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A group of beast-kin armed with many magic accessories, equipment, and weapons descended through large stairs within a large ad dark dungeon, barely illuminated by the small torches stuck over the walls.

They were a group of five, small enough to be able to go through the thin corridors of the dungeon and big enough to be able to withstand the armies of monsters that would sometimes emerge.

However, the biggest challenge they faced was not the monsters until very late in the dungeon exploration, but the directions of the room, which were constantly changing.

Even with advanced mapping artifacts, it was incredibly hard to guide themselves through this dungeon, which was a complete labyrinth on its own.

Being capable of interchanging rooms as if the whole place were a Rubik Cube, the dungeon always deceived anyone that tried to enter it, many of the adventurers would only be able to go as far before they were to step into the wrong room and be sent to the very beginning.

However, after many months of researching, investigating, reporting, and more, the group had finally managed to reach the last room, which harbored the powerful Rank 4 Dark Shadow Wyvern King Boss.

Although the entire group was Rank 3 Peak Stage, thanks to the many artifacts crafted by their benefactor and master, they were able to get through such a big challenge, at last, defeating the giant beast, butchering it, saving it inside a spatial storage ring, and finally moving forward…

They were tired, and many had just healed some of their wounds, while two of them were almost dead, being mortally wounded and having their wounds just barely healed enough for them to live…

The battle was chaotic, but they pulled out a victory, nonetheless.

And as they descend through the stairs, step by step, they came closer and closer to the desired prize.

They came through a hidden passage that didn't even open when they defeated the Boss, which was opened by one of the artifacts given to them, named "Key of Secret Paths", an ancient artifact which was made by an Ancient Sage belonging to an old era.

The party quickly began to feel a strange, brilliant essence covering their bodies.

Alongside the strong scent of plants.

"It is… here… I can sense it…"

"Me too…!"

"At last, our lord will finally revive!"

The group began to run downstairs as they quickly reached the last stair, two of them fell headfirst into the ground, but the moment they stood up, a sudden yellow light covered their wounds, and they began to heal almost immediately.

Those that raised their eyes from the ground were greeted by a beautiful sight of a brilliant and healthy tree, an ash tree.

Its bark was brown and old, and its branches were erecting upwards gracefully as if it were welcoming them by opening its arms.

Thousands of beautiful leaves decorated the three, and it held beautiful white flowers growing over the branches which released this yellow essence, capable of healing most wounds and even cure diseases.

This tree…

"T-This is it! This is the tree… The Tree of Rebirth!" said one of the men, as he felt his legs growing weaker, falling over the ground.

All of his companions started to cry with tears of happiness, they had experienced hell for so long so they could finally revive their malevolent master… and finally, finally! They would finally be able to do so!

Bringing such an amazing expert at magic such as an Ancient Sage back to life was an immense feat by itself, and even more, as he wanted to come back with a new and immortal body!

And now, they had finally found the very last ingredient…

With the Tree of Rebirth, the Jewel of Eternal Life, and the other materials he had gathered, it was finally possible to form the mythical formation of rebirth and come back with a new and powerful body.

It was finally time for their lord, Necron, to come back to this world!

The group quickly began to inspect the tree, thinking how they would be able to take it out of this place.

"Should we cut it into pieces?"

"What?! No, idiot! We need to take it out from its roots…"

The men glanced at the roots which were deeply seeped into the dungeon floor itself… how would they be able to even take it out?

"Don't worry, Master has given us an artifact to even deal with that!" said another.

"Master has really worked about everything!" said a second one.

One of the men, a black cat-kin took away a small, blue-colored crystal ball, which was a space attribute artifact that could instantly store any other artifact it touched as long as the wielder permitted it.

The black cat-kin slowly walked near the tree as some of the others quickly sent a magic message through another artifact to their master, alerting them that they had finally found the Tree of Rebirth.

Everything was now going perfectly, and there was absolutely no way that they could ever go wrong, at all.

However, as the men celebrated, right within the shadows of the room, merging with it, a large, spherical entity glared at them silently.

It had a crimson pupil and even little bat wings.

It was glancing at it motionlessly.

And then…

Flash.

It disappeared and was replaced by another figure… the figure of a man.

"Can I take a look first? I think it has something weird…"

The men suddenly stopped chatting happily, as even the black catkin dropped the artifact the moment he heard the stranger's voice.

All of them slowly moved their faces towards the origin of the voice, their necks cracking robotically.

"Eh?"

All of them glanced at the smiling figure of a young man, with brown hair and aquamarine eyes, wearing some casual clothes, and not even chainmail.

How did he even get here, to begin with?

They couldn't even understand.

He slowly walked near them, as the men began to panic.

"W-Who are you?!" they asked, readying their magic and magic weapons.

"I am the rightful owner of that tree. Now, don't bother me," sighed the man, as his eyes flashed with bright yellow light and all the five men were suddenly crushed into the ground by an immense gravitational force!

BOOOM!!!

"Unngggaaggh…!"

The man kept walking near the tree and touched it.

"Hm. I am glad to have finally found you… Now, go inside the Inventory," he sighed.

Flash.

A second after, the tree disappeared.

"Eh?! What?!"

"He took it away…!"

"Give it back! Give it back!"

"I said that it was mine, and so it is mine," said the young man.

The almighty artifact was stolen… right in front of their noses!

"No! Give it back!"

"We worked so hard…! Who are you anyway?!"

"Why did you come here? What's your purpose?!"

"Do you know about master?!"

"Of course I know about your master. I am his greatest enemy, actually. And I am about to ruin his entire plan starting from now," said the young man, his yellow eyes shining with brilliant light as the men realized the enormous bloodthirst that was actually behind his calm smile!

"Now, I have to take you down, your souls are coming with me, however," he said, as a second after, the souls of the men willingly moved out of their very bodies and were absorbed by his hand!

"Now then, old demon, what will you do now?" he wondered, as he teleported away.

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