Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Rain tried to use his magic to check the surroundings, and he quickly found numerous pathways underground that the monsters had made. They were moving in all directions, and all of them were ants… it took a while, but Rain crushed them while they were underground.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Rain recognized the potential utility in the giant ant bodies, so he carefully retrieved some of them from underground, planning to transport them later to his base for further examination. These unique specimens had various uses, after all.

The ant exoskeletons could prove valuable materials for forging armor, weapons, or other protective gear. The sturdy and colorful shells might offer unique properties and resistances when fashioned into the right equipment. The ant's organs, fluids, or tissues might also have alchemical value. Rain thought they could be used in the creation of potions, elixirs, or other magical concoctions.

Once Rain moved to the center of the area, he soon found an inclined hole… it seemed like a natural cave, but Rain could still tell that the trembling created it. There are some pebbles and rocks around it… he also could see footprints around it.

"Not only ants, huh?" Rain rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Rain was well aware that dungeons often harbored a variety of monsters and creatures, so it wouldn't come as a shock to him if the underground chamber contained more than just the giant ants.

Dungeons were known for their unpredictable and diverse ecosystems as well, and it was possible that other weird and dangerous inhabitants lurked within the subterranean cavern. With his knowledge, Rain was prepared for any potential surprises that the dungeon might hold, but he remained cautious as he delved deeper into its mysterious depths.

At that point in time, it was hard not to call that a dungeon… In any case, before entering the place, Rain considered that he probably could drown all the monsters inside with magic, but he decided to avoid that for the sake of the investigation.

As he entered the dungeon, Rain felt that the air was quite dusty. There was still some dust falling from the ceiling, making the air even more stagnant.

Rain cleaned the place with his wind magic and soon sighed when he felt some presence behind stalactites. It seemed that the monsters knew how to be sneaky… that, or they were just using their wild instincts.

At first, Rain had planned to manipulate the terrain, but soon he confirmed that he couldn't… he couldn't control the earth that was on the ground, walls, and ceiling.

"Is it because of the spell?" Rain rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I can use my Magic, but… come to think of it, if the enemy was able to create this, couldn't they have added the anti magic substance to prevent the use of magic here?"

If the anti magic substance were put on the blood of the monsters, maybe they wouldn't be able to activate that spell… perhaps that was the reason why.

Regardless, Rain was still able to transform his magic into earth and fire at the bats behind the stalactites, he made them fly like boomerangs, and then they fell after their necks were pierced by them.

As Rain ventured further into the dungeon, he encountered a new and unsettling sight – one-meter-tall giant bats with scary features. These creatures had blood-red eyes that seemed to pierce through the darkness, reflecting their predatory nature.

Their sharp fangs glistened ominously as they clicked together, and their bodies were colored in varying shades of brown, which allowed them to blend seamlessly with the dusty surroundings.

"Stealth bats, huh?" Rain thought.

These formidable bats were clearly adapted to their underground habitat, and their presence added an extra layer of danger to the dungeon exploration. Still, not that much for Rain and his magic.

"I can imagine people having a hard time getting used to dungeons… without a clear guide for each dungeon, many will probably fall to them," Rain thought.

Rain imagined that the enemies could create monsters that they could control with their magic, but they probably couldn't control the ones that were transformed by dungeons. At the same time, he wondered how that would affect animal life in the world… it would be tragic if all animals in the country were lured by it.

"I have to tell everyone to measure the distance that the mana of the dungeons are exercising influence on the animals in the area and their effects before they actually enter the dungeon," Rain thought as he advanced and kept killing the giant bats and ants. "This place is a lot bigger than I had expected…"

Rain was surprised when he crossed five hundred meters for a dungeon that was formed five days ago. The mana levels inside weren't that high, but the intensity outside had increased, and maybe that was the cause of it…

The thought that the dungeons could keep expanding at that pace every day was worrisome… if the dungeon kept expanding one hundred meters per day, in one month, it would become three kilometers long… How many monsters would fit in there?

Fortunately, Rain found the end of the dungeon pretty soon… he found a wall, and that was it… the long corridor ended, and there was nothing around.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Rain thought while looking around. "Where are the boss and the dungeon core? Destroying the core is the only way to destroy a dungeon…"

Rain tried to use his magic to find the core, but he didn't couldn't find anything… the magic of the dungeon prevented him from sensing anything beyond the walls.

In the end, Rain checked the dungeon through and through in order to find some possible passages, but he found nothing. The only explanation was that the dungeon was incomplete… perhaps not even the core was formed yet.

"This is a real pain in the ass…" Rain rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I take it that the enemy expected this as well."