Seven days later, at the dining hall, Yukesh was casually eating his dinner while his mother was preoccupied with her own affairs in her room. The TV in the hall was on.
"The Awakener has been captured due to illegal doping in the competition. While conducting the investigation, the authorities have found the mystical crystal, which was prohibited in the tournament..."
The news was like any other day, with cases of cheating, smuggling, and harassment. Since the world has gained powerful heroes, it has also attracted many powerful villains. One of them is Alinph, responsible for 70% of crimes worldwide. Even though they are an illegal organization, they are also among the few handling global matters, whether people like it or not, but not many are aware of this fact.
I learned this from my father, who is an important member of the Awakener Guild, though not in a top position.
Breaking news: there has been a dungeon breakout, and 30 researchers have been found dead. The dungeon in Vanhana City has erupted, but the cause hasn't been determined.
Suddenly, the sound of a spoon dropping can be heard from the dining hall. The man who was eating his meal felt like his world was crumbling beneath his feet. The same feeling echoed in the main bedroom, where rushing sounds and rustling of clothes were heard. The person who came into the room looked as pale as the boy sitting in the dining hall, listening to the news. It was none other than Yukesh's mother. They both had the same expression: disbelief and the thought that "it can't be true."
Yukesh's mother frantically tried to call someone on her phone but didn't get an answer. She then rushed out of the room and left in her car. Yukesh was in a daze, feeling like this was a bad dream and the worst nightmare. Everything felt like an illusion.
Two days ago, in the Vanahana dungeon:
A group of people was gathered around a huge door. In the center stood a man with a white coat and black hair, none other than Lusier, Yukesh's father. He seemed completely immersed in the door. Some people were assisting him, but despite all their efforts, the door wouldn't budge.
Then, a guy named Kristin approached Lusier and greeted him. "Hello, professor."
Lusier responded, "Oh, hello Kristin."
Kristin informed the professor, "The Awakener Guild has accepted your request to use the blood ceremony on the door. We've tried various methods in the past, but the door remains unaffected. Now, we're attempting phase 4, known as the blood ritual."
As Lusier contemplated, Kristin and Mistin (another person) handed him a spatial ring. The ring appeared ordinary, with some inscriptions, but it had immense storage capacity of around 6 km cubic.
Lusier checked the contents of the ring and nodded in approval. He then approached the door, where an inscribed circle lay on the floor. This advanced method was known only to a handful of people and kept secret to prevent problems if it became public knowledge. People might kill to enter the main hall of the dungeon, forcing them to devise alternative, safer methods.
As the ritual began, three bodies were placed in the center of the circle. These bodies belonged to criminals who had lost their lives in jail. After being placed in the circle, their blood was absorbed into the floor, and soon, the bodies turned into ashes, completely disappearing within three minutes. The door seemed to react to this process.
All 30 researchers were quite pleased with the results, but Professor Lusier and Kristin felt that something was wrong. Nonetheless, they brushed off the feeling as mere nerves.
Soon, a bright light emanated from the floor below all 30 people, and the door started to vanish before their eyes. Eventually, they all disappeared from the floor and the room.
Soon, the news got spread all over the country and meant investigations are done, but the result remains unknown.
At the main headquarters of the Awakener Guild:
One man whose height is 6.5 feet with a buzz cut and scar on his face enters one of the rooms.
In the room, there was a man who is bulky but has some sharpness in his face. He is literally buried in paper on the desk and all over the floors there are papers and documents.
Since the recent incident has caused the reputation of the Awakener Guild to drop to zero.
"Hello, sir, how are you doing?" says the man with the buzz cut.
"What do you think I am doing, you fool, Marphin?" says the bulky man.
It seems like the name of the person with the buzz cut is Marphin.
"Sir Antino, the group of Awakeners is ready to dive into the dungeon. They are requesting data collected by Professor Lusier. They are already formed?" says Marphin.
"Yes, they are composed of 3 S-rank hunters, 14 A-rank hunters, and 23 B-rank hunters," says Antino.
"Ok, you may take the file over that desk and can take leave, and also send me the file of every individual to participate in this raid," says Antino.
"Yes, sir," says Marphin, and he takes his leave.
Soon Antino is the only one in the room.
"What the heck is even unfolding in this world right now? Alphin activity is increasing, and disturbance of mystical energy with the emergence of new dungeons. Ha..." thinks Antino with a low sigh.