He felt a familiar change. He couldn't tell where the change had come from, whether it was from the atmosphere or even within him, but he vividly felt that something had shifted.
This sensation was quite familiar, it marked something. Taking a quick glance at the system window, he confirmed it.
[Commanding Presence (Heroic): Active]
An involuntary and routine smile crept into his lips. At the same time he moved, not his body, but his lips.
“Defeat the enemies.”
[Command Activated: “Defeat the enemies.”]
[All allies who obey this command within a 100m proximity receive the following effects for 10 minute:]
[Strength Increase: +50%.
Speed Increase: +40%.
Resistance Increase: Slight protection against fear, confusion, and mental effects.
Blessing of Luck: 70% chance to trigger critical hits or dodge incoming attacks.]
(Author's Note: The time limit given for this fuck… this Ability is just as random as whenever it chooses to activate.)
Even as the notification flashed, he didn't even summon any minions to perform this duty. Not that he could anyway, not when his Domain ability was being resisted.
Instead, he moved, his body flung through the air, crazily at the monsters. As he did that, he mentally took in the command he had given, convincing himself that he had obeyed his own command.
Instantly, his movements sharpened, he felt a strange energy bubbling within him. It felt as if he had been empowered by some unknown force.
Even with this, he didn't act surprised at all, as if this very thing he had done was routine. I mean it was, obviously.
Without this precious, strange, mysterious, reliable cheatlike ability of his, how would he who wasn't as powerful as the 53rd generation hero, manage to churn through the endless strong army of the demon king?
I mean, he owed almost his achievements all his achievements to this ability at this point.
Strikes landed with precision and force. The creatures faltered, their coordination breaking under the pressure of his reinforced aura.
He pressed the advantage, slashing through one abomination after another, killing them like chickens on the chopping board. But even with the boost, he knew it wouldn’t last.
“Core,” he hissed, “I need a way out. Now.”
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The Core’s voice hesitated. “There’s... one possibility. The throne itself. If you can reach it and assert your authority as a Dungeon Master, you might—”
“Say no more,” Cale interrupted, already moving.
The entity seemed to sense his intent.
“Foolish,” it said, raising its hand. The shadowy energy in the room surged, forming a massive barrier between Cale and the throne.
But Cale didn’t stop. His daggers brimmed, charges with mana to the fullest as he drove them into the barrier, carving a path through sheer force and will.
BOOM
With a reverberating sound the shadows recoiled, and Cale leapt onto the dais. The large standing figure of the entity loomed above him, its face etched with fury.
“You dare—”
Cale didn’t wait. He slammed his hand onto the throne, pouring every ounce of his remaining mana into it.
---
[System Alert: Dungeon Master Authority Asserted.]
[Warning: Conflict Detected. Engaging Override Protocols.]
—
Cale’s blades bit deep into the base of the throne, carving through its intricate designs with brutal efficiency.
Sparks flew as the metal shrieked under his assault. Each strike sent vibrations through the chamber, and a growing fissure began to mar the throne's polished surface.
The dungeon reacted instantly.
The air thickened, pressing down like a physical weight. Shadows writhed violently, coalescing into shapes that reached for Cale, only to dissolve upon nearing his glowing blades.
The Core’s voice rang out, strained but clear. “Master, whatever you’re doing, it’s working. The throne’s influence is waning, but you must act quickly!”
“I am acting!” Cale barked, slamming his dagger into the throne with one final, mana-infused strike.
---
[System Notification: Throne Influence Weakened.]
[Domain Restriction Lifted.]
---
The oppressive weight lifted instantly. The room seemed to recoil, the shadows retreating like a tide.
Cale felt the shift as his domain surged outward, filling the chamber like an invisible barrier. It was like a burst of clarity, the familiar pulse of his authority spreading through the space.
“Finally,” he muttered, a predatory grin spreading across his face. “Let’s even the odds.”
He raised his hand, and the air shook.
---
[Domain Activated: Gloomfang Spiders Summoned (x8).]
[Minion Cap Remaining: 2/15.]
---
The Gloomfangs materialized in the shadows, their massive, armored forms bristling with menace. Their serrated legs clicked against the stone, and venom dripped from their fangs as they hissed, eager for the hunt.
“Go, my brave soldiers,” Cale commanded, pointing toward the approaching beasts. “Tear their sorry arses apart.”
The spiders moved like ghosts, their webs spreading rapidly to entangle the abominations. The first wave of beasts lunged, only to be caught mid-leap in the glistening strands.
The Gloomfangs descended on them, their fangs sinking deep, venom paralyzing the creatures before they could retaliate.
---
[System Notification: Horde Entities Neutralized (5). Rewards Pending.]
---
Cale didn’t stop there. With his domain still active, he summoned his mana-forged twin daggers.
The blades appeared in a flash of violet light, their edges gleaming with raw energy. He felt the power thrumming through them, they were the perfect extensions of his will.
“No more holding back,” he muttered, diving into the fray.
The fight was chaos, but it was a chaos Cale thrived in.
His daggers moved in a blur, carving through the beasts with precision. The Gloomfangs worked in tandem, their webs funneling the creatures into kill zones where Cale could strike.
Each kill fed his momentum, the system chiming with notifications as he cut through the horde.
---
[System Notification: Horde Entities Neutralized (12). Additional Rewards Pending.]
---
The tide began to shift. The remaining creatures hesitated, their erratic movements betraying a flicker of fear.
Cale grinned, bloodied but exhilarated. “Is that all you’ve got?”
His words barely left his mouth when the dungeon master’s remnant will stirred.
The massive statue that still remained standing up unto this point, it's eyes glowed brighter, its golden red eyes blazing like twin suns.
The ground trembled as it raised one hand, and as if in response, the knight statues lining the chamber shook.
Each of their eyes shot open, glowing brightly, like that of the statue, an intense aura spread out in the surroundings.
One by one, the armored knights came to life. Their intricate designs shimmered with mana, debrises and aged moss, fell off due to their vibrating presence.
They stepped forward with an eerie, synchronized precision.
---
[System Notification: Golem Entities Detected: High Wardens.]
---
Cale’s smirk faded. “Golems? Seriously? I hate these things. They're slow, but their durability makes them difficult to deal with”
As if in mockery to his assumption, the knights moved, fast, much faster than he would have ever expected from a Golem.
Their speed defying their large forms.
One swung its massive blade, cleaving through a Gloomfang in a single, fluid motion. The spider shrieked, its body crumpling before dissolving into motes of light.
“Damn it,” Cale hissed, watching as another knight cut down a second Gloomfang with terrifying efficiency.
The system chimed again.
---
[System Notification: Minion Lost (Gloomfang Spider). Remaining: 6.]
---
Cale gritted his teeth. “Fuck. They're completely useless against these golems.”
Not willing to bear mo
re losses, he quickly unsummoned the rest minions.
Right then, he charged forward, his mana-forged daggers sparking with energy as he prepared to face the towering knights head-on.