The ancient ruin, Cyan's training was a grueling regimen, consisting of a handful of 500,000 push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and 500 laps of running around the huge, circular structure.
The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and decaying stone, and the sound of Cyan's labored breathing echoed through the ruin's vast, empty halls. The warm sunlight cast long shadows across the ground, and the distant call of a bird pierced the air.
The daunting challenge was a familiar one, as Cyan, Randell, and Ryan had been enduring this training every day under the guidance of their master, Arise. However, today, Cyan was on his own, as Randell had been knocked out by a single punch to the gut, and Ryan was busy taking care of his youngest little sister.
One by one, Cyan mowed down his daily brutal regiment, his muscles screaming in protest as he pushed himself to the limit. The day quickly went by, and when he finished the 1,000,000,000 brutal tasks, he moved on to his aura training. In this fantasy world, they didn't have magic, but they had what they called "Aura", an energy that emanated from any living organism. Trees, people, and more.
Using this energy, one could enhance their physical abilities and fight like demons or monsters at speeds and strengths unimaginable.Cyan's training was simple: he closed his eyes, as if meditating, and felt the natural energy entering his body, creating an energy ring.
As he drew in the natural energy, it entered every single cell in his body, until it reached the heart, where it created a small, invisible ring, like the heart of power. Every time he drew in energy, the ring became stronger, until he was able to use its energy to manipulate elementary forces, like creating fire out of thin air, using the ring's energy.
The ring also evolved into two rings and more, but that was something that would take a long life to reach. No one had ever surpassed even eight rings because of the short human lifespan, and Cyan was at two, while Arise was at five. Cyan had been gathering energy for five years, and in that time, he'd only gained two, but that didn't stop him.
He took about three hours gathering energy, and when he opened his eyes, they glowed a magnificent blue, reflecting the energy he had taken in. As the glow faded, the time must have been somewhere around 1:00 in the daytime, when he'd finished the aura training. He could feel his body a little more lighter than when he arrived.
With the aura training complete, only one more task was left to be completed: 500 lap running. He ran like his life depended on it for two more hours without even stopping, the sound of his huffs palpable, echoing through the ruin's empty halls. After he finished his daunting challenge, he took a break and went to a nearby river source, the sound of rushing water growing louder as he approached.
There, he replenished his hydration, then washed his face, his clothes were also filthy, wet, and smelled a thick stench of sweat. He had pushed his body far and was exhausted. The cool water revived him slightly, and he sat down on a nearby rock, taking a moment to catch his breath. The sun beat down on his skin, warming him, and the sound of the river's gentle flow created a soothing melody that calmed his mind. As he sat beneath the sakoya tree, the warm sunlight filtering through the leaves cast dappled shadows on his face.
The scent of ripe apples and earthy soil filled the air, and the distant hum of insects provided a soothing background noise. The tree's massive trunk, gnarled and twisted with age, seemed to offer a sense of comfort and protection.
Cyan's familiarity with the surrounding area of the forest around the ruin proved to be a good asset to his arsenal. He navigated his way to a small apple tree, its branches heavy with ripe fruit, and helped himself, hunger having settled in. The time was probably somewhere around 3:30 in the day, and the faded upcoming night breeze was already starting to settle in the atmosphere.
The sun's magnificent light was starting to become weak, casting a warm, golden glow over the forest, and the blue sky light was still visible, with a few nimbostratus clouds lingering in the sky. As he filled his belly, resting his back on a sakoya tree branch, a lot of thoughts crossed his mind after a brutal day of training. The tree's dark green leaves rustled softly in the breeze, and the sound of leaves crunching beneath his feet echoed through the air.
Cyan: "Damn it, that little bastard decided to goof off. I'm positive he regained his consciousness a long time ago," he thought to himself, as he squeezed the apple in his hand with every bit of strength he possessed.
The apple shattered like an egg, leaving its juicy liquids inside his hand. Cyan felt annoyed, as he bit down his teeth, as if they were going to shatter.
Cyan: "Wait, this might be more preferably good. Now I can go scout and see for myself why monsters are fleeing from the south. Why they are running away from our forest," he thought to himself, as he stood up and took one last bite on the apple and dropped the rest. The forest seemed to grow quieter, as if the trees themselves were listening to his thoughts. The air was filled with an expectant silence, and Cyan's heart beat faster, as he felt a sense of excitement and trepidation.
Cyan: "I need to investigate, even the deepest part of the forest. It will be dangerous, especially without a weapon but.... It's something I have to do" he thought to himself, his voice trailing off, as he gazed out into the forest, his eyes narrowing, as he searched for any sign of movement.
As Cyan stood up, the warm sunlight cast a long shadow behind him, and the rustling of leaves beneath his feet seemed to echo through the forest like a gentle whisper. The scent of damp earth and decaying leaves wafted up, filling his nostrils, and he took a deep breath, feeling the cool air fill his lungs.
He gazed out into the forest, his eyes scanning the dense foliage, the sunlight filtering through the trees casting dappled shadows on the ground. "I don't know what's causing the monsters to flee but i at least know it's something I shouldn't take too light," he thought to himself, his mind racing with possibilities. "It could be something powerful, something that's a threat to our village." His thoughts were like a swarm of bees, buzzing with anxiety and curiosity.
He took a moment to collect his thoughts, his eyes fixed on a distant point in the forest, where a tall oak tree stood sentinel, its branches creaking softly in the breeze. The sound was like a lullaby, soothing and familiar, but Cyan's senses were on high alert, his ears tuned to the subtlest sounds.
"But I need to know," he thought to himself, his determination growing. "I need to find out what's going on. Aris wouldn't want me to investigate, but... this might be the only chance Ranon's got." His voice was barely audible, a whisper lost in the rustling of leaves. He nodded to himself, a sense of resolve settling in, like a stone sinking to the bottom of a pond. He would go, he would investigate, no matter the danger. The forest seemed to hold its breath, the trees leaning in, as if listening to his thoughts, and the air was filled with an expectant energy.
As he turned to leave, the sound of leaves crunching beneath his feet seemed to break the silence, and the forest seemed to come alive around him. The trees seemed to stir, their branches swaying gently, and the sunlight filtering through the leaves cast an ever-changing pattern of shadows on the ground.
Cyan's heart beat faster, a rhythmic thumping that echoed through his chest, as he felt a sense of excitement and trepidation. He knew that he was taking a risk, but he also knew that he had to do it. The forest was a vast, mysterious world, full of secrets and dangers, and he was about to step into its unknown depths.
With a newfound sense of determination, Cyan set off into the forest, his senses on high alert, his eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of danger. The forest seemed to stretch out before him, a seemingly endless expanse of green and brown, the sunlight filtering through the trees casting a dappled pattern of light and shadow on the ground.
He moved silently, his footsteps muffled by the soft earth, and his ears tuned to the subtlest sounds, the rustling of leaves, the snapping of twigs, and the distant call of a bird.
As he walked, he encountered a group of goblins, their beady eyes gleaming with malice, but he managed to slip past them unnoticed, his stealth skills honed from years of training. The goblins were like a group of scavengers, rummaging through the underbrush, their shrill voices carrying through the forest.
He encountered slimes, their gelatinous bodies quivering with every step, but he avoided them with ease, his senses heightened as he moved through the forest. The slimes were like a group of amorphous blobs, oozing through the underbrush, their faint squelching sounds echoing through the forest.
The forest was a living, breathing entity, full of sounds and scents, and Cyan was a part of it, moving through it with a sense of ease and familiarity. The sunlight filtering through the trees cast a warm glow over the forest, and the scent of earth and leaves filled the air, a rich, loamy smell that was both familiar and comforting.
He walked for what felt like hours, the trees growing taller and the underbrush thicker as he ventured deeper into the forest, the sunlight filtering through the leaves casting an ever-changing pattern of shadows on the ground.
The air grew cooler, and the scent of damp earth and moss filled his nostrils, a rich, loamy smell that was both familiar and comforting. The sound of insects and birds provided a soothing background noise, but Cyan's ears were tuned to the subtlest sounds, his senses heightened as he moved through the forest.
As the sun began to set, casting a golden glow over the forest, Cyan caught sight of something in the distance, a light source looming in the darkness, like a beacon calling to him. A high pressure of concentrated Aura gently brushed his skin, even from the distance he stood, like a gentle caress, sending shivers down his spine.
Cyan's heart skipped a beat, as he felt a shiver run down his spine, his senses on high alert, his ears tuned to the subtlest sounds.He knew that he had to be careful, that he was getting close to something, something powerful and mysterious. He jumped on the trees, using the leaves and branches as cover, as he approached the light source, with his impressive stealth ability he had adapted through training.
His movements were precisely quiet, with a ninja's calculated precision, his footsteps muffled by the soft earth, his breathing barely audible. He hid behind the leaves while on a tree branch, then gazed down towards the light source to investigate, his eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of danger.
The light source was like a magnet, drawing him in, and he felt a sense of trepidation, his heart beating faster, his senses on high alert. "No way!" he yelled in his mind, his eyes widened, and the sweat eminent, his expression reflecting slightly a hint of fear, like a shadow cast over his face.
His eyes met with a powerful source of aura energy, a Dungeon Gate, a black hole-like portal known to house monsters inside, its energy signature like a beacon, calling to him. These Dungeon Gates spawned after an intense energy of aura became toxic in their ecosystem, creating a blue energy infused with black, akin to a galactic black hole infused with a hint of blue energy, like a cosmic phenomenon, mysterious and awe-inspiring.
There existed three types of dungeons, Natural, Labyrinth, and Gateway, each housing monsters, each with its own unique characteristics and dangers. Natural dungeons were normally caves, underwater or on land, any cave that spawned monsters inside, like a hidden world, full of secrets and dangers.
Then Labyrinth housed monsters as well, except they were man-made trials created by the old inhabitants of their world, they acted as lessons, a legacy left by ancestral intelligence, like a test of strength and courage. Then finally, Gateways, these were by far the most dangerous among the others and the worst gates alive, they housed stronger hordes of monsters, and were likely inevitable because they could spawn anywhere at any given time, like a wild card, unpredictable and deadly.
Their energy was more thicker since they had authority over the ecosystem, like a force of nature, unstoppable and unyielding.
Cyan's eyes were fixed on the Dungeon Gate, his mind racing with possibilities, his senses on high alert, his heart beating faster, like a drumbeat, echoing through his chest. He knew that he had to be careful, that he was getting close to something powerful and mysterious, something that could change the course of his life forever.
"Well, that explains why game is fleeing from here to the north, but a dungeon gate, really. What a true pain in the ass?" Cyan thought to himself as he gazed at the spinning luminous energy, his eyes fixed on the mesmerizing display. The portal's energy was like a vortex, drawing him in, and he couldn't help but stare in awe, his mind racing with possibilities.
Suddenly, something emerged from the portal, a creature with human-like features, shiny green skin, small horns, dressed in tattered clothes, like a creature from a nightmare. One hand occupied by a rusty short sword and the other occupied by a chain leashing a dog with iron teeth, like a monstrous duo, working together in perfect harmony.
The goblin's scouting prowess reflected its high overall intelligence, like a cunning hunter, always on the lookout for its next prey. "A hob goblin? Isn't that the highest level of goblin, yes I think that's it, but encountering an elite goblin scout outside the gate means that's a goblin dungeon, sigh, what a pain," Cyan thought to himself as he hid, observing the goblin, his thoughts dwelling deeper, like a well digging deeper into the earth.
The goblin's presence was like a dark cloud, casting a shadow over the forest, and Cyan's memories of Arise's scar flashed through his mind, like a ghostly apparition, haunting him.
"Man, I hate goblins, these bastards are responsible for that ugly scar on Arise's eye, this information should be enough, but it wouldn't hurt to scout even further, better early than sorry," he thought to himself, his determination growing, like a flame burning brighter. He covered his entire body with his aura, like a cloak of invisibility, to cover up his smell, sound, and increase his stealth, making himself almost invisible to the monsters.
He was visible, but with his smell and presence gone, it almost seemed like he wasn't there, like a ghostly apparition, moving unseen. With his identity and presence completely covered, he passed by the scout goblin without the dog noticing a thing, like a silent shadow, moving unseen. Before he entered, he took a moment to breathe, like a diver taking a deep breath before plunging into the depths.
In close range, the energy looked like blue smoke infused with black, mixing each other with force, like a cosmic phenomenon, mysterious and awe-inspiring. The light from the portal torched his face in a blue light, like a ghostly glow, casting an eerie shadow over his features.
He then placed his hand on the portal gate, his hand passing through it like he was placing his hand inside a flowing river, like a gentle caress, feeling the energy of the portal coursing through his veins. He took his hand out of the portal and looked at it in awe, his eyes fixed on his hand as if expecting it to glow with the same luminescence as the portal. Seemed like he was just testing if it was safe or not, his mind racing with possibilities.
With his question answered, he entered the gate, and later found himself standing inside a vast cave way, the walls adorned with Luminite crystals, like a glittering treasure trove, casting a soft blue-green glow over the cave.
Luminite (LuO2): Soft, blue-green, and luminescent, like a gentle whisper in the darkness. Special ability: Glows in the dark, casting an eerie yet mesmerizing light over the cave. The Luminite created enough light to navigate through the cave, like a beacon guiding him through the unknown.
"Luminite, huh, those fetch up a very good price, I wonder what old man Alaric would think after I show him this stone, though knowing him, he would do absolutely anything to get it out of my hands, maybe I should grab some when I leave!" he thought to himself as he gazed upon the shiny rock, his eyes gleaming with a hint of greed.
END OF CHAPTER 6