The Test

The tunnel they walked through was eerily dark and spanned quite a distance. And strangely enough, the width of the space was unnaturally large, perhaps twice the size of an adult humpback whale.

Did something such as this exist Underground?

There was nothing except the audible crunch of their boots and the faint ghoulish cries that sounded in the distance.

"What happened here?" Fenrir whispered under his breath as they passed by skeletal remains of creatures and humans alike.

"A fight for survival," Alaude who led their trail in front spoke. He guided them with a sconce that contained a red jewel of sorts that seemed to radiate fire. "A wyrm breeder ravaged through this tunnel when the wave first came."

'Show wyrm breeder,' Fenrir tapped into the system with a mental command.

The system reflected a visual of a large worm-like creature with red spikes that jutted out from its white skin over the mass of its entire body. Its round, open mouth revealed countless rows of sharp blades for teeth. There were no eyes.

[Info on wyrm breeder]

-Class: Lesser wyrm

-Species: Wyrm breeder

-Abilities: Acid splash, Spike scatter

-General info: This newly discovered species moves at an extremely slow speed of 50m/h. It shoots a range of spikes at the sense of danger which can reach an approximate distance of a 120 feet radius. It frequently spits out acid which covers a distance of a 100 feet radius.

- Current known weaknesses: fire-elemental attacks

- Resistance: Poison damage

"Yun, it sounds like the wyrm breeder is right up your alley," Fenrir smirked.

"I'm not so sure about that..." Yun lowered his gaze. And the soft amber of his eyes seemed to have dulled.

"What happened that day was not your fault, Yun," Alaude glanced over his shoulder. "Don't forget that you're not the same person anymore. And don't you forget that as well, Fenrir."

The name 'Fenrir' still felt foreign and strange but he reminded himself once again that it was one that he chosen nonetheless. If his birth name was just a label, why did he feel incomplete without it?

"Aye Captain," Fenrir and Yun said in unison.

The ex-soldier had become more aware of the environment. There was a flow of mana in the atmosphere and its concentration seemed to only have further increased as they navigated the tunnel.

"Is that jewel powered by mana?" Fenrir studied the object which radiated a bright flame.

"Correct," Yun answered. "There are different grades and types of jewels. They're usually found in the dungeons or towers. You can fuel them with mana and depending on the type it'll alter the properties to produce a specific effect."

"The one I'm holding is a third-grade flame jewel. The grades rank from one to nine with one being the highest quality," Alaude gestured to the object. "The effects are only active if fueled with mana."

"Sounds quite useful," Fenrir commented.

He felt the connection with the mana that filled his core but there was a slight tightness that brewed in his chest. He shook his head to brush it off and occasionally clenched his fists to battle the ache.

"Captain," Yun suddenly halted as he noticed the uneasiness in Fenrir's movements. "I don't think we should take this tunnel."

"I know what you're thinking," Alaude grinned. "But this is also part of the test."

Fenrir inhaled a deep breath. Perhaps that was not the smartest move, but how else was he supposed to maintain his heart rate from spiraling out of control? The ache only exacerbated as they proceeded further and he clawed at his chest.

The air had become suffocating and beads of sweat broke out along his forehead.

[Warning: Mana core capacity exceeded]

'Is that even possible?'

[High concentration levels of mana detected in the atmosphere]

"We're almost there," Alaude informed.

"I'm fine..." Fenrir reassured them.

"If you weren't, I would have held you down myself until you got used to it," Alaude flashed a wide grin.

'Crazy bastard,' Fenrir thought.

"The mana here is potent because the wave hit this tunnel first before it covered the rest of the city so the mana from its advent got trapped," Yun explained.

"We're here," Alaude halted and removed the jewel from the sconce while its flame dissipated. "It's quite active at night. We need to be as quiet as possible."

The tunnel lead to the outside darkness where the night was glacial but not silent. Monstrous things lurked in the shadows, perhaps they awaited a perfect opportunity to strike.

Fenrir exhaled a prolonged breath as they stepped outside onto the gravel. The night breeze was refreshing and instantly relieved the discomfort of the suffocating ache that plagued his chest.

"Your mana core could have burst," Alaude smirked as he slapped Fenrir on the back. "You did well."

"Of course," Fenrir inhaled deeply again. "I'm good to go."

"You say it like I was going to wait for you to catch your breath," Alaude snorted and continued to lead the way.

Three years had passed. The City's terrain was foreign to Fenrir's knowledge as he had never traveled to Nazirein before. However, the debris and dilapidated buildings they passed by were enough to realize that the city was nothing but ruins.

The luminescence of the moon was almost blinding but it provided them with a silvery light of guidance at the least.

There was a sudden roar in the distance but Alaude was quick on his feet to direct them into an alley. The trio moved swiftly, but lightly on their feet to not alert any unwanted attention.

They concealed themselves in the darkness of the shadows in between two buildings that were neither completely intact nor destroyed.

A few screeches followed after the roar as two unknown creatures that resembled prehistoric lizards sprinted past the alley. The roar sounded again with heavy thuds that accompanied this time.

The ground trembled beneath their feet when a mutated T-rex with horns that protruded from its head and a red aura encased its red-scaled body pursued the two creatures that sprinted past. The creature towered at least thirty feet.

The trio waited until the roar and trembles seemed to wane into silence in the distance after a few minutes.

"The prehistoric bastards are out tonight," Alaude breathed a sigh of relief. "That was a baby by the way."

"Noted," Fenrir nodded as they proceeded down the alley into an open street.

They walked for some time, and occasionally avoided troublesome monsters that surfaced until they reached a junkyard enclosed by a metal fence. There was rubble and broken objects cluttered about, but in the center of the mess, a large pit was carved into the ground.

The trio stood at the edge and gazed into the endless abyss of darkness where silence reigned. What was down there?

"And we're here," Alaude folded his arms across his chest.

"We should go with him," Yun advised. "And I thought you said the nearest dungeon?"

"The pit is better. We need to deal with whatever comes here on the surface," Alaude shook his head. "The system will record his results and provide a visual to ours," He tapped a finger to the side of his head.

'You can do this,' Fenrir encouraged himself.

Alaude retrieved the flame jewel from his pocket and fueled his mana into it until it produced a flame. He tossed the flame-lit jewel into the pit. There was no sound for a couple of minutes until enraged screeches echoed from the depths.

He shoved Fenrir into the pit with a satisfactory grin and resisted the urge to laugh.

"Happy hunting, Fenrir Hunter."