The roar echoed through the depths of the dungeon once again.
This time it was farther away.
More muffled.
I stood still, staring into the darkness of the ruined corridor as the mana around us slowly began to fade.
Scarlett also remained alert.
"There's something else down here."
"Probably."
I held the black stone I had taken from the Goblin King's body and once again felt that strange energy pulsing within it.
It definitely came from the demons.
But that wasn't the biggest problem.
If ordinary monsters were being altered to that extent... then the entire continent would slowly begin to change.
I stored the stone in the small compartment attached to my belt and looked ahead once more.
The roar did not come again.
The dungeon fell silent.
Lyannis contacted us through the magic crystal.
"Takumi, we've reached the main corridor."
"Can you make your way to our position?"
"Yes."
A few minutes later, the other groups began emerging from the side corridors.
Rai'kanna appeared first, carrying a massive axe over her shoulder while several small wounds were scattered across her arm.
Nothing serious.
Behind her came Vespera, calmly cleaning one of her arrows before putting it away.
From the opposite side, Liriel and Elara appeared.
Their clothes had been slightly damaged during the battle, but both of them looked fine.
Lyannis arrived shortly afterward, immediately observing the colossal body of the Goblin King lying on the ground.
She adjusted her glasses slightly.
"So this was the leader."
Scarlett smiled faintly.
"Far more durable than it should have been."
Rai'kanna lightly kicked one of the monster's natural armor plates.
"This thing was practically a tank."
Liriel looked around the area.
"The mana has really decreased a lot."
Elara ran her hand near one of the crimson crystals embedded in the wall.
"And the corruption has started to weaken."
I showed them the black stone.
"I think we found the source of the problem."
Vespera immediately narrowed her eyes.
"Condensed demonic mana."
Lyannis nodded.
"The demons are probably spreading this through the dungeons."
Scarlett crossed her arms.
"And turning ordinary monsters into abominations."
I looked once again at the Goblin King's body.
"That explains how weak creatures started reaching such high ranks."
Rai'kanna looked irritated.
"So the demons are literally strengthening monsters now."
"Yes."
Silence fell over the group for a few seconds.
Everyone seemed to understand what that meant.
The war wasn't only affecting the kingdoms.
The continent itself was beginning to change.
Liriel then looked at me.
"And that roar?"
"You heard it too?"
"Yes."
Lyannis became serious.
"It came from the deepest part of the dungeon."
I looked once more toward the dark corridor ahead.
I thought for a few seconds before answering.
"We're not going any farther."
Scarlett raised an eyebrow.
"You're being overly cautious."
"Maybe."
I looked ahead again.
"But we've already completed our objective."
Lyannis nodded immediately.
"I agree."
Vespera slung her bow across her back.
"And we still don't know what's down there."
Rai'kanna let out a small sigh.
"So we're heading back?"
"Yes."
We began making our way back through the dungeon corridors as the atmosphere grew noticeably lighter.
The crimson crystals on the walls were slowly losing their intense color.
Some of them even cracked on their own.
The demonic influence really was disappearing.
Along the way, we found countless goblin corpses scattered throughout the corridors.
Remnants of the battles fought by the different groups.
In some places, enormous craters had been created by Scarlett's and Rai'kanna's magic.
In others, precise cuts had been left by Vespera's arrows.
Elara and Liriel had also destroyed large sections using wind and purification magic.
As we walked, Lyannis began examining the black stone again.
"This is dangerous."
"How dangerous?"
"Very."
She continued carefully observing the energy trapped inside the stone.
"If large quantities of this are spread across the continent... monsters will continue evolving."
Elara crossed her arms.
"So the dungeons could become even worse."
"Yes."
Scarlett looked at me.
"That means more work for us."
I couldn't help letting out a small laugh.
"Probably."
After some time, we finally emerged from the Crimson Dungeon.
The light outside immediately struck our eyes.
The cold mountain wind felt far more pleasant now after that suffocating environment.
I took a deep breath as I looked at the partially cloudy sky above the mountains.
Even outside, I could still faintly sense demonic mana lingering throughout the region.
But it was much weaker now.
Liriel walked over to me.
"Are you thinking about what happens next?"
"Yes."
"Do you think other dungeons are being altered as well?"
"Without a doubt."
Lyannis came out shortly afterward carrying several documents and magical notes she had taken inside the dungeon.
"We need to report this to the guild immediately."
I nodded.
"Let's head back."
The return trip to Vailor took the rest of the afternoon.
Along the way, we passed small villages and military outposts scattered along the roads.
I noticed there were more soldiers on patrol than before.
The news about the demons had clearly put the kingdom on high alert.
By the time we finally reached Vailor's gates, the sun was already beginning to set.
The city was still bustling despite the late hour.
We headed straight to the guild, where numerous adventurers were talking loudly throughout the main hall.
But the moment they saw us walk in, much of the room fell silent.
They had probably realized from our appearance that we had just returned from the mission.
The Guild Master quickly came out of the main office as soon as he saw us.
"You're back."
I nodded.
"The dungeon has been cleared."
He immediately looked relieved.
"And the Goblin King?"
"Eliminated."
Several nearby adventurers immediately began whispering.
"The Goblin King is dead?"
"They actually did it."
"The Hero's party is unbelievable..."
I ignored the comments as I handed the main report to the Guild Master.
But before he could examine it, I placed the black stone on the table.
His expression changed immediately.
"What is this?"
"Probably the source of the mutation."
Lyannis began explaining everything she had observed inside the dungeon.
The demonic mana.
The altered monsters.
Their organized behavior.
The influence of the stone.
As she spoke, the Guild Master's expression became increasingly serious.
When she finished, he remained silent for a few seconds.
"So it has truly begun."
I frowned slightly.
"What has?"
"The contamination."
He carefully picked up the stone using a thick cloth.
"The ancient records mentioned something similar during the old wars against the demons."
Liriel looked surprised.
"This has happened before?"
"Not exactly on this scale."
The Guild Master let out a heavy sigh.
"But monsters mutating under demonic influence has happened in the past."
That definitely wasn't good news.
He then stored the stone inside a small sealed magical container before looking back at us.
"Either way... excellent work."
He pulled out a small reinforced wooden chest and placed it on the table.
"Your mission reward."
When he opened the chest, thousands of gold coins gleamed beneath the hall's lights.
Ten thousand gold coins.
Several nearby adventurers immediately widened their eyes.
Scarlett smiled faintly.
"Not bad."
Rai'kanna rested an arm on my shoulder.
"We could buy another mansion now."
"Absolutely not."
Vespera let out a quiet laugh.
The atmosphere became lighter after that.
Even the Guild Master seemed less tense now that the mission had been completed.
But then he became serious again.
"Takumi."
I looked at him.
"Other dungeons have started showing similar changes."
The hall fell silent once more.
"What do you mean?"
"Abnormal mana. Stronger monsters. Creatures organizing themselves."
He slowly crossed his arms.
"And it's happening far too quickly."
Lyannis adjusted her glasses.
"So it wasn't an isolated case."
"No."
The Guild Master looked directly at me.
"Something enormous is changing the continent."
His words echoed in my mind for several seconds.
Because I knew he was right.
The war had already begun.
Even before the first great battle.
I slowly took a deep breath while watching the activity around the guild.
Adventurers talking.
Mercenaries coming and going.
People trying to continue their lives as usual.
But deep down... everyone already felt it.
Disaster was approaching.
Scarlett then leaned lightly against the table.
"So what now?"
I looked toward the guild's mission board.
There were still dozens of requests posted there.
Monsters.
Dungeons.
Trouble on the roads.
Growing chaos.
Then I answered calmly.
"Now we'll handle the next mission."
The Guild Master raised an eyebrow.
"The bandits?"
I nodded.
"If they're using magic, I want to find out who's funding them."
Vespera smiled faintly.
"Then tomorrow should be more interesting."
Rai'kanna slowly stretched her arms.
"I hope there'll be someone strong this time."
Scarlett let out a small laugh.
"You're getting way too aggressive."
"I learned from you."
The two of them began arguing as we walked out of the main office.
But as I headed toward the guild's exit... I felt something strange again.
A faint pressure.
Far away.
Weak.
Coming from the north.
I stopped for a brief moment and looked through the guild's window toward the dark horizon.
The First General still hadn't made his move.
But I could feel it.
He was waiting.