~~~Vaelin Elendern~~~

Vaelin ignored the peasant army behind him as he placed the key against the wall and activated it.

F-grade Dungeon Key Used. (Bronze)

Fort Assault Scenario Unlocked. One Lair Resource Available: Metal

Please Choose Dungeon Difficulty.

Difficulty Options:

[Hard] 50% Combatant Match(106 F-grades) +100% Exp gain

[Normal] 100% Combatant Match(212 F-grades) +0% Exp gain

[Easy] 100% Match (657 F-grades) -50% Exp gain

He wasn't about to choose anything but easy, given the trash assigned to him.

This was already the worst tier dungeon he could run. It wasn't his chance to claim glory or prestige. This was a shit run for the seventieth son of the minor lord Elendern, all to bring back a handful of useless skill shards that would sell for a pittance.

That was only because he'd gotten lucky with an actual attack against sapients. Otherwise, this entire ordeal would only cost him time. As well as a handful of useless dregs. The key was bronze for System's sake! He couldn't even access the true challenge levels with such a weak key, stuck at a mere 'Hard' difficulty.

Not that he wanted the higher tiers... not with foot soldiers at his back.

He made the selection. Easy. At least the resource lair would add a little something on top. Maybe they'd even get lucky and it would be a rare ore...

Confirmed. Dungeon Portal Opening in (59)... (58)...

"Form up!" his second yelled at the trash behind them. Vaelin ignored it all and only tapped his foot impatiently. The sooner they were done with this, the sooner he could go back to training.

The portal opened, spreading wide across the wall until it was wide enough for one hundred to run through abreast of each other.

"Charge," his second yelled again, and Vaelin waited as the army streamed past him, checking his armor and enchants while he waited. Only when they were all inside did he advance through the portal. No point risking his own life, no matter how low the actual danger of an F-grade dungeon.

Dungeon Quest Issued: [Subjugate the Dungeon]

Once through the portal, the sight of the pathetic walls in the distance only soured his mood further. What was the point of building walls anyone could jump over?

He took his time approaching. Ideally, this would all be over before he even reached the so-called Fort.

It was when his soldiers started falling from the walls in pieces that he decided to step it up. Some losses were inevitable, but excessive losses would not go over well...

The strangest part was seeing their broken weapons and armor when they fell.

The locals weren't without losses, and Vaelin picked up the core from one of the dead.

Monster Skill Core(F-grade)

The mana within the core contains the knowledge of a skill which can be used to create a Skill Scroll.

It looked normal. Still F-grade. He frowned and strolled along the wall while watching his dregs die one after the other. Something was here... something powerful. Valuable. He joined the attack.

...

Vaelin cursed these useless excuses of life for the hundredth time when he blocked a strike and split his sword in half. His third sword!

What backwards, filthy, stupid, useless monsters carry enchanted gear that not only rivaled his own, but utterly crushed it!? Madness! Even their bloody armor resisted every blow and cut. Amateur junk, made from literal trash tier iron, and enchanted beyond master tier!

Luckily, the savages couldn't fight for belmoth spit.

It was still annoying... and he wouldn't lower himself to taking and using the monster weapons, not like some of his underlings did. Though he wouldn't prohibit them either. Their lack of self respect was their own to deal with.

This was supposed to be an easy run, a damn Bronze Tier Dungeon. In a brand new dungeon world, no less!

It all made sense when he saw the monster fighting atop their pathetically short wall. Legendary class! He was going to be rich!

Vaelin gestured for his personal guard to follow and jumped after his prize. A Legendary class in a bronze tier F-grade dungeon. It was unheard of. These savages probably didn't even know what it meant... all the better for him. This trip would set him up at least to B-grade. No more of these shit-tier runs. He'd finally get somewhere!

The legendary turned out to be exceedingly annoying by refusing to die. When his blade rang off its bones the same as the armor, he knew he'd found the origin of the enchantments. That explained how they were too strong. But it was also a minor disappointment that the legendary seemed to be an enchanting class.

Not that it was any less valuable, but the only thing better than selling the shard would be using it himself. Unfortunately, he didn't have the backing to hang onto a legendary enchanter class. The guilds would kill him in a heartbeat and no one would bat an eye. Selling it, though... that he could do. The guilds would go into a bidding war against each other, and he would not only survive, but get rich doing so.

His dreams of wealth and power were only slightly disturbed when more of the savages came to the defense of the legendary. So maybe they knew after all? He'd thought them ignorant when he found it fighting alone, but now they swarmed him.

It was annoying... and he finally cast the spell to listen to their inane chattering, though he hated to do it.

Myriad Tongues

Listening to the monster races... what a waste of a spell. Even worse, speaking to them. He did it anyway. A courtesy. "Give me that one and you all live."

He was lying, of course. They would all die. He just didn't want to risk someone else taking the...

Aieee!

The fucking monster kicked him in the... the...

They dragged away his prize while the two most annoying... he finally checked... humans. The most annoying humans. Using crude tactics and zero skill, while making up for it with legendary equipment. It was insulting. Especially since he couldn't pin them down!

He resorted to following the legendary. Forcing them to chase him.

Blades occasionally struck the building as they fought through it, and Vaelin quickly realized it was enchanted the same as the weapons... What type of enchanter worked on so many differing fields?

He didn't know. Knowledge of legendary classes was always jealously guarded, after all. But all were valuable beyond measure.

The monsters pursuing him were persistent... and annoyingly durable, but they could barely touch him. So he ignored their pathetic assault as much as he could and focused on his prize.

Vaelin wasted another spell to open the door, laughing as he did so. What fools make indestructible doors and don't protect them from an unlocking spell? Savage idiots.

There was his prize, helpless, his for the taking.

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Then a god appeared in the room.

Curse you! Vaelin thought, frozen in terror while simultaneously petitioning the Great System for aid. How did they already find the legendary!?

Only... It wasn't a god coming for the legendary class. It was coming from the legendary itself. Which was impossible!

Then he ran for his life, jumping for the roof and flinging himself from it while death crawled across the building below their feet. His bodyguards followed on his heels, and all of them spent spells freely in the mad dash to escape. Any mad gods that dared such a blatant meddling would have no qualms about exterminating a handful of F-grades.

It was a useless scramble. No F-grade could outrun what came for them.

Except the god did not pursue them.

The flash of impossible power filled the building but did not stray beyond.

Vaelin landed on the savage's walls and watched those still inside die as the building itself tore them apart.

It happened fast. All at once.

Then it was over, the power gone, the building quiescent. As if nothing had ever happened.

System Review Complete. No Interference Detected. No Punishment Allotted.

Impossible!

Difficulty Error Detected for Dungeon: [Greenfield Fort's Last Stand]

Minor Intervention Available.

Minor System Boon Granted.

Vaelin stood frozen in place as he processed the System's response and what it meant.

The gods hadn't meddled here. Which meant it was truly the legendary... an F-grade that wielded the power of the gods.

Forget finding a legendary in an F-grade dungeon. This was literally impossible! Nothing below B-grade could touch that power, much less wield it.

Was it because of the class? Just what class was it? How valuable was it...

The fight wasn't over. His forces still fought against the humans... but they fought as a broken mess. All had felt what happened, and though they didn't rout, he knew they waited for his call to retreat.

They should retreat. The Great System would not punish them after this, not after giving him a minor boon...

The Boon. As rare as a legendary class.

He could retreat with what he had left. Sell the information about what was here before word spread... It would fetch... something. Others would come here, maybe even a god or two, they would take everything.

The Boon would have to be his consolation prize. A not unremarkable reward.

Or...

Vaelin smiled. Why share his treasure with anyone? If he was the sole survivor... who else would know what was here? He'd have time to figure out what he was dealing with. To figure out its true value. Even now, he felt nothing from the building or the legendary. It was hiding. From him as well as all who might follow... no one would know.

He would need some help, of course... a little backing to make this work. His uncle maybe. Yes. His uncle would help if he shared just enough information... by the time that greedy bastard knew what was really at stake, it would be too late.

Now he just needed to set things up…

~~~Maria~~~

Maria touched Alejandro's leg, her fingers moving fast and her mind working faster.

Stitch

It was rough, crude, but enough to keep fighting. To keep up the pursuit of this monster that chased after Lee.

While she was pleased that Lee had finally awoken, it was very apparent that his mind wasn't right after his ordeal. She hadn't been there, hadn't witnessed the aftermath firsthand, but she could only imagine what it had done to his mind.

Then someone let him run outside with a sword! Into a war!

Maria seethed as she shifted after the alien monster. It was fast, too clever, always avoiding her strikes by just enough that she couldn't bring it down.

Alejandro kept trying to reason with the creature ever since it spoke to them... as if that somehow made it less of a monster. It attacked them. Killed too many of them already. And he sought diplomacy...

At least he did not relent in his assault while doing so.

She thought the monster cornered when Lee was secured behind his enchanted walls... then it forced the door to open with magic.

That was it. The creature could go no further. It couldn't be allowed any closer to Lee or the children. No matter what. "I will hold it!" she shouted. If she could immobilize or slow it down for just a second. "Kill..." She never got the chance to finish what she was saying, because Lee exploded.

Maria had no other word for what she saw happening before her eyes. Where before he'd glowed with blue veins and shining eyes, now he shone like the sun come to earth. A blindingly bright power that felt as if it should burn away her eyes and flesh merely by shining upon her.

The monsters fled, and she let them go. Instead, she spent the last of her mana shifting to her babies, scooping them into her arms and turning to...

Lee placed his hands on the floor... and blinding white fire consumed the world.

Maria screamed, clutching her children tighter as she sprinted for the door. She had to escape... had to save them... but she didn't have enough mana. She couldn't run fast enough... She couldn't see.

Alejandro's face appeared out of the light as he latched onto her, holding her tightly and tucking them all close behind his shield as he led them through the door.

Maria stopped trying to run. There was nowhere to go. Instead, she held onto Alejandro, hugging the children between their bodies in a futile attempt to protect them from the terrifying power that was swallowing the world.

She prayed then. Prayed to the god of her youth, prayed to any gods that would listen, and begged them all to please just save...

The blinding fire vanished, and everything went completely, absolutely, perfectly, silent.

She had a terrifying moment to wonder if she was dead... then heard the screaming resume outside, along with the sounds of battle. An alien in the courtyard below only screamed once before exploding in a shower of gore... she didn't even see what killed it...

Yet she lived... they lived... they were alive!

Lee's door had closed, and she couldn't see him any longer. But she didn't need to see him to know that it was over. Doors and walls would not block what she'd just felt coming from the man. Now she wanted nothing more than to flee into the night with Alejandro. Leave this place behind and never look back.

Alejandro still held onto them tightly. Too tight. He kissed her desperately, his expression full of the same relief to be alive that she knew must show on her own face. He kissed the stunned children, whispering words of comfort to each of them, then his expression shifted and hardened as he picked up his sword.

The fight wasn't over, and she knew he would see it through to the end. Even though he shared her own fear.

"Go save them, my heart," she said, instead of insisting he stay with her. He was who he was, and she loved him. All of him. "I will check on Lee."

Alejandro leapt to the courtyard below and sprinted out of sight. Gabriel and Anita's wails grew slowly after he left as they struggled to understand what had happened. Maria had no answers as she squeezed them both tighter and stared at her neighbor's door. What did you do now, Lee?

It took a long minute before she could approach the door. Then she knocked.

She wasn't sure who had his keys... but Bradley should be in there. Assuming he was still alive...

It was right after she knocked for the third time that the door burst open, revealing a terrified Bradley. The poor boy looked even worse than she felt...

"Mrs Morales, I... he... I..."

Maria pushed past the boy and into the room. It looked no different... no sign of the apocalyptic events that had only just transpired here. Though one thing had changed... dramatically. My god, Lee, what have you done?

She didn't hesitate to return to his side. Maria could forgive her previous terror, but no matter how much this strange young man terrified her with his inexplicable and overwhelming powers, she would never forget what he had done for her. Sacrificed for her. For her family.

Maria pushed her mana into him and blanched. This was bad! She cast her healing into him until her mana was once again depleted, mere drops in the bucket he would require, and set the children down. "You need to stay with Uncle Lee and Uncle Bradley."

They wailed and reached for her, but Maria resisted the urge to comfort them. They were too young for this, but they needed to be strong for her. For Lee.

She would need to venture back outside these walls. To face the monsters and bring Saira back here. Maria could not take the children out there, but she hadn't forgotten how easily that monster came through the door... It was a risk, but she could not let Lee die.

"Uncle Lee needs our help, and I don't have enough mana to help him alone... I love you!"

Maria touched Lee one more time, stacking another regeneration, and sprinted for the door.

It refused to open.

A notification popped into her head, and Maria turned back, eyes widening. What have you done?

~~~Gabriel~~~

Gabriel forced himself to stop crying after mommy left them alone. He was a big boy, not like sister. She was scared... so he hugged her. "It's okay, Nita. We don't have to cry. Mommy is coming back."

Daddy always said he was a big boy, and big boys had to take care of little sisters. That was how it worked. So he didn't cry while he hugged sister. "It's okay."

Uncle Lee wasn't shining anymore, but he looked so different. Mommy was worried about him... It was scary when Mommy was worried. But she would take care of Uncle Lee, and she would make everything better, like she always did.

Gabriel touched the floor while sister calmed down. It wasn't shining anymore, but he remembered the lights... They were so pretty... and scary. But only for sister. He wasn't scared of the lights.

But they looked so awesome... like you could make anything!

Uncle Bradley was scared too. Even though he could make rocks! That was super cool… Gabriel wished he could make rocks… he wished he could do anything… Mommy and Daddy looked so scared sometimes… He didn't like it when they were scared.

I'm a big boy. I will be brave for sister. And for mommy and for daddy.