Loria City was a large city that resided in the nation of Apsychos.
It was the heart of humanity's resilience, the final bastion against the terrors looming within the Oblivion Spire. All fourteen Magic Families moved to this city, as well as many strong individuals. Others also called Loria City the "Zero Escape Zone".
That name was given because if the prophecy of monsters coming out were ever to come to fruition, it is the residence of Loria City that will die first.
The Tower is near the southern border of town, extremely close for comfort. Thanks to it's short distance, however, Loria formed a guild and initiated explorations regularly inside the Tower with minimal transportation cost.
Adventurers were Loria's pride- the strongest, bravest, and most capable individuals humanity had to offer.
Each one bore stories of triumph and courage, but among all the adventurers in the guild.
There was one group that captured the collective admiration and hope of not just the entire city but the whole world.
The War Potentials.
Victor Cruz.
Ericka Hersches
Oda Bazzin
Utar Grace
These four were all gifted individuals, their combined strength a force unmatched in recent history. They weren't just adventurers, they were humanity's symbol of hope. Wielding powers so incredible that many believed they were destined to conquer the Oblivion Spire and discover its mysteries.
But now, the absence of these individuals has caused the whole city to worry. Many were aware of them becoming eighteen years old recently and knew they would have entered the Oblivion Spire soon. There have been sightings of them this morning, but now, after sunset, no one has yet to spot a single War Potential.
The Adventurer's Guild had received no word from the party since they entered the Tower either.
When the sun failed to bring them home the following morning, murmurs of fear began spreading like wildfire.
Several rumors about their deaths started to reach every ear of the city. Many deny the rumors, but for how long?
Omarus, an expert-ranked adventurer who had seen Victor's group, had informed the guild of their intentions to venture as high as the 50th floor.
"They're young, overconfident, but strong enough to handle anything below floor 70."
As the hours ticked by, even Omarus began to lose confidence in his own words.
The next day, around noon. An emergency expedition team was assembled at the behest of the Guild. Twelve of the finest adventurers were chosen. At the head of the team was Cj Souken, a broad-shouldered man with jet black hair and light grey eyes. He wore a shirt with the Souken Familia emblem engraved on it.
Cj addressed his team before entering through the Emberstone Keep Gates.
"We're heading into unknown territory. The War Potentials may be strong, but they are still inexperienced fools who just joined adulthood. Let's not dice words. If we see their corpses during this expedition, we keep our reaction toned to a minimum. Got it?"
The rest nodded, agreeing with Cj's statement.
"Our goal is to bring them back, dead or alive. Let's move out."
The party moved swiftly through the lower floors, cutting down minotaurs and thunder minotaurs that swarmed them. Their progress was steady until they reached the 34th floor, where tension began to creep into their ranks.
Cj noticed one of his own, his older cousin Eve Souken, lagging at the foot of the staircase to the 40th floor.
"Eve?" Cj called out.
Eve's face was pale as she stood frozen in place, her hands trembling.
"Cj, I can't feel it. Something's wrong, my mana... it's..."
Many overheard her concern, so they all began tapping into their mana reserves.
"What!?"
"This can't be!"
Panic set in when the team realized none of them could feel the flow of energy that had always been second nature.
"Damn," Cj muttered. He concentrated on drawing upon his life energy instead, a technique he perfected over years of training with his junior, Oda Bazzin.
"Listen up," Cj drew everyone's attention.
"We don't have time to panic. We've trained for scenarios like this. Stay close and trust in your skills."
His words ignited a flicker of resolve in the group, and they pressed onwards. The 50th floor revealed subtle signs of the War Potential's presence. Some of the stones were black, as even burnt or caught in the way of intense flames.
Eve identified a piece of armor that belonged to Ericka. She must have taken it off to move more freely along the way.
"They were here," Eve said softly. She held the chestplate armor, trying to figure out if it still worth any value.
"Let's keep moving."
By the time the group reached the 78th floor, exhaustion was creeping in on the expedition team. Many of them doubted that the group of rookies would actually traverse this far up. The forested terrain was eerily silent and unnaturally dense made everyone on edge. It was not until they stumbled upon a blood-soaked boulder that their worst fear began to materialize.
"Look!" a man shouted, pointing at the grotesque scene.
At the base of the boulder lay Utar Grace, his headless body sprawled on the ground. His severed head lay a few meters away, his eyes wide with terror. Frozen in the moment of his death.
Eve knelt beside the body, her hands trembling as she inspected the wounds.
"This isn't normal. Whatever did this didn't just kill him- it was in one blow."
Cj's jaw tightened.
He had seen death before, but this... this was beyond his expectations. "It wasn't just strength," he said grimly.
"It was precise. Whoever did this ended him swiftly and easily too."
Their search continued with heavy hearts, and just when despair threatened to overwhelm the group, a sudden cry echoed through the forest.
"Victor!"
Cj rushed toward the voice, his heart pounding with every step. When he arrived, he found two of his teammates struggling to pull Victor's limp body from out of the ground. His head had been buried so deep in the soil that it looked as though he'd been driven there by an unstoppable force.
Cj dropped to his knees next to Victor and pressed his ear against the young man's chest.
"It's faint...but somehow he's still alive."
"Alive?" Eve whispered, tears welling in her eyes.
"How? After everything.... how?"
Cj wasted no time. "You four," he ordered, pointing to the nearest adventurers around him. "Take him back to Loria City now! Don't even bother taking him to the doctor! Trish! Take him to Trish!"
"Now!"
The four men nodded, doing exactly as instructed. Once they pulled his body out of the ground, they proceeded to rush down to get him some urgent help.
As they carried Victor away, a chilling realization gripped the group. If Victor Cruz, the leader of the War Potentials, had been reduced to this state, what hope was there for the others?
Soon after, others called Cj over to the same boulder he was just moments ago.
A few meters apart was a massive stain of blood on the grass.
"Gruesome."
A red-haired fellow with a gun at his waist was the one who called Cj over.
"This isn't Utar's blood," he said.
Cj's stomach churned, "Ericka or Oda?"
"Most likely one of them," Xavier replied, feeling uncomfortable with his answer. "But it's impossible to tell which."
Eve clutched her staff tightly, her knuckles turning white. "We've failed."
Later on that dreadful day, when the sun was about to descend. The expedition team reconvened back to the surface outside of the tower.
They headed to the Guild quickly to report their findings.
Two were confirmed dead, one was missing, and onewas barely alive.
Crowds gathered outside the guild, their faces pale with shock and despair. Whispers of the strongest party caused many to weep. Their investments, their hopes, all washed away.
What hope was left for humanity now?"
Omarus stood among the crowd, his heart heavy with guilt.
"I saw them," he muttered to himself.
"I saw them... and I did nothing."
Inside the guild, Cj and Xavier sat in silence. The memory of Utar's lifeless body and Victor's near-death state will forever haunt them. And the lingering question of Ericka and Oda's fate weighed on them like a stone.
For the first time in years, the people of Loria felt the creeping grip of giving up.