Chapter 19: Chapter Sixteen: The Mask

Floors fourteen, thirteen and twelve were passed with surprising ease.

As they ascended, the creatures became weaker, slower, almost as if something was sucking away their strength.

The eleventh floor was the last to pass before they could finally return to the Academy.

Mark and the others stopped in front of the door to the boss's room. They opened it together...and immediately something struck them.

“This...doesn't make any sense,” muttered Leo, petrified.

“What's going on?” asked Mark, clutching the hilt of his sword.

“The dungeons are divided into two types,” Leo began, his voice low and charged with tension. "From the first to the forty-ninth floor we talk about the Underground: tunnels, caverns, rooms carved out of stone. But from the fiftieth on...it's a whole different story."

Leo took a few steps forward, observing the lush forest stretching as far as the eye could see in front of them. Huge trees, clear skies, a light breeze rustling the foliage.

"From the 50th onward, the planes are called Hidden Worlds. Real ecosystems with artificial skies, lakes, mountains ... and creatures of grade A, S, even SS."

“So,” Aaron added, crossing his arms, “are you saying this shouldn't be here?”

“That's right,” Leo nodded. “This is a hidden world, but it can't be: we're only on floor eleven.”

Vanessa, who was finally awake, intervened in a more serious tone:

"The dungeons have a magical core, a source of power that governs their existence. It is located on the top floor, and it is what holds the whole structure together. The closer you get to the core, the bigger and more filled with magical essence the floors become."

Mark turned to her, surprised. “You mean...?”

“That someone-or something-has overloaded this plane with magical essence,” Vanessa concluded, slowly descending from Nayra's muscular back.

A heavy silence fell over the group.

Then, Mark stiffened.

He had felt something. A movement. A breath.

A shadow was watching them -- motionless among the distant logs.

Yellow eyes.

Steady. Cold. Inhuman.

And in the blink of an eye ... it disappeared.

Mark stood motionless, his heart in his throat.

Only he had noticed it. And for some reason, he felt that presence following them.

-Break-

"I should be safe here... Damn it! I have to warn the boss! How the hell did they get this far?!"

The shadow that had been watching them stopped. The panic in his voice was clear. He was about to flee, when a voice - deep, calm and enveloping like velvet - swooped down from above.

“Who has arrived?”

From the air, a male figure descended, floating slowly.

He wore shining armor, perfect and flawless, over which fell a white cloak. In the center, sewn with an enchanted silver thread, shone an enigmatic crest: a black hole with a bright star in the center. His face was hidden by a dark mask, forged not from metal ... but from living magical essence that twisted gracefully around his features.

The observer immediately knelt down. "The-the boys, sir. They managed to get this far."

“Wasn't that the plan?” said the man in an emotionless voice, as if he had already foreseen everything.

“...Yes, he's right.” The observer trembled. "But I saw them. They are in excellent condition. The battles have strengthened them. Their levels have risen, their wounds have almost healed."

“Don't worry,” replied the cloaked figure. He nodded slightly. "My pet will take care of it. The ground has been upgraded on purpose. There won't be a new collapse. Not this time."

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“I understand...forgive me.” The shadow bowed once more, then vanished into the air like dust in a ray of light.

Silence returned for a moment.

Then, in a barely audible whisper, the cloaked figure murmured:

“Now go ... and avenge yourself.”

On the horizon, the whole forest seemed to hold its breath. Then it shook. The treetops were shaken by a shockwave, and from the heart of the forest emerged a colossal creature: the red dragon, the same one who had already crossed paths with the boys.

The beating of its wings made the leaves tremble, and its roar tore the air.

The creature rose into the air, its burning scales pulsing with bloodlust.

The masked figure looked up and muttered to himself as the dragon disappeared over the peaks:

“Let's see if it's really you, Mark-the heir.”

-Break-

Mark and his friends reached the top of a cliff not far from the doors they came out of, looking for a spot from which they could better peer at the floor they were on.

“Ah...I can't take it anymore!” huffed Aaron, letting himself fall to the ground out of breath.

"You've been trained to run for miles. This climb was supposed to be a piece of cake," Vanessa commented, floating lightly thanks to her skill.

"Easy for you to say! You're using magic! Besides, I didn't run five stories in someone's arms," Aaron retorted, pointing his finger at her.

Vanessa laughed. A second later Aaron laughed, too.

“How are you feeling?” asked Leo, approaching Vanessa.

"Better. Your mana has regenerated me more than I thought," she replied with a grateful smile.

Then Vanessa turned sharply toward Mark, who stood silently at the edge of the cliff, his gaze fixed on the breathtaking, magical landscape that opened before them.

“Mark!” she exclaimed, running toward him with her hand raised. She approached him slowly, knocking lightly with her knuckles on his still bare back. “I still haven't thanked you for what you did for me.”

Mark turned away, slightly embarrassed. "Without you ... we would both be dead. And I would do it again a thousand times. A friend doesn't leave you behind."

Vanessa stared at him for a moment, then gave him a kiss on the cheek. “This is to say thank you.”

Mark was about to blush when a familiar smell hit them, breaking any moment of peace.

“Oh no...” whispered Aaron, getting up sharply.

From the bottom of the cliff, a giant, red figure soared through the air, landing in front of them with a roar that made the earth tremble.

“It's been a while...” said the red dragon, his voice filled with contempt and satisfaction.

The five immediately got into formation, hands trembling but ready to fight.

"Look out! Even though he's wounded, he's still so strong!" shouted Leo.

“Wounded?” asked Mark.

“In his left eye!” replied Aaron, pointing to the area.

Leo, Aaron and Nayra were the first to attack. Their weapons struck the dragon's body, but with little effect. Vanessa cast spells, but even those were absorbed by its scaly skin.

Mark did not move. He was observing. Thanks to his new levels he could see the flow of mana in the creature's body. It was not normal. The energy was not staying inside, but flowing in and out of the gem on its forehead. A thought dazzled him. He remembered the same feeling in the fight against the golem.

“You are not a real dragon-you are an evocation.”

The dragon froze. “H-how did you figure that out?”

"Your mana flows in the wrong direction. It does not come from you, but from an external source. Summoners draw power from their summoner. You are only a shadow of what you appear to be."

Leo and Vanessa turned sharply. “Can you...see the mana?” asked Leo, incredulously.

Mark bit his lip. “N-no, it's just a feeling...an abstract presence...that's it...”

But it was too late. His friends' expressions said they did not believe it at all.

The dragon shrieked, enraged, and hurled the breath toward them-deflected easily by Nayra's shield.

“Mark is right!” cried Nayra. “He's not real, we can take him down!”

With new determination, the five attacked with precision. Mark used Nayra's shield as a springboard, leapt into the air and landed on the dragon's forehead, shattering the gem with a precise slash.

The dragon roared. Then it vanished in a cloud of scattered mana.

-Break-

“Guys!” shouted a voice behind them.

“My God, they are alive!” exclaimed another.

The professors and the rector appeared running from the path.

"Are you all right? You haven't faced the dragon yet, have you?" asked the rector, panting as he touched the boys' faces to check their condition.

“The dragon was just an evocation,” said Mark, still out of breath.

"Evocation? Whose?" asked Professor Belinda, frowning.

“MINE.”

A dark, icy voice rang out from beneath the precipice.

Two cold, white eyes emerged, followed by the figure who had earlier hurled the dragon at him: the man in the magic mask.

[System:

Name Mark lv 16 Apprentice

Life: 475 hp

mana: 5

Fatigue: 5

Uniqueness:

- Aberration of Perseverance (Usage unknown)

- Basic Ardor lv 2 (allows the user to ignite his soul, increasing each statistic for every second it remains active)

Skill

- Agile Sword Technique lv 5 (His skill with the sword)

- Consciousness Basic lv 8 (Thinks logically, ignores emotions, passive)

- Thick Skin Intermediate lv 2 (Reduces damage and pain received)

- Perfect balance Basic lv 9 (Increases the subject's balance)

- Ultra focus Intermediate lv 3 (Increases concentration, speed and thinking and accuracy)

- Berserker Base lv 3 (Subject enters a state of chaos that consnete to increase damage)

- Longevity Base lv 6 (reduces physical, mental pain and accelerates regeneration)

- Somatic Change Base lv 6 (The body learns and shapes itself in real time, storing and absorbing any kind of stress, condition or physical trauma).

- Physical Perception lv 1

- Magical Perception lv 1

Characteristic points: 10

- Strength: 29

- Dexterity: 26

- Sense: 22

- Stamina: 30

- Intelligence: 18

Inventory:

Half the map