Slightly lost, Tepo tried to make out any landmarks. But the area he found himself in was in ruins.

Only piles of rubble were left from the town. Dark roots suffocated any life outside. The few trees which still existed were thin and lifeless. Former roads could be roughly made out but weren’t usable anymore.

With a grim expression Tepo felt himself reminded of his old life. Away from the last human cities, their world didn’t look much different than this.

Just as ominous thoughts threatened to creep into Tepo’s mind, something else suddenly caught his attention.

Far off into the distance something had appeared on the horizon. It was the back of an enormous statue!

Tepo opened his eyes in shock. How big was this statue, reaching towards the heavens as it exuded a majestic aura just from looking at it.

What is this? Can something like this still be part of a dungeon? Incredible.

Hmm… if I were to task someone with finding Ahiluscendum, this statue would be a good place to put it, isn’t it? It’s worth a try. Better than searching the forest or ice desert.

But how can I get there?

Tepo’s thoughts spun quickly as he averted his eyes. He stopped on the sleeping bodies of those beasts again.

Let’s see if I can find something now.

Activating his [Scan] ability, Tepo tried to gauge those beasts’ power.

But his expression turned grim. Of the about a handful beasts, only a vague, golden nebula could be seen on most of them. It obstructed Tepo’s vision, not granting him a clear picture.

But this fact at least told him something. It showed him that those beasts were only somewhat stronger than him. At the rank of a nine-circled aspirant most likely.

However, what put Tepo in a solemn mood was actually the smallest of all those beasts. Despite its weirdly thin, lanky limbs it was the only one the young warrior couldn’t gleam any information from.

Past the aspirant rank…

I won’t be able to deal with this one. I can only hope it is afraid of fire as well.

With a clear picture of his surroundings in mind, Tepo went downstairs again, plans forming in his mind.

The statue should be my target. But how can I get there?

Suddenly the warrior remembered something he saw earlier but didn’t pay enough attention to.

Tepo rummaged through his storage bag. He took out a folded piece of paper.

Text in a foreign langue was written on the paper’s back. But Tepo’s eyes fell on the small corner sticking out, with various lines drawn on it.

Unfolding the paper, Tepo grinned. He held a big map in front of his eyes. The two warriors must have looted it from the tower before their deaths.

Even the map painted a bleak picture, though. A few towns and cities were crossed out. Streets were painted over. Pictures of beasts dominated the map. Tepo hoped those marked the beasts’ territories, granting him a chance to avoid them.

Only two symbols stood out on the map. A prominent building, most likely a castle or palace, and a humble tower.

Two pieces of text were scribbled on top of the map. One was in the foreign language again, but the other text was surprisingly in the general language spoken today.

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Empire of the Rising Sun? Is it the name of this place?

Hmm. It might be worth it to take a trip to the palace then. It’s not too far from here and I might find something helpful. Maybe even the Ahiluscendum could be found there.

After some contemplation Tepo came to a conclusion. With the map in hand, it should be possible to reach the palace relatively safely. It was better than to blindly search for a way towards the statue.

Tepo put away the map. He stared at the table, before taking a deep breath and going towards the basement.

The mysterious glow once again drew in the warrior’s attention. He stepped towards the energy barrier.

Tepo’s eyes reflected the light as the grew determined. He reached out with his hand. And grabbed the crystal, storing it in his storage bag.

Immediately the basement was plunged into darkness. Only a small ray of light shone from the staircase, The energy barrier suddenly faltered. The tower lost its last bit of life.

Tepo knew he didn’t have much time. If the beasts weren’t able to sense such a huge movement, he might’ve as well walked out the front door directly.

But ignoring such a big piece of force crystal would have been difficult for anyone. And Tepo was no exception.

Gritting his teeth the young man quickly reached out with his hands again. He grabbed the stand made out of force crystal and pulled heavily.

But it wouldn’t budge.

Tepo cursed inwardly. He took a step back, raised his leg, and kicked heavily.

With the newfound power of a six-circled aspirant Tepo’s foot collided heavily with the force crystal. A vibration spread through the floor. Dust fell off the old tower.

But the crystal stand remained unperturbed.

Low noises already sounded form above. The beasts had obviously woken up.

Tepo knew he was running out of time. Disgruntled the young man took out his knife. The Force of Time became active. For the first time Tepmodus activated the spell [Slash] which was attached to his knife.

A cold metal slashed through the air. A white energy faintly embraced it, raising its power. It collided with the force crystal.

Tepo had to put a lot of strength behind this attack, but he was finally rewarded. With a cracking sound a big chunk of force crystal fell to the floor.

Hastily the young warrior put his loot away. He was just about to leave the basement as a loud rumble sounded from above.

Tepo held his breath. A shadow devoured the only ray of light reaching the basement.

Pressing his body close to the wall, Tepo held his knife in hand. He was ready for a fight at any moment.

Suddenly the situation exploded. A head reached into the basement. A breeze blew by Tepo’s face as hot breath come out of animalistic nostrils. Saliva dropped form an ugly maw.

Tepo reacted immediately. He didn’t give the beast any time. He abruptly stabbed out with his knife.

Before the beast could react, a knife enhanced by [Rapid Pierce] flashed before its eyes.

A harrowing roar filled with pain echoed in the basement. The knife plunged deeply into the beast’s eye. Tepo reacted instantly. With one spell achieving its effect, another was activated right away. Flames spread over the beast’s head.

Blood splattered. The beast reeled back in terror. It began hitting its head against the wall, the tower rumbling ominously.

Tepo had a bad feeling. He didn’t care to clean his knife as he sprinted up the stairs.

Cracks could be seen on the walls. It wouldn’t be long until even the last intact walls in this town would crumble as well.

But Tepo naturally wouldn’t stay to watch. He dashed upwards before jumping down from the stairs, landing outside the tower.

The surrounding beasts had long been attracted by the commotion. Excited growls left their mouths as a piece of fresh flesh jumped out of the tower.

Just as the beasts were ready to pounce on the human, a horrifying orange-yellow color reflected in their eyes.

Tepo hurriedly implemented his plan. He cast [Infectious Flames] on himself. Suddenly his entire body was set aflame. Flickering hot sparks danced around his body.

And the beasts reacted just as he hoped. They had fear in their eyes, hesitated, and stood still in horror.

Not knowing if the beasts might overcome their instincts, Tepo immediately dashed into an alley. The flame clung to him, providing the best protection he could hope for in this situation.

But the warrior’s expenditure was enormous. It would already be exceptional if he could keep the spell activated for a minute as it covered his entire body.

Fortunately, Tepo had found out about the dark roots. He continuously swallowed tiny pieces. A refreshing energy kept his body in perfect shape as his mind was animated.

A large amount of violet light appeared in the warrior’s vision, continuously streaming towards his chest.

This was the root of Tepo’s confidence. Although the Core of Time wanted to complain about the hard work, it didn’t even have enough time as it continuously purified the dark roots.

Noticing that his plan was working, Tepo felt confident. He sprinted through streets and alleys towards the outskirts of the town.

But a short while later a shiver ran down the young man’s back. Walls crashed behind him. A growl reached his ears. He realized quickly that at least one beast was chasing him.

Tepo kept to the left. He wasn’t surprised. He had already prepared for the case that not all beasts would be deterred.

Running hurriedly, the former houses had become an obstacle path for Tepo. He climbed over rubble and vaulted over walls.

Meanwhile steps were fast approaching from behind. The beast was almost breathing down his neck, but Tepo reached his target just in time.