Sylas exhaled a slow breath.
On the way here, he had let many of the Serpentes go. And yet… his army seemed to have only grown larger.
Usually, Beacon was supposed to be a limited-use ability, activating acutely and providing short-term and restricted control over Serpentes in a given area.
Sylas shouldn't be able to direct them as easily as he did his own Contracts, though that went without saying. While it seemed easy when Sylas gave Gogo or the others commands, especially when it came to controlling the less intelligent infants like the Glasirith or the Bone-Tailed Lizard, it was actually quite involved.
Back during the Evergreen Territory events, when Sylas closed his eyes and seemed to actively control Gogo, leading to his breakthrough and creation of a new level of [Madness Control], he realized just how detailed controlling beasts could become.
This was a path that he had mostly ignored because he preferred to Fuse and call it a day, using their abilities for himself. He also didn't have the time to refine it.
This aside, though, the fact that these Serpentes were still following after him, practically of their own volition, and despite the fact most couldn't even keep up with his own speed, told him that the changes to his Charisma had been underestimated even by him.
…
Sylas landed on a ground of chilly, compact soil. Sparse flakes of snow hung from evergreen trees and gathered in frosty patterns on the ground.
There didn't seem to be anything special around, but Sylas' Luck was blaring warnings at him. He knew that the beast that had directed him here hadn't been mistaken at all.
This was the place.
He took a step forward.
—
[You are entering a Locked Dungeon]
[Proceed?]
[Yes] [No]
—
A Locked Dungeon?
Sylas wasn't exactly sure what that was, but just as he was about to accept what he was seeing and call it a day, he had an idea.
He stared at the screen for longer, and the language began to change until it reflected back to him in Ancient Ithkuil.
'I see…'
A Locked Dungeon was a normal Dungeon in most aspects aside from being far more difficult than usual. The main difference was that external escape items were impossible to use.
For example, the treasure Lucius used to give Sylas a Silver Demerit would be useless here.
This difference was meaningless to Sylas. He had never entered a Dungeon with a chance to escape anyway. The Scorned Wraps wouldn't even let him use such a treasure to begin with. There was no distinction.
All Dungeons he entered were Locked Dungeons.
'There might be other meanings I'm missing, but this understanding is good enough for now…'
The system could communicate with all species, so there was no reason it couldn't change the language it was reflected in. If Sylas had it write messages to him in Ancient Ithkuil, a lot of confusing things might be more easily clarified even if not completely.
Sylas took a step forward, his mind calm as his intention moved toward [Yes].
**
WHOOSH!
Sylas felt himself moving through space.
When his vision cleared, he found himself standing in an endless expanse.
The skies were black, the sort of black that reminded one of rolling clouds and thunderous sparks of lightning. Except for the fact the light from the latter was nowhere to be seen, peeling off dark violet and blue streaking across instead.
The ground was a deep maroon, looking as though a land once brown and rich had been soaked and rusted through with the flesh and blood of too many to count.
It looked like a battlefield of horror, the scent of death and heaviness of destruction hanging in the air with a menace that made one's hairs stand on end.
Sylas' eyes narrowed.
Around his feet, there was a ring of Aether that seemed to be protecting him from something.
'They're gone?' Sylas asked himself.
He could have sworn he felt the Serpentes being pulled in with him. The Basilsik King and Nosphaleen were both in his Hibernation Realm, so that was fine enough. But he had thought he would be able to rely on the others.
—
[Buy Summon?]
[Scythe Tail - 3 Demon Coins]
[Burrow Head - 3 Demon Coins]
…
[Beam - 12 Demon Coins]
[Sparking Tremble - 12 Demon Coins]
…
[Abyss Overlord - 1011 Demon Coins]
…
[Riding Cloud - 27,033 Demon Coins]
—
Seemingly sensing his intentions, a screen popped up in front of Sylas.
'They want me to pay for creatures I was already in control of?' Sylas was confused for a moment before it clicked. '… I see…'
Only one person could trigger a Bronze City Stele challenge, but why was it that everything the Grimblades had always told him about their challenge seemed to make it seem like the family threw everything at the wall they could?
The answer was obvious when he thought about it.
Much like how this Progenitor Quest wanted to test his Progenitor abilities—his skill in rising up from the bottom with nothing to rely on—this City Stele Quest wanted to test his ability to, well, lead a city.
You started with nothing, and you summoned your helpers one after another by proving yourself.
If Sylas wanted support, he would have to buy it. The system had registered all the Serpentes that followed him in of their own volition as though they were members of his faction.
The question was… how did he earn Demon Coins?
That answer seemed obvious too.
The ground rumbled and the circle protecting him began to slowly fade away.
Sylas looked to his back and found the bones of a fortress waiting for him. There was a rise in the ground, and at the top, there was a wall of wooden logs he was likely supposed to defend.
His head turned back to his front. One after another, new circles began to manifest, demons of all sorts slowly manifesting.
—
[Wave One - Lurkers of the Dark]
[Time to Wave Two: 00:23:59:59]