another time. At least it means that some of the monsters will be attacking other monsters. Which is what I found out happened the first time I turned a monster. Apparently, when a monster from the dungeon is turned, they are still considered a monster with the same intelligence, but whatever it was that blocked them from attacking the other monsters goes away. Which tends to lead to a bit of a free-for-all. So, it¡¯s not all bad for the other Competitors. I glance towards the door. Anyways, it¡¯s time to go build a hunting party. After responding to her message that is. B3 | Chapter 3 - A Boss fight, or a War? Arcadian Live A few hours later The audience watches with anticipation as Wolf orders the most recently turned haunted bat to join the small army of arctic lycanthropes marching along behind him. ¡°And that¡¯s another one for his little army,¡± Mikaela says with a chuckle without taking his eyes off of the bizarre scene. Niklai raises an eyebrow at the screen and says, ¡°At least he isn¡¯t letting them go free to start an apocalypse on the floor like he did a while back.¡± A brief round of laughter runs through the audience at that before it begins to trail off as the main screen changes to show a woman in a heavy winter coat, with multiple layers over her legs, and a hat on her head as she trudges through the snow under her feet. She has two swords strapped in sheathes on her back and is trembling from the cold as her warm breath comes out in visible puffs. Mikaela winces as he sees her before muttering, ¡°It¡¯s at moments like these that you really see the cruelty of the Administrator Dungeon¡­¡± Murmurs flow through the audience as Niklai nods his head in agreement. ¡®Killing hundreds of Competitors is one thing,¡¯ Mikaela thinks to himself while watching the main screen, ¡®but when it goes and pushes them through stuff like this? That¡¯s just harsh.¡¯ Several seconds of grim silence pass before he thinks, ¡®Although at least the dungeon places a puzzle themed floor as the first theme every Run. It weeds out the Competitors who aren¡¯t up to the challenge.¡¯ The silence continues for a few minutes until the screen once again changes to show another Competitor. Except this time, the audience explodes into various expressions of disgust and anger. On the main screen is a large, two-meter-tall wasp-like creature with two legs, two arms, and a thick exoskeleton making up its ¡®skin¡¯ as it walks at a slow pace through the snow with four different balls of magma ranging from two inches to four inches in diameter floating around its body. Mikaela frowns as he sees the anthrovespid as it walks through the thirty-first floor with obvious discomfort, ¡°If it didn¡¯t have that magma creation and manipulation skill, then I¡¯m not entirely sure if it would even be able to survive this floor or not.¡± Shouts of anger ring out from the audience before Niklai nods his head in agreement and says, ¡°It got lucky.¡± Anthrovespids ¨C just like normal wasps ¨C don¡¯t do very well in the cold.
Wolf Five hours later I stand with my hands on my hips in my hunter form as I inspect the little army of arctic lycanthropes that I have built up. Including this one, there should be about twenty-five of the monsters. About half of them are haunted bats ¨C large, one-meter-tall black bats with bright red eyes ¨C while the other half are the dark sprite spawns that had managed to survive being bitten. None of them look particularly happy about following me, but as long as they do as they¡¯re told then it won¡¯t matter. I glance at Sapphire as she stands in her true form in front of all of the arctic lycanthropes with what I can only assume is a look of pride on her face. She seems to be asserting her dominance over the monsters, and I can¡¯t help but chuckle at the sight of it. Sapphire¡¯s antics aside, I turn my attention towards the direction of the large group of monsters that I can hear about a couple hundred meters away from us. If what my ears are telling me is correct, then these monsters should be serving under that dark sprite ruler that I read about being the boss of this floor earlier on the forums. Everything I could find about the monster made it seem like some sort of king or leader class person from a video game. It has the ability to strengthen anything serving under it by a decent margin, but the monster itself isn¡¯t very powerful. Which makes this floor¡¯s boss relatively easy to kill in and of itself if you can get past its army of dark sprites. Which¡­ If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I turn towards the group of arctic lycanthropes gathered behind me. ¡­is what these guys are for. Whether they want to or not. I glance at Sapphire before focusing on the monsters again and snarling, ¡°Follow me.¡± All of the arctic lycanthropes tense up before following after me as I begin making my way towards the annoying sounds of insect-like wings beating in the distance. Although the ones behind me aren¡¯t much better. Just with less of them, along with over a dozen bat wings flapping instead. My interest in the hunt continues rising as we make our way towards the boss until ¨C as we are only halfway there ¨C I glance up at where I think the audience is watching me from before saluting and snarling a very gruff sounding, ¡°Let the hunt begin!¡±
Arcadian Live ¡°Let the hunt begin!¡± Wolf snarls through his canine-like mouth whilst looking upwards before he suddenly breaks off into a sprint, followed soon after by the arctic lycanthropes and Sapphire. ¡°Holy shit,¡± Katherine mutters, ¡°that form is still pretty damn terrifying¡­¡± Niklai grunts in acknowledgement of her words. Meanwhile Mikaela just ignores them whilst intently watching the main screen as shouts of anticipation fill the stadium. The shouts are soon joined by both screams and cheers as Wolf charges straight into an enormous clearing with a large tree in the middle of it, and a strange looking throne made out of tree bark in front of it. Around the tree is a large mass of over a hundred dark sprites of varying types, all floating around at random until Wolf breaks into the clearing. On the throne is a human-sized dark sprite with a crown making up the top of his head. It has a set of deep, purple eyes, with a mouth full of fangs, and two large, butterfly-like wings behind its back that are spreading out on both sides of it, somehow going straight through the throne. _-| Unnamed ¨C Dark Sprite Ruler ¨C Level 357 |-_ ¡°And here it is!¡± Mikaela shouts at the top of his lungs, brimming with excitement, ¡°Another dark sprite ruler! Let¡¯s see how the strongest Competitor of this Administrator Dungeon Run deals with it!¡± The ruler quickly gets up from his throne as Wolf sprints into the clearing on all fours before leaping up and slashing straight at the nearest dark sprite and landing on two feet in front of it. Soon after that, the small army of arctic lycanthropes ¨C all with eyes radiating a pale-blue and golden light ¨C rush into the clearing, along with a large two-and-a-half meter long spider. A strange sound comes from the ruler¡¯s mouth before all of the dark sprites begin rushing forwards to meet the lycanthropes. ¡°Is this a boss battle,¡± Niklai mutters with a strange look on his face, ¡°or a war?¡± A cheerful laugh comes from Mikaela as he watches Wolf make a beeline straight towards the ruler, cutting down any dark sprite that gets in his way, ¡°I don¡¯t care which! It¡¯s great to watch Wolf back at it again with his unusual antics!¡± Katherine glances at him with a raised eyebrow as she thinks, ¡®Did he ever stop his unusual antics?¡¯ The audience agrees with Mikaela as the volume within the stadium grows to an ear-shattering height. Sapphire shreds through the dark sprites with ease, meanwhile the arctic lycanthropes tear apart the dark sprites while turning others that survived being bitten. At the same time, they are all being pelted with orbs of darkness, along with various other attacks centered around the darkness element. These orbs ¨C while they can¡¯t pierce through the eternal ice making up Sapphire¡¯s fur ¨C prove troublesome for the lycanthropes as bloody holes appear around their bodies. ¡°The ruler is extremely weak personally and would likely be killed in just a couple of strikes by The Winter Wolf if he can reach him,¡± Mikaela says as he continues watching the bloodshed with interest, ¡°but the dark sprites have the advantage in number, with only a small disadvantage in their physical abilities when compared to the lycanthropes.¡± ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Sapphire, and the fact that the lycanthropes are turning the dark sprites during the battle, then they would probably lose,¡± Niklai continues Mikaela¡¯s statement for him with a mixed look on his face. ¡°Wait¡­¡± Niklai suddenly trails off as Wolf pushes himself into one last sprint and breaks through the dark sprites guarding the ruler, ¡°it looks like the climax is just about upon us!¡± Wolf doesn¡¯t waste any time as he ignores the other dark sprites around him that are pelting him with dark orbs and rushes straight at the ruler. The ruler ¨C not one to just take death at face value ¨C raises his own hands and fires his own orbs of darkness, causing several dark, bloody holes to cover Wolf¡¯s body before he can reach him. ¡°Damn it,¡± Wolf snarls before a light mist of ice flows out of his body and focuses on the holes, slowly closing them up as he continues his sprint, soon reaching the ruler. A look of fear covers the boss¡¯s face as it watches the approaching claws before they reach it, tearing five long, purple strips from its waist to its chin, cutting open its neck in the process. The dark purple blood spills out of the creature as it fires one last, enormous orb of darkness at Wolf, who quickly tries to get out of the way, only to have it skim his arm, taking a large chunk out of it in the process. The instant the ruler slumps over dead, all of the dark sprites suddenly grow sluggish and confused, becoming easy targets for Sapphire and the remaining arctic lycanthropes. Meanwhile, Wolf focuses on healing his shoulder with a grimace covering his snout. ¡°And it looks like ¨C as we all expected ¨C The Winter Wolf will be moving on to the fourth theme!¡± Mikaela shouts with his arms spread out. The shouts within the stadium ¨C which had died down quite a bit as the audience focused on the action ¨C raise back up to a fevered pitch as Wolf slowly gets back up to his feet and looks down at the ruler¡¯s corpse lying back on his throne. B3 | Chapter 4 - Skating Wolf ¡°For a boss, that thing was pretty weak,¡± I mutter before turning around to see all of the remaining dark sprites getting torn apart by Sapphire and my arctic lycanthropes. The ease at which they slaughter the remaining dark sprites surprises me. I guess losing their leader hurt them pretty badly. Suddenly, in the middle of the slaughter, a large chest appears with a crown in front of a pair of butterfly wings. I begin to approach the chest with a smile on my face whilst occasionally killing a dark sprite that had gotten too close. At the same time, I begin to hear footsteps coming from about fifty meters away. ¡°The hell?¡± I mutter with a pause in my step before sprinting towards the chest. There aren¡¯t any monsters on this floor that actually walk on the ground. Which means that is likely a Competitor. I quickly touch the chest before frowning at its contents and placing both Tier 5 items into my inventory. Without wasting any time, I howl towards the moonlit sky, calling all of my arctic lycanthropes towards me before shouting, ¡°Find the exit!¡± I don¡¯t know who this Competitor is, but for all I know, they might try to use the now-bossless exit for themselves. All of the lycanthropes rush through the clearing in search for the door before one of them ¨C one of the bats ¨C makes a screech to draw my attention. I quickly find it standing above a trapdoor next to the large tree. ¡°Good job,¡± I say as I sprint over towards it and stop in front of the trapdoor. I then turn around and howl again before shouting, ¡°Come here!¡± All of the lycanthropes growl in irritation as they congregate near me. At the same time, the owner of the footsteps finally reveals themselves to be a woman with pointed ears wearing a deep blue armor that covers her entire body except for her head. I raise an eyebrow and lower my guard slightly as I recognize her face from one of my times in the viewing rooms. ¡°Adriana?¡± I mutter with surprise. As soon as she sees me, she raises her hands in a peaceful gesture and shouts, ¡°I just want to talk! I won¡¯t try to take this exit from you!¡± I frown at this before glancing at the lycanthropes and saying, ¡°Guard this exit. Don¡¯t let anyone near it except for me and Sapphire.¡± Without even looking back at the obviously annoyed lycanthropes, I begin making my way towards the elf as Sapphire shrinks back down and climbs my shoulder. As soon as I get within a dozen meters of her, she shouts, ¡°Look, I¡¯ll keep this brief. I just wanted to ask you what you are planning to do with those monsters behind you!¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Both of my brows raise in surprise before I answer her, ¡°I will set them free with an order to not attack Competitors or turn other monsters.¡± My answer seems to surprise her as her eyes widen for a moment before she smiles and says, ¡°Alright, thank you.¡± She then bows and quickly leaves the clearing without another word. ¡°Huh,¡± I mutter while watching her departing figure, ¡°she isn¡¯t exactly talkative.¡± I shrug before turning back around and walking back up to the arctic lycanthropes. ¡°You may go free, but you are not allowed to kill any Competitors or turn any of the monsters,¡± I tell them as I walk through them towards the trapdoor. After a brief moment of hesitation, all of the lycanthropes begin to fly away from me, once again leaving me alone with Sapphire. I glance at Sapphire before opening the trap door and jumping in to touch the exit below it.
Before the green light from the door even fades, a very welcoming feeling covers me as I sense all of the ice element around me the second I appear. The snow beneath my feet crunches as I fall a couple of inches to the ground after the teleportation. I lift my head and breathe deeply, taking in the beautiful smell of the cold air, mixed with the lovely feeling of the cold wind blowing against the fur covering my body. Even Sapphire purrs at the feeling of the cold around us. I shift back to my neutral form before opening my eyes and looking at my surroundings. Everything in sight is white for miles around, without any sort of greenery, water, or even monsters. ¡°This floor really is a wasteland,¡± I mutter with a tinge of interest. It¡¯s a good thing that I¡¯m immune to the cold. I glance at Sapphire, who seems to be bathing in the cold winds of the floor, before focusing on the ice element around us. Without any trouble at all, I gather a large chunk of it and create some skates out of ice around my feet. Then I create a pathway made out of ice through the snow. ¡°Let¡¯s go for a little trip,¡± I say to Sapphire with a smile before stepping onto the path of ice and skating my way across the snow-covered mountain. I love this floor theme.
Arcadian Live Seemingly endless laughter echoes throughout the stadium as everyone watches Wolf casually skating through one of the dangerous floors of a hazardous theme with a look of peace on his face. ¡°I expected him to be at home on this theme, but this is just¡­¡± Mikaela begins before breaking out into laughter at the sight of Sapphire falling asleep on Wolf¡¯s shoulder. Katherine watches the screen with a mixture of amusement and exasperation as she says, ¡°I guess we can always rely on The Winter Wolf for comedic relief.¡± Her comment feeds into the audience¡¯s already loud laughter. ¡°I don¡¯t remember the last time,¡± Niklai begins while shaking his head, ¡°that I saw a Competitor in the Administrator Dungeon treating a hazardous themed floor as if it were his backyard.¡± Thousands of viewers throughout the audience begin messing with their menus to take pictures of the main screen before posting them on the System Forums. This reaction only grows even further as Wolf begins whistling a random tune while skating.
Executive Stream Diane ignores the amused look Leo sends her as she shakes her head with exasperation. Both of them had just finished reading through the many System Forums threads about Wolf¡¯s actions on the thirty-first floor. ¡°Even if he wasn¡¯t famous before now, he will likely have an entirely new following after this little stunt,¡± Diane mutters with a tired tone of voice. Leo chuckles at this before he says, ¡°Yeah. He will be famous for being the Competitor that went skating during the Administrator Dungeon!¡± Diane groans at the thought before focusing on the screen showing Wolf as he continues to skate through the mountains. ¡°That said, it¡¯s good that he gets to have a break during the Administrator Dungeon Run,¡± Leo says as he turns serious again, ¡°even if the other Competitors are all struggling on this floor.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Diane mutters before a sad look covers her face, ¡°especially considering what will be on the one hundredth floor¡­¡± Leo¡¯s face mirrors Diane¡¯s as he watches Wolf continue skating on the ice. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± he says while remembering his first time against a centurion boss. ¡°He will need breaks like this if he is going to survive the rest of the dungeon.¡± Diane nods her head in silent agreement without taking her eyes off of the screen. B4 | Chapter 1 - Into the Caverns Wolf One week after defeating the Deepsea Kraken, on the eightieth floor of The Administrator Dungeon A wide grin stretches across my face as I fall the rest of the way from the crystal-coated trees hanging above the forest straight into the boss¡¯s head with one clawed hand stretched out towards it. Once I reach it, my claws dig straight through the cracked crystals that make up the enormous, crystal-coated spider¡¯s head and into its brain. The boss of the eighth floor theme ¨C otherwise known as a Crystal Narcolye ¨C immediately stops putting up any fight against Sapphire, allowing her to push it to the side as I jump off of its body with its brain held in my clawed hand. After tossing the brain onto the ground, I watch the boss¡¯s corpse for a few seconds as it disappears before muttering, ¡°Much easier than the leviathan boss on the last theme¡­¡± Just seconds later, I grunt slightly as I feel Sapphire practically tackle me before climbing up to my shoulder as usual. At the same time, a large chest coated in crystals with the symbol of a spider¡¯s head on the front of it appears in the place of the boss¡¯s corpse. I reach up to pet Sapphire as I walk over to the chest. Before reaching it though, I glance at the corner of my interface. My Info: Level: 901 EXP: 12832/90100 System Points: 815.20 Viewing Room Profits: 2421 Although part of that is probably because I over leveled a bit for this floor boss. Which, if I¡¯m being honest, is what I would like to have done for the leviathan as well. But with the last theme being a hazardous floor and all, it made it practically impossible to do that. Once I touch the boss chest, a frown replaces the grin on my face. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Item | Crystalline Silk Bow | Tier 6 This item is not attainable outside of a boss chest from the boss: Arachnid Lord of the Crystal Forest. The Crystalline Silk Bow increases the user¡¯s arm strength by 100%, while also doubling the piercing power of whatever arrows are shot from the bow. Any arrow shot from this bow will gain the texture and sharpness of a crystal from the body of a Crystal Narcolye. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ¡°A bow?¡± I mutter to myself out loud before Crystal¡¯s face comes to mind. Hmm, she might want it. So, I¡¯ll keep it, just in case I run into her in the future, and she has something I want in return. I grab the bow before furrowing my brows slightly and placing it into my inventory. Although, it¡¯s also quite likely that she has a better bow already and won¡¯t have any use for it. I frown for a second at the thought before shrugging and walking over towards the exit. Doesn¡¯t really matter right now. My focus turns to Sapphire as I both hear and feel her begin purring on my shoulder whilst rubbing her ice-coated head against my neck. Suddenly, a flash of memories returns from my battle with the kraken event boss, causing my face to turn grim slightly. Please don¡¯t let there be another event boss any time soon. I didn¡¯t even get much out of that battle, outside of that strange series of events and the level-up for my predator skill. Sapphire stops purring once we arrive at the exit, which is standing in the middle of an open clearing, surrounded by enormous crystal trees, with light clouds hovering above them. I look around the floor for a few seconds before faintly smiling. It¡¯ll be nice to get out of this place. At that thought, a few rays of light escape through the clouds into the crystalline trees and leaves around me. The ray then reflects off of everything and eventually ends up finding its way into my eyes. I squint whilst raising my arm to block the light. This is one thing I certainly won¡¯t miss when entering the next theme. ¡°Let¡¯s just hope the next theme has less sunlight,¡± I mutter to Sapphire, to which she lets out a cute little screech mixed with a purr in response. And with that, I reach out and touch the exit.
¡°Are you fucking kidding me?!¡± I shout in a mixture of exasperation and irritation as I look around the eighty-first floor in complete discomfort due to the extremely high heat. The area around me is actually underground for the first time since the first theme, but it both looks and feels like I¡¯m in some sort of volcanic cavern. All of the walls are practically glowing red, with several little lavafalls spouting out of them into pools of¡­ is that magma or lava? I¡¯m actually not sure on the difference there, but either way, it¡¯s not enjoyable. The entire cavern I¡¯m in is boiling hot, and I doubt I¡¯ll be able to find even a hint of ice element anywhere nearby. My attention turns towards a large tunnel on one of the far ends of the cavern. Is this floor just going to be a bunch of connected caverns or something? Because this underground space isn¡¯t doing much for the heat. I think I actually preferred being blinded on the last theme to this¡­ Sapphire ¨C apparently agreeing with my sentiment ¨C lets out a short screech and climbs back down my shoulder before entering my shadow and releasing what sounds like a sigh. My brows furrow slightly at that. Did she just sigh? Actually, scratch that. Is it not as hot in my shadow?! That¡¯s just unfair! I glare at the little spider in my shadow for a few seconds before closing my eyes and focusing on generating ice element and having it circulate around the outside of my body. After doing this, the cavern begins to feel a lot more tolerable for me. At the same time, I allow the naturally generated ice element to begin leaving my body slightly, with some of it staying in to keep my insides cooled down as well. I let out a sigh after finishing this, but before I can so much as open my eyes, I sense something big enter the range of my life sense. When I open my eyes to look at it, I find myself staring at a large¡­ fish? Why is there a large fish swimming in a pool of lava? Oddly enough, the fish just stares at me for several seconds as I identify it. _-| Unnamed ¨C Magma Spitter ¨C Level 885 |-_ I furrow my brows at that name. The fish seems to be a couple of meters long, with glowing red scales, and a large mouth. A mouth that also happens to be opening at this very second. I jump out of the way right as a large ball of magma spews out of the creature¡¯s mouth and flies straight towards where I was standing. Yeah¡­ I have a sneaking feeling that I¡¯m going to despise this floor theme. Although at least there isn¡¯t any sunlight down here¡­ B4 | Chapter 2 - Technalogia鈥檚 Attack Arcadian Live ¡°It looks like The Winter Wolf is going to have some difficulties on this floor theme!¡± Mikaela declares, his voice echoing throughout the entire stadium as the crystals coating the ground floor of the stadium begin to shift into pools of lava. ¡°He isn¡¯t solely an ice magic user, so it should be fine,¡± Niklai says before turning back to his own screen to watch as Ruth Maci struggles against an enormous leviathan on the seventieth floor. ¡°Especially since he has an entire theme¡¯s lead over all of the other Competitors.¡± ¡°Except for Silver Siren,¡± Katherine adds as she watches Ariana proceed through the crystal forest that makes up the seventy-fifth floor. Mikaela glances at her screen before focusing on Wolf again as the man digs into the magma spitter¡¯s body and rips into its insides with ease. ¡°Silver Siren¡¯s the only Competitor from an aquatic species in the top twenty or so Competitors right now, so she¡¯s the only one that¡¯s been able to take advantage of the ocean theme,¡± he says without taking his eyes off of the screen in front of him. ¡°And that¡¯s helped her close off quite a bit of the distance between her and The Winter Wolf.¡± A peaceful chatter fills the stadium for several minutes as the commentators all watch their different screens. However, this peace doesn¡¯t last for long. Mikaela turns to look at the audience as a wave of news begins to spread throughout it. His eyes widen once he hears it before he begins to mess with his menus. After several seconds, he finally mutters, ¡°Well, shit.¡± A few of the other commentators glance at him before focusing on the chatter still spreading throughout the stadium. It doesn¡¯t take long before all of the commentators are sending messages or calls to people. At the same time, the chatter throughout the stadium begins to grow in volume. ¡°How did they find it?¡± ¡°Did they really find the new world?!¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense! They don¡¯t even have System access!¡± ¡°Is this real?¡± This continues for several minutes before Mikaela finally claps his hands, causing a loud noise to ring out throughout the stadium, silencing everyone almost immediately. He then begins speaking, his voice resonating throughout the stadium, ¡°I have just received word that the new galaxy¡¯s main world, Aegis, has been discovered by the Technalogia faction!¡± More chatter starts running through the audience again, only for it to pause as Mikaela continues, ¡°And the faction is directly declaring war on every faction on the planet!¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
Aegis ¨C Somewhere in between Safe Zone 63 and Safe Zone 100 Loud cries echo throughout the forest on the ground from the monsters in the area as the roar of an enormous spaceship¡¯s engine fills the area. Meanwhile, several of the trees and animals within the forest begin flying away due to the air pressure of the spaceship as it lowers itself closer to the ground. After the ship reaches just above the tree line, it sends out a strange pulse of red light that causes almost every living thing that it touches ¨C including plants, animals, and monsters ¨C to simply turn into ash, leaving a large open space for the ship to land. As the ship begins landing, three people appear around the ship, located over a kilometer away in different locations. Two of them are wearing long, flowing white cloaks as they stare up at the spaceship with grim looks on their faces. The last of the spectators has the appearance of a beautiful woman with long black hair, purple eyes, and two large black and purple wings sprouting from her back. She is wearing a dark purple armor that covers every inch of her skin below her neck, with the only exception being her wings as she floats in the air with her arms crossed in front of her chest. The two pureblood werewolves turn to look at her before their eyes widen and they jump far backwards to increase the distance between themselves and the ship. Meanwhile, inside of the main bridge of the spaceship, a man calmly sits on the captain¡¯s chair with a bored expression on his face. The man has two highly pointed ears, bright blue eyes, and has some sort of high-tech armor on, along with two laser pistols holstered at his waist. Both the armor and the weapons have a blueish-purple color scheme to them. One that matches the bridge and ship¡¯s colors almost perfectly. ¡°Captain!¡± one of the nielans ¨C a species exclusive to the Technalogia faction¡¯s home galaxy ¨C says from their place seated in front of a screen. ¡°There appear to be a few guests down below watching us!¡± The captain glances at his subordinate before looking at the screen in front of him. ¡®Werewolves?¡¯ he thinks as he sees the two pureblood werewolves. ¡®But why are they backing away?¡¯ All at once, every last warning begins to flare up within the bridge, alarming all of the occupants of it. ¡°What is it?!¡± the captain shouts before focusing on the last guest shown on the screen. The instant he sees the woman ¨C and the massive orb of purple chaotic energy building up in front of her ¨C his eyes grow wide, and he shouts, ¡°What the fuck is that woman doing here!?¡± ¡°Get us out of here!¡± he continues, but it¡¯s too late. Tiamat simply snaps her fingers and the purple orb ¨C which is really just a massive orb full of all of the elemental energies in the area ¨C fires off towards the ship, causing the ship to instantly disintegrate the moment it makes contact with it. At the same time, a large shockwave shoots outwards from the point of impact, causing everything within a few kilometers of the orb to be blown backwards, with some areas being set on fire, others being completely covered in ice, and some being flooded with water. This continues for a few seconds, turning the surrounding area into a chaotic zone of messed up climates of all types, including both natural ones and unnatural ones. Meanwhile, the source of all of this just turns around and disappears into a black portal. ¡°Damn it,¡± Amalea grunts as she watches the chaos left behind by the chaos dragon¡¯s single attack from over a kilometer away. ¡°Does that woman not understand how or when to hold back?!¡± B4 | Chapter 3 - Magmo? Wolf I stare blankly at the screen in front of me for several seconds as the video feed from the screen shows dad sitting in some sort of carriage with a couple of people sitting around him. It isn¡¯t until he continues speaking that I break out of my stupor. ¡°We¡¯re currently heading over to meet up with the leaders of several Safe Zones to have a group call with all of the important Safe Zones around the area,¡± dad says in a tense tone of voice. ¡°Fortunately, Tiamat came out and obliterated the scout ship for their faction, otherwise they probably would¡¯ve already attacked some of the Safe Zones.¡± ¡°Tiamat?¡± I mutter with a frown before shaking my head and walking over to a sofa as I ask, ¡°How many scout ships were there? And are you all okay?¡± ¡°From what we have heard,¡± I hear mom¡¯s voice interject from somewhere off-screen in the call, ¡°there were hundreds of scout ships sent throughout the world, but most of them retreated after Tiamat¡¯s greeting.¡± That¡¯s¡­ interesting. I guess having one of the most powerful beings in the System ¨C if not existence itself ¨C staying on Aegis isn¡¯t as bad as I had originally thought it was. Suddenly, Aidan¡¯s voice joins in, also from somewhere off-screen, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to mention how she obliterated the climate for several kilometers around the scout ship, creating some sort of apocalypse zone in the process.¡± My eyes widen slightly at that before shaking my head. I knew that she was in the five digits level-wise, but I didn¡¯t think she would be that strong. It might be a good idea to put in some more research on the strongest individuals in the system¡­ ¡°Is there anything I can do to help?¡± I ask while sitting up on the sofa again. Dad glances away from the screen for a second before looking back and answering, ¡°No.¡± I open my mouth to reply only to close it again as Aidan sticks his head in front of the screen and says, ¡°You just worry about becoming an Administrator and bringing both yourself and Lexi back to us!¡± A faint smile touches my lips at his words before I nod. Dad then proceeds to hang up the call. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Only a few seconds later, the smile disappears and is replaced with a slightly worried look, just for that to vanish as well. If there¡¯s nothing I can do, then there¡¯s nothing I can do. I can tell Diane, but I would be surprised if she didn¡¯t already know about the Technalogia faction¡¯s arrival. With that thought in mind, I dispel the portable system store before diverting some of my attention back to keeping myself cool. The frown comes back quickly as I begin sprinting through the caverns again in my neutral form. Over the past weeks, I¡¯ve gotten rather used to being in my hunter form with it¡¯s increased physical capabilities. To the point that the fog in my mind doesn¡¯t even bother me much anymore. But this floor is way too damned hot to walk around in armor whilst covered in a coat of fur¡­ My thoughts are interrupted as I feel something entering the range of my life sense skill from beneath the ground. With a grimace, I shift into my hunter form despite the heat before focusing on the ground right as a large flame-coated worm breaks out of the surface. My eyebrows raise slightly once I identify it. _-| Magmo ¨C Uragar ¨C Level 893 |-_ A mini boss? Did I wander into its area, or is it just roaming around? Also, what¡¯s with that name? It doesn¡¯t really seem- My thoughts are interrupted as magma begins to flow out of the large worm¡¯s skin. At the same time, it opens its lamprey-like mouth and screeches loud enough that I have to increase the soundproofing on my headphones. I frown at the annoying monster before waving my hand and using ice flow, causing a large wave of icy water to spray out, almost instantly freezing anything it touches, including the monster whose level is over ten below my own. Despite having a large portion of its body frozen to the ground, with the entrance to the tunnel it dug frozen shut with half of its body still underground, the creature still continues to spill out magma from its skin. It then jerks forwards toward me and tries spitting out a ball of magma at my face, only for the magma to splash into a wall of ice that I create in front of myself with an Ice Wall skill I had purchased back on the desert theme. ¡°These skills are really useful when there isn¡¯t any ice element to manipulate¡­¡± I mutter to myself as I rush around the ice wall straight towards the large worm before jumping up towards the underside of its mouth and digging my claws through its fleshy skin. This is disgusting. My thoughts aside, I proceed to dig around through its body in search of its hearts. After I feel several lumps of warm flesh that feel like they are pulsing, I grab onto them and rip them all out of its body, causing the large worm to let out a loud screech in pain. I then back up a few feet as the creature falls to the ground and vanishes, leaving a mini boss chest behind in its place. A frown crosses my face as I feel the creature¡¯s blood still coating my arm. That creature was way too fleshy¡­ With that thought in mind, I focus on creating ice element and cleaning my arms of the creature¡¯s blood before turning towards the chest. Considering how weak it was, I doubt there¡¯s anything important in here. That aside, I still walk up to it and place my hand on top of it, causing the description of some trashy item to appear above it. My frown deepens slightly before I shake my head and continue on through the tunnel I¡¯m currently in. The worm¡¯s area should be somewhere near here. B4 | Chapter 4 - Sapphire鈥檚 Thoughts Within Wolf¡¯s Shadow on the eighty-second floor Sapphire lets out a short screech as she watches her partner rip straight through a large fire-coated lizard with his claws. She then notices from within his shadow the approach of another lizard who seems to think that it will stand even the slightest chance of sneaking up on her partner. ¡®Her partner!¡¯ Sapphire lets out a short hiss at the ridiculousness of the idea before watching on with satisfaction as the creature gets its heart ripped out by her partner¡¯s claws, just like the last one. ¡®Nothing can take us on!¡¯ the little spider thinks as she eagerly watches Wolf tear apart the weak monsters filling up the molten cavern, clearly having forgotten about her and Wolf¡¯s fight with the deepsea kraken. Wolf glances at his shadow where Sapphire is currently tucked away with a smile on his face that directly contrasts the blood coating half of his body. Blood that quickly begins to freeze before flying off of him and shattering onto the steaming hot floor of the cavern. ¡°What has you so riled up?¡± Wolf asks before raising his head a few seconds later with his gaze going unfocused. Sapphire calmly watches him as he begins to mess with the strange floating things that occasionally appear in front of him, only to immediately hiss as a screen with a familiar face appears on it. ¡°So why did you call this time?¡± Wolf asks with an eyebrow raised towards the spider in his shadow. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t just call for no reason this time,¡± Crystal says with a look of amusement on her face. Wolf turns away from his shadow to look at her while raising his other eyebrow and thinking, ¡®Which means she really did just call most of the other times for no reason?¡¯ Meanwhile, the spider in his shadow continues to show her denial of the woman on the screen as she both hisses and even begins to leave Wolf¡¯s shadow, only to go back in once she feels the heat outside of it. ¡®The devil again! Get away from her partner!¡¯ These thoughts run through the little spider¡¯s mind as she continues hissing like crazy, drawing both Wolf and Crystal¡¯s attention towards her in the process.
Wolf Is this a case of her getting jealous again? But what would she be jealous about? I glance at the call before tilting my head slightly. Could it be because I¡¯m in a call with Crystal? Crystal somehow manages to just ignore the spider and focus on me again as she asks, ¡°How is your family doing on Aegis?¡± Putting the matter of Sapphire¡¯s strange actions aside for the moment, I answer, ¡°They¡¯re doing okay.¡± I don¡¯t explain any further due to the audience that is pretty clearly watching us, considering the massive number of viewing rooms watching me right now. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Not that it¡¯s a surprise, considering my massive lead over the other Competitors. With the exception of Ariana, who is actually only about seven floors behind me, unlike the others who are all upwards of like thirteen or fourteen floors behind. ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Crystal says before turning her head to deal with a crystal spider. Wait a second¡­ crystal spider? A smile lights up her face as she seems to notice thoughts and says, ¡°I finally made it past the ocean theme.¡± ¡°Not bad,¡± I state while nodding my head, only to glance at Sapphire again as she finally begins to calm down with her hissing. Surprisingly though, when I see her, I find her with her entire head sticking out of my shadow and her eyes hatefully glaring at Crystal. Huh. At first I thought those posts on the forums about soul-bound companions jealousy over their partners was overexaggerating things, but now¡­ I almost chuckle at the look on Sapphire¡¯s little face before focusing on the screen again as Crystal lets loose an arrow at something off-screen. It¡¯s rather adorable how attached she is. Although whenever I run into people again it might be a little bit annoying if she tries to attack them. ¡°Damn it,¡± Crystal grunts as I see a flash of light reflect into her eyes. Oh, yes. I remember the hell that was that crystal forest and bright sunlight combination. Although if it wasn¡¯t for my ice element, then this magma cavern would be much worse. In fact, it really is a lot worse, even with it. Strictly because it limits my ability and makes me have to focus on using skills to a degree instead of purely using my ability. That is, whenever I don¡¯t just use brute force. Because that works fine as well. I turn away from the screen as I start making my way through the tunnel. At least that event boss didn¡¯t spawn in this theme, because having what would likely be a fire-related event boss trying to kill me would suck. Just that kraken alone was enough to two-shot me with its tentacles, and it didn¡¯t even have any elemental manipulation! I shiver at the thought of being forced to fight a fire-related event boss. ¡°How¡¯s your family?¡± I ask offhandedly, deciding that I might as well continue the conversation. It¡¯s always nice to hear an actual voice instead of just the ambiance of whatever floor I happen to be on. Which right now happens to be full of the sounds of flowing lava, with bubbles popping every now and then. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Crystal looking at the screen with an incredulous expression on her face before she clears it up and answers, ¡°They¡¯re all fine as well.¡± I hum slightly while nodding my head, only to glance at Sapphire with a raised eyebrow as I feel her poking at my leg with her claw. Okay, now I¡¯m not so sure if she¡¯s just being jealous, or an attention hog. I pause in my step for a second as the thought that it might be both comes to mind before I continue again. However, after only a single step forwards, I feel something enter the range of my life sense skill from the direction of a pool of lava. Some sort of fish, perhaps? I stare at the lava with my arms crossed before my eyes widen slightly at the sight of a red frog jumping out of the lava. ¡°A frog?¡± I mutter with a hint of confusion as I shift my arm into my hunter form and rip it upwards whilst activating the skill Ice Arcs and sending five blades of ice at the frog. Not sure what a frog is doing in a magma cavern, but whatever. The blades of ice cut straight into the frog as it cries out in pain and falls to the ground. I then rush towards it before stabbing my still-shifted arm into its body and digging around for its heart. However, before I can find its heart, a chime rings in my head, marking the creature¡¯s death. ¡°Oh?¡± the words escape my lips almost as if on their own while I begin to pull my arm out of its body. That creature was rather fragile. It isn¡¯t until I fully pull my arm out and notice the sizzling sounds coming from the ice coating my arm that I realize its blood was actually poison. Huh. Well, that explains why it was so fragile. Anyways, I turn my head to look at the screen again to find Crystal locked in combat. Hmm. She¡¯s not half bad in battle, actually. I glance at Sapphire to see her eyes peeking out of my shadow and glaring between the screen and the frog¡¯s corpse, only to focus on the screen entirely as the corpse vanishes from sight. Is she ever gonna stop glaring at- My thoughts are interrupted as I hear a loud roar echo through the tunnel from what must be a ways away. Nevermind. I turn my attention away from Sapphire¡¯s antics to instead begin sprinting down the tunnel towards the source of the roar. I think I just found the mini boss for this floor. B4 | Chapter 5 - Techral Wolf ¡°I wish I could do that¡­¡± I hear Crystal mutter from the call as I finish cleaning off the blood of the large frog-like mini boss that I had just killed. I ignore her for a second to look at the corpse before it disappears. This has been bothering me for a while now, but why is it that ever since the fiftieth floor, every single monsters¡¯ corpse completely vanishes after death, except for their blood? It¡¯s just weird. When I tried prying a scale off of one of their bodies once, the scale just vanished along with the corpse. But any of the blood that¡¯s been released out of its body still remains, leaving me to have to clean it off of myself. Anyways, I reach out and grab the garbage item from the chest before turning to the screen to see Crystal firing another arrow off into the distance. I raise an eyebrow before commenting, ¡°You wish you could clean blood off of yourself when you use a ranged weapon?¡± It¡¯s not like she should actually get blood on herself very often, and the inventory automatically cleans anything that enters it, so cleaning her arrows should be an easy thing. And that¡¯s assuming her quiver doesn¡¯t just have a special effect to it that cleans them for her. Which doesn¡¯t sound like something that would be all that difficult to find. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m always at a reasonable distance away from the monsters,¡± Crystal says while sending me a frowning glance before focusing on her fight again and letting loose another arrow, ¡°sometimes I have to get up close and personal for a monster, and others we¡¯re in too narrow a space for me to shoot.¡± Hmm, I guess that makes sense. I much prefer my methods of run up and rip their hearts out with my claws. Assuming I don¡¯t just freeze them to death first. ¡°Well, excuse me for not having the brute force strength you have,¡± Crystal suddenly says, making me raise both of my eyebrows in surprise. ¡°Wait, did I say that out loud?¡± I mutter in confusion, only to get a chuckle in response. She continues shooting arrows for a couple of minutes as I finish up in the floor before draping her bow over her shoulder and saying, ¡°No, but what you were thinking was pretty obvious, if the glance you were giving your claws was anything to go by.¡± Oh. Okay. Wait, she came to that conclusion from¡­ Actually, never mind. I don¡¯t really care. With that thought in mind, I proceed to touch the exit, causing the usual flash of light to shine from it before I find myself on the eighty-third floor. And almost immediately frown from the noticeable increase in heat. I glance at Sapphire, who actually seems to be feeling some of the heat now if the faint sheen of sweat is anything to go by. That sight makes me blink twice in confusion before I mutter, ¡°Spiders can sweat¡­?¡± I crouch down to my shadow before putting my hand out and saying, ¡°Come out for a sec, Sapphire.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. She reluctantly follows my direction and leaves the shadow to climb onto my hand. Hmm, okay, it doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯s actually sweating. Just somehow creating cold water and having it coat her¡­ Oh. Huh, that¡¯s actually a pretty interesting way to cool down. ¡°Wolf?¡± I hear Crystal ask from the screen, causing Sapphire to hiss before she rushes back into my shadow again. ¡°I don¡¯t think spiders can sweat.¡± I climb back up to my feet again while facing the screen and saying, ¡°Yeah, I just realized that she¡¯s not sweating. She¡¯s just freezing a faint layer of ice over her body with the ice element that¡¯s leaking from it. That ice is then immediately melting due to the heat, making it look kind of like sweat.¡± Although I¡¯m not sure when she became able to excrete ice element. And judging by how it¡¯s melting, I doubt it¡¯s my eternal ice element either. Which likely means that she¡¯s somehow changing as we level. My thoughts are suddenly interrupted as I hear the explosion of fireworks from both my side of the call and Crystal¡¯s, followed by a notification appearing at the center of my interface.
Administrator Dungeon Notification
This is a notification to every Competitor in the Administrator Dungeon. The competitor going by the title, ¡®Techral,¡¯ has just opened a transcendent loot box on the sixtieth floor! The location of the opening will now be shown on every Competitor¡¯s map when they enter the sixtieth floor.
Uh¡­ So someone just got a Tier 9 item or skill from a loot box? That¡¯s¡­ Wait a second! ¡°Didn¡¯t that person get a mythic loot box not too long ago¡­?¡± I hear Crystal mutter what I had just realized myself. I nod my head despite her attention not being on me as I say, ¡°Yes, I think they did.¡± Due to the kraken issue, I never did get around to looking into them. So now would be as good a time as any to do that. Especially considering how freaking lucky they seem to be. Although, before that, I focus on the screen and ask, ¡°Do you know anything about this individual?¡± My question draws her attention to the screen as the light around her continues to reflect off of the crystals, blinding her for a second. ¡°Yes, I have heard of him,¡± she answers with a grimace on her face. Although whether the grimace is due to the light or the person we¡¯re talking about, I can¡¯t tell. ¡°Techral, or otherwise known as Alaric Ridel, is a strange case. They seem to be almost unkillable thanks to their extreme luck that has to be related to their powers or the system somehow, but they are also as weak as a mouse under it all.¡± I raise both of my eyebrows at her explanation. ¡°No matter what happens, he always survives it through some seemingly impossible streak of luck, whether that¡¯s through the mini boss somehow slipping into a bunch of rubble, causing the rubble to explode outwards into him, blasting him straight into the exit with just enough force not to kill him, or something else just as unlikely as that,¡± she continues, causing my eyebrows to continue raising higher and higher. That¡¯s just fucking bullshit. ¡°So what you¡¯re saying,¡± I start before glancing at Sapphire for a second and turning back to Crystal again, ¡°is that this guy has been making it through the dungeon through some sort of blind, supernatural luck?¡± Crystal nods her head with a grimace before adding, ¡°Yes. The man has almost no skill in combat and has never even bothered to try getting it. The guy seems to treat the entire dungeon as some sort of game.¡± Well that¡¯s even more fucked up. ¡°He¡¯s also a repeat visitor to the viewing room Lucky Days,¡± she adds, almost as if as an afterthought. I frown at that before shaking my head and starting down the tunnel in front of me. That¡¯s so freaking annoying. The guy isn¡¯t actually bothering me, but if he keeps getting lucky then there¡¯s a chance he might get so many powerful items and skills that he could actually, theoretically, pass me in the dungeon. And if that¡¯s the case¡­ Ugh. This is so annoying. I can¡¯t just kill him for trying to survive, seeing as he, once again, hasn¡¯t done anything against me, but it¡¯s still pissing me off. A groan escapes my lips before I shake my head and speed up my progress through the floor. At least, even if he did somehow pass me, it¡¯s not just the first place position that gets to become an Administrator. As long as I get in the top three, I¡¯ll be fine. But I would still like that Tier 10 item or skill. I glance at the screen again before saying, ¡°I¡¯m gonna focus on clearing the dungeon for now, so I¡¯ll talk to you again later.¡± After hearing her brief farewell, I hang up the call and begin sprinting through the floor. Books 1, 2, 3, and 4 are on Amazon Kindle Unlimited Book 1 Book 2 Book 3 This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Book 4 You can also read chapters in advanced on my Patreon! Additionally, you can see announcements that aren''t on Royal Road on my Discord channel! Story Art (SPOILER WARNING) The art in this story art chapter has spoilers for the story in it. View them at your own discretion!!! These spoilers are from book 4 of The Rise of the Winter Wolf, with most of them being from midway through the book, but a single one of them being from close to the end of it. As for those of you looking at this chapter at the time of its posting, there is one image in this post that is a spoiler for you as well. Unless you''re a Patreon reader. All of these character art images except for one are anime. Wolf Adler while using the Blue Moon Armaments Wolf Adler with his armor hidden, wearing regular clothes. Wolf Adler without his coat or his armor on The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Sapphire in her Spider form Sapphire in her bipedal form: There is more character art used as stickers and emojis on my Discord channel if you''re interested. B5 | Chapter 1 - The Beta Wolf ¡°So how many times are we going to be thrown somewhere relatively unknown against our will seemingly at random?¡± Sapphire asks me as I sit on the floor next to her in the middle of a very dark dungeon corridor. One with miasma slipping through the tiny cracks between the stone blocks making up its structure, and the sounds of groaning coming from down the hall. Or more particularly, sounds of groaning coming from the zombies ¨C yes, more zombies, just like the twentieth floor theme of the dungeon ¨C coming down the corridor before getting frozen by the massive amounts of ice element I¡¯ve flooded the area, freezing everything in the corridor. Although for some reason, my ice element doesn¡¯t want to plug up the parts of the walls leaking the miasma entirely. So it¡¯s still flooding out rather slowly. ¡°I¡¯ve lost count,¡± I answer Sapphire before falling down onto my back, simply lying down on the frozen floor. ¡°But it¡¯s not anymore enjoyable than it was the first time it happened.¡± As if responding to our melodramatic complaints, a notification appears in front of my vision. One simply floating there and not on my interface.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
This notification, along with the next several, are being sent to every single void creature in existence. And thanks to the intervention of The Reaper, it will also be sent to every single creature attached to the System. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The newest set of competitors for the Beta Administrator Dungeon has been chosen! Every single player will now be granted temporary access to the Beta Administrator Dungeon menu during the remainder of the Initialization. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
¡°That looks a lot like the first notification that appeared in the Beta Administrator Dungeon,¡± I mutter to myself before glancing over at the zombies who are surprisingly getting closer and closer to us as the ice element begins to run out within the corridor. Interesting. Out of curiosity, I identify the zombies. Just to find a rather glaring surprise. ¡°These zombies are level 2203,¡± I mutter while staring blankly at them. They¡¯re about twenty levels above me. How the hell is that starting at around the same level or slightly higher leveled than me?! Although they still can¡¯t break my ice. Assuming they don¡¯t have a fire ability user that is. Another notification appears replacing the first one.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The Beta Administrator Dungeon is a dungeon located in a separate dimension created by The Reaper so as to make the competition completely fair for all participants. The only influence a player may have over the competition is through sponsorships. Each competitor may have up to three sponsors on every fiftieth floor, with each of them only being able to give one item or skill. The spots for sponsorship will be based on whoever manages to win the auction for each spot. Any attempts at interference outside of the sponsorships will be punished by revoking the perpetrator¡¯s rights as a player, thereby designating them as a monster and removing their access rights to the status menu. Furthermore, The Reaper himself will grant one Positive Chest during each sponsorship. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The dungeon will span one thousand floors. However, this particular dungeon run is beginning on the 201st floor, leaving the first 200 floors nonexistent. Each floor of the dungeon ¨C excluding every one hundredth floor ¨C will have several dozen mini bosses roaming around the floor or protecting their own lairs, one of which must be defeated to spawn a floor exit, along with a few secret exits that are spread around the floors. Every tenth floor will have several boss monsters, one of which must be killed to spawn the floor¡¯s exit, while every one-hundredth floor will have a centurion boss guarding each of the five exits. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The competitors will all be spread out throughout the first floor of the dungeon and left to their own devices upon the commencement of the Administrator Dungeon Run. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
I frown as I read the notification. Most of this isn¡¯t much different from the Administrator Dungeon, except for whatever that Positive Chest is supposed to be. But it¡¯ll probably be explained later on. Out of nowhere, the notification seems to glitch out before disappearing. Then another one appears in its place.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
Interference with the preset process has been detected by the System¡¯s creator, The Reaper. Preset notifications will continue playing for every being outside of the Beta Dungeon, while a custom made set will play for the sole beta tester inside of the dungeon.
Oh? ¡°I wonder if he heard my complaints?¡± I mutter to myself, making Sapphire giggle as she watches. But right before the next notification appears for me to read, I wave my hand to create two large walls of ice blocking us off of the zombies after my ice element seems to be having trouble keeping them all back. Although I can¡¯t help but do a double take at the large pile of frozen zombie corpses that the other zombies are simply climbing over. ¡°Just how many are there?¡±
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Changes made to the loot boxes: Common chests are removed from the Beta Dungeon. Skills are removed from loot boxes. Instead, they will be replaced with knowledge crystals giving you knowledge on how to use an ability that you have the capacity to do. Positive Chests have been added to the dungeon. These chests will give out Tier 8 or above items. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Changes made to the monsters: All monsters begin on a floor with their average level being at least ten levels above the beta tester. All Mini Bosses begin on a floor with their average level being at least thirty levels above the beta tester. All Bosses begin on a floor with their average level being at least fifty levels above the beta tester. All Centurion Bosses begin on a floor with their average level being at least one hundred levels above the beta tester. All Event Bosses begin on a floor with their average level being determined purely by random draw, with the options being ten levels below the beta tester¡¯s level, ten levels above the beta tester¡¯s level, thirty levels above the beta tester¡¯s level, fifty levels above the beta tester¡¯s level, one hundred levels above the beta tester¡¯s level, and one hundred and fifty levels above the beta tester¡¯s level. All monsters may attack other monsters regardless of the beta tester¡¯s presence on the floor. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Expanded System Stores will no longer spawn on floors naturally. Beta testers will now be forced to use the portable expanded system store feature of the System to use one. The beta tester will now have their own private area floating above the conjunction square during every conjunction. The beta tester will now have undisclosed information about every monster they run into inside of the dungeon simply by using the ¡®Beta Dictionary¡¯ feature that will now appear on their status.
It takes me a little bit to read every last change, but most of them are rather brutal and make me almost want to go back to the Administrator Dungeon. Almost. After all, I wouldn¡¯t be able to save Alexis if I did. Not to mention that it¡¯s likely not possible. There are a couple of nice changes though. Like the beta dictionary thing, and the removal of skills and common chests. Because who knows how many common chests I¡¯ve opened over the years. I glance at the zombies that are banging on the wall of ice next to me and Sapphire before focusing once more on the final notification that appears in front of me and Sapphire. Or as it turns out, not a notification.
System Message
I have been informed by The Reaper to tell you about the changes to the rewards for the Beta Dungeon. As he promised, you will be able to bring your friend back to life if you clear the dungeon. But that¡¯s not all. You will also be given three Tier 10 items by The Reaper, the origin being left unspecified. Furthermore, The Reaper will offer you one favor that you may have paid whenever you wish. This favor is not infallible, however, and there are limits to it. One thing that you may wish for through this favor, if you desire it, is to be blessed by the void progenitor, turning you into a void harbinger. Any possible further changes will be mentioned at a later date. This has been the System speaking directly to you. Stay safe, don¡¯t die, and please, by all that¡¯s tasty in the universe, don¡¯t make my favor go to waste.
I can¡¯t help but blink in confusion at the message. Uh¡­ what? Those rewards look really nice, but there¡¯s a lot to unpack in that message. Also, what¡¯s with the ¡®by all that¡¯s tasty in the universe¡¯ thing? I glance at Sapphire, who I find looking at me with confusion on her face before I ask, ¡°Can the System even taste?¡± Glossary Character Glossary Wolf¡¯s Admin Allies: Leo Decayend ¨C Emperor of the Dread Empire ¨C Species: Draugr ¨C Friend to Diane. Diane Frost ¨C Winter Werewolf Empress ¨C Species: Winter Werewolf ¨C Friend to Leo and adoptive mother of Wolf. Eccentric. Arianais Keiran ¨C Species: Water variant harbinger, ex-megalokin ¨C The Chairman of the Arcadian Magic Association. Cyrene Hunter ¨C Species: Human ¨C Unattached Administrator known as Lady Hunter. Sponsor to Crystal Leblanc. Talroth ¨C Ascendant (one of the leaders of the Ascendency) ¨C Species: Devourer ¨C Has gray eyes, black hair, and blackish-gray scales covering his humanoid body. True form ¨C Enormous, black monster. It has a planet-sized, round mouth with the shape of a lamprey¡¯s mouth, with pitch black scales covering every inch of it and the appearance of some sort of draconic creature. Except one that stands on two legs. Alastaraic Heath ¨C Ascendant ¨C Species: Pureblood Vampire - He has crimson eyes, dirty blond hair, and a playful look in his eyes that is reminiscent of a prankster. Argus - Species: Astral Cyclops ¨C Leader of the Astral Forge. Stands at eight feet tall with one large eye.
Wolf¡¯s Admin Enemies: Wilhelm Aust ¨C Species: Chrono ¨C Abyssal Ruler and current dungeon boss for the Beta Administrator Dungeon, albeit against his will. Dafid Vanelli ¨C Species: Devil Sovereign ¨C large bipedal goat administrator ¨C Ally to the Ruler and Sovereign of the Devil Clans. Norvant Blanc ¨C Species: Shapeshifting Leviathan ¨C The leviathan underlord of the ocean world of Arc and ally to the Ruler. The Friar ¨C Species: Human ¨C The pope of the anti-Reaper religion, and the ruler of the Holy Empire. Temporary ally to the Ruler.
Parties whose intentions are unknown: Titania ¨C Species: Radiant Fairy ¨C Progenitor of Radiance. Queen of the fae and bringer of eternal light. Has rainbow eyes and hair, while only being a foot in height, with a wand floating around her. Grim ¨C Species: Reaper ¨C Progenitor of Void. Ruler of the void and all of the creatures within, creator of the System. Has a humanoid form with two black wings made out of void energy and two black eyes releasing the same void energy. Has two marks above his shoulder that are in the shape of upside down cones. Has veins of black light running through his body with no clothes on nor any physical determinations of gender outside of his voice. Astaroth ¨C Species: Volcanic Dragon ¨C Leader of the Volcanic Domain and descendant of Tiamat. Has glowing bright red eyes, with equally red, long hair. His hair has light sparks of flame occasionally escaping from the tips, and he has very thin red scales across his arms, shoulders, legs, back, and chest. Tiamat ¨C Species: Chaos Dragon, Primordial Dragon ¨C Leader of the Ascendency. Has raven black long hair and leaks faint wisps of faint purple light from her mouth and eyes. Has black and purple draconic wings. Fenrir ¨C Species: Unknown ¨C Giant icy wolf ¨C Progenitor of Ice.
Aidan Hunter ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C Wolf¡¯s best friend. Alexia Blaine ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C Nickname is Lexi ¨C Wolf¡¯s other friend. ¨C Has a crush on Wolf and isn¡¯t afraid to admit it. DEAD Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Luke Adler ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C Wolf¡¯s father. Lucia Adler ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C Wolf¡¯s mother. Katie Adler ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C Wolf¡¯s sister and an awakened fae Princess without a court to rule. Erik Bristow ¨C Architect ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C always argues with Oscar Manfred Lowth ¨C Mayor ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C calm and works through situations peacefully Jessica Lowel ¨C Former Detective ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C not afraid to use violence, but tends to avoid it when necessary Oscar Walsch ¨C Accountant ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C always argues with Erik Sarah Everand ¨C Mayor¡¯s former Assistant ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C sweet and kind, motherly figure Avery Harwood ¨C Police Officer ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C short patience and has a poddy mouth Blake Welby ¨C Lawyer ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C quiet but sharp tongued Ludric Hyde ¨C Vulcan ¨C Competitor who uses fire magic and is a little psychotic. DEAD Lily Veldon ¨C Crimson Rose ¨C Has a powerful electrical railgun ability. Is rather shy. Christopher Sinclair ¨C Unbreakable ¨C Competitor who teamed up with Lily and has an ability to morph his hands into steel. Toby O¡¯Keenan ¨C Species: Leprechaun - Host of Lucky Days. Sam O¡¯Hart ¨C Species: Leprechaun ¨C Co-host of Lucky Days. Niklai Shatterblade ¨C Species: Dwarf ¨C Secondary commentator for Arcadian Live. Ludolf Skern ¨C Species: Undine ¨C Host of Viewing Room known as Aquarion. Ethan Simmons ¨C Safe Zone 52 errand boy. Helen Astley ¨C Species: Undine ¨C Assistant to Astaroth. Ansigar Lang ¨C Electric variant harbinger ¨C ex-Roc. Torusk Moonscream ¨C Fire variant harbinger ¨C ex-Orc. Amalea ¨C Diane¡¯s Moderator subordinate. Reinhardt ¨C Diane¡¯s Moderator subordinate. Liam Hawkins ¨C Son to Frank and leader of the ruling council for safe zone 53. Frank Hawkins ¨C Father to Liam and part of the ruling council for Safe Zone 53. Ruth Maci ¨C Thorn ¨C Competitor and pupil to Leo ¨C Forsaken ¨C Uses miasma and wears a black mask, black cloak, and blue jeans. Wolf¡¯s status: -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Name: Wolf Adler Class: Harbinger of Eternal Winter Privileges: Beta Tester Soul-bound Ability: Ice Reaper Species: Reaper of the Blue Moon Level: 2183 EXP: 104823/218300 System Points: 1524.20 Viewing Room Profits: 14829 Skills List Inventory System Communications Beta Administrator Dungeon Beta Administrator Dungeon Beta Tester Administrator Dungeon Administrator Dungeon Competitor System Terminal Player Auctions System Map System GUI -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- New Story Release Announcement! The new story has finally come to Royal Road! Welcome Reaper''s Resurgence, and I hope you enjoy it! Synopsis: What would happen in a world governed by the Ascendants, the highest level people in the System, when the System itself resets due to the death of its creator? When the levels, classes, skills, and even Legendary Feats of every user are wiped, and everyone is sent to a new dimension to start all over again? Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Alexia, on what should¡¯ve just been her very first Dungeon dive in the Royal Dungeon, finds her life, her body, and her entire world changing after the Creator of the System itself forces her to kill him, resetting the System entirely. But after being turned into a quantum reaper and given the powerful quantum element as a ¡®prize¡¯ for her Legendary Feat, will she thrive? Or will she fall? If you''re interested, click here! This won''t affect my upload schedule for Winter Wolf as the bare minimum I''m willing to post for a story is still one chapter a week and it won''t go any lower than that. Audiobook Announcement The Rise of the Winter Wolf book 1 The Initialization has now released in Audiobook format! Furthermore, the audiobook itself has some minor edits to the book specifically in that Lexi, one of Wolf''s best friends, no longer acted immature in book one. She no longer jumps at him, or tries to hug him, or any of that. Another change is that Wolf doesn''t go around walking with his hands in his pockets, and it''s specified that not everyone knows about him being an assassin, and that his family also went under the more legal term of hitmen as well. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The story has also gone under a brief and minor editing pass through beyond those changes. If you''re interested, it is narrated by Neil Hellegers and can be found on Amazon.com here and on Audible.com here! Lastly, The Rise of the Winter Wolf Book 2''s audiobook will be starting production in late February of 2024. B5 | Story Art and Exams Notice Sorry that there weren''t any chapters in the past couple days. They were canceled due to my exams. I''ll go ahead and state my next exam dates here since at this rate I''ll probably end up canceling chapters on those days as well. I have an exam today, on October 16th, a tentative exam on October 24th, on December 8th and on December 9th. Furthermore, there should be one more exam that hasn''t been announced at all in terms of the date. Although I''m not too sure about the one on October 24th. The professor has forgotten to post almost every single quiz in the class so far and ended up delaying each quiz by a few days. So I wouldn''t be surprised if he does the same for the exam, since the exam is online. Fortunately my capstone course doesn''t have any exams at all. Other than those exam days I don''t think there will be any canceled chapters through the semester unless something comes up at the last minute, especially since the first semester is supposed to be (according to both the past teams and the professor for my Senior Design course) mostly just documentation and familiarizing ourselves with the software and programming language we''re using for the project. Although one of my team members is dead-set on adding on a bunch of extra stuff to the current project to make it a lot more work, and are trying to get to work on the project right away instead of giving us time to learn how to work on it. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Keep track of my schedule in my bio for any updates since I don''t particularly like making announcement chapters. And now for the story art!
Wolf in his Hunter Form. Diane: Leo: B5 | New Glossary and Book 5 Commissioned Cover
Speaking of an Amazon release, I just put Winter Wolf book 5 up for preorder. Click
Character Glossary Wolf¡¯s Admin Allies: Leo Decayend ¨C Emperor of the Dread Empire ¨C Species: Draugr ¨C Friend to Diane. Diane Frost ¨C Winter Werewolf Empress ¨C Species: Winter Werewolf ¨C Friend to Leo and adoptive mother of Wolf. Eccentric. Arianais Keiran ¨C Species: Water variant harbinger, ex-megalokin ¨C The Chairman of the Arcadian Magic Association. Cyrene Hunter ¨C Species: Human ¨C Unattached Administrator known as Lady Hunter. Sponsor to Crystal Leblanc. Talroth ¨C Ascendant (one of the leaders of the Ascendency) ¨C Species: Devourer ¨C Has gray eyes, black hair, and blackish-gray scales covering his humanoid body. True form ¨C Enormous, black monster. It has a planet-sized, round mouth with the shape of a lamprey¡¯s mouth, with pitch black scales covering every inch of it and the appearance of some sort of draconic creature. Except one that stands on two legs. Alastaraic Heath ¨C Ascendant ¨C Species: Pureblood Vampire - He has crimson eyes, dirty blond hair, and a playful look in his eyes that is reminiscent of a prankster. Argus - Species: Astral Cyclops ¨C Leader of the Astral Forge. Stands at eight feet tall with one large eye.
Wolf¡¯s Admin Enemies: Wilhelm Aust ¨C Species: Chrono ¨C Abyssal Ruler and current dungeon boss for the Beta Administrator Dungeon, albeit against his will. Dafid Vanelli ¨C Species: Devil Sovereign ¨C large bipedal goat administrator ¨C Ally to the Ruler and Sovereign of the Devil Clans. Norvant Blanc ¨C Species: Shapeshifting Leviathan ¨C The leviathan underlord of the ocean world of Arc and ally to the Ruler. The Friar ¨C Species: Human ¨C The pope of the anti-Reaper religion, and the ruler of the Holy Empire. Temporary ally to the Ruler.
Parties whose intentions are unknown: Titania ¨C Species: Radiant Fairy ¨C Progenitor of Radiance. Queen of the fae and bringer of eternal light. Has rainbow eyes and hair, while only being a foot in height, with a wand floating around her. Grim ¨C Species: Reaper ¨C Progenitor of Void. Ruler of the void and all of the creatures within, creator of the System. Has a humanoid form with two black wings made out of void energy and two black eyes releasing the same void energy. Has two marks above his shoulder that are in the shape of upside down cones. Has veins of black light running through his body with no clothes on nor any physical determinations of gender outside of his voice. Astaroth ¨C Species: Volcanic Dragon ¨C Leader of the Volcanic Domain and descendant of Tiamat. Has glowing bright red eyes, with equally red, long hair. His hair has light sparks of flame occasionally escaping from the tips, and he has very thin red scales across his arms, shoulders, legs, back, and chest. Tiamat ¨C Species: Chaos Dragon, Primordial Dragon ¨C Leader of the Ascendency. Has raven black long hair and leaks faint wisps of faint purple light from her mouth and eyes. Has black and purple draconic wings. Fenrir ¨C Species: Unknown ¨C Giant icy wolf ¨C Progenitor of Ice.
Aidan Hunter ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C Wolf¡¯s best friend. Alexia Blaine ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C Nickname is Lexi ¨C Wolf¡¯s other friend. ¨C Has a crush on Wolf. DEAD Luke Adler ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C Wolf¡¯s father. Lucia Adler ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C Wolf¡¯s mother. Katie Adler ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C Wolf¡¯s sister and an awakened fae Princess without a court to rule. Erik Bristow ¨C Architect ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C always argues with Oscar. Manfred Lowth ¨C Mayor ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C calm and works through situations peacefully. Jessica Lowel ¨C Former Detective ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C not afraid to use violence, but tends to avoid it when necessary. Oscar Walsch ¨C Accountant ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C always argues with Erik. Sarah Everand ¨C Mayor¡¯s former Assistant ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C sweet and kind, motherly figure. Avery Harwood ¨C Police Officer ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C short patience and has a poddy mouth. Blake Welby ¨C Lawyer ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C quiet but sharp tongued. Ludric Hyde ¨C Vulcan ¨C Competitor who uses fire magic and is a little psychotic. DEAD Lily Veldon ¨C Crimson Rose ¨C Has a powerful electrical railgun ability. Is rather shy. Christopher Sinclair ¨C Unbreakable ¨C Competitor who teamed up with Lily and has an ability to morph his hands into steel. Toby O¡¯Keenan ¨C Species: Leprechaun - Host of Lucky Days. Sam O¡¯Hart ¨C Species: Leprechaun ¨C Co-host of Lucky Days. Niklai Shatterblade ¨C Species: Dwarf ¨C Secondary commentator for Arcadian Live. Ludolf Skern ¨C Species: Undine ¨C Host of Viewing Room known as Aquarion. Ethan Simmons ¨C Safe Zone 52 errand boy. Helen Astley ¨C Species: Undine ¨C Assistant to Astaroth. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Ansigar Lang ¨C Electric variant harbinger ¨C ex-Roc. Torusk Moonscream ¨C Fire variant harbinger ¨C ex-Orc. Amalea ¨C Diane¡¯s Moderator subordinate. Reinhardt ¨C Diane¡¯s Moderator subordinate. Liam Hawkins ¨C Son to Frank and leader of the ruling council for safe zone 53. Frank Hawkins ¨C Father to Liam and part of the ruling council for Safe Zone 53. Ruth Maci ¨C Thorn ¨C Competitor and pupil to Leo ¨C Forsaken ¨C Uses miasma and wears a black mask, black cloak, and blue jeans. Wolf¡¯s status: -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Name: Wolf Adler Class: Harbinger of Eternal Winter Privileges: Beta Tester Soul-bound Ability: Ice Reaper Species: Reaper of the Blue Moon Level: 2790 EXP: 5423/279000 System Points: 10665.20 Viewing Room Profits: 28979 Skills List Inventory System Communications Beta Administrator Dungeon Beta Administrator Dungeon Beta Tester Administrator Dungeon Administrator Dungeon Competitor System Terminal Player Auctions System Map System GUI -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- System: Skills come from Tiers 1 all the way to 10 and someone can raise the Tier of a skill by raising its level to ten and paying System Points to promote it. Every time a player gains enough EXP, they will ''level up,'' and every time this happens, everything about their body will improve. This includes their physical abilities, mental abilities, stamina, self-regeneration, magical strength, life span, and more. Stamina is an undefined stat that determines the amount of ¡®energy¡¯, both physical and magical, the user has left before they can no longer move or attack. Health is an undefined stat that determines how much more damage a user can take before they die. Defeating a monster of the same level as the user killing them or higher will grant them one System Point, otherwise known as SP. These points can be used to purchase items from the System Stores or from various other menus within the System. Classes are decided upon by various different factors including the player''s personality, ability, actions since their Initialization, skills, and what sort of job they would be most suited for. Administrator Dungeon: The Administrator Dungeon is a dungeon created by the System to choose the next round of Administrators and Moderators for the System located in a separate dimension so as to make the competition completely fair for all participants. The only influence a player may have over the competition is through sponsorships. The first through tenth floors of the Administrator Dungeon are always a labyrinth. After that, every ten floors will share a unique style that will remain constant throughout each of the ten floors. These styles can vary from things like labyrinths, biomes such as tundra or jungles, underwater temples, and even spaceships. The floor bosses, mini bosses, and normal monsters will always fit in with the style of the floor. Loot boxes will be scattered throughout the Administrator Dungeon. These boxes will be categorized between Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythic, and Transcendent rarities. The boxes will also be color coded by rarity: Common Boxes | White | Tier 1 and 2 items and skills Uncommon Boxes | Green | Tier 3 and 4 items and skills Rare Boxes | Blue | Tier 5 items and skills Epic Boxes | Purple | Tier 6 items and skills Legendary Boxes | Orange | Tier 7 items and skills Mythic Boxes | Red | Tier 8 items and skills Transcendent Boxes | Rainbow | Tier 9 items and skills If a competitor opens a Legendary or rarer loot box, then every single competitor within the dungeon will get a notification telling them about it. Furthermore, there is one more type of box that will be scattered throughout the Administrator Dungeon. One that may give something good or bad. Pandora¡¯s Boxes | Black | Anything from monster spawns or traps to items and skills of all types. The dungeon will span one thousand floors. Each floor of the dungeon ¨C excluding every one hundredth floor ¨C will have several dozen unique exits. Every tenth floor will have a boss monster guarding each exit, while every one hundredth floor will have a centurion boss guarding each of the five exits. The remaining floors will have mini bosses guarding each of the exits. The rewards for the competitors competing in the Administrator Dungeon are as follows: 1st Place: Administrator rights and a Tier 10 item 2nd Place: Administrator rights and a Tier 9 item 3rd Place: Administrator rights and a Tier 9 item 4th through 10th Places: Sub-Administrator rights and a Tier 9 item 11th through 50th Places: Moderator rights and a Tier 8 item Any survivors past the top fifty spots are allowed to leave alive with everything that they managed to gain from the Administrator Dungeon. Note: Sub-Administrator rights grant the same privileges as Moderator rights, except that if a Sub-Administrator kills an Administrator, then they will be given Administrator rights. The Beta Dungeon: The Loot boxes will be categorized between Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythic, and Transcendent rarities. The boxes will also be color coded by rarity: Uncommon Boxes | Green | Tier 3 and 4 items and knowledge crystals Rare Boxes | Blue | Tier 5 items and knowledge crystals Epic Boxes | Purple | Tier 6 items and knowledge crystals Legendary Boxes | Orange | Tier 7 items and knowledge crystals Mythic Boxes | Red | Tier 8 items and knowledge crystals Transcendent Boxes | Rainbow | Tier 9 items and knowledge crystals Pandora¡¯s Boxes | Black | Anything from monster spawns or traps to items and knowledge crystals of all types. Positive Chests | Gray | Anything items Tier 8 and above All monsters begin on a floor with their average level being at least ten levels above the beta tester. All Mini Bosses begin on a floor with their average level being at least thirty levels above the beta tester. All Bosses begin on a floor with their average level being at least fifty levels above the beta tester. All Centurion Bosses begin on a floor with their average level being at least one hundred levels above the beta tester. All Event Bosses begin on a floor with their average level being determined purely by random draw, with the options being ten levels below the beta tester¡¯s level, ten levels above the beta tester¡¯s level, thirty levels above the beta tester¡¯s level, fifty levels above the beta tester¡¯s level, one hundred levels above the beta tester¡¯s level, and one hundred and fifty levels above the beta tester¡¯s level. All monsters may attack other monsters regardless of the beta tester¡¯s presence on the floor. The beta tester will now have undisclosed information about every monster they run into inside of the dungeon simply by using the ¡®Beta Dictionary¡¯ feature that will now appear on their status. Each competitor may have up to three sponsors on every fiftieth floor, with each of them only being able to give one item or skill. The spots for sponsorship will be based on whoever manages to win the auction for each spot. Furthermore, The Reaper himself will grant one Positive Chest during each sponsorship. Each floor of the dungeon ¨C excluding every one hundredth floor ¨C will have several dozen mini bosses roaming around the floor or protecting their own lairs, one of which must be defeated to spawn a floor exit, along with a few secret exits that are spread around the floors. Every tenth floor will have several boss monsters, one of which must be killed to spawn the floor¡¯s exit, while every one-hundredth floor will have a centurion boss guarding each of the five exits. B5 | Chapter 73 - Lunar Ice Wolf Well this is certainly an unexpected albeit not entirely unwelcome surprise. The moment I regained consciousness, it felt like I had been sleeping for nearly an entire month for some reason. And to top that off, I felt¡­ power. Absolute power. I felt control over the new element that I somehow know was born alongside my evolution. But that¡¯s surprisingly not what comes as a surprise to me. What surprises me is that the moment I tried to access the System, I got a System Error telling me that I couldn¡¯t access it anymore because of something about me not being mortal anymore. Then some strange knowledge flooded my head, an odd connection of sorts made itself known that quickly started sapping a tiny amount of my new element from me, and my status appeared before me. Just that it is now made of my new element instead of the void element. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Name: Wolf Adler Species: The Winter Wolf Privileges: Beta Tester Level: 3001 EXP: 10223/310100 System Points: 14565.20 Viewing Room Profits: 38829 Inventory System Communications Beta Administrator Dungeon Beta Administrator Dungeon Beta Tester Administrator Dungeon System Terminal System Map System GUI -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- I can¡¯t help but frown at the differences in the status though. What happened to my class and ability? Then again¡­ I hold out my hand, palm upwards as I directly control all of the new element around me, making it swirl around. This new element feels like it¡¯s a part of me somehow. And I know pretty much everything about it as well. The element- My thoughts cut off when I feel a small draw on my element and a System Menu appears in my vision made of that very elemental energy. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The Winter Wolf The very first being to break past their mortality and into the realm of the immortals. The beings who never age. Beings who control an element all of their own. Whose bodies are formed from and within that element. A progenitor. The Winter Wolf is the Pseudo Progenitor of the Lunar Ice element, with direct control of the variant element, Lunar Ice of Eternity. Lunar Ice The Lunar Ice element is a brand new element created and introduced to the multiverse. It has attributes related to three different elements, including the ice element, void element, and radiance element, and controls the concept of lunar ice. Lunar radiance with the properties of ice, naturally freezing over whatever the light reaches. Lunar Ice of Eternity Similar to the Progenitor of Ice¡¯s variant element, the Lunar Ice of Eternity grants the wielder the properties of eternity. The ice shall never melt without its master¡¯s command. It shall never shatter without its master¡¯s command lest done so by a being completely overpowering its master. And the light shall never die out, lest the blue moon itself fall to ruin. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Well, guess those are certainly some poetic ways of describing my new element. On that note, I glance up at the image of the blue moon high above my head. Lest the blue moon itself fall to ruin. Basically, if that image is shattered, then the eternity properties of the light I have currently in use nearby will fade. But only the light. Not the ice made by the light. So others will be able to extinguish the light, but not the ice made from it. Not without the usual procedures. Oh, and I¡¯ve lost my vulnerability to fire completely. A rather nice benefit if I do say so myself. ¡°You are finally awake?¡± the devourer states, half as a question and half as a statement, interrupting me from my thoughts over my new element. And when I look past the System menus made out of lunar ice, I find the devourer¡¯s eyes fully open with its gaze locked onto me. ¡°Very well. Then we shall recommence our battle.¡± I feel slightly confused at its suddenly calm and rational speaking. Did it snap out of that rage it was in while I was asleep? I frown at the thought before eventually shrugging it off, deciding I don¡¯t really care one way or another. Since I¡¯ll be fighting it anyways. Although¡­ am I actually physically stronger than I was a month ago? Or is it just my element that¡¯s changed? Hmm. Guess I won¡¯t know unless I try. I fly forwards, quickly finding myself to be far faster moving now that I¡¯m using the lunar ice element instead of the ice element. Which if I had to guess is because of the radiance element mixed in. The fact that it has the form of light before it freezes things. And light is fast. It takes me mere seconds to arrive at the devourer with my fist pulled back to strike, only to remember that I¡¯m in my human form. So seconds before I hit, I shift to my hunter form again, following which a shockwave radiates out from where my fist struck. To my surprise, the devourer¡¯s scales actually show some denting from my hit. Guess I did get a physical enhancement as well. The devourer doesn¡¯t look surprised though. Which intrigues me enough that I back off ¨C totally not using this moment to adjust to my newfound strength and element ¨C and ask, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you surprised?¡± It looks at me for a second, not chasing me despite seeing that I¡¯m messing around with the lunar ice of eternity around me as it answers, ¡°It¡¯s to be expected of a pseudo progenitor, complete or not.¡± Oh. Interesting. Actually, that might be why he¡¯s a lot more respectful now. Because I¡¯m not a mortal anymore. Maybe that automatically earns me brownie points with him? Once again though, not that it actually matters. We¡¯re still trying to kill each other after all. Anyways, I raise my hand in front of me with a small orb of pale blue light that¡¯s directly freezing reality around it. Something I found the lovely element could do. Or maybe it¡¯s just because my control over this element far eclipses my old control over the ice element and eternal ice element? Because this element is mine. Unlike the other ones which were borrowed. I grin and tilt my head slightly at the devourer as I state, ¡°Let¡¯s get this battle truly started, shall we?¡± He nods his head without a word. Which looks odd considering his massive size. Then I push my hand out towards him, sending the lunar ice of eternity flooding outwards in a massive wave. B5 | Chapter 74 - Reason for Fighting All across the Universe Nearly every last screen across Grim¡¯s universe shows The Winter Wolf in his new form as he sends a massive wave of lunar ice of eternity outwards, flooding the abyss of darkness with pale blue light. Light that quickly begins to freeze everything in sight, even the darkness itself. Meanwhile the vast majority of the viewers watching let out cheers of excitement, regardless of whether or not they were fans of The Winter Wolf before now. The ice and light quickly begins to fill the entire abyss around them, making ice cover everything in sight. But the devourer repeatedly smashes apart the ice that gets near him, only for more to appear again. Then it smashes the ice more, repeating the process over and over again. To the surprise of nearly everyone watching the livestream, The Winter Wolf begins moving through the ice, his body having turned into lunar ice itself, allowing him to pass through the ice in the form of light. And when he reaches the devourer, he rushes forwards out of the ice and quickly turns back into his physical form before slamming his fist into the scales on its body. Only to transform back into lunar ice, rush back into the ice right when the devourer tries attacking him, and move around to a different location to attack, repeating the process. The sight of a non-devourer taking a devourer on without being overwhelmed raises the cheers of the viewers. Because until now, there has never been a non-devourer that has been able to fight with a devourer, with the lone exception of Tiamat. Within a spaceship floating above Aegis, the chaos dragon in question finishes burning the last of the technocrat officers within the ship as she watches the livestream, not paying the technocrats much mind despite killing them. For the first time in what Tiamat thinks must be a decade, the corners of her lips quirk upwards. Because she had never expected to meet someone other than The Reaper who could compare to her in strength. So her previous lack of interest in The Winter Wolf is no longer present. Instead she shows more than a little interest as she continues watching The Winter Wolf batter away at the devourer, slowly cracking its scales while only occasionally getting hit back in response. No matter how many times he gets hit though, he always recovers near instantly, proving the healing powers of lunar ice to be stronger than his old ice¡¯s healing capabilities. Tiamat continues watching the screen even as she flies straight out of the ship through a wall before going to one of the other two newly arrived ships and breaks into it through its hull. Even as she begins walking around the hallways of the ship, casually tearing apart the technocrats with blades of random elements and occasionally grabbing a technocrat who tries to attack her by the throat before snapping their necks and tossing them away. Still without taking her gaze off of the screen. ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± she mutters while walking, only to go quiet when the devourer within the ice suddenly begins glowing with a pale black light, no doubt using a berserk skill as he smashes all of the ice with a massive shockwave, sending The Winter Wolf backwards. Then the devourer and The Winter Wolf both stop moving with several dozen meters between them, just staring. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Between the two, The Winter Wolf appears to be in better shape as the devourer is covered in chipped and cracked scales across its entire body. But Tiamat knows otherwise. She can see the exhaustion beginning to build up in his body, along with a lack of stamina. A lack that he only keeps maintained through drinking another stamina potion. After a few seconds, the devourer states, ¡°Have you ever wondered why I am trying to kill you?¡± The Winter Wolf pauses as he was raising another stamina potion to his mouth. Then he lowers it slightly and answers, ¡°Most likely because you were told you¡¯d be set free if you killed me.¡± ¡°Not a bad guess,¡± the devourer states, his voice echoing throughout every livestream across the universe. ¡°I was told that I¡¯d be allowed to devour a chunk of the void realm and set free.¡± Tiamat feels more than a little surprised by that revelation. The void realm is The Reaper¡¯s body after all. He actually told the devourer that the man would be able to eat part of his own body in exchange for winning. Showing just how far The Reaper is willing to go for his entertainment. ¡°Now you know why I can¡¯t lose,¡± the devourer states, his massive eyes narrowing slightly even as his thick black blood leaks between the cracked scales. ¡°What about you? Why can¡¯t you lose? I can tell you¡¯re fighting for something. Tell me what it is.¡± The Winter Wolf frowns and asks, ¡°Why do you care?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re a pseudo progenitor and worthy of my interest,¡± the devourer answers without any hesitation, making the viewers all understand just what type of person he is. Yet, they all also understand that he has the power to act that way. A few seconds pass in silence before The Winter Wolf finally answers, ¡°I just want to live and get out of this dungeon to help out my family.¡± The devourer and even Tiamat frown at that, both able to tell that he¡¯s not being honest. Or at least not completely honest. ¡°And?¡± the devourer prompts as The Winter Wolf downs a stamina potion, leaving the only sound on the livestream being his gulping it down. After he finishes it, the bottle vanishes, turning into ice before fading away. Then he focuses on the devourer and says, ¡°You¡¯re certainly taking a large interest in this, aren¡¯t you?¡± He wipes his face and shakes his head lightly. ¡°It¡¯s not really what I expected of you.¡± The devourer begins moving slowly again, his eyes narrowing as his head raises. ¡°I felt like getting to know the newest unique being in the universe before I finish this battle.¡± Tiamat stops walking through the spaceship while focusing entirely on the livestream. The Winter Wolf narrows his eyes with a pale blue light beginning to shine faintly from beneath his skin, his eyes shining brighter and brighter with each second. ¡°You really do have absolute confidence in yourself, don¡¯t you?¡± The Winter Wolf says, the bright light growing brighter and brighter. ¡°Fine then.¡± He spreads both of his clawed hands out to his sides as he starts floating upwards, closer to the image of the blue moon that is slowly starting to flicker. Almost like it was becoming a real moon instead of just an image. ¡°Let¡¯s see what really happens, shall we?¡± ¡°Awaken,¡± The Winter Wolf declares, his voice resonating throughout the entire universe through the livestream, making the lunar ice element all around the universe tremble with excitement as the blue moon finally fully materializes itself. Then he grins and adds, ¡°I¡¯ll be bringing her back and you¡¯re just a single step on my long road to that end.¡± Tiamat grins at the screen without saying a word, meanwhile the devourer¡¯s eyes widen as he looks at the blue moon. With real fear in his gaze. B5 | Chapter 75 - Domain Wolf As soon as I pull on that strange sensation I¡¯ve felt brewing inside of me for the past ten minutes of the battle, I feel myself speaking without meaning to. ¡°Awaken,¡± my own voice resonates out from me. Then I decide to finish what I was saying to the devourer, ¡°I¡¯ll be bringing her back and you¡¯re just a single step on my long road to that end.¡± And the blue moon that is now floating above our heads fills me with a vigor I¡¯ve never known before. One so powerful that I feel like I¡¯m a god. So this is what a domain feels like¡­ Everything around us begins to freeze as the black abyss instead turns into a frozen abyss filled with a beautiful pale blue light. Filled to the brim with my beautiful element. The devourer lets out a loud roar. One tinged with real fear. Something I haven¡¯t seen or heard from it since I first saw the thing. And the sight of that fear has the corner of my lips quirking upwards slightly. Then I calmly state, ¡°Devour him.¡± In a single instant, the beautiful ice and pale blue light freezes before rushing towards the devourer, covering his entire body and freezing him alive before hints of a very strange but still beautiful ¨C to me at least ¨C black light shines from the very center of the ice. A black light still tinted with pale blue. One that gives the sense of emptiness and an all-devouring maw. The devourer attempts to break out of the ice, and he manages to shatter it a few times with only small parts of his body freezing solid during the process. But eventually my ice manages to stop him entirely. I look at the System menu that appeared in the corner of my mind as soon as I spoke the first word with my domain. A menu that I had simply ignored since I knew exactly what it said just from instinct. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Elemental Domain Frigid Moon of Endless Ice The elemental domain belonging to the pseudo progenitor of the Lunar Ice element, The Winter Wolf. Under the hungry light of the Frigid Moon, the Lunar Ice of Eternity grows darker, feeding on all those who trespass on the Wolf¡¯s domain without permission. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Those devoured by the ice forged by the lunar light shall be used to empower the Wolf. And those who enter with the Wolf¡¯s blessing shall find solace within the icy light of the Frigid Moon. As a pseudo progenitor you may only use your domain for five minutes every month. You shall also suffer backlash from the use of a domain as a pseudo progenitor. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- My domain. And the reason I¡¯m only a pseudo progenitor. Other progenitors all are made entirely of their domain. It¡¯s their own body and is always active. I don¡¯t have the power to back my domain, and I haven¡¯t fully manifested it. Only partially manifested it. These instincts are rather nice. Especially considering that no one¡¯s taught me anything about this new change. There¡¯s still a lot I don¡¯t know about though. Like how exactly I can fully manifest my domain and become a full progenitor. Doesn¡¯t matter right now though. Not as I look at the slowly freezing devourer whose gaze is finally looking at me with respect. Then the frozen parts of their body slowly turn from pale blue ice to pale blue and black ice before fading away with a blackish-blue energy moving from the ice to the pale blue moon. Only for the energy to then move towards me, entering my body and giving me a welcome notification after several seconds pass.
System Notification
Congratulations! You are now level 3002!
The void aspect of my element. A part of it that only I¡¯m able to use since there was so little of it. The ability to devour other beings and absorb their life force, just like the devourers. Just too bad that I can only use it with my domain. I watch indifferently as the devourer slowly fades away, all of its body turning into blackish-blue ice and vanishing. All while one notification after another appears, my level continuously rising every few seconds. Most likely due to all of the life force the devourer had absorbed from this floor. The devourer finally finishes fading away, leaving me at level 3142 just seconds before my domain de-manifests itself, returning to just an image of a pale blue moon instead of a real one. I stare at where the devourer was only to finally let out a breath, feeling my strength completely leaving me as I lose any ability to float in the air, the backlash from using my domain as just a pseudo progenitor being quite a bit worse than I was expecting. Despite feeling no strength in my body, I can¡¯t help but notice the pale blue light running through the lines on my body slowly fading to a black shade instead. And aside from that, I also feel my control over my own element decrease to around the same if not slightly lower than my old control over my old element. Damn, this doesn¡¯t feel good. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that I¡¯m floating in the middle of an abyss with nothing but lunar ice element, chunks of ice, a large door, and a large chest, I¡¯d probably collapse onto the ground, unable to move. Oh, wait, door? I blink, trying hard to turn my eyes back towards the door that I had seen. Which proves hard since I¡¯m unable to move even a single muscle right now and am currently just kinda floating in the abyss. Oh, right. Event boss chest. Nice. Forgot that was a thing. A clicking sound echoes in my head before I feel my bond with Sapphire reopening again. Uh¡­ It only takes a single second for Sapphire to appear from my shadow, traveling through our bond to return to the dungeon. And she¡­ really doesn¡¯t look happy. At least I can¡¯t talk right now. B5 | Chapter 76 - Aftermath Imperial Stream Silence fills the viewing room as the hundreds of rulers within the room all focus all of their attention on the screen at the center of the room. At the aftermath of The Winter Wolf¡¯s battle with the devourer. ¡°He won¡­¡± Diane mutters, both relief and surprise in her voice. ¡°He really won¡­¡± Tears begin to fall down her face from her worry and anxiety all crashing at once, her hopes fulfilled. And at the same time, the various rulers across the Imperial Stream all show their own reactions ranging from relief to shot and even anger, in the leviathan and Sovereign¡¯s cases. Unlike the other viewing rooms across the universe, the Imperial Stream is the only one that remains silent during the aftermath. Many of the rulers within it even leave the viewing room in order to make preparations for this new shift in the universe. In the multiverse. Other rulers begin to approach Diane with more offers of friendship, attempting to get closer to the adopted mother of the only pseudo progenitor in existence. Diane quickly gathers herself back together and reenters her official mode as she begins talking with the rulers. But she can¡¯t help but occasionally look back at the screen with a smile on her face. I¡¯m so glad he¡¯s okay¡­
Wolf Sapphire scowls at me, clearly showing her anger. But she doesn¡¯t say anything until she summons my portable system store and drags me to sit down on a chair, having realized that I¡¯m not really able to move right now. After she gets me situated, which ends up being a rather awkward process, she stands up in front of me and crosses her arms, her scowl still ever present. Then we just kinda sit here for a while without her saying anything. As if she was busy trying to think and taking advantage of the fact that I can¡¯t speak right now. Eventually she finally speaks, ¡°I understand why you did what you did, and I can¡¯t say that I wouldn¡¯t do it myself if I was in your shoes¡­¡± I blink at her words, feeling rather surprised. Only for her scowl to turn into a glare that has me really understanding those ¡®if looks could kill¡¯ quotes I read about all the time. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t change the fact that I¡¯m fucking pissed,¡± she finishes, making me clearly understand that she is a hypocrite. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Then again, I¡¯d probably be pissed as hell if she did what I did to her to me, so¡­ we¡¯re both hypocrites in this case? ¡°Do not ever do that again, do you understand me?¡± she asks, only to narrow her eyes slightly as she no doubt remembers I can¡¯t speak. And after a short pause, a faint grin stretches across her face and she tilts her head slightly. ¡°Since you¡¯re doing nothing right now, how about we have a nice, long chat about this?¡± Doing nothing? Really? I can¡¯t even close my eyes right now¡­ She clearly doesn¡¯t care as she begins going on a rather harsh tirade about what I did. Guess I¡¯ll be here for a little while.
My movement finally begins to return to me as the lines across my body start flashing with the pale blue light from before. Which interrupts Sapphire¡¯s little rant and makes a pout cross her face. Is she seriously that upset that I can move again now? I narrow my eyes, feeling slightly surprised that I can already do that again. Then I feel my control over the lunar ice element skyrocket again, bringing it back to what it was before using my domain. Nice. Over the next few seconds, I gradually feel myself being able to move again, at which point I bow my head slightly towards Sapphire, tell her, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I would still do the same thing all over again if the situation was repeated.¡± She opens her mouth, her scowl returning with full force, only to pause when I move forwards and pull her into a hug, to her surprise. ¡°Damnit¡­¡± she mutters into my chest before I hear sobs coming from the now-teenage girl. We stay like this for a little while as she cries, but after nearly ten minutes of this, we both stiffen up slightly when we sense something appearing outside of the house. Then we share a glance and quickly make our way towards the entrance while dismissing the house entirely. As soon as the portable system store in the form of a house is dismissed, a certain wolf pup comes into sight right outside of it, looking rather awkward. And the moment he enters my sight, I hear what sounds like something freezing over, but I¡¯m not really sure what. ¡°I just paused the livestreams,¡± the wolf pup who I already know by now is Fenrir states, sounding like an awkward child who knows they did something wrong and is faced with his parents. Which is ridiculous considering his power and status. ¡°We can speak in private now.¡± I hum in response, following which silence fills the area for a while. During Sapphire¡¯s rant, she filled me in on some of the stuff the Progenitor of Ice filled her in on. So I know that he basically had a hand in what I¡¯ve become up till now. But¡­ ¡°How much of my evolutions were planned by you?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask after a while. Fenrir stiffens for a second before relaxing again as he answers, ¡°Everything you started out with. After that, little of what happened was under my control.¡± I frown at that. ¡°Everything I started¡­ but what about¡­¡± my eyes widen as a possibility comes to mind. Then someone else¡¯s voice ¨C a familiar one belonging to The Reaper ¨C enters the conversation rather briefly, ¡°So that¡¯s why you convinced me to go to the lore world of my universe!¡± And the voice fades away just as quickly again, leaving only a little laughter behind. The Reaper apparently taking pleasure in being manipulated like that. ¡°My bloodlines and my blessing,¡± I state, half as a statement and half as a question. Mostly a statement. Fenrir nods his head, answering, ¡°I convinced both the fae princess and Grim to travel to the lore world where they sired children. Then I manipulated things for your bloodlines to merge soon before the next Initialization was to occur.¡± B5 | Epilogue Wolf I frown at the progenitor in front of me. Or the sliver of progenitor? The consciousness of a progenitor in the body of a wolf pup? I frown at Fenrir after hearing his words. ¡°So everything I¡¯ve done up till now has still been my own work, even if it was built off of the tools you gave me,¡± I state, and Fenrir quickly nods his head. Okay¡­ that¡¯s not bad, but it¡¯s not exactly pleasing to hear either. It does put everything into perspective though. Now I understand how the hell two descendants of two different progenitors could end up together, with the child between them being blessed by a third progenitor. All right before an Initialization. ¡°Wait, what about the Administrator Dungeon?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask, a frown on my face. Fenrir shakes his head, ¡°That was a surprise to me as well. If I had to guess, Grim most likely hand picked you for the competition. But it could¡¯ve just been a coincidence as well.¡± He frowns. ¡°No way of knowing with him.¡± True. ¡°In that case, as long as you don¡¯t interfere with anything else, I don¡¯t really care about all of that,¡± I tell the Progenitor of Ice rather plainly. ¡°My answer is the same as my daughter¡¯s.¡± The Progenitor sighs with relief at that. ¡°Would you mind telling me why you seem to care so much about what I think?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask, finding the Progenitor in front of me rather bizarre. Because despite being so similar to me in a lot of ways, they seem to care a lot about me. And I would never care that much about a stranger personally. He¡¯s put in all of these years trying to get me to where I am very nearly at, and he doesn¡¯t seem to look at me like some sort of experiment or a weapon despite all that. It¡¯s just bizarre. ¡°That¡­¡± Fenrir begins, only to let out a sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just do.¡± I raise a brow at that before deciding that he either really doesn¡¯t know, or he¡¯s just not going to tell me. Either way though, I¡¯ll be keeping an eye on him. ¡°There are some thing I must tell you about how to move forward from here,¡± Fenrir continues, growing more serious. ¡°To become a full progenitor, you need more power. Level up. Grow stronger. And when you reach around level ten thousand, you should have enough power to manifest your domain for longer. Then I will tell you the next step.¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Level ten thousand is just the first step in this? Wow. Then again, my domain lets me directly siphon life force from others. So leveling up is probably a lot easier now. ¡°I will have to leave soon as this is still The Reaper¡¯s domain, but know that I will keep in contact with you from now on,¡± Fenrir says before moving closer and placing his claw on my chest, where I find that very same amulet from a while back reappearing. ¡°Simply inject some of your energy into the amulet and a connection will emerge through which we may speak.¡± The Progenitor backs away again, the little wolf pup¡¯s form slowly beginning to fade away. ¡°Remember these words,¡± Fenrir states as he fades. ¡°Do not trust the void or fire progenitors. And know that bosses will no longer be the only threat to you within the dungeon.¡± Then his form vanishes completely, leaving me and Sapphire alone in the icy abyss filled with my lunar ice. Silence fills the area for a while, only to be broken when Sapphire¡¯s body suddenly begins to glow with a pale blue light. We both share a glance, the girl briefly smiling and mouthing ¡®stay safe,¡¯ before her body slowly turns into lunar ice and enters my shadow, marking the beginning of her evolution. Almost forgot about that. I look down at my shadow for a few seconds, only to smile a little myself and focus inwards on my body. My stamina is quickly rising now that my backlash is over. In fact, I go ahead and down another stamina potion to bring it back to the top. Then I walk over the event boss¡¯s legendary chest before opening it and finding some sort of medallion inside. One with the head of a devourer on it. When I identify the thing, all it says is that it¡¯s proof of having slain a devourer. And that it¡¯s Tier 9. Odd. It has to do something other than just act as proof of an accomplishment, right? It¡¯s Tier 9 after all¡­ I turn the medallion one way and then the other, but nothing happens with it. So I put it in my storage ring and turn towards the exit of this floor. This whole floor theme has been a massive pain. Honestly really glad it¡¯s over with. But that thing Fenrir said about not trusting the void and fire progenitors¡­ who is the fire progenitor anyways? And then there¡¯s the bosses not being the only threat thing¡­ None of that bodes well for me. Is The Reaper going to change things up with the dungeon again? No, the other progenitors already banned that. What could he do that doesn¡¯t directly alter the rules of the dungeon¡­ I frown when a possibility comes to mind. He couldn¡¯t¡­ could he? I focus on the exit to the floor, just staring at it for several seconds. If it is the case, and he really does let other users into the Beta Dungeon just to change things up a bit without changing the dungeon itself, then things might get tougher from here on out. The dungeon itself though should be easier, simply because of my new change in species. I doubt there¡¯s much besides event bosses and bosses that can kill me in the dungeon now. Hopefully. There¡¯s no proof one way or another, so I¡¯ll just have to go with my instinct for now. At least until I can get more information out of Fenrir, and maybe my allies outside of the dungeon. Right now, the only thing I can do is fight. So, after doing one last once over of my body, I walk up to the exit, and press my hand against it, making light shine out from the door, flooding everything around me. Time to see what the dungeon chooses to throw at me next. Amazon Kindle Unlimited Book 5 Release Hello everyone! The Rise of the Winter Wolf book 5 has now released on Amazon Kindle Unlimited! If you want to check it out, maybe leave it a rating or a review about how you thought about the book, click here to find it! It will help me out a lot! Beyond that, my Patreon is once again stocked up on advanced chapters for Winter Wolf! This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Now the update schedule for The Rise of the Winter Wolf will be returning to what it was before at one chapter a week until The Rise of the Winter Wolf book 6 is set to release on Amazon. Which will be in around half a year or so. At that point it will go back to one to two chapters daily again. Until then it will be an average of one chapter a week. New Story Release Hello everyone! My new story, Crimson Eternal, is now on Royal Road! It will be getting the first 20k words posted within the next few hours. Then it''ll get one chapter a day after that. Once again, this won''t affect the upload schedule of my other stories. They will still get one chapter about every week just like before. Now. Here''s the first cover: If you''re interested, here is the synopsis: Death is an inevitability for all except Aria. Something she knows all too well. In a world full of war, Aria Crimson finds herself locked in the battlefield, unable to escape the war and the never-ending fighting that comes along with it. And as gunfire echoes throughout the world and ability holders of the two Empires fight until the end, both nations find themselves stumped when a strange screen similar to one of the newly created computers¡¯ screens but with far higher quality appears in front of everyone on the planet. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Screens displaying text describing some sort of System meant to guide and empower the people of the planet when their planet is invaded by otherworlders. Now Aria has a way out of the war. One that involves fighting even harder. How will the world react to the changes, to the invaders, and to the power granted to them? And how will the only True Immortal in the universe, one dubbed by the System as Death, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse despite the irony, choose to proceed? Join Aria as she figures that out for herself. What to expect: No romance, a fantasy world with a level of technology equivalent to the 1950s, a world where people have a chance to be born with an ability, the world suddenly being initiated into a System upon the invasion of another world''s people, a true immortal protagonist who cannot die, and a large focus on military and strategy, especially in the early books of the series. Guns will also be used as weapons in this story instead of just dropped like many LitRPGs do. Chapters are generally between 1.6-2.3k words, longer than the chapters on my other stories by a large margin. The first chapters will be even longer. If you want to check the story out, click here! Here''s the second book 1 cover: And here''s the book 2 cover: B6 | Glossary Character Glossary Wolf¡¯s Allies: Fenrir ¨C Species: Unknown ¨C Giant wolf ¨C Progenitor of Ice. Leo Decayend ¨C Emperor of the Dread Empire ¨C Species: Draugr ¨C Friend to Diane. Diane Frost ¨C Winter Werewolf Empress ¨C Species: Winter Werewolf ¨C Friend to Leo and adoptive mother of Wolf. Eccentric. Arianais Keiran ¨C Species: Water variant harbinger, ex-megalokin ¨C The Chairman of the Arcadian Magic Association. Cyrene Hunter ¨C Species: Human ¨C Unattached Administrator known as Lady Hunter. Sponsor to Crystal Leblanc. Talroth ¨C Ascendant (one of the leaders of the Ascendency) ¨C Species: Devourer ¨C Has gray eyes, black hair, and blackish-gray scales covering his humanoid body. True form ¨C Enormous, black monster. It has a planet-sized, round mouth with the shape of a lamprey¡¯s mouth, with pitch black scales covering every inch of it and the appearance of some sort of draconic creature. Except one that stands on two legs. Alastaraic Heath ¨C Ascendant ¨C Species: Pureblood Vampire - He has crimson eyes, dirty blond hair, and a playful look in his eyes that is reminiscent of a prankster. Argus - Species: Astral Cyclops ¨C Leader of the Astral Forge. Stands at eight feet tall with one large eye. Pestilence ¨C Species: Harbinger of Poison ¨C Leader of a nation of assassins.
Wolf¡¯s Admin Enemies: Wilhelm Aust ¨C Species: Chrono ¨C Abyssal Ruler and current dungeon boss for the Beta Administrator Dungeon, albeit against his will. Dafid Vanelli ¨C Species: Devil Sovereign ¨C large bipedal goat administrator ¨C Ally to the Ruler and Sovereign of the Devil Clans. Norvant Blanc ¨C Species: Shapeshifting Leviathan ¨C The leviathan underlord of the ocean world of Arc and ally to the Ruler. The Friar ¨C Species: Human ¨C The pope of the anti-Reaper religion, and the ruler of the Holy Empire. Temporary ally to the Ruler.
Parties whose intentions are unknown or are neutral: Titania ¨C Species: Radiant Fairy ¨C Progenitor of Radiance. Queen of the fae and bringer of eternal light. Has rainbow eyes and hair, while only being a foot in height, with a wand floating around her. Grim ¨C Species: Reaper ¨C Progenitor of Void. Ruler of the void and all of the creatures within, creator of the System. Has a humanoid form with two black wings made out of void energy and two black eyes releasing the same void energy. Has two marks above his shoulder that are in the shape of upside down cones. Has veins of black light running through his body with no clothes on nor any physical determinations of gender outside of his voice. Astaroth ¨C Species: Volcanic Dragon ¨C Leader of the Volcanic Domain and descendant of Tiamat. Has glowing bright red eyes, with equally red, long hair. His hair has light sparks of flame occasionally escaping from the tips, and he has very thin red scales across his arms, shoulders, legs, back, and chest. Tiamat ¨C Species: Chaos Dragon, Primordial Dragon ¨C Leader of the Ascendency. Has raven black long hair and leaks faint wisps of faint purple light from her mouth and eyes. Has black and purple draconic wings.
Aidan Hunter ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C Wolf¡¯s best friend. Alexia Blaine ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C Nickname is Lexi ¨C Wolf¡¯s other friend. ¨C Has a crush on Wolf. DEAD Luke Adler ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C Wolf¡¯s father. Lucia Adler ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C Wolf¡¯s mother. Katie Adler ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C Wolf¡¯s sister and an awakened fae Princess without a court to rule. Erik Bristow ¨C Architect ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C always argues with Oscar. Manfred Lowth ¨C Mayor ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C calm and works through situations peacefully. Jessica Lowel ¨C Former Detective ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C not afraid to use violence, but tends to avoid it when necessary. Oscar Walsch ¨C Accountant ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C always argues with Erik. Sarah Everand ¨C Mayor¡¯s former Assistant ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C sweet and kind, motherly figure. Avery Harwood ¨C Police Officer ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C short patience and has a poddy mouth. Blake Welby ¨C Lawyer ¨C Safe Zone 52 Council member ¨C quiet but sharp tongued. Ludric Hyde ¨C Vulcan ¨C Competitor who uses fire magic and is a little psychotic. DEAD Lily Veldon ¨C Crimson Rose ¨C Has a powerful electrical railgun ability. Is rather shy. Christopher Sinclair ¨C Unbreakable ¨C Competitor who teamed up with Lily and has an ability to morph his hands into steel. Toby O¡¯Keenan ¨C Species: Leprechaun - Host of Lucky Days. Sam O¡¯Hart ¨C Species: Leprechaun ¨C Co-host of Lucky Days. Niklai Shatterblade ¨C Species: Dwarf ¨C Secondary commentator for Arcadian Live. Ludolf Skern ¨C Species: Undine ¨C Host of Viewing Room known as Aquarion. Ethan Simmons ¨C Safe Zone 52 errand boy. Helen Astley ¨C Species: Undine ¨C Assistant to Astaroth. Ansigar Lang ¨C Electric variant harbinger ¨C ex-Roc. Torusk Moonscream ¨C Fire variant harbinger ¨C ex-Orc. Amalea ¨C Diane¡¯s Moderator subordinate. Reinhardt ¨C Diane¡¯s Moderator subordinate. Liam Hawkins ¨C Son to Frank and leader of the ruling council for safe zone 53. Frank Hawkins ¨C Father to Liam and part of the ruling council for Safe Zone 53. Ruth Maci ¨C Thorn ¨C Competitor and pupil to Leo ¨C Forsaken ¨C Uses miasma and wears a black mask, black cloak, and blue jeans. Wolf¡¯s status: Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Name: Wolf Adler Species: The Winter Wolf Privileges: Beta Tester Level: 3141 EXP: 110223/314100 System Points: 14765.20 Viewing Room Profits: 38940 Inventory System Communications Beta Administrator Dungeon Beta Administrator Dungeon Beta Tester Administrator Dungeon System Terminal System Map System GUI -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The Winter Wolf The very first being to break past their mortality and into the realm of the immortals. The beings who never age. Beings who control an element all of their own. Whose bodies are formed from and within that element. A progenitor. The Winter Wolf is the Pseudo Progenitor of the Lunar Ice element, with direct control of the variant element, Lunar Ice of Eternity. Lunar Ice The Lunar Ice element is a brand new element created and introduced to the multiverse. It has attributes related to three different elements, including the ice element, void element, and radiance element, and controls the concept of lunar ice. Lunar radiance with the properties of ice, naturally freezing over whatever the light reaches. Lunar Ice of Eternity Similar to the Progenitor of Ice¡¯s variant element, the Lunar Ice of Eternity grants the wielder the properties of eternity. The ice shall never melt without its master¡¯s command. It shall never shatter without its master¡¯s command lest done so by a being completely overpowering its master. And the light shall never die out, lest the blue moon itself fall to ruin. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Elemental Domain Frigid Moon of Endless Ice The elemental domain belonging to the pseudo progenitor of the Lunar Ice element, The Winter Wolf. Under the hungry light of the Frigid Moon, the Lunar Ice of Eternity grows darker, feeding on all those who trespass on the Wolf¡¯s domain without permission. Those devoured by the ice forged by the lunar light shall be used to empower the Wolf. And those who enter with the Wolf¡¯s blessing shall find solace within the icy light of the Frigid Moon. As a pseudo progenitor you may only use your domain for five minutes every month. You shall also suffer backlash from the use of a domain as a pseudo progenitor. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- System: Skills come from Tiers 1 all the way to 10 and someone can raise the Tier of a skill by raising its level to ten and paying System Points to promote it. Every time a player gains enough EXP, they will ''level up,'' and every time this happens, everything about their body will improve. This includes their physical abilities, mental abilities, stamina, self-regeneration, magical strength, life span, and more. Stamina is an undefined stat that determines the amount of ¡®energy¡¯, both physical and magical, the user has left before they can no longer move or attack. Health is an undefined stat that determines how much more damage a user can take before they die. Defeating a monster of the same level as the user killing them or higher will grant them one System Point, otherwise known as SP. These points can be used to purchase items from the System Stores or from various other menus within the System. Classes are decided upon by various different factors including the player''s personality, ability, actions since their Initialization, skills, and what sort of job they would be most suited for. Administrator Dungeon: The Administrator Dungeon is a dungeon created by the System to choose the next round of Administrators and Moderators for the System located in a separate dimension so as to make the competition completely fair for all participants. The only influence a player may have over the competition is through sponsorships. The first through tenth floors of the Administrator Dungeon are always a labyrinth. After that, every ten floors will share a unique style that will remain constant throughout each of the ten floors. These styles can vary from things like labyrinths, biomes such as tundra or jungles, underwater temples, and even spaceships. The floor bosses, mini bosses, and normal monsters will always fit in with the style of the floor. Loot boxes will be scattered throughout the Administrator Dungeon. These boxes will be categorized between Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythic, and Transcendent rarities. The boxes will also be color coded by rarity: Common Boxes | White | Tier 1 and 2 items and skills Uncommon Boxes | Green | Tier 3 and 4 items and skills Rare Boxes | Blue | Tier 5 items and skills Epic Boxes | Purple | Tier 6 items and skills Legendary Boxes | Orange | Tier 7 items and skills Mythic Boxes | Red | Tier 8 items and skills Transcendent Boxes | Rainbow | Tier 9 items and skills If a competitor opens a Legendary or rarer loot box, then every single competitor within the dungeon will get a notification telling them about it. Furthermore, there is one more type of box that will be scattered throughout the Administrator Dungeon. One that may give something good or bad. Pandora¡¯s Boxes | Black | Anything from monster spawns or traps to items and skills of all types. The dungeon will span one thousand floors. Each floor of the dungeon ¨C excluding every one hundredth floor ¨C will have several dozen unique exits. Every tenth floor will have a boss monster guarding each exit, while every one hundredth floor will have a centurion boss guarding each of the five exits. The remaining floors will have mini bosses guarding each of the exits. The rewards for the competitors competing in the Administrator Dungeon are as follows: 1st Place: Administrator rights and a Tier 10 item 2nd Place: Administrator rights and a Tier 9 item 3rd Place: Administrator rights and a Tier 9 item 4th through 10th Places: Sub-Administrator rights and a Tier 9 item 11th through 50th Places: Moderator rights and a Tier 8 item Any survivors past the top fifty spots are allowed to leave alive with everything that they managed to gain from the Administrator Dungeon. Note: Sub-Administrator rights grant the same privileges as Moderator rights, except that if a Sub-Administrator kills an Administrator, then they will be given Administrator rights. The Beta Dungeon: The Loot boxes will be categorized between Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythic, and Transcendent rarities. The boxes will also be color coded by rarity: Uncommon Boxes | Green | Tier 3 and 4 items and knowledge crystals Rare Boxes | Blue | Tier 5 items and knowledge crystals Epic Boxes | Purple | Tier 6 items and knowledge crystals Legendary Boxes | Orange | Tier 7 items and knowledge crystals Mythic Boxes | Red | Tier 8 items and knowledge crystals Transcendent Boxes | Rainbow | Tier 9 items and knowledge crystals Pandora¡¯s Boxes | Black | Anything from monster spawns or traps to items and knowledge crystals of all types. Positive Chests | Gray | Anything items Tier 8 and above All monsters begin on a floor with their average level being at least ten levels above the beta tester. All Mini Bosses begin on a floor with their average level being at least thirty levels above the beta tester. All Bosses begin on a floor with their average level being at least fifty levels above the beta tester. All Centurion Bosses begin on a floor with their average level being at least one hundred levels above the beta tester. All Event Bosses begin on a floor with their average level being determined purely by random draw, with the options being ten levels below the beta tester¡¯s level, ten levels above the beta tester¡¯s level, thirty levels above the beta tester¡¯s level, fifty levels above the beta tester¡¯s level, one hundred levels above the beta tester¡¯s level, and one hundred and fifty levels above the beta tester¡¯s level. All monsters may attack other monsters regardless of the beta tester¡¯s presence on the floor. The beta tester will now have undisclosed information about every monster they run into inside of the dungeon simply by using the ¡®Beta Dictionary¡¯ feature that will now appear on their status. Each competitor may have up to three sponsors on every fiftieth floor, with each of them only being able to give one item or skill. The spots for sponsorship will be based on whoever manages to win the auction for each spot. Furthermore, The Reaper himself will grant one Positive Chest during each sponsorship. Each floor of the dungeon ¨C excluding every one hundredth floor ¨C will have several dozen mini bosses roaming around the floor or protecting their own lairs, one of which must be defeated to spawn a floor exit, along with a few secret exits that are spread around the floors. Every tenth floor will have several boss monsters, one of which must be killed to spawn the floor¡¯s exit, while every one-hundredth floor will have a centurion boss guarding each of the five exits. B6 | Story Art Book 5 Commissioned Cover(Yes, I know you''ve already seen it, but it looks cool, so here it is again): Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Sapphire''s Current Older Form: Devourer: B6 | Chapter 1 - The 251st Floor Wolf After the light fades, I find myself standing on a platform high in the air suspended by chains. And when I move to the edge to look down, I find a massive spiral staircase going down the sides of the hole in a bit of a mixture between a staircase and slope, with the bottom of the hole being too far down for me to see. Meanwhile the openings across the staircase-slope thing ¨C one with very few stairs ¨C all appear to just open up into pitch black tunnels. Hmm. Not foreboding looking at all. A few seconds later, a Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification appears in my vision.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
You have entered the Tower of Completion! This floor theme of the dungeon will have a special gimmick. The boss of the floor theme shall grow stronger with each unfinished room within the theme. Meanwhile the floors themselves will be instanced to each Beta Tester, with a finite ending and only a single mini boss at the end of the tower floors. Will you complete the tower and weaken the boss? Or will you leave it unfinished and fight the boss at full power? The choice is yours.
Huh. I haven¡¯t seen one of these gimmick floor themes for a while. The last one like this that I saw was the one all the way back near the start of the dungeon where it was basically a bunch of arenas challenges. Although¡­ I frown. ¡­I feel like I remember reading somewhere that these floor themes become more common after the first two hundred and fifty floors of the dungeon. Guess they¡¯re starting that off with the very first floor theme. Still, an instanced theme? That¡¯s interesting. Doesn¡¯t affect me in the slightest since I¡¯m the only Beta Tester there is, but still interesting, nonetheless. On that note, I casually jump off of the edge of the platform I¡¯m on before flapping my wings and immediately flying towards the first tunnel on the massive spiral staircase. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The tunnels appear to be spread out with about half a dozen or so meters between each of them, which makes me really wonder just how many of these¡­ I¡¯m guessing they¡¯re rooms? These rooms there will be on this floor. Also, the fact that there is only a single mini boss on this floor is an interesting change of pace. Considering that there are normally thousands of them. I quickly enter the first tunnel I see, only for everything around me to grow dark in an instant. Then everything becomes bright again and I find myself in some odd clearing in the middle of nowhere with a Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification in front of me.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
You have entered a room of Challenge! Upon entering the room, you were teleported to a random location somewhere within the universe. In order to complete the room, you must defeat the monster or monsters in front of you. However, should you attempt to leave what the System designates as the ¡®area¡¯ of the challenge room, you will immediately be teleported straight to the dungeon again. Any attempts to circumvent this rule will force the System to activate punitive measures against the user. All other users will be forced out of the designated area during the time of the challenge, and no new users may enter the area. However, users may access a new feature of the Beta Administrator Dungeon menu to teleport to the border of the area so that they may watch in person if they wish to.
Well, shit. I hear cheering coming from the outside of some sort of black and white barrier. One clearly made out of void energy. Void energy so thick that I¡¯m sure I wouldn¡¯t so much as be able to scratch it even if I were ten times my level. Not that I¡¯d want to try, considering the part about punitive measures. Oh, and the sight of a couple of the users outside it attacking the barrier and then being teleported away by the System. Yeah. Not a good idea. Especially when those individuals were several times my level and didn¡¯t even leave a mark. I turn back to the monster at the center of the plains. And just the sight of is has me grimacing. This thing again? Talk about deja¡¯vu. I identify the thing without using the beta dictionary. _-| Bob the Bicorn ¨C Level 3166 |-_ The name has me chuckling this time. Just like the last bicorn, it has a ridiculous name. Who is the one naming these bicorns anyways? Just giving them regular, everyday names with the words ¡®the Bicorn¡¯ tacked on? I¡¯ll admit it¡¯s amusing, but still. The bicorn neighs rather loudly, just like the bicorn I fought all the way at the start of the dungeon from that Pandora¡¯s Box. The horse-like creature has the same black armor as the other one I fought, with the same two horns, and the same black mist leaking from its mouth. Then, also just like Jorge ¨C which I believe was the first bicorn¡¯s name ¨C a large ball of black mist forms from the mist. But unlike with Jorge, Bob¡¯s ball of mist ends up being a lot bigger. Guess that¡¯s to be expected considering the fact that Bob is at a level about a hundred times higher than Jorge¡¯s level. Meanwhile the audience I see building up at the edges of the barrier starts cheering their heads off, going crazy. I even see a few of the commentators from viewing rooms floating up into the air around the barrier and beginning to commentate. This is just getting ridiculous. Although it appears the ones teleported here can¡¯t harm anyone, judging by some of the idiots who tried to attack each other just to pass through. Meaning they¡¯re likely holograms or projections of some sort. My focus narrows in on Bob again when it sends the ball of black mist flying my way. This is not what I expected to deal with this floor when I walked into it. B6 | Chapter 2 - Clearing Rooms Wolf I quickly send a wave of lunar ice out all around me, freezing absolutely everything in a five meter radius including the black ball of mist. And man does it feel good to do that, considering my last experience fighting against one of these things. Meanwhile the audience watching me goes absolutely wild at my display of power. A display they¡¯ve never seen in person before. Only on a screen. Unfortunately for them, the display doesn¡¯t exactly last for very long. Not when the bicorn simply freezes alive within moments of my lunar ice reaching it. Which leaves for a rather anticlimactic scene. Well, putting that aside, I simply walk past the bicorn icicle to touch the loot box that appears at the center of the¡­ room? Area? Area. Then a rather useless knowledge crystal appears, and I find myself teleported back into the dungeon again without another word. So far this theme is very much going against my expectations. I go ahead and move on to the next tunnel before finding myself in the mouth of what I¡¯m assuming is a volcano. Meanwhile at the center of the mouth is a massive worm creature swimming around in the lava. This time I don¡¯t even bother identifying it. I just wave my hand outwards, sending a massive wave of lunar ice that freezes the entire volcano insides in an instant, along with the worm. Then a loot box appears that I open and find nothing but trash inside once more. And at around the same time people are appearing, I find myself reappearing in the dungeon. I certainly hope this isn¡¯t going to be all there is for this floor theme¡­ although it would make clearing out the rooms easier. With that thought in mind, I go ahead and enter the next tunnel. Only to find myself in space just floating around with dozens of¡­ creatures around me. Hundreds even. So many that I can¡¯t see anything beyond them but a flash of light and what I think is a barrier. I quickly use the Beta Dictionary on these creatures.
Spawn N/A
A spawn is a creature born from the nests of worldeaters. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. They are able to mass produce within their hives and are the worldeaters first line of defense against smaller beings. Spawn are incredibly durable creatures who are immune to most physical damage. However, they are weak to magic as a result and will easily be killed by any sort of magic used on them. Whenever spawn are spotted, the authorities of every world nearby are always put on high alert, bringing an emergency to their doorstep. N/A
Level ¨C 3169
Easily killed by¡­ I purse my lips before shrugging and sending a wave of lunar ice through the area, freezing every last one of the worm-like creatures alive. And just like that, the room is cleared. Huh. That was easier than I expected. After taking what¡¯s in the loot box, I briefly notice that the flash of light from before was the barrier with the viewers watching outside of it. Then I¡¯m teleported back into the dungeon again. So I begin going from one room to another to another, slaughtering monsters for hours as I traverse through what must be over a hundred rooms. And something I realize partway through is that the monsters in the rooms are progressively growing stronger and stronger the deeper down I go. That can¡¯t be a good sign. And it¡¯s not just their level that¡¯s growing stronger, but their numbers and just their difficulty overall that¡¯s doing it. I even found a few corrupted void creatures like those arachnids from the last floor theme. They were easy enough to deal with now though, simply because they didn¡¯t have the time to devour much in the terms of elements. What with them being in the void and all. I also kind of feel like I¡¯m just dragging around the viewers at this point, since they¡¯re just following me everywhere. Also, will my ice vanish or something afterwards? Because I¡¯m not exactly holding back on the environment. Actually, I stop after dealing with the most recent room and open up the System Forums. Then I immediately find some threads talking about my ice still being there. They even have pictures of the frozen monsters I killed, the areas becoming open to people after I finish with them. Huh. Interesting. I continue reading the threads before blinking in surprise at the sight of some people actually trying to take my ice to use for equipment. Something only the people who are far stronger than me manage to do. Seriously? That¡¯s¡­ Actually probably not a bad idea for them, but still weird to know about. My ice won¡¯t melt after all, and it¡¯ll only be broken by something sufficiently stronger than myself. So they could forge them into a weapon ¨C if they figure out how ¨C and sell them to lower level beings. Giving them what would basically be an indestructible weapon for their own level. I cross my arms for a second before eventually shrugging and continuing on with my clearing of the rooms. A couple days pass like this with the monsters growing stronger and stronger until it¡¯s reached the point that I can¡¯t just kill them with ease anymore. A point of which the viewers seem to be happy that I¡¯ve reached since they¡¯re finally able to watch longer than a brief while for each battle. I continue clearing a few more rooms before I hear a groan coming from my bond with Sapphire. Then I quickly finish off the room I¡¯m in and find myself back in the tower again. But my mind is instantly focused on Sapphire when she crawls out of my shadow in her small spider form, looking exhausted and slightly different now. The ice making up her body has clearly changed into lunar ice of eternity now instead of eternal ice, meanwhile her eyes have the same glow as mine. Her size is difficult to judge since she is altering it right now, but her claws have also started glowing and naturally freezing whatever they¡¯re touching. But the largest change is that she seems to naturally be producing lunar ice of eternity now. Since before she didn¡¯t produce her own eternal ice. Interesting. Oh, and she still looks angry. B6 | Chapter 3 - Crab Friend Wolf I open my mouth to say something to Sapphire, only to close it again when a flood of information enters my mind. Information that includes everything different about her. Hmm. Looks like she¡¯s getting closer and closer to a separate being while also somehow being tied to me further. She¡¯s becoming less of a soul-bound companion and more of a guardian of sorts. Which is still the same thing in a way. Just that she¡¯s meant to be the guardian of my domain when I fully become a progenitor. Sapphire finally looks away from me, the anger on her face fading ever so slightly in the process to be replaced with curiosity about the floor theme. Then she just looks confused about what she sees. ¡°So¡­ where are the monsters?¡± she asks with a frown after looking around for a few seconds. ¡°They¡¯re in the rooms,¡± I tell her while pointing at the tunnels. ¡°And the rooms are¡­ very different from the previous floor themes.¡± She tilts her head slightly in confusion, seemingly having forgotten about her anger due to her curiosity. Well that¡¯s good. ¡°Just follow me and see for yourself,¡± I tell her while beginning to walk towards the closest tunnel. After a brief pause she follows after me and we enter a tunnel. And immediately after that we both appear on what looks like a crater on a moon. Except one coated in ice and¡­ surprisingly covered in lunar ice elemental energy. Huh. This is a surprise. Well, the lunar ice aside, the usual barrier appears around us and the viewers after that. And the viewers look rather surprised by the lunar ice, the same as I was. But I just feel like this place is a second home to me. It makes me feel kinda happy. Anyways, Sapphire quickly realizes what¡¯s going on after looking at the viewers. And the very first thing she says has me covering my mouth to hide a snicker. ¡°Well this is annoying,¡± she mutters. After totally not snickering at her response, I turn to look at the monster we¡¯re facing, only to find a rather large surprise in the process. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The monster in question is a large crab with a pale blue shell that is letting off lunar ice elemental energy. And unlike all of the other monsters we¡¯ve seen, it¡¯s not even paying any attention to us. ¡°So¡­¡± I mutter before tilting my head slightly, ¡°¡­is it going to attack? Or¡­ what?¡± Sapphire just shrugs. Then we both stare at the thing for nearly ten whole seconds before coming to the conclusion that it is in fact not going to attack. Meanwhile the viewers look confused. To the point that the cheers are quieting down a little. Although a lot of people are still shouting out Sapphire¡¯s name, trying to get her attention now that she¡¯s back. Apparently having given up on trying to get me to look at them. But Sapphire isn¡¯t even bothering to look their way, clearly taking after me in more ways than one. ¡°What do we do in a situation like this?¡± Sapphire asks, sending me a glance, but I just shrug. ¡°No idea,¡± I answer her while staring at the lunar ice crab thing. I cross my arms while tapping my feet. It would be rude to kill the thing when it¡¯s not even trying to attack us, much less kills us. But at the same time, I¡¯m not really sure how we¡¯re supposed to get back to the dungeon without killing it. ¡°Dad, do you think that could work?¡± Sapphire asks, making me glance at her only to find her pointing at her teeth, then at my face. Hmm. I turn back to the monster again while rubbing my chin and muttering, ¡°Maybe¡­¡± After considering it for a few seconds, I decide that it won¡¯t hurt to try. So I begin walking over to the monster. And once I make it within a meter of the crab, the thing finally turns to look at me. But instead of attacking, it just tilts its head and watches me approach. If I¡¯m being honest with myself, I can¡¯t help but feel a tad bit sorry for this thing at the sight of its current head tilt. Despite being a large monster, it¡¯s rather cute. Plus it has my lunar ice element. I wait for a few more seconds, just in case we get teleported away or something during this time, then when nothing happens, I step up to the crab and crouch down a little next to it. ¡°Sorry fella, no hard feelings,¡± I tell it before shifting into my hunter form and opening my mouth to chomp down on the crab¡¯s leg. And right away, the crab lets out a loud screech as I see a pale blue light beginning to spread from my bite through its body. Then I open my mouth again and step back. Maybe if the thing is considered an ally or subordinate of mine, the dungeon will teleport us back. I watch as the pale blue venom spreads through its body, making the crab roar in pain as it collapses to the ground and begins convulsing. And when cracking sounds begin to echo from the creature¡¯s shell, I step back more until I stop next to Sapphire and stand with my arms crossed. Then we both just stand here watching as the crab transforms into¡­ something else. The shell begins to turn into fur while the creature¡¯s body grows larger and larger. Meanwhile its eyes begin to glow with a bright pale blue light, and the lunar ice element within its body grows stronger and purer. Lastly, the crab¡¯s pincers begin to leak lunar ice element, and also seem to obtain some of my venom. I don¡¯t manage to see anything about the creature beyond that though as I quickly find myself teleporting back to the dungeon the moment it opens its eyes. Sapphire and I just kinda stand in front of the tunnel in silence, wondering what happened. There wasn¡¯t any reward, and we were just teleported away. ¡°Guess we don¡¯t get a reward for allying with a monster,¡± Sapphire says, and I nod my head without a word. We continue staring for a few seconds before we both shrug and move on to the next tunnel. B6 | Story Art with link in case it breaks Here''s some art for two of the Progenitors. And click here if the art breaks at some point. Since Discord no longer hosts images, I have to rely on Patreon. So I just made the post for this on my Patreon public in case the images breaks. You can see it there at that point. Fenrir: The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Tiamat: B6 | Chapter 4 - A New Species The Planet Wolf had bitten the Crab on Several hours after the event Dravil Ironfist swears his feet are gonna freeze off if he stays on this damned icicle of a planet for any longer. But he¡¯s already missed most of the previous planets where The Winter Wolf fought, and he won¡¯t be missing this one. He has to get that lunar ice, even if it¡¯s the last thing he does. Even if the only lunar ice to be found here is the lunar ice the man himself naturally emitted, considering how the man didn¡¯t actually fight this time around. A fact that is making a lot of his dwarven brethren ignore this darned planet. The man continues trudging through the snow while wearing full blue metal armor for a while, just moving near blindly through the pale blue light shining around the planet. With his only source of direction being the powerful energy signature he senses from near where The Winter Wolf appeared. Dravil has been behind his own brethren for far too long now, unable to catch up even the slightest bit with his own year of dwarven royal academy graduates. So he needs something extravagant to push him past them. Something unique. And while he is the last of his brethren to get his hands on the lunar ice made by the progenitor of the element himself, assuming he does, the others haven¡¯t managed to make any progress on the ice in the slightest. Not even being able to melt it, much less leave a scratch on its surface. But Dravil feels he may be able to. Or at least, he hopes he will be able to. Otherwise there really will be no way for him to move beyond his brethren. So the dwarf continues pushing, and pushing, and pushing, moving until he feels his legs are going to freeze off entirely. And when he makes it within a kilometer of the energy source, he pauses with a frown. Because the dwarf can clearly see two glowing blue eyes shining through the blizzard and pale blue light around him. Then a strange sound somewhere between a clicking sound, a screech, and a howl echoes through the blizzard and the eyes rush at him. Making for the last thing he sees before a flash of pain comes from his side and everything grows dark.
A few hours later Dravil¡¯s eyes snap open and he shoots forwards with a gasp and a cry of pain, feeling like he had just spent the last ten days being torn apart, frozen alive, and then put back together. In that order. After he scrambles to look at the time on his System Interface though, he realizes he was only out for three hours. But then things begin to grow even stranger. The first thing he notices beyond the strange nightmare he apparently had was that his senses are far sharper than they were before. Then he realizes that he can actually see in the pale blue light and blizzard around him as if it were as clear as day outside. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. After that, he realizes that there¡¯s a strange energy inside of his body that shouldn¡¯t be there. Before now all he¡¯s been able to do in regards to magic is enhancement magic. Magic that is necessary for every smith to use. But now? Now he feels a new element filling his body. What¡¯s goin¡¯ on¡­ Then a thought comes to him and the dwarf rushes to check his status. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Name: Dravil Ironfist Species: Lunar Winter Beast Subspecies: Dwarf Class: Royal Dwarven Crafter Privileges: Player Level: 4190 EXP: 10203/419000 System Points: 44765.2 Inventory System Communications Beta Administrator Dungeon Administrator Dungeon System Terminal System Map System GUI -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Lunar Winter Beast?! Subspecies?! What in tha bloody dwarven hells is goin¡¯ on?! The former dwarf quickly jumps to his feet and looks down at his body, only to find that while he is still as short as a dwarf, and is still generally dwarven in form, he now has a glowing pale blue symbol shining from beneath his armor at the center of his chest. One of a white furred werewolf¡¯s head that looks very similar to The Winter Wolf¡¯s head in his hunter form place on top of a pale blue moon seemingly made of ice. Meanwhile Dravil has pale blue claws on his hands and feet, and when he feels around his mouth with his tongue, he finds fangs as well. Lastly, the new element he was feeling in his body¡­ he¡¯s pretty sure it¡¯s the lunar ice all around him. Somehow he¡¯s able to form the lunar ice elemental energy into a mirror in front of him despite never having used the magic before, and what he sees in the mirror really does just look like a dwarf with the glowing symbol on his chest, the claws and fangs, and glowing blue eyes. Eyes that have the pupils turned into glowing pale blue lights instead of the usual black. I¡­ wait, tha¡¯ thing I heard before passin¡¯ out¡­ He turns around to look for it, only to end up realizing that he¡¯s not alone in the blizzard. All around him are dozens of other creatures, each who identify via the System as lunar winter beasts as well. And all of different subspecies, some of which are sapient just like he is. Then Dravil finally realizes what happened. I was bitten either by the thing The Winter Wolf himself bit, or somethin¡¯ that creature bit. Dravil looks back down at the mirror again, only to surprisingly find the glowing symbol missing from his chest. As if it had never been there in the first place. So he takes off part of his upper armor to look at his bare chest, only to find not a hint of the symbol remaining. Might be for tha best. Wouldn¡¯t want ta be walkin¡¯ around with someone¡¯s symbol on me chest after all. Then, after taking a deep breath, the former dwarf continues his hunt for The Winter Wolf¡¯s personal lunar ice. B6 | Chapter 5 - Crab Angel Wolf A couple days later I tap my feet with my arms crossed as I stare at the System Forums thread opened in front of me while sitting on the couch of my portable system store. One with a video showing the planet that I turned that crab on. And the sight of what¡¯s on the video¡­ has me a little speechless. Not only is the planet filled with even more lunar ice element than when we were there, but there seems to be some villages being built around the world. Built by people who were apparently infected and turned into something called a Lunar Winter Beast. I just stare at the video that¡¯s going across the newly built villages, not really sure what to think about it. And to make matters worse, I read about the Cult of the Blue Moon moving to the planet as well to worship the crab¡­ ¡°Dad, I think you probably should¡¯ve just killed the crab,¡± Sapphire whispers into my ear so that the viewers can¡¯t hear. I glare at her and whisper back, ¡°You were the first one to bring up turning it!¡± She looks away with an innocent expression on her face. As if she¡¯s completely innocent. I snort and shake my head before looking back at the video again, just to find the lunar winter beasts using the lunar ice element as if they were naturals. Hmm¡­ now that I think about it, what happened to the arctic lycanthropes now that I changed species again? Are they still a thing? Did they change too? Also, are they still required to obey my every command? I¡¯m rather curious about that, even if I have no interest in giving them orders. Although, from what this thread says, these lunar winter beasts are similar to the arctic lycanthropes in terms of their hierarchy. The ones with purer bloodlines have much stronger control over the lunar ice, and they can even generate their own lunar ice. Then their control and how much they generate reduces with each generation all the way till around the tenth or so generation can¡¯t generate their own lunar ice anymore and have to control lunar ice elemental energy around them. Also, the lunar winter beasts all have a lunar winter beast form, where they can transform into a rather large wolf with glowing pale blue eyes, pale blue claws that naturally emit lunar ice, and fangs that do the same. They also get a breath attack filled with lunar ice. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Overall, they¡¯re like superior versions of the arctic lycanthropes. Something that does bother me a little bit though¡­ The video shifts to show the massive, five-meter-tall crab that has apparently grown since I last saw it just standing on top of a large temple of sorts surrounded by people who are bowing down. Half of whom seem to be varied species from all over the universe while the other half are lunar winter beasts who look like they¡¯re prostrating before a lord or a god. And I honestly feel a little uncomfortable watching them. ¡°Dad,¡± Sapphire says, turning an odd look my way. I shake my head and state, ¡°Don¡¯t say it.¡± She stares for several seconds. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± I repeat. She continues staring until eventually saying, ¡°You better be prepared to find a religion worshiping you after you leave the dungeon.¡± I let out a sigh and mutter, ¡°I said not to say it¡­¡± And¡­ the fact that there are normal people there who have nothing to do with me and are just sitting there worshipping the damned crab in the hopes that the crab will infect them¡­ that¡¯s just¡­ Is my venom just a resource people want now? I blink as a thought comes to mind. Wonder if people would pay to be turned into a lunar winter beast by me? Or if they¡¯d pay for my venom¡­ Considering that they¡¯re sucking up to a crab to get it to turn them. A crab that somehow developed enough sapience to actually know what they¡¯re doing after being infected by me. Which is rather ridiculous in and of itself, if I¡¯m being honest. I continue watching the video as the crab goes down from its raised dais atop the platform to walk between the people worshiping it. And as it walks, I can¡¯t help but focus on how people are referring to the crab. Why are they talking as if this crab is some sort of divine angel under me? ¡°Dad, I didn¡¯t know you had angels,¡± Sapphire says with a snort while covering her mouth and barely even trying to hide her snickering. ¡°Ha, ha,¡± I mutter, not even bothering looking at the girl who is lying across the couch, her legs crossing over my lap as she leans up against the armrest on the other side of the couch from me with a book open above her. ¡°I¡­¡± I begin, only to pause for a second as the crab stops in front of someone and lightly draws its claw against their arm, infecting them, then nodding its massive head once and continuing through the people as that person convulses on the ground, transforming. ¡°¡­have no idea what¡¯s going on anymore¡­¡± Sapphire stops trying to hide her laughter and immediately bursts out, to the point of almost sobbing as she quite literally drops her book and reaches over to cover her face with her arm. I ignore the laughing child as I focus on the crab, who seems to be picking and choosing whoever the crab thinks will serve me best. And I can¡¯t help but wonder what¡¯s going through that crab¡¯s head. It better not treat me as its father or something if I meet it again¡­ one child is already proving troublesome. I glance at said child, finding her still laughing her ass off. So I look back at the screen where the crab is still picking and choosing people. Then I let out a sigh. I¡­ I give up. Let¡¯s just continue through the dungeon and act like this didn¡¯t happen. Hiatus Near End Update and New Story Release First up, the hiatus for The Rise of the Winter Wolf will likely be coming to an end in a couple of weeks! This is because Eternal Winter''s Reign book 2 will be finishing sometime this week, with me needing to spend next week catching up some stories with patron advanced chapters that I''d dumped on Royal Road. Then The Rise of the Winter Wolf will be back! I will also be focusing on Winter Wolf again for book 6''s Amazon release at some point in the next few months, giving it daily chapters!
Now for the next order of business! Assimilator of Chaos, my new story, has finally reached Royal Road now that Wolf of the Blood Moon is complete(completed on Patreon)! The link is at the bottom beneath the cover and synopsis! Here is the cover if you''re interested: The cover was commissioned from Kart Studio and germancreative. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Next up is the synopsis:
What would you do if your entire world were turned on its head? A Primordial System buzzing in everyone¡¯s heads, displaying strange screens and other displays in their visions. Being thrown into a tutorial before entering your first System Event broadcast across the universe. Returning back to your home after the System Event to realize that it¡¯s been filled with Gates leading to monster-filled domains, a good number of which have already broken and released their monsters into the world. And learning that the abilities every human being has ¨C abilities that have led to the current structure of society ¨C are nothing but the root of their Skill Trees. The very first skill in their Skill Tree out of many. Well, Ashley doesn¡¯t know. She doesn¡¯t remember anything other than some basic common knowledge from before waking up at the start of the tutorial with amnesia. So why should this change anything for her? Other than her finding out about the blood bestowed upon her by a certain primordial and her own Skill Tree. One with just a single skill. A skill to unlock the skill trees of those she kills. To assimilate. What to expect: Skill Trees, LitRPG Apocalypse, Skill Tree Assimilator(the ability to take the skill trees of those the MC kills), Livestreamed Dungeons, Livestreamed Public Battles and Events, Chaos Magic, Varied Magic due to Skill Tree Assimilator What not to expect: I do not write romance(for the main protagonist), there will be no harem, there will be no reverse harem
If you''re interested, click here!!! B6 | Chapter 6 - An Unpleasant Miniboss Wolf All told, it ends up taking us three entire freaking days to get all the way through every last room of the tower to end up on the bottom. Just of a single floor of this theme. Three. Days. I groan slightly as I look at the totally-not-conspicuous gate at the center of the floor. One that is gray and purple in color, with two half circles connected to each other, with another circle in the very middle of it that¡¯s part of one of the half circles. Very obviously a door in the floor that opens up. How it opens up, I¡¯m not- The sound of a switch being flipped from behind me followed by the grinding of the gate I¡¯m staring at interrupts my thoughts. So I glance back at Sapphire to find her looking curiously at a torch she just pulled down on the wall. After seeing that, I just silently turn back to the gate again, deciding not to comment on what just happened. Still. I hope there aren¡¯t that many floor themes as long as this one. Of course, I could always just skip past these rooms to the mini boss, but that would make the boss at the end of the theme a lot harder. And I really don¡¯t want to risk it. I¡¯m not the only one I¡¯d be risking after all. Sapphire would be at risk as well, so it¡¯s best to play things safe. Especially when I¡¯m still adjusting to my power, albeit not as much as I would otherwise be. Anyways, I glance at Sapphire to find her walking over to me, then I jump down into the tunnel within the floor. And we immediately find ourselves falling through some sort of hole in a massive, underground stadium. One with bleachers surrounding the entire stadium, and that very same barrier as the other rooms covering the bleachers. Sapphire and I land on the gracefully on the ground before looking around. But I don¡¯t find any mini boss monster. I frown and open my mouth to say something, only to close it again when I notice the large gate at the back of the stadium. A gate with what looks like a poisonous green mist leaking out from the bars. Stolen novel; please report. Huh. ¡°Well that¡¯s not foreboding at all,¡± I mutter, making Sapphire nod her head in agreement, having noticed it as well. Meanwhile the bleachers begin to fill to the brim, and the cheers immediately start echoing out everywhere. And the sheer number of people filling the bleachers is rather¡­ yeah, that¡¯s a lot of people. The bleachers themselves are enormous, with multiple levels, and what must be a million seats surrounding the absolutely enormous arena I¡¯m in at the bottom of the stadium. And every last one of them is very quickly being filled until there isn¡¯t any more space. It¡¯s just¡­ a lot of people. I know I¡¯ve been to the viewing rooms and spoken in them quite a bit, but this really is the first time I¡¯ve been surrounded by so many people in real life outside of a viewing room. And while I¡¯m not really anxious or anything, it does take some getting used to. Because unlike in the viewing rooms, I can actually sense their life sources here with life sense. And I can sense the very heat in their bodies with my elemental senses as well. Quite a few of the viewers try to break through the barrier, but to no avail as it doesn¡¯t even show a hint of strain, much less cracking. And, of course, Mikaela can be seen flying above them all. To be honest, I feel like Mikaela has had his job kinda taken away for this floor theme. Since he isn¡¯t really getting much chance to commentate when they¡¯re in the real world, outside of a viewing room that would be under his control. Poor guy. Can¡¯t spend his time talking about my fighting for my life. Which is¡­ actually, no, not poor guy. I turn away from him to focus on the gate that is now beginning to rise, letting in even more of that poisonous mist into the arena. Looks like the battle is starting. Sapphire and I both tense up, passively freezing the poisonous mist that tries to approach us from the tunnel revealed by the gate. A tunnel filled to the brim with so much poisonous mist that you can¡¯t even see into it. Can¡¯t see what¡¯s lurking inside. A low growl comes from the tunnel as the screams of the viewers grow a little quieter. Almost like someone pushed a volume controller on them. Although when I look up at the bleachers, they don¡¯t look like they¡¯re any calmer. So I¡¯m guessing this is a feature of the mini boss room. The growl continues growing louder and louder, bringing my attention back to the tunnel, only to find a pair of glowing green eyes shining out from within the green mist. Then the creature reveals part of itself as I begin to hear skittering sounds and a few¡­ I can¡¯t help but cringe slightly at the sight of the creatures beginning to swarm out of the tunnel, and I¡¯m not the only one. Cockroaches. Glowing green ones, but they¡¯re basically just cockroaches, all ranging from an inch to a foot in length. And they¡¯re all swarming into the arena. So without any hesitation whatsoever, I send a wave of lunar ice of eternity to freeze the creatures. No mercy for cockroaches. I do not like roaches. They¡¯re too unpredictable. I don¡¯t like unpredictable things. Although I guess they aren¡¯t all that unpredictable now considering how much stronger I¡¯ve gotten since the last time I saw one, but still. Habit. One to kill cockroaches the moment I see them. My actions end up with a wave of frozen roaches, following which my lunar ice begins pushing back against the poisonous mist to eventually reveal the mini boss. Which is, of course, a giant cockroach. B6 | Chapter 7 - Freebies Wolf After a moment of staring, I open the beta dictionary for the mini boss.
Cockacret Unnamed
A Cockacret is a massive monster based off of the insect known as a cockroach. They are naturally born with poison manipulation and creation abilities, and thanks to being descendant of a basilisk, they have gray eyes. Eyes with the ability to petrify all they look at. N/A
Level ¨C 3321
I stare at the beta dictionary entry for a few seconds, then at the massive cockroach. Then at the entry some more. And finally at the cockroach again. ¡°A cockroach and a basilisk¡­¡± I mutter, only to shudder at the thought of those two getting together. A thought that also makes me glad that I have aphantasia and can¡¯t visualize things in my head. ¡°Let¡¯s just act like we didn¡¯t see¡­¡± My words trail off when I find Sapphire having returned to her large form as she chases after the cockroach as a giant spider even larger than the roach. Meanwhile the lunar ice of eternity elemental energy she¡¯s letting off completely overwhelms the cockroach, eventually leaving it growing more and more sluggish as they run. After watching for a little while as the fans cheer for Sapphire, I find the girl finally catching up with the cockroach and killing it. Then I promptly turn around because I¡¯m honestly not sure if she¡¯s gonna eat the thing or not. And the idea of my daughter eating a massive cockroach is not a pleasant one to think about either. Yeah, I do kind of forget she¡¯s technically a spider sometimes. But at least if she¡¯s eating it, then she¡¯s doing so quietly. Since I don¡¯t hear- Sapphire walks around me, making me blink. Then I look back to find the cockroach frozen solid and shattered to pieces. I look back at Sapphire again to find her frowning as she mutters, ¡°I hate those things. They¡¯re gross.¡± The noise of the crowd watching us fills the arena for a few seconds as I pointedly keep my mouth shut. Eventually the mini boss chest appears at the center of the room, so I quickly move over to open it. And after finding some random piece of trash item I¡¯ll never use in my life, I just casually toss it towards the bleachers. Right when I¡¯m about to walk over to the exit to the next floor though, a loud commotion rises from where I tossed the item ¨C which was a pair of gauntlets using the roach¡¯s carapace as materials. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. So I turn to look at what¡¯s causing the commotion, only to surprisingly find the people swarming around the gauntlets. Gauntlets that are somehow on their side of the barrier. ¡°Huh?¡± I utter, feeling more than a little confused about what just happened. Sapphire turns to look, having also been headed for the exit, and she freezes up as well when she sees what¡¯s going on. Then pandemonium breaks out amongst the audience as they all begin cheering, calling out my and Sapphire¡¯s names while clearly wanting freebies. So I share a glance with Sapphire and shrug. Well, we have a lot of spare garbage we haven¡¯t gotten rid of, and it¡¯s not like I can sell this junk. I¡¯ve already used the dimensional pad to send quite a few useful Tier seven and above items back to the others. Items that have helped them all quite a bit from what I¡¯ve heard. Meaning that the trash Tier one through six items I have are¡­ pretty bad. In comparison. And will never see the light of day. With that thought in mind, I bring out a giant pile of hundreds of trash Tier one through six items. Then I lift them into the air with my lunar ice before tossing it all into the bleachers without a care. Sapphire and I sit back and watch the scrambling begin with more than a little amusement on our faces. ¡°This is gonna be on the forums soon enough,¡± Sapphire says, predicting the obvious. ¡°Yep,¡± I answer with a nod. ¡°If it¡¯s not already.¡± At that, she opens the System Forums, and low and behold, it is already on the System Forums. News about me and Sapphire giving out freebies. No new people enter the bleachers though. Probably because they¡¯re already jam packed. To the point of not having any seats unclaimed. In fact, the people are quite literally crawling all over each other to grab the items, there¡¯s so little room. It¡¯s rather amusing to watch. So I keep throwing more random trash items, most of which I can¡¯t even use since it uses a different element. And apparently, just like when I was a harbinger, a progenitor can¡¯t use anything but their own element. Or I guess a pseudo progenitor technically. A pity, but it¡¯s not like I actually expected anything else, so it¡¯s fine. After tossing out most of the trash items, clearing up some much needed space in my storage ring, I finally stop pulling them out of the ring. To the major disappointment of the crowd. That was fun. I glance over at Sapphire to find her chuckling at whatever she¡¯s reading on the System Forums. So I walk over and read it as well to find it mostly about people complaining that they can¡¯t get into the arena as well. Basically what I expected. At this point, I¡¯m not even sure how many followers I have. Actually, might as well check. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Total Competitors: 41 Wolf Adler | The Winter Wolf | 1,861,204,146,683,750 Followers | 12 Current Sponsors | The Winter Wolf Norbert Heinrich | Nosferatu | 221,841,653,451 Followers | 14 Current Sponsors | Dhampir Crystal Leblanc | Deadshot |202,349,643,750 Followers| 10 Current Sponsors | Human Ariana Silverheart | Silver Siren |201,156,481,074 Followers | 11 Current Sponsors | Siren Lily Veldon | Crimson Rose | 200,106,401,145 Followers | 12 Current Sponsors | Human Christopher Sinclair | Unbreakable | 200,106,401,145 Follower | 10 Current Sponsors | Human Ruth Maci | Thorn | 189,146,411,115 Followers | 9 Current Sponsors | Forsaken Adriana Heath | Adriana | 187,116,471,915 Followers | 13 Current Sponsors | Elf Dewey Hobbs | Dark Shadow | 182,106,071,716 Followers | 12 Current Sponsors | Shadow Panterra Karunn Kegale | Kegale Smithing | 161,005,472,764 Followers | 14 Current Sponsors | Arctic Lycanthrope -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Yeah, that¡¯s a lot. Far more than second place has. What even is that number? Over one quadrillion followers? Certainly a lot of people spending too much time watching me go about my day. As for the sponsors, it doesn¡¯t seem to count repeat sponsors more than once. So that current sponsors counter is rather pointless. Especially at this point where everyone is getting a sponsor for each slot. Although I get fewer sponsors than the others now. Not that it matters. Anyways, I stretch for a second before asking Sapphire, ¡°Ready to go?¡± She quickly closes out of the forums and says, ¡°Yep.¡± Then we both head off to the next floor. Ignoring the disappointed people in the bleachers, of course. B6 | Chapter 8 - The Passing of Time Wolf We arrive quietly on the two hundred and fifty-second floor, finding it to be very similar to the first floor of the theme. Except that the cracks that are in the walls, ceiling, and stairs are less severe. Everything looks less damaged. More put together. Safer too. The tunnels all look the same though, and after entering one, we quickly find ourselves with another crowd watching as we instantly freeze a poor little boar. One sparking with electricity before our unfortunate encounter. And just seconds later, we open the loot box, get more trash from it, and reappear in the main tower of the floor. ¡°Does this tower not have anything good anymore?¡± Sapphire complains while crossing her arms and pouting. I raise a brow at that and shrug, ¡°Well, most of the stuff we¡¯re getting is considered good by most.¡± She glances at me with a befuddled look on her face. ¡°Just look at those people we tossed everything to.¡± That seems to make her understand. Only for her to say, ¡°Well, the dungeon needs higher standards than that low Tier trash.¡± What¡¯s kinda sad is that I actually can¡¯t refute her. Because I¡¯m quite literally calling it trash in my mind, so I¡¯m not really much different from her in that regard. ¡°Be careful about what you wish for,¡± I tell her, deciding to go a different, actually logical route about this. And when she tilts her head at me, I add, ¡°If the dungeon started giving out better loot, don¡¯t you think the monsters would get stronger to compensate for that?¡± Her eyes widen and she immediately backtracks, ¡°No, no, the current loot is fine. Perfectly fine.¡± She hurriedly nods her head in a rather adorable manner. She¡¯s starting to look older and older the further we get in the dungeon, so she doesn¡¯t act like a kid as much anymore. If she ever really did. So it¡¯s nice to see her still acting like one sometimes. At this point she looks like she¡¯s around fourteen or fifteen years old. Basically a high school girl right now. One that is technically a spider. And is wearing a coat that is still pretty much copying mine. And, if I¡¯m being honest, seeing a couple of the System Forum threads that were crushing on her, talking about how her figure is developing had me¡­ both uncomfortable and angry. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I wonder if I can find them and freeze those people for maybe a couple years? Probably a sound punishment. That thought has me nodding my head, to Sapphire¡¯s confusion as she tilts her own again. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± she asks, but I just pat her on the head and smile. Which confuses her further until I answer, ¡°No, nothing¡¯s wrong. Just thinking about making some popsicles.¡± Her eyes light up at that, and the fact that she still gets excited about popsicles is definitely a sign that she¡¯s still a child on the inside. Anyways, I take my hand off her head and begin to walk over to the next tunnel. With, of course, a certain girl who is probably still fantasizing about popsicles following behind me. She¡¯s always loved popsicles. Not really sure why though. Although the type she likes aren¡¯t really the type I was thinking about making. We move through one room after another for a while, defeating the monsters and occasionally even making another lunar winter beast. Because the viewers there kinda beg for it, and it makes me feel bad to just ignore hundreds of thousands of people shouting at me like that when it isn¡¯t exactly a difficult thing for me to do. Of course, it quickly leads to another outbreak each time, but the people like it, since it¡¯s a free boost in power. Because apparently becoming a lunar winter beast has very few downsides. Especially since there isn¡¯t the pesky chance of death during transformation that other infection species have. And it¡¯s not like I mind making a lot of allies that can¡¯t harm me at all. Allies that are spreading across the universe like an infe- uh, as an infection. Since it actually is an infection technically. Over the course of the next several days and the next couple floors, the infection actually becomes bottled for the lesser venoms. Which is kinda creepy. Meanwhile pretty much every one of the monsters I bit turns into some sort of religious figure. And since they¡¯re all former monsters who can¡¯t talk, it kinda makes for an odd religion from what I¡¯ve seen on the forums. Sapphire finds it hilarious though. Over our time on the tower floors, we enter the Conjunction a few times and spend some time there just lazing around and using it as a break. With the other Competitors still using my house as a gathering space for some reason. We pass through one tower floor after another without much difficulty all the way till we reach the boss floor of the theme. And even the boss isn¡¯t very difficult, likely due to the fact that we cleared every single room in the entire floor theme. Something that apparently determines how powerful the boss is. So it ends up being nothing more than a rather weak demon. One that freezes rather easily and shatters just as easily. Which apparently disappoints the viewers who were wanting an interesting battle. But not as much as the simple act of us leaving the floor theme does, since they won¡¯t be able to see us in person anymore. We don¡¯t exactly enter many viewing rooms anymore after all. And for the first time in quite a while, time begins to pass without anything too unexpected. No event boss spawns within the Beta Dungeon, no Pandora¡¯s Boxes appearing and forcing us to open them, and no changes to the System or dungeon by The Reaper, who is still fighting with Titania. So like that, an entire year passes quietly. Or as quietly as is possible within a livestreamed dungeon where we¡¯re being watched as we fight for our lives. But that quiet is eventually shattered when we reach the two hundred and ninety-first floor, beginning the third Centurion Boss floor theme. B6 | Chapter 9 - The Centurion Quinzel Wolf As soon as we pass through the door to the two hundred and ninety-first floor, we find ourselves in some sort of massive arena. One that appears to be located on an even larger space station. And a loud voice echoes out through the arena ¨C which is filled with what look like aliens all throughout the audience ¨C in some strange language that I can somehow understand in my mind. ¡°We have our latest contestants for the First Centurion Quinzel! These lovely contestants are all the mooooost powerful beings you¡¯ve ever laid eyes on in our little quarter of the universe!¡± the most-likely alien announcer¡¯s words mean after being translated into my mind somehow. ¡°Give it up for the one hundred thousand contestants in this loooovely First Centurion!¡± Sapphire and I look around the arena to find¡­ a lot¡­ of other people appearing all around us. Each one of them being various different types of aliens. And when I say alien, I mean the type of creature someone would see in an alien movie back on Earth. And when I identify a few of them¡­ _-| Jigvlaught Detovoar ¨C Level 6216 |-_ _-| Chtlito Vlorat ¨C Level 6214 |-_ _-| Ichtonor Achtl ¨C Level 6212 |-_ _-| Vetlan Kchlar ¨C Level 6217 |-_ I glance at Sapphire before asking through our bond, ¡®Do you have any idea how to pronounce those names?¡¯ She shakes her head. Their levels are also a pretty big jump between this floor and the last floor. About a hundred level jump. Ever since the last sponsorship floor, the levels have been increasing faster and faster, making each floor harder and harder to deal with. And now the monsters start an entire hundred levels above us¡­ Actually, can these even be considered monsters? They¡¯re clearly intelligent, considering that they¡¯re waving at the audience. An audience who is also shouting in that unfamiliar language. ¡°Noooow! For what you¡¯ve allll been waiting for!¡± the announcer continues, his language that¡¯s basically just a bunch of clicks echoing out through the arena, matching the most common alien¡¯s appearance of some sort of crab-insect person to a T. ¡°The battle royale wiiiiiill commence!!!!¡± Wait, what? All of the aliens in the arena immediately begin to attack each other, so me and Sapphire kinda just instinctively build a massive wall of glowing blue ice around us to block them as we figure out what the hell is going on. ¡°This battle royale will last until only fifty thousand of the contestants remain!¡± the announcer proceeds to explain a little bit of what I¡¯m looking for. Then a Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification appears in my vision to explain the rest as the man keeps talking. Or I think it¡¯s a man. Sounds like one. Probably. A deeper voice at least. Anyways, the notification.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
You have entered the two hundred and ninety-first through three hundredth floors! This floor theme is a special floor theme, and within it, you must win the Centurion Quinzel! The Centurion Quinzel is a tournament set place within the far reaches of the Quinzel Universe, lorded over by the Progenitor of Insects and the Curse conceptual element, Beelzebub! This Beta Dungeon has been given permission by Beelzebub to host a copy of the Centurion Quinzel for purposes of the dungeon.
I stare blankly at the notification as the aliens all try to kill each other. ¡°It looks like one of the contestants is barricading themselves in ice! A rare and unusual magic affinity to have!¡± the announcer continues, having gotten through his own explanation during that. I glance up to find a large insect with wings and the shell of a crab flying around the air high above us and the dome of green light shielding the audience from the contestants. And his ¨C probably ¨C gaze is locked directly onto us. Another notification appears in my vision.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
The next ten floors of the dungeon will all be held within the Centurion Quinzel. Each Quinzel will have five parts to it, with each part varying depending on the floor of the dungeon. However, the first fifth of the First Centurion Quinzel will be a battle royal to decrease the number of participants in the remaining fifths by half of the participants entering the first fifth. Meanwhile the final part of each Quinzel will be a boss battle! One where each participant can either help the others or hurt the others while fighting the boss of the Quinzel! The Fifth Centurion Quinzel on the supposed two hundred and ninety-fifth floor will have a special boss for the final part instead of a regular boss. One voted upon by the viewers watching this livestream! Lastly, the Tenth and final Centurion Quinzel will end on a single Centurion Boss that must be defeated in order to move on to the next floor. Good luck, and may the Quinzel be ever in your favor! ~Beelzebub System Favor: This is a Special Floor Theme that was removed when the Administrator Dungeon was created, deemed to be too difficult for most people to compete in. And The Reaper and Beelzebub had an argument as well.
I stare at the notification some more, wondering what my life has turned into at this point. Other than entertainment for bored people. Also wondering what a quinzel is. I let out a sigh before floating up into the air in my hunter form and spreading my arms out, sending a wave of lunar ice light straight through the arena as my little projection of the pale blue moon shines above me. Just the projection. I won¡¯t be using my domain for something like this. Then bits of ice begin to hail down on every one of the other contestants. Man, this dungeon really is becoming a pain. I wonder if I¡¯ll be able to just break out of it¡­ no, actually, if I broke out of the dungeon, I wouldn¡¯t be able to bring Alexia back. On that note, I let out another sigh and just watch as the hail slowly grows larger and larger until it becomes a major threat to the contestants down below. Such a pain. B6 | Chapter 10 - The Hunt Wolf Soon enough the hail grows large enough that it starts to crush the other contestants, leaving me just flowing here while waiting for them all to decrease in number until only fifty thousand remain of the hundred thousand. Which doesn¡¯t actually take as long as I would¡¯ve expected. Mostly because I¡¯m not the only one attacking the other contestants this time around. And when the number of contestants are decreased, that same commentator begins talking again, ¡°And we have our winners of the First Centurion Quinzel¡¯s battle royale! It¡¯s time to start the next part!¡± On cue with his announcement, the arena begins to shift, separating us all into different platforms each with a mere fifty contestants standing on them. The last thing I hear before everything goes dark is the commentator¡¯s voice, ¡°A scavenger hunt!¡± Then I find myself suddenly appearing on what looks like a barren world covered in sand with a Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification appearing in my vision.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
Welcome to the second fifth of the First Centurion Quinzel! This part is a scavenger hunt where you must scavenge the world you have been placed on and collect each of the following five items: Horn of the Sand Wyrm Crown of the Lich King Ring of the Demon Summoner World Ore Sun Alcot However, all fifty members of each scavenger hunt will be searching for the same items, and there are only ten of each. Meanwhile each set of items can only count for a group of five each. If you choose to group up with other contestants, each of the contestants must hold at least one of the scavenger hunt items to be considered a part of the group. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Be warned, for contestants will attack you for your items if you refuse to group up with them.
Interesting, but it shouldn¡¯t really be much of an issue. Although I¡¯m not a fan of this desert. Sand aside, it looks like the contest is set up so that people either have to work together or ditch others for them to win. Which makes sense considering how the dungeon usually is. I¡¯m actually a little surprised that it¡¯s letting us team up. Then again, this is based on a real world competition. So I guess that¡¯s probably why. They don¡¯t want to run out of contestants in just the First Centurion Quinzel. Because that would just make the later quinzels awkward. I look around for a few seconds before glancing at Sapphire and nodding my head. She immediately nods back, and I immediately fly up into the air and then off in one direction while she runs off in another direction while in her enormous spider form. Might as well take advantage of the fact that we both count as one contestant to split up for this hunt. While flying, I open the System Forums and begin researching each of the items for the scavenger hunt. Most of them end up being rather self-explanatory in terms of how to find them. Or what they¡¯re from at least. The Horn of the Sand Wyrm comes from a monster called a greater sand wyrm that is basically just an enormous worm that lives in the sand. Which could really be anywhere, but thanks to life sense it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to find. Meanwhile the Crown of the Lich King is obviously from a lich king. But the Ring of the Demon Summoner is harder to figure out. Since it¡¯s not really a publicly known item. Might even be something made up just for this contest. Guess I¡¯ll be searching for demons. World Ore is a type of metal ore. One that has the attribute of whatever world the ore is found on and is filled to the brim with elemental energy. If it¡¯s on a world it¡¯s supposedly rather easy to find. Just need to search for an area of the world practically dripping in that elemental energy. Which probably won¡¯t be very enjoyable for me since it¡¯s bound to be a fire or sand or something element. I pause at that thought. Wait, never mind. Just remembered that I no longer have that weakness to fire that I used to have. Nice. I smile at that thought before moving on to the last item of the scavenger hunt. The Sun Alcot. It¡¯s a plant. Or, rather, a plant monster. It¡¯s a giant plant monster that pulls in other monsters, buried mostly underneath the surface of the sand. The thing makes a large part of the sand around it fall where the sand all goes downwards into its mouth before being expelled out its sides to refill the sand around it while anything living that it eats is digested. So I guess I¡¯m gonna have to go find a large mouth filled with razor sharp teeth sticking out of the sand somewhere for this plant. Wasn¡¯t really expecting that at hearing the name of the creature, if I¡¯m being honest. But looking over the various items of the scavenger hunt, none of them seem particularly difficult to get. Mostly just annoying to have to find them all. I frown as I fly across the sky, leaving a trail of glittering pale blue light and ice behind me in the process. But my frown quickly vanishes when I find a large pyramid just standing in the middle of the sands. A pyramid covered in red horned creatures. Are those demons? I identify them. They¡¯re definitely demons. Hmm. This is kind of surprising. The very first one I find is actually the one I didn¡¯t know how to really look for. Other than the demons thing. I stop moving to just float hundreds of meters above the pyramid as I look at it, checking the levels of the demons. Only to find that the levels of the monsters in this part of the quinzel have increased by a rather large margin compared to the last part. Guess this floor theme has sudden rises in the level of the monsters instead of gradual rises. That could be annoying in the later floors. I watch over the pyramid for a few more seconds before flying downwards. Time to hunt some demons I guess. New Covers Here are the new The Rise of the Winter Wolf book 1, 2, and 3 covers! The cover images were done by Kart Studio, and the typography by germancreative! There are also audiobook covers by the same artists for books 2 and 3! (I will be commissioning one for book one at some point) If the art breaks then click here to find the post on my Patreon with the art there! If someone comments about the art being broken I will lock the comments on the chapter. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. B6 | Intermission 1 The Blue Moon Altar All across the world where The Winter Wolf turned the very first crab into his angel, massive screens can be seen projected high in the sky at all times. Each of which shows the absolute god of each and every being on the planet. All of whom have either been turned into followers of the Blue Moon or are wishing to be turned into followers by the great angels. Meanwhile leaders from all around the universe can be seen arriving one after another, each trying to gain the power associated with the planet and The Winter Wolf. And while most of them are desperate leaders of weaker planets and nations looking for any boost they can get even if it comes with bindings to The Winter Wolf¡¯s every word, a few of them are simply allies supporting The Winter Wolf. Ones that trust him and what he represents. Independence from the other progenitors. From The Reaper and Titania. And a source of power that is clear as day, given to them through nothing more than a bite. Unlike The Reaper or the other progenitors, who give their followers nothing. Millions of people all watch the large screens high in the sky, including the angels created by The Winter Wolf himself during his few stops on the planet, watch as The Winter Wolf freezes an entire temple solid. Slaughtering all of the monsters inside of it, regardless of what they are. And they all immediately begin cheering. By now the vast majority of the Cult of the Blue Moon have all moved to the world and established themselves there underneath the angels, with the crab angel standing at the top of the hierarchy. Despite still not being able to talk. Some of the cult can even be seen flying in the air or low to the ground as an angel floats next to a screen, making grunting, screeching, and other nonsensible noises as if commentating on their god. And Diane can¡¯t help but question her sanity as she watches all of this. Not to mention how it¡¯ll all affect the Empire. ¡°Wolf certainly has an¡­ interesting¡­ following,¡± Leo mutters from his place floating high in the air watching alongside his wife. Then he glances at her and asks, ¡°You think this¡¯ll benefit our nations?¡± Diane answers without looking at him, ¡°Most likely. Wolf is the heir to the Grand Werewolf Empire, which will, for better or worse, mark us as under his protection under the eyes of the other progenitors. And other religions.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. She never believed that she¡¯d end up having adopted someone who has practically become a god in a way. And that makes her feel rather conflicted. Especially when she remembers how she had originally been dead set on turning him herself. Diane watches in silence as her adopted son flies away with a crown in his hand, not even pausing in his flight as he sends it into his storage ring. And after he flies through the air for several minutes, he stops again when he finds a sun alcot. A plant monster spanning hundreds of meters in length with nothing but its open mouth visible in the sand, devouring the sand and expelling it out its sides. Both she and Leo, along with the millions of spectators down below all watch as The Winter Wolf waves his arm, creating over a thousand jagged shards of glowing pale blue ice all across the air. Then he swipes his arm down, sending them all flying down to strike at the massive creature, killing it nigh instantly. Powerful. I wonder just how long it¡¯ll take for him to eclipse me in power. At the very least, Diane understands that by the time he leaves the dungeon, he¡¯ll already be the most powerful person in the entire universe. With the only exception being The Reaper and Titania. Eventually she looks away from the screen and focuses on the crab angel floating next to it. The very first creature her adopted son had bitten since becoming a pseudo progenitor. And the creature has already significantly powered up since he had originally seen it, making her wonder just how great the boost from becoming a lunar winter beast is. Or if someone at her level can even do it. Much less an already turned species like her. But at the same time, part of Wolf¡¯s transformation was activated by a bite from Fenrir. And Wolf was already a lycanthrope. A turned species himself. So it isn¡¯t entirely out of the realm of possibility that a werewolf could be turned into a lunar winter beast. Or¡­ perhaps an undead being turned into one? She glances at her husband at that thought. But her husband is a different type of undead from most. Since draugr are born undead unlike most types of undead. So he was already different from most undead. Whether or not he¡¯s different from other turned species though is a different matter entirely. And not one she¡¯s sure she wants to risk on a simple curiosity either. I could just wait until a turned species tries to become a lunar winter beast. And after pondering over that for a little while, she eventually decides to just do that. To wait for someone else to learn the answer first. The Grand Werewolf Empress watches as Wolf grabs the plant he needs from the massive monster and quickly begins searching for his next target. Only to pause just five or so minutes later when he arrives in front of a massive worm the moment it jumps out of the sand sea below him. Before he simply freezes the thing alive without even so much as letting it hit the ground. Leaving the massive frozen worm to continue down the rest of the way until it crashes into the ground, the ice still whole despite the impact. She and Leo continue watching the screen for a little longer before proceeding to leave the planet, each in their own methods. He¡¯s doing okay now though, and that¡¯s all that matters. B6 | Chapter 11 - The Fourth Fifth Wolf It doesn¡¯t take me long to deal with the rest of the second fifth of the First Centurion Quinzel. And I simply freeze all of the other contestants without a hint of regret whenever I see them. Because it should make the later rounds easier. Probably. After the second fifth, the third fifth starts as a simple dungeon-type setup that the other floors had. Get through the dungeon and kill the boss at the end of it. Which doesn¡¯t take long to do either before Sapphire and I end up in the fourth fifth of the First Centurion Quinzel. Turns out the fourth fifth is actually some sort of game. One with rather harsh consequences and a limit on what you can actually do. Kind of reminds me of that haunted house from a while back. Where I had all of my powers limited. Just that this time around it¡¯s a large maze where three minotaurs are roaming the place and all of our skills are blocked. Of course, at this point, I¡¯m not really using skills to fight in the first place. Soooo¡­ I just ignore the rules and freeze the stuff. To my surprise though, I find that my lunar ice is actually weaker here. At which point I realize something. I may not have been relying on skills, but they definitely helped me. That and for some reason there¡¯s a sort of suppression field here that¡¯s suppressing my element. Maybe it¡¯s related to that Beelzebub guy? He should be a progenitor too, so it wouldn¡¯t be too surprising if the guy ¨C or at least a copy of him ¨C was limiting my powers here personally. Or just The Reaper doing it to act out the role. Either way, it¡¯s kind of annoying but also seems to be helping me learn to control it a little. Which is kind of nice. So I begin charging my way through the little maze, trying to find the exit. The purpose of this fifth of the quinzel is to make it through the maze without being killed by one of the incredibly overpowered minotaurs that are at least three hundred levels above us. Or three hundred levels above the average level amongst us, since they¡¯re not three hundred above me. More like two hundred and fifty levels ish.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. I did a lot of cleaning up in the last two fifths, raising my level. Although despite running through the maze for several minutes, I don¡¯t find the minotaurs. At most I hear them roaring from time to time, along with the screams of other contestants as I lower the soundproofing on my headphones. Which makes me wonder just how large this maze is. And where the exit is. I can¡¯t hear anything telling me where the exit might be, nor is there any way to go up to look since there¡¯s a ceiling. Very strange. After running through the maze for a while, freezing the weak monsters and other contestants I meet along the way, I eventually come to a halt and turn towards Sapphire. She simply nods her head, and we begin moving in different directions. Then I proceed to continue running as well, not stopping for anything after that. With a maze like this, it would be best to split up. Since we can go in different directions and cover more ground this way. And Sapphire can just teleport back to me if she ends up in any danger. Fortunately the dungeon counts the two of us as a single ¡®entity¡¯ in a way. At least, in the ways that count. So when one of us reaches the exit, all we have to do is pass through and it counts for both. Makes situations like this very convenient. Although I¡¯ve honestly grown bored of mazes and labyrinths. Just the number of them that I¡¯ve gone through over the years at this point is¡­ ridiculous. Very ridiculous. At least a few dozen, probably more. It¡¯s like The Reaper¡¯s favorite thing is to put more mazes and labyrinths in the dungeon. Even the very first floor theme is a maze. I let out a sigh as I run at speeds faster than the average human being can even see. All while I keep listening for an exit, lowering my soundproofing bit by bit as I do so. Eventually though, I just grit my teeth and take my headphones off entirely. Something I almost never do. Even then, I still can¡¯t hear where the exit is. Which no doubt means there¡¯s some sort of shenanigans going on blocking me from hearing the exit. Stupid quinzel. So I put my headphones back on and raise the soundproofing again to make it so I can only hear the other contestants and the minotaurs. Because I¡¯m not even sure if I can take on one of those lugs, considering the level gap. Might be able to. Might not. Don¡¯t particularly care enough to try it one way or another. Not like it¡¯d gain me anything. They don¡¯t drop any loot boxes, unlike bosses. There¡¯s also fewer contestants than I was expecting if I¡¯m being honest. I know they said that we¡¯d all be separated into mazes full of just a thousand or so contestants, but still. I¡¯m barely running into any of them. Which also goes to show how large the maze is. This time around they¡¯re only letting five hundred people leave the maze. And the rest can either forfeit ¨C for the other contestants, not me ¨C or they can die. So long as they forfeit before the time runs out. Because forfeiting apparently has a deadline for them. Once again though, not my problem. Especially when these people are just artificial copies of the people in the actual tournament. Makes it very easy to kill them. Not that I¡¯d have issue dealing with someone trying to kill me in the first place. Anyways, I just keep on charging through the place. I tried to destroy the walls once, but that only left me with a bloody knuckle that I healed. So unfortunately they don¡¯t allow skirting the rules at all this time around. A pity. Just gotta keep on marching through this place I guess. B6 | Chapter 12 - The Trick Maze Wolf Time passes as I jog my way through the maze, occasionally leaping over traps, sometimes breaking through them, and more often than not, freezing them solid. But it almost feels like no matter how long I travel through the maze, I¡¯m never going to find the end. Which just makes me hate mazes all the more. They really are just overused in this dungeon. Fortunately, at the very least, I manage to avoid all of the minotaurs. Simply through using the sounds of the place to track their locations. Also, to my surprise, almost half of the contestants in this fifth have already been killed by those minotaurs. And not a single person has made it to an exit. At least, judging by the number of people I still hear and the number I see of the surviving contestants in the maze. Of course, this is of the people in the same maze as me. Not every single person in the quinzel. Which is honestly starting to make me question the existence of the exits. Or exit. Come to think of it, how many exits are there? Just one? Many? The System didn¡¯t specify. I begin to slow down in my march through the maze before coming to a stop with a frown on my face. Something¡¯s wrong here. I just know it. But what? I spend a couple minutes trying to figure that out before starting to move off in a different direction when I hear a minotaur beginning to head my way. But I keep trying to figure out what¡¯s going on as I walk. At this point I¡¯ve made it practically in a large circle around the entire maze. So if there¡¯s an exit, it¡¯s not on the edge of the maze. And I¡¯ve made my way through a good half of the inner portions as well. Still no exits. Then there¡¯s the fact that no one else has found an exit yet. Makes me think there¡¯s something that has to be done before an exit will show up. I continue walking for a bit before starting to run when I notice a minotaur chasing straight in my direction. As if it¡¯d locked onto me and is running after me somehow.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Great. Just what I needed. I run through the maze for a while, not finding any hints of an exit. Then something clicks in my head. I can¡¯t hear an exit. Until now, I assumed that just meant the System made it so you can¡¯t cheat to hear the exit or something. But what if that means the exit is just sealed right now or something? Not that I can¡¯t hear one, but it¡¯s not open. And I¡¯ve been scouring the walls for any traps and the like while running, so I would¡¯ve seen a button while doing that. Meaning it can¡¯t be something along those lines. My eyes narrow as a possibly comes to mind. What if¡­ I grit my teeth at the possibility before deciding to just go with it and stop running. Then I turn around and begin running in the direction of the chasing minotaur. Right. I¡¯m pretty sure I won¡¯t be able to kill this fella, but I should at least be able to escape from it without too much trouble. And it doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s planning on leaving me alone anyways. Time to see if this theory has any merit to it. I keep running until I get close to the creature, at which point I take a whole second to just awe at how massive the thing is. Standing at an entire ten meters tall with the head of a bull, a humanoid body covered in fur, and hooves like a cows on its feet, the minotaur roars its way while charging down the hall towards me. With an axe in hand, of course. Big fella. I move up towards the wall before just stopping and waving at the minotaur. Then, the moment it begins to swing the axe at me after pulling its arm back, I turn into lunar ice element and flash towards the other side of the hall, leading the minotaur to smash his axe into the wall itself. Bringing the damned wall down to the ground and revealing the corridor of the maze behind it. Yep. Thought so. This game is a damned trick. The point of it isn¡¯t to run away from the minotaurs. It¡¯s to bait them into making a fucking exit for you. So I begin a rather big and rather dangerous game of chase. Without telling Sapphire about this. Because I don¡¯t want her trying to bait a minotaur as well. The thing would split me in half with one strike if it hit while I wasn¡¯t elementally shifted. Much less her. And having her here to help me wouldn¡¯t really make much of a difference anyways. We¡¯re not trying to kill it after all. I navigate my way through the maze with the minotaur hot on my tail, ignoring some of the other contestants who end up dying by said minotaur along the way. All while occasionally having it make me a shorter path through a wall. If my theory is correct, it probably doesn¡¯t matter which outer wall you break through. So long as you have a minotaur break through it for you. They¡¯re all outer walls of the maze. So I just continue making a beeline straight for the edge of the maze. And when I arrive at the outer wall? I lead the minotaur into breaking it, making a bright white light shine from the other end. A light I immediately dive right on into, making me once again reappear in a large arena next to Sapphire as cheers rain down on us from the artificial audience of the quinzel. Meanwhile the commentator shouts his voice hoarse at the events he just witnessed. But I just let out a relieved sigh, glad that my hunch was correct. Because if it wasn¡¯t, then I just tore a large path through the maze for no reason and wasted a bunch of time that could¡¯ve been used for searching. I absentmindedly wave towards the audience before glancing at Sapphire, who is currently pouting. Likely due to not being the one to find the exit. A sight that just has me chuckling. Anyways, time for the final fifth of the first quinzel. B6 | Chapter 13 - The Raid Boss Wolf Just like what the notification at the beginning of this floor theme said, the final fifth of the first quinzel is a boss battle. Figuratively. Technically it¡¯s a mini boss, but they¡¯re calling it a boss battle. And by they, I mean the commentator who is shouting his head off while floating high above the stadium. The mini boss of this quinzel hasn¡¯t actually appeared yet. Probably because we¡¯re still waiting on the others. But the commentator isn¡¯t really hiding what it¡¯ll be. Even has a large hologram of the mini boss floating high in the sky. Wonder if that¡¯s some bonus for being one of the first ones to clear the fourth fifth? Probably. Anyways, the mini boss in question is a massive hydra. One with nearly a hundred heads, and a different element coating half the heads, leaving it with a lot of repeat elements. It has pitch black scales on its main body with scales matching whatever element it has for the necks and heads of each, well, head. And it has a single long tail ending in a sharp point. Overall, doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯ll be too much of a problem. Not with our lovely boost towards fire that we got with lunar ice. Since fire doesn¡¯t have any advantage over us anymore that normal magic doesn¡¯t have. At least, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem so long as the System doesn¡¯t suppress my magic and skills. Like it did earlier. The commentator alien guy keeps talking and talking and talking about the hydra and the other competitors. To the point that I end up yawning from boredom when he¡¯s no longer saying anything interesting about the mini boss. Then I summon our Portable System Store and go inside to lie down on a couch and browse the forums. Sapphire does the same thing. Just goes to a different couch and starts reading a book. Out of curiosity, I glance at the title of the book before finding it to be a romance novel. Huh. Wonder if she¡¯s interested in romance? I glance up at the ceiling, trying to ponder over how I¡¯d feel about her having a boyfriend one day. And, to my surprise, I don¡¯t actually find it very unappealing.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Would probably get her off my back. I almost let out a chuckle at that thought. Then again, not like she could get into a relationship in this dungeon. She¡¯d have to leave again. And I doubt she¡¯ll be leaving until after we deal with the Centurion Boss. She probably will after that though. Go back to Aegis. Come to think of it, I¡¯m pretty sure Katie and Aidan mentioned possibly getting married at some point. Something about waiting for me to get out of the dungeon for it. Or at least waiting for me to reach a point where I can safely send my projection out to attend the marriage as a hologram. That¡¯s rather sweet. They¡¯re even talking about having kids after they get married. Assuming that¡¯s possible. Considering that he¡¯s human and she¡¯s a fae. It probably is though, what with our being descendants of fae royalty and all. Would kind of have to be possible for that to happen. I tilt my head back to look up at the ceiling as I consider what it¡¯d be like to have a niece or nephew. Then again¡­ I glance at the sorta teenage girl lying down on her front on the other couch with her arms out over the arm rest and a book in her hand. Just staring at it with a blank look on her face. One reminiscent of my usual neutral face. ¡­can¡¯t be much different from having a daughter of my own. Actually, it could be fun. I could probably spoil them, and I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with the consequences of it. A faint grin stretches across my face at the thought. Sapphire glances at me and frowns before asking, ¡°What¡¯s with the grin?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± I answer her while turning my gaze back to the forums again. ¡°Nothing at all.¡± Out of the corner of my eye, I see her squinting her eyes at me slightly, only for her to shrug to herself and focus on her book again. Then again, wasn¡¯t much I could do in terms of spoiling Sapphire. Unless it was attention, that is. She did get a lot of attention from me over her life. Particularly before she got a humanoid form. Since I didn¡¯t give her as much attention after that. Hard to treat a humanoid girl the same as you¡¯d treat a little spider after all. Even if I didn¡¯t change how I thought of her. Sapphire and I continue lounging around in the Portable System Store for a while until the store itself just kinda vanishes, dropping the both of us onto the stone arena floor. And I immediately spot the many competitors around the massive arena after that, along with the grinning commentator. ¡°And now we begin the final fifth of the First Quinzel!¡± the commentator shouts right when the ground of the arena suddenly cracks. ¡°Welcome the boss of this arena! The one! The onnnllyyyyy!!!! One Hundred Headed Hydraaaaa!!!¡± On cue with his rather dramatic announcement, the arena floor shatters, dropping everyone down as a loud chorus of multiple roars echo out all over, making me increase the soundproofing on my headphones. But the pain from my head doesn¡¯t stop me from looking down at the massive hydra hundreds of meters below us. What does give me pause though is the sight of its level. And it gives me more than just a pause, it makes my eyes widen practically out of my head. That thing is four hundred levels above me. How¡­ why? I¡¯m¡­ not even sure how to respond to that. Other than creating a floating platform of ice with my lunar ice that I land on top of. Along with Sapphire. Ignoring the others who are all trying to catch themselves or stop their fall in their own ways. Then I blink as it hits me. Right. The notification did mention that. The fact that we¡¯re allowed to work together against this boss. I grimace at that. It¡¯s a team boss fight. Or as some video games like to call it, a raid boss. B6 | Chapter 14 - Failed Plots Wolf Damnit, I¡¯ve never been the biggest on teamwork. Especially after spending years in this dungeon either on my own or just alone with Sapphire. Doesn¡¯t exactly build up teamwork skills. I grit my teeth as I look around at the dozens of thousands of other people all falling down alongside the rubble from what used to be the floor. Then I look down at the hydra as some of its many heads jerk upwards to snap at the people who reach it first. The ones who didn¡¯t manage to catch themselves from falling. And it really does become a literal blood bath. With the hydra¡¯s heads chomping into one person after another, some heads moving faster than I¡¯m sure some of the contestants here can even see. My eyes track it though, and I watch as the heads go from one unfortunate victim to another. Some heads chomping halfway through the person, spiling their blood and guts down while others swallow them whole. Some chomp through parts of them, others don¡¯t even bother biting and merely use their magic to freeze, boil, roast, poison, or disintegrate them. Amongst many other types of magic. I frown a little at the massive amounts of blood and gore falling down into the pit where the hydra is waiting. But my attention quickly turns to the other contestants still up here that aren¡¯t falling when some of them throw attacks down at the hydra. Amongst the contestants, probably around only a third of them stopped themselves from falling. Meanwhile a third of the remaining contestants that did fall managed to reach the bottom without becoming hydra chow. Leaving about five ninths of the contestants remaining if my math isn¡¯t wrong. So almost half of the contestants died the moment this raid boss began. Not entirely unexpected considering the fact that there were almost fifty thousand contestants left in this competition before this raid boss fight. But most of the contestants who are attacking the hydra don¡¯t exactly seem to be doing all that much damage to it. Actually, I can tell the stronger ones are all waiting and not attacking at all. Which is the smart move and the same one I¡¯m making right now. It¡¯s best to watch and see what the hydra can do right now rather than rush in. It¡¯s the strongest monster I¡¯ve faced thus far after all.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. All of the people who attack the hydra end up being blasted right back by some of its heads, killing a lot of them in a single blow. But not all of them. Some of the contestants are actually pretty strong, with levels a hundred or more above my own. And those ones at that level that still attacked instead of waiting just seem to be muscleheads. Even if a lot of them don¡¯t have any, well, muscles. Seeing as they¡¯re an insect-like crab species. Actually, wait, do crabs have muscles? They may¡­ but these are also insect-like in a way, so I¡¯m not sure which they¡¯d take after. At least, I don¡¯t think insects have muscles. I at least know spiders don¡¯t have muscles, but spiders are different from insects. My inner tangent is interrupted when some of the other contestants that had waited before begin grouping together while discussing a plan of action. Clearly treating me as some sort of outsider and excluding me. Not that it matters. I just decrease the soundproofing on my headphones and listen in on their plans while keeping an eye on the boss as the thing kills more contestants. It doesn¡¯t take long before I end up quirking a brow though. Oh? So that¡¯s how they want to play? I glance at Sapphire with my brow still raised, making her ask, ¡°What¡¯re they talking about?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing much,¡± I tell her, turning to look at the insectoid crabs. ¡°Just how they¡¯re gonna use us as bait and a sacrifice to kill the thing.¡± She doesn¡¯t say anything for a few seconds before suggesting, ¡°So how are we going to use them as bait?¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± I hum while tapping my chin and glancing between them, the dying contestants, and the hydra. ¡°Well, their plan seems to involve them entering the shadow realm, appearing next to us, attacking the hydra, and entering the shadow realm again. So¡­¡± I pause as the contestants in question vanish in shadows. Then they reappear again right next to me while sending a wave of attacks at the hydra below. But I don¡¯t let them leave, instead freezing them in place before Sapphire and I turn into lunar ice element and casually leave the area to go to the other side of the pit. Meanwhile the hydra goes crazy sending attacks at the frozen idiots. ¡°I think that works,¡± I state after returning to solid form while flapping my wings to stay in the air this time. Sapphire nods her head in agreement, and the other groups of contestants turn their attention away from me. Each of them immediately changing their plans after seeing what Sapphire and I just did to those idiots. ¡°Looks like the others have had a change of heart,¡± I state with a faint smirk on my face. Sapphire snorts and shakes her head while saying, ¡°I bet.¡± I turn my attention away from the dying contestants to focus on the hydra again. A hydra that is currently being attacked by one plan after another, actually beginning to lose a couple of its heads in the process. But, just like a lot of hydras in mythology back on Earth, the hydra just regrows its heads after they¡¯re destroyed. With heads that are severed in any way regrowing to form two heads. Guess using blades and other type of severing attack is out of the question. I glance at Sapphire to find her watching as well. Then I focus on the hydra again. My lunar ice should be fine though. Time to put it to the test. Seeing just how much my ice will do against something at such a high level above my own. B6 | Chapter 15 - Executing the Plan Wolf That said, I don¡¯t just attack the hydra right away. Instead I transform back into lunar ice element before flashing across the pit to appear next to one of the idiots who was clearly planning an attack on me and Sapphire earlier but decided against it after our display. Then I send a wave of lunar ice element straight at the hydra, freezing one of its heads solid. But the head quickly shatters my ice thanks to the significant difference in power between us. And just as I expected, the head fires off a bolt of electricity at me. I casually dip out and return to Sapphire though, avoiding the blow. So the only ones who are actually hit by it are the idiots who planned to attack us. And even they have a shield set up to protect themselves. They set it up the moment I arrived next to them. So they aren¡¯t stupid. Not that it helped much since the electricity shatters their barrier and kills half of them anyways. I return my attention to the hydra down below. And to my surprise, I find that its attention is not on me. Meaning it doesn¡¯t have a big enough attention span to focus on anything but the threats currently attacking it. Interesting. Then again, there are tens of thousands of people attacking it. So it makes sense. Even I can¡¯t focus on every last person in this pit. Not that I necessarily need to since they aren¡¯t stronger than me. I just need to focus on the stronger ones. The ones who are actually dealing damage to the hydra. And that¡¯s what I do. I narrow my eyes at the hydra and watch every last attack that lands on it. Seeing what does what. Sapphire and I move through the pit to avoid attacks as we study the hydra, not sending any attacks of our own at it again after the first fail. Several minutes pass while the commentator continues blabbering on, and through this process, I manage to figure out a few things about the hydra. For one, the hydra seems to be weak to magic. Blunt and non-directly damaging magic, to be exact.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Things like fire, poison, freezing, and the like. Stuff that doesn¡¯t leave clear wounds like cuts or bruises or broken bones. It heals a lot slower with these less-clear wounds than the clearer ones. The thing also doesn¡¯t regrow a second head from them, like it does when the entire head is separated. We continue watching for a bit as the number of contestants here dwindle down from the original fifty or so thousand to around twenty-four thousand. Which is a rather large decrease. And slightly intimidating. But I¡¯ve noticed something during the time it¡¯s been rampaging about. The hydra seems to be slowing down a little. Whether that¡¯s from exhaustion or due to getting overconfident. After all, no one has done any major, long-lasting damage against it. So I wouldn¡¯t put it past the hydra to be overconfident. But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case. It looks a little tired after all. And the ones who have died thus far have been the weaker contestants of this little quinzel. The strongest contestants are still alive and kicking. Not to mention sending attacks at the hydra non-stop. In the end, Sapphire and I continue roaming around the air of the pit without really attacking the hydra while leaving it to the other contestants for another half an hour. Then we finally go on the offensive, putting our plan in action. A plan to take advantage of the hydra¡¯s exhaustion. I transform into my hunter form again before spreading my arms out and setting up a large wall of lunar ice in radiance form in front of me. Then I control that lunar ice to send forth a powerful and enormous wave of lunar ice in ice form straight at the hydra from above. All of the other contestants turn their gazes towards me, but I ignore them for the most part as I pour a large amount of lunar ice in liquid form right after the ice form. And just as I expected, the moment the ice shatters against the heads of the hydras, the liquid form ice flows right over the thing, freezing every last head in the process. ¡°Attack!¡± I shout at the other contestants. And they don¡¯t waste even a moment of time as they all send one attack after another at the large hydra. I briefly nod my head at Sapphire, making her grin and continue my barrage on her own. Then I shrink myself down while changing my form to my regular wolf form, albeit in the size of a puppy. The next step of our plan. To use this battle as a distraction. I feel a wave of excitement fill me as I rush through the many powerful contestants, biting one after another and spreading my infection amongst them. But I make sure to stop the infection from spreading just yet. Something I didn¡¯t realize I could even do before. Control the infection to only spread when I want it and how fast I want it to spread. Probably a new power I got from becoming a pseudo progenitor. I continue moving through the contestants, even as they grow warry of me and try to block me with shields. But most of them are too preoccupied with the hydra to do anything that really stops me. So I go from one contestant to another, infecting thousands upon thousands of them. All the way till the remaining ones join together in a large group and make a barrier. I stop outside of the barrier before nodding my head and going straight back to Sapphire while returning to my hunter form again. ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Sapphire asks as I take control of the barrage of attacks on the hydra again. A wide grin spreads across my face when I answer, ¡°It went well.¡± B6 | Chapter 16 - Fall of the Hydra Wolf I turn back to the hydra as I spread my arms out on either side and send out a massive wave of lunar ice of eternity throughout the pit. Freezing all of the walls and reinforcing the ice on the hydra itself. Some of which it had started to melt a bit. Then I transform into my hunter form again, rising to my full heigh while flying high above the pit with my wings. And without any hesitation, let out a loud howl that echoes throughout the pit as I activate the infection running through the ten or so thousand contestants that I managed to bite. Just like that, all of the infected contestants begin to convulse, losing their ability to fly in the process. Only for me to create a large barrier of ice below them that they land on while convulsing. All of the other contestants quickly grow wary as glowing blue veins begin to stretch through the bodies of the infected and they convulse. Then they actually begin to turn their defenses my way, not quite attacking but preparing for it if necessary. Clearly taking my actions as aggressive towards them. Which, in a way, I wouldn¡¯t really say they weren¡¯t. I narrow my eyes at the thousands of creatures all gaining forms that look like a split between crabs, insects, and wolves. Which is a little disturbing, not gonna lie to myself. Also, I¡¯m starting to wonder¡­ what¡¯s with all of the crabs? First my crab friend who may or may not have started a religion, and now these things? Although I won¡¯t ever be seeing these things again after this floor theme. So there¡¯s that. Anyways, I watch for a bit as all of them complete their transformations. Just focusing on helping Sapphire with stalling the hydra down below so that it doesn¡¯t attack the barrier holding them up. All the way until they finish their transformations and begin to return to the air above the barrier in whatever ways they used before. Many of whom include flying with wings or magic. And after every last one is finished with their transformations, I ignore the wary looks all of the other contestants are given the newly turned ones to let out another howl that resonates throughout the pit. Followed immediately after by raising both of my clawed paws into the air and making a massive orb of lunar ice of eternity appear at the center of all of the contestants. Then I let out another howl, directing each of the turned contestants to push all of the lunar ice elemental energy they have inside of them into the orb as well. Making the orb grow larger, and larger, and larger. So large that all of the other contestants begin to flee far away from it. Specifically after some of the ones closer to it start to freeze just from the proximity.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. And when I feel there¡¯s enough power in it, I turn into lunar ice of eternity myself and move straight above the orb before pushing both of my hands into it. Forcing all of the energy in the orb to shoot straight downwards toward the large hydra in a single beam of energy. A beam that breaks straight through the ice barrier I made and crashes into the hydra below. Instantly making it begin to freeze over entirely as an icy mist spreads all throughout the pit. Blocking everyone¡¯s vision but me, Sapphire, and the turned contestants. I rapidly feel my own stamina depleting with the effort of using all of this power, but I keep on doing it anyways. With Sapphire aiding in the control of it all while keeping her own stamina on standby in case this isn¡¯t enough. But it turns out to be plenty as I watch the hydra rapidly freeze into one massive statue. Then the statue starts to crack. Once. Twice. Small cracks, large cracks. All the way until the entire thing shatters, with the hydra along with it. Killing the hydra in a single blow. One that the creature isn¡¯t able to regenerate from. Then silence fills the entire pit. Without a single contestant or anything at all making a sound. Nothing but the icy mist slowly beginning to fade away, revealing the frozen parts of the hydra, all scattered on the ground of the pit. The silence continues for several more seconds before everyone is suddenly teleported back to the arena without the pit there as screams of applause fill the entire place. Meanwhile the commentator shouts his head off, ¡°And that¡¯s allllll sheeeeee wrooooottteeee!!!!! The hydra has been defeated!!! In just a single blow!!!¡± I grimace and lower the sensitivity of my ears again while glancing at the ten or so thousand lunar winter beasts I kind of created. All of whom are just looking at me with awe in their gazes. On the other hand, the contestants I didn¡¯t turn are looking at me with fear clearly visible within their gazes. ¡°We have now finished the very first of the Quinzels!!!!¡± the commentator shouts, making me glance up at him again. ¡°Stay tuned for the next Quinzel!!!¡± My gaze turns towards the center of the arena as the other contestants slowly begin to trickle out and a mini boss chest appears there. One with multiple hydra heads going all around it, just like the hydra that we killed. Huh. Forgot about the mini boss chest with this whole competition format of the floor theme. I walk over to the thing before pausing right in front of it, my hand just barely not touching it. Then I pull back and turn towards Sapphire, who is right next to me, as I say, ¡°Ya know what? How about you open it Sapphire.¡± She instantly smiles at me and walks up to touch the thing. It¡¯s better this way. She has better luck after all. But my opinion instantly changes when I see the resulting item appearing above the chest. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Tier 8 Ancient Hydra Bone: This bone comes from an ancient draugr and can be used in crafting fire element weapons. It can be used to increase the overall damage boost of a weapon of Tier 8 or below by 20%. Close -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- I stare at Sapphire for a few seconds, finding her awkwardly looking away. Then I let out a sigh and grab the bone, putting it in my ring. Right. So I¡¯m opening it next time. I turn to walk towards the exit that appeared the moment she touched the chest. B6 | Chapter 16 - Fall of the Hydra Wolf I turn back to the hydra as I spread my arms out on either side and send out a massive wave of lunar ice of eternity throughout the pit. Freezing all of the walls and reinforcing the ice on the hydra itself. Some of which it had started to melt a bit. Then I transform into my hunter form again, rising to my full heigh while flying high above the pit with my wings. And without any hesitation, let out a loud howl that echoes throughout the pit as I activate the infection running through the ten or so thousand contestants that I managed to bite. Just like that, all of the infected contestants begin to convulse, losing their ability to fly in the process. Only for me to create a large barrier of ice below them that they land on while convulsing. All of the other contestants quickly grow wary as glowing blue veins begin to stretch through the bodies of the infected and they convulse. Then they actually begin to turn their defenses my way, not quite attacking but preparing for it if necessary. Clearly taking my actions as aggressive towards them. Which, in a way, I wouldn¡¯t really say they weren¡¯t. I narrow my eyes at the thousands of creatures all gaining forms that look like a split between crabs, insects, and wolves. Which is a little disturbing, not gonna lie to myself. Also, I¡¯m starting to wonder¡­ what¡¯s with all of the crabs? First my crab friend who may or may not have started a religion, and now these things? Although I won¡¯t ever be seeing these things again after this floor theme. So there¡¯s that. Anyways, I watch for a bit as all of them complete their transformations. Just focusing on helping Sapphire with stalling the hydra down below so that it doesn¡¯t attack the barrier holding them up. All the way until they finish their transformations and begin to return to the air above the barrier in whatever ways they used before. Many of whom include flying with wings or magic. And after every last one is finished with their transformations, I ignore the wary looks all of the other contestants are given the newly turned ones to let out another howl that resonates throughout the pit. Followed immediately after by raising both of my clawed paws into the air and making a massive orb of lunar ice of eternity appear at the center of all of the contestants. Then I let out another howl, directing each of the turned contestants to push all of the lunar ice elemental energy they have inside of them into the orb as well. Making the orb grow larger, and larger, and larger. So large that all of the other contestants begin to flee far away from it. Specifically after some of the ones closer to it start to freeze just from the proximity.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. And when I feel there¡¯s enough power in it, I turn into lunar ice of eternity myself and move straight above the orb before pushing both of my hands into it. Forcing all of the energy in the orb to shoot straight downwards toward the large hydra in a single beam of energy. A beam that breaks straight through the ice barrier I made and crashes into the hydra below. Instantly making it begin to freeze over entirely as an icy mist spreads all throughout the pit. Blocking everyone¡¯s vision but me, Sapphire, and the turned contestants. I rapidly feel my own stamina depleting with the effort of using all of this power, but I keep on doing it anyways. With Sapphire aiding in the control of it all while keeping her own stamina on standby in case this isn¡¯t enough. But it turns out to be plenty as I watch the hydra rapidly freeze into one massive statue. Then the statue starts to crack. Once. Twice. Small cracks, large cracks. All the way until the entire thing shatters, with the hydra along with it. Killing the hydra in a single blow. One that the creature isn¡¯t able to regenerate from. Then silence fills the entire pit. Without a single contestant or anything at all making a sound. Nothing but the icy mist slowly beginning to fade away, revealing the frozen parts of the hydra, all scattered on the ground of the pit. The silence continues for several more seconds before everyone is suddenly teleported back to the arena without the pit there as screams of applause fill the entire place. Meanwhile the commentator shouts his head off, ¡°And that¡¯s allllll sheeeeee wrooooottteeee!!!!! The hydra has been defeated!!! In just a single blow!!!¡± I grimace and lower the sensitivity of my ears again while glancing at the ten or so thousand lunar winter beasts I kind of created. All of whom are just looking at me with awe in their gazes. On the other hand, the contestants I didn¡¯t turn are looking at me with fear clearly visible within their gazes. ¡°We have now finished the very first of the Quinzels!!!!¡± the commentator shouts, making me glance up at him again. ¡°Stay tuned for the next Quinzel!!!¡± My gaze turns towards the center of the arena as the other contestants slowly begin to trickle out and a mini boss chest appears there. One with multiple hydra heads going all around it, just like the hydra that we killed. Huh. Forgot about the mini boss chest with this whole competition format of the floor theme. I walk over to the thing before pausing right in front of it, my hand just barely not touching it. Then I pull back and turn towards Sapphire, who is right next to me, as I say, ¡°Ya know what? How about you open it Sapphire.¡± She instantly smiles at me and walks up to touch the thing. It¡¯s better this way. She has better luck after all. But my opinion instantly changes when I see the resulting item appearing above the chest. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Tier 8 Ancient Hydra Bone: This bone comes from an ancient draugr and can be used in crafting fire element weapons. It can be used to increase the overall damage boost of a weapon of Tier 8 or below by 20%. Close -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- I stare at Sapphire for a few seconds, finding her awkwardly looking away. Then I let out a sigh and grab the bone, putting it in my ring. Right. So I¡¯m opening it next time. I turn to walk towards the exit that appeared the moment she touched the chest. B6 | Chapter 17 - Adjustments The Void Stream ¡°And there it is folks!!! The end of the first Centurion Quinzel!!!¡± Mikaela shouts, his voice echoing throughout the entire viewing room as both void creatures and users of all sorts fill the bleachers. Albeit with the users sitting far away from the void creatures. ¡°And it ended in a raaather surprising way, if I do say so myself.¡± ¡°I wonder how His Excellency feels about this¡­¡± the void creature who joined him not too long ago in commentating the Void Stream mutters as the black-scale-covered humanoid lizard with pitch black eyes stares at the screen. ¡°With this the pseudo progenitor may blast his way through the next several floors with ease.¡± Mikaela nods his head in agreement as he watches Wolf and Sapphire both appear within another arena for the two hundred and ninety-second floor. Where he appears alongside thousands upon thousands of lunar winter beasts, each of whom serve his will thanks to their mutations. Then the commentator within the stadium there starts talking just like the commentator for the two hundred and ninety-first floor. Which has Mikaela feeling ever so slightly weird at the sight. ¡°It feels weird to be commentating on a commentator commentating on the competitor,¡± Mikaela finds himself muttering, to the amusement of the audience who laughs at him. ¡°To all of you who have cleared the First Centurion Quinzel, congraaaatuuullaaaaatioooonsss!!!!!¡± the crab-spider hybrid creature shouts as he floats high above all of the competitors of the Quinzel. ¡°But if you think the Second Centurion Quinzel will be just as easy to clear, you¡¯re dead wrong!¡± After his words, a notification appears in front of Wolf, visible to everyone in the viewing room.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
Welcome to the Second Centurion Quinzel! Unlike with the First Centurion Quinzel, the first fifth of the Second Centurion Quinzel is a fully solo event. All competitors will compete on their own with no assistance from anyone as they race to find a particular crystal linked to their soul within an enormous set of caverns! Every cave system is unique to each competitor, and the competitors will not be in each other¡¯s caves.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. And within each cave system are monsters of all kinds, all guarding the many different crystals scattered throughout the caves. The victory conditions for this fifth are as follows: Find your linked crystal Survive for the seventy-two hour duration of the fifth
¡°Now go!!! Go and begin your hunts!¡± the commentator declares before everyone inside of the arena is suddenly teleported away. Following which the viewing room¡¯s livestream moves to where Wolf was teleported. ¡°Looks like he wasn¡¯t separated from Sapphire,¡± Mikaela comments as everyone finds Wolf and Sapphire standing inside of a large cavern covered in crystals. With monsters already flooding into the cavern they¡¯re in from tunnels on the walls. ¡°And the monsters aren¡¯t even going to give them a moment to take in their surroundings either.¡± The monsters in question have varying appearances, with some of them looking like large crystal spiders, others large crystal crabs, and some of them even like large crystal versions of different mammals. Like bears and wolves. Some of the monsters have varying amounts of crystals as well, with a few of the species being made one hundred percent of crystals, and others just being regular monsters with crystals growing from their body. But the biggest difference the vampire commentator notices about the monsters is the color of their crystals, along with the element they¡¯re emitting. ¡°It looks like the crystals on their body influence the element they use,¡± he mutters while crossing his arms. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± the void creature mimics his position on the other side of the large screen. ¡°They don¡¯t stand a chance against a pseudo progenitor.¡± Mikaela feels himself numbly nodding his head in agreement as he watches Wolf simply wave his hand once, instantly causing a wave of pale blue light to shoot out from him that freezes everything inside of the cavern. Whether it¡¯s the cavern walls, the crystals on the walls, or the monsters. Regardless of what element they were using. Then Wolf and Sapphire begin to take in their surroundings as if those monsters weren¡¯t there. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m curious if any of the regular monsters in this place will even pose a threat to him,¡± Mikaela says, feeling rather amused by the situation in general. Then he blinks and glances at the audience as he asks, ¡°Anyone wanna bet he¡¯ll break a record for the Centurion Quinzel?¡± Laughter fills the viewing room as Mikaela grins, only for his grin to fade ever so slightly when he sees the stone-cold look on the void creature¡¯s face. Along with the faces of the void creature half of his audience. Damn. I¡¯m still not sure how to cater to the void creatures in here¡­ The laughter of the System users continues while the void creatures stay silent. Meanwhile Wolf and Sapphire begin to move around the cavern to check its walls. Only to find nothing of interest and leave the cavern in different directions. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re splitting up,¡± Mikaela says while floating a bit closer to the screen. ¡°It¡¯s the best way to go about this,¡± the void creature commentator declares, still with his arms crossed. Mikaela nods his head at that before smirking as he says, ¡°I wonder how the new lunar winter beasts are adjusting to their strength?¡± From what he remembers, it takes weeks for a newly turned lunar winter beast to fully adjust to their new body. Which is nowhere near enough time for this event. They should at least be able to move around, but will they be able to clear the monsters and search for their crystal? Part of Mikaela is curious about how it¡¯ll go down for them, but another part of him doesn¡¯t care. Since the other competitors of this competition are just copies of the real ones outside of their universe. So they don¡¯t matter in the long-run and won¡¯t likely even exist after the Winter Wolf leaves this floor theme. With that, he simply focuses his attention on Wolf as the man roams the caves of the first fifth of the Second Centurion Quinzel. B6 | Chapter 18 - Bugs for Days Wolf I¡¯m not entirely sure how I feel about this particular event. Because when I first started it, I was bored as hell just wandering around looking for a crystal. But not long after I started complaining ¨C in my head, of course ¨C about how bored I was, I started getting attacked by monsters. Lots. Of monsters. And these monsters all seem to be immune to my element somehow. So no matter how much I try to freeze them, the ice just doesn¡¯t stick to them, and they ignore it. Leaving me fighting these pests with my physical strength alone. Which wouldn¡¯t be a problem if it weren¡¯t¡¯ for the fact that there are thousands of these pests. And I mean it when I call them pests, since they¡¯re all bugs. Ants, mosquitos, flies, beetles, roaches, and so on. Except jumbo sized to the point that they¡¯re larger than me. And made out of crystals. On the other hand, Sapphire is probably having a good time. Since I know she likes to eat bugs. What with her being a large spider and all, even if she spends more time in her humanoid form than her spider form nowadays. A spider will always be a spider after all. Except when it comes to roaches apparently. That aside, she¡¯s stronger with her physical strength than her use of lunar ice. So she¡¯s probably fine with this method of fighting. I continue tearing apart the bugs with my claws in my hunter form, finding my armor and jacket to be repeatedly cleaning themselves off every single time bug guts gets on them. And I continue tearing them apart for hours. And hours. And more hours. It takes me two entire days to find anything of note in the damned caves. And that¡¯s in the form of some faint crystals growing on the walls. But I don¡¯t feel anything particularly special about the crystals. Crystals themselves though mean that I might be getting somewhere. So I follow the path that the crystals make. Only to find stronger bugs while doing so. Bugs that are over an entire hundred levels above me. At this point I¡¯m beginning to grow tired, and I have to actually fight them seriously instead of swatting them like the insects they are. Jumping around the tunnel to avoid their strikes while striking back at their weak points. Occasionally using my element to maneuver myself around. Unfortunately for me, when I tried elemental shifting at some point earlier, I found it to not be working at all.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Overall, this fifth of the Second Centurion Quinzel is a major fucking pain in the ass. And it was very clearly made directly to counter me in every way. I¡¯m guessing the other competitors¡¯ caves are likely the same way. Since it said they were unique to each competitor. Probably made it so that these caves all counter the competitor they were made for. Although that doesn¡¯t include Sapphire, since she¡¯s in here with me. I continue fighting against the large bugs one after another, still finding them to be gradually growing stronger and stronger as time passes. And after another six hours, I find myself entering a massive cavern filled with crystals all around the entire place. Not to mention more bugs. Even larger ones to compensate for the larger space. I let out a sigh. Then I frown when I check the levels and beta dictionary of some of these pests. What. The. Fuck?
Crystaline Royal Jacket ¨C Lunar Ice Variant Unnamed
A wasp averaging at thirty meters in length from head to stinger made entirely out of a special type of crystal. One completely immune to all lunar ice elemental attacks and effects. These creatures have a special venom in their stinger that will rapidly drain the target of elemental energy when injected. N/A
Level ¨C 6518
This thing is stronger than the hydra in terms of levels. Although probably not in physical or magical strength. Except that it¡¯s immune to my element, just like all of the other monsters in this place. This is bullshit. At least for the others they weren¡¯t too much higher level than me. But this one is nearly two hundred levels above me. I¡¯m only level 6320 after all. And if I¡¯m struggling this hard, I can¡¯t help but wonder how hard the other competitors are struggling. I jump straight up into the air, using my lunar ice element to shoot me up and keep me in the air before slashing down with my gauntleted claws to meet the closest wasp¡¯s stinger. Leading to an even clash with the two of us both sending each other flying. Then I jump back up again when more wasps begin to fly my way from deeper down in the cavern. But there are too many of them, and I¡¯m sent flying back and forth, with me barely even getting a hit in. Only managing to kill one of them despite my own injuries covering my entire body within seconds of the battle starting. Fortunately for me though, I have my regeneration. So I heal back up both with my own natural regen and my healing magic. Which does still work, thankfully. And just like this, the wasps and I ¨C and they are all wasps in this particular cavern ¨C clash over and over again. With me only occasionally killing them while they all go ham on me, treating me like a damned punching bag. But I manage to avoid their stingers entirely, even occasionally taking other hits to keep avoiding the stingers. Because something tells me that getting stung is a very bad idea. Other than the whole ¡®drain elemental energy¡¯ thing. And it¡¯s not just the fact that their stinger is larger than I am. Although I¡¯ll admit that it¡¯s part of the reason. But after fighting them for half an hour, something happens that changes everything. A loud screeching sound echoes throughout the cavern, following which a wasp even larger than the others flies out of a crevasse in the wall deep down in the cavern below. In a large pit. And this wasp is at least fifty meters long, with a level over a hundred above the others. Well, shit. This won¡¯t be fun. I hope Sapphire is alright, because I might not be. B6 | Chapter 19 - Wolf and Wasp Wolf The battle completely turns around the moment the enormous wasp appears. Which makes perfect sense considering that its level ¨C when I looked at its beta dictionary result ¨C turns out to be an extra fifty levels above the other wasps. Which is fucking ridiculous. I don¡¯t let this slow me down though as I continue taking hit after hit after hit while gradually whittling away at the wasps¡¯ numbers. Using the fact that I can still heal myself and use my own regeneration to my advantage to pretty much make myself unkillable. Until one of the wasps finally manages to sting me after half an hour passes, and I feel my lunar ice elemental energy immediately draining at a rapid pace. I immediately rush to freeze the venom within my body before quite literally stabbing myself with my claws and ripping a chunk of my own body out along with the frozen venom. Not letting the venom spread far enough to be a problem in the process. Then the wound quickly begins to heal as I pant in exhaustion. But this whole thing slowed me down enough that I end up being slammed into a cavern wall on top of numerous sharp crystals. All of which stab into my body while the other wasps rush at me with their stingers raised. Without hesitation, I send out a powerful explosion of lunar ice element all around me. And even if it doesn¡¯t do a single thing to the wasps, it shatters the crystals impaling me and sends me flying because of the pushback against the wall. Letting me avoid the wasps entirely in the process as they end up stinging the wall instead of me. I then continue my little game of stinger tag as I fly around killing off the wasps one by one. All the way until there¡¯s just one wasp left. Their queen. I narrow my eyes a little bit before searching for an item that I might use in this situation. Something that¡¯s not my sword, that is. Since that¡¯s got a cooldown period, and I don¡¯t want to waste it on a creature that isn¡¯t even the mini boss. But I need something to use against it since my claws just won¡¯t pierce its carapace unlike the other wasps.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Besides. I¡¯ve got plenty of items to waste since I barely ever remember that they exist in the first place. And after flying away from the angry wasp while searching, I eventually find something. Even if it¡¯s not something I particularly like. So without hesitation, I summon forth the hand cannon before activating it and shooting out a large orb of what looks like molten lava straight at the queen wasp. Then I proceed to fly straight to a crevasse in the cavern while freezing myself into a large ball. Now to watch the fireworks. Mere seconds after freezing myself solid, the orb of molten lava hits the queen wasp and explodes. Sending lava and flames all throughout the entire cavern as I hear the wasp screeching in anger and pain. A faint smirk stretches across my face at the sight of the ice around me not melting. Good. This is probably the first time I¡¯ve really tried it, but my lunar ice of eternity really is completely immune to fire now. What with it taking on radiance element aspects as well. And I couldn¡¯t be happier about it. The weapon I used is something called a Molten Photon Cannon. It shoots out a mixture of radiation, electromagnetic waves, light, and magma in a single burst that has aspects similar to two different types of things. One of which is a volcanic eruption. The other is a laser beam. Except in an orb shape instead of a beam. And while it is quite a bit weaker than me in general¡­ A smile stretches across my face when the steam and lava in the air finally clears, letting me see the queen wasp as she angrily screeches at me from her place up in the air. Without a scrap of that annoying carapace left on her body. ¡­it¡¯s good for getting rid of her armor. The wasp flies straight down towards me with its stinger surprisingly still in one piece before stabbing said stinger straight into my ice. Clearly overpowering my eternal aspect in the process as I turn into lunar ice element and fly away. Then I reform on the other side of the cavern while popping my neck a little. Alright. Time to deal with this pest for good. I coat my gauntlets in ice element before rushing straight at the queen wasp while it¡¯s trying to turn around. And the moment my claws make contact with its head, I finally feel some give as my claws slowly dig in a little. The queen is fast though and turns around while trying to bite me, making me move backwards again without hesitation. Then it flies forwards in another attempt to sting me. An attempt of which I dodge by turning into lunar ice element and moving around to its other side. And just like the first time, I claw at the thing without hesitation. Then the two of us proceed to dance like this for nearly half an entire hour. With me dodging its attacks before counterattacking once and backing away. Over and over again without it getting even a single hit in on me. Which makes sense. I¡¯ve strengthened my physical body quite a bit thanks to the Ring of Frost Devouring, and it¡¯s just a single enemy that I¡¯m facing. Unlike before with the dozens upon dozens of wasps attacking me. So the queen slowly grows weaker and weaker as it looses what passes for blood for a wasp at a rather rapid pace thanks to all of my attacks. The only nuisance is how I still can¡¯t dig too deep with my attacks. But that doesn¡¯t matter. Because it eventually just keels over and dies from lack of¡­ whatever that blood equivalent was called. Giving me the surprise of finding a loot box appearing at the bottom center of the cavern. Nice. Gotta love loot. B6 | Chapter 20 - Stolen Job The Void Stream ¡°Again, I¡¯m starting to wonder what my purpose of even being here is¡­¡± Mikaela mutters as the commentator inside of the Beta Dungeon commentates excitedly about the item The Winter Wolf just got from the queen wasp¡¯s chest, making the audience within the Void Stream break out into laughter. With the item he got being a single stinger of the wasps¡¯ that has some of their venom in it. Venom that can rapidly drain a user of energy. ¡°Your job is to entertain the people in here,¡± the void creature working alongside him states in a no-nonsensical tone of voice. ¡°So get to it.¡± His words both make Mikaela grit his teeth since he knows very well what would happen if he didn¡¯t perform his job well, and they make audience laugh. Largely because at this point a lot of them are convinced the void creature won¡¯t harm them. Simply because he hasn¡¯t harmed them since he first showed up. Even Mikaela knows that he won¡¯t harm them so long as they don¡¯t cross the line. But what he¡¯s worried about is possibly accidentally crossing the line. And there¡¯s no one in the Reaper¡¯s universe that can fend of the void creatures, nor is there anyone who would even try. Except maybe the Winter Wolf¡¯s backers. Backers who also want to see him commentating on the Beta Dungeon and are paying him sponsorships to do so. Ah, life just isn¡¯t fair sometimes¡­ His thoughts return to the stream when The Winter Wolf stumbles on another nest of bugs, making Mikaela shout, ¡°And another bug brawl is about to commence! These ones seem to have that same immunity made specifically to counter our beloved pseudo-progenitor, so how will he handle them this time?!¡± Meanwhile the crab-bug hybrid commentator thing in the stream itself also commentates, ¡°And it¡¯s time for round two! Just how many of these bug nests will this challenger face before finding his crystal?!¡± Mikaela¡¯s eyebrow twitches in some slight irritation. Mostly because the commentator in the Beta Dungeon itself was talking over him for some of that. This is getting really annoying. He glances at the void creature and sends him a telepathic communication asking, ¡®Is there any chance we can turn off the commentator through the livestream? Make it so we can¡¯t hear him from here? He¡¯s interfering with my work.¡¯ And, of course, the void creature just ignores him while staring at the livestream screen.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Mikaela eventually lets out a sigh before turning back to the screen to find The Winter Wolf seemingly having an easier time against these bugs. With him using his lunar ice as a shield to block attacks, no doubt having grown some more understanding of what their immunity means. ¡°And here we go folks! It looks like The Winter Wolf¡¯s realized that just because they¡¯re immune to his ice doesn¡¯t mean they can break it!¡± Mikaela shouts, his excitement ramping up a little even with the irritation that is the other commentator still speaking. ¡°But these bugs are rather high level, so the question is¡­¡± He pauses right when one of the higher level elite bugs ¨C a giant beetle ¨C manages to smash his ice due to its overwhelming strength. ¡°¡­I guess it¡¯s not a question anymore. Some of these bugs are indeed strong enough to break his ice.¡± His eyes narrow a little bit as he opens a screen in front of him and shows the replay. After a few seconds he raises his voice again and states, ¡°But it looks like the beetle had to use quite a bit of energy in that attack, so it wasn¡¯t an easy feat for it!¡± And just like that, The Winter Wolf continues using his lunar ice of eternity as a shield against the bugs while slowly killing them off. Eventually revealing the beetle¡¯s leader in the process. ¡°Well that¡¯s a big fella,¡± Mikaela comments without taking his eyes off of the massive creature. The bug is about ten meters in length with two massive horns on its head and a thick shell protecting it from danger. One thick enough to not even so much as get a dent when The Winter Wolf jumps down and slams his claws on the shell. Not even a single crack. ¡°I can see one possible way The Winter Wolf could take care of this,¡± Mikaela says with his eyes narrowed a little bit. Meanwhile the crowd within the Void Stream explodes shouting various ways they would deal with the beetle. And many of them match what he¡¯s thinking. ¡°Flip it over!!!¡± ¡°FLIIIPPP IIIITTT!!!!¡± ¡°Put it on its back!¡± ¡°Go for the head!¡± ¡°Go for the mouth!¡± The Winter Wolf, who doesn¡¯t hear any of this, simply tries a couple more times to hit its shell. With him attempting to hit the same place over and over again to see if it¡¯ll do anything. But when it doesn¡¯t even leave a dent after hitting it several times in the same place, he just backs away before slamming his palm into the ground. Mikaela feels another rush of excitement as a pillar of ice shoots up from beneath the beetle, knocking it over onto its back and revealing its underside. One that isn¡¯t protected by a shell. The crowd roars its own excitement out at the scene showcased on the screen, meanwhile The Winter Wolf jumps onto the beetle¡¯s belly and begins digging through it with abandon. Leaving the beetle completely incapable of defending itself. But unfortunately for The Winter Wolf, the beetle is not alone. All of its beetle underlings charge at The Winter Wolf in an attempt to stop him from tearing up their leader, but Wolf simply sets up a large barrier around them. One that, even though he no doubt knows the beetles can break it, gives him plenty of time to finish off the leader of the beetles. Making another loot box appear in the center of the room. A gray positive chest at that. ¡°And here we have it! Another wonderful positive chest!¡± Mikaela shouts, feeling his excitement returning to him despite his irritation with the other commentator stealing his job on this floor theme. ¡°Just what will he get from it!¡± Of course, The Winter Wolf first spends a couple dozen more minutes to deal with the rest of the beetles. But that only makes the thrill even greater thanks to the suspense as he walks over to the positive chest. Until he opens it to find nothing more than a simple Tier 8 fragment of the beetle¡¯s shell with the immunity to his own element. Silence fills the Void Stream. ¡°Well, uh¡­¡± Mikaela mutters while scratching the back of his neck. ¡°Better luck next time?¡± An awkward round of laughter fills the viewing room. Meanwhile the commentator in the Beta Dungeon just keeps talking. B6 | Chapter 21 - The Second Fifth Wolf Seriously? Why on Earth would I need a shell fragment that¡¯s immune to my own element? There¡¯s literally no reason for it¡­ I¡¯m immune to my own element. I have absolutely no need for something immune to it even if I can craft armor from this shell. Whoever decides these rewards should be fired. I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s the System doing it or not, it should be fired. Despite all my inner complaints about the shell though I toss it in with my other garbage for storage before moving on through the tunnels. And along the way I end up finding several more caverns full of bugs, each with mini bosses in them. But one by one I defeat them all. Just slaughtering my way through the bugs in search of my crystal. Unfortunately for me, my luck seems to have just about run out since no matter how hard I search, I just can¡¯t seem to find the damn thing. Eventually almost the entire seventy-two hour period passes, making me hurry up and begin rushing straight through while ignoring the mini bosses and bugs. Just to search for the damn crystal. Because there is no fucking way I¡¯m going to be killed just because I couldn¡¯t find some stupid crystal in time. Time feels like it begins to move at a crawl as I hurriedly search everywhere I can find. All the way until the countdown reaches just five seconds remaining. Four. Three. Two. One. Any of the panic I¡¯m feeling right now suddenly vanishes when I find myself teleported back to the main stadium as the audience¡¯s cheers fill it to the brim and a notification appears in my vision. With confusion immediately replacing the panic.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
Congratulations on completing the first fifth of the Second Centurion Quinzel! You have found your linked crystal and are ready to move on to the Third Centurion Quinzel!
¡°Aaaaannnnd that¡¯s it for the first fifth of the Second Centurion Quinzel!!! Give our winners a round of applause before they dive head-first into the second fifth!!!¡± the commentator shouts, his voice echoing across the entire stadium. I blink before glancing to the side to find Sapphire yawning next to me in her human form.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. With a certain crystal sticking out of her pocket. She looks at me before closing her eyes as she yawns. So I reach out and pat her head with a smile. ¡°Good job,¡± I tell her, surprising her, only for a wide smile to stretch across her face. She hums in response before another Beta Dungeon Notification appears in my vision.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
Welcome to the second fifth of the Second Centurion Quinzel! Now that you have all collected your linked crystals, you will be using them for the second fifth! The second fifth will take place within a grand palace filled with monsters. All of the competitors will be placed within the palace and must locate their personal exit to escape. These exits will be linked to your linked crystal and may only be opened by said crystal, so make sure you do not lose your crystal. Rewards will be given out according to the following actions within the grand palace: Killing mini bosses Killing other competitors Stealing other competitor¡¯s crystals The rewards for the above actions will be determined upon completion of the second fifth of the Second Centurion Quinzel. Good luck, and watch out for invisible bugs.
¡°Now it¡¯s time to start off in the next fifth!¡± the commentator shouts before everything around us warps and I find Sapphire and I appearing within a rather large palace. One seemingly made out of a type of blue stone. Meanwhile water slowly drips down from said stone. Oddly enough though I don¡¯t see any cracks for the water to come from. It¡¯s almost as if the water is being made by the stones themselves. Interesting¡­ ¡°When I looked at the other competitors in the room, it seemed as if at least two thirds of the remaining twenty or so thousand competitors were lunar winter beasts,¡± I point out to Sapphire who had her eyes almost closed the entire time we were there and most likely missed it. She yawns and rubs her eyes as she hums in understanding. A faint smile stretches across my face as I pat her once more and say, ¡°You can take a break this time around. Let me handle this fifth.¡± Sapphire nods before handing me the linked crystal and turning into her tiny spider form and climbing up to my jacket¡¯s hood to sleep. I¡¯m honestly a little curious how large that first fifth was, seeing as I never ran into Sapphire again throughout the entire thing. But she seems tired. I sometimes forget that she can actually get tired, seeing as she¡¯s not a pseudo progenitor like me. Someone who can literally just restore his health and stamina using energy in my surroundings. And that¡¯s not even considering the bugs, since she¡¯s not as strong as I am. So she probably struggled a good bit against them. All in all, she deserves this rest. I focus on the halls of the grand palace around me. But I can¡¯t help but feel like something¡¯s wrong as I do so. After a second I go back and pull up the notification from my notification history before rereading through it. And as I do that, I quickly realize what feels wrong about it. There¡¯s no time limit for the second fifth. That just feels wrong for some reason. Off. And that last warning about invisible bugs¡­ for some reason I feel like that is a lot more important than it sounds. Hmm. I should¡­ My thoughts halt when I notice some life sources leaving the walls somehow. Not many of them, but some. But when I look at them I don¡¯t see anything with my eyes. So I do the logical thing and freeze everything in this hallway, making a bunch of frozen lumps fall down to the ground in the process. Guess those are the invisible bugs. B6 | Chapter 22 - A Casual Palace Stroll Wolf Well, who cares about these bugs. I put my hands in my coat pockets and begin walking through the halls of the palace while quietly expelling lunar ice element of eternity from my body. Making the walls, floor, and ceiling all freeze simply from my passing. Not to mention any invisible bugs that I pass, giving me EXP for each one I end up killing. Eventually I run into some regular monsters in the place that aren¡¯t the invisible bugs. But they freeze too, since the monsters here aren¡¯t immune to my ice like they were in the last fifth. A faint smile touches my lips as I continue walking through the halls, just searching for my personal exit as Sapphire sleeps. After just three minutes pass I manage to find my first two ¡®enemy¡¯ competitors. And I say enemy because they are technically supposed to be my enemies, but instead I give them the order of searching for my personal exit for me. Well, that and to give me their crystals so that they don¡¯t try to run. Because it¡¯s always nice to have extra search parties. I do the exact same with every other lunar winter beast I find. And I do it to the ones who aren¡¯t lunar winter beasts as well. After turning them into lunar winter beasts, that is. Because this competition doesn¡¯t need anything other than lunar winter beasts. And I¡¯ll dump all the crystals I get from them outside of my personal exit when it¡¯s found. Just so I¡¯m not left soloing every single centurion quinzel. What with how there are raid bosses mixed in with the quinzels meant for numerous people to fight at once. While there¡¯s a decent enough chance that I can fight and kill them on my own, why would I force myself to do that when I can just use an army of lunar winter beasts? I don¡¯t even have to care about the people themselves since they¡¯ll cease to exist the moment this floor theme is over anyways, seeing as they¡¯re all just copies of people from their universe. So while they are real people when I¡¯m in here, they won¡¯t exist anymore once I leave.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Plus my turning them into lunar winter beasts makes them stronger, so it¡¯s a win-win situation. With that in mind, I just continue walking through the hallways while freezing everything and making a rather long, frozen path through the palace as I turn every competitor I find into a lunar winter beast before giving them their orders. And after an entire two days pass, with several thousand lunar winter beasts searching for the exit, I finally hear one of the lunar winter beasts letting out a loud howl through our bond. Something I only realized was possible not too long ago. Without hesitation I turn into my hunter form before charging through the palace straight towards the source of the howl. And what I find is the lunar beast in question surrounded by hundreds of other lunar winter beasts, with even more charging over here because of the howl. But more importantly, I find the glowing red portal with my name floating above it marking it as my exit. So without hesitation, I grab all of the linked crystals I¡¯ve taken from the lunar winter beasts before tossing them out into the hallway without a care. Since there¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to personally hand each one¡¯s crystals to each of them. Partially because that¡¯d be too much work, but mostly because I don¡¯t know which one I took which crystal from. They all look relatively similar to me after all, what with them all being insect-crab people, and names tend to go in one ear and out the other when I meet people for the first time. Unless they leave a rather strong impression, that is. But I doubt anyone here could ever do that. After dumping the crystals, I go ahead and grab my own before reaching out and touching the exit, making the red color turn blue. Then I find myself reappearing within the arena amidst the audience¡¯s wild cheering. Of course, I ignore them to summon my little house and lie down on the couch with a yawn. Sapphire gets out of my hood and turns into her teenage humanoid form before falling face first onto my stomach and going back to sleep with most of her body not even on the couch. Which has me raising a brow before I let out a sigh and get up, picking the girl up and moving her to the bed in her room. A room that used to be the guest room of the house but was claimed by Sapphire long ago. Once I finish moving her, I go ahead and move back to the couch in the living room before opening up the System Forums again for the first time in a little while. Partially because I haven¡¯t had the time to bother and partially because I kind of lost interest in the forums at some point. And just like before, I find the System Forums flooded with discussions about me, along with some about Sapphire and some about the forerunners of the original Administrator Dungeon that are still going on. Albeit more as a sideshow to the Beta Dungeon than anything else. Both because of the pseudo progenitor competing in said Beta Dungeon and the fact that the Beta Dungeon is new and unique. It¡¯s not just another Administrator Dungeon out of the dozens of Administrator Dungeons that have occurred throughout the millennia. There¡¯s something that¡¯s bothering me about this whole Centurion Quinzel thing though. Specifically what the Centurion at the end of it will be. Since something tells me it won¡¯t be a normal Centurion. With that thought in mind eating away at me, I continue reading the threads for a little while before eventually falling asleep myself for the first time in a very long time. B6 | Chapter 23 - Beelzebub鈥檚 Interest Somewhere in another Universe Deep within a realm covered in the deadliest bugs and arachnids of all kinds in the entire multiverse, a single man sits atop a throne while leaning forward and focusing on a floating screen made out of curse energy in front of him. One showcasing different clips of The Winter Wolf as he fights his way through the Centurion Quinzel. All the way until the screen ends showing him right now as he lazes away inside of his house waiting for the other contestants to finish. Interesting¡­ so after all of these years, and even after we had him take it out of that competition of his, we still get to see a mortal outsider attempting the Quinzel? Beelzebub¡¯s eyes narrow a little bit. Or¡­ is he even a mortal anymore? We sense¡­ His ten eyes widen as the humanoid creature made up of numerous different bugs and arachnids mixed into a single chimeric species stares with his pincers wide apart and his mouth wide open. Pseudo progenitor¡­ just what¡¯s been happening in Grim¡¯s universe?! Beelzebub hasn¡¯t contacted the Progenitor of Void in years. At least a thousand, if not several thousand years. And he hasn¡¯t really thought about him much in that time either. All he has been focusing on are the children he¡¯s spread through his own universe. Simply watching them grow up and gain power and independence. He hasn¡¯t really focused on much outside of that. But now? As he watches this strange new pseudo progenitor? A pseudo progenitor with a new element that appears to be a mixture of radiance, ice, and void elements, along with Fenrir¡¯s own variant thrown in? Now he feels his interest piqued. So he reaches out to connect to one of the few connections he may consider being close to a friend. Making a large circular ring of curse energy appear before it shows his maybe-friend floating quietly inside of a dimension filled with various clocks hovering all around her. The woman in question slowly opens her, revealing eyes with clocks in them slowly ticking away as she looks directly at Beelzebub. But she doesn¡¯t show any surprise or expectation. Almost as if she knew this was going to happen.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. And Beelzebub knows that she most likely did know. Seeing as she is the Progenitor of Time. Kali. ¡°The pseudo progenitor is one with the blood of wolf, reaper, and fairy, born to rule and lock all that opposes him into eternity,¡± Kali declares, speaking just as cryptically as she always does. ¡°Amidst this, war rages and the fairy and reaper search for allies to join them. Yet the allies know not the cold of the light.¡± Beelzebub tries to fit together her little prophecy as hard as he can, meanwhile his maybe-friend closes her eyes again without paying him any more attention. Blood of wolf, reaper, and fairy implies he has the bloodline of Fenrir, Grim, and Titania. Born to rule likely implies that he will succeed in becoming a progenitor eventually. But that second part¡­ did Titania and Grim finally begin fighting for real? The Progenitor of Insects and Curses narrows his eyes as he considers the last part of the prophecy. Allies know not the cold of the light¡­ and the pseudo progenitor¡¯s element is lunar ice¡­ After several seconds of contemplating, he finally comes to a decision. But before he can think any further on it, a void portal suddenly appears within his palace, enraging the insects buzzing around it and aggravating the spiders making their homes in the corners of his own home. Beelzebub just watches though, as the Progenitor of Void steps through the portal and into his domain. Grim looks a little surprised when he finds Beelzebub watching him instead of either sleeping or focusing on his insects. Then he grows even more surprised when he spots the screen showing Wolf. But after a second he clearly puts all of that aside as the Reaper asks, ¡°Will you aid me in my fight against that despicable fairy, old friend?¡± The term ¡®old friend¡¯ makes Beelzebub twitch in irritation. ¡°Old friend, is it?¡± Beelzebub asks, his voice echoing in numerous different pitches all at once that grates on the ears of anyone who hears it. ¡°Liars and schemers have no right to call us that. You betrayed us and stole what was ours. You betrayed our pact. And there will be no forgiveness for that.¡± Grim grimaces as he asks, ¡°Really? What if I-¡± ¡°No forgiveness,¡± Beelzebub repeats, interrupting Grim before he can make any sort of plea. ¡°Betrayal is the end of all relationships. Once the line is crossed, no retreat may come.¡± Beelzebub raises one of his many arms and waves away The Reaper as he declares, ¡°Leave us out of your war. You may continue to use our Quinzel for this Beta Dungeon as that child is intriguing, but no more.¡± Grim grits his teeth before slowly nodding his head and retreating back through his portal, leaving Beelzebub alone amidst his hive. It doesn¡¯t even take a full minute after the Progenitor of Void leaves for another portal to open. This one made of ice, letting snow sweep into his domain the moment it opens as Fenrir steps through with the wolf¡¯s towering height of several meters. ¡°I will take no sides in this conflict,¡± Beelzebub declares before Fenrir can even ask, granting the wolf what he no doubt desires. ¡°However, I will be sure to pay attention to this child of yours and reward him should he clear the Quinzel. The same as I reward my own people.¡± Fenrir nods his head in gratitude. Then he leaves without even stating a single word. Beelzebub looks at both of the places where the portals had formed at the same time with his numerous eyes before focusing all of his eyes on the screen in front of him. As The Winter Wolf rests while still waiting for the other contestants to finish the fifth. An intriguing child indeed. B6 | Chapter 24 - System Interference Wolf I end up lazing around reading a book for almost an entire three days before the second fifth finally comes to an end and my portable system home is forcefully dismissed. Leaving about twenty thousand contestants remaining overall appearing in the stadium floor around me. Two-thirds of which are lunar winter beasts. And after the commentator goes about his usual spew of jabbering away nonstop, another notification appears in my vision. One for the rewards that were mentioned before.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
Congratulations on completing the second fifth of the Second Centurion Quinzel! As a result of your success within the second fifth, you have earned the following rewards: For being the first to complete the second fifth, you receive the Traveler Bug. This is a bug created by the great Beelzebub himself that always knows the correct direction that its bonded partner wishes to travel and will lead them there without fail. For gaining possession of at least half of the contestants¡¯ linked crystals at some point in the fifth, you receive the Crystal of Curses. This is a crystal that may be implanted into a piece of jewelry, and will grant the wearer of said jewelry a fifty-percent immunity to all curses. For killing at least ten mini bosses within the second fifth, you receive the carapace of the ???. This is a ??? of the ??? of ??? and ???. System Favor: This reward has been tampered with by a force outside of the System and The Reaper¡¯s control.
Say what? As if trying to ignore my question, three things appear floating in front of me. One is a tiny little beetle that almost looks cute and is purple and black in color. The next is a glowing purple crystal. And the last is a piece of carapace that is black and purple in color and feels like it¡¯s emitting a rather powerful aura of curses on it. Before I can wonder anything, I feel a connection establish between me and the tiny beetle. One that¡¯s similar yet different to the connection I have with Sapphire. Huh. The heck¡¯s going on? I glance at Sapphire, just for her to shrug while yawning. Then I look at the two items for a moment before shrugging and taking them both into my storage ring.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Regardless of what that carapace is from, the crystal seems like it¡¯ll be useful. I just need to send it off to Diane and have her find a jeweler for me to implant it in. Right when I touch it though and feel the curse elemental energy within it, a thought comes to mind. Curse elemental energy immunity. A carapace from an unknown source. Some sort of special bug. And System interference by someone outside of the System and The Reaper. Was this¡­ Beelzebub¡¯s doing? From what the System said at the start of this floor theme, this whole Centurion Quinzel thing was designed by the Progenitor of Insects and the Curse element, Beelzebub. And those two things kind of fit with the rewards I was given. And for the creature that this carapace scrap belonged to being censored¡­ could it be something from Beelzebub himself? But if that was the case, why? I try to think about it a bit more before remembering a System Favor message I read a while back. Something about The Reaper and Beelzebub having an argument making it so that this Centurion Quinzel thing wasn¡¯t placed in the actual Administrator Dungeon. Hmm¡­ it¡¯s definitely a possibility. I¡¯ll have to ask about it the next time I¡­ see¡­ My mind kind of blanks out as I find a certain chicken fluttering around in the stadium without a care in the world. I stare at the immortal chicken for several seconds while completely ignoring the overly dramatic commentator. Only for said commentator to eventually grow quiet as well. Largely because said chicken landed on top of his head, leaving an awkward silence in the stadium. The silence stretches on for several seconds with the chicken just kinda perched on top of the commentator. Almost as if the chicken decided on its own that it just owns the commentator or something. Eventually the commentator just continues jabbering away while clearly acting as if the chicken isn¡¯t there. I share a glance with Sapphire before looking back at the commentator and chicken duo, only for the chicken to eventually get up off of his head and pass through some portal. Vanishing once more from the stadium and leaving me wonder what the hell just happened. The System doesn¡¯t give me much time to wonder about it though, because another notification appears mere moments after the chicken leaves.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
Welcome to the third fifth of the Second Centurion Quinzel! This fifth will be a game of King of the Hill. Unlike the first two fifths of this Quinzel, you must find the crown within the map and claim it. Then you must hold onto the crown for as long as you possibly can. All surviving contestants will move on to the fourth fifth of the Second Centurion Quinzel regardless of how long they kept the crown. However, the contestant who retained control of the crown for the longest will be granted a special reward during the final fifth of the Second Centurion Quinzel. Good luck. Because you¡¯ll need it.
A wide smile stretches across my face at the sight of the next fifth¡¯s description. Now this one seems very interesting. I can already see the potential in it! The potential for me to take a nap or just read. I give a firm nod at that thought before finding myself and Sapphire being teleported into some sort of jungle. And it doesn¡¯t take me long to notice the rather obvious golden beacon shooting up into the sky further away from where we¡¯re located. So after sharing a glance with Sapphire, the two of us both turn into lunar ice element and begin flying towards the beacon at a rather rapid pace. B6 | Chapter 25 - A Relaxing Break Wolf It ends up taking the two of us about a minute or so to fly straight to the golden beacon. And when we arrive, we find a shiny and glowing golden crown at the bottom of said beacon. One that I immediately reach out and touch, making it disappear before reappearing above my head along with a notification.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
Congratulations! You have claimed the crown! Now you just have to hold onto it. Should any of the following things happen to you, the crown will be taken away: You die. You get hit by twenty-five or more direct attacks from a single person. Someone physically takes away the crown from you.
I raise a brow at those conditions before shrugging. Then I glance at Sapphire and the both of us nod in silent agreement. Time for the real fun of this fifth. I casually sit down on the crown with my legs crossed beneath me, following which I raise one hand and send out a large wave of lunar ice of eternity that then moves out all around us. Forming a large dome made out of my element. One that I also make go beneath us to completely seal us inside. After finishing sealing us away inside of this lovely little igloo without any sort of entrance, I put my hands in my lap and wait for our lovely competitors to show up. Which doesn¡¯t take very long as dozens of them soon begin appearing. And none of them are shy when it comes to attacking our little igloo. Not that it matters as their attacks don¡¯t even so much as scratch the surface of my lunar ice of eternity. More and more other competitors begin arriving one after another, all the way until there are thousands of them. Each of whom ¨C except for the lunar winter beasts ¨C are attacking the igloo with abandon.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. All for naught as not a single one of their thousands of attacks even scratch it. A grin stretches across my face. So I was right! I haven¡¯t had too many chances to test out my lunar ice of eternity, but I was pretty sure this would work from what I have seen. Just like with the old eternal ice, lunar ice of eternity can only be shattered when a single person¡¯s strength is far greater than mind. Although what the exact cutoff is for what would shatter the ice, I¡¯m not sure. I just know that it won¡¯t shatter no matter how many people beneath said cutoff are attacking it at once. And since it lost its weakness to fire, I don¡¯t have to worry about someone trying to melt it. Which, at the end of the day, means I¡¯m going to be taking a nap here for a while. Good thing I don¡¯t really need oxygen anymore. I¡¯m already too high a level for most of the old basic requirements to live. So no food, no drink, no breathing, none of that is necessary for me anymore. Eventually I watch Sapphire fall asleep amidst the dull sounds of attacks hitting the ice. At which point I lie down on my back myself and begin browsing through the System Forums to end my boredom. Of course, the first threads I find are all about me. Many of which are actually discussing what¡¯s happening right now. There¡¯s one titled ¡®Winter Wolf takes a nap under bombardment¡¯ which is amusing. And the thread is mostly a discussion group with a bunch of people talking about how it¡¯s pretty much to be expected of me. With the livestream open at the top of the thread. I close out of that thread before searching the other threads, just to find something rather interesting. Apparently some of the other progenitors are starting to grow more active in The Reaper¡¯s universe. And more importantly, some of the other progenitors actually seem to be opening up their universe to The Reaper¡¯s universe, allowing people to move freely between them. In exchange for being allowed to copy Grim¡¯s system for their own use in their universe. With their own changes of course. So that¡¯s interesting. Other than that, both of the warring progenitors ¨C Titania and Grim ¨C are still going at it. And they¡¯re getting allies to join them in their war. Titania now has the Progenitor of Light on her side, a progenitor known by the name of Apollo. Meanwhile Grim has the Progenitor of Dark on his side, a progenitor known by the name of Nyx. And those two progenitors also brought their own forces in to the war. Each bringing elementals into the grand battlefield realm that everyone is fighting in. From what the System Forum threads state, the Progenitors of Dark and Light have a rather troubled history with each other. So they¡¯re pretty antagonistic as well. And after the Progenitor of Light joined Titania¡¯s side, it¡¯s said ¨C without anything confirming this ¨C that the Progenitor of Dark straight up asked the Reaper if she could help him just to fight the Progenitor of Light. Overall, it just made the war worse and lengthened how long it¡¯ll last. The only way the two will be able to shorten their war in my eyes is if one of them manages to bring in more progenitors on their side than the other has. And if they keep trying to bring in more progenitors, then this war is just going to grow in scale more and more until the universe itself may be at risk. Although I do have to wonder what happens to me if The Reaper loses. I know Titania promised to fulfill The Reaper¡¯s promise should she win by reviving Lexi, but will she really do it? If she does then I¡¯ll be rather happy. Because I get the feeling the Beta Dungeon won¡¯t be around much longer if The Reaper dies. Assuming a progenitor can even die, since I¡¯ve never heard anything about that before. I yawn before glancing at the competitors still attacking the ice, with a large number of them having given up by now. Almost forgot they were even here¡­ B6 | Chapter 26 - A Trip Down Memory Lane Wolf The rest of the fifth passes rather peacefully without even a single one of the competitors being able to so much as crack my ice. Leaving me and Sapphire lazing around inside of our dome for hours upon hours until both us and the other competitors are teleported back into the stadium with a notification in our vision.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
Congratulations on completing the third fifth of the Second Centurion Quinzel! As a result of your success within the third fifth, you have earned a special reward that you will learn about when the final fifth of the Second Centurion Quinzel comes around.
Nice. Now moving on to the fourth fifth. I yawn for a moment before glancing at the other competitors, none of whom look very happy. Not my problem. Anyways, the fourth fifth of the Second Centurion Quinzel comes and passes rather quickly in the form of a quiz show about The Reaper of all things. With the bottom ten percent of participants in terms of how fast and accurate they answered being disqualified. Of course, I manage to win the thing in first place. Mostly because I know more about The Reaper than anyone else other than progenitors. Although I can¡¯t help but wonder what the fact that this quinzel thing has a quiz show about The Reaper means about Beelzebub¡¯s universe. Seeing as it implies everyone there is familiar with him at least a little bit. Enough to have a quiz show about him and expect people to actually be able to participate. It definitely goes to show that other universes are different from ours. A frown stretches across my face as I glance at the victory notification about winning the fourth fifth, which doesn¡¯t say anything about a reward. As a thought comes to mind about what would¡¯ve happened to me if I were born in some other universe rather than The Reaper¡¯s. Would I have grown this powerful? Probably not. Absolutely not. The reason I¡¯m this strong now and a pseudo progenitor is mostly because of the Administrator Dungeon. No matter how much I dislike the thing. Not to mention those people watching me go through my day every day. A faint smile stretches across my face as I think of how things will be once I finally get out of this stupid dungeon.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Specifically the days I won¡¯t be livestreamed to everyone for their entertainment. It¡¯ll be nice to have privacy again. For now though¡­ Another notification appears in my vision. ¡­it¡¯s time for another raid boss.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
Welcome to the final fifth of the Second Centurion Quinzel! It¡¯s time to take a trip down memory lane!! This fifth is a simple one. Defeat the five mini bosses that will each spawn in rather memorable locations. These mini bosses are each mini bosses or bosses that one of the competitors has fought before, and they will be fought in locations exactly like the place where they fought them. However, as a reward for claiming victory in the third fifth, the user Wolf Adler will be given a specific item that they will find useful in the final fight of the fifth. Good luck and do not drown in the past! System Favor: As the user is the only user within the Centurion Quinzel, all five of the mini bosses will be based on the user¡¯s own past battles.
Uh, what? I¡¯m not given any time to think about it before I find myself, and all of the other contestants, being teleported into a large prison. One that looks like an exact copy of the first floor mini boss room of the Administrator Dungeon. Except larger. Much, much larger. And just like with the mini boss room of the first floor, there is a large throne at the center of the prison and numerous jail cells along each of the walls. Each filled with bones, and with the mini boss itself seated on the throne at the center. My eyes narrow a little as I identify the monster. _-|Skeletal Warden ¨C Level 6666 |-_ Is that level supposed to be like that? Or is that just a coincidence? Putting that aside though, the thing is almost three hundred levels above me. Which doesn¡¯t bode well. I glance at the thousands of other contestants in the room. Actually, this could work, now that I think about it. With all of these¡­ All of the bones in the chamber suddenly start moving before forming thousands upon thousands of skeletons, all of whom are at least a hundred levels above me and most of the other contestants. Far more skeletons than there ever were in the skeletal warden¡¯s cell that I remember back on the first floor. I glance at Sapphire only to surprisingly find her rather excited. And when I ask why she just says something along the lines of being happy that she can experience what I experienced years ago during my initial climb. That¡¯s kind of sweet. Or it would be if we weren¡¯t surrounded by thousands of skeletons with an over-leveled mini boss in front of us. On that note, I turn back to the skeletal warden right as the thing is finally standing up from its throne. At which point I go ahead and wave my hand, sending lunar ice of eternity to freeze the thing in place. But that doesn¡¯t prove to do much when the thing just goes and shatters the ice with ease, showing just how powerful the thing is. Damn. Didn¡¯t really expect it to work, but a man can dream. I wonder just how much the viewers are loving this? Pretty sure events like these tend to excite fans. Especially older fans who were there to see me fighting the original skeletal warden, along with fans who missed it and have only seen the recordings out there. After a second though I decide I don¡¯t care what they think as I transform into my hunter form. The skeletal warden lets out a loud roar, which seems to infuse powerful miasmic energy into the skeletons facing me. So I let out a roar of my own that quickly turns into a howl. Let¡¯s begin this trip down memory lane. B6 | Chapter 27 - Bets for All The Void Stream Excited cheers echo through the Void Stream as everyone watches The Winter Wolf have his rematch against the first ever mini boss he had defeated within the Administrator Dungeon. A strengthened version of it at that. ¡°I doubt this mini boss will take very long to defeat,¡± Mikaela says while rubbing his chin before glancing at the audience. ¡°Anyone have any bets about what the next mini bosses will be?¡± His words immediately make the crowd go wild as millions upon millions of people begin guessing one monster after another from his past. Meanwhile betting pools begin to open up through the System one after another, each listing dozens of different monsters that Wolf has encountered throughout his time in the Administrator and Beta Dungeons. Mikaela turns his gaze towards the screen again as Wolf forces the lunar winter beasts in the chamber to charge at the warden or bombard him with attacks while he builds up his own attack. With Wolf and Sapphire both making a large hammer made out of ice above their heads. One so large that it¡¯s larger than the warden himself. ¡°Since it¡¯s starting out with his first mini boss, maybe the next monster will be his first boss?¡± Mikaela mutters, his voice barely echoing through the viewing room over the voices of the audience. Then he turns to the void creature that is supposed to be commentating with him but hasn¡¯t said a word in days as he asks, ¡°What do you think?¡± The void creature just stares at him, briefly making Mikaela wonder why he bothered. Especially because something tells him that the void creature doesn¡¯t even know the previous monsters The Winter Wolf has killed in the dungeon. He turns back to the livestream again before opening up some of the bets that are going around about the next mini boss. And as he does that, a faint smirk stretches across his face. Specifically at the incredible number of bets that have already lined up for it. That¡¯s not all though, because there are dozens upon dozens of different guesses in the bets. There are even different types of bets such as which monster will be which amongst the four remaining monsters in the order they show up in. ¡°Now if I were a betting man¡­¡± Mikaela mutters, to which the audience goes wild shouting that he is, in fact, a betting man, with tens of thousands of people trying to bring up proof of it. But Mikaela just jokingly ignores them as he watches Wolf finally slam the hammer down on the warden that had already long since gotten distracted by the thousands of lunar winter beasts attacking it. ¡°I¡¯d bet that the Revenant is going to be the next monster Wolf fights in this five round fifth. The boss of the first floor theme of all Administrator Dungeons.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Mikaela watches as The Winter Wolf¡¯s hammer finally falls down and slams into the skeletal warden, shattering its bones even as the other skeletons in the prison try to attack Wolf and the other contestants. Albeit with them not being able to make it past Wolf¡¯s ice or said contestants. And just as Mikaela was expecting, the skeletal warden breaks apart into thousands upon thousands of different bones thanks to the attack. But it doesn¡¯t stop there as the bones then begin to melt into liquid miasma that tries to burn apart all who touch it. Slaughtering hundreds of contestants with its final act. The Winter Wolf just turns into lunar ice of eternity element and floats up above it all though, clearly not bothered by it even the slightest bit. I¡¯d be surprised if he was bothered by it. But now it¡¯s time to see if my bet paid off. Because Mikaela did, in fact, place a bet. On more than one of the betting pools. After floating up into the air, The Winter Wolf moves on to attacking all of the skeletons down below. Although whether he¡¯s doing that to finish them off and move on to the next mini boss or he¡¯s doing it for the EXP, Mikaela doesn¡¯t know. But once he finishes, all of the contestants are instantly moved into another familiar chamber. A chamber with dark miasma coating the floor in a thick mist and a large and angry looking revenant in the center of the room. Mikaela can¡¯t stop himself from grinning as he finds his bet making him quite a bit of money. Nor does he stop himself from shouting, ¡°And here we are! The second mini boss isssssss the Revenant!!!!!¡± He turns to face the audience as he asks, ¡°But what will the next one be? Will it be the Nerscillus from the second floor theme? Or maybe one of the mini bosses from that theme?¡± The bets quickly change their focus to the third mini boss while some people still place their bets on the fourth and the fifth. With the majority of the viewers focusing more on figuring out which monster the next mini bosses will be than actually watching The Winter Wolf kill them. Because at this point no one expects The Winter Wolf to die. And Mikaela can¡¯t blame them for that. All of the monsters here are ones he has fought in the past, and while they clearly are stronger than their past versions, so is he. After a few seconds to think about it, Mikaela goes ahead and places a bet on the third mini boss being the Desert Champion. Since it progressed between the first and second mini boss between the first mini boss of the Administrator to the first boss of the Administrator Dungeon. So it would only make sense for it to at least skip a couple bosses before going up to the next thing. But after The Winter Wolf makes quick work of the revenant, Mikaela finds himself rather surprised at the sight of the next mini boss. Because it¡¯s the primal werewolf that originally turned The Winter Wolf in the first place. Silence fills the stadium at the sight of it. B6 | Chapter 28 - A New Strategy Wolf My eyes narrow as I find myself appearing in a fog-covered forest with tall trees and a full moon high in the sky. And almost immediately upon appearing in the forest, within a large clearing, I find my eyes settling upon a large creature standing at the center of the clearing. At the center of all of the contestants that are now in said massive clearing and the forest around it. Now this certainly is a flash to the past¡­ _-| Unnamed ¨C Primal Werewolf ¨C Level 6800 |-_ Huh. Right, so this thing is way too high a level. The primal werewolf looks just like it did when I first fought it years ago. It has dark fur with glowing red eyes. Except there is one major difference with it between now and then. This primal werewolf is probably about twice as large as the old one. Whereas the first primal werewolf I fought was about two and a half meters tall, this one is about five meters tall. And it¡¯s rather intimidating with all of those sparks of pitch black lightning running across its body. I thought these primal werewolves were supposed to use the dark element? What¡¯s with the lightning? Or is that just a more powerful form for the dark element? Maybe I should watch some of those battles about the war, seeing as one of the progenitors participating in it is the progenitor of the dark element. Not that I have time to do that right now though. I quickly put up a wall of ice in front of me and Sapphire right before the primal werewolf sends out dozens of bolts of pitch black lightning at me and everyone else. And to my complete lack of surprise considering the massive level gap between us, its bolt shatters my ice without much trouble and continues straight towards me and Sapphire. Without hesitation, Sapphire and I turn into lunar ice element and fly off to avoid the strike. Leaving the black lightning to hit some of the lunar winter beasts behind us, instantly turning them to dust in the process. Oh¡­ uh, sorry? I don¡¯t get much time to focus on them though as more lightning tries to fly up after me and Sapphire even in our elemental shifted forms. And when it strikes at the lunar ice of eternity making up my body, it turns it to dust wherever it goes. Which hurts like hell.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. After getting struck by several bolts, I quickly order the lunar winter beasts to rush the werewolf. Finally making it stop focusing on us in the process and letting me and Sapphire reform in the air, with me in my hunter form. What the hell is this shit? And also, this is only the third of the five mini bosses?! Just how strong will the fifth one be? Also, I have a bad feeling about the next one for some reason. Since this seems to be focusing on my biggest and most important battles, the next one may very well be a battle I do not want to repeat. If for no other reason than the place we¡¯ll be fighting at. Then again, it could be something else. There just aren¡¯t enough battles for it to have every last one of my major battles in it. I can only hope. Meanwhile the primal werewolf tears dozens upon dozens of contestants to ribbons while pitch black lightning turns their remaining corpses to dust down below. I narrow my eyes at the creature, only to glance at Sapphire and nod my head. The thing is a werewolf. That means one thing. If I can just dominate the thing and prove I¡¯m the stronger, I may be able to get it to stop. And to do that, I need to try using my venom. The lunar winter beasts down there actually are trying to do the same thing. Probably because it¡¯s just instinct to dominate the other wolves in the area or something. But their venom isn¡¯t doing much and is easily being fought off by the venom coursing through the primal werewolf¡¯s blood. Okay, I guess it¡¯s time to try a couple things I¡¯ve never done before. In a battle at least. So I go ahead and spread both of my arms out before moving them in front of me with my palms facing each other but not touching. Then I force lunar winter of eternity element straight out of my palms and into a single orb held floating between my hands. I also draw on the lunar winter element in the air around us into the orb as well. I pump more and more energy into the orb, drawing on all of the energy I have ¨C with just a little bit left over in case I need it ¨C to form an incredibly dense shard of ice. One that has so much power in it that it¡¯s letting off bolts of its own pale blue energy just like the pitch black lightning of the werewolf. Then I do something I¡¯ve never done before. I pull out a vial of venom I drew from myself at some point before pouring it all over the shard while using my elemental control to pull a lot of it inside of the shard. Leaving only a bit of it to coat the exterior. At this point the primal werewolf seems to notice me, turning its attention away from the other lunar winter beasts who are all practically trying to dogpile the thing. Which is an ironic choice of words considering what they all are. But it¡¯s too late for the primal werewolf as I finally send the shard flying straight at the primal werewolf. The creature tries to counter it by sending black lightning at my shard, but the shard¡¯s own pale blue energy strikes at any bolt that tries to hit the shard. And when it reaches the creature, it blasts a hole straight through its belly and goes into its stomach. My eyes narrow further when I see the primal werewolf trying to dig its own claws into its stomach to get it out. Rather frantically at that. Guess it can probably sense my venom. Not that it matters. I snap my clawed fingers, making the shard turn back into lunar ice of eternity, no longer in shard form. Which lets out all of the venom straight into the primal werewolf¡¯s stomach and all over the wounds the shard made entering the stomach. Then I sit back and watch as the pale blue veins begin to spread over the panicking werewolf¡¯s body. Let¡¯s see how this goes. B6 | Chapter 29 - A Battle of Attrition Wolf The first change that I notice that¡¯s different from a usual turning is that the werewolf¡¯s own venom flowing through its veins is fighting against mine. Just like with the lunar winter beasts that bit it before. But unlike those, the werewolf¡¯s venom isn¡¯t pushing my own venom back. Instead, my venom is flooding its venom. Of course, my venom does slow down when it gets to fill about half of the werewolf¡¯s body, but it still spreads far faster than I was expecting. After that though, things change. The werewolf¡¯s venom in its blood begins to boil over as if angry before pushing back against my venom and almost stopping its charge. So I do the most logical thing and fly straight down to the primal werewolf at which point I latch onto it with my fangs in a location that isn¡¯t already infected. Then I try to push out as much venom as I can into it while the massive werewolf is distracted trying to fight off the venom already in its body. And I keep doing this until the werewolf finally manages to push enough venom out of its arm to regain control of it before slamming the limb into me, sending me flying into the forest. But I just fly back in while healing myself of the broken bones the werewolf caused. With a wide smile on my face to boot. Specifically at the sight of the venom working its way through the werewolf¡¯s body from the other location I injected it through. Forcing the werewolf to deal with two different sources of the venom at once. So far so good. I watch for a few minutes as my venom spreads, meanwhile my lunar winter beasts all bombard the werewolf with attacks to keep it from focusing on my venom. In fact, some of the other contestants who aren¡¯t even lunar winter beasts join in. Just to kill the werewolf. But after five entire minutes pass by and over half of its body is covered in glowing pale blue veins, the thing¡¯s eyes suddenly begin to blaze with dark energy, and it raises its head to let out a loud howling roar of anger. Then it turns its head towards me as entire bolts of lightning begin striking all around it. Pitch black lightning. That¡¯s not all though as dark clouds gather in the skies, blotting out everything except for the full moon itself. Following which black lightning begins to rain down from said clouds onto the primal werewolf and everything around it. I make sure to keep an eye on the virus spreading through the werewolf, but the black lightning doesn¡¯t do anything to stop it. In fact, my virus seems to be spreading even faster now than before. Probably because the werewolf seems to be going into some berserk state.Stolen novel; please report. As if to confirm my theory, the werewolf suddenly locks its eyes onto me and jumps straight up into the air, moving so quickly it appears in front of me in less than a second with its fist raised. Then said fist slams into my chest, sending me flying for miles with a shockwave caused by breaking the sound barrier. But when I try to stop myself from moving backwards through the air, the werewolf just appears again and once more slams its fist into me. So this time I turn into lunar ice elemental energy after the second hit and spread out, making the thing miss when it tries to hit me again. Until it starts to shoot out black lightning everywhere, turning bits of my own energy to ash and slowly whittling down at my body. Shit. This isn¡¯t going well. I try hard to avoid all of the werewolf¡¯s attacks, but every last bolt of black lightning manages to get some of my elemental energy anyways. Decreasing the amount of substance my body has with each one. The bright side is that Sapphire is still at a distance sending bolts of lunar ice straight at the werewolf in her own attempt to keep it off of me. Not that it¡¯s doing much to help, but I¡¯m really glad she¡¯s at a safe distance. Our little game of lightning chase ends up taking five entire minutes before the werewolf begins to slow down. With my energy reserves having drastically decreased all the way down to just about a quarter of my total energy at this rate. Of course, I still make sure to absorb the energy of my surroundings to try and refuel myself, but that¡¯s taking an annoyingly long time. Because the darkness energy from the black lightning doesn¡¯t appear to be simply vanishing after striking me. It¡¯s diffusing into the forest around us, filling this place to the brim with darkness energy. And completely pushing out any other energy from the area. Eventually I don¡¯t even have enough energy to remain in my elemental shifted form, forcing me back into my physical form. To my surprise though, the werewolf doesn¡¯t immediately attack me. Instead it narrows its eyes at me hatefully and stares for a second. At which point I realize why. My virus has spread everywhere except for half of its feet at this point. Meaning it¡¯s almost fully turned. Alright. All I have to do at this point is to survive the last half a minute or so for it to finish. The werewolf begins to snarl before spreading both of its clawed hands out to its sides and howling at the moon. A moon that begins to glow with an ominous black light as the darkness energy all around us slowly moves to converge into a single ball of energy. Shit. I let out a howl of my own before calling on the blue moon, forcing the moon to lose half of its black glow and instead turn into a half-blue half-black glowing moon as the lunar ice energy in the area replenishes itself. Then I push it into an orb of my own. Readying myself to counter whatever big attack the werewolf is doing. To my great surprise though, the werewolf is suddenly bombarded by attacks from the other contestants that we both kind of forgot. Thousands of other contestants. And these attacks seem to stumble the werewolf enough that it slips up and the ball of darkness energy it was forming cracks and releases the darkness all around the werewolf. I blink in surprise, only to eventually find the werewolf floating in the air staring at me after the cloud of darkness around it fades. With its eyes glowing the pale blue light of a lunar winter beast¡¯s eyes. A smile touches my face. It¡¯s over. B6 | Chapter 30 - A Werewolf Conundrum Wolf Literally just seconds after the werewolf becomes a lunar winter beast, I find myself teleported to the next mini boss along with all of the other contestants. And just as I was expecting yet hoping wouldn¡¯t happen, I am teleported straight above a massive ocean before splashing in the water below. Meanwhile thousands of other splashes echo around the ocean from the other contestants. And, to my surprise, a single former-werewolf who was actually teleported along with us for some reason. Huh. Unexpected. The sound of something massive breaking through the water echoes out across the ocean followed by a loud screeching roar that makes me turn around to find the source. Which is also what I was expecting. A massive kraken. The creature looks just like the kraken event boss I fought long ago, with black and crimson scales, glowing crimson eyes, and numerous tentacles. Except that it looks over twice as big. And that¡¯s saying something, seeing as the kraken was originally massive in the first place. It¡¯s so big now that the simple act of it surfacing part of its body from the water sends a massive tsunami all around it. One that I freeze with a single wave of my hand. Then I flap my wings and fly up into the air out of the water, with a lot of the contestants doing the same. The werewolf just freezes the water around it though. Which reminds me very strongly of my past self, seeing as I did the same all those years ago. Just froze the water for a platform to stand on. Ah, such unpleasant memories. I turn back to the kraken as the massive creature spanning at least a few thousand meters in length from the tip of its head to the end of one of its many tentacles screech-roars at us all. Following which it begins sending its tentacles to swat at us, which in turn sends massive waves along with the tentacles. And when both of them slam into contestants, they begin to kill them almost instantly. Of course, I fly out of the way. Meanwhile the former-werewolf jumps over the tentacle before landing in the water and doing a repeat of what it did before. What with it freezing the water and making a platform. Out of curiosity, I go ahead and send it a mental order to attack the kraken. And it does just that.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Interesting. Still not sure why it¡¯s here with me, but I may have some suspicions. Like these five mini bosses technically being from the same floor even if they¡¯re at vastly different locations, therefore letting me take my turned monsters from the floor with me. If that¡¯s the case though¡­ A grin begins to stretch across my face as I watch the giant kraken attack the contestants. This could work out quite nicely.
The Grand Werewolf Empire Diane¡¯s eyes remain glued to the livestream as she watches her adopted son fight against the kraken. But more importantly, her eyes won¡¯t leave the werewolf that is fighting alongside him. Or rather, the lunar winter beast that used to be a werewolf. ¡°So there¡¯s your answer,¡± Leo says with a faint smile on his face. ¡°It is possible for him to turn a werewolf into a lunar winter beast.¡± His words make Diane numbly nod her head in silent agreement still without looking away from the screen. With this new discovery, I can ask him to turn me, and maybe some of my top subordinates. And then we could change the name of the empire to reflect the new species ruling it. But then there would be the problem of the people- Her thoughts are interrupted when she gets a call from the Grand Healer of her council of elders. She frowns at the call before eventually answering and opening her mouth to ask what it is. But without letting her even say a single word, the old man immediately shouts, ¡°We have a problem!!! The people of the nation are all rushing over to the Holy Land of the Winter Beasts to get turned into lunar winter beasts by the Holy Crab!!!¡± Several things about that statement leave Diane briefly stumped. ¡°Holy Land of the Winter Beasts?¡± she asks with a frown. ¡°And a Holy Crab? What?¡± Leo snickers next to her, making her glance at him in question. Which in turn has the man answering, ¡°You remember the crab Wolf turned a little while ago?¡± That answers all Diane needs to hear as she lets out a low groan and leans her face into her hands. The werewolf empress has been trying strongly to ignore everything that¡¯s been going on there. Because the last thing she needs is her son to become some sort of worshipped figure. And the idea that her son ¨C adopted or not ¨C has a massive crab serving as his angel is even more bizarre. Although she does like watching Wolf¡¯s reactions to seeing the crab videos. And there are plenty of those spread around the System Forums. It was a very big thing back then, where people clipped his initial reaction to seeing the crab and spread it everywhere as a sort of meme. Diane freezes as what her Grand Healer said finally registers in her head and she turns to stare at the screen while shouting, ¡°Wait, they¡¯re doing what?! Are they all okay?!¡± We still don¡¯t know if only Wolf¡¯s venom can turn werewolves or if all the lunar winter beasts can! These absolute numbskulls!!! ¡°So far every last werewolf has been turned safely into a lunar winter beast, even the lowest purity werewolves,¡± her Grand Healer answers, calming her down again. Only for another problem to rear its head when he continues, ¡°At this rate the werewolf species will gradually become extinct, and the higher ups will be left as some of the precious few who haven¡¯t become lunar winter beasts!¡± Diane blinks at that before quietly muttering, ¡°Oh.¡± Now a part of her wonders if she should just ask Wolf to send over some of his venom to her through his little transport item. No matter how ironic that is coming from her, who had long ago offered to send him some of her venom instead. Meanwhile her husband finally gives up on holding in his laughter next to her. B6 | Chapter 31 - The Fifth Battle Wolf Well this isn¡¯t going as easily as I¡¯d hoped. But at least it is still going. I frown as I fly away from the kraken¡¯s approaching tentacle while keeping my eye on the glowing pale blue light spreading beneath its scales. Starting from the scales I ripped off of it. The virus doesn¡¯t seem to be spreading very fast at all. Although part of that is largely because of the kraken¡¯s massive size proving a challenge to spread it all the way through. But I guess there¡¯s a way to solve that as well. Just like how I did it for the werewolf. So I begin flying through the air from one tentacle to another while biting each one. Sending my virus into its body at dozens of locations. Until the kraken finally gets sick of me and begins ignoring the other contestants who have been distracting it while I act to finally grab control of the water all around us. To grab control of the very ocean itself. Or at least the ocean around us. The water beneath us all begins to rise up into the air to cover every last one of us, including me and the others who are flying. But I don¡¯t bother with it and quickly turn into lunar ice elemental energy, freezing all of the water wherever I go. And Sapphire does the same. Meanwhile all of the lunar winter beasts I¡¯ve turned amongst the contestants freeze the water around them and shatter part of it to create air pockets. And all of this works until the kraken lets out another roar as its crimson eyes flash and fill the water with crimson light, following which the water begins to compress, and the pressure grows on all of us. Or all of the other contestants and the poor waterlogged werewolf, seeing as I¡¯m in my elemental shifted form. And so is Sapphire. I ignore all of them to appear next to the kraken¡¯s head before forming a massive spear and piercing into its head a little. Then I reform my body and begin chomping away at it. Spreading venom through its head directly. After that, I go ahead and leave its body as the wounds quickly regenerate before I move to another spot on its body and dig my way in again. Repeating the process over and over again to spread the venom all throughout its body as quickly as possible.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Because the others are starting to struggle against the water that¡¯s trying to crush them. Especially when the kraken begins to send large spears of water through the rest of the water at them in an attack. I try to go faster and faster to help save as many contestants as possible ¨C after all, I¡¯ll probably want them for future raid bosses ¨C and to save the werewolf. But after a few minutes of this, the kraken suddenly lets up on its assault and screeches out in pain as the water around us suddenly falls down and sends tsunamis in every direction away from us as the water refills the ocean. When I look at the kraken from a further distance away, I quickly figure out what happened. The werewolf tore a tentacle off of the kraken. And it doesn¡¯t seem to have liked it, even if it¡¯s slowly regenerating. Something I find interesting though is that the tentacle it tore off wasn¡¯t one with my venom in it. And the next tentacle the werewolf seems to be rushing towards doesn¡¯t have venom either. It¡¯s almost like the werewolf knows my plan and is helping me out. Interesting. I continue moving around, spreading the venom more and more. Meanwhile Sapphire goes to help the werewolf in attacking the kraken¡¯s uninfected tentacles. Keeping the kraken from doing anything crazy again. Then the other contestants begin to join them in their assaults, clearly figuring out what we¡¯re planning on their own. Or at least most of them do. Time passes, and after over ten minutes, the venom spreads enough through the kraken¡¯s body that the venom in its tentacles reaches its main body. And the venom in its main body covers a good third of its flesh. At this point the kraken finally begins to show its struggle against the venom as its attacks slow down to a crawl, and it loses the ability to move at least two thirds of its tentacles. Which leaves it rather defenseless and makes the rest of the venom begin spreading even faster. Eventually my venom finally claims the entire kraken, making its glowing crimson eyes begin to glow pale blue instead as it stops fighting entirely. Albeit only after a short convulsion fit that hits a bunch of the contestants. A faint smile covers my otherwise tired face as I look at the kraken. But my current exhaustion bothers me more than it normally would. I still have one more battle left after all. Speaking of said battle, I find myself teleporting away to appear in a very familiar location. One that sends a chill down my spine as I hear a roar echoing throughout the pitch black abyss that we all find ourselves in. And without even looking up, I immediately understand what the final raid boss is. I tensely raise my head to find the very thing I expected floating high in the abyss. High above me, the kraken, the werewolf, and the remaining contestants of the quinzel. And it¡¯s just as terrifying as the last one I saw. The creature is as large as a planet with pitch black, draconic scales coating its entire body, a massive mouth similar to a lamprey¡¯s mouth, and a single pair of legs and arms. Even if it has a different name according to the System¡¯s identify result. It¡¯s another devourer. Although I can¡¯t understand a word it¡¯s saying. Almost like its words are being muted for the sake of the Centurion Quinzel. And its level is 6700. Shit. B6 | Chapter 32 - Meeting of the Progenitors Within a Special Dimension Fenrir narrows his eyes on the livestream screen made out of ice floating in front of him. Meanwhile the other progenitors within the small dimensional chamber that was set up by Fenrir himself to allow the other progenitors to spectate both the Beta Dungeon and the Progenitor War between the Radiance and Void Progenitors together. Making it specifically so that they may consider aiding his pup. ¡°This time he won¡¯t have my aid,¡± the Progenitor of Poison, Jormungandr, states as the progenitor in human form with sickly green eyes and pale skin leans against his throne made of various deadly poisons while standing next to it. ¡°But the devourer will have had far less time to devour elemental energy than the previous one. And he will have aid from his army.¡± He glances at Fenrir. ¡°He may just survive this time as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more intrigued by the second devourer¡¯s presence,¡± the Progenitor of Chaos, Eris, says while leaning forward and sitting back in her own throne over and over again. One made out of a seemingly infinite number of materials. ¡°Just how many of these rare and nearly extinct beings does he have locked away in this Beta Dungeon of his?!¡± ¡°I suspect dozens at the minimum,¡± the Progenitor of Destiny, Fate, answers Eris¡¯s rhetorical question while sitting on top of a miniature nebula with his legs crossed and his eyes closed despite what¡¯s going on within the pure white screen in front of him. The other progenitors glance at him before looking back at their screens again to see Wolf moving his forces to surround the devourer. With the former werewolf and the former kraken being on opposite sides of the devourer, each with vastly differing sizes. After a second, Fenrir glances at Fate again. Because he and the other progenitors all know that when he says something like that, he means it. And if he¡¯s saying that, it most likely means that the Progenitor of Destiny must have seen numerous powerful beings vanishing over the course of history and believes the disappearances to be at the fault of Grim. And if that¡¯s the case, then his pup will have his work cut out for him. The progenitors all quietly watch the livestream for several minutes before a gate appears within the room, followed by another. Then two more progenitors walk into the chamber, making their own thrones appear in different locations within the chamber. Fenrir glances at the newcomers and quickly finds them to be potential allies. But at the same time, unlikely allies. He most likely can only see them not interfering in either way. In fact, their very presence is rather surprising already. Kali, the Progenitor of Time. And Aether, the Progenitor of Space.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Neither progenitor say even a single word as they take their seats on their thrones. And neither of them have forms that are easily told apart, since both of their physical appearances constantly change. Kali¡¯ body repeatedly changes age from a child to a teenager to an adult of varying different years. All with a single clock in both of her eyes ticking away. Meanwhile Aether¡¯s body has its limbs floating around before reattaching over and over again, with a large vortex in the place of his face. Before Fenrir can look back at the screen in front of him, another portal opens. But unlike the other portals, this one makes him tense up. Strictly because of who the portal belongs to. And he¡¯s not the only one as the other progenitors either tense up as well or narrow their eyes in the direction of the portal. A portal made out of flames. After a second, a flaming bird flies through the portal before turning into pure flames and morphing into the body of a man. One with flames still billowing off of her body as she glares directly at Fenrir the moment she forms. ¡°Phoenix,¡± Fenrir states with a frown on his humanoid form¡¯s face. One covered partially by flakes of ice as his glowing pale blue eyes stare holes into the Progenitor of Fire. ¡°What brings you here?¡± ¡°Is there some kind of rule banning me from being here, mutt?¡± Phoenix states with more than a little aggression in her tone. Meanwhile the other progenitors in the room begin to ignore her presence. Leaving her to bicker with her self-proclaimed enemy. ¡°I¡¯ve heard some interesting things from one of my chosen in that pesky reaper¡¯s territory.¡± She looks around at the other progenitors in the room for the first time before a frown forms on her face and she faces Fenrir again while creating a throne of flames and sitting down. Then she crosses her arms and asks, ¡°What are you trying to do mutt? And why would I ever allow another progenitor related to ice form in the multiverse?¡± After a second passes, Fenrir turns away from her and continues watching Wolf¡¯s livestream as the pup¡¯s many forces begin to clash against the devourer. Meanwhile Wolf himself stays at the back, no doubt to let them whittle away at the devourer for him before he eventually goes in to attack himself. And Fenrir wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Wolf finally uses his armaments again during this battle. Because he will no doubt need them. Most likely he will win, but only after exhausting a large number of his forces. Fenrir also still finds himself wondering about that reward the commentator had previously mentioned about him receiving during this battle. Out of the corner of his eyes, Fenrir notices Phoenix beginning to boil the air around her in her rage at being ignored. But before she can say anything, Kali suddenly speaks up, bringing everyone¡¯s attention to her. ¡°A thorny path must be taken, but the radiant ice shall prevail, and eternity awaits those standing in the way.¡± Silence fills the chamber as everyone tries to digest her prophecy. And by the time everyone finishes, they turn to see Phoenix glaring at Kali for the prophecy that no doubt was meant as a warning for any progenitor wishing to side against Wolf and Fenrir. Because, while Kali¡¯s prophecies aren¡¯t absolute and can be changed, there is still a high likelihood that they will come true. Even if only in the smallest sense sometimes. The corner of Fenrir¡¯s lips quirks up ever so slightly as Phoenix lets out a huff and quietly sits back to watch the livestream. Kali may not be an ally, but she is always willing to tell her prophecies. And that seems to be for my benefit here. He turns his attention back to the livestream in front of him. Then back at the Progenitor of Fire. I just hope this holds her off for long enough. His eyes narrow a little. Because I doubt it¡¯ll hold her forever. B6 | Chapter 33 - Preparations for Battle Wolf This devourer is both stronger and weaker than the last one that I fought. Stronger because it¡¯s a much higher level. But also weaker because it clearly hasn¡¯t had anywhere near as long to absorb elemental energy. Which makes sense. The other one absorbed the energy throughout the time it took to find the thing, whereas this one was dropped on our heads. All of this on top of the sight of my werewolf and kraken fighting against the devourer gives me some hope that I can beat it. Some. Not a lot, but some. And that¡¯s mostly because this one seems to actually be able to be damaged by elemental energy. Specifically by lunar ice. Probably because it¡¯s a new element. That or it¡¯s because I¡¯m here, and I¡¯m a pseudo progenitor. ¡®Sapphire, go into my shadow,¡¯ I tell her through our bond with a frown on my face. And when she opens her mouth to say something, I just repeat the same thing I told her the last time we fought a devourer. ¡®You can help me again by sharing your stamina. Now get in your shadow. I will not lose you again.¡± Even if I can bring her back, it would be a pointless endeavor letting her fight with me. Since she isn¡¯t strong enough to do any actual harm to the creature. That much is obvious just by watching the other contestants of the quinzel flounder around without so much as scratching the devourer. They¡¯re so weak compared to it that the thing is literally swatting some of them like flies while ignoring the others. It¡¯s kind of sad to watch, if I¡¯m being honest. Sapphire finally goes into my shadow, but she doesn¡¯t look happy about it at all. In fact, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen her this upset before. I also get the feeling she may leave my shadow at some point during this battle despite what I said, and I can¡¯t exactly force her to stay in there. She may be my soul-bound companion and daughter, but I don¡¯t exactly have any actual way to force her to obey. And I wouldn¡¯t want to do that anyways. It just feels wrong. I let out a sigh at that thought before turning my full attention on the kraken and werewolf fighting against the devourer.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. The battle itself is rather intense, with the werewolf being just a bit weaker physically than the devourer. Meanwhile the kraken is just a bit weaker magically than the devourer. Which makes the two of them fighting it a much more even fight since they¡¯re fighting together. Although the size difference between the werewolf and the kraken and devourer is almost comical watching it from here. Just seeing a five-meter-tall werewolf fighting alongside a several-thousand-meter-long kraken against a planet-sized devourer. It¡¯s so bizarre to see. Well, anyways, I go ahead and begin my own preparations for the battle while the others keep it busy and weaken it. First off, I use both the Corruption Ring and the Ring of Frost Devouring to devour and absorb the elemental energy in the surrounding area. Both energy of the void element and of the ice element. All to increase my own physical strength. Temporarily in the case of the Corruption Ring and permanently in the case of the Ring of Frost Devouring. On top of that, I finally pull out a bunch of the items I¡¯ve been saving up over the years. Items that I¡¯ve always forgotten about if I¡¯m being honest. Like The Horn of Niflheim, which summons five massive wolves made out of ice and snow that I quickly order to join the fray. Or the Berserker¡¯s Amulet, which increases my own physical strength by fifty percent with the only drawback being that my mind grows fuzzy and rage fills it an entire minute for every ten seconds I have it equipped after I unequip it. There are also other items that I equip, many of which have risks of their own. Like a bracer that increases the power of my elemental energy at the cost of my level decreasing by one for every thirty seconds I have it equipped. But once again, only after I unequip it. Or the Gauntlets of Draining that drain away small amounts of my lifespan to give me a significant boost in strength. That last one isn¡¯t that risky though considering that I¡¯m a pseudo progenitor. So my lifespan at this point is nearly infinite. At least, from what Diane told me it should be. Most of these items I got in between now and the fight with the devourer the last time, so I couldn¡¯t use them then. In fact, a large part of the reason I got them ¨C other than luck from loot boxes ¨C is because I decided to purposefully search for and buy good items that I could use in case I ended up in another tough battle like that. And I guess that investment paid off. I feel power flooding my body from every single item I¡¯m using, one after another. Meanwhile my lunar winter beasts continue to fight against the devourer. With both the werewolf and kraken slowly being beaten down by the devourer in the process. But not without causing it damage as well, seeing as the creature has lost one of its arms from the elbow down. Meanwhile there¡¯s a large chunk ripped out of its leg, and it¡¯s missing some fingers on its other hand. And most importantly, the scales across its body are all damaged, even if they¡¯re all still there. I narrow my eyes as I let the power fill me up before I finally pull out the last item for my preparations. An item I haven¡¯t used in a little while at least. But the same item I always end up relying on in the end. I draw my Sword of the Blue Moon. Instantly making the Blue Moon Armaments equip themselves onto me even in my hunter form. And despite the number of times I¡¯ve drawn the blade and equipped the armaments before, I find myself surprised by the System Message that appears in my vision this time. Because the armaments have changed since the last time I¡¯ve donned them. A faint grin stretches across my face. Good. B6 | Chapter 34 - The Turnarounds Wolf -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- You are now under the effect of the Blue Moon Armaments. This effect is not of the Void System and therefore any armor-type equipment of The Reaper¡¯s System is now unequipped, and you are completely locked out of any System related activities including accessing your status until this effect ends. While under this effect, all of your physical and magical capabilities are quadrupled, your status as a pseudo progenitor is upgraded to full progenitor status, your weaknesses are temporarily removed, and your immunity to the void element is enhanced to 90%. Lastly, during this effect, the user grows stronger the longer they are underneath the light of the Blue Moon. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- I glance up at the sky to find a blue moon suddenly appearing, with the pale blue light from it piercing the darkness in an instant. Meanwhile every single creature inside of the little dark realm looks up at it, then at me. It looks like the Sword of the Blue Moon has evolved as well. Whether this is because of time or because of my own evolution to pseudo progenitor, I¡¯m not sure. And it¡¯s not just the sword, but the Blue Moon Armaments have evolved as well. While I have it equipped, my wings now shine with lunar ice light from my feathers, meanwhile the armor itself also gives off a faint light. As for the armor, it¡¯s constantly in a state of freezing and unfreezing, turning from pale blue light to ice over and over again. All with a single crystal at the center of the chest, and my personal crest on my back. Of which I can see thanks to the ice¡¯s reflection. The armor goes down to my knees but covers absolutely everything above them, including both of my arms and my torso. The only things it doesn¡¯t cover are my wings and my neck, along with some of the area around my neck where my white fur is visible, and my calves and feet. But the weirdest thing is that the sword is now gone.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Instead I have metal gauntlets on my hands that look rather plain. Except for when I infuse lunar ice into them, at which point they begin to shine with the same coloring and light as my sword did. I focus on the devourer as I feel power flooding me from outside at a far faster pace than before. Almost like I¡¯m simply absorbing all of the lunar ice element in the area in an instant. Which adds a third element to the elemental energies I¡¯m absorbing right now. The devourer lets out a roar at me, only for it to be attacked by the werewolf and the kraken at the same time. And I don¡¯t leave them to fight on their own as I rush straight at the devourer with one fist raised to dig my claws into the devourer¡¯s body. With my claws digging straight into the devourer¡¯s flesh in an instant, tearing through it without much trouble. But it doesn¡¯t end there as my lunar ice quickly begins to spread through the devourer¡¯s body from my claws, freezing it from the point of contact outwards. The devourer roars again, except this time in pain. And it immediately slaps away the kraken and werewolf, sending them flying as it turns towards me and tries to grab me with its claws. I don¡¯t let it though as I turn into lunar ice before reappearing on the other side of the devourer by recreating my body with the lunar ice elemental energy around the devourer. Elemental energy that¡¯s being practically poured out of the blue moon into the area around us. Then I strike at the devourer again, making the process repeat once more. And again. And again. Over and over again, I tear out chunks of the devourer and freeze even more of it. Until the devourer finally gets pissed off enough that it roars one last time and sends out a powerful shockwave of void energy. A shockwave that sends me flying with a grunt, along with all of my lunar ice element. All while I cough out a mouthful of blood. Blood that I quickly find to be just more lunar ice element. Interesting. My blood is literally just my own elemental energy in this form. Except in pure, condensed liquid form. I guess it really is true that progenitors are just their own element in a physical living form. Anyways, I stop myself midflight before forcefully taking hold of all the energy in my surroundings. Then I raise a single paw into the air and clench it. Making all of the lunar ice elemental energy in the air all around me and the devourer, and even in the bodies of the lunar winter beasts ¨C I leave enough for them to survive ¨C immediately charge out to freeze the massive devourer in place. And while I know this won¡¯t stop it for long, I don¡¯t care. Because I immediately disappear before reforming myself right next to the creature. Then I pull my claws back and dig them straight into the ice and the creature¡¯s body beneath it. All while the natural lunar ice elemental energy from the blue moon above us all restores my lunar winter beast army. I let out a roar as I put more and more force into cutting into the massive devourer¡¯s body. All the way until I manage to dig my entire body into the devourer¡¯s body and continue tunneling through it. But the devourer doesn¡¯t just sit there and let me do this as the creature¡¯s own blood tries to dissolve me. With each and every drop of its blood hissing as it makes contact with my own lunar ice of eternity. I still don¡¯t stop though. I just continue digging my way through. Meanwhile my claws spread my lunar ice of eternity through the devourer like a virus. Freezing everything all around where they strike as I dig further and further into its body. Until the thing goes completely silent and instead begins to curl up into a ball from what I can sense outside. And the void energy all around me suddenly condenses, and the devourer¡¯s body shrinks. Oh. This¡­ might not be good. B6 | Chapter 35 - The Reward Wolf As the void energy condenses and the devourer¡¯s body shrinks, the void energy within it grows purer and purer. All the way until it begins to fight back against my own drilling attempts. And to top it all off, it somehow seems to be healing and pushing me out of its body at the same time as it shrinks. Eventually I¡¯m completely pushed out of the devourer, with the devourer soon reaching the size of a five-meter-tall copy of my own appearance rather than the massive creature it was before. I grit my teeth, only to spread both of my arms out to send spears of lunar ice in the form of glowing pale blue light that tries to freeze the creature the moment it makes contact. But all it does is try to freeze it. Because any parts of it that freeze are quickly shattered and then regenerated by its own void tendrils that attack its own body. The hell is wrong with this thing?! It¡¯s just casually attacking itself! My attention turns back to the others before I go ahead and order them all to attack the devourer again now that it¡¯s small. And they all immediately do so. But their attacks don¡¯t even scratch it anymore, leaving me grimacing before I order them away again. No reason to waste them if they might be useful later on after all. Of course, the contestants who aren¡¯t lunar winter beasts continue attacking. Seeing as I can¡¯t order them around. But I don¡¯t care about them, so I ignore them. I focus on the devourer, just to find it letting out a howl out of nowhere before opening its mouth and moving it as if it¡¯s trying to speak to me. But nothing comes out but snarls and growls. Just like earlier. Guess the System really is censoring this devourer. Then again, that¡¯s probably for the best. Considering how foul-mouthed the last devourer I killed was. Although the censoring seems to be pissing off the devourer more every second before it finally rushes at me with its claws raised, making me raise my own again to block it. Then we repeatedly clash claw for claw over and over again, sending shockwaves of void energy and lunar ice of eternity all around us. Except that my blows are winning out with each clash, albeit barely. So the devourer¡¯s own claws are gradually being frozen.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Until all at once the devourer¡¯s claws shatter, letting my claws sink into its flesh again. Meanwhile the devourer lets out a loud roar of pain and anger. But unfortunately for me, the devourer just regenerates its claws and shatters any part I¡¯d frozen after breaking through. Leaving us at a bit of a stalemate with neither of us getting the better of the other. The devourer can¡¯t seem to damage me anymore, especially since my strength is gradually increasing every second. And I can¡¯t damage the devourer faster than it can regenerate. Even if I am dealing more damage as I grow stronger. Yet this stalemate can¡¯t last forever. Not when I have a time limit on my transformation. Then everything happens at once. A loud dinging sound echoes in my head followed by a sudden echoing of the word, ¡°Reward Granted,¡± throughout the dark abyss lit by my pale blue moon. Both of which make me and the devourer look up, just for a sudden bright flash to shine through the abyss. One made entirely of radiance elemental energy that directly clashes with the void energy within the devourer. I rush forwards and strike against the devourer again with my claws, but this time I tear out a large chunk of its body as even larger chunks of it freeze over. As if the devourer was just significantly weakened. A grin stretches across my face before I immediately get to work tearing the devourer to shreds bit by bit. All while freezing all of said shreds without hesitation. And within minutes of the radiance entering the abyss, it finally fades. But by then, I find myself faced with a devourer that is almost entirely frozen and torn to bits. Leaving nothing behind but its head that the creature is using to glare at me with. ¡°Better luck next time,¡± I tell the devourer with a grin before freezing a large cage around its head and then shrinking the cage. Crushing its head in one last act. Then I get the usual System notification about winning, followed by a large mini boss chest appearing in front of me and all of us being teleported back to the stadium to the roaring cheers of the audience. Nice! Now I just hope I don¡¯t have to fight a third devourer. Because that would just be a pain. I glance to the side when Sapphire appears from my shadow with a depressed look on her face. That sight has me pursing my lips for a second before I sigh and place my hand on her head to ruffle her hair. Which has her looking up at me with some annoyance mixing in with the depression. ¡°Your stamina was the only reason I was able to keep fighting in the end, so don¡¯t go getting depressed about not being able to help,¡± I tell her with a slight smile on my face. ¡°Because you did help.¡± Sapphire pouts a little, only to eventually sigh and accept my head pats. Then we both begin to walk over to the mini boss chest. While, of course, ignoring the annoying commentator. As I walk though, I can¡¯t help but wonder how I would¡¯ve fared against the devourer without that little reward. Because a small part of me realizes quite well that I probably would¡¯ve run out of time on my transformation before I could get anywhere with the devourer¡¯s defenses. And that would¡¯ve been a death sentence. I grit my teeth a little as I walk over to the chest. That conclusion really doesn¡¯t sit well with me. Sapphire and I stop walking when we reach the mini boss chest. The next time I fight with a devourer, if it happens again, I swear I¡¯ll win on my own strength. And with that last thought, I reach out and touch the mini boss chest. B6 | Chapter 36 - Luck Reversal Within a Grand Tree in Titania¡¯s Realm ¡°And thou are certain of this choice, young one?¡± One of the elders of the fae asks Katie as she stands in the center of a large greeting chamber within the Grand Tree. ¡°As blood of Her Majesty, a place will always be here for thou.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure, there¡¯s no doubt about that,¡± Katie says with a frown on her face. Something she has said at least a few times to each of their annoying attempts to keep her from leaving. ¡°Very well,¡± another of the elders states before declaring, ¡°Princess Katie Adler, descendant of Her Majesty, Queen Titania, Progenitor of Radiance, and brother of The Winter Wolf, thou are hereby dismissed from any responsibilities that come with the title.¡± Katie nods her head at that with a faint smile before feeling herself being sent out of the realm of the fae even though she can easily do it herself. Leaving her appearing within the Safe Zone back on Aegis. Once she arrives, she stretches a little and flies up into the air. Then she goes ahead and reopens the System livestream she was watching before having to meet with the elder fae. And immediately after opening it, she sees Wolf just sitting within the large arena after finishing the Second Centurion Quinzel. All while he smiles at an amulet floating above the mini boss chest for the quinzel. For the two-hundred-and-ninety-second floor. Katie smiles as well when she sees the description of the item that he got. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Item | The Ring of Void Devouring | Tier 9 This ring allows the user to digest any void element they devour and absorb it to increase their own physical strength. Any bonuses applied while this ring¡¯s worn become permanent after twenty-four hours. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Looks like he got a second one. But for the void element this time. She nods her head in satisfaction at the sight of her brother finally getting something useful from a mini boss he risked his life to fight. Because she knows exactly how his luck goes with these sorts of things. Just from the many games they¡¯ve played together over the years.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Katie glances up as she waits for the spaceship to arrive, only occasionally looking at the livestream footage. And once the large spaceship finally arrives ¨C one that was stolen from Technalogia ¨C she immediately flies up to the hangar before entering the ship. Then she moves through it towards the bridge where she finds Aidan, her father, and her mother all waiting. A smile lights up Katie¡¯s face as she sees them. Since she hasn¡¯t been able to see them for a little while. Her family managed to leave Fae a while ago without any trouble. Largely because the fae elders lost interest in Katie¡¯s mother once they realized she wasn¡¯t going to awaken as a fae like Katie did. And they were incredibly happy to get rid of Katie¡¯s father, who has the blood of the Reaper in him without any fae blood at all. But it didn¡¯t end up being so simple for Katie, and she¡¯s only now finally managed to make it out of Fae. Now she and the others can make their way towards the Grand Werewolf Empire to meet with her brother¡¯s adoptive mother. ¡°Welcome back, sweetheart,¡± Katie¡¯s mother says with a smile, making Katie smile back in return. Since she still isn¡¯t used to seeing her mother smile so often. Even though it¡¯s been a while since her mother¡¯s memories were returned by the fae. ¡°It¡¯s good to be back,¡± Katie says, her smile growing wider by the second as she hugs her mother, followed by her father and her fianc¨¦ after him. Then something happens on the livestream that makes her and the others all freeze. Wolf is sent to the first fifth of the Third Centurion Quinzel. And it¡¯s a dangerous one as he is teleported into a single small room with a single pitch black chest at the center of the room. With his one objective during this fifth being to open the chest and survive. ¡°Shit¡­¡± Katie mutters, to which her family all nod their heads in agreement with. ¡°I hope his luck didn¡¯t get burnt out by that last mini boss chest¡­¡± Everyone in the bridge of their ship watches as Wolf glares at the pitch black chest. Meanwhile his daughter just casually enters his shadow, seemingly leaving everything up to him. Then they watch him walk up towards the gamble chest ¨C as many people in the universe call them. The Pandora¡¯s Box. ¡°At least this fifth shouldn¡¯t take long,¡± Katie mutters, trying to find something to take her mind off of the danger her brother is in. No one says anything in response. Nearly every single Pandora¡¯s Box he has opened so far has been either a monster or an immortal animal. I just hope he ends up with the latter again this time instead of some powerful monster that¡¯s even stronger than the devourer. A tense silence fills the bridge as the four all watch Wolf frown at the chest with his arms crossed. And after an entire two minutes pass, Wolf finally lets out a sigh and begins setting up one defense after another within the large room. Then he finally moves up to the chest and touches it through his elemental shifted form before rushing backwards. But what happens upon his touching the chest actually shocks everyone within the bridge, and no doubt everyone watching the livestream in general. Because instead of a monster spawning or an immortal animal appearing, a knowledge crystal appears above the chest. With a description above it that shocks everyone even more than the lack of any monsters or immortal animals. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Knowledge Crystal | Domain Expansion Knowledge Crystal | Tier 10 Use of this knowledge crystal will endow the user with the knowledge on how to expand their domain. Warning: This knowledge can only be practically used by progenitors and pseudo progenitors. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- B6 | Chapter 37 - Domain Wolf I stare blankly at the System Message floating above the crystal that is above the Pandora¡¯s Box. And part of me just can¡¯t register the possibility of actually getting something good from one of these. It just won¡¯t register. So I continue staring blankly for an entire ten seconds. Then I numbly reach out and grab the knowledge crystal before using it. Mostly because I don¡¯t want this dream to end before I grab it, but also because Sapphire is poking me to do so. Literally. To my surprise, I actually get all of the knowledge from the crystal. Which finally snaps me out of my stupor enough to turn to Sapphire and ask, ¡°Did we just get something good out of a Pandora¡¯s Box?¡± She nods her head with a look on her face that is equal parts shocked and amused at my own reaction. But she doesn¡¯t say anything. Guess she¡¯s waiting for me to check out the knowledge. So I do just that. And quickly figure out that this¡­ may take a while. A very, very long while. From what I can tell through the knowledge from the crystal, expanding the domain by even just a tiny inch requires focusing on condensing the elemental energy making up my own body so much that the most energy I¡¯ve ever used at one time in my entire life is barely enough. And that¡¯s not even considering how much energy it takes to make my domain in the first place. To do that I have to compress all of the energy in my own body so much on top of my heart that I won¡¯t be able to do anything else for weeks on end. And all that will do is turn my body into my domain. Nothing more than that. As for any sort of new powers I get through doing that? I get an increase in the power of my energy, both in my body and outside of it. Because apparently an element without its own domain is like an empty ocean without a single animal or plant inside of it. Although the size of the domain doesn¡¯t affect the power of the element outside of the domain. It only affects the power of the elemental energy I use. Most importantly, the process of creating a domain is painful.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Very painful. I¡¯ll probably be okay with that though. I made it through being bitten by a werewolf after all, so hopefully this won¡¯t be too much worse. And if it is? That¡¯s a future me problem. I glance at Sapphire before telling her through our bond, ¡®We¡¯ll need a safe place for me to create my domain. So we likely won¡¯t be able to make it for a little while.¡¯ She nods her head with rather clear disappointment visible on her face. So I go ahead and pat her head before the two of us appear within the arena again. And while we wait for the rest of the contestants of the quinzel to finish their Pandora¡¯s Boxes, I go ahead and begin researching something that¡¯s been bothering me for a while now. Why my lunar ice element works on devourers. Since my previous assumptions aren¡¯t good enough for my curiosity. I prefer concrete answers to this question in case I run into another devourer. After all, the devourers in the Beta Dungeon aren¡¯t the only devourers in the multiverse. Even if I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard of many devourers in the Reaper¡¯s universe in particular. I¡¯ll probably be going to other universes throughout my life after getting out of the dungeon, so the Reaper¡¯s universe isn¡¯t the only one that matters. Just considering the floor theme I¡¯m on right now alone means it¡¯s important. What with this floor theme being based on some competition within Beelzebub¡¯s universe. I spend the next few minutes after summoning my portable system home within the stadium browsing through the System Forums. Then after failing to find anything important there ¨C and briefly glancing at Sapphire to find her playing some video game now on the other couch ¨C I move on to sending messages to people. Specifically to Fenrir. Because I noticed a new icon in the corner of my interface at some point. One made out of ice element. Not void element. Almost like Fenrir hacked my interface or something. To my surprise though, he answers right away. With the Progenitor of Ice telling me that devourers can devour every single element that is currently in existence within the multiverse the moment they are born. So they can¡¯t devour any new elements that may form after they are born. Hence why this old devourer who has been locked away here for who knows how long couldn¡¯t devour my brand new element. Which I would say is a big weakness, but it¡¯s not like new elements are forming every day or anything. Instead it¡¯s just a weakness for me to exploit. And anyone else with my element, I guess. I send Fenrir a quick ¡®thank you¡¯ message before closing out of the menu and leaning back on my couch while staring up at the ceiling. Just wondering what the next fifth will be. Because these fifths have been all over the place, and I¡¯m not particularly happy about that. I frown for a few seconds, then I let out a yawn and close my eyes to get some quick shut-eye. Only for the house to suddenly vanish and the commentator to begin blabbing his mouth off again. Not giving me even a moment to sleep. Damnit. Whatever. My body doesn¡¯t need sleep anymore anyways. That was more for my mind than anything else. I listen to the commentator blab on a bit before he finally pauses as the notification for the next fifth appears in my vision. Time to continue moving forward. Because that¡¯s all I can do in this damned dungeon. That thought briefly makes me wonder just what the annoying reaper that put me in here is doing right now. But that thought fades to the back of my mind when the next fifth begins. Whatever he¡¯s doing, it doesn¡¯t matter to me anymore. Not after he was banned from messing with the Beta Dungeon. For now I just have to survive with Sapphire. B6 | Chapter 38 - The Cursed Commentator Wolf Time begins to pass as I win one fifth after another. I fight and survive against all kinds of little competitions ranging from races to mazes and even some random ones like a memorization quiz. One where we had to memorize things and would be attacked by monsters if we messed up. And after several weeks fly by, I find myself standing back in the stadium of the Fifth Centurion Quinzel. Just waiting for the final fifth to begin. But when the commentator suddenly begins to glitch out for some reason, I realize something¡¯s wrong. Then the commentator himself suddenly teleports down into the stadium with a blank look on his face, following which a new copy of him appears high in the sky and continues commentating like usual. I blink in surprise and confusion as I listen to the new commentator declare, ¡°And the end of the Fifth Centurion Quinzel is about to begin! Keep your pants on everyone, for it is going to be a doozy!¡± That confuses me as well. Because the commentator is talking differently even if he looks the exact same as the other one. Both of them have a form that looks like a split between a crab and a beetle of sorts. Except with a scorpion¡¯s tail extending from his abdomen ¨C the body part his four legs connect to ¨C with a rather eerie black and purple energy coating the stinger at the end of it. They also have a thick looking black and purple exoskeleton and are about two meters in height. ¡°We have a special boss for the remaining one thousand four hundred and fifty one contestants to fight this time around!¡± the commentator continues while flying around in a circle as the other contestants ¨C all of whom at this point are lunar winter beasts ¨C silently watch him. ¡°Say hello to ASDFASDVASDFASD!!!!¡± I stare blankly at the commentator for several seconds. The fuck did he even just say? All it sounded like was some sort of glitch in a video game¡­ Wait, is it because this is a special boss? Or maybe this floor is designated as a special floor¡­ I haven¡¯t seen one in a while, but a special boss appears on the fifth floor of the centurion floor themes. And a special floor is a unique type of floor unrelated to the special bosses that breaks the general theme of the floor. It could be both though, since I was expecting a special boss on this floor. What with it being the two-hundred-and-ninety-fifth floor and all. Also, more importantly, this is based on the real Centurion Quinzel. And I highly doubt the host of a Centurion Quinzel ever actually fights the contestants. So is he just glitching out every time he tries to mention the boss¡¯s name or something? Meanwhile the crowd is acting like nothing¡¯s wrong. I guess this is the first time my immersion has ever been broken in the dungeon.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. It¡¯s certainly an odd feeling. The Reaper should probably fix it before any other competitors enter. Not that I can ever see any other competitors entering the Beta Administrator Dungeon. I glance through the System Forums for a moment as I keep an eye on the commentator and the enemy commentator. Then I finally remember the notification that I got at the very start of the floor theme. The one mentioning that the Fifth Centurion Quinzel will have a special boss that is voted upon by the viewers. Does that mean the viewers voted on the commentator to be the boss? And the dungeon is glitching out because of that? Interesting. On that note, while the commentator is blabbing on about stuff I can¡¯t even understand through that glitchy voice of his, I check the beta dictionary on his enemy copy. And immediately tense up upon seeing it.
Arch Caste Crtlchlar Rchtlar Keltrch Vlarus
The highest of the Crtlchlar castes ruling over the entire species without any exception, the Arch Caste is the most powerful species of the universe belonging to the progenitor known as Beelzebub. All Arch Caste Crtlchlar are blessed by their progenitor, Beelzebub, and would be considered insect and curse harbingers within the System. However, as the System does not exist for these creatures, it is impossible for the System to fully identify these creatures. Rchtlar is one of the ten members of the Arch Caste ruling over the entire crtichlar species. Any other details on the being are unknown to the System as this is no more than a copy of the man created for the Beta Administrator Dungeon.
Level ¨C 7000
The. Fuck? That¡¯s barely any information at all! The only thing I¡¯ve got to go on from it is that it¡¯s pretty much a harbinger just like I used to be! Well, that and it¡¯s of a species that rules over a universe. Even if this one is rather low level to be ruling over any sort of universe. Then again, it could just be that this copy¡¯s level is lower than the real thing. Or this copy was made back when the System was made. Which is more likely, now that I¡¯m thinking about it. Putting that aside though, its level is actually only about a hundred above mine now. Mostly because the last Centurion Quinzel ¨C the fourth one ¨C had a lot of killing monsters involved. Not to mention a hazardous floor that had a bunch of EXP orbs that I forgot even existed stashed away in it. I think I should be fine fighting this thing. Probably. Considering that I have over a thousand powerful-ish lunar winter beasts here to help me with the battle. ¡°And without furrrtheeeeerrr adooooo!!!¡± the commentator suddenly drawls out in his clicky language that is being automatically translated for me. ¡°Let this special boss fight begiiiiinnnn!!!¡± The special boss in question suddenly stops glitching and turns his gaze on all the lunar winter beasts and myself around him. Then the boss lets out a loud screech and a wave of black and purple mist spreads outwards from him and immediately begins to make my lunar winter beasts closest to him collapse to the ground. Okay, maybe it won¡¯t be so easy after all. B6 | Chapter 39 - The Harbinger The Void Stream ¡°And here we have it! The very first harbinger enemy within a dungeon in history!!!¡± Mikaela shouts, his voice almost cracking from how loud it is. Even as the void creature near him simply watches the livestream without saying a word. Meanwhile the audience within the viewing room goes wild in anticipation of the battle. ¡°For those of you who are newer to this dungeon run, our very own Winter Wolf originally started out as a harbinger of the ice element when the dungeon first began! And while he has evolved into a pseudo progenitor of his own element by now, he has never fought with a harbinger before!!!¡± On the livestream itself, Mikaela sees the crablike insect creature spreading out curse elemental energy all around it. And the second the curse touches the lunar winter beasts, it immediately begins to drain away at all of their energies. Whether it¡¯s their stamina, life force, or any other sort of energy they may have. But on top of that, Mikaela immediately figures out what the unique trait of this harbinger is. ¡°The harbinger of curses lives up to his name as the chosen one of the Progenitor of Insects and Curses with his unique variant element!!!¡± Mikaela shouts amidst the audience¡¯s own shouts at the sight of the lunar winter beasts that make contact with the curse element for long enough turning into insectoid creatures. Each one that touches the energy begins to grow carapace over their fur while their eyes begin to turn into compound insect eyes. ¡°A variant curse element that turns anything the curse inflicts into an insectoid creature!¡± Mikaela continues while flying straight up to the livestream. ¡°But will this affect Wolf?!¡± As if answering his question, the moment the curse energy makes contact with The Winter Wolf¡¯s body, it is immediately blocked off by the lunar ice of eternity coating him in a very thin layer of ice. ¡°And it wiiiiillll nooootttt!!!!¡± Mikaela shouts amidst the roaring audience. ¡°And The Winter Wolf is already preparing his pack with the same defense! For those who have not already been afflicted with the curse, that is.¡± Mikaela narrows his eyes further at the screen when he notices the lunar winter beasts who were afflicted badly enough by the curse energy to begin showing major mutations stop attacking in an instant. Then they all turn and begin to attack anything in sight. Including each other.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°It doesn¡¯t appear as if the commentator of this Centurion Quinzel has control over the ones afflicted by his curse, and the curse element is often centered around weakening an opponent rather than killing them outright,¡± Mikaela begins with a frown beginning to stretch across his face. ¡°So how will it fare against the pseudo progenitor of the lunar ice element? It¡¯s already clear that The Winter Wolf¡¯s eternity variant is effective against the commentator¡¯s curse energy. But will it also be effective against-¡± Mikaela pauses when the commentator in question slams its pincer into a couple of the lunar winter beasts that got too close, shattering the thin layer of ice protecting them in the process. ¡°It would appear that The Winter Wolf¡¯s eternity variant will not be effective against the commentator¡¯s physical strength.¡±
Wolf Well at least my eternal effect finally works on a boss. Even if it¡¯s just on the boss¡¯s own elemental energy and variant. That said, this is the very first time I¡¯m fighting against something with a variant. I think. It¡¯s possible I could¡¯ve fought a harbinger before but just don¡¯t remember it. I doubt it though. And if I did fight one before? Then they probably weren¡¯t worth remembering if I forgot about them. Anyways, the commentator in question begins to look through my pack of lunar winter beasts while beating the hell out of any of them that get close to him. Then his gaze finally locks onto me. In all honesty, if it weren¡¯t for the shiver that I feel running down my spine and the sense that he¡¯s looking at me, I probably wouldn¡¯t even know it. Just because the thing has compound eyes that makes it so I can¡¯t tell where he¡¯s looking at any point in time. Then the crab-like insect moves straight at me without any hesitation. Albeit at a speed that isn¡¯t actually very hard to dodge. In fact, it¡¯s actually a little slow. Not too slow, but far slower than me. Before I can begin thinking the fight might be easier than I expected though, the crab slams into the lunar winter beasts behind me as it passes. Turning them all into paste on the ground. Literally. My jaw drops open as I¡¯m left staring blankly at the commentator and the pastes on the ground that were my lunar winter beasts. Right. So he¡¯s slow but incredibly strong. I frown a little when I notice the commentator slowly turning around while making some slight creaking noises from his joints. Almost like turning isn¡¯t easy for him to do or something. That or he just used up a lot of energy to make that sprint and is taking a moment to recover. Either way works for me. I create several large walls of ice to test out just how easily this commentator breaks my ice. Seeing as the rest of the ice he¡¯s breaking are literally just tiny millimeter-wide slivers of ice. And, of course, when the thing goes charging again, it slams straight into and through some several-meter-thick walls of ice. Shattering them to pieces in its wake and turning more lunar winter beasts into paste. My frown grows deeper. At this point these lunar winter beasts are rather pointless here¡­ I dodge the commentator a few times before he suddenly changes up his tactics and begins coating his own body in curse energy. Which for some reason seems to speed him up a bit. Then a bit more with the next charge. And a bit more with the next. Shit. This isn¡¯t looking good for the future of this battle¡­ B6 | Chapter 40 - A Nuisance Wolf It happens over and over again for several minutes. And with each occurrence of it, his speed grows more and more. All the way until I can no longer completely dodge his attacks. Fortunately for me, it turns out that lunar ice in its lunar form seems to be powerful against the commentator¡¯s curse energy. Probably because the radiance element itself is relatively strong against the curse element. Something about the radiance purifying the curse. So the curse energy doesn¡¯t break past my barrier of lunar ice around me. Even if his physical strength does, and the curse energy still affects the areas broken around each hit before I can repair the ice. Another bonus for me though is that the curse energy doesn¡¯t seem to be transforming me into an insect like it is the others. Meaning that whatever requirement the commentator¡¯s variant element has isn¡¯t met for me. It still isn¡¯t pleasant though, and it¡¯s still slowing me down and draining my energy. To make up for it, I begin to grab onto all of the lunar ice elemental energy in the stadium, including the energy within the lunar winter beasts since they¡¯re rather useless right now, before directing it all around me and the commentator. And the commentator quickly realizes what I¡¯m doing and begins to do the same. Except with far less curse energy than I have lunar ice energy. Which makes this a rather simple battle thanks to that. One where the victor is decided by the one with more energy. And I have quite a bit more than he has simply because of the lunar winter beasts I¡¯m taking it from. Leading to his curse energy dome around him being shattered rather quickly before my energy reaches his body at the center of it. But even when my lunar ice energy begins to freeze his body, the commentator doesn¡¯t just stand there and take it. Instead he jumps straight at me, startling me in the process as he literally tears off one of my arms. Then he proceeds to hit me with my own arm, stunning me when he does so. Both the mere act of doing that and the fact that it sends me flying and almost breaks my concentration on the lunar ice elemental energy I¡¯m freezing him with.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Almost being the key word. I regrow my arm through some of the lunar ice energy around me before focusing on freezing the legs of the commentator whose species I will never bother to learn how to pronounce. Just to slow him down to the point that I can deal with him. And the rest of the battle after that becomes a simple one. I continue to freeze him while he chases after me. But with his legs partially frozen, he can¡¯t move anywhere near as fast, letting me dodge almost entirely every single time. With me dodging better each attempt due to him being more and more frozen as time goes on. And eventually the commentator is turned entirely into a frozen statue as the audience and the copy commentator that¡¯s been blabbing on about whatever above me finally go silent. I breath out in exhaustion while glancing at Sapphire, who appears from my shadow with her own exhaustion clear on her face. Simply because I¡¯ve been using some of her stamina to help me in this battle. Well, that and she was rather exhausted from the fourth fifth of the Fifth Centurion Quinzel. Where she had to fight off an army of spiders on her own while I solved a puzzle. Since she wasn¡¯t strong enough to make a barrier needed for the puzzle. I turn my gaze towards the copy commentator in the sky, only to frown when I realize the notification for the special boss¡¯s death hasn¡¯t arrived yet. So I turn my attention back to the frozen popsicle. At which point I realize the guy is still glaring at me through the ice. All while his curse energy slowly tries to drain away at my ice from within with very little success. He¡¯s still alive?! That¡¯s¡­ a surprise. Then again, he is a harbinger. And while a harbinger alone isn¡¯t as dangerous as a devourer was before I become a pseudo progenitor, they are still quite dangerous. I should know, considering my past as one. Right as I¡¯m beginning to walk over to the frozen popsicle though, the commentator begins to vibrate at incredible speeds. Speeds so fast that it¡¯s starting to damage my ice a little bit. Enough that a couple cracks actually form in it. But that¡¯s fine, because I go ahead and begin creating more ice around it to fix the seal before sending spears of ice through the ice already around him. Then I¡¯m left gaping in shock when the commentator inside of the ice suddenly turns his entire body into curse energy. Making this one of precious few enemies I have ever fought capable of elemental shifting like me. It¡¯s still fine. The commentator is still stuck in my ice, so he can¡¯t get- My thoughts pause when my ice suddenly cracks as the curse energy flares outwards with a bright purple light. Then it happens again. And again. With each flare of the light cracking my ice a little bit. ¡°Sapphire, go back in my shadow,¡± I warn her, and this time she does it without hesitation. Probably because she¡¯s exhausted and knows for sure she wouldn¡¯t be able to help. I try to force more lunar ice all around the commentator, but the curse energy gradually begins to break my ice almost as fast as I¡¯m building it up. My ice still manages to hold it though, giving me some time to figure out how to deal with the special boss. Until the special boss somehow slips through a crack in the ice and frees himself without even breaking it all. Shit. I didn¡¯t think about that being a possibility. Time for round two, I guess. B6 | Chapter 41 - Final Gambit Wolf The second round of our battle begins with both of us clashing in our elemental shifted forms. And each clash of our power sends out a shockwave that knocks back all the lunar winter beasts flying without exception. But that¡¯s pretty much all our clashes serve to do other than reducing the amount of energy we have on hand. Which is perfectly fine with me, seeing as it makes this a battle of attrition. The first between us to run out of stamina is the one to die. And I am very confident about both my stamina and my energy tank. A tank filled with energy from the other lunar winter beasts, along with stamina from Sapphire. So we clash over and over again, turning the stadium arena into a wasteland of ice, snow, and purplish-black curses. All while the lunar winter beasts stay far away to avoid the battle. What with them being unable to help out in any way at this point. We clash and clash and clash some more until eventually the commentator finally begins to run out of steam. Unfortunately for me though, that apparently doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s dead. Which is a lesson I should¡¯ve learned the last time I thought he was dead. Instead he finally turns back into his physical form again and glares at me. Albeit with his physical body being¡­ more than a little smaller than it used to be. I reform myself as well before matching his glare with my own. And something about him makes me think he wants to say something to me. But every time he opens his mouth to speak, making the pincers move to the side in the process, nothing comes out. I don¡¯t hear a word. So most likely the System is keeping him silent or it¡¯s glitching out again. Either way, it seems to just piss him off even more. Because the harbinger does something I never would¡¯ve expected. It¡¯s something I¡¯ve known all along that I can do myself, but I¡¯m not the type to throw my own life away just to kill something out of spite. The harbinger turns his entire body back into elemental energy, only to then use all of the energy in his body for one incredibly powerful attack in the form of a massive spear pointed straight at me. Creating a suicide attack using his very life for more energy and more power in the attack. My eyes widen as the power within the attack surpasses any magical attack I have ever seen personally in my entire life. It grows so powerful that I don¡¯t think I could block it if I tried. Even if I used up all of the energy I have remaining. And the curse energy from all of his previous attacks weakened my physical body on top of that, making it even harder to block or survive regardless of that weakness being temporary. I let out a sigh, feeling a little disappointed in myself. Since I was wanting to win this battle without relying on the Blue Moon Armaments. What with me not knowing what might be the raid boss of the next floor and all. But I guess I- My thoughts are cut off when a bunch of the lunar winter beasts begin throwing themselves in the way of the attack the moment the commentator sets it loose. The commentator¡¯s consciousness dying in the process even if his body is still technically making up the attack.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Huh. They¡¯re sacrificing themselves for me. Interesting. Although it doesn¡¯t work in the end as I watch the attack tear straight through them without even slowing down. So I¡¯m left pulling out the sword and activating my Blue Moon Armaments in the end anyways. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- You are now under the effect of the Blue Moon Armaments. This effect is not of the Void System and therefore any armor-type equipment of The Reaper¡¯s System is now unequipped, and you are completely locked out of any System related activities including accessing your status until this effect ends. While under this effect, all of your physical and magical capabilities are quadrupled, your status as a pseudo progenitor is upgraded to full progenitor status, your weaknesses are temporarily removed, and your immunity to the void element is enhanced to 90%. Lastly, during this effect, the user grows stronger the longer they are underneath the light of the Blue Moon. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The moment I activate it, my stamina and energy tank skyrockets. Then I freeze everything around me in one powerful blast of lunar ice of eternity, turning everything into a frozen wasteland far more deadly than the previous wasteland. And without a single hint of curse energy within it. Wiping out the entire attack sent by the harbinger with the power of a full progenitor. Because there is no way in hell a harbinger would ever be able to defeat a complete progenitor. Even if they stand a chance against a pseudo one like my normal form. I let out a sigh as I look around at the frozen wasteland, then at the copy commentator who is shouting at the top of his lungs ¨C assuming his species has those ¨C in a rather glitchy manner. One that makes it impossible for me to understand even a single word he¡¯s saying. Well this is awkward. I look around at the lunar winter beasts who survived ¨C a grand total of about five hundred or so ¨C before focusing on a special boss chest that appears at the center of the stadium. All while the stadium itself returns to normal as the audience¡¯s sounds return to my ears from whatever had been blocking them. Then the copy commentator finally begins to speak normally as he shouts, ¡°And now that the Fifth Centurion Quinzel has officially been cleared, our surviving contestants have earned themselves a break!¡± I blink in surprise at that, only to find a System Notification appearing in my vision.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
Congratulations on completing the first five Centurion Quinzels, Beta Tester! As a reward, your next floor will be floor 295.5 instead of 296! Within this extra floor, you may spend your time however you¡¯d like for a total of two weeks. You will be given adequate supplies and a monster-free space to spend this brief vacation from the dungeon. Then you will automatically be teleported to the 296th floor to continue on with the Sixth Centurion Quinzel! Enjoy this time while you can. Because you will need it to take on the Centurion Boss when you find it.
Putting aside that ominous ending, this is the first time the dungeon has ever given me time off. So that¡¯s nice. A smile stretches across my face. But first, reward time. B6 | Chapter 42 - A Progenitor鈥檚 Irritation Somewhere Within Grim¡¯s Universe The Reaper chuckles when he sees the screen in front of him showing Wolf as he opens the special boss chest to find another one of the devouring rings inside of it. One that won¡¯t be of very much use to him. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Item | The Ring of Curse Devouring | Tier 9 This ring allows the user to digest any curse element they devour and absorb it to increase their own physical strength. Any bonuses applied while this ring¡¯s worn become permanent after twenty-four hours. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The chances of him finding naturally occurring curse energy is lower than the chances of an average Joe making it out of the Administrator Dungeon alive. He¡¯d have to run into bosses that use the element for that to be of any use. Grim feels even more amused at the sight of Wolf¡¯s obvious satisfaction with the item despite its limited use. Until he is blasted in the face by another wave of radiance sent by Titania, who has once again found his main body within the darkness field Nyx set up. No doubt with the aid of Apollo. Grim should¡¯ve realized right away when he managed to recruit Nyx onto his side of the war that Apollo would follow her like a moth to a flame. But he¡¯s been so busy as of late trying to find Titania¡¯s little Fae Realm hidden within her own realm that he missed that detail in his planning. So all he did in the end was bring two other warring progenitors into their feud. And into his universe. At least they aren¡¯t making a mess of the place. Grim lets out a sigh. Because the time since he was banned from interfering with the Beta Dungeon has been incredibly boring and yet difficult at the same time. Boring because he couldn¡¯t do anything interesting in this time. Not after the Progenitor Council took away his only source of entertainment.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Messing with The Winter Wolf in the Beta Dungeon. And stressful because Titania is far more relentless than he expected. But his current battle isn¡¯t the only thing bothering him. He turns into his domain again and moves far away from where Titania is currently bombarding before sending a small amount of his attention to Wolf again. Where he finds the pseudo progenitor appearing within a large green field where he places his portable system store and immediately begins to relax. Taking advantage of the break given to him within the Beta Dungeon. When The Winter Wolf first became a pseudo progenitor, he was both amused and irritated by it. Amused at the idea of the other progenitors taking an interest in his game and his System, and amused by the more interesting battles that he will be able to see in the dungeon. But also irritated at the idea of a mortal and Fenrir taking advantage of his bloodline to create a new element and progenitor. At the end of the day though, he put the matter aside. Because he didn¡¯t believe it was possible for Wolf to actually create a domain or become a full progenitor. Until he saw that knowledge crystal. Part of him still wants to go into the dungeon and rip that knowledge out of his head. Or to just straight up kill him. But he knows that the other progenitors are all watching closely, and Fenrir has already taken control of the area surrounding the Beta Dungeon. Blocking Grim from accessing it entirely other than the same livestreams that the mortals have access to. And that is what infuriates Grim the most. The fact that it looks like Fenrir is using the Beta Dungeon to his advantage just to train Wolf now. ¡°You still whining about your precious little toy being taken away?¡± Nyx asks, her voice echoing across his domain as she sticks part of her domain into his. Only for him to kick her out of his domain due to just how comfortable it is to have another progenitor in his domain. ¡°Are you still fighting Apollo over his cheating on you over a few million years ago?¡± Grim responds in kind, feeling his irritation pushing out over his usual playful attitude. ¡°Why, yes,¡± Nyx answers, honest to a fault and without any hesitation. ¡°I am still fighting over that with him. He needs to know that there are consequences to cheating even if I have to beat them into his skull.¡± Grim feels exasperated at her answer and her obvious disinterest in his own irritation or what was supposed to be a rhetorical question. ¡°Just keep him out of the battle,¡± Grim says after a short pause. ¡°I have a plan that I¡¯m still in the midst of carrying-¡± Before he can finish, Nyx interrupts him, ¡°Yeah, yeah, you¡¯re still trying on finding that little home Titania made in her domain for the species she made so that you can use them as hostages, blah, blah, blah. You¡¯ve been through this before.¡± Grim feels his irritation beginning to turn into anger. Both at the infuriating progenitor of the dark element and his own idea to invite her to his battle. All because he desperately needed someone to distract Titania while he found her precious children. But he doesn¡¯t say anything. Partially because she¡¯s already gone, partially because he knows she won¡¯t listen even if she heard him, and mostly because she already did the job he needed. That¡¯s how he is currently going around searching for the realm after all. She gave him the window to leave their battle and search. A battle that was going absolutely nowhere. After he gets far enough away from the previous location, he once again manifests his humanoid form before narrowing his eyes within another location covered by Nyx¡¯s darkness. And with one last glance at the screen next to him showing the relaxing Winter Wolf, he closes his eyes again and continues his search for the fae realm. I¡¯m close. I can feel it. B6 | Chapter 43 - Music Soothes the Soul Wolf After lazing around in my portable system store for a day, I go ahead and move over to a room I haven¡¯t really visited for quite a while. It¡¯s a room that I used to go to a lot during high school simply because I¡¯ve always loved everything in it. And when I enter the room, I find it just as I left it. At the center of the room is a nice piano, with a few other instruments spread out around the edges of the room. Including an instrument called a euphonium, which a lot of people unfortunately don¡¯t recognize, along with a few others like a trombone and a tuba. All of which are instruments I used to play at some points in my life. I would just switch from one instrument to another over and over again. With Mom and Dad feeling rather exasperated every time I did. But I worked rather hard to afford most of these instruments with my own salary. Although the piano wasn¡¯t paid for by me. That was actually Mom¡¯s, since she plays it. She was actually the one who taught me how to play in the first place. I walk over to the piano before sitting down and opening the cover on the keys. Then I play a few keys, tune it, and try to play a couple of my favorite songs. Only to find that my skills have definitely become rusty over my years in the dungeon. Not to mention the additional year or two since I last played a piano even before the dungeon. Time passes and soon evening comes around for the second day, with Sapphire coming in and sitting on the floor next to the bench listening to me practice playing the piano. And at this point, I¡¯ve at least gotten a bit more used to it again. I play one soothing classical piece of music after another, all while Sapphire just plays a video game at the base of the bench. Then I eventually move on to the other instruments and begin playing them again as well. As I truly relax for the first time in who knows how long. Although I can¡¯t help but wonder what it is the people viewing me right now are thinking, seeing as all they¡¯re doing is watching me practice¡­This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. My thoughts blank out for a second before I hurriedly open up the System Forums. And lo and behold, there they are. Hundreds of thousands of threads all showcasing me playing music on the livestream. With so many titles talking about things like ¡®The Winter Wolf ¨C The Strongest Musician in the universe¡¯ and other such titles. Well then. Guess I gave an accidental concert? I tilt my head at that for a few seconds before shrugging. Then I go ahead and check out the threads, only to find the opinions split. There are a lot of them that just want me to continue moving on in the dungeon. To move on to the next floor with them treating me as if I¡¯m over here fighting for nothing but their entertainment. Which honestly irks me a little bit, but not much more than that. Mostly because I¡¯ve been used as entertainment for years now, whether I like it or not. There are also a lot of people who are talking about becoming my fans now after realizing I can do things besides battling. Beautiful things that aren¡¯t just killing. I guess that¡¯s nice to see. The sounds of my music mostly covers the sounds of Sapphire¡¯s game, but I can still hear her playing and tapping away at buttons on her controller despite that. Meanwhile I try to find one piece of sheet music after another on the System Forums. A task that is made easier when viewers notice what I¡¯m doing and start posting their own sheet music there for me to see. Which I have to admit is a nice benefit of these stalkers watching me go through my day. I continue playing one piece after another until a thought comes to me. Aren¡¯t I just basically some sort of live streamer playing music for fans at this point? That thought makes me blank out for a few seconds, but I eventually just shrug it off and decide that I don¡¯t really care so long as I can relax and enjoy the music. Because music is a beautiful thing. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that I need situational awareness in the dungeon, I would probably have music playing on my headphones while there. But it¡¯s too bad I can¡¯t do that. The Beta Dungeon is just too dangerous to do that. To stop paying attention to my surroundings even if it¡¯s only through audible means. Such a pity. I let out a sigh before going back to the piano and continuing to play some classical pieces of music. Then I spend the rest of the little vacation doing various different activities including but not limited to listening to music, playing my own music, playing video games with Sapphire when she asks, and just browsing around the System Forums. I also go ahead and answer messages from both friends and family during this time. And eventually I find the portable system store vanishing with us inside of it, leaving us falling onto the grass plains as a door appears in front of us. One that no doubt leads to the next floor of the dungeon. The 296th floor of the Beta Dungeon. And to my amusement, I find numerous threads on the System Forums sounding upset about how I won¡¯t likely be able to play music for them again for quite some time. Which is also a little flattering, if I¡¯m being honest. But now is the time to get serious again. So I take a deep breath before reequipping all of my gear. Then I walk up to the door, glance at Sapphire, give her a nod of my head that she returns back at me, and reach out to touch the door. Following which a flash of green light shines all around us and we appear within the stadium again for the Sixth Centurion Quinzel. B6 | Chapter 44 - System Centurion Quinzel Wolf Time passes rapidly as I clear one Centurion Quinzel after another. The Sixth Centurion Quinzel turns out to be the second easiest one of the bunch, with two fifths that focus just on finding an item or two, and the others being combat focused. With the Seventh Centurion Quinzel, which has nothing but combat fifths in it, being the easiest of them all. Since the combat fifths were all pitting me and Sapphire up against other contestants of the quinzel. As for the Eighth Centurion Quinzel? That one turns out to be rather difficult. Only because it was a bunch of tests that blocked me from using any sort of magic or elemental energy at all. So I was left using just my physical strength and planning. Lastly, the Ninth Centurion Quinzel surprisingly isn¡¯t split into fifths like the ones before it. It¡¯s just a single quiz. One where if the contestants get the questions wrong, they have to fight a mini boss and then restart the quiz. This one ends up taking me longer than any other floor I have ever been in to complete. Mostly because all of the questions in the quiz are about Beelzebub. Every. Last. One. And I don¡¯t know shit about Beelzebub. The only reason I manage to clear the floor in the end is because Fenrir takes pity on me and answers the questions in a message for me after a while. Although I do at least level up quite a bit during it. Which I¡¯m thankful for now that I¡¯m sitting in the nearly empty arena of the Tenth Centurion Quinzel¡¯s stadium. A stadium that is even more packed than any other stadium in the entire Centurion Quinzel. And to top that off, doesn¡¯t seem to have a single one of the creatures that I have come to recognize are the dominant species of Beelzebub¡¯s universe. Then there¡¯s the commentator. A commentator I recognize and know very well isn¡¯t the same commentator I¡¯ve been seeing for the past nine floors. My eyes narrow a little as I look up at the man, who looks just as confused as I am for some reason. Was he just teleported here or something? I glance at the audience that is actually growing larger and larger with every second as more and more people teleport into it. People who are far more animated than the what I¡¯m assuming were fake people from the previous stadiums. They¡¯re also speaking in a language I clearly understand. My answer comes in the form of a System Notification. One that Mikaela who is floating above me seems to have gotten as well considering the screen that appeared in front of him. Although I can¡¯t confirm that for sure since I can¡¯t see his side of the screen.
Beta Administrator Dungeon NotificationIf you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Congratulations on completing the first nine Centurion Quinzels, Beta Tester! You have now arrived at the apex of the Centurion Quinzel! However, Beelzebub has retracted his permission for the final Centurion Quinzel to be used within the Beta Dungeon. Therefore the System has made alterations to create its own Tenth Centurion Quinzel. One the System has officially dubbed as the System Centurion Quinzel. In order to replace the artificial audience and commentator from the Tenth Centurion Quinzel, the audience and main commentator of the Void Stream has been placed within the Beta Dungeon for the duration of the System Centurion Quinzel.
Huh. Well that¡¯s¡­ interesting. I look around the stadium at the audience, all of whom are going absolutely wild at my appearance. With there being millions of people in the audience that seems to just continue going up and up and up through the bleachers forever. Which honestly looks rather bizarre, but whatever. ¡°Well look here folks, because it seems like things are getting interesting!!!¡± Mikaela shouts, his voice echoing out magically over the audience. An audience I get the feeling is being muted a little bit when the noise reaches me, otherwise I probably would¡¯ve gone deaf by now. Even with my headphones on. ¡°A viewing room that is actually within the dungeon itself! Who would¡¯ve ever thought this would happen?! Certainly not me!¡± Yeah, yeah, you look incredibly happy about this. I tune the vampire out as I look at the next notification that appears in my vision.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
Unlike the previous Centurion Quinzels, the System Centurion Quinzel will be separated into three parts. The first part of the System Centurion Quinzel will directly pit the Beta Testers against every single contestant remaining within the System Centurion Quinzel. And only a single survivor may pass on to the second third. Any and all rewards will be delayed until the Sponsorship that begins prior to the final third of the Centurion Floor, known as the System Centurion Quinzel. Good luck, Beta Tester. For you will need it.
I feel like the System is starting to be more direct with its words lately. Also, I kind of forgot about the whole sponsorship thing if I¡¯m being honest. Not that I¡¯m complaining about free stuff. Good things generally happen when I get these Sponsorships after all. Even if they¡¯re generally good things that stop a bad thing from happening. And considering that this is the three hundredth floor and a Centurion Floor? Something bad is bound to happen. My thoughts come to a brief halt when all of the other contestants of the Centurion Quinzels that survived up until now all appear around me. Then things just¡­ kind of go silent. Despite the notification saying that the first third is beginning. I glance around at the other contestants ¨C all of whom are lunar winter beasts ¨C before shrugging. Guess I can¡¯t move on with any of them. A pity, but they¡¯re all artificial things that will die by the end of this anyways. So I go ahead and give them all an order to kill themselves. Which they all follow immediately. Leaving the audience growing silent as the next notification appears in my vision. Well that was an easy third. Time for the next one. B6 | Chapter 45 - Oddities Wolf It feels a little weird not having the commentator explaining anything anymore, what with Mikaela not actually knowing any more about what is going on than I know. But at least I don¡¯t have to listen to that rather annoying chittering noise that the creatures from Beelzebub¡¯s universe were making. Because translated or not, it was very annoying to hear. The noise itself just grated on my ears. The notifications for the System Centurion Quinzel are also done very differently. Something I realize even more as I read this one.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
As the last surviving contestant of the System Centurion Quinzel, you will soon know hell. One of curses and insects. But before that, you must pass through the second third of the System Centurion Quinzel. And this third will not be as easy as the first one was, for mortals or otherwise. Because within the second third of the System Centurion Quinzel, you must travel through the Cursed Temple of the Insect God and find the Cursed Scepter within the Grand Ceremonial Chamber. Be prepared for anything, and do not let your guard down, Winter Wolf. For the final third of the System Centurion Quinzel will begin the moment you make physical contact with the scepter.
My eyes narrow at the notification. Or more specifically, at how personalized the notification was. At how it is clearly talking about and to me. Even directly stating my title as it does. And the fact that I¡¯m not technically a mortal, seeing as I¡¯m a pseudo progenitor. Soon I find myself being teleported into a rather disturbing looking location away from the audience and Mikaela. The place is filled with curse elemental energy and looks like some sort of haunted world. And despite the mention of some Cursed Temple, I don¡¯t see any temples anywhere near me.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. In fact, the only thing I can see around me is forest. Lots, and lots, of forest. Some sort of haunted forest at that, considering the black and purple curse energy floating everywhere and coating the trees in places. Not to mention the energy in the form of fog in the sky, and the purple moon high above the forest shining down through the night. I continue looking around for a few seconds before my eyes lock onto some bugs crawling around on the trees and the bushes. Some of which are tiny to the point of being around as big as a finger, whereas others are over an entire meter long. But that¡¯s not all though. Because when I really focus on the distance, I can see some bugs that are much larger than the trees. And after lowering the soundproofing on my headphones, I hear incredibly loud footsteps coming from the South and the North. Some sort of cursed forest filled with curse energy and bugs then. Makes sense. And that Cursed Temple is probably hidden somewhere within the forest. As for the other things that were said in the notification¡­ I¡¯m not liking what it was implying. Because it sounded like I¡¯ll be fighting something related to the Progenitor of Curses and Insects. Although the idea that I would be fighting him directly is incredibly unlikely if not impossible entirely. But what I¡¯m guessing from what I¡¯ve heard and past floors of the System is that I¡¯ll need to use that scepter to fight against whatever the Centurion Boss of the three hundredth floor is. So either way, this is going to be annoying to deal with. ¡°I smell something good¡­¡± I hear Sapphire mutter as she leaves my shadow, making me glance down to surprisingly find her in spider form. A form she doesn¡¯t take very often anymore despite technically being a spider. Wait¡­ she smells something¡­ My eyes widen a bit. Oh. My nose wrinkles a little as she goes into the bushes and begins eating some of the bugs. Right. I forgot. Images of the time she was eating massive cockroach corpses without batting an eye and calling them delicious. To each their own, but I would still rather not see it. ¡°We should split up on this part to find the temple,¡± I tell Sapphire, both because it is actually a good idea and what I planned to do, and to get her away from me while she¡¯s eating. ¡°Tell me if you find the temple, and I¡¯ll teleport you back if I find it.¡± ¡°Gotcha!¡± Sapphire says through our bond as I hear crunching sounds from her eating bugs. I can¡¯t help but wrinkle my nose a little at the smell of the bugs while quickly running through the forest in the opposite direction of her. And I make sure to go ahead and absorb and devour curse energy with my new ring along the way. Because this is probably one of my only chances to do that, considering how rare it turns out curse energy is according to the time since I got it and the System Forums. Come to think of it, I wonder if this ring will come in handy when I fight whatever the Centurion Boss is? Because I¡¯m sure at this point that the Centurion Boss will use curse energy, regardless of what it is. This environment, the creator of the Centurion Quinzel, the name of the temple and scepter, there is no way that with all of that the Centurion Boss won¡¯t use curse energy. So I can at least use the ring for the rest of the floor as a weapon against the Centurion Boss. And considering what the previous notifications said, I¡¯m guessing I¡¯ll be teleported to the Sponsor Hall the moment I touch the scepter. So I can at least look forward to that tiny break. Or at least several seconds after touching it. Since I wasn¡¯t always teleported the moment I entered the floor on previous sponsorship floors. Well, anyways, for now I¡¯ll just focus on finding the temple. Maybe I¡¯ll find more hints about what the Centurion Boss is there. So I continue charging through the forest while absorbing the curse energy and slaughtering bugs. B6 | Sapphire Intermission 1 The Three Hundredth Floor of the Beta Administrator Dungeon Sapphire is a pretty happy girl right now. And a pretty happy spider. A very happy spider at that. She has a wonderful father. She has plenty of video games to play and time to read while in her father¡¯s shadow. And now she even has a buffet of bugs to eat. What more could a girl ask for? Nothing more if you ask her. So now she continues charging along through the Cursed Forest as she tears apart the insect monsters and eats them in the process. But she doesn¡¯t stop there either, since she also goes ahead and stores the extras for later meals as leftovers. Because if there¡¯s anything her grandmother taught her while she was outside of the dungeon it¡¯s to not be wasteful with your food. Sapphire has absolutely no idea why her father is disturbed by the sight of her eating these delicious creatures. It¡¯s just beyond her capability to understand. He is the best musician she has ever seen ¨C and probably the only one, but that fact doesn¡¯t matter right now ¨C and is even great at video games. He¡¯s the strongest fighter at his level in the entire universe, a pseudo progenitor, and practically the god of his own species. One with so much influence that he can tell an entire species to do anything he wants and they¡¯ll have no choice but to do it. Yet for some reason he doesn¡¯t like watching her eat bugs. Sapphire will never understand it. So she doesn¡¯t even bother trying. Instead she just continues charging through the forest while eating and storing leftovers. And it isn¡¯t until a few hours pass, and her stomach is full that she finally begins to grow more serious again. Getting over the rush of the delicious food from the forest. Just where is this temple anyways? Sapphire eventually returns to her humanoid form and begins walking around while freezing the bugs. Mostly because she has enough food at this point, and if she keeps going she¡¯ll just end up sick of the particular flavor of the bugs here in time. Which she only realizes now after she¡¯s gotten out of her food frenzy. While she¡¯s walking, she goes ahead and browses through the System Forums. Just looking for anything regarding her or her father. And the most trending posts she finds are all ones about one of two things.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The first is the changes to the Centurion Quinzel. With it becoming the System Centurion Quinzel and all. And the second thing being Sapphire¡¯s prior food frenzy, which has her blushing a little. At this point it¡¯s become a bit of a habit for Sapphire to check the System Forums every now and then. Especially after she found one of her many fan clubs on it. Because while that is flattering to her, what isn¡¯t flattering is how creepy she¡¯s found some fan clubs to be. So she occasionally goes around and flags things for deletion. And lo and behold, a lot of them actually end up being deleted. She¡¯s not sure who¡¯s doing the deleting though. Probably an Administrator or Moderator of the System. But as long as they¡¯re being deleted I don¡¯t really care. Sapphire also makes sure to check the System Forums for posts about her father. But he doesn¡¯t really care himself. And there aren¡¯t as many posts about him in the creepy sense as there are about her. She still makes sure to flag any creepy ones she finds though. I don¡¯t know if Dad even knows he can report things on the forums now that I think about it¡­ That thought gives her pause for a second before she eventually just shrugs it off and continues walking. Only occasionally stopping to glance at a System Message that comes her way from some of the people she¡¯s met outside of the dungeon. Which number quite a few. Most of the messages she ignores though. Because they¡¯re not important. Especially whenever she gets close to one of the big bugs spanning several dozen meters in length. Bugs that destroy large parts of the forest just from moving around. Because they give the best EXP out of all the monsters on the floor. And more importantly, she¡¯s found a few EXP orbs stashed away in their stomach while eating them. Which have quite a bit of EXP in them that goes straight towards leveling herself and her father up. A small part of Sapphire actually can¡¯t wait to go back to the outside world. Because the Beta Dungeon is boring. Even if it is full of good food in some areas. At the end of the day though, the Beta Dungeon is like a jail cell. And she feels really bad for her father for not being able to physically leave himself. Not until they complete the dungeon. Sapphire lets out a sigh while killing bugs. I¡¯ll head back outside once we reach the three hundred and first floor. After we defeat the Centurion Boss of the floor. Of course, according to the messages she received from her aunt and grandmother, she¡¯ll have to wait for someone to pick her up and bring her to the Empire. Since the others apparently finally left the Fae Realm. A faint smile stretches across her face at that thought. I¡¯m glad they¡¯re out of the Fae Realm and the battlefield. It was worrisome having them there. Sapphire quickly kills any bugs she passes by freezing them to death, but eventually she begins to notice something. Specifically that the monsters are gradually rising in level. They were already above her and her father in level when they arrived on the floor, but now they¡¯re getting higher and higher with every passing minute. And some of them are even starting to eat each other for some reason. A reason other than how tasty they are, judging by the frenzy they¡¯re in. Sapphire narrows her eyes even as she continues killing them, but eventually she pauses when her father sends a message through their bond, ¡®I found it. Are you fine to be summoned back?¡¯ ¡®Go ahead Dad,¡¯ Sapphire answers while still looking around herself. Then she feels the pull before she is teleported straight to her father¡¯s shadow, of which she immediately leaves to look around his surroundings. And what she finds is rather surprising. Not to mention intimidating. B6 | Chapter 46 - The Temple Entrance Wolf I stand at the edge of a massive clearing next to Sapphire as I look at the massive temple in front of me. A temple that has to be the Cursed Temple of the Insect God, judging by how neither Sapphire nor I have found any other structures in this massive place. Just a bunch of bugs that are gradually rising in level. On that note, I go ahead and check my own level. At which point I find it to be at 7201. Then I look at the two rather large insects guarding the entrance to the massive temple. Insects that look like armed and bipedal beetle soldiers. A rather bizarre look, if I¡¯m being honest. With a bit of intimidation mixed in. The temple itself though looks incredibly grand in every aspect. Whether that¡¯s size, splendor, or, well, size. Again. Because it is massive. Massive enough to mention size twice. Also massive enough that when I got within sight of it, the thing was actually rather hard to miss. I probably would¡¯ve had to purposefully try missing it to miss it. The thing stands with a height of at least several kilometers after all. Other than its size, it is also shaped like a pyramid. Albeit with no way to climb up the sides. Just one large entrance on one side of the temple. What worries me the most are the guards outside of it that are over a hundred levels above me. Because if that¡¯s how strong the two random outer guards are now, how strong will the monsters inside of it be after a lot of time has passed? Considering how the monsters outside of the temple are rising in level by the minute. ¡°Why do you think they aren¡¯t attacking us?¡± Sapphire asks while the girl frowns at the three-meter-tall beetles that are just ignoring us despite our being rather easily in sight. ¡°Either they only attack things when the temple doors open, or¡­¡± I trail off as I grab a random insect nearby and toss it at them. Only for said insect to be chopped in half the instant it makes it halfway to the guards. ¡°Right. The latter. They only attack when you get within a certain distance of them.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Sapphire just numbly nods her head as she watches the two halves of the now-dead insect fall to the ground. On another note, that attack of theirs¡­ I frown. It was too fast for me to see. Which doesn¡¯t bode well. But there¡¯s still the likelihood that they¡¯re just incredibly fast but weak. So I go ahead and wave my hand, sending a storm of ice and snow straight at them. Freezing the grass within the clearing along with the trees around me and Sapphire before the ice and snow reaches the bugs from all directions in order to stop them from escaping. And what happens actually does surprise me. The bugs do end up frozen, but when I try to crush them with the ice, nothing happens. They just stare at me through the ice. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re fast and very durable, but not very physically strong,¡± I state my now-confirmed hypothesis about the guards. It is nice to see higher level monsters that can¡¯t break my ice again though. Because ever since the change to my ice making it so that instead of being unbreakable to anything 105% of my level or below it only states that things that are overwhelmingly stronger than me can break it. Although nothing can melt it. And I¡¯ve been fighting a lot of things that are ¡®overwhelmingly stronger than me,¡¯ making things rather annoying. That aside¡­ I go ahead and send dozens of spears made of lunar ice of eternity straight at them, trying to pierce through their carapace. But not a single one makes even a dent. ¡­how do I kill these things, exactly? After trying the spears, I try numerous other methods to kill the bipedal beetles. And none of them work. Crushing them with ice doesn¡¯t work. Piercing them with spears and other blades from all over doesn¡¯t work. And using one powerful piercing attack doesn¡¯t work. Even trying to attack various places across their body to find a weak point doesn¡¯t work. So at the end of the day, I¡¯m just left with only one last option. Sending lunar ice of eternity into their body and killing them from the inside. Which finally proves to work. ¡°Damned monsters¡­¡± I mutter out loud with more than a little of my irritation showing, making Sapphire chuckle in amusement. ¡°This place may take some time to deal with if all the monsters are like them.¡± And that¡¯s not even considering how the monsters seem to be gaining levels over time. Just how long will it take before they¡¯re strong enough to break my ice? Never? Or just a day? I don¡¯t know. And on top of that, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s in that temple. What I do know though is that those beetles were speed focused. Which does put me at a bit of an advantage at least. Since I can slow them down and capture them. I carefully look around the entrance of the temple for a bit longer before making my way over to the front door. A door in the form of a massive circle on the wall with various different symbols drawn on them. Symbols that start glowing when I get within ten meters of the door, following which other insects start spewing out. With at least half of them being just like the two I already killed. Shit. This won¡¯t be easy. Then Sapphire suddenly turns into her natural spider form and size, dwarfing everything here except the temple in an instant before she starts to eat the insects like a snack. I blink for a second as I watch her actions, following which I go ahead and begin freezing everything around us. Because it¡¯s the best way to catch a bunch of pests. B6 | Chapter 47 - New Developments Wolf The bugs don¡¯t end up being too difficult to deal with. Mostly just annoying. Incredibly annoying at that, seeing as their defenses force me to freeze the majority of them and kill them from the inside instead of just simply killing them. Even the weaker bugs amongst them have terrifying defenses. It takes us so long to kill them all that over two days have passed by the time we finish them all off. And by then, the entire exterior of the temple is just frozen, with snow and ice coating the forest around it. The only bright side about all of this is that my level has skyrocketed from all the bugs, and my strength grows as well from my ring devouring the curse elemental energy filling the forest around us. Of which there was a lot. Was being the key word, because I¡¯ve finally realized why the bugs are all growing stronger. It¡¯s because they¡¯ve been devouring the curse energy in the forest just like what my ring is doing. So there really isn¡¯t anywhere near as much curse energy left at this point. I let out a sigh after seeing another level up go by in my vision. Bringing me firmly up to level 7248. Then I glance at Sapphire to find her snacking on some of the bugs, only to turn my attention to the entrance of the temple. Where I find the entire thing frozen solid with the corpses of the bugs still piling in front of it in the ice. So I move all of the ice to the side before walking up to the entrance and studying it a bit. I slowly reach out to touch the large circular door while wondering just how I¡¯m going to open it. Since the door didn¡¯t actually open despite the bugs coming out. It just glowed and spewed them out all over the place. But the second my fingers touch the door, it suddenly shines with a bright purple and black light. Guess I don¡¯t need to figure it out¡­ To my surprise though, I feel both myself and Sapphire being teleported away instead of what I was expecting to happen. And when the light finally fades, I find myself and Sapphire standing on the edge of some massive white tower amidst hundreds of other massive white towers. Some with space between them and others so close that they¡¯re literally touching.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. I narrow my eyes a little as I take it all in. It¡¯s not just the pure white towers, or the large bugs flying everywhere. There¡¯s the complete lack of any black and purple energy in here. Such a strange shift¡­ Where¡¯s the¡­ My brows furrow as I finally take note of the energy that is in the area. Pure white energy in the form of clouds. Yet despite its appearance, I can tell that the energy is curse energy. Just that it¡¯s a different type of curse energy. A variant type of curse energy. And a pure one at that. It¡¯s like the difference between my old eternal ice element when I had the plain old thing and the eternal ice I saw Fenrir using. The eternal ice from the source. Well, shit¡­ I quickly begin to look around for the source of this pure curse energy, but I can¡¯t find anything that could possibly be the source. Which both makes me feel a little relieved and a little worried. Because it both means that my hypothesis isn¡¯t confirmed yet, but could also still be correct and there really could be some sort of copy of the Progenitor of Curses and Insects here. And I¡¯m honestly rather terrified of that possibility. It¡¯s also something I could easily see the System or the Reaper doing. Just making a weaker copy of a progenitor and stuffing the copy into the dungeon. I can only hope that he doesn¡¯t have permission from Beelzebub to do that. But if I¡¯m being honest with myself, the fact that Beelzebub¡¯s personal variant elemental energy is here likely means he at least has Beelzebub¡¯s permission to do that. Probably. Unless he¡¯s just picking a fight with Beelzebub. And I doubt even he¡¯s stupid enough to do that while he¡¯s already at war with two of the progenitors. Probably. Out of nowhere, I find a System Message appearing in my vision as I¡¯m trying to get to a higher tower for a better view of the area. A very shocking message at that. One directly warning me that the System has made a copy of Beelzebub and placed him as the Centurion Boss of the three hundredth floor without Grim¡¯s permission. My jaw drops open after reading the message. Because not only does it imply that the System may be going out of Grim¡¯s control at least a little bit, but it also means I¡¯m going to have to fight a weaker version of a progenitor a bit above my own level. And to top all that off, Fenrir sends another message telling me that Beelzebub is declaring war on the Reaper for this even though it wasn¡¯t even Grim¡¯s fault. Not that I mind. The Progenitor of Void is an asshole and deserves to be teamed up on by more progenitors than he has on his side. Fenrir doesn¡¯t seem happy though. Since Beelzebub¡¯s joining the war is apparently making a bunch of other progenitors join the war as well. Officially turning this into a war of the progenitors instead of just a feud between the Progenitors of Void and Radiance. I turn my head to glance at Sapphire, where I find her staring at the screens in front of me with a blank look on her face. Then I turn back to those very screens. Just for them to disappear seconds later, leaving me and Sapphire in the relative silence of the ¡®temple¡¯ in mid-air. Except for the sounds of the bugs buzzing all over the place. I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on outside of this dungeon anymore¡­ B6 | Chapter 48 - The War of the Progenitors All Around the Universe The moment the inside of the temple is revealed to the universe, the curse energy all around the universe immediately begins to grow agitated. Shocking everyone capable of sensing it, and putting everyone in areas with curse energy in danger as the energy begins to affect them. Meanwhile the progenitors all take notice of this. Because they instantly realize it¡¯s happening all over the entire multiverse and not just the Reaper¡¯s universe. But before the progenitors can begin to investigate, Beelzebub¡¯s domain begins to move towards Grim¡¯s universe, and a formal declaration of war echoes throughout the minds of everyone throughout the multiverse with any connection to magic. ¡°The self-proclaimed Reaper of the Multiverse has earned my ire. Therefore the entire Quinzel Universe will be declaring war on Grim, the Progenitor of Void.¡± Soon after the declarations, reactions of all kinds begin to occur throughout the multiverse. Unrelated progenitors who were unaware of the war between Grim, Nyx, and Apollo and Titania turn their attention to the events of Grim¡¯s universe. At which point they all realize everything Grim has done. Ending with the copying of a progenitor and imprisonment of the progenitor as a boss in a dungeon. And immediately after seeing that, the progenitors all feel enraged and begin to bombard Grim with questions asking for an explanation. But The Reaper himself stops them before half of them can even finish saying anything as he makes his own declaration that echoes across the universe. ¡°The System has begun breaking out of my control and is developing a sapience of its own. And through this has shown its first act of rebellion by cloning Beelzebub. If you have any issues with this, take it up with the Council that has banned me from interfering with the Beta Dungeon.¡± His words calm down a few of the progenitors, but the vast majority of them still begin to make their way towards his universe to join the war. With several of them joining for entirely different reasons. To learn how to clone a progenitor other than themselves. And just like that, one after another, progenitors all begin to arrive at Grim¡¯s universe to join the war. With more of them joining the war on the Radiance Progenitor¡¯s side than the Void Progenitor¡¯s side.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Meanwhile Fenrir watches on as the neutral party of the progenitors with a scowl on his face. But he doesn¡¯t interfere. Instead he turns all of his attention to three things. His own universe. His pup¡¯s other pack members. And the Beta Dungeon, where his pup is. As the Progenitor of Ice finally decides to distance himself from what the populace during all of this officially name the War of the Progenitors.
Wolf I feel rather speechless as I read through the System Forums about everything that¡¯s happening outside of the Beta Dungeon. About the War of the Progenitors, which according to Fenrir already has over a dozen different progenitors participating. About the System breaking away from Grim¡¯s control, probably because he has been focusing too much on his own war to manage the System. Or something like that. And about Fenrir¡¯s moving all of his attention away from the war entirely. ¡°This has become¡­¡± Sapphire begins, only to trail off before eventually finishing with a simple, ¡°¡­something¡­¡± I nod my head without saying anything in response. That¡¯s for sure. Although, the fact that the System is no longer entirely under Grim¡¯s control¡­ and that it¡¯s doing things like copying a progenitor on its own¡­ Considering that Grim wasn¡¯t doing that before, this just makes things even more dangerous for me. Which is bad. On the other hand, I get the feeling Grim never would¡¯ve let me get that knowledge crystal for forming my own domain. So at least it isn¡¯t just making things harder. If I had to guess, the System is probably doing a sort of risk and reward thing. It¡¯s making things a lot harder for me, but giving me far better rewards for that. Or something like that. I could be entirely wrong for all I know. For now I just want to imagine that I¡¯m right. Speaking of that knowledge crystal, I still haven¡¯t had the chance to create my domain yet. Since it should take at least a month to form through constant intense pain and only with me sitting in place while doing it. Which means I won¡¯t be able to do anything about it for a very long time. I frown as I wonder if I¡¯ll ever get the chance to do it, considering where I am. Unless I just clear an entire floor and then freeze everything there? But for all I know, an event boss could spawn on the floor with me if I tried¡­ After thinking about it for a few more seconds, I eventually just shrug and return my focus to the temple around me. Which really doesn¡¯t look like a temple at all. Sapphire and I are already at the top of one of the tallest towers here, but despite that all I can see are more towers and bugs for days. With smaller flying bugs that are around half a meter or so in length moving through the area between the towers while scattered around everywhere. As for when I identify the critters? They¡¯re all at least two hundred levels above me. Which makes me a little afraid of what would¡¯ve happened if we didn¡¯t kill those bugs outside to level up by almost fifty levels before going inside. But it should be fine. I take in a deep breath before letting it out again. Then I spread both of my arms out and send a massive wave of lunar ice of eternity to fill the space between the towers while also absorbing the curse energy to devour with the ring. Time to get to work. Because this is probably going to take a very long time. Especially since I also have to go find that scepter at some point. Which I might delay just so that I can level up a bit more before fighting the copy of Beelzebub. Since I don¡¯t think there is any possible way I can defeat his copy while he is a higher level than me. I let out a sigh again while still freezing bugs. So many bugs¡­ B6 | Chapter 49 - Bug Hunts Wolf One bug, two bug, three bug, four¡­ so many bugs¡­ all day long¡­ I feel drained after killing bugs for an entire week. Just flying around the little floating towers and slaughtering the creatures. Gradually raising my level as I do so, even with the bugs themselves also growing stronger thanks to the curse energy they¡¯re absorbing. Not that they¡¯re the only ones absorbing the energy, since I¡¯m doing the same with my ring. Honestly, this ring is probably the only reason I have any sort of chance here. Since it¡¯s offsetting their advantage of growing stronger thanks to the curse energy they¡¯re absorbing by letting me do the same. So I¡¯m very thankful for receiving it, unlike when I realized it would be rather useless most of the time. Even if it¡¯s useless outside of this place, it is a life saver inside of it. And that¡¯s all I need. It kind of makes me wonder if the System gave me it in preparation for this Centurion Boss Floor or something. Either way, Sapphire and I continue slaughtering bugs ¨C both the soldier-like ones within the towers and the flying ones outside of them in the curse energy fog ¨C for another week before we finally find something. Something unexpected. And big. A massive bug far larger than any of the others. But more importantly, my eyes are drawn to the other bugs it¡¯s currently laying in the form of eggs all over the towers. Not to mention the eggs I can see spread out across the towers that¡¯ve already been laid. Uh¡­ The bug in question turns its ten beady eyes on me when I get within a certain distance of it. Following which the creature lets out a loud screeching sound, making every last egg nearby begin cracking before bugs of all sizes and developments begin rushing out to protect the big one. I take a moment to check out the Beta Dictionary result for this little creature. Only to end up with a completely blank result with the dictionary telling me a simple N/A for every detail of the bug. The same as what it does with the other bugs here.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Probably because they¡¯re not from our universe, and Beelzebub never gave the System permission to use these. Which is proven by the whole war going on outside thing. Anyways, the large bug surprisingly just stays in the back while ordering the other ones to swarm either at me or around itself. Likely to act as bodyguards to protect it. The big bug seems to be some sort of broodmother if I had to guess, but the System doesn¡¯t have any sort of name for it unfortunately. It has a massive body with a lot of its size centered around the part of it that is giving birth to the other bugs. And its wings don¡¯t seem to be that large in comparison. Which overall makes me wonder if this is just some sort of monster meant to do nothing but breed more of the smaller bugs while the smaller bugs protect it or something. It would make sense considering how it¡¯s ordering the other bugs to protect it. Not that any of that matters much to me when I let out a roar in my hunter form and send out a massive wave of lunar ice of eternity to spread out across the area. At which point ice immediately begins to cover the nearby towers even without the wave of ice rushing at the bugs reaching them yet. But when it does? My ice freezes one bug after another, leaving them falling down like pieces of hail. One after another. And unsurprisingly considering my hypothesis, all of the bugs near the broodmother protect it with haste. Using their own bodies as shields and turning into large groups of frozen bugs. All of whom fall just like the others. I cross my arms and tilt my head a little. Whoever designed this place really should have done their homework on me. Unless this is what Beelzebub¡¯s actual domain looks like or something. Which is entirely possible. At which point I forgive him for how easy it is to kill the bugs in here. Seeing as all I need to do is freeze them and then let them fall to their deaths down in this seemingly endless sky that apparently isn¡¯t actually endless. That or there¡¯s just something down there that¡¯s killing them. Something not living, considering how I¡¯m still getting the credit for the kills. What surprises me the most though about this current attack is that even when my ice does eventually reach the broodmother, it doesn¡¯t turn into a popsicle like the others. Instead it just casually shatters the ice that tries to freeze it before making more bugs and backing away. All while the curse energy in the area begins to target me as if it had a mind of its own. ¡°Curse energy manipulation?¡± I mutter out loud, seemingly waking up Sapphire from the nap she was taking in my shadow. One she started after once again becoming too full from eating bugs. She leaves my shadow before stretching and then finally noticing the broodmother and the curse energy I¡¯m fighting back against with my own lunar ice energy. Then she turns to me and asks, ¡°Did I miss something?¡± I snort at that as I continue fighting against the curse energy and pushing it back. While also freezing more bugs and trying to plan around how I¡¯m going to kill this broodmother. A bug strong enough to break my ice as it turns out. By the looks of it, the broodmother is a lot slower than the other bugs. And I think it¡¯s probably safe to say its defenses are still strong. Which leaves using both my lunar ice and brute force physical strength to deal with it. After all, the thing seems to be avoiding a close up confrontation with all it has. So how about I give it just that? B6 | Chapter 50 - A Vampire鈥檚 Drop of Happiness Within the Audience of the 300th Beta Dungeon Floor ¡°And he has now switched things up!¡± Mikaela shouts with a bright smile covering his face. One brighter than it¡¯s been for a long time. ¡°The Winter Wolf is using brute force against this broodmother creature! But will his strength be enough to crush the bug?! Or will it continue breeding more insects?!¡± The crowd within the dungeon goes absolutely wild as they watch the misty bottom floor of the stadium, which shows The Winter Wolf as he moves around the temple. And even though they¡¯re not able to see any other competitor within this dungeon floor, Mikaela can¡¯t find a single person in the audience upset with their situation. Because it is every hardcore dungeon fan¡¯s dream to be able to watch their favorite competitors from within the dungeon itself. But for Mikaela in particular? He is just incredibly happy that a certain void creature is missing. Mikaela isn¡¯t sure what happened to the void creature, but he does know that the thing disappeared right before he and everyone else in the viewing room were sent to the dungeon. Almost like the System itself had banished it. And Mikaela couldn¡¯t be happier. What¡¯s more is that they aren¡¯t limited to watching The Winter Wolf on a screen anymore. Not when they have the enormous mist illusion showing him instead. With a much larger area to watch him on. ¡°Wait! It looks like he¡¯s cracking the broodmother¡¯s shell!¡± Mikaela shouts as his eyes narrow a bit on the mist, where he sees The Winter Wolf grappling onto the broodmother¡¯s head and tightening his grip so much the carapace protecting the large insect begins to crack. Then the insect in question lets out a massive screech that would likely hurt the ears of everyone in attendance if not for the System¡¯s protection. ¡°And as you could probably guess, the broodmother isn¡¯t taking kindly to it,¡± Mikaela says with amusement clear in his voice, which is quickly mirrored by the audience who laughs at his words. ¡°Not that the broodmother can really do that much to stop him.¡± Mikaela¡¯s words are confirmed when the broodmother¡¯s head begins to make cracking sounds before the shell is completely shattered and its head pops like a balloon. Leaving the rest of its body going limp and beginning to fall downwards. But only seconds after it begins its descent, a swarm of smaller bugs begin to rush out of the broodmother¡¯s body through the open wounds in the creature¡¯s neck. Startling everyone watching along with The Winter Wolf himself.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°It looks like the broodmother isn¡¯t going down without one last finale!!!¡± Mikaela shouts as some of the bugs manage to get cuts on The Winter Wolf with their incredible speed and close distance. Tearing ribbons from his arms but not managing to do much more than that due to The Winter Wolf quickly regaining his composure and freezing them all. ¡°And it¡¯s a finale that doesn¡¯t amount to much after Wolf regains his composure! As is expected of the sovereign god of the lunar winter beasts!¡± To Mikaela¡¯s surprise, the moment he mentions the latest nickname for The Winter Wolf, cheers resound throughout the stadium. No doubt from the lunar winter beasts in attendance. The vampire turns his attention to everyone in the audience for a moment before glancing back at The Winter Wolf again as his thoughts turn towards the lunar winter beasts as a species. To his complete lack of surprise, the lunar winter beast phenomenon has grown in popularity and also shrunk at different times during the past several floors of the Beta Dungeon. Both due to showcasing how powerful they are compared to before they are turned, and because they saw The Winter Wolf slaughter over a thousand lunar winter beasts just by ordering them to kill themselves. But at the end of the day, Mikaela and the other species of the universe all found that most of the common people of the universe decided that it would be better to become a lunar winter beast than not to. Simply because of the abysmal chance that they would ever actually run into The Winter Wolf, and that he would actually order them to do something like that. All in exchange for the power it grants. Power that can change everything for them. And for the werewolves? Power that can completely rid them of their inherent issues as werewolves. Something about all of this makes Mikaela smile wryly at the image of The Winter Wolf freezing the bugs in the mist below. Because for as long as he can remember, the werewolves and vampires have had a tense relationship, even if they weren¡¯t enemies. But now? Now werewolves are beginning to go extinct simply because all of the werewolves with enough sapience and even those without it are heading to the Divine Capital of the Blue Moon to become lunar winter beasts. With the non-sapient ones being dragged there by the sapient ones. Even the nobles and imperial family of the Grand Werewolf Empire, including the Werewolf Empress herself, are becoming lunar winter beasts. Although Mikaela heard that the Werewolf Empress was turned by The Winter Wolf himself through a vial of his venom he sent her. Which is part of why her court is following her decision by heading to the Divine Capital of the Blue Moon to be turned by the angel of The Winter Wolf itself. Meanwhile The Winter Wolf himself has been completely deified in their minds by now. Especially after the sight of him simply ordering the lunar winter beasts in the dungeon to kill themselves. He is a god to them. And that is slightly terrifying to Mikaela. Even if it makes for good marketing for his viewing room. ¡°And The Winter Wolf has once again cleared an area of bugs! But how long will it take him and little Sapphire to find the scepter?!¡± Mikaela shouts, his voice raising above the cheers of the crowd. ¡°How long will it take for him to find the Centurion Boss?!¡± A smile stretches across Mikaela¡¯s face. I¡¯ve missed this¡­ not having that damned void creature looking over my shoulder all the time. He watches the mist for a few more seconds. It¡¯s nice. Books 1 through 5 Summaries Book 1 Summary: The series begins on a day like any other as Wolf Adler comes home from an Algorithms exam at his university. He drives home, meets with his family, and has his usual banter with his sister. But things change when the System arrives, forcing the family of former government hitmen to go into action based off their instincts. As they each grab a weapon they can use before the mysterious System teleports them away to an entirely new world, with a tutorial to introduce them to it. Things don¡¯t stop there, however, as Wolf learns that this ability is quite a bit stronger than those of his family and friends around him. And that it is incredibly unique. So he uses his power along with his family and friends to hunt monsters they find in the woods around the Safe Zone they are teleported to and level up. Until everything changes. Again. When he is sent inside of the Administrator Dungeon. A dungeon that appears once every initialization, bringing forth one thousand individuals from the initialization into a one thousand floor dungeon to face off for power. For items. And for status amongst the System as Executives. As Administrators. All while being livestreamed to everyone in the entire universe. But this isn¡¯t enough to break The Winter Wolf, who merely begins to make his way through the dungeon. Fighting one monster after another, and meeting other Competitors of the Administrator Dungeon, all the way until he reaches the end of the first floor theme and slays the Revenant, becoming the first forerunner of this dungeon in the process. And marking the start of his journey to power and glory as he gains the attention of the universe as a whole and multiple administrators within it. Book 2 Summary: The second book in the series starts off as Wolf Adler makes it to the second floor theme. Where he begins to battle in a jungle filled with dinosaurs and bugs of numerous kinds. The Winter Wolf doesn¡¯t let the drastic change from the first theme to the second bother him, however, as he continues to fight his way through one floor after another. All with the eyes of the universe on him through the livestreams and the viewing rooms. But throughout all of this, he finds himself wrapped up in his interactions with the System Administrators, Diane Frost and Leo Decayend. The Empress of the Grand Werewolf Empire and the Emperor of the Dread Empire. An empress who wishes to turn him into her heir. To turn him into a werewolf. But when The Winter Wolf reaches the third floor theme and finds an event boss that has spawned there, her plans turn out entirely unnecessary. As the event boss he finds ends up being a Primal Werewolf. One who manages to bite him before The Winter Wolf and Deadshot manage to slay it. Yet after a grueling transformation period, one filled with pain and agony, Wolf comes out of it stronger. Faster. And a new species entirely. As a the first Harbinger Lycanthrope in existence. But power comes at a price, and without understanding how to control his own strength and speed, Wolf quickly becomes a comedy routine for the viewers to watch as he tries to adjust to his new body. During which point he loses his status as the Forerunner. And since he already lost the status, he decides to go ahead and level up his Soul Bound Companion, Sapphire, a small little spider who takes after him in its element, to match his level. Leaving him and Sapphire finally matching in level by the end of the book. Book 3 Summary: After Wolf and Sapphire¡¯s syncing, they quickly begin to tear through the floors of the Administrator Dungeon. Rapidly bridging the gap between them and the other Competitors. They tear through the remainder of the dark forest floor theme filled. Skate across the first hazardous floor theme in the form of an icy wasteland. Literally. And enter the first Sponsorship Floor Theme of the dungeon. The desert arena theme. One filled with arenas for Wolf to challenge monster opponents within, along with an open desert outside of the arenas filled with enormous and powerful monsters that are too strong to be defeated at his level. Wolf tears through one arena after another, earning himself the levels and stars he needs to defeat the mini boss of each floor and move on to the next floor over and over again. And when he reaches the final floor of the floor theme, the fiftieth floor of the Administrator Dungeon, he finally receives his first set of sponsorships. The Tier 8 Coat of The Winter Wolf created for The Winter Wolf¡¯s personal use, from the Werewolf Empress and Wolf¡¯s main sponsor. The skill High Fire Immunity, from the water harbinger and creator of the popular viewing room Arcadian Online. A cursed letter from The Ruler. A set of boots known as the Boots of the Fallen Drake from Deadshot¡¯s sponsor, Cyrene Hunter. And the Band of the Phoenix from the Emperor of the Dread Empire, Leo Decayend. After which he challenges the fiftieth floor, and eventually defeats the boss. But things don¡¯t end there as he soon finds himself in peril far worse than the boss, after he clears multiple other floor themes including a high tech floor theme. When another Event Boss shows itself within the ocean floor theme. A Deepsea Kraken.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. One that he only barely manages to defeat with the aid of his new equipment, skills, and Sapphire. Book 4 Summary: After defeating the Deepsea Kraken, The Winter Wolf continues clearing floor theme after floor theme of the Administrator Dungeon. One after another. All while wars begin to break out within the universe as a whole, completely unrelated to the Administrator Dungeon itself. But Wolf has more important things to worry about. Like the infinitely lucky Techral who seems to run entirely on luck, or the strange little immortal animals that he manages to find in Pandora¡¯s Boxes. Like the chicken who enjoys sitting on his head, to Sapphire¡¯s utter rage at the thing trying to claim her spot. Despite her gaining a humanoid form. But those small worries don¡¯t occupy his thoughts for much longer before he reaches level 1000 and things begin to change. When he receives a message from The Reaper himself. The creator of the System. And is told a great number of things by the man. That Wolf is a descendant of The Reaper. What powers he may receive from his Reaper blood, such as the ability to turn into his own element through elemental shifting. And that there are numerous descendants of The Reaper across the universe, the majority of whom The Reaper himself has no interest in. So Wolf begins to try learning how to elemental shift. All while slaying more monsters and continuing his trek through the floors of the dungeon. And while the dungeon itself continues to change. Straying further and further away from the standard Administrator Dungeon Run with each change. He learns of Special Floors that don¡¯t follow regular Floor Themes. Of Special Bosses chosen by the viewers themselves. And of new restrictions on the dungeon such as those on the Stores. Wolf continues traveling through the dungeon, growing stronger, and eventually defeating the new Special Bosses. And learning about Sapphire¡¯s habit of eating other Soul Bound Companions. Eventually Wolf makes it to the second Sponsorship Floor. The Tenth Floor Theme. Where he finds a Centurion Boss, is formally acknowledged as the Heir to the Grand Werewolf Empire, and receives numerous new items and skills as a sponsorship that he uses to survive his battle with the Centurion Boss. Such as the Tier 9 skill to directly manipulate the elements usable by the user. But that is not all, as the System itself begins to break for him. When it begins to start expelling him from the System for being a Reaper. Following which more new rules are added to the Administrator Dungeon Run, turning it into an entirely different run than any ever seen before as the Conjunctions begin and bring the Competitors temporarily together for meetings. But more important to Wolf than anything else right then is the Centurion Boss. Of which he finally takes on and very nearly dies. Until he begins to awaken as a Reaper, granting him incredible power that he uses to turn it around. Even if the System revokes most of it after the battle. Turning him into the Unique Species, Reaper of the Blue Moon, and granting him an upgraded element. Winter of the Eternal Void. And after defeating the Centurion Boss, The Winter Wolf continues his trek through the dungeon. Slaying one monster after another and clearing floor after floor. Going through traumatic memories of his past in some of the floors, while sweeping through others with ease. Eventually learning of his other heritage. The heritage of the Queen of the Fae, Titania. And after saying goodbye to his family, who are all being brought to the fae realm where his mother¡¯s memories of the past will be restored, Wolf continues fighting. All the way until he reaches the next sponsorship floor and receives a special weapon from Titania herself. The Sword of the Blue Moon. A sword he uses to slay the boss of the floor, therefore bringing himself new restrictions from the System due to the radiance element within the item. An element that is the complete opposite of the element used by the System. And therefore finally catching the attention of The Reaper himself, who begins to make changes to Wolf¡¯s run of the Administrator Dungeon simply to test him. Brining him to the void to fight a boss instead of the usual boss. Altering his System permissions. And eventually? Taking him to the Beta Dungeon that was used as a test for the Administrator Dungeon after saving Wolf from the rule breaker known as The Ruler, who attempted to break into the Administrator Dungeon to slay Wolf personally. Book 5 Summary: During the fifth book of the series, things begin to change even more drastically as the Progenitors finally make their appearance within the universe as a whole. The beings who are their element. Who were born alongside the birth of their element itself and are a part of it. And that they are the source of the Harbingers, who were given their variant elements thanks to a blessing given to them by the Progenitor of their element. Meanwhile The Reaper, confirmed Progenitor of the Void, and Titania, confirmed Progenitor of Radiance, begin their war at last. But within the dungeon itself, Wolf finds himself more preoccupied with the vast differences between the Beta Dungeon and the Administrator Dungeon. Differences including the level of the monsters, the floors themselves, the Void Store, the items and skills, the addition of knowledge crystals, and the lack of any other Competitors within the Beta Dungeon. Until The Reaper begins to force the people of his universe into participating in his war with Titania through Voided Karma. Karma that has no effect on Wolf himself. But he also has no way to aid his friends and family outside of the dungeon, leaving him stuck doing nothing but continuing his progress through the Beta Dungeon. And that¡¯s what he does. He continues clearing one floor after another, slaying one boss after another. Eventually finding himself with a cult of his own worshiping him that he decides to act like doesn¡¯t exist. However, unlike what many people expect, many of the other progenitors gather together and force The Reaper to stop interfering with the Beta Dungeon. Banning him from making any other changes to it in the process. All while Wolf himself finally adopts Sapphire as his daughter. Wolf obtains one strange item after another, including items that allow him to send items of even other people outside of the dungeon to set locations he has been before that he uses to send Sapphire outside of the dungeon. And he clears unique floors one after another in addition to that, including floors such as ones that simply teleport him to a locked-down location outside of the dungeon to fight monsters or bosses. Locations other users outside of the dungeon can even watch him battle. But Wolf¡¯s smooth sailing comes to a firm halt when he reaches the 25th floor theme. Where he finds special monsters immune to elemental energy that use the void element waiting for him. Monsters capable of absorbing energy from the space around them. The only way he manages to make it past these monsters is through the use of a ring that allows him to do the very same thing they do. The Ring of Frost Devouring, which lets him devour ice element and use it to strengthen his own body. But right when things are beginning to look up for him again, an Event Boss spawns on the 250th floor. Replacing the boss of the floor entirely. An Event Boss everyone soon finds out to be a devourer. One of the most powerful species in the universe, and a creature Wolf barely manages to slay through the use of many gifts given to him by both progenitors and mortals alike. Some of which change Wolf again. Turning him into a pseudo progenitor himself thanks to a bite from a miniature clone of Fenrir. A pseudo progenitor of his own element. Lunar Ice. Turning him into The Winter Wolf. Both in title, and in species. B6 | Chapter 51 - Training Wolf Entire days pass as Sapphire and I continue making our way through the temple, slaughtering bugs nonstop along our way while absorbing elemental energy of multiple affinities in the process. And thanks to that managing to stay ahead of the bugs here in terms of physical strength growth. Even if most of them are still either stronger or faster than us. Meanwhile the two of us run into a few more broodmothers along the way. All of whom we kill without hesitation. And to my both surprise and lack of surprise, the bugs reduce noticeably in number within the area around the broodmothers with each one we kill. So much so that where there used to be entire swarms now there are only maybe a couple dozen here and there. At least, for the areas nearby the broodmothers we killed. All of this implying that the broodmothers are most likely the only real source of the bugs all over the place. But at the same time, that theory doesn¡¯t exactly explain what¡¯s going on in those towers. Since there are soldier bugs there as well. Ones that can¡¯t fly. And those don¡¯t seem to be affected by the broodmothers one way or another. And no matter how many towers I search through with Sapphire, I can¡¯t seem to find any sort of answer about where those bugs are coming from. Until, that is, Sapphire finds a bug appearing out of thin air within one of the towers. Which leads to even more questions. Specifically the question of why these bugs are spawned differently from the flying ones. And why they seem stronger and fewer in number as well. But no matter how long Sapphire and I search through the temple and all the many towers within it, we don¡¯t find anything that would answer these questions. Leaving us just slaughtering bugs for over an entire month. Drastically increasing our level in the process. All the way until we¡¯re finally around the same level as the bugs themselves and no longer have much trouble slaying them. And yet, as if on cue, the moment our level matches the level of the bugs, things change. Almost like the dungeon can tell what our level is.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. As for the exact change that occurs? I grit my teeth without taking my eyes off of the massive bug that appeared at the peak of the tower I just left. Not to mention the other massive bugs that appeared above all the other towers Sapphire and I have cleared. These bugs are about three meters in length, and are rather odd in appearance. They have a scorpion¡¯s tail, with the wings of a dragonfly, the head of a spider, and the body of a wasp. With rather thick plates of carapace similar to a beetle or a cockroach. It¡¯s almost as if they were made to battle. Like they¡¯re soldiers or something. Soldier bugs. Yeah, I¡¯ll just call them that since the System still won¡¯t identify them. Other than their levels. Levels that are, of course, a couple hundred above my own. And when I try to freeze one of the soldier bugs? It just shatters the ice with its wings without any sort of trouble. I glance at Sapphire to find her glancing back at me. Then we turn back to the soldier bug above the tower we just recently left to find the thing letting out a loud screech and charging straight at us at an incredible speed. One so fast that I barely manage to dodge it, making the bug crash into a nearby tower and create a massive hole in the side of the tower. Sapphire and I both gape at the tower for a moment before immediately dodging again to avoid another tackle by that same soldier bug. This thing¡­ is strong enough to damage the towers? I tried damaging the towers not too long ago to see if it would do anything or reveal any secret passages, but I could barely even scratch them. Yet this soldier bug just tackled it and left a massive dent in the thing? The hell? And even more importantly than that, why did these soldier bugs only spawn after we reached the same level as the broodmothers? Was it the dungeon¡¯s doing? Or is this Centurion Boss capable of thinking like the others? The moment that thought crosses my mind, I remember the whole thing about the Centurion Boss being a copy of Beelzebub. A Progenitor. At which point I want to slap myself for even considering that it wouldn¡¯t be capable of intelligent thinking. Because whether it¡¯s a copy or not, it¡¯s still a progenitor. So there¡¯s no way it wouldn¡¯t be capable of that. ¡®Do you think Beelzebub¡¯s copy is waiting for us to grow enough in level to actually be able to fight him?¡¯ I ask despite believing it to be true already. And Sapphire just sends a quick word of agreement as we both dodge another soldier bug tackle that once again damages a tower. I¡¯m not sure if I should be happy about this or nervous. Since it means we¡¯ll probably be challenging Beelzebub¡¯s copy at around the same level, what with him training us like this. But at the same time, the very fact that he¡¯s doing this means he¡¯s confident enough to take us on at the same level. Which is understandable, what with him being a progenitor and all. Then again, he could always end up training us to end up being above his level instead. That would be nice. Not something I can bet on, but would still be nice. I let out a sigh while dodging the soldier bug again. Either way, I need to figure out a way to deal with this bug. And I need to do it quickly. Because this bug seems like it¡¯s getting stronger with each tackle, judging by the dents in the towers. Not to mention that the others are beginning to make their way here from other nearby towers. And that¡¯s not good. B6 | Chapter 52 - The Bug Parade Wolf I continue to dodge the soldier bug¡¯s attacks one after another, leading it to slam into one tower after another. But no matter how many times I try to attack it, and no matter where I try to attack it, the bug doesn¡¯t get so much as a dent from me. And in the end, the other soldier bugs all join the fray. Leaving me stuck facing about eight of the stupid things at once. Without being able to even scratch one of them, much less all eight. This is just getting ridiculous. I share a glance with Sapphire before we both nod our heads and head in opposite directions. Leading five of the soldier bugs to chase after me and three of them to go after her. And just like that we flee as fast as we can from the stupid creatures. With Sapphire eventually teleporting back to my shadow again when she¡¯s far enough away. Then we repeat the process again with her splitting off once more and taking away another two of the soldier bugs. But when we try to do this again, the three soldier bugs chasing don¡¯t split up at all. They just keep going after me. So I in the end have Sapphire return to my shadow as I continue fleeing from the seemingly indestructible war bugs. With me occasionally throwing attacks back at them to see if anything will actually hurt them now that they¡¯re further away from their towers. Because who knows? Maybe their towers give them power or something. But that idea fizzles out rather quickly when their defenses are just as strong as before. Leaving me flying away without being able to do much of anything against them. Fortunately for me though, while they have an incredibly fast and powerful tackle, they can¡¯t exactly turn very well. Or change directions at all. That¡¯s pretty much all they¡¯re good for. Tackling things and probably stinging things to considering their scorpion tail and stinger. Fortunately I haven¡¯t had the chance to experience their stinger yet. And hopefully I never get the chance to. Because I doubt it¡¯ll be a pleasant experience.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Eventually I start to think that I may be able to get out of this by just killing the other bugs I run into while these soldier bugs chase after me. Since they aren¡¯t hard to dodge, even if they don¡¯t want to lose me no matter how hard I try. But that plan is ruined as well when more soldier bugs find us. No doubt from other towers Sapphire and I have already cleared of bugs. Shit. One after another, more soldier bugs join the hunt. All the way until there are a total of two dozen of them chasing after me. Two dozen bugs with defenses I can¡¯t penetrate and who can all break my ice. I grit my teeth before deciding to just try freezing everything in sight to see if that¡¯ll work. But it doesn¡¯t. The bugs just shatter my ice and continue the chase. So I fly, and fly, and fly some more. All while fleeing the stupid soldier bugs. Until something surprising happens during my flight of survival. When the soldier bugs almost trap me, and multiple of them fly straight at me at the same time, they slam into each other instead of me after I manage to barely escape. And when they hit each other with their super-powered tackles? They crack their armor. I almost stop fleeing for a second as I see that. But the sight of another soldier bug flying at me makes me move quickly to get out of the way. Then I change my plan of escape to a plan of fighting back. One using the bugs¡¯ own attacks against them. Without hesitation, I immediately begin moving from tower to tower in a way that will encourage the soldier bugs to fly straight at me in a tackle. But in a way that will angle them to hit each other instead of me. I do it over and over again, cracking their carapace more and more. All the way until the first one¡¯s cracks grow so severe that parts of its carapace begin to crumble. Exposing what looks like a rather gooey and almost honey-like inside. An inside that proves to be very easy to freeze before turning said bug into a popsicle from the inside. Leaving it to fall down to its death just like many of the regular bugs before it. A wide grin spreads across my face as I hear Sapphire cheering in my head through our bond. Then I¡¯m hit by one of the tackles at last and sent flying until we both crash into a tower and I hear numerous bones crunching in my body. With some of my bones even breaking so far that they pierce my skin and start sticking out of my body in a disgusting sight. But I manage to avoid the bug¡¯s stinger that immediately follows and stabs into the tower where my head was moments ago before I moved it. I grit my teeth before turning into lunar ice elemental energy and then reforming somewhere else while healing my wounds. Then I continue the hunt with a lot more care and caution than last time. Making sure not to get distracted while baiting the soldier bugs to tackle each other. And slowly, one after another, the soldier bugs fall prey to my strategy. With me freezing them from the inside every time their carapace shatters. All the way until there is only a single soldier bug left. Leaving me with absolutely no idea how to handle it. What with there not being any other soldier bugs alive to tackle it for me. I frown at the creature that is covered in cracked carapace, even if its carapace isn¡¯t broken yet. With the cracks not stretching all the way to the interior of the bug¡¯s carapace. Making it so I can¡¯t just squeeze my lunar ice of eternity into the cracks. Okay, so how exactly am I going to deal with this one¡­ B6 | Chapter 53 - Exhaustion Wolf Just like with the other soldier bugs, I try one method of killing them after another. But nothing works. Even with the cracks all over their carapace. When I try to send lunar ice element into their mouth or other openings, I just find them sealed off the moment the energy gets close. As if they have some sort of automatic defense against it. And when I try just plain freezing it, the thing is still strong enough to break my ice. Even with the jump in levels I got from slaughtering the rest of its companions. I try to narrow my ice down into a thin point and slam it into the cracks in an attempt to widen them, but that doesn¡¯t do anything either. So in the end I¡¯m left fleeing again. That is, until more soldier bugs join the fray again and I can play tag with them again. Of course, with the soldier bugs always being it as they crash into each other. Then this game continues for entire hours, with more soldier bugs arriving every time I kill all but one of them and move to a new location. Meanwhile the other bugs all leave quite a bit of distance between themselves and the soldier bugs. Almost like they¡¯re afraid of them or something. But that doesn¡¯t matter to me, since they¡¯re still in the range of my ice. So I freeze them all solid and watch them fall. Because the regular bugs are weak enough for me to freeze now that I¡¯ve grown in level a lot. And them being frozen means them falling to their deaths. So thanks to them, I rack up more and more EXP, leveling me up much faster than I was before. Even after killing bugs and soldier bugs for an entire three days though, I still can¡¯t kill a single soldier bug on my own. Which is getting on my nerves. Not to mention the fact that I¡¯ve had my organs and bones crushed by the soldier bugs numerous times during this little hunt. And I haven¡¯t been given a single moment of respite either. I grit my teeth while panting a little in exhaustion. Which hasn¡¯t really happened in a long time. Being exhausted from a lack of rest. Since I don¡¯t need sleep to be healthy, and I¡¯m generally a lot stronger than the enemies, I¡¯ve never really had any issues getting breaks. But these soldier bugs just don¡¯t know when to quit. And since I can¡¯t kill them alone, there is always one that¡¯s left alive.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Unfortunately, when I tried numerous times to get the last two to crash into each other, it¡¯s never ended how I want it to end. One of them somehow always survives the collision. And it¡¯s frustrating as hell. The only bright side about these things is that they¡¯re incredibly stupid and don¡¯t learn from their mistakes. So there¡¯s that I guess. I continue slaughtering the bugs as Sapphire and I make our way from one tower to another. All without any breaks, and while exhausted to the extreme. But we keep going. And going. And going. Until eventually something startles us into pausing. Something nice. A faint yet exhausted smile covers my face on the sixth day of the soldier bug parade as Sapphire and I stare at a floating blue orb somewhere deep in one of the towers. An EXP Orb. I¡¯m pretty sure there weren¡¯t any of these in the towers before, which means that new things are still being added to the towers. That it¡¯s not just the soldier bugs that were added since I came here. That or this tower is just different from the others. But I doubt it. Anyways, I reach out and grab the EXP Orb, making my level shoot up by three levels all in one orb. Then Sapphire and I flee right as the soldier bugs slam into the wall of the room, bringing it crashing down. I EXP Orbs are being added into the floor, then it shouldn¡¯t take anywhere near as long to be on par with those soldier bugs as I thought it would. And on top of that, they seem to be rather good EXP Orbs considering that one of them gave me three levels of EXP. Which is a lot. Even for the Beta Dungeon. So after dodging the soldier bugs again, I go ahead and continue my running from the soldier bugs. While still killing them as well through their little game of tag, of course. But this time I also add in searching for EXP Orbs to my agenda while running. Or rather, flying. Technically. I really wish the sponsorship would just start now instead of waiting until I find that damned scepter¡­ Actually, come to think of it, that scepter at this rate is probably only going to appear when I¡¯m a sufficient level. Just like the soldier bugs did. And more importantly than that right now, what is going to appear next after the soldier bugs? Because if the soldier bugs are already this annoying to deal with, what could be worse than them? Some sort of warrior bugs with similar defenses and actual intelligence? That would be a nightmare. I shiver at the thought as I continue killing bugs one after another. But my stamina keeps draining the longer I use it, even with my tapping into Sapphire¡¯s stamina to recover it along the way. And my using some special potions on top of that. Everything has their limits though, and I am getting extremely close to finding mine as I find it beginning to grow difficult just to freeze things around me. Then, just as I¡¯m beginning to finally run out of steam, I find it. A strange door floating in the middle of a tower¡¯s roof. I blink in surprise before muttering out loud, ¡°Huh?¡± Why is there a door here¡­ I glance behind me at the soldier bugs heading my way before looking at the door again. Then, after a brief hesitation, I finally let out a sigh and reach for the door. Whatever. I can¡¯t last much longer out here, so I need a way to get away from these bugs. A way to rest. The moment my hand touches the door, it shines with a bright green light, and I¡¯m teleported away somewhere. B6 | Chapter 54 - The Cursed Bar Wolf ¡°Okay, so what am I looking at here?¡± I mutter out loud as I stare blankly from within the large cubic room that I now find myself in at the rather unexpected sight in front of me. With that sight being some sort of bar. One with a bartender behind it. Sapphire appears next to me with just as much confusion on her face as there must be on mine and says, ¡°Your guess is as good as mine.¡± Then a notification appears in my vision.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
Welcome to the Cursed Bar! This is a bar created by the Centurion Boss to share his beloved wine and other alcoholic beverages with the universe so wrongfully ruled by The Reaper! Also known as the bastard who made a clone of the Centurion Boss! A lottery is currently underway to allow random people all across The Reaper¡¯s universe to enter the bar and mingle with each other and the lone Beta Tester while trying out the lovely beverages here for free! Meanwhile the Beta Tester himself can use this as a chance to take a break from his hard fought battles now that he has proven himself within the temple! System Favor: Minor alterations may or not have been made to the lottery drawing to tip the hand. You are welcome.
Huh. I don¡¯t know what I was expecting touching that door, but this is definitely not it. Also, what¡¯s with that System Favor message¡­? Did the System do something for me with the lottery? I frown at that thought. And why does it sound like I should be thanking it for that? I look around for a few seconds before eventually just shrugging and walking over to the bar. Where I find the bartender mixing some sort of cocktail. As for the bartender himself? He looks like a bug person, if I¡¯m being honest. Which is very on-theme with this Centurion Floor Theme. He has ten eyes and an amalgamation of body parts from other bugs. Yet despite that, it all mixes together to form a rather cool appearance. With sleek black, purple, and some hints of dark green in his carapace¡¯s coloring, along with his eyes. And a single scorpion¡¯s tail that is actually helping him grab drinks from the bar. The bug man¡¯s identify also doesn¡¯t show any results when I try.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Which is just odd. But whatever. This guy is probably a noncombatant made for this place. Said noncombatant suddenly speaks, startling me in the process as he asks, ¡°Any requests?¡± I stare at him for several seconds, and for a moment wonder if I should actually have anything. But then I remember that I¡¯m pretty much immune to poisons. So I might as well try the alcohol here to see how it tastes. After all, it¡¯s not like I can get drunk. ¡°Surprise me,¡± I tell him while sitting down on a stool at the bar. My thoughts halt the moment I see a list of names appear in my vision on another notification.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
The Lottery has been drawn! Welcome the following ten users to the Cursed Bar! They will have half an hour to spend within the bar, following which they will be kicked out and another lottery will be drawn. This will continue for every half an hour the Beta Tester is within the bar. The Beta Tester may stay within the Cursed Bar for as long as they like so long as they do not piss off the bartender and get kicked out. Aiko Tanaka Ronan Dark Rafael Delgado Astrid Larsen Aelric Goldenflame Katie Adler Mirael Duskwalker Kaelithra Nightshade Liora Celestara Nyvra Solarii Prime
Wait, I can stay here for as long as I want? That¡¯s nice to hear. I take a moment to read the names on the notification, only to be surprised at one of them right as a flash of green light shines from the entrance of the bar a ways behind me. ¡°Wolf!¡± I hear a familiar voice shout, making me turn around on my stool to find Katie racing past all of the other people who won the lottery straight at me. Clearly planning on tackling me in a hug. So I turn myself into lunar ice element and move a stool over, making her crash into the bar instead. Then I pat her on the head as she¡¯s trying to get up before saying, ¡°Nice to see you again.¡± She narrows her eyes on me for a second, only to move forward and hug me again. This time without the tackling. So I let her while glancing at the other lottery winners, all of whom look both surprised and confused at what¡¯s going on. Probably because they were expecting to meet me and be able to talk only to find my sister here taking my attention away. Or something like that. Probably. ¡°It¡¯s really him!¡± ¡°He¡¯s here!¡± ¡°I can see him in person!!!¡± ¡°Can I touch him?¡± My eyes briefly narrow on the person who asked if they could touch me. Which is some woman with a rather fancy name and expensive looking clothes. But I eventually turn my attention back to Katie again as I realize that the System Favor must¡¯ve been saying that it tipped the odds of the lottery to make it so Katie wins it and makes it here. Which is nice. Especially since I haven¡¯t seen her or our parents for years now. Ever since getting stuck in the dungeons in the first place. And holograms and calls don¡¯t count as seeing them. This is the first time I¡¯ve actually been physically in the same place as one of them since Aegis. A faint smile spreads across my face, only for Sapphire to start slurping some drink, making me glance at her to find her drinking a blue beverage. Okay, what is she drinking? I stare for a few seconds while glancing at our bond to see if it¡¯s hurting her. But after a few seconds, I find nothing happening. So I decide to turn a blind eye to it. She¡¯s a spider anyways. Not a human. And I¡¯m pretty sure most poisons don¡¯t work on her just like me. I turn my attention back to Katie again as she backs away and sits on the stool on the other side of me from Sapphire. ¡°How have you been?¡± I ask her while the bartender places a drink in front of me. One that is the same blue color as the one Sapphire has. Time to catch up a bit. B6 | Chapter 55 - Failure Wolf I spend most of the first half an hour talking with Katie about random things. About how she¡¯s been. What she¡¯s been up to. And just regular chatting, considering we¡¯ve already shared any important information through messages with the System. Meanwhile the other people who won the lottery all get me to sign my autograph for them, which I go ahead and do just so that they don¡¯t bother me while I¡¯m talking with Katie. Since they agreed to just watch and admire me from the side if I did. Sapphire also signs plenty of autographs of her own as well. Which I find amusing. Some of the fans even have her leave a tiny little claw print from her in her miniature spider form. The one that she often uses when she parades around on top of my head or in my jacket¡¯s hood. Eventually my time with Katie draws to a close though, and we are forced to say our goodbyes. But not without a single warning from Katie as she pulls me into a hug and says into my ear, ¡°If you do something incredibly reckless and get yourself killed in the process I swear I¡¯m going to get a necromancer to resurrect you just to kill you myself.¡± Then she is teleported out of the bar again. Following which another batch of lottery winners enter the bar in her place. I ignore them though, since I never agreed to any of this lottery and meet and greet stuff. Even if I¡¯m being given a break from it. And nothing ever said I had to interact with them. So I down the rest of my current drink before finding a nice corner on a comfy chair. And freezing myself and everything around me into a massive block of ice, in which I begin to finally do what I¡¯ve been wanting to do for quite a while. Something I haven¡¯t been able to do thanks to how much time it takes to finish it. It¡¯s time to form my domain. Of course, I made sure to have Katie make sure no one can actually do anything to me while in this bar. Just in case. And she ended up getting a notification when she tried to use an attack on me telling her it wasn¡¯t allowed and that the attack was voided.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. So I¡¯m perfectly safe in here. Especially since there¡¯s no time limit for how long I can stay here. Almost as if this place was made for me to¡­ I blink at that thought before glancing at the bartender, who I find calmly watching me as if analyzing my every move. It couldn¡¯t be¡­ I return his gaze for a few seconds, only for the bartender to give me a polite nod before the man turns to make a cocktail for one of the other people at the bar. One of the lottery winners. Most of whom are all watching me intensely or even taking pictures of me or me and them from outside of the ice. Seems like they¡¯re having a fun time even without me talking with them. Anyways, I go ahead and close my eyes before telling Sapphire what I¡¯m about to do and focusing all of my energy inwards. Just pushing it deeper and deeper inside of myself. All the way to my very heart. A bone chilling, frozen heart. One filled to the brim with my venom and icy blood made up of my lunar ice of eternity element. And after pushing a good fifth of my energy into my heart, I begin to feel stuffy. Followed by a mild stinging pain when I hit about a third of my energy in it. The stinging pain is then turned into a burning sensation all across my body as I see pale blue light shining through my eyelids. But I can¡¯t open my eyes right now or that would break my focus. So I continue to push my energy into my heart. Condensing it all into that one single organ. When half of my energy is condensed, the burning pain begins to radiate all throughout every single inch of me, and the energy itself seems to fight back against my control. Like it¡¯s trying to flow back into the rest of my body. But I don¡¯t let it. I push through the pain and continue condensing my energy. More. And more. And more. All while the pain continues growing stronger, and the force trying to push my energy back into the rest of my body grows stronger. Until I finally snap and lose control, making all of the energy spill back out into my body. At which point I suck in a gasp of air and my eyes shoot open to see a bunch of people casually chatting in the bar with only a couple taking pictures of me. There are a few things I notice instantly though. For one, the people in the bar are different from the people I saw previously. For two, the people taking pictures look very surprised by my opening my eyes. And for three, Sapphire is playing video games with some of the lottery winners outside of my barrier. But none of that is more surprising than when Sapphire comments in my head, ¡°Welcome back. You¡¯ve been out for almost three weeks now.¡± My jaw drops open in shock at that. Three¡­ weeks? It took me three weeks to do all of that? Only to fail miserably in the end anyways¡­ Shit. I take in a deep breath before letting it out again. That was a major waste of time. Time to try again. Without hesitation, I close my eyes again and once more focus on condensing all of the energy that just spilled back out into my body down into my heart. Which doesn¡¯t take quite as long this time around as it did the first time. So there¡¯s that plus at least. But I think this may have been the very first time I¡¯ve actually given into the pain and lost. It¡¯s a good thing I did it in a safe place. Now I just hope I don¡¯t do it again. B6 | Sapphire Intermission 2 Within the Cursed Bar Time passes as Sapphire ends up adding quite a few new friends to her friends lists across her many different games. With new friends being added with every half an hour thanks to the next wave of lottery winners. All over the course of three entire months. At first she was rather happy with this little bar, since it gave her time to relax. But now she¡¯s just bored. That and annoyed. Because having to deal with ten new people entering the bar every half an hour for months is starting to get annoying even for her. Although she is happy about the progress she¡¯s made in all of her games, a lot of which is because of said people. She could do without having to sign autographs though. Sapphire sighs while glancing at her father, who has been sitting inside of a frozen corner of the bar for the entire period of time they¡¯ve been there. Except the very start, when her aunt was in the bar. He¡¯s just been trying and failing over and over again to form his domain. Without any breaks between the attempts. It¡¯s starting to make Sapphire worry. In fact, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that she can tell even while playing games that he¡¯s making progress, she would¡¯ve stopped him by now to force him into taking a break. But he¡¯s managed to condense ninety-seven percent of his energy into his heart before losing control in his latest attempt. So Sapphire can¡¯t see this taking too much longer. Sapphire glances at the other people in the bar, all of whom are currently separated from her as well thanks to her own barrier of ice. Then she looks at the System Forums to see the latest posts of her and her father on it. Because it¡¯s become a thing for people to win the lottery just to be able to take a picture with her and her father in the background. Especially after she blocked herself off from them once she finally got sick of the people coming and going all the time. She glances over at her father again when the next group of people from the lottery arrive, only for two of them to immediately rush over to the ice protecting her father before pounding on it. All while raising their voices to shout through the ice asking if he would be willing to bite them. Which isn¡¯t an uncommon occurrence either.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Not that Sapphire can really blame them, considering how popular the lunar winter beasts have become. And being bitten by the source himself would be an incredible jump in power. Both politically and physically, since it would grant them angel status within the little religion that began outside. Just like the crab. Sapphire feels the corner of her lips quirking upwards at the memory of the crab that¡¯s being worshiped as some messenger of god. Another month gradually passes within the cursed bar with the bartender still patiently attending to anyone who enters. And during this time, a few familiar faces from the outside universe enter. Including a Competitor from the Administrator Dungeon, proving that they are able to enter it as well. But Crystal ends up leaving without being able to talk to Sapphire¡¯s father. Just like Leo and Diane, who enter at some point as well. Because her father is very close to pushing the process to completion. With his last attempt having reached ninety-nine percent condensed. Sapphire just sighs though, even as she watches him begin the process again. Mostly since it took him a week just to move it up by a single percent. So at best she doesn¡¯t expect him to be able to complete the process for another week or two. With that thought in mind, she turns her attention back to her video game and continues playing it for another few days. Only for something surprising to happen that snaps her out of her gaming trance. An overwhelmingly powerful sensation originates from her father¡¯s direction. One that fills her with awe and terror at the same time. Until that sensation is erased by her own bond with her father, of course. And when she looks over at her father, she finds him with his eyes open and a faint, exhausted smile on his face. All while she can feel an overwhelmingly dense bit of lunar ice of eternity originating where his heart is. But that¡¯s not all as just seconds later, the condensed energy begins to spread through his veins, filling his entire body without thinning out in the slightest. Sapphire watches in awe alongside the ten people currently inside of the cursed bar, many of whom seem to be recording this, as her father¡¯s body begins to glow with pure lunar ice of eternity energy. Energy so pure she isn¡¯t even sure if she should call it energy anymore. It¡¯s more like¡­ ¡°He has completed his domain,¡± Sapphire suddenly hears a voice translated in her head that originally sounds like chitters coming from the bar. A voice she quickly finds to be from the bartender. And both the power behind his words and the words themselves pretty much confirm what Sapphire and her father have been suspecting for months now. She turns her attention back to her father again when the glowing fades a little bit, but doesn¡¯t disappear entirely. Leaving his body still with glowing veins of power, but not veins bright enough to turn her father into a walking lightbulb anymore. But more importantly than that, Sapphire feels her own lunar ice increasing in purity, along with the lunar ice of a couple lunar winter beasts in the bar, and the lunar ice elemental energy in the very air. Every last bit of lunar ice energy she can sense nearby grows stronger. Purer. And more powerful. All because the element finally has a domain of its own. And as the pseudo progenitor finally becomes a complete progenitor. It looks like things are finally about to get interesting again. B6 | Chapter 56 - Domain All Across the Multiverse The moment Wolf succeeds in fully establishing his Domain, a ripple runs across the entire multiverse. One that has the effect of empowering and purifying every last bit of lunar ice elemental energy within the multiverse. But that¡¯s not all it does as it alerts each and every one of the progenitors of the existence of a new domain. Shocking them all in the process. The progenitors supporting Wolf¡¯s climb to power all cheer in their own ways, whether that¡¯s by having a drink or actually letting out a cheer. Meanwhile the progenitors who are against him turn even more of their anger towards the three progenitors who made his climb to power possible. Fenrir, Grim, and Titania. With an especially large focus on Grim, whose very dungeon was the one that gave him the knowledge of how to make his Domain. However, none of the progenitors are as shocked as The Reaper himself. Unlike the other progenitors, Grim completely halts his battle and flees to a safe location before staring in shock at the screen in front of him. One showing Wolf with his Domain covering his body. Up until now, he and everyone else knew that he could summon a pseudo domain. But that he didn¡¯t know how and was only able to manifest it once. Back when he fought with the first devourer. And only with a major backlash at that. But now? With a completely manifested Domain? He will know how to use it, and there will be no backlash. So for the first time in a very long time, The Reaper loses his temper and begins to destroy everything around him. Damaging the System in the process in his nearby vicinity. But instead of the System breaking like he was expecting, he finds it having already set up a protective defense against him. Him. The System¡¯s very own creator. And to make matters worse for him, the System immediately sets out to repair any damages done to it. All while alerting Grim¡¯s enemies of his position, fully betraying him in the process. Grim roars his anger out so loudly that every last being within his universe can hear him. But when Titania and the other enemy progenitors arrive at his location, with his allies chasing after them, he no longer has the time to vent his rage on the System. So he chooses instead to vent his rage on them.
Wolf I feel relief and power spread through me the moment I finish the Domain. And as the Domain spreads through my body, I just instinctively understand everything about it. To the point that I don¡¯t even need the System Message in front of my vision to understand it. Although I read the message anyways, just because it gives me a sense of accomplishment. That something else is acknowledging the hard work I put into manifesting this stupid thing.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Congratulations! You have now fully manifested your Elemental Domain Frigid Moon of Endless Ice The elemental domain belonging to the Progenitor of the Lunar Ice element, The Winter Wolf. Also known as the Wolf of the Frigid Moon. Under the hungry light of the Frigid Moon, the Lunar Ice of Eternity grows darker, feeding on all those who trespass on the Wolf¡¯s domain without permission. Those devoured by the ice forged by the lunar light shall be used to empower the Wolf. And those who enter with the Wolf¡¯s blessing shall find solace within the icy light of the Frigid Moon. As a progenitor you may only use your domain however you please. You also fully understand your domain and will no longer have any issues manifesting it for use. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A smile stretches across my face at the message. The message itself is a lot like the one I got when I first accidentally manifested my domain a while back. Except without the parts about my being a pseudo progenitor, my being restricted to five minutes of use, and my getting backlash from using it. And with a new part calling me the Wolf of the Frigid Moon. Although not that the restrictions on my domain ever actually came to pass, considering that I literally couldn¡¯t even figure out how to use the incomplete domain back then. So I never had to deal with the restrictions or the backlash. Except that first time against the devourer, that is. But that time was on instinct and I didn¡¯t even know what I was doing. Now I know everything about my domain. The only problem is that it¡¯s not exactly very large right now. And expanding it is a lot of work. That said, I can use a limited form of the domain as much as I want without exhausting my domain simply by infusing a tiny amount of my domain into my regular elemental energy. Or just plain using my domain in a diluted form as nothing more than empowered regular lunar ice of eternity. Rather than frigid moon of endless ice. I think back to the one time I used my domain in battle. And about how it felt then. With the black light coming from my ice devouring everything I froze. Then how I felt empowered by the things I devoured. Just like with how the void element works for The Reaper from what I understand. Which makes sense, considering my element is a bit of an amalgamation of three other elements with my own unique spin on it. One born from me, the eternal ice variant element, the void element, and the radiance element. Anyways, I go ahead and summon a little bit of my domain in front of me, pushing it out of my body in the process. And just like the last time I saw it, it looks like a glowing pale blue light that is quickly freezing the air around it. Meanwhile a faint black light shines from all the ice made from the freezing light. I watch the ice, feeling a bit mesmerized for a little while. Until I hear Sapphire¡¯s voice in my head snapping me out of it and reminding me that I have an audience. Well, other than the audience always watching me on the livestreams, that is. So I pull my domain back into myself before finally standing up with a slight grimace due to how long I¡¯ve been sitting down. Then I turn my gaze onto the bartender. I won¡¯t be anywhere near as outmatched facing a progenitor anymore. Since I¡¯m a complete progenitor myself now. B6 | Chapter 57 - Testing Wolf Unsurprisingly, all the people in the cursed bar clearly want to talk to me now that I¡¯m done. But I¡¯d rather not talk to them right now. So I make an ice pathway to the bar before stopping right in front of the bartender. Then I ask, ¡°Is it possible to come back here again later on?¡± The bartender continues washing several glasses with his arms all at once as he answers, ¡°It is. Simply find another entrance.¡± I nod my head in appreciation before immediately heading for and passing through the exit of the bar, finally leaving the place behind and going back to the not-so-silent dungeon. Where the sound of bugs buzzing while flying about along with the sound of wind are the only noises filling the place. Now that I have my domain manifested, I need to train myself in using it. And what better way to do that than to test it out on some of these annoying bugs. Then I can head back into the bar when I find another one to work on expanding my domain. On another note though, it looks like the soldier bugs all left. Which makes sense considering how long we were in that bar. I¡¯d be more surprised if they stuck around for several months. Before I target the soldier bugs though, I should test it out on some regular bugs. So without hesitation, I wave my hand in the direction of some of the regular bugs nearby. Following which I send out a wave of glowing pale blue energy that freezes everything it touches and almost instantly reaches the bugs. Only to freeze them too the moment it does, turning them into popsicles with a pale blue light still shining within the ice alongside the black light that is starting to disintegrate them. At the same time, I feel a similar sensation to what I feel when I devour ice element or curse elemental energy to strengthen my body. Except this time the thing I¡¯m devouring is the enemy bug, and it¡¯s through my domain. Although there is one problem. Specifically the fact that the bug was able to crack my ice despite not being able to do that before I entered the bar. But now that I think about it, that makes perfect sense.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I glance around the little ¡®temple¡¯ at the rather obvious difference in what it was like before entering the bar and what it¡¯s like now. At the drastically reduced amount of curse energy in the air. Meaning the bugs all across the ¡®temple¡¯ were constantly devouring curse energy and growing stronger physically while I was sitting around manifesting my domain for all those months inside of the bar. I grimace a little at that. Mostly at the thought of just how strong those soldier bugs will be now. Although at the very least I know my ice can still hold them. Just not perfectly. And with the devouring part of my domain, I have an actual offensive capability with my ice. One that isn¡¯t just freezing them or throwing spears of ice at them. A capability that is just purely offensive and strengthens me in the process. I glance at Sapphire as she flies around out here before frowning a little. Specifically at the fact that I can tell she doesn¡¯t have my domain. So she is a lot weaker than me now. All she can use is my regular element, even if she can use the eternal variant of it. ¡°Sapphire, would you like to go out of the dungeon again?¡± I ask her without removing the frown from my face, startling her into freezing in place. And I can tell she¡¯s about to instinctively decline, so I add, ¡°With their increased strength, and your inability to use my domain, you¡¯re not going to be able to compete with these bugs. Instead you could help me out by leaving the dungeon and going to a place filled with ice energy to absorb it and share some of it with me.¡± She closes her mouth at that and narrows her eyes at me, clearly understanding that I said it mostly to make her leave. But at the same time, we both know it is the best way for her to help. Sapphire can¡¯t fight these bugs. Not anymore. And if she leaves the dungeon, not only will she be safer, but she can still help me by finding ice element to devour with the ring. There isn¡¯t any ice element in here. Not any natural ice element at least. So I just have to give her the ring for the ice element devouring and let her use it outside, then we¡¯ll both get physically stronger as she devours the element separately from me. After several seconds of glaring at me, she eventually sighs and mutters, ¡°Alright¡­¡± And without another word, she accepts the ring, then uses the pad to teleport out of the dungeon. Leaving me all alone in this cursed temple. But despite being left alone, a part of me feels relieved. Since she¡¯s out of danger. Mostly. Seeing as she¡¯ll still die automatically if I die. I don¡¯t have to worry about her dying alone though. So there¡¯s that. And she absolutely would die if she tried helping me fight Beelzebub¡¯s copy. Plus she can actually help me a lot by devouring ice elemental energy outside of the dungeon. It¡¯ll drastically increase the speed in which I grow stronger. With that in mind, I begin to hunt bugs one after another. Devouring each one of them in the process. And when I finally find a soldier bug again, I find that the devouring part of my domain actually does work on them. Even if they are still able to shatter my ice. So now I actually manage to kill them myself without having to rely on them to kill each other. Albeit slowly. A faint smile stretches across my face. Right. Slowly. I just have to take my time and survive. B6 | Chapter 58 - Ins and Outs of Domains Wolf Time passes as I slaughter the bugs within the temple, killing one after another after another. And over the course of two entire months of just killing bugs, something new finally happens within the stupid endless temple. Something I wasn¡¯t expecting at all. As for what that something is? I have to rub my eyes to make sure I¡¯m not dreaming as I stare at it. Because it¡¯s rather hard to miss. What with the massive building floating in the middle of the place. One so large that it dwarfs dozens of towers all stacked together. So big that I can see it from thousands of kilometers away. The structure has the shape of one of those Arabian castles that I remember seeing in some fairy tales back on Earth. Or at least, I think they were Arabian. And it is absolutely crawling with bugs. Literally. As in there are probably hundreds of thousands of bugs of all kinds crawling across the thing. Although the most common bug amongst them seems to be beetles. I frown at the sight of the place before glancing at my level. Which is currently sitting rather nicely at level 9000. Then I glance back at the bugs again and try to identify some of them. Only to get nothing but their level back without any sort of species name. But their level is enough for me. Especially since their level actually is the exact same as my own. Meaning these bugs won¡¯t be much of an issue. I can even use them for fodder to devour and grow stronger. So I begin heading over to the little palace or castle or whatever it is. Only for the bugs to notice me when I get about three quarters of the way to it. At which point they begin to swarm straight in my direction in what looks like a massive tsunami from this far out. One so large that it¡¯s hard to even tell they¡¯re bugs at first glance. I grit my teeth before spreading both of my hands outwards and stretching my domain to make a massive tsunami of my own, albeit with the power of my domain significantly diluted. Then I send the tsunami out to clash with the bugs.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. And the moment the two clash, my ice immediately begins to freeze the bugs at a rapid pace. But some of the bugs manage to make it over my tsunami and continue heading towards me. So I send a second wave while the first wave is still freezing the majority of the bugs. And this second wave manages to deal with all of the stragglers. Then I put my hands in my pockets and calmly watch as the rest of the bugs are all frozen solid. Without a single one escaping or being able to break my ice. A faint smile stretches across my face at the sight. Not to mention the confirmation that numbers don¡¯t matter when it comes to my variant. I only have to freeze every single one of them and I¡¯m good after all. It¡¯s definitely one of the benefits of using an ice related element. Anyways, now that the bugs are all frozen, I go ahead and take my time letting my domain devour them. Moreso because I kind of have to with it spread out so far rather than wanting to. I¡¯ve learned over the course of the past months that my domain is both complicated and simple to handle. There is a set amount of it that currently spans my entire body. But I can stretch it as much as I want, which dilutes it more and more the further I stretch it. So the effects of the domain diminish drastically the more stretched it is. Theoretically, I can stretch it as much as I want. But functionally, that¡¯s not possible. Or rather, it won¡¯t work very well if I stretch it too far. If I cover something directly in my undiluted domain, I can devour it almost as quickly as freezing it. But if I cover something in a significantly diluted domain like I¡¯m doing right now, it can take hours to devour everything. As for expanding my domain? I¡¯m not capable of doing that yet. I simply don¡¯t have enough energy to do it. Expanding my domain requires me to condense more of my elemental energy into my domain itself. Which is literally just my body at this point, as I technically don¡¯t have a physical body anymore. I just have my domain which is taking the form of my body now. But I don¡¯t have enough elemental energy to expand my domain. I might be able to scrounge up enough to do that if I¡¯m in a place filled with lunar ice elemental energy, but there aren¡¯t many places like that in the multiverse. And I highly doubt there are any in the dungeon. Unless the System decided to add new content to the Beta Dungeon that includes my element or something, there shouldn¡¯t be anything related to my element in it. Not when the Beta Dungeon was made before my element was even born. Anyways, I spend a few hours just letting my domain devour all the bugs before finally continuing on my merry way over to the palace. Which is a lot more visible now that the bugs are gone. As for said bugs, I get the feeling the Centurion Boss, Beelzebub¡¯s copy, is trying me. That he¡¯s literally doing all of this on purpose just to make me grow stronger. Strong enough to fight him. Which I guess makes sense, seeing as Beelzebub doesn¡¯t really want to have anything to do with the Beta Dungeon, and that he literally declared war on Grim for the copy being made. But he is still a progenitor and likely won¡¯t just let me kill him to move on. So he¡¯s training me so that we can have a good battle. At least, that¡¯s my guess. Only time will tell if it¡¯s correct or not. Although, if this is in fact the location of his scepter¡­ That time may be arriving soon. B6 | Chapter 59 - The Palace of Curses Wolf I take a little bit of time to look around the exterior of the palace before deciding to take a break to recover my energy instead of immediately going inside of it. A break that ends up lasting for several hours while I play music again. Then I go ahead and finally walk up to the front gate of the palace. Or fly up to, considering that the palace is just kind of floating here without a pathway to the front gate. Even if it does have a pathway starting from said gate. The gate itself is rather foreboding in appearance, with curse energy spilling out of it like crazy, along with engravings of numerous bugs all over the arch-shaped gate. But I find myself feeling rather surprised when I fly through the gate, only to be teleported somewhere else. I frown as I look around at my surroundings. At the walls of what looks like a labyrinth corridor or something. The walls are very different from previous labyrinths I¡¯ve been to though. Specifically in the fact that they seem to be made out of clay, bricks, and some stone and wood. Rather than the regular stone bricks I¡¯ve grown used to in other labyrinths. But the architecture isn¡¯t the only odd thing about this place. Not by a long shot. What I find even more strange is the sight of a rather large bug walking towards me through the corridor. One that is both familiar and not familiar at the same time. It looks like a large humanoid bug with some wings and carapace and numerous eyes, yet it¡¯s wearing the same armor that the Skeletal Wardens from the first floor of the Administrator Dungeon wore. After frowning at the thing for a second, I eventually just shrug and freeze the thing in my domain. Not even bothering to identify it since I know the System won¡¯t give me anything to go off of. Besides its level. But considering the fact that my domain is devouring it right now, I¡¯d say its level doesn¡¯t really matter. I begin to wander around the little labyrinth, only to run into another skeletal warden-like bug. And this time it¡¯s not alone as there¡¯s also a revenant-like bug along with it. Huh¡­ I kill both of them and devour them with my domain before continuing on, only to run into one bug after another, each of which look like previous boss monsters I¡¯ve killed. Ranging all the way from the undead ones in the first floor theme, to the spiders in the second floor theme, and even the draconic ones in a much later theme.Stolen story; please report. Every single floor theme seems to be represented by bugs that look similar to the monsters that were their bosses. And all of these copy-cats are acting as regular monsters here. But with my domain, all they are to me are ways to increase my strength and level. So I continue making my way through the labyrinth, facing off against one monster after another. And over time, the monsters begin to grow stronger and stronger. To the point that I can¡¯t easily devour them anymore. What¡¯s more surprising though is that some of the monsters even begin to mimic the originals¡¯ powers. Even if those powers are clearly made through curse energy. But since the curse element is conceptual, it can turn into other elements in certain situations. Albeit with it being weaker than the actual elements. Despite all of that, I continue trekking my way through the labyrinth. All the way until the scenery finally changes again to become what looks like a regular Arabian palace from back on Earth. Albeit the outer edge, with the ¡®corridor¡¯ that I¡¯m walking through being almost open on one side. Showing some sort of black and purple sun in the middle of space on the outside of the palace. With the occasional pillar and balcony within the corridor. As for the new monsters here? I run into a bunch more bugs. Except that these bugs are all event bosses that have spawned over the years I¡¯ve spent in the dungeon. And these monsters are nowhere near as large as the event bosses that spawned. Also, they aren¡¯t just event bosses I¡¯ve fought, but any and all event bosses that have ever spawned in the Administrator Dungeon and Beta Dungeon before. Including past dungeon runs before this one. Albeit with a focus more on the ones I¡¯ve fought. I almost laugh when I see a tiny kraken bug though. Until said bug begins slicing me up into pieces before I regain my composure and fight against it with my domain. Only killing it after almost five entire minutes of fighting. And just like this, I continue on my merry way, killing one bug after another as I travel through the palace over the course of what must be entire months. During this time, I only get a few interruptions. One of which being some happy birthday messages from people wishing me happy birthday and in the process reminding me of my own age. That I¡¯m now 24 years old. Honestly, I can¡¯t even remember the age I was when I entered the Administrator Dungeon, and the System Initialization first occurred. I think I was around 21 or something years old? Somewhere around there? It¡¯s hard to remember. But I keep on fighting against the monsters in the palace until I finally find myself teleported away again. Right when I reach level 10,000. Which is clearly on purpose, considering the changes that happened at important level-ups, and the fact that this time around I¡¯m teleported to a single large room. One with a small pyramid with pools of pure liquid curse energy flowing across each level of the pyramid. With the exception of the main staircase that goes straight to the top. I look around with a frown on my face for a few seconds, only to begin climbing the stairs. And when I reach the top, I find it sitting parallel to the ground on an altar. A single scepter that is radiating pure white curse energy. My eyes narrow. Guess it¡¯s time for the boss fight. B6 | Chapter 60 - The Sponsors Wolf I stare at said scepter for several seconds before finally turning back around to look at the pure liquid curse energy for a few more seconds. And after looking back and forth between the two numerous times, I finally turn around fully and walk over to the curse energy. Then I proceed to bring my curse energy devouring ring up close to it and begin to devour the curse energy sitting on the sides of the pyramid. Because I need every boost I can get to fight a progenitor. And I immediately find this curse energy to be incredibly effective as it shoots up the strength in my body at an incredibly fast pace. One far faster than any of the mist form curse energy outside of the palace. Not to mention how devouring it like this means Beelzebub will have less curse energy around to use. Although I get the feeling this curse energy was put here on purpose for me, just like all of the other things he has done for me. Either way, I continue devouring every last drop of the liquid curse energy until it¡¯s all gone. Then I go find a corner in the little place before setting up my portable store and lying down inside to rest. Just so I can recover before the last boss fight. Not to mention so I can fully absorb all of the curse energy I just devoured. A part of me also just wants to relax and take it easy before what could quite possibly be my last ever battle. What with it being against a progenitor and all, even if they¡¯re a far weaker copy of the real thing. So I spend a few days letting the curse energy finish being absorbed into my strength while relaxing. Then I finally dismiss the store and walk back up to the top of the pyramid. At which point I stand in front of the scepter examining the thing. The scepter itself seems to have a black and purple carapace that looks rather familiar in general running up and down its length, with a stinger-like shape at the bottom of the scepter and the shape of two pincers at the top. Or incisors maybe, like a spider¡¯s incisors. Meanwhile there is some orb in between the incisors just floating there. I study the thing for several seconds before taking a deep breath and reaching out to touch it. Then I¡¯m immediately teleported away to the sponsorship hall the moment my hand makes contact with it. Following which I get the usual sponsorship notification in my vision.
Sponsorship Announcement
All three of your sponsorship slots have been purchased by the following individuals:Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Titania XXXXXXXXXX: XXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX: XXXXXXXXX Congratulations! You will now be transported to the System¡¯s Grand Hall to be awarded your items and skills!
I frown at the sight of the sponsors. Specifically due to the fact that I know it¡¯s three progenitors sponsoring me. But why are only two of their names and positions censored when all three of them are progenitors? Is it because Titania made a place for herself in this universe while the other two are still outsiders? Also, on another note, what¡¯s with that third one? I¡¯m pretty sure I know who it is, but why? If my guess is right, he¡¯s sponsoring me with an item before I fight his clone. Considering how his name fits the number of characters in that censored name. I stare at his name for several more seconds, only to eventually just shrug as the notification disappears. Then I look at the three items sitting on the counter. In order from who sponsored me, there¡¯s a ring on the left side that is identified as another one of those rings of devouring. Except that this ring is for the radiance element. So Titania just gave me a ring to devour and grow stronger through her element. Which is kind of surprising, if I¡¯m being honest. Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m technically considered one of Grim¡¯s enemies at this point, and I am her descendant on top of that? No idea. The next sponsorship is most likely from Fenrir, and it¡¯s also a ring. One that grants 50% immunity to the curse element. And it¡¯s a ring that I immediately put on. Because yeah. That¡¯ll be incredibly helpful in this upcoming battle. As for the last item¡­ I frown at it in confusion before reading its description, at which point my eyes widen in surprise and awe. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Item | Glass of Strength | Tier 10 This item is a consumable alcoholic beverage created by the greatest bartender in the multiverse. The effects of drinking this glass include a 100% increase in energy capacity for one battle after consumption. All of the drink must be consumed for the effect to take place. System Favor: This item is safe to drink and was carefully made by the Progenitor of Curses and Insects. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Yeah, I thought so. A wry smile crosses my face as I look at the drink. Then I go ahead and put the two rings on my fingers while taking off a couple far less useful rings to make room. And without hesitation, I grab the drink and down it. Just seconds later I find myself being teleported back into the temple on a massive platform high in the sky above the towers outside of the palace. But this isn¡¯t just any platform as there is a large open bar on said platform. One that I recognize very well despite the walls and ceiling of the bar being completely gone. And standing behind the counter is the same bartender I saw before wiping off one of his glasses. Which is ironically enough the glass I just had in my hand that is now gone. Even as I feel my energy capacity skyrocketing from it. The man, or rather, the progenitor looks up at me and nods his head from behind the counter. ¡°We meet again, young man,¡± Beelzebub states without much expression on his face. B6 | Chapter 61 - Chat Between Progenitors Wolf I look the progenitor up and down for a moment before walking over and sitting at the counter of his bar. Following which he goes ahead and passes me a cocktail. One that I try as the man starts talking. Only after checking it for poisons, and more importantly, curses, of course. ¡°You have my condolences for everything you have been forced to experience thus far, young one,¡± Beelzebub states while wiping off a glass. ¡°Grim nor his System had any right to copy a progenitor and place them in the dungeon. And everything he has done to you has been cruel ever since you first entered his ¡®Administrator Dungeon¡¯ creation.¡± A faint smile stretches across my face at his words. ¡°But unwilling or not, a reputation must be upheld,¡± Beelzebub suddenly says, his many eyes narrowing a little. ¡°Therefore we must fight, as I will not allow someone to kill me, clone or otherwise.¡± ¡°Understandable,¡± I respond with a nod of my head. Then I ask while looking him in some of his eyes, ¡°So how do you want to go about doing this? It¡¯s been obvious that you¡¯ve been training me ever since I entered this floor.¡± Beelzebub nods his head at that and says, ¡°Correct, because you were nowhere near the level of power necessary to stand up against my clone. But now things are different.¡± He places the glass he¡¯s been wiping down on the counter. ¡°You have nearly grown strong enough to match my clone-limited physical strength when using your armaments, and your elemental energy is nearing my clone¡¯s purity to match that. Therefore I will limit my domain usage to just a little above yours for our battle.¡± Well that¡¯s kind of disappointing. That he¡¯s going to have to hold back. But I¡¯m not exactly complaining, seeing as I¡¯d most likely die otherwise. I haven¡¯t really been able to expand my domain whatsoever after all. Anyways, I tense up while preparing for our battle. Only for the progenitor to shake his head and say, ¡°Let us speak before combat.¡± That surprises me a little, but I slowly sit back down on the stool I was sitting on. Following which he moves another drink in front of me. Then he snaps his fingers, making everything glitch out around us, with me catching a brief glimpse of the audience before sight of them fades away. ¡°We now have privacy without those spectators, so please speak freely,¡± Beelzebub says, surprising me with how easily he apparently blocked out the livestream and viewing room. ¡°Not even the other progenitors may listen in without my knowledge.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. I stare at the progenitor for several seconds before grabbing my drink and asking him, ¡°Why exactly do you think Grim created the System in the first place? Was it really just for his own amusement and for his Voided Karma?¡± Beelzebub nods his head as he answers, ¡°That is correct. Grim was always the thrill seeking type, and he would find his thrills in the most twisted of things. But he would never do something as work intensive as creating his System without a reason. And his conflict with Titania was all the reason he needed.¡± I think back to the people fighting on Grim¡¯s side in the war on the battlefield for no reason other than the Voided Karma they¡¯ve built up over the years. The Reaper¡¯s variant void element that forces people to pay back their karmic debts to the user. ¡°What do the other progenitors all think of Grim?¡± I ask while taking a sip of the drink in front of me. The Progenitor of Curses and Insects narrows all of his eyes on the table and says, ¡°Before his recent actions, we respected him as a progenitor even if he crossed a few lines.¡± His gaze moves towards me. ¡°But after what he has done in recent years, respect for him has dwindled. And it has crashed entirely after what he did to me. Now he is to be eliminated by a majority vote by the Progenitor Council.¡± Wait, what? ¡°That¡¯s the first I¡¯ve heard of that,¡± I tell him with a frown, mostly from surprise. ¡°I thought it was nothing more than some progenitors taking his side and others going against him.¡± ¡°That is part of it, but he has crossed a line with his cloning of myself,¡± Beelzebub answers with clear rage flowing out of him in the form of curse energy. ¡°Those who wish for the knowledge of how to clone progenitors have left the council and joined his side, while those who do not wish for that knowledge remained. And with his supporters gone, a war with Grim and his forces was inevitable.¡± Ah. That explains it. When his new allies left the council, it left the council full of nothing more than people who dislike and don¡¯t respect Grim. So them declaring war, especially now that there isn¡¯t anyone left to support him, is to be expected. ¡°But wait, wasn¡¯t it the System that copied you, not Grim?¡± I ask with a frown and a slight tilt of my head. ¡°Who did it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Beelzebub declares without a hint of backing down on that statement. ¡°Grim created the method to clone a progenitor in the first place, regardless of who pulled the trigger.¡± Guess he has a point there. If Grim didn¡¯t create the method for it, the System never would¡¯ve been able to do it. ¡°I do not care if he ordered the System to do it on purpose or if he was simply lazy and gave his System too much power, leading to it acting on its own,¡± Beelzebub says while as the bar around us and the drink in my hand all disappear, leaving us floating above the platform with Beelzebub starting to float higher and higher into the air. ¡°His actions led to a clone of me being made against my will, and he will pay for it.¡± A faint smile spreads across Beelzebub¡¯s face. ¡°But first, your debut to the council shall be made, young one.¡± I blink in surprise while looking at him fly higher and higher into the air. ¡°And what better debut then through a duel with another progenitor?¡± Beelzebub finally grins with his terrifying mouth, showing me rows of razor sharp fangs in the process. I get ready for battle immediately upon hearing his words. Because this will most likely be the most difficult one I have ever fought. B6 | Chapter 62 - War of Beast and Bug Within the Viewing Area of the 300th Floor ¡°And the battle is finally here! The clash between two progenitors!!!¡± Mikaela shouts with more excitement than he¡¯s ever felt before. And either his excitement is contagious, or everyone else in the viewing area feels the same as they roar out their own cheers of excitement. ¡°This is the battle of the century!! The very first clash of progenitors recorded for mortals to watch!!!¡± For some reason, Mikaela feels incredibly proud as he watches Wolf bring out his Sword of the Blue Moon and activating his Blue Moon Armaments to face off against the copy of the Progenitor of Curses and Insects. Almost as if he was watching his own son fighting in the mists down below. It may be because he¡¯s watched The Winter Wolf making his way through his entire journey from start to finish within the dungeons, but he feels like he is literally on his side. Like everything The Winter Wolf does is kind of like what he does. Or it could just be because his entire livelihood rests in the young man¡¯s hands, what with him being the commentator for The Winter Wolf alone now. Although he does wonder why The Winter Wolf is using the Blue Moon Armaments this early on, considering the maximum amount of time he can use it being ten minutes. Wait¡­ Mikaela blinks before a smile spreads across his face. Unless his item¡¯s effect has been lengthened now that he¡¯s a progenitor. He opens his mouth when a pale blue light begins to spread from The Winter Wolf while a white mist spreads from the floating Beelzebub clone. But right as he¡¯s about to speak, a notification appears in front of his vision, followed by a System Message with a prompt.
Beta Administrator Dungeon Notification
The Clash of Progenitors has begun! All viewers wishing to participate in the clash may join in as they please! Should you join, you shall be given a reward. However, this reward will only be given to those fighting alongside the progenitor who wins the clash. So choose your side with caution. Assuming you get the chance to choose.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. The Clash of the Progenitor of Lunar Ice and the Blue Moon and the Progenitor of Curses and Insects has begun. Select the following prompt if you wish to join the battle, or select Return to close out of this menu and stay out of the battle. However, be warned that, while you will be revived should you die during the battle, there may be other side effects that you must face after reviving. Fight Return -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Mikaela blinks at the sight of the prompt, following which he sees one person after another within the audience vanishing out of the billions of people watching within the floor. Just millions of people vanishing all at once. And Mikaela briefly forgets all about his job as he immediately selects fight as well. Despite the warning the System gave. Mikaela finds himself immediately teleported away. But he doesn¡¯t immediately appear within the battlefield with the progenitors. Instead he finds himself in a pitch black chamber with all of the other people who most likely selected to fight. And it isn¡¯t until ten seconds pass that he is teleported into the floor itself. Right as the domains of the two progenitors sweep over the battlefield, covering him and the other viewers. What surprises Mikaela though is the sheer power of the domains. Because even though Mikaela¡¯s level is a bit above The Winter Wolf¡¯s still, he is completely overwhelmed by his domain in seconds. And that goes for everyone else as well. But to his surprise, the domain doesn¡¯t hurt them. Nor does Beelzebub¡¯s domain harm those within it. Instead The Winter Wolf¡¯s domain seems to enter Mikaela¡¯s body and begin to mutate him. Almost like he was bitten by The Winter Wolf instead of just being within his domain. A part of Mikaela rejoices as he realizes he¡¯s being turned into a lunar winter beast, whereas another part is shocked and a little overwhelmed by the suddenness of it. Then he remembers the System Message. The one saying that they may face side effects even after being revived. I guess the side effect is turning into a lunar winter beast. Mikaela grits his teeth in pain until the transformation finishes and he regains his vision and awareness of his surroundings. At which point he finds his surroundings shocking. Because half of the viewers were turned into lunar winter beasts out of hundreds of millions of viewers, meanwhile the other half were turned into insectoid creatures. All of whom are shocked and frightened by their own transformations, unlike the lunar winter beasts. I¡¯m so glad I teleported onto Wolf¡¯s side of this battlefield¡­ If Mikaela¡¯s being honest with himself, he completely forgot about the variant of Beelzebub¡¯s curse energy. A variant to turn anything it makes contact with into an insect. Mikaela floats up higher in the air using his blood magic, which he still clearly has. And when he looks around at everything, he finds everyone shocked as hell. With the sole exception of Beelzebub¡¯s clone. Even The Winter Wolf seems extremely surprised by what just happened. Almost like he didn¡¯t mean to turn everyone into lunar winter beasts. Not that Mikaela particularly minds being turned into one. After all, the only reason he hadn¡¯t gone to the home planet of the lunar winter beasts to be turned was because he didn¡¯t want to end up having to follow the orders of those lunar winter beasts above him. But him being turned by The Winter Wolf himself puts him at the top of the hierarchy. Even if something tells him this method of turning him isn¡¯t as pure as being turned by his bite. ¡°Attack,¡± Mikaela suddenly hears the Progenitor of Curses and Insects declare, following which the viewers who were turned into insects all immediately begin to rush over and attack the ones turned into lunar winter beasts. And even without any orders given to them, the lunar winter beasts all begin to defend themselves. Mikaela included. Thus marking the true beginning to this clash of progenitors. B6 | Chapters 63-Epilogue (12 chapters total) As stated in the title of this post, this is chapters 63 through the epilogue. Since it is far too much trouble to put it all in royal road posts back to back, I''m putting it all in a single Google Doc and posting the link to that doc below. I hope you enjoy. Book 6 will be stubbing in a few days from Royal Road. Furthermore, thanks to posting these here in advanced, there will only be two advanced Patreon chapters available until I manage to restock my advanced chapters on Patreon! And until I manage to do that, there will be no Royal Road chapters of Winter Wolf. Stolen novel; please report. I will be writing about two or so Winter Wolf chapters a week ish. So it''ll probably take a month or a month and a half to refill the advanced chapters and start Winter Wolf Book 7 on Royal Road. Click on the following link to see the chapters: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qXWMD7nc7hFqEEK4JRYA9vmnSMeBMj-nDZ3ZpGHQC7E/edit?usp=sharing