Chapter 192: Something Big Is Coming

The enormous hologram of the world floated above the center of the hangar.

Several violet dots glowed across the map, scattered throughout different continents. Some were small and barely visible, while others emitted an intense light that pulsed slowly.

James raised a hand and zoomed in on the image.

"These dots represent the dungeons that have undergone alterations over the past few weeks. As you can see, this phenomenon isn’t limited to any specific region."

The hunters exchanged glances.

"Have all those dungeons evolved to SS-Rank?" Tim asked.

"Not exactly," James replied.

"Some have reached that rank. Others have undergone changes to their internal structures, energy fluctuations, or abnormal monster behavior. However, they all have one thing in common."

James made a gesture.

Violet lines appeared between several points on the map.

"Their energy levels are connected."

Amber frowned.

"You mean one dungeon can affect another even if they’re thousands of miles apart?"

"That’s what our data suggests."

James zoomed in on a region of the map. Several lines connected nearby points, but some stretched across vast distances.

"At first, we thought the alterations were independent phenomena. However, after analyzing the reports from all six squads, we discovered that the energy fluctuations in certain dungeons coincide with those in others. In some cases, they even seem to respond to one another."

Liam studied the lines and remembered the enormous tower he’d seen in that unknown dimension. He also recalled the creature that had tried to open a rift to escape, along with the silhouette that had watched them from the other side.

And above all, he remembered the image Lydia had involuntarily produced after evolving.

Another tower.

Pix floated in front of the hologram.

"Dungeons aren’t simply enclosed spaces. Their interiors can belong to other dimensions. Some of them function as bridges between those places and our world."

Jane studied the little fairy.

"And are these connections increasing?"

"Yes," Pix replied.

"But there’s something even more concerning. Some of these connections are beginning to strengthen one another."

Wayne frowned.

"What exactly does that mean?"

"It means that not all connections behave like independent doors. Some seem to be part of a much larger network."

Silence spread throughout the hangar.

Don Rouch was the first to break it.

"Then what we’ve been dealing with could be the result of a much larger phenomenon."

"Exactly," James replied.

◇◆◇

Captain Armstrong gestured for them to continue.

"I want to hear every squad’s report. We’ll start with Jane."

Jane stepped forward.

"My squad found significant alterations in the structure of our dungeon. Some areas changed as we advanced, and there were concentrations of energy that hadn’t appeared in our initial scans."

James nodded as he recorded the information.

"And what happened after you defeated the boss?"

"The dungeon began to destabilize, but the process was different from that of a normal dungeon. Some areas disappeared before others, as if the structure were gradually losing its connections."

"That matches our observations," James replied.

Wayne’s turn came next.

"In our case, the monsters adapted to our attacks at a worrying rate. Some could recover by absorbing energy from their surroundings. Even when we managed to inflict severe injuries, all they had to do was stay near certain energy concentrations, and they would begin regenerating."

Liam immediately remembered the creature his squad had fought.

"We saw something similar."

Wayne nodded.

"We also noticed fluctuations just before the monsters attacked, as if they could sense changes in the dungeon before we could."

Amber spoke up.

"My team found several areas where the energy levels increased for no apparent reason. At first, we thought it was a characteristic of the boss, but the concentrations continued to grow even after we moved away from it."

James enlarged the map.

One of the violet dots began pulsing more intensely.

"This is one of the locations Amber mentioned. The readings show an increase in energy that can’t be explained by the monsters’ presence alone."

Don Rouch studied the image.

"We found something similar. In our dungeon, several areas seemed to share the same energy flow. When we destroyed one of the structures supplying energy to the monsters, the behavior of other creatures changed almost immediately."

"In what way?" Jane asked.

"Some lost part of their regenerative abilities. Others became more aggressive. It was as if we’d disrupted a connection they depended on."

James made a note of the information.

"This could mean that certain creatures receive energy from specific points within a dungeon, or even from external sources."

Timothy crossed his arms.

"In my case, the creature tried to open a dimensional rift when it started running out of energy."

Everyone turned toward him.

"A rift?" Amber asked.

"Yes. It was absorbing energy from its surroundings to recover, but when we stopped it from doing so, it began concentrating energy at a single point in space. The rift opened behind it."

Tim paused.

"There was something on the other side."

Maya, who had been listening from her squad, nodded.

"We saw it for a few seconds. We couldn’t identify what it was, but the creature seemed to want to escape through that opening."

Liam clenched his fists slightly.

’Just like the one we saw.’

Armstrong turned toward him.

"Davis. Your turn."

Liam stepped forward.

"Our squad discovered an enormous structure resembling a tower, surrounded by energy. We also fought a creature that regenerated its wounds by absorbing energy from plants and the ground."

James projected a second image.

The silhouette of the tower appeared above the map, reconstructed from Liam’s description.

"Was this the structure?" he asked.

Liam nodded.

"Yes. The creature was guarding the place, although we don’t know if that was its original purpose. When we managed to weaken it, it began absorbing energy from a dimensional connection."

Pix floated over to the image.

"And when Lydia absorbed some of that energy, the creature lost its ability to recover."

Liam glanced at the pixie.

"After that, we managed to defeat it and destroy the connection."

James changed the image.

A rough representation of the second tower Lydia had manifested appeared on the hologram.

Its resemblance to the first was unmistakable.

"However..." Liam continued, "after we returned, Lydia produced an image of another dimension. There was a second tower, very similar to this one."

The hunters began murmuring among themselves.

"A second tower?" Wayne asked.

"Yes. And before the image disappeared, we heard a voice."

Liam fell silent for a moment.

"It only said a few words: ’...they found it...’"

The murmuring spread throughout the hangar.

Jane looked at James.

"Do you have any idea who it was referring to?"

"No, not yet..." the instructor replied.

Pix lowered her gaze slightly.

"I don’t know who spoke either. But there’s something I can confirm."

Everyone looked at her.

"The dimensional connections are responding to one another. What happens in one can affect the others. And based on what we’ve seen, this process is accelerating."

◇◆◇

James enlarged the hologram once more.

Violet lines spread between the energy concentrations. Some connected to points that didn’t correspond to any known dungeon.

Gradually, the map began to resemble an enormous network.

"These are the data we’ve managed to gather," James explained.

"And this is what concerns me the most."

He pointed to the new lines.

"Some of these connections don’t correspond to any registered dungeon. We have no proof that they’re stable portals, but the energy readings indicate that something is beginning to form."

Amber stared at the map.

"What if it happens in a city?"

James took a moment to respond.

"Then we could face a threat without having a dungeon to contain it or a structure we could destroy to close the connection."

The atmosphere grew much heavier.

Until now, dungeons had served as a kind of boundary. Although their monsters posed a danger, there was an entrance that could be monitored and a structure that disappeared once certain conditions were met.

But if connections could open anywhere...

The situation would be completely different.

Don Rouch adjusted his gloves.

"Is there any way to prevent this?"

"For now, we don’t know where the network originates," James replied.

"Destroying a connection can interrupt the energy flow in an area, but we don’t know whether that’s enough to stop the entire phenomenon."

Liam remembered Pix’s words.

’If we destroy the connection point, we might be able to sever all the connections.’

But that had only been a possibility, not a certainty.

And after seeing the second tower, he was no longer sure that destroying a single connection would be enough.

Captain Armstrong remained silent for several seconds.

Then he turned toward James.

"How much time do we have?"

"I can’t give you a precise answer."

"And what could come through them?"

James lowered his gaze to the hologram.

"We don’t know."

Pix didn’t answer either.

Liam watched the violet dots and remembered the creature’s words.

’Life...’

His gaze involuntarily shifted toward Lydia, who was standing beside the rest of their squad.

She smiled at him calmly.

Liam returned her smile, although a persistent uneasiness continued to grow inside him.

He didn’t know who had spoken those words.

Nor did he know why certain creatures seemed to react so strangely to Lydia’s energy.

But one thing was certain: he wouldn’t let anything happen to his wife.

Armstrong stepped forward.

"Then we’ll stop waiting for the threats to come to us."

The six sub-captains raised their heads.

The captain studied the map one last time before turning to everyone present.

"You’ve done your duty by confronting these dungeons. Now we need to discover what’s happening and prepare for whatever comes next."

His expression hardened.

"And if these connections pose a threat to our world, we can’t limit ourselves to reacting every time a new one appears."

James looked at the captain.

"What do you propose?"

Armstrong answered without taking his eyes off the hunters.

"It’s time for me to get personally involved."

The hangar fell silent.

Liam watched the captain.

That decision meant the situation had reached a level of severity none of them could afford to ignore.

And judging by Armstrong’s expression, it seemed they still hadn’t seen the worst of it.