Mathew sat in the passenger seat of the vehicle with his arms crossed. His eyes danced around the few bits of sky he could see through the overhead trees looking for any sign of the Hearth Crystal, Imps, or anything really. Lucas was driving the vehicle, an off road truck. It wasn’t fast, but Mathew was assured it was their best solution other than using their own two feet.

There was no room for error now, his eyes rarely blinking. He was afraid of missing something important. A red wing, a branch broken, perhaps even seeing the entire crystal being carried off. He didn’t even risk looking over his Menu, seeing if he had any gains. There was no point, anything that could have upgraded wouldn’t have an upgrade, nor would a few extra stat points he would need to assign the points after his level up putting him at 19.

“We are going to make it, please relax Mathew.” Lucas said.

“No we are not. You know damn well he is going to shoot me dead, or order his people to. He didn’t exactly paint me as a good guy.”

Lucas chuckled, “Well it’s because you aren't. I’m not saying you are a bad person, but not a good one. You are a bit selfish, greedy, and until recently, lazy.”

Mathew didn’t bother responding.

“What’s the plan if Payne doesn’t attack you? What if he asks questions first?”

“He won’t, trust me.” Mathew had no clue if Lucas knew what Mr. Melton told him. So he didn’t feel the need to find out. Besides, it wouldn’t change anything.

It was just their car zooming through the forest. They were following the cleared path made by the tanks and foot soldiers. They were lucky for this cleared path, or it would take twice, maybe even three times longer to traverse the forest.

In the backseat sat Jeffrey in a single seat. Next to him was Holly. Samuel and everyone else stayed back. Holly very much didn’t trust the wolf, but never said so out loud. Wispy and Whis were floating next to Mathew’s head. Nobody had time to figure out the physics on how they stayed there, nor cared.

Mathew was sternly told to still not take any pills. Samuel mentioned that doing so now will make them worthless in later fights. She did her best to top him off physically. It was his mana that would be his crux. If he could, he would be napping to rest properly. Sleep recovered the body and mind the quickest apparently, which made sense to Mathew.

With his leg shaking impatiently, Mathew let out a huff. “Can’t we go any faster?”

“Not unless you want us to risk damaging the vehicle or crashing.” Lucas said neutrally. He knew Mathew was tense, he filled them in on what Mr. Melton informed him of.

“I agree with Mathew, drive faster.” Holly said.

Lucas shook his head disappointedly, but the engine increased in sound as the gas pedal was slightly pressed down further.

Leo licked the sweat off his upper lip. This was the final push toward the large hammer wielding Infernal named Pitruddix according to Damien. The Infernals were strong fighters, barely just one or two levels below everyone here. Damien’s skill [Analyze], allowed him to pick out the levels of those he examined, thanks to a recent upgrade, so long as they were not that much higher level than him.

Pitruddix had a question mark next to his name according to Damien, which meant he was at least Level 19. He could see General Payne’s Level which was 18. The Imp, Agnox, was only Level 15. The fact these were only the minibosses did not bode well for the Level of the actual Boss of this Dungeon.

He cast a [Cleanse] spell over himself to remove the green blood from his body. He was down to just a handful of magically infused shells for his gun. After those it would be normal stock, but thankfully still system approved ammunition. He had been doing his best to use his axe to conserve ammo.

Captain Henderson flicked her sword to remove the gunk off of it. “Big fight time everyone. Pull up your panties, it's go time!”

Everyone nodded at once. They had numbers in their favor, this should be a quick and dirty fight. The field between them and the giant Infernal was clear. Damien and Lindsey had both long lost sight of Agnox, and Damien was in charge of keeping an eye on their backs. They intended to end this fight quickly.

Zack raised his shield and ran ahead with Henderson right behind him with her two handed sword ready to deliver a heavy blow.

Pitruddix shook his head and pulled out something from a pocket on his armor. It looked like a whistle. He blew into it, but no sound was heard by any of them. They all continued their charge but Zack stopped when several large beasts started to run toward them from where the Portal was.

It was several dozen yards away, but that distance was laughable for the giant wolves. Henderson halted instantly and her eyes went wide. She had seen these same wolves, their dead corpses being hauled out of a cave just a few minutes from where they fought right now.

“These are the same ones Mathew killed in that den!” She shouted. “One, Two, Four, Seven!” She counted mentally. “There are Seven!”

“Why can’t we get a damned break?” Leo asked out loud.

Lindsen and Damien didn’t skip a beat and started to fire their respective ranged weapons at the beasts. Only a couple projectiles hit their marks before a melee started. They were all back to back and side by side to one another. Damien, Brown, and Lindsey were in the center. Madison, Henderson, Leo, and Zack on the southside either dealing damage or blocking attacks.

Henderson shouted as she activated her heavy hitting sword ability. The blade glowed briefly with power as she swung horizontally leaving behind a deep gouge in the red furred beast. She was quick on the back swing, but missed as her target stepped back to avoid another dangerous swipe.

Leo let loose two shots from his gun before dropping it in favor of his Axe. He had no ability to work with it, but his Skill was showing how strong it was. On the cusp of Beginner Rank, he had grown a familiarity with it even with his shotgun. It lacked the reach of Henderson’s blade, but when it connected, it had a far stronger yield in power. The heavy weapon left behind both cuts and broken bones.

Zack focused purely on defending. His giant shield, a wall no wolf could push back against. Madison was moving rapidly around him, using him as a pillar of protection. Wolves would jump to Zack’s sides but would receive an arrow or bolt to the side. If either of those were lacking in the moment, a foot or elbow would connect with them.

This didn’t mean they fought unscathed. Wolves were predators, they naturally knew how to fight as a pack. These Infernal enhanced ones were just that much stronger. They found the weakest link, but needed to create an opening.

Three wolves rushed toward Leo, then suddenly a fourth wolf appeared. All of them surrounded him while the other three kept Zack and Henderson too busy to help him. Brown only had a small handgun to shoot with, and used it primarily for defense when healing couldn’t be delivered or was unneeded. The three ranged fighters did their best, but the wolves swarmed Leo.

“Ahhh!” His screams of pain were louder than the sounds of battle.

Everyone was in a panic, ranks were broken as they moved to help him. It was that moment of unfocus that opened the group to their real target: Madison.

Two wolves lunged for her, each snagging a limb in their jaws. They dragged her away, kicking and screaming. Zack, with a burst of speed nobody would expect from the tank, was suddenly next to her swinging a Hammer down onto a wolves head. Henderson kept her focus on her current objective of saving Leo. She swung a blade downward, severing the head of a wolf. She let out a scream of rage and continued to lash out while both Damien and Brown helped her. Lindsen had turned her focus to aid Madison and Zack, shooting arrow after arrow.

Leo struggled to fight back and swing his axe, but the maws kept biting at him, making him unable to focus properly. There was a brief moment he felt himself start to fade away, but a surge of healing magic from Brown kept him alive. He had no clue why he didn’t go unconscious from the pain.

Was it the screams of Madison, his only friend that was a link to his sister who also remembers his sister other than Mathew? Was it his determination to remain alive? In the end, he knew what fueled him, it was his promise to his sister, Isabella. He couldn’t die here, that would make him break his promise. He never lied to his sister, and he wouldn’t do it here and now.

Another wolf died, the body falling on top of him. His arm, now free, gripped his axe with strength that a lumberjack would be envious of. He swung it across his body with full force and connected with the wolf's skull, the maw around his shoulder went slack as the wolf died.

The bolts and bullets from Brown and Daimen soon ended the last wolf with the aid of Henderson’s own attacks. More healing energy surrounded Leo as he sat up.

Leo watched Henderson turn and run toward Zack but there was no point. There was only one wolf left, it was now standing next to Pitruddix.

“Well done,” Pitruddix said. “I’m surprised you all escaped alive from that. I suppose your earthly canines are still weaker than the ones from my home planet. They don’t even have an elemental affinity! Bah, we might as well get this over with.” He lifted his hammer up with two arms and readied it for a swing.

“Fuck you!” Leo shouted, “Why even attack us? What did we do to you?” Nobody questioned how they understood the Infernal, it just wasn’t something they cared about right then.

“Ha! Many reasons. Too bad you won’t be alive to learn of them.” and with those words Pitruddix rushed forward at the split party, aiming for the defenseless group of Leo, Brown, Damien, and Lindsey.

“Oh no you don’t!” Henderson shouted and moved to intercept him. She positioned her blade to swing at the large guy. He didn't even bother looking at her as he side stepped her attack.

“Your form is horrendous, still in the Beginner rank for it eh?” He smirked as he swung his hammer downward toward Henderson’s skull. She ducked and rolled away. Everyone who could walk was moving closer together. Madison was using Zack as a crutch, getting closer to Brown so he could heal her.

Leo stood up, he was still damaged but could still fight damn it. Damien and Lindsey were already getting to work, both of them attacking the large Infernal. Leo picked up his shotgun and pumped it to load a fresh shell into the chamber.

“Listen here, Four Arms. This is our planet. If you think we are going to let you mow us down and take it over, you are in for a surprise!” He fired from his hip at the large target, the holy infused attack leaving marks on the grey armor it wore.

“You little shit, your fucking godling.” He turned to face Leo.

“Ha! I was right!” Zack shouted as he moved to the fight. “Lindsey owes me a hundred Currency! Infernals are weak to radiant damage!”

“It’s Holy you dipshit!” Lindsen shouted, “And focus on the fight for shit’s sake!”

Nobody else had a moment to banter as everyone but Madison and Brown were now in the fight. Even for the five of them, Pittrudix barely had a problem fighting them.

Zack did his best to take hits with his shield, but a hand would move it out of the way, or he would maneuver to hit someone else out of his reach of protection. Henderson and Leo did their best to dodge attacks, yet that hammer was fast. For such a heavy weapon the Infernal made it look light as a feather.

Little did the Humans know, while they had the numbers there was one thing Pittrudix had over them. Experience and Items. He was decked out in enchanted and high tier gear for his level. Armor, Hammer, rings and elixirs. He even received a temporary buff for fighting with one of his beasts.

The Wolf’s job was simple, ensuring they couldn't form ranks. Keep running in, attacking or feinting, then run away. Pittrudix was enjoying the fight. His blood was pumping, he felt alive. He was born for this, raised to fight and lead. A true general of war.

Yet they had a damned godling with them. A person blessed by a god in some form. That was his first target to remove, and those wolves almost took him out. Pittrudix swung his hammer in a downward angle and activated a skill.

The crushing blow that landed on the ground released a shockwave that pushed everyone back from him. Only Leo landed on his feat and was soon back in the melee with the enemy Infernal. Attack after attack from his shotgun or axe left behind a searing pain on his body.

“Curse our ancestral blood.” Pittrudix thought to himself as he reached out with an arm to block the incoming axe attack. He shoved the weapon to the side as his hammer swung rapidly from the other side with his other two arms.

Leo took the blow into his side, his armor doing little to protect him against the bludgeoning force. Bones broken and his left arm hung limp, his gun falling to the ground. Leo stepped back and growled through the pain.

Henderson yelled as she activated her skill to empower her strike and sliced into the armor of her target. Pittrudix grimaced in pain. He did not expect them to get through the tough hide armor, yet here it happened. It wouldn’t matter, he kept his focus on Leo.

Another hammer swing narrowly avoided hitting Leo. He darted forward with his axe held high to get inside Pittrudix’s reach, making it awkward and hard to swing the weapon. He swung hard with his axe leaving behind a green blooded slash.

Everyone was dogpiling on their target and Pittrudix now felt overwhelmed. “Enough games, time to end this.”

He reached his weapon high for an overhead swing, aiming right for Leo. “Hammer, meet nail!” The weapon glowed with power, as he activated yet another ability.

The downward force was fast, faster than even Zack could react to activate his skill. However, not fast enough for Madison. She was running with her feet ablaze to join the fight when she saw Leo was about to get smushed. She did the only thing she could do and pushed Leo out of the way.

Leo felt something push into him and out of the way of the falling hammer. In slow motion he looked over his shoulder to see Madison. His eyes went wide as the hammer collided not with him, but her.

The empowered blow let out a shockwave and the crunch of bones echoed out. Madison laid on the ground unmoving. Everything went quiet for Leo. The sound of war was but dulled to nothing for him. His vision blurred with anger but he couldn’t move. That’s when he realized nobody was moving. He couldn’t move himself and a panic filled him as he was forced to see the dead body of Madison.

“I’m sorry I was too slow, there are restrictions in place, Leo.” A heavy voice like that of an old preacher who has talked his vocal cords to their limits came from his left.

Leo spun to see a large green skinned man. He was sitting on a wooden stool. He was wearing a white tunic with a red symbol of an axe on fire. His face was squished like a pug, while a large piercing in his nose held a golden stick.

“I’ve been meaning to contact you, but now…” The figure looked at the battle scene. “Either the System enjoys it’s suffering too much, or perhaps it is now it wishes to aid you most.”

“What, what are you? Who are you? What the fuck is going on!” Leo shouted.

“A God. More specifically the god that you have chosen to follow, Kur.”

Leo blinked. “Wha- how?” He was growing more focused.

The God held up a hand. “I’m here as an Avatar, and I have but a short time to talk to you. I imagine all the other gods are also talking to those they find the most interesting, or whatever reason they have. What matters is you and I right now. I’m here to officially make you my follower. Outside the powers of The System, a true blessing from a God.”

Leo shook his head, “I don’t care what you do with me, just please save Madison’s life. I already lost my sister, she can’t die too.” Tears started to form in his eyes as the reality of the situation started to get to him.

Kur sighed, “I can’t do that. She is neither under my domain, one of those marked by me by either class or profession, nor do I have the ability to influence the actions of your planet directly while The System protects it. I can do one thing, and that is grant you the ability to seek vengeance. Not just for her, or your sister, but others that were wronged. Those who were unable to get strong enough and died. Those that were promised great things, but then were cheated out of them by villains. Accept this offer, lead others and do right by them. That’s all I ask from you Leo. Out of everyone on your planet, you are the one I deem the most worthy out of them all. Your reasons are true and pure hearted. You don’t seek vengeance for yourself, you do so for those who can’t. Your history before The System claimed your planet isn’t well known to me, but what little I’ve been able to gleam proves to me you will make it far in this new reality for you.”

He paused to let Leo fully grasp what was being offered. The tears had continued to fall, but were quickly stopped. Leo sniffed, and clenched his jaw. “I don’t care what happens to me. I’m tired of losing friends and family. Too many good people have lost loved ones, and I’m done with it. I’m going to remove every damned invader and alien on this planet. Give me the power, all of it. I’ll do whatever you ask so long as I can do what I need to.”

Kur smiled, “You might regret that, and I promise you, not every Dungeon is here to kill and take. But that is for you to figure out.” He reached out and tapped Leo on the chest right where his heart is. A sharp pain washed over him but it only lasted for a moment.

“Go with my blessing, that which no System can take from you. It is yours, and not even I can take it now. We are forever bonded, don’t fail me Leo. You and I will talk again once the first phase ends. Till then, follow the quests and be sure to show them the true might of Kur.”

Everything slowly started to continue in motion as Leo stared at an empty space. His axe felt heavier in his hands. Yes hands, his left arm was now fixed. Leo turned toward Pittrudix and sneered. He didn’t need a screen to tell him what the blessing did, it was a part of him. He instinctively knew what it did. From stat increases, a fusion to two skills, and a whole new ability, it all formed in himself.

[Righteous Fury] activated and Leo was surrounded by a yellow glow. His weapon, which also has changed, now gripped in both hands as he took a step forward toward the enemy.