The moon appeared in the night sky, which means that the time that we are waiting for, has come. Granny prepares the room where the ritual is going to be held and instructed me to wear a white dress, which I obliged. 
"We will accompany you inside, everything will be more bearable after this. I promise you that." Yuri gave me a hug and tap my back gently for comfort, Amerah did the same, and Dylan takes my hand to guide me towards the room. 
I found myself wondering at the aesthetic constellations painted in the ceiling to the walls of the room. At the center, there was the bed getting direct light from the moon where I think is going to be used by me. It is like I am just sleeping and enjoying the coziness and comfort, except that there is a table with different objects and a book for the ritual. 
Granny takes my hand from Dylan and tucks me in the bed. "Just relax, and imagine the place where you want to be." she smiled and caressed my hair. "Also, if your dream suddenly disturbed by undesirable memories, it is because the ritual is working make yourself ready," she added and I just nodded in response.
I took a glance at my friends and Dylan. They cheer me up and I smiled at them before I closed my eyes and starting to imagine the place where I want to go.
***********************************************************************
Beautiful is not enough word to describe this place I am in Paris, it is dreamy and wonderful. I sight the different places that I could reach especially the Eiffel Tower and I could not help myself but enjoy what this place has to offer. 
There is just that one building that seems odd so I ought to enter inside. It is like a gallery museum where different sculptures, paintings, and other products of art are displayed. It looks nice in the eyes and you will instantly compliment the artist who made these. 
I was looking around when one portrait caught my attention, it has two girls which show friendship and strong bonds… it seems familiar though. Ah! I suddenly remembered this was the painting hanged on the wall when I was just new at MMCS. As I examine the portrait, I can see that the other girl looks like me, it can't be… this is Nirvana when she was young? I do not need to guess who the other one was, because she is very much like Yuri. That makes her Ysay. 
"Have you missed me?" Nirvana came out of nowhere that startled me. She is always like that, loves the grand entrance. "You were right with your guesses, I actually thought that you will accept the fact that you will live and die like me, but you proved me wrong. I am happy that you following the right path in life."
It took her few seconds before she stopped looking at the photos and gave her attention to me, 
" Be careful and avoid too many encounters with those monsters, okay?" She walked away from me until she disappeared with the light.
I thought there was a sudden earthquake but I was wrong, the black elements are gathering here. This is what Granny told me about. I just hide in the place that I think is safe for me. 
" I can smell her scent, she is just nearby. We need to find her." I could hear their footsteps approaching my position but I was quiet so no one would know. This could be what they are before everything has been broken. 
I am calling upon the ancestral sorcerers to give me the power. 
Allow me to save this child. 
Be her guidance for a long time. 
Gain me the power and strength. 
I am calling upon the ancestral sorcerers to give me the power. 
Allow me to save this child. 
Be her guidance for a long time. 
Gain me the power and strength. 
I am calling upon the ancestral sorcerers to give me the power. 
Allow me to save this child. 
Be her guidance for a long time. 
Gain me the power and strength. 
That voice, granny is doing it…
I repeat thy wind strength,
Let me be her guardian,
The stars and moon shining bright tonight as our witness. 
Lend me the power to help.
I repeat thy wind strength,
Let me be her guardian,
The stars and moon shining bright tonight as our witness. 
Lend me the power to help.
I repeat thy wind strength,
Let me be her guardian,
The stars and moon shining bright tonight as our witness. 
Lend me the power to help.
I repeat thy wind strength,
Let me be her guardian,
The stars and moon shining bright tonight as our witness. 
Lend me the power to help.
My dream suddenly became dark and black, what is happening?! My heart beats so fast and I can already feel how nervous I am. Until I opened my eyes and I am in the real world again. Granny is already asleep on the floor with a cushion. Dylan is laying beside me and the others are on the couch. 
I cannot believe that I will see them sleeping when I woke up. They even played a piece of music to accompany us in our dreams. No, they were not just sleeping, they aim to come after me because the song seemed like the timer. 
(PLAYING: California King Bed by Rihanna)
Chest to chest
Nose to nose
Palm to palm
We were always just that close
Wrist to wrist
Toe to toe
Lips that felt just like the inside of a rose
So, how come when I reach out my finger
It feels like more than distance between us?
It just started, they have no idea that I am already awake… I am getting worried about them. 
In this California king bed
We're ten thousand miles apart
I've been California wishing on these stars
For your heart for me
My California king
Eye to eye
Cheek to cheek
Side by side
You were sleeping next to me
Arm in arm
Dusk to dawn
With the curtains drawn
And a little last night on these sheets
I tried to wake them up but it is not working because they are really asleep with the spell, I might not have responded earlier which is why they followed me. 
So, how come when I reach out my fingers
It seems like more than distance between us
In this California king bed
We're ten thousand miles apart
I've been California wishing on these stars
For your heart for me
My California king
The song will be finished soon, I held Dylan's hand hoping that it will ease my worries, I just regret that I easily got scared. They could have been saved. 
So, how come when I reach out my fingers
It seems like more than distance between us
In this California king bed
We're ten thousand miles apart
I've been California wishing on these stars
For your heart for me
My California king
Just when I felt like giving up on us
You turned around and gave me one last touch
That made everything feel better
And even then my eyes got wetter
So confused wanna ask you if you love me
But I don't wanna seem so weak
Maybe I've been California dreaming
Few more minutes then they will be here with me, I can also not feel any strange presence around the room since Granny Oli must have used a spell for it. I cannot afford to let them get hurt when they do not come back after this song, I will follow them again. 
In this California king bed
We're ten thousand miles apart
Been California wishing on these stars
For your heart for me
My California king
My California king
In this California king bed
We're ten thousand miles apart
I've been California wishing on these stars
For your heart for me
My California king
Yuri woke up and followed by Amerah and granny Oli. I was just waiting for Dylan but minutes passed and he is still not here yet. I am feeling something strange about this. They want to stop me from getting back to sleep but I did not let them. I need to save him. 
When I go back to where I came from, I saw Dylan immediately and he is in danger because a monster has caught him! I go to him quickly and used my power. The monster sensed my presence as well as Dylan. 
"Do not go here, Eve! It is dangerous!" 
I did not listen to him and charge my way to the deadly creature, he let go of Dylan and run after me. Dylan has landed on the surface thankfully he is safe and the monster will just chase me. This is the first time I have seen this big. I would not be able to come out alive if I make a wrong move.


Eve Hermosa is a simple girl who wants to have a better future for herself and her mother. Until she discovers a curse that will destroy her dreams and let her live in misery. 

Every secret unveils her true identity. Gods and goddesses are fighting over her. 

"YOU ARE MUCH MORE POWERFUL THAN YOU EVER KNEW. YOU ARE OUR FORTUNE" he says as he caresses my face.

Will she be able to overcome it? Or will she be forever bound with it?

The story occurred in the Philippines with a touch of the classical-European theme.

After Kong got Axe, They Went To their Apartment, Scientists said Monster talk Machine was prepared, 10 chips was prepared and One Monster talk Machine, If you keep that chips To Any monster And Use Monster talk machine, The Voice Will come in English and We can Understand What really Happened, John Said We need to Wait Till Godzilla Attacks Again, Kong Need to Keep This Chip To Godzilla And Also Itself While Fighting, That Little Child Communicate John's Words and Also Scientists Words To Kong, Kong Understand Everything, All Are Waiting for Godzilla's Next Destruction, Nancy Said The Time has Come, Investigators Doesn't Understand What she Said, Nancy Said I got A message From Our Collides That Godzilla Is Destroying California too, When They Went Outside And Saw, Godzilla Was Destroying Whole California City, Kong Punched Godzilla With It's Fist, And Kong Break one Big Building and it throws On Godzilla, Kong Tooks It Axe and It Beat Godzilla All the Time, Suddenly Godzilla Used Atomic Blast, Kong Defended it with It's Axe And it Hit On Godzilla's Face, Then Kong Kept That Chip to Godzilla And Also Himself, Godzilla Asked Why Are You Beating Me?, Kong Said " You are Trying To destroy Whole World" , Godzilla Said " That's Wrong, Because I'm Trying To Protect You Guys", All Godzilla's Words Was listened By Kong and Also Investigators, Investigators Are Listening Through Monster Talk Machine, They Get Shocked After Listening Godzilla's Words, Then Godzilla Said " I'm Trying To Protect You Guys From Mechagodzilla" , I Fight with you at Sea, Because Mechagodzilla And Few Members Used Something Controller On my head, It was leaved When You Hit My Head With That Axe, They Kept that at my head, They trying to control me, After Sometime, They'll Stop Controlling me, Then Mechagodzilla Will Fight against me, That Few Members Entered Many Powers to Mechagodzilla, And Also That New York City Destruction Was Done By Mechagodzilla, I entered Their To Stop Mechagodzilla, We Both Fought, After that Fight, Mechagodzilla And Few Members Arrives To that place, Mechagodzilla Kept One Chip On My head, I tried To take it, But Next Minute I got Controlled By Them And I fought You guys, Kong Asked " Why It is Doing Like that" , Godzilla Replied " It is the Bad Monster Which was trying to Destroy me Because I am King of the Monsters, So If It Defeated Me, It will be The King of the Monsters Because It Defeated King Of the Monsters, Mothra Was Queen of the Monsters, And I am King Of the Monsters, But I won't Let Mechagodzilla Win, Also That Mechagodzilla Killed That Few Members Who Helped Him, Because Mechagodzilla Want to Kill all humans, And It was Thinking That Only Monsters need to Live in this Earth, And Also It was Thinking Destruction Is Main For Monsters", Kong got realised that Godzilla Is Good Guy................

TO BE CONTINUED........ 

I walked on, frustrated. If I was really in California then there was no way I could find my way back to the city. My best bet was to find a phone and call Dad to come and get me. Boy, would I like to see his face if I told him I was in Berkeley Hills, California. 

Suddenly, I came to two tunnel entrances. In the middle of them, there was a big cement door, gutting from the hillside. I started walking towards it. Maybe that's where I came out from. When I came closer, I saw two kids in armour in front of the entrance, guarding it. They wore a bizarre mix of plumed Roman helmets, breastplates, scabbards, blue jeans, purple T-shirts, and white athletic shoes. Hey, maybe they could confirm I was in Berkeley Hills, though I was pretty sure now that somehow I was.

The girl on the left had reddish-brown hair spilling out of her helmet in a braid. She reminded me of an overgrown ferret. The boy on the right was a tall, buff blonde dude who definitely looked like he was in the wrong part of California. 

As I approached them, the boy narrowed his eyes but he lowered his sword and let me in. He signalled to the girl who sighed and started to lead me into the tunnel silently.

The tunnel cut through solid rock, about the width and height of a school hallway. At first, it looked like a typical maintenance tunnel, with electric cables, warning signs, and fuse boxes on the walls, lightbulbs in wire cages along the ceiling. As I walked deeper into the hillside, the cement floor changed to tiled mosaic. The lights changed to reed torches, which burned but didn't smoke. A few hundred yards ahead, I saw a glimpse of daylight.

I kept walking until I reached the end of the tunnel. My jaw dropped open. The scenery was normal enough for Northern California-hills and plains and stretches of forests with a small river cutting across the perimeter but there was something else about it. Something older.

Then I noticed the architecture. In the center of the valley there was a small city of white marble buildings and red-tiled roofs. Some had huge pillars with golden gates and gardens, while others had domes like ancient museums. There were fountains and flowers everywhere and a huge Roman style coliseum shone in the sunlight next to a long oval arena.

The strangest part of the valley was that just across the river there seemed to be some sort of military camp. It was about a quarter mile square, with earthen ramparts on all four sides, the tops lined with sharpened spikes. Outside the walls ran a dry moat, that also had spikes. Wooden watchtowers rose at each corner, manned by people with oversized, mounted crossbows. Inside, there were dozens of kids, carrying weapons, polishing armor. I heard the clank of hammers somewhere and smelled meat cooking over a fire.

I reached the river. The current was fast but it didn't look too deep. I looked across to the other side, took my shoes of and stepped in.

It was much colder than I thought and the current was much stronger. I slowly started to walked across gingerly. I had nearly reached the other side when I slipped and fell in the ice cold river. Ferret-Girl offered me a hand. 
"You really need to be more careful,"she said,"if we were being chased a monster could've used that opportunity to attack you."
I looked at her. "Monsters?"
She frowned. "Haven't you seen them before?"
I opened my mouth to say no but the words stuck in my mouth as visions flashed in my head of the strange things I'd seen. Like when I was in the park with Percy and a strange man in a bowler hat came and asked for directions but under his hat there was only one glowing eye. No one believed us except Sally though thinking back, Dad did pale. 

Ferret-Girl gave a satisfied nod. "Come,"she said,"let's see if you're worthy of this camp."

Author's note
Ok. So I lied about the longer chapters and writing once a week. This is also getting really hard to write because Reyna is not at Camp Jupiter yet so I'm not really sure on how to do things. 
Can you guess who Ferret-Girl is?

What if Hera had a daughter who's aura was so strong that she had to choice but to send her down as a mortal? What if Rick Riordan adopted her? And what if she was a certain Percy Jackson's neighbor?

"Damn it... Am I going to die?"

There was a waterfall in front of me, and a 10 feet tiger behind. With a 5 year old girl crying in my arms, I think this will be the end for my short and silly life!

(3 hours ago)

"Where am I?"

I am Johnny Sins and I was happily indulged in my daily pleasures when suddenly my gaze turned fuzzy and I reached here, in this um... forest, I guess. I could see only trees and wild plants with a sweet smell of nature making its way into my nostrils. I could feel the wind blowing with a cold and easy feeling. I never experienced such sensation... okay, I did but it was after some passionate night, yes that the only time.

Still... I wonder where I am and how I got here.

*WHOOSH*

I went full alert at the noise at the unexpected arrival of some wild animal. But then let out a smile, as soon as I realized that it was just two rabbits fighting with each other with razor sharp teeth.

"Ha ha... just a couple of rabbits fighting- wait..."

My eyes went wide as a sudden flash of realization hit me. How in the fucking world can a rabbit have such large fangs? And when the fuck they become so aggressive that they fight among themselves?

I went behind a large tree to hide my muscular build and started to concentrate more on the fighting. One voice inside my hand screamed to get the fuck out of this weird forest, while another gave a very solid rebuttal - 'Where the hell should we go?' Nevertheless I was easily convinced and started to enjoy their gruesome fight.

I took a closer look and found out that one of the rabbits, which had sharper and bigger fangs and razor like teeth was thrashing his opponent, who was barely able to defend himself properly. As one could predict, the fight did not last long and the winner was quickly chosen while the loser rabbit had its stomach being cut open and died while watching his body become a meal.

I become afraid and happy. Afraid because how the hell, could someone fight a rabbit monster who could slice you up and eat you for a meal. And happy because one of his rabbit enemies was kind enough to put me on alert in this forest.

Just where the hell am I? Ah yes, I get it. I must be dreaming. Though I don't understand how could a rabbit become a monster inside my dream when there should be chicks running in circle across me, but definitely this is a dream. I am sure of it.

*PURR* *PURR*

I shifted my eyes in the direction of the voice and was stunned at the site. The monster rabbit - the winner of the earlier duel was staring at me with his red scary eyes. I utilized all my courage and strength, and was successful in not peeing in my pants. WTF! am I going to be the next menu on its list? Oh heavens, please help me! I swore to abide my rules and not get indulged in too many pleasures. Just once a day would be more that enough. Please save me!

*PURR*

It kept on purring and moving forward a step. One purr for one step. And then the next for another. I didn't understand his logic, but I had a feeling that the moment I turned around to run, this monster would pounce on me like anything. Well... to be honest, I was just too scared to move, much less run away.

*SWISH*

Just as he was standing a couple of meters away from me, he launched one of his arms towards me. Seeing the razed sharp fangs, I knew that my time was up and screamed just before dying a violent death.

(After 30 minutes)

??? - "Hey kiddo, are you okay now?"

Me - "Yes, thank you for saving me from the rabbit there."

??? - "Well, its alright. The good thing is that you were only slightly grazed since I interrupted that monster. You sure have lady luck shining brightly at you for sending me at the right moment."

Lady luck, huh! I can't tell you how much she has helped me all my life... oh, those happy times.

??? - "Why are salivating?"

Me - "No, its nothing."

I shook my head and wiped the drool off my face. It surely will not do me any good if his old man finds about my thoughts right. The old man had black eyes with very short, curly, dark blonde hair. With a oval face and a web of wrinkles on his face, he seems like any other old man hunter in the forest.

Old man - "By the way what were you doing in the jungle?"

Even I want the answer the this question old man. But I can't tell him that, can I? Anyways, let's go with the same stupid reason.

Me - "I got lost... he he"

Old man - " *SIGH* Kids nowadays are too carefree..."

What do you mean by kid? The handsome dude in front of you has the dream build of every female, old man... But yes, you might be unaware because of your age.

Old man - "Oh, I almost forgot... you haven't told me your name, kiddo. "

Me - "You can call me... John."

Old man - "John... quite a unique name. So you are not a local. Oh right! you can call me, Uncle Asukai. So John, where are you from and how did you get there?"

John - "I am from California, United States. And I don't remember how I got here. So can you help me get back, Uncle Asukai?"

Uncle Asukai - "California? United States? That's the first time I have heard names like these. And what do you mean you don't remember? It is not like, at one moment you are at home, and the next moment you are at an unknown place, right?"

Well, that's exactly what happened. But I don't think uncle would believe it. Hell no, even I don't believe myself, even though I have experienced it first hand.

John - "Um... I don't know exactly what happened, but when I opened my eyes I was standing here in the forest. Oh wait, you haven't told me where we are."

Uncle Asukai put his hand on his forehead, as he smiled wryly before continuing, "Ha ha, I was going to tell you. We are at 'The Manta Reef', an island in the East Blue."

East Blue... I think I have heard that name before, but I can't remember where. Strange... I feel I am missing something. Whatever...

What happens when one of our favorite celebrity transmigrates into one of our favorite anime worlds?

This is a fun fan-fiction about the adventures and romance of one of the most envious existence in the mankind... really I am also envious of him.

Warning - 18+

Patreon - http://bit.ly/Kamame

[Another man…]

"You're too honest!"

The 70th Floor Master was, unsurprisingly, the Incubus King. With stylish clothes and handsome features, he indeed possessed looks that could capture any woman.

Although his high charm could affect both men and women, I was unaffected thanks to my high charm.

[I do not enjoy fighting. I would rather whisper into the ears of beautiful women.]

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You're a creep. Come."

[I especially hate men who give off enticing scents like you! They steal my women!]

"Mind your own business!"

The Incubus King charged at me with an ornate longsword. When he swung his sword, thousands of ice spears appeared in the air. If anything, I had to recognize his boundless mana.

[My ice spear will penetrate you!]

"Can you stop making everything lewd!? Also, I'll be the one penetrating you with my ice spear!"

I smirked and charged forward. At the same time, Ruyue flew up. In her beast girl's appearance, Ruyue shouted.

[Anyone who bullies Shin, I'll teach you a lesson!]

Immediately, the thousands of ice spears flying toward me halted. Then, along with Ruyue's hand gestures, some became bigger and some combined with others. The Incubus King waved his sword around with a shocked expression, but it was too late. He had completely lost control of his ice spears.

[A mere elemental dares to go against me!]

"If you look away, you'll die!"

Not that he wouldn't die if he didn't look away. While he was staring at the ice spears in the air, I used Divine Speed and shot a Heroic Strike wrapped in chaos flames. The attack drilled into his shoulder and created a huge hole.

[Kuaaaaak! My noble body!]

"Didn't the other men that went through here do the same thing?"

[Are you looking down on me for being restrained by the dungeon? You're no better, a mere human being played by fate!]

In his rage, the Incubus King charged towards me. I grinned and held up my spear.

Chaos flames and white aura mixed together, burning in a hard to describe form. I then charged toward the Incubus King fuming with a navy demonic energy.

"Go to hell with your fate bullshit!"

At the same time, hundreds of ice spears strengthened by Ruyue descended. The Incubus King swung his sword and created a barrier. He then used magic to break the incoming ice spears, but his face was grim as if he already knew he would lose.

He wasn't wrong. He had already used quite a lot of his mana to create the ice spears. When it failed, his defeat was only a matter of time.

[Human, human, humaaaaan! Despair! Surrender to fate! Become a loser and forever slumber in resentment!]

"Stop talking about yourself!"

The ice spears then broke through his barrier and struck his body. His beautiful clothes became shredded as his limbs also became severed. Coincidentally, only his face remained unhurt.

[Kuhuk… I won't forget you!]

The Incubus King coughed out black blood and glared at me. I stuck my spear into his face and replied.

"Bullshit to the end. Even when I see you, Floor Masters, 10 times a day, none of you remember me."

[A Grand Achievement! You defeated the Floor Master, 'Incubus King', alone! Amazing!]

[You became level 71. You obtained the qualification to challenge Beyond's 20th floor.]

[You obtained 5 bonus stats.]

[You obtained the title, 'Incubus King Slayer'. All stats permanently increase by 1. This effect will apply even if the title is not equipped.]

[You became Gold Rank 2. Congratulations.]

[You defeated the Incubus King alone. You obtained the special reward, 'Superior Incubus King's Top.']

[You obtained 500,000 gold.]

[Choose your reward.]

[1. Captivation Magic Book.]

Unlike the Succubus Queen, it seemed somebody had already claimed the first reward for the Incubus King. In other words, an explorer who had been bewitched and killed by the Succubus Queen had slain the Incubus King in cold blood. Incubus King, you poor guy…

Regardless, the solo kill reward was the important thing. Captivation Magic Book. Another item beyond my expectations had come out. I couldn't refuse the reward either. Thinking I might need to learn to control my charm again, I sighed as I chose the reward.

[You learned the passive skill Captivation. Captivation strengthens your charm. At level 1, it increases your charm by 10%. Against members of the opposite sex, your charm will have double the effect.]

"I knew it."

If this effect multiplied the amplification I got from the Succubus Queen's Tattoo, then my charm would have quadrupled the effect on females. Even if the effect worked additively, it would still be triple. Since the skills I obtained from the dungeon all worked additively, my charm most likely tripled instead of quadrupling. The 60th through 70th floor really increased explorers' charms. Hwaya must love it.

Regardless, since my charm reached a troublesome realm once again, I had to control my charm before I headed out to the Floor Shop.

"Welcome back, Shin-nim… Uuu, your charm increased again!"

"If you want to resent someone, Loretta, resent the one who made the dungeon-like this."

"Why would I resent anyone? I'm fine as long as Shin-nim doesn't go around seducing women. In fact, I have to thank the Lord for this!"

"At least you're honest…"

At my wry smile, Loretta puffed out her chest proudly.

"Being honest is my good point! Then, Shin-nim, now…"

"See you later."

"I knew you'd say that. I hate you!"

Leaving Loretta behind, I went back into the Floor Master room to fight the Incubus King again. To implement my plan in time, I had no choice but to work hard.

Two hours afterward, at the guild house on Earth, I checked the guild members who wanted to participate in this expedition. I had already notified everyone on the day I talked to Yua, and after I cleared the 70th floor earlier than expected, I told whoever came along to finish their preparations by today.

The result was that it would be faster to count the number of people not here. No, wait…

"… Everyone's here?"

"We're going to reclaim a country. Isn't it obvious that we'd come?"

Hwaya spoke as everyone's representative. She was wearing formal attire and was holding a long silver stick in one hand. She stood next to an empty wall, ready to give a presentation.

Michel and Leon also nodded.

"She's right. I joined Revival because I believed we would drive away from the monsters from Earth. This is the first step. There's no way I can miss it."

"Well said, old man! Besides, if I don't help, I'll feel weird receiving help to reclaim Texas or California."

"Kuu, having California taken by them was indeed a great catastrophe…"

"Haha, it's fine, it's fine! Although we can't bring the dead back to life, lost lands can always be reclaimed!"

Over 10% of the U.S. population lived in California. When Two Moon occurred, a large scale monster attack decimated half of California's population. Even those who survived had lost their families, properties, and hopes of living.

"We'll go to California soon, so don't worry, Leon."

"I believe you, friend!"

"Shush."

Hwaya silenced us and projected a screen onto the wall.

"The place we're going to today is the Philippines."

"Philippines…"

"Because of monsters, 90,000,000 people lost their lives in the Philippines. That's 90% of their population. It was one of humanity's greatest catastrophes. "

"I've seen a satellite image. It's full of vegetation like it has traveled back in time."

"It's possible that it's part of another world's natural environment. Even if you've been to the Philippines before, don't think the Philippines we're about to go to is the same Philippines as the past."

Hwaya spoke with a stern tone and pointed to the Philippines on the screen's map. Then, a few pictures popped up on the screen. Tall trees and dense vegetation made it look like we were looking at a scene from the Jurassic Period. Inside the forests, we could see giant monsters roaming about.

"They're pictures taken during the Philippines during the catastrophe. At the time, three SS rankers including me fought against the monsters there. Back then, we had to retreat without even killing 10% of the monsters on the coast. Like the other occupied countries, the Philippines' monsters are rather high ranked. The weakest are A ranks with 60% being S rank, 10% being SS rank, and 1% being… above that."

"Only that…? Ow!"

"Don't look down on others just because you're strong."

Ludia hit my head. I reflected.

"They might have gotten even stronger by now. We can probably safely assume that most monsters had a half rank increase. The succubi battle units recovered most of the islands other than the mainland, and their reports prove that this is true."

"Right. The monsters there were unusually strong. Dear Husband, this Philippines… I think there's something in its center region. I felt a powerful aura that made me tremble."

"It could be a commander level monster. In any case, this operation can't be done without Shin. As you know, Shin, your Evil Eyes will be important."

"Leave it to me."

I could petrify all monsters below SS rank without having to use mana. However, as monsters with relatively high ranks could naturally cancel the petrification over time, we had to go through the process of shattering their petrified bodies.

Hwaya then showed us more pictures of the Philippines, explaining the monsters endemic to the area. With the Philippines being an island nation, even coastlines had powerful oceanic monsters. As for deeper inland, there were many powerful mammalian monsters, insect monsters, and harpy type monsters. There really were monsters of all sorts.

"There's also the matter that served as how this operation started – finding elite monsters for Yua. Daisy, you stop drooling."

"Good monster is, dead monster."

"Your definition of dead monsters is undead monsters."

"Meki, strong because dead. Another mantis, weak because alive."

"Is Meki the name you gave to the Evil Mantis Queen?"

"Kang Shin, smart student…!"

While I smacked Daisy's head, Hwaya's explanation was reaching its end.

"We've already explained the situation to the Guardian and Freedom Wing. The media will talk about us around dinner time. There are some volunteers from various agencies…"

"Reject everyone under SS rank."

"That's everyone then."

Hwaya burned away some of the papers in her hand. Now that I thought about it, the only SS rankers not part of Revival were the ones we made into First Dungeon explorers. They were undoubtedly still busy climbing the dungeon.

Once the papers in her hand became cinders, Hwaya's expression became serious.

"Let me confirm one last time. We aren't forcing anyone to participate in this operation. If you're unsure of your abilities…"

While Snorting, Ludia retorted.

"You might want to go with Shin alone, but I won't let that happen."

"Tsk, even if I wanted to, sister-in-law is coming anyways…"

Hwaya turned away and grumbled. Yua tilted her head and asked Hwaya.

"Sister-in-law? What does that mean? My understanding of this must be wrong… Can you tell me?"

Scary. And cold! Thinking perhaps it was just me, I looked at Hwaya who was a SSS rank flame ability user. Seeing how she was also trembling, it seemed the temperature around us had gone down.

"Yua, don't be so scary. I want to get close to you. Why do you not like me?"

"There's no way I don't like you, Unni. Haha… So, what's the other meaning of sister-in-law?"

Don't bully Hwaya, Yua! Her life points have already hit zero!

"Reclaiming a country with just us… It's almost like we're superheroes from comic books."

"You're not wrong, Kang Yungoong. We're this world's heroes!"

"Shin, Yungoong [1]. What choices of names…"

"Who cares! Shin, Yungoon! What better describes them!?"

"Men, stop blabbering like idiots. We're heading out now!"

All 17 members of Revival immediately set off to the Philippines.

From this moment on, we were the main characters of this heroic tale.

1. Shin means "god" and Yungoong means "hero" in Korean.

The second moon marked the beginning of a revolutionary change.

With the emergence of monsters and dungeons in modern society and the ability users who fight against them, the world faces a shift in its paradigm.

It heralds the advent of a new energy source and the decline of traditional occupations.

Common sense thus becomes warped and imagination becomes reality.

[Another man…]
"You're too honest!"
The 70th Floor Master was, unsurprisingly, the Incubus King. With stylish clothes and handsome features, he indeed possessed looks that could capture any women.
Although his high charm could affect both men and women, I was unaffected thanks to my high charm.
[I do not enjoy fighting. I would rather whisper into the ears of beautiful women.]
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You're a creep. Come."
[I especially hate men who give off enticing scents like you! They steal my women!]
"Mind your own business!"
The Incubus King charged at me with an ornate longsword. When he swung his sword, thousands of ice spears appeared in the air. If anything, I had to recognize his boundless mana.
[My ice spear will penetrate you!]
"Can you stop making everything lewd!? Also, I'll be the one penetrating you with my ice spear!"
I smirked and charged forward. At the same time, Ruyue flew up. In her beast girl appearance, Ruyue shouted.
[Anyone who bullies Shin, I'll teach you a lesson!]
Immediately, the thousands of ice spears flying toward me halted. Then, along with Ruyue's hand gestures, some became bigger and some combined with others. The Incubus King waved his sword around with a shocked expression, but it was too late. He had completely lost control of his ice spears.
[A mere elemental dares to go against me!]
"If you look away, you'll die!"
Not that he wouldn't die if he didn't look away. While he staring at the ice spears in the air, I used Divine Speed and shot a Heroic Strike wrapped in chaos flames. The attack drilled into his shoulder and created a huge hole.
[Kuaaaaak! My noble body!]
"Didn't the other men that went through here do the same thing?"
[Are you looking down on me for being restrained by the dungeon? You're no better, a mere human being played by fate!]
In his rage, the Incubus King charged towards me. I grinned and held up my spear.
Chaos flames and white aura mixed together, burning in a hard to describe form. I then charged toward the Incubus King fuming with a navy demonic energy.
"Go to hell with your fate bullshit!"
At the same time, hundreds of ice spears strengthened by Ruyue descended. The Incubus King swung his sword and created a barrier. He then used magic to break the incoming ice spears, but his face was grim, as if he already knew he would lose.
He wasn't wrong. He had already used quite a lot of his mana to create the ice spears. When it failed, his defeat was only a matter of time.
[Human, human, humaaaaan! Despair! Surrender to fate! Become a loser and forever slumber in resentment!]
"Stop talking about yourself!"
The ice spears then broke through his barrier and struck his body. His beautiful clothes became shredded as his limbs also became severed. Coincidentally, only his face remained unhurt.
[Kuhuk… I won't forget you!]
The Incubus King coughed out black blood and glared at me. I struck my spear into his face and replied.
"Bullshit to the end. Even when I see you Floor Masters 10 times a day, none of you remember me."
[A Grand Achievement! You defeated the Floor Master, 'Incubus King', alone! Amazing!]
[You became level 71. You obtained the qualification to challenge Beyond's 20th floor.]
[You obtained 5 bonus stats.]
[You obtained the title, 'Incubus King Slayer'. All stats permanently increase by 1. This effect will apply even if the title is not equipped.]
 
[You became Gold Rank 2. Congratulations.]
[You defeated the Incubus King alone. You obtained the special reward, 'Superior Incubus King's Top.']
[You obtained 500,000 gold.]
[Choose your reward.]
[1. Captivation Magic Book.]
Unlike the Succubus Queen, it seemed somebody had already claimed the first reward for the Incubus King. In other words, an explorer who had been bewitched and killed by the Succubus Queen had slain the Incubus King in cold blood. Incubus King, you poor guy…
Regardless, the solo kill reward was the important thing. Captivation Magic Book. Another item beyond my expectations had come out. I couldn't refuse the reward either. Thinking I might need to learn to control my charm again, I sighed as I chose the reward.
[You learned the passive skill Captivation. Captivation strengthens your charm. At level 1, it increases your charm by 10%. Against members of the opposite sex, your charm will have double the effect.]
"I knew it."
If this effect multiplied the amplification I got from the Succubus Queen's Tattoo, then my charm would have quadruple the effect to females. Even if the effect worked additively, it would still be triple. Since the skills I obtained from the dungeon all worked additively, my charm most likely tripled instead of quadrupling. The 60th through 70th floor really increased explorers' charms. Hwaya must love it.
Regardless, since my charm reached a troublesome realm once again, I had to control my charm before I headed out to the Floor Shop.
"Welcome back, Shin-nim… Uuu, your charm increased again!"
"If you want to resent someone, Loretta, resent the one who made the dungeon like this."
"Why would I resent anyone? I'm fine as long as Shin-nim doesn't go around seducing women. In fact, I have to thank the Lord for this!"
"At least you're honest…"
At my wry smile, Loretta puffed out her chest proudly.
"Being honest is my good point! Then, Shin-nim, now…"
"See you later."
"I knew you'd say that. I hate you!"
Leaving Loretta behind, I went back into the Floor Master room to fight the Incubus King again. To implement my plan in time, I had no choice but to work hard.
Two hours afterward, at the guild house on Earth, I checked the guild members who wanted to participate in this expedition. I had already notified everyone on the day I talked to Yua, and after I cleared the 70th floor earlier than expected, I told whoever coming along to finish their preparations by today.
The result was that it would be faster to count the number of people not here. No, wait…
"… Everyone's here?"
"We're going to reclaim a country. Isn't it obvious that we'd come?"
Hwaya spoke as everyone's representative. She was wearing formal attire and was holding a long silver stick in one hand. She stood next to a empty wall, ready to give a presentation.
Michel and Leon also nodded.
"She's right. I joined Revival because I believed we would drive away the monsters from Earth. This is the first step. There's no way I can miss it."
"Well said, old man! Besides, if I don't help, I'll feel weird receiving help to reclaim Texas or California."
"Kuu, having California taken by them was indeed a great catastrophe…"
"Haha, it's fine, it's fine! Although we can't bring the dead back to life, lost lands can always be reclaimed!"
Over 10% of U.S. population lived in California. When Two Moon occurred, a large scale monster attack decimated half of California's population. Even those who survived had lost their families, properties, and hopes of living.
 
"We'll go to California soon, so don't worry, Leon."
"I believe you, friend!"
"Shush."
Hwaya silenced us and projected a screen onto the wall.
"The place we're going to today is the Philippines."
"Philippines…"
"Because of monsters, 90,000,000 people lost their lives in the Philippines. That's 90% of their population. It was one of humanity's greatest catastrophes. "
"I've seen a satellite image. It's full of vegetation like it has traveled back in time."
"It's possible that it's part of another world's natural environment. Even if you've been to the Philippines before, don't think the Philippines we're about to go to is the same Philippines as the past."
Hwaya spoke with a stern tone and pointed to the Philippines on the screen's map. Then, a few pictures popped up on the screen. Tall trees and dense vegetation made it look like we were looking at a scene from the Jurassic Period. Inside the forests, we could see giant monsters roaming about.
"They're pictures taken during the Philippines during the catastrophe. At the time, three SS rankers including me fought against the monsters there. Back then, we had to retreat without even killing 10% of the monsters in the coast. Like the other occupied countries, Philippines' monsters are rather high ranked. The weakest are A ranks with 60% being S rank, 10% being SS rank, and 1% being… above that."
"Only that…? Ow!"
"Don't look down on others just because you're strong."
Ludia hit my head. I reflected.
"They might have gotten even stronger by now. We can probably safely assume that most monsters had a half rank increase. The succubi battle units recovered most of the islands other than the mainland, and their reports prove that this is true."
"Right. The monsters there were unusually strong. Dear Husband, this Philippines… I think there's something in its center region. I felt a powerful aura that made me tremble."
"It could be a commander level monster. In any case, this operation can't be done without Shin. As you know, Shin, your Evil Eyes will be important."
"Leave it to me."
I could petrify all monsters below SS rank without having to use mana. However, as monsters with relatively high ranks could naturally cancel the petrification over time, we had to go through the process of shattering their petrified bodies.
Hwaya then showed us more pictures of the Philippines, explaining the monsters endemic to the area. With the Philippines being an island nation, even coastlines had powerful oceanic monsters. As for deeper inland, there were many powerful mammalian monsters, insect monsters, and harpy type monsters. There really were monsters of all sorts.
"There's also the matter that served as the how this operation started – finding elite monsters for Yua. Daisy, you stop drooling."
"Good monster are, dead monster."
"Your definition of dead monsters is undead monsters."
"Meki, strong because dead. Other mantis, weak because alive."
"Is Meki the name you gave to the Evil Mantis Queen?"
"Kang Shin, smart student…!"
While I smacked Daisy's head, Hwaya's explanation was reaching its end.
"We've already explained the situation to Guardian and Freedom Wing. The media will talk about us around dinner time. There are some volunteers from various agencies…"
"Reject everyone under SS rank."
 
"That's everyone then."
Hwaya burned away some of the papers in her hand. Now that I thought about it, the only SS rankers not part of Revival were the ones we made into First Dungeon explorers. They were undoubtedly still busy climbing the dungeon.
Once the papers in her hand became cinders, Hwaya's expression became serious.
"Let me confirm one last time. We aren't forcing anyone to participate in this operation. If you're unsure of your abilities…"
While Snorting, Ludia retorted.
"You might want to go with Shin alone, but I won't let that happen."
"Tsk, even if I wanted to, sister-in-law is coming anyways…"
Hwaya turned away and grumbled. Yua tilted her head and asked Hwaya.
"Sister-in-law? What does that mean? My understanding of this must be wrong… Can you tell me?"
Scary. And cold! Thinking perhaps it was just me, I looked at Hwaya who was a SSS rank flame ability user. Seeing how she was also trembling, it seemed the temperature around us had gone down.
"Yua, don't be so scary. I want to get close to you. Why do you not like me?"
"There's no way I don't like you, Unni. Haha… So, what's the other meaning of sister-in-law?"
Don't bully Hwaya, Yua! Her life points have already hit zero!
"Reclaiming a country with just us… It's almost like we're superheroes from comic books."
"You're not wrong, Kang Yungoong. We're this world's heroes!"
"Shin, Yungoong1. What choices of names…"
"Who cares! Shin, Yungoon! What better describes them!?"
"Men, stop blabbering like idiots. We're heading out now!"
All 17 members of Revival immediately set off to the Philippines.
From this moment on, we were the main characters of this heroic tale.
1. Shin means "god" and Yungoong means "hero" in Korean.

The second moon marked the beginning of a revolutionary change.

With the emergence of monsters and dungeons in modern society, and the ability users who fights against them, the world faces a shift in its paradigm.

It heralds the advent of a new energy source and the decline of traditional occupations.

Common sense thus becomes uncommon sense, and imagination becomes reality.

I don't own this novel.

I'm publishing it there to read it offline and save it from the oblivion.


In preparation for a trip to Moscow, Russia, Alex Tukhachevsky and Galina Kutuzova flew to San Diego, California. They met with Olga, a Russian woman who managed a local rescue agency. She introduced them to Vera, an ex-prostitute who was willing to talk about her experiences as a sex slave.
After a brief introduction, the woman told her story. Many pimps in Moscow specialize in supplying prostitutes to the United States. Vera was the perfect target for them. She was a streetwalker, alone, scared and desperate. A friend introduced her to a man who was looking for girls to work in America. Dimitri Yegorov offered Vera a chance at a new life: a job as a secretary for a Russian business located in New York. There would be plenty of time to learn English once she got there, he said. "The only thing that you need to know is that America is safe. A person there has rights. Going to America will be safer than being in Moscow."
Vera was asked to stay at an apartment with four other women that were also preparing to go the United States. After a casual conversation with the women, Vera soon became concerned. All of them were prostitutes, yet Dimitri had promised good jobs in America. The story did not add up. The women could only speak rudimentary English that they had learned from tourists. What kind of jobs could they expect to get once they got to the U.S.?
A few days later, Yegorov purchased plane tickets for all of them. There was only a minor glitch. Since it would take too much time to obtain visas from the U.S. Embassy, they would have to fly to Mexico and enter the United States through one of the congested entry points between the two countries. Vera and the other women now realized that they were going to be taken to America illegally, and they started to complain. This was when Dimitri showed his full colors. "There is no backing out, he said." If any of you tries to run away, I'm not going to chase you. I'm just going to cut your head off."
Intimidated and powerless, Vera got on the plane with the other Russian women. From that moment on, they became the personal property of an international slave trafficker. Once they landed in Mexico, Yegorov brought the women to a hotel in Tijuana. He then brought some men to the hotel and began putting his new slaves to work. Vera now saw a grim future ahead of her. "Yegorov wouldn't care at all," she said to the other girls. "If we die, he will probably step over us and keep on walking."
Vera was determined to escape and saw the trip to the U.S. as her chance.
Yegorov, dressed as a rich dude with two blonde girlfriends, drove Vera and another Russian woman to the border between Tijuana and California, one of the busiest in the world. He was counting on slipping in without having to produce documents because the guards on the U. S. side were so busy and often just waived people in. He had done it successfully before.
When the car pulled up to the barrier, Vera started yelling in Russian. Yegorov became furious, but her gamble worked. The border patrol guards ordered the trio out of the car and detained them. The pimp tried to convince his interrogators that he had just met the girls in Tijuana, but the gambit didn't work. An older man in the company of two young females with a thick Russian accent just didn't pass the litmus test. In any case, Vera helped dispel any doubts: "He is a monster, really a monster. That's him." Yegorov was arrested for attempting to smuggle human beings across the border.
Investigators later learned the ugly truth: Yegorov had raked in more than a million dollars trafficking young Russians into the Los Angeles area.
Vera was taken to a safe house in San Diego and placed in protective custody. She was one of the lucky few to be saved before being forced into slavery. She testified against Dimitri Yegorov at the trial. He ended up in prison in California and died of pneumonia behind bars.
Vera was allowed to stay in the United States under a special visa the federal government offers to victims of trafficking. She learned English and now she was trying to build a career in real estate.
***
After talking with Vera, Galina and Alex volunteered to investigate the chain of sex slave trafficking from Russia to the U.S. This was also an opportunity to use their native Russian language skills and a chance to revisit their homeland.
Upon arriving in Moscow, they checked into Assambleya Nikitskaya, a relatively small hotel with basic, but nicely sized rooms. The location of the hotel was excellent; they could easily walk to the Kremlin and Saint Basil's Cathedral. By this time, Alex and Galina had become lovers, so they did not ask for separate rooms. They had a suite with kitchen, clean and comfortable.
As soon as they unpacked they excitedly went downstairs to the small lobby and bar where they indulged in caviar washed down with vodka, then they went into town. After some sightseeing, they walked to Kuznetsky Most Street, a bustling, welcoming pedestrian mall with lots of restaurants, pubs, and shops. They just looked around, reacquainting themselves with the smells and sounds that they had grown up with and had forsaken when they emigrated to the United States.
Moscow was a far cry from the gloomy city they remembered. Capitalism had arrived with a vengeance, and if it wasn't for the monuments, parts of the city now looked like any other prosperous European city. They eventually settled on a restaurant called Belaya Rus, one of Galina's favorites, a delightful little place hidden away below ground level and that one would hardly know about its existence if it wasn't for the doorman that was hustling diners to come in and enjoy. The place was a cozy venue with vaulted ceilings and in-house live music provided by musicians playing the accordion and a violin. Galina and Alex chose typically Russian dishes. They started with potato fritters with cracklings, a dish of fried potato cakes and bacon. It was tasty and rich. The main course, Beef Stroganoff, was delicious and well prepared. The couple indulged in a bottle of Russian Champagne. Finally, they enjoyed a dessert of curd croquettes served warm in a poppy seed sauce and sour cream. Overall, the evening was a very nice reminder of home.




Andres Mann was an Army Officer and a business executive. He graduated with degrees in Political Science and International Relations and published three management books and various business articles.
Andy had the good fortune to meet remarkable people from all over the world, most of them good, others not so much. Some were extraordinarily talented, able to perform well in multiple endeavors. The novels are based on the actions of real people he observed dealing with challenging situations. He believes that it is interesting to understand multi-faceted personalities that are fascinating and sometimes evil, making it difficult to make quick judgments about right and wrong.

Three remarkable people are caught in a web of obsession and deceit.
Tess is a military helicopter pilot; beautiful, aggressive and relentless. She gradually awakens as a real woman due to the love of two men. Jake, a brilliant CIA operative and Amir, a wealthy, sophisticated but dissolute Iraqi general who initially captures Tess during a battle and becomes obsessed with her. Tess escapes but must fulfill a promise that involves taking something from Amir. Tess and Jake attempt to go after him in and the action progresses from Istanbul to Paris and London. Amir persuades Tess to spend time with him in France and England in exchange for what she is seeking. Here she meets Fadime, his alluring and decadent sister. In the end, Amir deceives Tess. She returns to Iraq, flying dangerous missions and rescuing wounded soldiers. An unforeseen event changes everything.


POV-Mystique, age 20
December 23
"Christy, where are you? Are you lost in your hometown airport? I've been waiting for hours!" I groan into my phone after my eyes grow tired of stretching wide open in the airport, looking out for her silhouette.
"Well, the plane got delayed due to heavy snowfall on your end. Not exactly my fault, is it?" She questions me. She does have a point here.
"Where are you now, then?" I ask deftly.
"Meet me near the taxicabs, alright?" She says, exasperated, and hangs up.
It is hard for me to have a best friend who is four years younger than me, who has lived in California for the last year, not enjoying the beach, but in rehab, battling the monster trying to eat her life away. When she became clean after nearly a year, she stayed with my grandparents for a couple months, in the vicinity of the Wine County, also known as the cellar of their house.
As she enjoys the year-round warmth of California, I am stuck in Massachusetts, studying for my degree in medicine at Harvard Med. But right now, I am in my roots at New York City, at the end of December, standing in the airport, freezing my ass off as the snow falls.
I never liked snow growing up. Dad always made me and Kate shovel the driveway after a night of heavy snowfall. It wasn't like he sat on his ass while we did it, but I would have prefered making hot chocolate with my Mom over doing manual labour. I liked snow angels, but that was when I was six, and Dad didn't make me shovel black snow off the driveway then.
I look around the airport for a redheaded bombshell anyway, because if she reaches the exit before me, we're going to be running around in circles looking for each other, neither of us are patient. And then, I'm going to be late for my first ever learning session with an assigned, trained doctor. 
But all I see is a sight that chains my heart to this day- a young mother trying to console her crying baby. A tap on my shoulder knocks me out of my trance.
 I turn around and see Crystal Mason in all of her haphazard self, her hair pulled back from her face with the same hair tie she'd been using for years, wearing a worn-out Harry Potter shirt and jeans, feeling warm in one layer of clothes in the devastating cold of New York. She dropped her bags dramatically and hugged me, knocking the air out of my lungs
I missed her stupid self more than I will ever admit, so don't you go and tell her. 
She finally lets go of me, the cold air once again filling my lungs. "Lost in dreamworld, doc?" Christy asks, her sweet voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Just wondering of ways to keep warm, instead of creating a mini-bonfire from your clothes, which you should've packed last night instead of this morning, so that you could've caught the early-morning flight back." I pick up one of her bags and start walking to the exit. She follows me.
"Not all of us are night owls, Misty." 
"You're not even a morning person. You function best after noon."
"Well, in your defense, it is 1 pm."
"You wanna sleep at the apartment, or just catch the next flight to California?"
"Well, your mum's place has a heater, but the airport doesn't have you." She says tapping her chin. "Decisions, decisions."
I do not have time to bicker with her all day. I hail a cab, tell the driver my address and ask her, "You coming?"
"Sure, if you insist," she says and hops into the cab. "By the way, your mum told me to ask you to just accept the cheques, or she'll just keep troubling the bank people by depositing it in your account. And remember, even though she knows how to, she doesn't do the depositing online." 
"Well, I'll have an internship in a couple years' time, so maybe she will stop sending them."
"She's enjoying life in Santa Monica, but she's working at the pet store near the beach. I think her doctor called to check in and actually scolded her yesterday for being such a workaholic."
That seems plausible.

Christy is pregnant, Misty knows it, Chris knows it.
Who's the father? No one knows.
Her blood won't support her, but her other family, that of Misty's, surely will.
Will all these relationships stay afloat while raising children?
Will Christy abandon her addiction forever, now that she's clean?
Or will the challenges of motherhood be too much for her to handle?
Will Misty and Chris get back together or continue to guard their hearts?
Misty helped Christy, and in return, Christy's daughters revealed a dark secret of Misty's fiance...
ON THE ALTAR.

* * *


Adel Castle took the initiative and led the others on the dungeon raids.

The location this time was a massive green-colored dungeon located in the slums.

The difficulty of this one was fairly high among all the dungeons left unraided not just in the San Francisco area but the whole of California.

Slice—, chop, splash—

Splat—!

Adel's sword sliced through the air a couple of times and tore a large toad-like monster about to pounce on him to shreds.

The bits of the monster's remains rained down on the ground. This monster was about mid-boss level, something fairly uncommon even within green-colored dungeons, yet it still couldn't stop Adel's advance.

"Hey, isn't he amazing?"

"As expected of Adel Castle. These are the skills of Europe's best!"

"Well, things might have gotten pretty interesting if the Ranking Wars continued on, don't you think so?"

Adel could hear murmurings coming from behind him.

They were doing their best to lower their voices as much as possible, but he could still hear them all. Adel's hearing had already exceeded the level most regular awakeners thought he had by now.

That's right. It's so obvious.

Adel thought a guffaw would explode from him any second now. He had to pay a particularly good level of attention to not show any hint of amusement on his face.

Everything was perfect—they looked at him with respect, and the current situation was good for him.

Things might get delayed in one or two places, but that can't be helped, I guess.

Right now, it looked as if he was taking the lead in cleaning up the mess that Gordon Rohan, as well as the Paragon Guild, had created.

Although it was not within his calculations that Su-hyeun would figure out this crisis so soon, there hadn't been any big deviation from what Adel had imagined things would turn out.

That's right. With the way things were going, it's basically done.

Nothing seemed too concerning at the moment.

However, when this crisis comes to an end, the Gordon Company that organized the Ranking Wars should suffer a major blow.

It was unfortunate that Adel wasn't the first one to shed light on the dungeon generation situation, but it was already enough to make him feel relieved of his pent-up stress.

That's why you shouldn't have shown off, you fools.

This wouldn't be the end either. There were still plenty of opportunities left to be exploited.

A hero? My foot.

Adel recalled Su-hyeun's face.

Even if you do right by the public one hundred times, they'll still turn on you with one mistake. I shall make you realize that from now on.

Spit—

The sole remaining toad-like monster spewed out green saliva out of its large maw.

Adel dodged the secreted saliva and dashed toward the toad monster. Right afterward, he swung his sword in a great arc to his side, slicing the monster in two halves.

Splash—!

Just as he finished cutting down the last monster...

Huh?

Adel reflexively swung his sword one more time.

Swoosh—

His automatic reaction was due to a figure covered in a robe that appeared behind the toad monster's sliced up halves.

Fwooosh—

Adel's sword simply cut through nothing but air.

Nothing stood in the spot that his sword sliced past. A robed figure was definitely standing there, yet "he" vanished in an instant even though Adel hadn't looked away once.

Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me?

He stirred up his magical energy and pushed his senses to the max, but he still couldn't detect anything. He blinked a couple of times as he turned his head.

It was right at that moment that Adel's whole body froze up. "What the... hell is this?"

His raid companions following him from behind only a couple of seconds ago were nowhere to be seen.

The surroundings had fallen eerily silent. Adel gripped the sword in his hand even tighter.

"You're exactly the human I've been waiting for."

Shudder—

The deathly chill that Adel felt from that voice was similar to how countless blades would stab his whole body. He immediately leaped backward to create some distance between them.

He rose up a dozen or so meters in an instant and finally got to see a figure cloaked in a black robe.

In other words, he wasn't mistaken earlier.

Tap—

Adel landed back on the ground and remained alert against the figure. His eyes could see the robed being, yet he still couldn't sense its presence. This was the first time he felt something like this.

"What the hell are you?" he asked.

"I am a god."

That sure was an absurd reply.

"Claiming to be a god, huh? Then, you're just another insane bastard."

Rather obviously, Adel didn't view the robed being as someone with a sane mind. He simply thought that an awakener with mental issues had entered the dungeon without permission, that's all.

"I wonder about that..."

Upon saying that, the figure pulled the hood of its robe back.

"…!"

"It is not I who claim to be a god. No, the countless underlings serving me say that."

The face that was revealed was made purely of bones with not a single bit of flesh on it.

It was a Lich.

"What's this? You're merely a monster."

Adel took the Lich as yet another monster that commonly appeared in dungeons. Up until earlier, he had to deal with toad-like monsters but now, even a Lich? Something didn't really add up, but he didn't think it would be too complicated regardless.

And his thoughts weren't really off the mark.

"Humans of this world see the existences crossing over from other worlds as monsters. Well, that isn't wrong, strictly speaking. In that sense, I too am a monster."

"Busy yapping on and on..."

Adel had no desire to waste any more of his time, but just as he tried to swing his sword again...

What's going on? My body...

His body had frozen stiff.

In a mere green-colored dungeon? Me?!

"It seems that you took far too long to realize that something is wrong."

Step, step—

The Lich King walked over to Adel and his frozen body and placed its bony finger on top of the latter's head. "You have led us here. Your greed, your desire for vengeance, all of your vile emotions have succeeded in calling the monster that is I to this world. For that, I thank you."

The Lich King's finger resting on Adel's head then slid down to his face.

Hiss, sizzle—

Aaaaaaahk—!

"Which is why I shall bestow upon you a suitable reward."

The skin and flesh covering Adel's face began melting.

For some time, only his screams could be heard inside the dungeon.



Act 10



An emergency was declared throughout California.

Numerous dungeons had been left unraided, so outbreaks could be expected to occur any second.

Evacuations of the citizens commenced right away. The American Association, the Awakener Authority, and the Gordon Company all worked together to create safe zones and helped out with the evacuation efforts.

At least a few days were needed until all of the dungeons were completely raided.

"What a mess this is. A total mess."

Lee Ju-ho also participated in the dungeon raids, his first in a long while.

It really had been a while since he last dove head-on into a dungeon raid as a still-active awakener. For a considerable time, he ended up focusing more on the Association's, as well as the Paragon Guild's, administrative work.

However, things were different this time.

Every able hand was needed at the moment; hence, Lee Ju-ho joined the raid. He was an A-Rank awakener himself. It's just that he was often overshadowed by the incredible individuals surrounding him most of the time.

He possessed enough abilities to raid an orange-colored dungeon by himself, as well as a yellow-colored one with a proper raid party. On top of this, he was skilled enough to contribute greatly in the raid of a green-colored dungeon.

After safely ending his raid, Lee Ju-ho accessed the information Su-hyeun sent through his smartphone.

Dungeons yet to be raided were dispersed evenly throughout the rest of California. Thankfully, the raids themselves were proceeding along smoothly due to all the S-Ranks from various nations that had gathered for the tournament.

Lucky for us right now, not many dungeons went on to become full outbreaks just yet.

A handful of dungeons did go on to become full-on outbreaks after the time limit to raid them had lapsed. However, the responses came in quickly, and the ranks of the dungeons themselves weren't too high. Therefore, the overall cost was restricted to some minor destruction of property.

Almost half of the dungeons had already been raided.

All that's left for us to worry about is finding the source.

Lee Ju-ho held his smartphone again.

Just what could it be?

Something was off about this whole event.

It had already been revealed that this was not a mere accident. Someone deliberately planned for the outbreaks to match the timing of the Ranking Wars.

The culprit is an awakener with hallucination-inducing skills. Which made the situation really troublesome. Catching a bastard like that won't be easy...

The media had been already informed—this incident was not the result of a mistake on the Gordon Company's part nor from trying to forcibly absorb the unrealistic scheduling, but someone out there had deliberately caused it.

Of course, they didn't believe any of it. After all, it was common to see the culprit pretend to know nothing when a problem occurred and come up with all sorts of excuses afterward.

Until the real instigator was caught and brought before the public, both the Gordon Company and the Ranking Wars would encounter problems in the future.

Well, that's not going to pose too big of a problem, anyway.

Whatever the case might have been, it was still true that the source of this crisis had to be uncovered no matter what.

Ti-ring—

While he was contemplating that, Lee Ju-ho's smartphone received a text message. He checked the message and muttered to himself, puzzled, "Why is he sending me this?"

The text was from Adel Castle.


* * *


[It's too difficult for me to destroy this dungeon alone. If there's anyone free who can lend me any support, then as many of you as possible need to come. Except for me, everyone else has already been decimated.

But, when you arrive in the location, you must not enter until I give you the signal. It's that dangerous.]


That was how the text message read.

Over 30 people arrived at the slums after they received that message. Half of them were S-Rank awakeners who were participating in the Ranking Wars.

"Don't you think too many have shown up?"

"Looks to me everyone who's not doing a raid, as well as all of Adel's acquaintances, have gathered here. Look over there—even Daian Gedeck showed up."

"Well, the message did say as many as possible. Maybe the matter's not as simple as it looks."

"I can't figure out what's going on here, man."

The awakeners that gathered in the slums stared at the green-colored dungeon before them. Since they didn't know the situation inside, they chose not to haphazardly waltz in. However, at least from the outside, it looked like a regular green dungeon to them.

It was the kind of a dungeon that all of them had already experienced at least once before.

Lee Ju-ho went over after receiving that message, and now, he stood among the other awakeners to look at this dungeon's entrance. Just like them, he also felt a strange sense of discord at the moment.

What's different about this one?

Seeing how Adel Castle couldn't raid it, there must have been some kind of an issue with this dungeon, for sure. That guy wouldn't talk about his lack of power to summon other awakeners for no reason, after all. That analysis came about because he knew very well about the size of Adel's ego.

"What's going on here?"

"Ah, you're here too?"

Su-hyeun's hand lightly patted Lee Ju-ho's shoulder. His appearance in the slums drew the attention of the awakeners to him.

"Hey, even Kim Su-hyeun's here now."

"What the heck! Maybe there was no need for us to gather around after all?"

"I mean, he's someone who can solo raid an indigo dungeon, so...Looks like us being here won't even make a difference."

Su-hyeun's presence caused the tension that permeated in the air to disperse instantly. No matter how dangerous a dungeon was, they thought that raiding it wouldn't be a challenge with him around.

Lee Ju-ho looked around them and shrugged his shoulders. He also felt like a huge weight was lifted off his back with Su-hyeun's arrival.

"As you can see, quite a few people have shown up. But the atmosphere here is too strange, and we're just waiting to see what would happen next."

"Okay, I can see that, but what exactly is going on?"

Su-hyeun's question caused a puzzled expression to surface on Lee Ju-ho's face, and the latter quickly asked back, "Didn't you get the message?"

"I left my phone back at the Authority, you see. Did you message me earlier?"

"Not me, but Adel Castle should've sent you one."

"...Adel Castle?"

"Yeah, him. Here, take a look."

Su-hyeun furrowed his brows deeply, and as he read Adel Castle's text message, his expression changed to one that showed suspicion. However, he wasn't the type to distort his expression this much just because a guy he had bad blood with sent out text messages to other people.

"Did something happen? Also, how did you get here if you didn't get the message?" Lee Ju-ho asked.

"I was taking care of something else, you see. Since the stuff this side is more urgent, I was planning to deal with Adel Castle's matter later, but well, it looks like things have lined up pretty nicely."

"Just what happened?"

"Haven't you noticed that something is strange here?"

Just as Su-hyeun finished saying that, the dark alleyways of the slums began trembling ever so slightly.

He continued on, "This, here, is basically the inside of a dungeon already."

"What?!"

"What's this?!"

"Why are the streets suddenly...?"

The ground wasn't shaking. No, it simply looked like it was, and the majority of the awakeners instantly realized what the current phenomenon signified.

"A magic circle...?"

"Are we trapped in here?"

This phenomenon commonly occurred when a space-related magic circle was activated.

The entirety of the slums they arrived at after receiving Adel's text had been isolated and blocked off by a special magic circle.

The strongest hero of humanity, Kim Sung Bin.

He threw everything on the line and fought but... He still couldn't prevent the destruction of the world.

But his legend has just begun as he returns 20 years into the past.

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