Soon, the tunnel began to widen, and he was deposited into a small cavern, which was bathed in a soft orange glow, coming from a pool of lava at the bottom. The cavern was shaped like a bowl, and the sides sloped down gently into the central lake of lava, which was emanating heat into the air around it.

Monsters writhed and cavorted in the lava, creatures that looked like eels, and they splashed small drops of lava up onto the sides of the cave, which had built up small protrusions of rock over the years.

Sam hefted his mace, and started to build up his Dao energy and elemental energy within it, making sure not to add any of his mana. He did not want to reset all of the progress that he had gained in that area by sullying his mana once more. The resulting mix of energy was a lot less stable, but it was still serviceable, and Sam got ready to fight.

He charged down the side of the bowl like depression in the ground and leaped into the air at the last moment, aiming for one of the lava eels that was lying on the ground next to the pool of lava. The creature was black and scaly, with thick, rough skin that seemed to absorb the light around it.

Sam came crashing down a moment later, and his hammer pulverized the monster’s head, and cracked the rock underneath it. A nova of unfettered energy exploded outwards from the base of his hammer, the result of not using his mana to stabilize it. He would eventually be able to reincorporate his mana into his attacks, but for now, he needed to strengthen it first. Essence entered him, a considerable amount in fact, and he grinned. This little expedition would give him quite the boost in terms of levels.

Back on Earth

As Sam fortified his foundations and power with Gordanus, his faction on Earth was growing in power at an unprecedented rate. Under the leadership of Talnor, some of the disillusioned alien invaders had actually decided to switch sides, and join the faction, rather than fight a losing battle. The invasion section of the initialization was only now picking up, and tens of thousands of aliens were arriving every day, seeking the riches of Earth. Of those aliens, Talnor had managed to convince around a thousand of them to join Sam’s faction, both with their strength, and with their wealth.

With the combined forces of the old Manthrox Sect, and Sam’s faction, their credit stores were nearing a billion. That was an unprecedented amount for even a low F Rank faction.

At that moment, Talnor and Eduardo were meeting with the heads of a small mercenary group from another universe, trying to convince them of the merits of joining.

“As you can see, our city is rich, both in terms of monetary value and military power. You would be well served to join us, rather than die an ignoble death on this planet,” Talnor said to one of the mercenaries, a rake thin woman with skin the color of bone.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“How do we know that this isn't a trap?” She replied, narrowing her eyes.

“If this was a trap, you would be already dead,” Eduardo said, flexing his aura slightly. The woman was of a higher level than him, but Eduardo possessed more power overall.

The mercenary captain bristled, and her compatriots moved as if to attack, but Talnor stared them down, the older alien man’s own aura coming out in full force. He was quite a bit stronger than Eduardo, and by extension, the mercenaries, and he managed to cow them into submission. The mercenaries knew that they were only here at the mercy of the fashion, and not because of their own power.

“I would warn you not to show any aggression to us. Your life is in our hands after all, or do you not remember your circumstances?”

The mercenary leader growled, but she knew exactly what Talnor was talking about. Her group had been hired by a larger army under the command of the Tenebron sect, allegedly to avenge the death of one of its lesser scions at the hands of this faction. She had been expecting for an easy commission, but the original army had been wiped out to a man, within a day in fact, and her mercenary group was all that was left, mainly because they were perfectly willing to switch sides for money or other valuables, which meant that they were at least more trustworthy fighters than some indoctrinated rabble under the aegis of another sect.

“Very well. However, I am awaiting your true faction leader. I want to make sure that I am signing my life away to the right group here. If this Sam Atlas is not as impressive as you say, then I might have to reconsider.”

“The faction leader is away right now on an important mission, but you will be able to see him before the month is up. When you do, I would advise for you not to treat him with the same disrespect that you have treated us,” Eduardo said.

He was mostly posturing, but it was good to spread some measure of infamy under Sam’s name. Besides, if any of these people had seen the power that Sam had channeled while fighting Hugo Mar, a man far more powerful than himself, then they would feel the same awe and dedication that Eduardo and the other faction captains felt for their leader. He was looking forward to presenting all of the new developments to Sam, and he felt that this was actually the perfect scenario.

Without Sam here, they were free to delve deeper into the more bureaucratic and developmental sides of sect management, and Sam was free to grow in power as their leader, which was his role. As the mercenaries trooped out of the room to await reassignment, Eduardo prayed to the God that he still believed in, despite all his experiences since the System had come.

“Please, Lord, deliver Sam Atlas safely to use when he is finished. We need him more than he could ever know.”

Nothing happened, but Eduardo felt a little bit more sure in his heart than before, which was all that really mattered. Besides, God would hardly have time for a being like him, especially considering the true scope of the Multiverse. If He was really out there, then his power would be beyond human understanding. There was no way that a mere F Ranker would elicit a response from a being that mighty.