[Den Establishment Challenge Accepted]
[Time Allotted: 00:23:59]
‘It seems that if I fail, the Den will be destroyed. I wonder if all Dens are established like this.’
Sylas reached out and took the Den. The moment he did, he felt a vague feeling tugging at him. The Den was telling him where the nearest target was.
‘Convenient.’
Sylas wasn’t confident in finding so many targets in the vast ocean. He had had several run-ins now, but only one of them was against a sperm whale. This would make things easier on him. If Cassarae had survived this long, she could wait an extra day.
…
Sylas surfaced into churning waters. The storm above seemed to be getting only more violent, and there was an uncomfortable swirl in the clouds above that noted something more sinister was on the horizon.
‘A hurricane in the middle of winter…’
Luckily, the chilliness affected him even less with his new Ice-Poison affinity. With his high Constitution stacked on top of that, he wasn’t even shivering right now. Whether that would continue to be the case, though… only time would tell.
With a push of his feet and a sparkle of Aether, Sylas pulled himself to the surface and set off again.
…
The location was an odd world. It seemed to be a forest, but there was a waterfall descending from the skies. The distinct, ocean-like smell felt completely out of place, overwhelming the usual earthiness. The salted waters descended onto the rainforest below in droves. By this point, the tall trees had already begun to wilt, and there was a push of mass migration elsewhere as creatures were displaced.
In the center of all of this, and seemingly unmoved, a System City stood tall. Such a heavily fortified city built onto such soft soil should have stood no chance. In a matter of a few years, it would sink and collapse under its own weight. The fact this already soft soil was only being softened further by the influx of water made the situation considerably more dangerous.
However, life in the System City continued unhindered. In fact, many had taken shelter in this majestic city. There were humans moving in and out of it. Often, they would hardly glance at the waterfall in the skies as though they were used to it. Not only did they ignore it, but they would steer clear of it. From time to time, beasts as large as homes would flop around and end up landing on the forest floor.
Luckily, these were oceanic creatures that were pretty helpless on land. So long as you didn’t get close, and their Intelligence wasn’t high enough to cast powerful Skills, they were relatively easy to deal with. Plus, it made the food in this region extraordinarily cheap despite the high quality.
Suddenly, there was a dull but booming splash that came from the waterfall and a large whale fell down from above.
“Oh, there comes another one.”
“They’re already heading out.”
Several armed men appeared, rushing out of the open city gates. They were armored in a steel blue and looked almost majestic. Even if one checked their Levels, it would be possible to see nothing but an array of question marks. It was like they were as powerful as they had to be.
These were the City Guards and they were responsible for keeping order. System Cities didn’t have a laundry list of rules, but they did have their own laws. There were the main staples, such as no killing and no stealing, but there were more complex by-laws related to residences and businesses alike. No matter the situation, if there was a dispute, the City Guards would be likely to take action.
It gave this otherwise chaotic world structure, and the various adventurers of the human race found these System Cities and their rules to be invaluable. No matter what danger you were dealing with, it would be resolved in a System City. Plus, the City Guards even had jurisdiction over a certain radius outside the city, allowing them to act if there was an active threat to those entering and exiting. This was precisely one such case.
The City Guards swiftly killed the whale, took the Gene Core, and left the meat behind. It was only then that merchants and businessmen alike scurried forward with their teams to divide up the rest of the spoils. No one seemed to react at all to the snatching of the Gene Core. After all, weren’t the City Guards the ones who killed it in the first place?
…
Deep within the System City, a pivotal conversation was occurring.
“… That should be enough.”
**[Plini Guiz]**
**[Level: ???]**
**[Licirius Guiz]**
**[Level: ???]**
Plini took the Gene Core that had just been handed to him and passed it to Licirius. The latter took it with a casual flare, then closed his eyes. In real time, Licirius’ aura began to plummet as the Gene Cores around him vanished.
A long while later, Licirius’ eyes opened. Plini looked plenty satisfied, but Licirius couldn’t hide his annoyance.
“I have to put on this damned human skin and now all my power is gone. I hope you’re happy.”
Plini chuckled, looking down at his younger cousin.
“This matter is important and you should take it as an opportunity. Now go. The Den shouldn’t be more than an hour or two away from the portal, go and get it.”
Licirius shook his head and stood to his feet.
“A small little Level 5 Den isn’t going to make or break anything.”
“It’s an FFF+ Grade,” Plini said plainly.
Licirius frowned when he heard this. It seemed that he couldn’t be so casual anymore. That was a game changer.
After a while, he spoke.
“They were stupid enough to ignore the largest segment of their planet before, but I doubt they would do it again. You’re right, it might be time for some more direct action.”
After saying this, Licirius vanished.
Plini walked to a large, wide window that overlooked the city, his gaze focused on the distance.
“Casstle Main…” he muttered.
