Tepo did his best to reduce his own presence. He advanced carefully. He didn’t take the main road, but sneaked through alleys, sticking to walls.

What was once a driving town was now reduced to a few broken houses. Tepo didn’t know if this was a scene from the past or an entirely random scenery. His knowledge about dungeons wasn’t this advanced yet.

The warrior remained focused as he climbed over a pile of rocks and carefully peeked through a big hole in a wall. Immediately the young man held his breath. His eyes spotted some movement.

Beneath a strong wooden beam stood a nightmare of a beast. Despite only seeing it from behind, Tepo almost had the urge to throw up.

Standing on all fours the beast had crooked claws attached to thin legs. Black flesh hung down in stripes, almost like a peeled fruit. Wriggling muscles could be seen below it.

A line of partially broken spikes stood out from its back. As its long tale swiped the floor, a moldy liquid flowed out.

Tepo had never seen such a disfigured being. Even the worst outsiders still had human features, even if they were distorted. Now, compared with this nightmare, even outsiders might look cute in comparison.

Instinctively Tepo judged this beast to be an enemy he couldn’t face. With the height of a normal door the beast was even bigger than the average human. Naturally it should have the power to match its build.

Praying in his mind that the beast wouldn’t turn around, Tepo sneaked past the hole. He contemplated every step, not daring to let out the tiniest sound.

Suppressing even his heartbeat, Tepo experienced a few of the most excruciating seconds in his life. But he made it! The beast didn’t notice him!

Relieved, the young man sneaked further down the alleyway. He allowed himself a few deep breaths before he turned a corner, ready to leave the town as fast as possible.

But suddenly… Tepo’s body froze.

F*CK ME!

Cursing viciously, the warrior’s eyes focused on the beast sleeping before an entrance not far away.

Even vigilant in its sleep the beast calmly raised it head. With yellow eyes, a broad snout, and its upper lip missing, it wasn’t the same type of beast, but equally as disgusting.

A strangely wheezing growl sounded from the beast’s mouth as it slowly stood up. Hunger was apparent in its eyes.

Time seemingly slowed down for Tepo. He felt an immense pressure pushing against his body. Before the beast even reacted, he activated his [Scan] for a short check.

But he couldn’t gleam any information. He knew this beast was too highly ranked for him.

Gritting his teeth the warrior turned around and ran immediately.

A drawn-out, dark howl echoed from behind him. It was as if death announced itself. The warrior shuddered but he didn’t faulter.

Tepo ran. He didn’t know where to go. He just knew he had to get away.

Doing his best not to trip over the roots spreading everywhere, climbing piles of rocks, and jumping over wooden beams.

Tepo searched for a chance. Anything which might save him.

Ominous cracking sounds tortured his ears as roots crumbled beneath heavy steps.

Running back towards the square Tepo felt his legs working hard. His lungs did their best to deliver energy to his body, but for a warrior this wasn’t enough anymore. The Core of Time had to take over this job, attracting the Force of Time and spreading it to every cell of his body.

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With his life under threat Tepo slowly understood what it meant to leave the ranks of a commoner behind him. Even the lowest ranked three-circled aspirant was also capable of so much more than a normal human.

With his endurance and strength boosted by the Core of Time, Tepmodus weaved through stony roads, soon reaching the town square.

But the beast was hot on his heels. And it wasn’t alone anymore.

Suddenly something shot out from behind a pile of bricks. A black shadow advanced straight towards Tepo’s throat.

The young man didn’t see it coming. It was too fast. He could only activate the [Lonarzium Infectious Skin] and turn his body slightly.

Disgusting claws tried to rip their prey apart. Excitement flickered in the beast’s eyes. A few weeks ago, it already got a taste of delicious flesh. Who would have thought that this pleasure could be repeated so soon?

Everything happened in a moment. The claws made contact with the gray layer protecting Tepo. It only slowed the claw somewhat before ripping apart like paper.

A cold, forlorn feeling creeped into Tepo’s mind. He felt the blood on his skin. He smelled the beast’s foul odor. He saw a flame light up as his spell counterattacked.

Suddenly a terrified howl echoed through the town. The beast drew back its claw.

Tepo’s eyes shot wide open.

Afraid of fire?

This was the only thing Tepo cold think of as the beast recoiled. Although the flame wasn’t even strong enough to hurt the beast, its instincts screamed danger.

But Tepo had no time to celebrate. Vicious streaks of red adorned his throat. The claws didn’t reach deep enough to rip his throat apart, but the wound still sapped his life slowly.

Glancing at the best rolling on the floor, Tepo regretted his choice of coming into this dungeon. Especially since the beast received more damage form its own body mass than form his flames.

Tepo knew it was delusional to try finishing of the beast. He continued running, aiming for a building he spotted in the distance.

As blood dripped from the young man’s neck he ripped of his coat’s sleeve and did his best to bandage his wound. After the beast was out of vision he canceled his spell, saving on the Force of Time.

As he escaped Tepo had little time to care for his surroundings but even he noticed the change in scenery. Around him, destruction had spread in straight lines. None of the houses could survive.

Tepo had a pretty good guess how this destruction came about as he ran towards a circular foundation. It was the only mostly intact structure in the town, if one didn’t mind the missing roof. The warrior hoped that a building which wasn’t destroyed until now could offer him some security.

But before Tepo could reach the potential safe haven, a loud rumble sounded behind his back. Tremors ran through the street, shaking the warrior’s body. Excited and blood lusted howls reached his ears.

The young man looked over his shoulders. His expression turned grim. Dust filled the air as two walls crashed to the ground. A trio of beasts dashed towards Tepo.

Knowing that he would be overtaken any moment, Tepo turned around quickly. He held his breath, stabilizing his shaking body. He felt the weakness due to blood loss, but he forced himself to hold on.

The former soldier narrowed his eyes as he took out his gun. He activated [Infectious Flames].

Bang!

Three shots rang out quickly. The beasts’ tall frames were hard to miss. Their disgusting flesh was instantly caught on fire.

Tepo’s ears hurt as the horrified, screeching howls reached them. Putting his weapon away hurriedly the young man turned around and continued down the main road.

A minute later Tepo panted as he stood before the tower’s door.

A strange energy seemingly protected the building’s foundation. Its bricks were still pristine, with intact windows and green plants decorating the wall.

Tepo couldn’t make out any mechanism on the door. It was seemingly a metallic plate, without any handles or locks.

Hearing the rage fueled steps still haunting him after he cancelled his spell, Tepo knew he had to act quickly. With nothing to go off, he simply pushed against the door.

Suddenly the protective energy flickered. The door turned intangible. Tepo tumbled forwards, before the door returned to normal.

The young man let out a sigh of relief. Before doing anything else he slumped to the ground, took out a healing pill from his storage bag and threw it into his mouth.

Immediately he could feel a warm, vital energy spreading through his body. It massaged his tired cells before concentrating on the wound on his throat. It slowly supported the healing process.

With the immediate danger out of the way, Tepo’s mind relaxed gradually. Although he couldn’t confirm his safety yet, the tower was his only hope.

Relaxed, the young man smiled wryly. He felt the state his body was in. Ravaged by ice and wounded by a claw, it screamed of exhaustion. His legs twitched from the running and his brain hurt since spending his mental energy.

A lot of the Force of Time his core gathered since his advancement was also spent. As long as he didn’t meditate his core could only absorb slowly, barely balancing his expenditure. It was fortunate that he advanced the core’s quality earlier, somewhat enhancing its capabilities.