Shifter - Infinite Transformation-Chapter 47: Monster Army

I didn’t have any details about the Hnoll army. All I knew was what I’d seen earlier: dozens of Hnoll groups coming down from the north. They didn’t head toward the human camp right away but seemed to know about it. Maybe they’d scouted the soldiers and hunters earlier and wanted to engage them in smaller skirmishes.

Then again, it was also possible that the human soldiers were in this part of the Eserian because of the Hnolls. One way or another, I had to inform the grove about this.

I need more information.

It felt like there was more to the human camp than it let on. Something urged me to return to the camp and check it out once more, almost like a whisper in the back of my head.

After waiting until the gaping hole in my appendage was no longer bleeding, I transformed into a Kerink once more. Flapping my wings hurt, but I burst into the sky and returned to the camp. This time, however, my attention was not only on the tents and people within the encampment but on the area around it as well. I kept as much distance from everyone as possible while flying around the perimeter, inspecting it thoroughly.

That was when my attention shifted to the cages near the camp’s center. I almost didn’t notice them, with how they blended in among the surrounding tents, yet they became all the more apparent once I realized they were there. Cages of all small and medium sizes.

And within them were monsters, most of which I had never seen before. One appeared to be a mole covered in crystals. Another was a creature made entirely of stone. There were many more than that. However, there were also fae. At least, I was fairly certain they were fae. The creatures resembled the Flower Fairies and some of the smaller fae I’d seen in the grove, though those were only similarities. I was too far away to be certain.

Then I noticed the thing that should have caught my attention first.

A doorway in the middle of the encampment.

And not just any doorway, but one made of Essence. It was semi-transparent, streaked with thick violet hues, and towered high above the tents.

At first, it struck me as odd. There wasn’t supposed to be a doorway in this place, yet it looked almost natural where it stood–as if it belonged there.

And why is it protected so well?

That made no sense either. Until my reeling mind finally caught up to what kind of invaluable treasure I was looking at.

A dungeon entrance.

My heart skipped a beat when it finally clicked.

The Eserian has a dungeon entrance?!

My eyes widened, and I nearly forgot to flap my wings. If anyone had been watching from below, they would have definitely noticed that I was no ordinary monster. I stumbled mid-air and had to swing my tiny wings violently to stay aloft.

Meanwhile, my heart raced wildly.

The Eserian had a dungeon. That explained everything; he surplus of Essence in the forest, the sudden mutations and evolutions. Everything made sense now. It wasn’t the Eserian itself that had created all the pests and monstrosities, but the dungeon.

But what kind of dungeon gate was down there, guarded by no fewer than a dozen tough-looking men?

Was it the gate to the Great Depths? Or the Endless Expanse? Then again, it might just as well be the entrance to the Heavenly Tower. I had never seen an entrance to any of the Grand Dungeons, so the gate below could belong to any of them.

But why did that matter?

The answer was fairly simple.

Each of the Grand Dungeons offered a different kind of challenge. Following that principle, the difficulty varied vastly depending on which one you chose. The Tower, for instance, was mostly conquered alone due to the exponential growth of Essence gains and reward distribution.

Rewards. That was what everyone who entered the Grand Dungeons sought. Danger was ever-present, both from the dungeons themselves and from Divers of all realms, but the rewards made it all worth it.

After all, Powers could be found within the Grand Dungeons. They were said to be gifts of the gods, created by combining their might to grant mortals the means to change their fate.

Yet Powers were only one of many invaluable treasures hidden within the Grand Dungeons, which only made their entrances all the more valuable.

Fanatics claimed that the Grand Dungeons led to the Godlands, for they contained creatures that could not be found anywhere else. Perhaps they weren’t entirely wrong. However, it was commonly known that our realm wasn’t the only one with access to them. We were merely one of many realms created by the gods, all meant to be connected through the Grand Dungeons.

As unfortunate as that was, the Netherworld was included.

It was known to be nefarious, yet it too was one of the gods’ creations. A failure–a mistake–yet it endured, connected to the Great Depths.

But none of that truly mattered.

The treasures one could obtain were endless, and so was the power a dungeon entrance promised. And that was the problem.

Monsters were drawn to dungeon entrances just as much as intelligent races. Not because they wished to enter the Grand Dungeons, but because they could remain nearby and absorb the Essence the dungeon emitted naturally.

The humans wanted the dungeon for themselves, and it appeared they were not particularly fond of sharing their gains with the Hnolls. Nor were the Hnolls interested in resolving the matter peacefully. They sought the dungeon’s Essence as well.

It shouldn’t have surprised me, yet I froze mid-flight once more when a cacophony of cackling noises reverberated through the area. It echoed everywhere and stirred the human camp awake.

Moments later, Hnolls burst through the thicket. They rushed into the large clearing, their bodies riddled with cuts and arrows, their blades already drenched in blood. Their fight against the humans had begun much earlier. They’d hunted the hunters outside the clearing and now didn’t hesitate to move on the camp itself.

If only it had been that easy.