*Location> Fort Santiago, Intramuros, Manila*
Usually, the streets encircling the old-city of Intramuros, now part of the Capital will be filled with a dense amount of tourist to visit the archaic building of Fort Santiago. Noises of both vendors and customers would immediately deaf any sensitive ear it comes into contact with. That is if the Sun is lurking above.
However, it is still early in the morning, to be specific, 2 A.M., and the Sun is not yet shining through the sky. The blanket of the night is still star-studded while the cold air seep through the mossy walls of the ancient infrastructure. A feeling that would inflict a sense of tiny fear in the heart.
Mike knew it that's why he chose to enter the Hex location at this hour. He would not see anything except the sleepy security guard sitting beside the entrance and some cars passing by.
Holding the map on his hand while wearing a black hoodie and mask to veil his face from possible witnesses, he bypassed the guard by leaping the wall, enabling him to easily enter the restricted area at this hour.
"I must be careful!"
He shakes off the dust on his shoulder and held a dagger on his other hand. Using the Map, he traced the exact location.
Following along the wall, he walked almost for a long time, determined to find the hex at any cost.
"I wish I could find it now!"
With extreme care, he jumped to another building and stood atop a small tower. There, he found a small pond, filled with algae and tadpoles. Disgust filled his face.
"I'm hoping that the Hex would not be located there!"
He jumped off the tower and walked on the same area where he was looking earlier. Turning his head on the right side, he looked again to the pond and felt a surge of mana coming from within.
Mike gulped in excitement and agitation. Excitement because of the possible treasures he may find inside. Agitation because of the fact that he would have to soak himself in the dirty still water.
"Tadpoles my ass!"
He stood in front of the pond and brought the map. There, a small pillar with a fitting hole in the center rose. Its bricks are mossy just like the ones found in the walls here.
"Am I suppose to fit it in here?"
Mike put the map on the fitting hole and saw nothing. He sighed in a deep manner while getting the map out.
"Whoosh!"
To his surprise and concern, the map burned away, leaving only the burnt papers.
"Did it just burned?"
However, when he was about to leave in disappointment, the color of the water suddenly changed into a dark-greenish hue. It was filled with black lightning and grey haze while the structure suddenly turned into an ancient-looking pool to a skull-filled one, girded with symbols of death such as bones and many more.
"Geez, it's so nasty!"
Mike helplessly put his hand in the water. He is bracing himself for a slimy experience but was surprised when he didn't feel anything related to that at all. In fact, he could feel a swirl of air around him because he was being transferred to the Hex.
***
"Mister Chairman, remember the hunter who defeated the Saintess' group?"
Enzo, who is sitting beside the Chairman before the meeting starts, asked him in a serious tone. He is tapping the tip of his ball pen while he crosses his legs.
"What about that?"
The Chairman did not look at him as he is busy sorting out a set of files in his folders. Nevertheless, his interest did not diminished.
"I think I found him again, yesterday..."
Enzo spoke with concern and interest, reflecting the face of the Chairman who stopped moving as soon as he heard the commander.
"How are you sure that it's him?"
The Chairman looked at him unimpressed, doubting Enzo's words and treating them as unwarranted information.
"The Mana surge that I felt on the battlefield... I experienced it again yesterday when I got near on a particular hunter..."
Enzo bowed his head in respect, assuring the Chairman that what he said is all true. Hw would not be sharing an information, if he is not sure about it.
"What's the name of the hunter?"
The Chairman finally abandoned his sorting of papers and looked at him straightly without blinking.
"Mike Sandoval... That's according to the members of the party that he joined yesterday..."
The North Luzon commander calmly answered, not stuttering. This information could possibly become one of their best find in the last decade.
"Tell the intelligence squadron to find any information about him. Advise them to not disclose anything to the private guilds if ever they knew about that hunter!"
"Understood!"
"Also...," The Chairman exhaled deeply before speaking again, "For now, it would be only the two of us to know of this information! I don't wish to share a gossip without evidence!"
Enzo only nodded in agreeance before fixing his posture again as there is another meeting scheduled with the Association's officers in Bulacan. They were about to reveal another terrible news to the Association...
"Another group of Outsiders escaped from the giant Hex! Our team detected that their target are the northern provinces!"
The Chairman, remaining calm as usual, asked for another information.
"Tell the name of the provinces..."
The commanding officer for the province of Bulacan, handed him a file marked as highly confidential.
"As you can see, the number of escapees are much larger compare before as they are estimated to be at least Ten! Please take a look at the next page!"
Everyone flipped their own copies, not willing to show any form of noise in the midst of situation.
"In order to prevent the repeat of the past, we ensured to put nano-trackers near the entrance to automatically be put on any monsters who will try to escape! That actually paid off as we are able to track their traveling distance and location with minimal ease!"
They went on another page to check it's content. The sound of heart thumping enveloped their sense of hearing.
Still silent.
"The red lines that you see on the map represents the current location of the monsters. As you can see here, each of the escapees are in different provinces-- Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Bataan, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Ilocos Sur, Aurora, Benguet, La Union, and Cagayan!"
The Chairman realized the sheer scale of the crisis and stopped for a moment to choose his next words carefully.
"From these reports, it is safe to assume that the monsters are planning on something isn't it?"
"Yes! That's what I was about to say!"
"I heard that you have exterminated three of them?"
"Yes, thanks to the willingness to help by the commanding officers of the provinces, we are able to kill some of them, however, this is a race against time as if we will not succeed on finding them, we might face a crisis when the Hex will finally open!"
"I understand thank you!"
"Tell the Sarimbal about this, we must try to get their support even if this would be the last time!"
When meeting's finally adjourned, The Chairman called Enzo before he was about to leave. His breath is heavy while speaking.
"Prepare the artifact..."
***
"I'm pretty sure that it was an impulsive move, Ria!"
Ria is currently on the leave to recover from her injuries. Bandages are wrapped around her body.
"You know yourself my goal, Guildmaster..."
Among the officers of the Minokawa, Ria, the Crimson Sorceress, is the only person to talk with the Guildmaster in firm tone. She is a person who doesn't held back on her words even if those words can destroy a person's reputation and self-respect.
She is honest. Too honest that everyone would not dare to challenge her in a word war.
"I understood, Ria! But you don't just pick a death fight with someone like Saintess!"
Ria clenched her fist while staring at the Guildmaster with a judgmental and dismissive look. She really don't like it when someone is advising her about what should and should not do.
"Sillas, I understood your point! But you must be considerate to my perspective! You know that my ultimate goal of joining the Guild is not for you but rather for my revenge..."
Sillas, hearing those words, was taken aback. This is not the first time of hearing those words yet it still struck him in the chest. For him, who continuously deny the fact that he dislike Ria's action, such words meant for him.
He sighed and left without uttering a single word. He cannot find the right expression for his reaction. This feeling-- it feels draining and exhausting. Engaging Ria on a direct confrontation would only make him a subject for frustration.
"Now you're going to leave again? Just because you cannot refute my claims, huh?"
Ria raised from her chair and shouted.
'For God's sake! Find forgiveness in your heart!'
He just looked at the Sorceress again before continuing his walk.
***
*You have entered Metne Fortress (Spectral Chamber)!*
*Information about the Special Hex (Metne Fortress) is not yet complete due to the intruder's level!*
Mike found himself lying on a large concrete room filled with torches, their flames are unusually green, some are even exuding a smoke of the same color. The engineering of it is in the shape of a hexagon-like chamber with intricate designs on the floor, ceiling, and the wall.
Some might say that the room looks and feels like that of the inside of a Pharaoh's tomb, adding to the archaic sensation of the surroundings. Mike is no exception of this, in fact he marveled at the sight of such a wonder.
"Archaeologists would go crazy if they saw this!"
He walked around the room and scanned for any hidden door that would lead to another place. As he scanned, however, he found that there's nothing similar to that on the room. In fact, it seems like it is locked and only serves as the only structure in the Hex.
"Seems like it!"
Mike noticed that on the biggest wall out of the six that obscured the inside, lies a giant skeleton with unusually long arms and short legs, which are folded to possibly support the unusual proportion of the creature. It's skull is also elongated with sharp fangs and horns to the side.
"Fortunately, it's no longer alive!"
Before Mike could go for another walk however, he noticed a small dusty treasure chest on the foot of the Giant. His little curiosity got the better of him and he found himself opening it.
"A crystal?"
A black crystal to be more precise-- So black that no light could penetrate it and Mike knew all of this. He wiped off the dust surrounding it and found that it is shinier when cleaned.
Using the hem of his cloth, he cleaned it and marveled at the unusual beauty of the crystal which he deemed to be one of the best that he ever seen so far. A system notification then popped on his screen, informing him about the item.
*Opal of Oblation*
-Sacrifice your blood and you shall find the answer!
Apart from the notification, the system refused to give him anymore of information. Ordering him only to sacrifice his blood to the crystal if he wants the truth.
"Let's do it, then!"
Just like his usual composure, Mike did not feel any nervousness at all. In fact, he feels more excited which is so unbecoming for him.
Using a normal-grade dagger, he sliced his palm and squeezed it to coat the crystal with all of it. Mike never felt even a slight of pain and sting to the wound, which healed instantly with his Recuperate.
At first, nothing happened. This convinced Mike that the system is playing with him again. Fortunately, at the last minute, he saw the crystal absorbing all the blood and levitating to the air.
"What's happening!"
The ground also started shaking again with the powerful surge of mana the object exuded. He tried to summon K'lung, his powerful shield astra but found it not available.
*The item, K'lung, is prohibited to use!*
Following this, an arrow made out of purple ominous energy almost hit his face. Thankfully, his sharp senses allowed him to dodged it at the short time, saving him from the brink of a possible death.
He then saw the crystal creating thousands of similar arrows to attack him. He was stunned but effortlessly dodged or destroyed all of them.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
He then leaped into the air and trapped the crystal in between of his palms. This, however, did not stop it from thwarting off the ground. Slamming the spectre into the walls relentlessly.
Mike, with his powerful resolve, tightened its grip, aiming to crush the crystal once and for all.
"You're beautiful but I have to crush you!"
*You have activated Tyranny!*
*Activation successful!*
Pulling his hands closer together using his powerful skill, he finally crushed the Crystal.
"I hope that's already the boss!"
Mike, gasping for air, found that there's no notification that he killed the boss, causing him to worry about what other things the Hex can offer.
"If a mere crystal is capable of doing that to me, then I supposed the boss is much more powerful!"
He looked at the crushed shards of the crystal, assessing his decision. Before he could weighed his options however, he found the remnants, floating towards the skeleton.
The remaining energy of the crystal was absorbed by the giant skeleton. Seemingly unharmful at first glance, the skeleton become throbbing as it falls to the ground while generating flesh on it's former lifeless body.
This is the real boss!
As Mike watched it regenerate, he found himself becoming more excited, an alien feeling that he never expected would have he felt.
"What's this feeling?"
He touched his chest but was distracted when he saw the fully generated boss staring at him with its black eyes. The mouth is also filled with Black flames. At the same time, it generated scythe-like blades on its claws. Mike knew already that he is fucked up as the blades looks very sharp just by looking at it.
A system notification then popped up, informing him that the creature is indeed a named-boss.
*Wendigo*
"The warden who guards the entrance to Metne Fortress, the Spectral Chamber."
Rank> S
Attributes>
Defense> 50%
Agility> 55%
Speed> 54%
Strength>58%
Intelligence> 58%
Skills> Secret Arts, Frenzy, Death Circus, ??
Survival Rate> 51%
*Warning! This monster is a zealot of Death God!*
An urgent quest from the system then popped out following the boss's information.
*Urgent System Quest!> Usurper of Death's Crown! (S)
Quest Conditions> Participate to an immortality death game with the six Boss of the special Hex, Metne Fortress. Kill all of them and seal their souls within the incomplete divine artifact, Kalis!
Location(s) of the Bosses>
1. Spectral Chamber- Wendigo
2. Northern Tower- ?
3. Western Tower- ?
4. Eastern Tower- ?
5. Southern Tower- ?
6. The Citadel- ?
Quest Failure> Unable to kill the final boss
Quest Penalty> Death
Quest Rewards>
1. A special hex Map (1)
2. A class-exclusive skill (1)
3. Secret Items*
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
*The information on the item, Map (Metne Fortress), have a new update! Click here!*
"Click!"
-Map Card (Metne Fortress )-
A magic card that acts like a map leading to the (Metne Fortress ), The center of Darkness and Suffering where the God of Death and his Four Sages reside.
Type- Map
Difficulty- Unknown
Duration- None
*The item information is now complete!*
"Just like what I thought, there's a God here!"
Mike finally confirmed his hypothesis when he saw the information. Furthermore, it is now a fact that the Kalis is an Astra affiliated with the bosses of this Hex.
"If my speculations are true, then I might also unlock some of my sealed items and magic!"
Excitement enveloped his overall expression but that was only short-lived as a blade almost hit him in the face. It was the boss!
*The boss, Wendigo, activated the skill, Special Arts!*
The chamber suddenly transmutated as the walls began to exhibit a distortion while the flooring seems to be altering on its form. The Wendigo, meanwhile summoned his ghost army, implying that he is about to unshackle the hell out of the place.
*The temporary skill, "Uncanny Immortality", was unlocked!*
*Click here for the skill information!*
"Click!"
-Uncanny Immortality (S)-
>A special skill exclusive inside the hex, Metne Fortress! You may die and be revived multiple times!
"I don't have to mind dying here!"
He tried to summon K'lung and K'filan but found out that the system do not permit it.
*You have summoned, K'lung and K'filan!*
*Summoning failed!*
Mike, already aware of this fact, only sighed as he summoned the Kalis to be used on his fight.
"Let's kill each other!"
*You have activated Marksmanship!*
Secretly holding the five dagger weapons on his sleeve, he first thrown thousands of nails and weaker projectiles towards the boss to test out the effectiveness of his attacks.
*The boss (Wendigo) nullified the attack!*
"This is bad! My most effective skill is useless against this guy!"
He then drew out the Kalis to engage in a close-range battle. Unfortunately, the boss sensed his incoming collision, causing it to evade him with an overwhelming reaction speed.
"How could it be so fa-"
Before he could even notice it, the boss impaled him right in the chest.
*You have recovered!*
Mike was about to make his attack again, but once more, the boss just evaded him and impaled him, this time, on his shoulder.
*You have recovered!*
"I cannot let myself be impaled! My recovery skill is not yet back at 99.9%!"
Apart from the strange power the boss holds, the chance of the skill, Recuperate, activating fell down after his fight with the Sarimbal elites. Although it is beyond fifty percent, there is still a risk that it might not activate the moment he receive another damage.
"How do I defeat this thing?"
Mike then thought of something...
*You have activated Conceptualization!*
*Analyzing the target...*
***
"We'll cooperate with the association, just this time..."
Trace's words sparked an assurance to the Chairman as soon as he let out those words.
"Good decision..."
The Chairman sipped on his coffee while sitting at the center-most chair in the meeting room. Officials from all over the Philippines, including some important cabinet members joined them. Their aim is only one thing-- prevent the surge of escapees from happening.
"As you all aware of, we still can't find the remaining escapees on the far-north provinces..."
Enzo, serving as the host for the meeting, told them with a grim and worried voice.
"What do you think should we do?"
The chairman frowned while asking him.
"We stick to the plan. We make sure that all preparations are done before forming a powerful raid team, comprising our S and X-rank hunters as soon as possible!"
Enzo stood firm in the original plan. In less than two weeks, the association should scramble and receive all the help that they can get in this raid.
"That sounds like a good plan. However, you missed out the part of ensuring their supports, didn't you?"
All eyes are on Enzo, the mind behind the strategy of this raid.
"What if I told you that this creatures possess some kind of valuable?"
The former dismissive officials on the meeting suddenly became intrigued at Enzo's words.
"You may take over for now, Trace!"
The commander of North Luzon called Trace to present something extraordinary. In response, the Guildmaster stood up while panting heavily. He is holding something on his right hand that's covered in a black cloth.
"I'm going to kill you!"
He jokingly threatened Enzo while walking towards near the projector.
"Thump!"
When he finally reached that part of the room, he immediately placed the mysterious thing on the small table and told them something.
"This thing that I'm holding right now is not something that you'll see everyday..."
He then lifted the cloth covering the thing.
"What the hell is that?"
"Impossible!"
What everyone saw, made their faces crumpled. They were forced to stood from their seat in astonishment.
"Our Guild had purchased this particular Hex and up until now, we hold the authority over it! So, if you'd like to get your hands in one of these, I suggest you join first our endeavor to destroy the monsters inside that Hex!"
Faces of shock filled Trace's eyes as he returned on his seat.
"You're too greedy, Guildmaster Trace! You should keep in mind the benefits that thing can offer to the people..."
The national defense secretary argued with him.
Trace frowned at the official while thinking something.
'Of course it's the Government again...'
"With all due respect, Secretary Garcia, we are doing this not because we wanted to keep it on ourselves, we are doing this because we wanted everyone to cooperate with us on this raid..."
Trace scoffed at the thought of the Government, seeking to take again the credit and treasures while not doing anything at all!
"From our perspective, the Government is also the reason why the entirety of Pasig is not yet habitable. Because of your lack of support and funding, we were not able to stop it immediately..."
The secretary was not able to refute any of his argument as they were undeniably pure facts. He just sat there silent.
"The same thing applies to everyone here. What have you done during those times when more than a thousand of people are being slaughtered by the monsters?"
Silence met his words.
"And now you suddenly wanted to take a fair share of our treasures without committing anything? Just how thick are your nerves for you to say such despicable things?"
More silence. They all bowed their heads in dismay and embarrassment.
The Chairman nor Enzo stopped him. They knew about the horrors of Pasig Black Hex and they themselves held a grudge against the Government.
"You wanted our treasure? You sacrificed yourselves!"
***
*You have activated Dagger Mastery!*
Unable to inflict a major damage to the boss, Mike became impatient.
"If the Guildmaster of Birang Guild would face this creature, he would surely have a hard time..."
To make such comparisons, Mike is surely having a difficulty defeating it using all of his skills.
'If the first boss was this powerful, I doubt I would be able to even enter the actual fortress...'
*You have suffered a damage!*
*You have recovered!*
*You have suffered a damage!*
*Recuperate failed to activate on the damage area!*
"Shit!"
The moment that he feared came while he is in the middle of the battle. One of the instances when Recuperate would not activate, took a huge toll on his physique.
"I should have been able to damage it from with-"
"Khoff!"
He suddenly found himself floating into the air because of the boss's right claw impaling him.
"Fuck, it hurts!"
*You have suffered a damage!*
*You have recovered!*
*Your Health Points falls below critical level!*
*You have suffered a damage!*
*You have recovered!*
*Your Health Points falls 0!*
"Shi-"
He can feel the claw of the boss rapturing every of his internal organs, causing him to be incapacitated. His muscles are visibly torn apart while his eyes have now turned bloody from the tremendous amount of damage.
"Kriek!"
The claws reached the inside of his neck, enabling the boss to pull out his tongue from inside while piercing both of his eyes.
Mike was killed. He was dead before he even knew it!
But then a system message popped up, signaling that there is still a chance for him.
*The temporary skill, Uncanny Immortality, was activated!*
*Your HP recovered!*
*You are now resurrected!*
The boss, after pulling out his claws from Mike suddenly felt a sharp pain on his arm, when he tried to feel the said arm, he couldn't reach it, only to find that It was now missing.
"Growl!"
It then looked up to the ceiling where Mike is now brimming with extreme bloodlust.
"No one had agitated me more than you!"
The spectre then raised his hands and summoned thousands of his dagger from the primordial box and hurled it towards the boss.
*You have activated Marksmanship!*
*You have activated Tyranny!*
*Activation successful!*
"Die, horned fucker!"