Chapter 846 No Maybe
The light of dawn hung low over the horizon.
Sylas stood on the village walls in a stoic sort of silence, the walls themselves carrying the weight of their own story.
They had changed considerably from the last time Sylas laid his eyes on them. Cassarae, having kept true to her promise, had actually managed to progress the village to a Grade 1 Rudimentary Town. Thanks to that, the walls were no longer formed of wood but were instead forged of strong, sturdy stone.
Such a rushed upgrade couldn't have been easy, that much Sylas was certain of. But he also knew the kind of stubborn person Cassarae was. He didn't bother to ask how much hardship had come with it, nor did he ask if she was alright. That would probably just piss her off.
What he did know was that the rest would be up to him.
He looked off into the distance as the rays slowly became brighter.
And then came the notification.
--
[Dynamic Field Dungeon Established]
-
[Affiliation Detected]
[Grimblade Lineage]
--
Sylas' eyes narrowed. This, he didn't expect. Why was this Dynamic Field Dungeon detecting his Affiliation, and what did it have to do with the challenges ahead?
Even now, he still didn't quite understand how he was pinned with an Affiliation without being given much of a choice. He thought that it must have something to do with Genes, but he hadn't felt any method of extricating this Affiliation out of himself.
It seemed that this problem was coming to rear its head at the worst time.
However… Sylas didn't panic.
He looked at the notification screen as it began to change.
--
[Affiliation Established]
[Champion of the Grimblades]
--
[Champions of the Grimblades]
>[Sylas Grimblade]
>[Astrid Grimblade]
>[Malachi Grimblade]
--
Sylas' gaze narrowed. Did that mean those two were somewhere in this Dynamic Field Dungeon as well? But what did this mean? Were they supposed to be on the same team?
[Destiny Quest Established] --
[Heir of the Grimblades (Destiny Quest)]
[The Grimblades are a Lineage with a storied history, but internal strife has nearly run them dry. Take the Fate of your family into your own hands, establish dominance, and lead the Grimblades into their new era.]
--
Sylas fell into a very long silence, his thoughts whirring in a grinding churn. He had spent a lot of time thinking about what sort of things would be triggered by this Dynamic Field Dungeon. But he had never expected that things would actually end up like this.
However, the more he thought about it, the more he realized just what sort of dangerous thing this Dynamic Field Dungeon was.
'Greed… Gluttony…'
This Dynamic Field Dungeon wasn't just some place to come and chase after opportunities. There weren't treasures lying around for them all to scramble for.
It existed for one reason and one reason only: to pick out the desires of those trapped within its walls and force them to shed blood to earn their way.
Sylas had only barely had this thought when he felt something firmly grip him. He couldn't even resist the change despite how powerful his Will was. The gap between himself and the system… well, it was something that simply couldn't be bridged, no matter what he tried to do.
He could only grip his fists and allow it to happen. All he knew was that if anything happened to Castle Main in his absence, there would be more than hell to pay.
The Grimblades were certainly not the only ones to receive this sort of Quest. In fact, there was probably no escaping hardship for everyone within these walls.
The battle for the Fate of Earth was starting, and yet the irony of it all was that they were being forced to fight each other first.
**
In an unknown location, an ancient, slumbering mass slowly stirred awake. The movement was impossibly slow, almost as though one were watching a planet rotate from on high.
It would have taken the perspective of a God to see that it was a slithering mass of impossible proportions, tangled so firmly within itself that maybe even the creature itself had forgotten how to unwind.
Until, that is, its eyes manifested out from this intertwining mass. They were a murky, ancient yellow, filled with spots of age and slit to reveal an abyss that carried nothing but endless darkness.
Arcane Madness.
Or, rather… Slithering Madness.
There seemed to be a slight alert in the ancient beast's eyes as though it recalled memories that were both its own and yet not quite at the same time. When it fully assimilated with them, its eyes gained a deep, thoughtful look.
"A… shame…"
That ancient, rumbling voice shook the starry skies, causing a few stars in the far-off distance to simply wink out as though they had never been.
"Oh… look who lives… Did someone catch your attention?"
Another ancient voice, no less imposing, came from an unknown direction. And much the same, more stars winked out.
"… Yes."
"But they won't… live long?"
"… Maybe."
"… Maybe?"
"… The Lost City… of Greed…"
"… I see… So it's… that world… Didn't the others already… abandon it… after the first Summoning… Why did you… remain…?"
"… The impotency… of this system… will not dictate… my actions…"
A scoff echoed. "… Stubborn old thing… You know… that Race… was too powerful… to be born… into this world…"
"… He is not of… that Race… He is… Human…"
"… Their Genes… have been sowed… all throughout that world… and you know… that the impotent system… will do whatever it can… to try and revive them… And once that happens… everyone… will want them dead… All your efforts… will be… meaningless…"
"… Maybe."
The scoff turned to a chuckle, leading to the suffering of several more stars.
"… The Lost City… of Greed… is the worst… Summoning Trial… To receive… Before you can even turn… your blades… to your real enemies… it will force you… to cut down… all of your potential allies… first…
"… There is no… Maybe… Slithering… Madness…"