As Ehrek stepped through the portal, he found himself back in the encampment. Most of the place was shrouded in darkness, except for the building he had first entered, which was still alive with light. He headed inside, finding the General at his desk. Ehrek, slightly covered in blood and wet from the rain, caught the General's attention.

"You're back," the General said cautiously. "Did you... succeed?"

Ehrek’s imposing presence remained undiminished even before the General. "Yeah, I took care of all of them," he replied.

The General nodded, then began wiping the table clean in the southwest corner. "Something was odd after you left," he continued, piquing Ehrek’s curiosity. "There was this really buff-looking guy who claimed he was the one who took the job. Did you run into him while you were handling it?"

As the air conditioning blew on Ehrek’s armor, he stood there, unmoved. "I have no idea what man you are talking about. I just did the job. Now, about my payment?"

The General pointed to the southeast on the map. "Before we can get to payment, there are a few things we need to take care of first."

Ehrek stared at him questioningly. "We?"

The General kept the conversation going. "You see, what you did was considered a High Red Ranked mission. Those go for a lot of payment, but there are these special creatures you might be interested in down here in what used to be the Democratic Republic of Congo. Every country now harbors these creatures that are almost dragon-like in appearance. It's not just those creatures; I've heard there are other humanoid-like beings all over the world. Either way, I’m getting ahead of myself. You just used that wormhole of yours to travel to the ruins of Montreal. If you can travel down to the old Congo, it should definitely be worth your while."

Ehrek sighed before asking, "Why do you really want me to go down there?"

The General, appearing slightly evasive, managed to reply, "Well, you see, these creatures seem almost magical. If you manage to take one down, your reputation within the Faction of Adventuring will skyrocket, especially since you weren't even registered until recently. I’d like you to handle it as soon as possible, but I’m sure you’ve had a long day."

Ehrek, seemingly uninterested in the details, remarked, "You speak very informally for someone who is supposed to be a high-ranking official."

The General, now visibly worried, walked around the table towards Ehrek. "Haha, don’t sweat the small details, Ehrek. A lot has happened since the collapse, and I’m sure you’re well aware of it."

Ehrek’s suspicion grew. "Last time I checked, the entire planet was at war. Some of those creatures harbor cosmic essence. What aren’t you telling me?"

Suddenly, Ehrek’s aura shifted, filling the room with an intense, invisible pressure.

"I-it’s been a few hundred years since the Great Collapse when magic triumphed over science in the war. We’re trying to rebuild our cities after all the governments collapsed. I don’t know what cosmic essence is, but some of these creatures possess magic."

Ehrek remained silent, processing the information. Hundreds of years in the future? No, something felt off about this place, but he couldn't pinpoint it yet.

"I will look into this monster and see if it's worth my time. Give me all the information you have."

The General quickly fetched a file from one of the cabinets. "This is a Leviathan-class creature. It’s extremely dangerous and must be killed on sight if possible. It has dense fur, spiky horns on its head, claws for easy travel on sand, and wings for flying over the desert. Its jaws are powerful, and its roar can burst the eardrums of anyone within a couple few hundred yards."

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Ehrek created a wormhole behind him as he turned around. "After my warm-up, I guess a little challenge won’t hurt."

He walked into the wormhole, leaving the General staring after him. Ehrek emerged in the middle of a desert, illuminated by the full moon. The air was cool as he looked around, ready for his next challenge.

Ehrek walked along the sand, searching for the creature. What was probably once a lush country had turned into a desert wasteland. The scurrying of smaller animals and nocturnal rodents could be seen across the sand. A slight rumbling, seemingly from something nearby but unseen, echoed through the air. It sounded like it was coming from underground, yet it was so close to the surface.

The rumbling grew louder, and spikes could be seen moving just under the sand, passing by Ehrek. He scoffed, "Now that I have more cosmic essence, can I push the time limit any longer? Time to find out."

Ehrek activated a wormhole, reaching inside to grab a pitchfork. "I guess this will do," he muttered. He then dashed after the beast, but the horns disappeared before he could reach them.

With a calculated leap, Ehrek positioned himself where the spikes had disappeared, ready to confront the creature. He focused, feeling the cosmic essence within him, and prepared to face the Leviathan.

After all the sounds in the area went quiet, the beast leaped out of the sand, flying straight toward Ehrek. Ehrek held the pitchfork steady, and the creature ran right into it, biting and snarling. The beast pushed Ehrek back across the sand before he let go of the pitchfork with one hand and slammed his open palm into the beast's head, dazing it.

“You should learn some manners,” Ehrek muttered. He then raised his leg and kicked the beast, pulling out the pitchfork as the creature slid across the sand. It raised its wings, trying to appear as the dominant predator. Ehrek created another wormhole, swapped the pitchfork for a flanged mace, and began walking toward the beast. The creature let out a deafening roar, causing Ehrek to cover his ears and look down. The beast charged, slamming its spiked head into Ehrek, knocking him backward to the ground.

The beast opened its mouth, attempting to bite through Ehrek. He lifted his free hand, catching one of the creature's teeth, and swung the mace, breaking most of its lower teeth. “I did not come here to be dragon food,” Ehrek growled. As the beast continued pushing down, trying to bite him, Ehrek dropped the mace, which fell into a wormhole. He pulled out a Labrys axe, stuck it horizontally in the creature's mouth, then flipped it vertically, wedging it inside.

“I’ll need you to hold that for a second,” Ehrek said as his body fell into a wormhole on the ground. He reappeared a few feet away, holding his Warhammer. The beast noticed him and began to turn, but Ehrek brought the hammer down on its mouth. The Labrys axe drove through the floor and roof of the creature's mouth.

“That should make for a good chew toy,” Ehrek commented, ready for the next move.

The creature's eyes locked onto Ehrek before it swung its claws at him. Ehrek’s armor began to glow orange as the creature’s claws struck it, only to bounce off harmlessly. The beast looked confused but continued to swing. After one of its attacks, Ehrek took the Warhammer and slammed it into the side of the creature’s chest, breaking its ribs. He flipped the hammer in his hand and delivered a series of powerful strikes—second, third, fourth, and finally a fifth blow. The creature slid across the sand and fell to the ground.

Stumbling, the creature tried to get up, slamming its spiked tail into the ground. Ehrek dropped the Warhammer into a wormhole, and a Bardiche flew up out of it. Catching it, Ehrek began spinning it with one hand. The creature flapped its wings and began ascending into the sky before turning around.

“Either they stay like fools or run after it's too late,” Ehrek muttered.

He jumped off the ground, creating a small crater in the sand. In mid-air, he entered a wormhole, reappearing above the creature, and slammed the Bardiche’s sharp blade into its upper back. The force sent the creature plummeting to the ground like a meteorite. As Ehrek began to fall, he created another wormhole below him and one above the creature. His momentum carried through the wormhole as he swung the Bardiche, slicing through the creature's neck.

The sun began to rise, casting light over the scene. “I didn't think I took that long to kill this thing. I guess the Daytorrent put up a better fight than I thought,” Ehrek remarked.

He walked to the front of the head, grabbed the hilt of the Labrys axe, and pulled. It didn’t budge at first. “Huh,” he said, giving it a stronger yank and finally freeing the blade. He cleaned off the Labrys axe and the Bardiche before placing them back into a new wormhole.

Ehrek waved his hand, creating another wormhole, closing the previous one, and sending the head of the Daytorrent through. The rising sun illuminated the aftermath of the battle, a stark contrast to the earlier moonlit fight.