Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

The dungeon underwent a noticeable transformation due to the presence of the skeletons. Its interior took on a more foreboding and eerie atmosphere. Several changes were immediately evident.

The once dimly lit passages of the dungeon grew even darker. The skeletons, with their hollow eye sockets and skeletal forms, seemed to absorb the ambient light. Shadows clung to the walls, making the entire place feel like a labyrinth of darkness.

The temperature within the dungeon dropped significantly. It felt as though an icy breath permeated the air. The skeletal creatures themselves exuded an aura of cold, and their presence seemed to drain warmth from the surroundings.

Rain used magic eyes as the monsters charged toward him and he frowned. Despite their appearance, they were filled with a pure layer of mana… they wanted to kill him, but their aura was as pure as the sky. Still, Rain froze them all over before crashing them against the ground.

The skill Ice Seal received 50 experience points.

The skill Ice Seal received 50 experience points.

…

"I don't think that they can curse me, but I need to be cautious…" Rain rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Usually, skeletons only stop moving when they are completely smashed and a few punches could do that, but let's avoid that for now."

Rain kept smashing the monsters, the amount of experience he was receiving seemed all right considering the mana that he was using, but it was off considering the number of monsters there. While Rain didn't have to stop even once, he didn't feel that accomplished or happy by the chance of getting experience that easily… he felt like it was too good to be true.

"What are those assholes planning… this doesn't make any sense at all," Rain thought.

The dungeons were slowly becoming something that could be used to enhance their power… while it was pulling animals toward it, it wasn't like they still couldn't be used after becoming monsters.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

In any case, when Rain reached the third floor, he confirmed that it was one kilometer long and it some bifurcations as well, but only that. No boss or guardian or core for that matter…

Rain checked the interior for a while, but nothing happened… no skeleton showed up. He left and waited outside for ten minutes before returning and finding five of them only on the first floor.

"It seems that they don't spawn while someone is inside, but they still keep accumulating energy to make them appear all at once," Rain said when he joined his friends. "We will have to keep three squads in each of the dungeons and make them guard it for eight hours each. They will have to come and reach the end of the dungeon to defeat the skeletons.

You all should write down how many monsters you kill on each run and inform us of it daily."

"Yes, sir," the squad leader of the area said.

"... Do you think that more of them will appear?" Branden asked.

"It is possible… even more so if more people die in this kingdom," Rain said while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I don't think that the enemies can control the dungeons, but they will try to keep feeding the dungeons with mana to make them become a nuisance for us."

That was truly a problem… they couldn't head to the enemies territory without risking showing openings… and if they keep defending, the dungeons eventually will truly become a nuisance. Moreover, they didn't know fully what the true purpose of the dungeons was…

In the end, Rain built the headquarters close to that dungeon in the next few days and made Jori and Reca be the leaders of it. At that point in time, the enemies knew that they had the underground tunnels that they could use since they used the sea dragon, so they will have to think of better ways to surprise the enemies.

In the next few weeks, Rain and his friends finished the headquarters and began to train new recruits… At the same time, he ended up taking the Southern headquarters to lead with his wives. It would have been better to stay closer to the sea folk, but Rain wanted to be the first line of defense in case the enemies came at them from that direction.

Around that same time, Rain turned twenty and he realized that those twenty years passed rather fast, but since so many things happened, it felt like such a long time as well… Seara was in her fifth month of pregnancy and his kids turned three… they were starting to mimic his training more and more as well, minus the weights and the duration.

Danny and Annie also helped heal the warriors a lot when they trained hard. During that time, Rain went to talk with the magic people and show them the state of their prisoners, but they didn't care about it… they immediately attacked Rain.

In the end, Rain smashed dozens of them with the boulder… but he regretted it a little since that despite the distance, their deaths also increased the power of the dungeons. More and more skeletons began to appear…

"What is next?" Terra asked while Rain was watching the recruits that he was training carrying boulders on their back. "You have been too lost in thought lately and I didn't forget that you were planning to check the southern ocean."

"I can't leave right now when we don't know enough," Rain replied. "In a few months, Seara won't be able to move a lot and we will have to be careful."

"That period will only grow for at least one year and half, I can imagine you using countless excuses not to leave the newest child behind," Terra said. "I know that we can't move the whole Raging Phoenix, but we can't let the enemies control us, remember?"

"How dare you use logic and reason against me?" Rain asked. "Is your heart made of ice?"