The cathedral trembled.
The skeletal effigy atop the throne shattered outward..
Not collapsing.
Reforming.
Bones ripped themselves free from pews, walls, arches. Femurs snapped loose. Ribcages twisted apart. Skulls fused and elongated.
Purple fire ignited inside hollow sockets.
Three massive constructs took shape First...
BONE GOLEMS
Height: 3 meters
Level: 30
Core Stats:
STRENGTH : 500
AGILITY : 250
ENDURANCE : 550
INTELLECT : 150
Visible purple mana cores pulsed inside reinforced ribcage cavities.
Behind Them
Dozens.
Then hundreds.
SKELETON SOLDIERS
Height: 2 meters
Level: 30
Core Stats:
STRENGTH : 400
AGILITY : 320
ENDURANCE : 380
INTELLECT : 120
Purple flames burned in their eye sockets. Mana cores throbbed in their sternums.
One hundred of them.
They did not roar.
They marched.
Slow.
Unified.
Every step synchronized.
Drelhuth's lips curled.
"…Revenant constructs."
James rolled his shoulders.
"Guess we're both trespassing."
The first wave charged.
A bone golem swung an arm like a battering ram.
Drelhuth met it head-on—crimson mana flaring as he shattered the construct's forearm in a violent clash.
MEANWHILE
James activated Rift Field, warping space as skeleton soldiers closed in.
Blades clashed.
Bone fragments exploded.
Purple mana sprayed into the air.
For several minutes..
It was chaos.
The cathedral floor became a warzone of bone shards and splintered pillars.
Drelhuth moved with lethal elegance, tearing through skeletons with raw physical dominance. Even without Blood Rage, he remained terrifyingly efficient.
James fought differently.
Precise.
Targeted.
He didn't waste strikes on limbs.
He used Rift Pull — Core Precision, crushing mana cores directly when openings appeared.
Each destroyed skeleton dropped a glowing purple core.
And James moved.
James' Plan
He began intentionally positioning himself opposite Drelhuth.
Every time skeletons adjusted their formation
He blinked away at the last second.
Letting their targeting focus shift.
Toward the stronger mana signature.
The Vampire King.
"Coward!" Drelhuth snapped as three golems redirected toward him simultaneously.
James smirked mid-combat.
"Livestock adapts."
The skeletons prioritized the largest threat.
Their formations tightened around Drelhuth.
Bone spears stabbed. Golem fists hammered.
The king roared in irritation as he was forced into defensive exchanges.
James used the opportunity.
He blinked deeper into the cathedral.
Crushed cores.
Stored them.
Moved again.
System notifications stacked silently.
SYSTEM ALERT
Objective Discovered:
Defeat the Revenant King.
Reward:
Unlock Second Floor Map
Access to 90% Conquered Territory Data
Primary Loot Repository Location Revealed
James' eyes widened briefly.
"Ninety percent conquered…"
That meant
This floor wasn't just the castle and coastline.
It was an entire realm.
Cities.
Forests.
Hidden structures.
Boss zones.
And if he unlocked the map
He'd gain strategic dominance over everything here.
His excitement surged.
Information was power.
Accurate navigation meant controlled leveling.
Resource harvesting.
Safe zones.
Drelhuth smashed a golem into fragments behind him.
"You look pleased while drowning in bones."
James crushed another mana core mid-step.
"I like long-term investments."
POV... EARTH
The sky darkened worldwide.
Across every continent
A massive translucent projection appeared in the atmosphere.
Visible day and night.
A countdown.
90 DAYS
00:00:00
Below it, system text scrolled across the heavens.
GLOBAL EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT
High-Tier Dungeon Convergence Approaching.
Upon expiration of countdown:
Creatures Level 60–150 will manifest in populated zones.
Spawn locations: Randomized.
Continent restrictions: None.
Population density factor: High.
Prepare.
Panic erupted worldwide.
Cities froze.
News broadcasts collapsed into emergency coverage.
Social media flooded.
Religious institutions declared prophecy.
Governments initiated lockdown protocols.
GOVERNMENT EMERGENCY SUMMIT.. 24 HOURS LATER
In secure underground facilities across the United States, China, Russia, United Kingdom, and India...
Leaders met.
Projected simulations filled massive screens.
Casualty projections if Level 100 creatures appeared in cities:
Catastrophic.
Military weaponry effectiveness estimates:
Unreliable above Level 70.
Mana weapon development timeline:
Insufficient.
One intelligence analyst spoke quietly:
"We are not ready."
Another added:
"We need Level 50+ awakened within 90 days. Minimum."
Silence followed.
That number was currently unattainable.
Back to the Cathedral
James crushed another core.
Stat points accumulated rapidly.
Skeleton count dropped from 100…
To 72.
To 54.
Drelhuth was now surrounded by over thirty constructs at once.
Bone spears pierced his side.
A golem slammed him into a pillar.
His composure cracked.
"ENOUGH!"
Crimson aura flared violently as he tore through five skeletons in a burst of rage.
But the swarm did not fear him.
They did not retreat.
They marched.
James blinked across the nave, drawing another wave behind him
Then cut sharply left
Leaving them to converge on Drelhuth's position again.
The king realized it.
"You manipulative vermin... !"
James only grinned as he crushed another purple core in his palm.
Mana surged.
The skeletal throne at the far end began glowing brighter.
The ground beneath it cracked wider.
The Revenant King's awakening accelerated.
And in the middle of a cathedral filled with marching dead
Two apex predators continued fighting
Knowing something far worse was about to rise.
Inside the cathedral, bone shattered and purple mana flared
But elsewhere in classified government labs, analysts were asking a far colder question:
How strong are these people really?
Using recovered dungeon combat data, mana density readings, and recorded weapon impact tests on low-level awakened volunteers (under controlled conditions), several nations developed rough comparative models.
Below is the widely accepted Tier Scaling Model (approximate — varies by class and stat allocation).
Baseline Comparison Model
Baseline Human (Level 0)
Strength: 10 (average adult male equivalent)
Punch force: ~2,500 newtons
Sprint speed: 20–25 km/h
Bone fracture threshold: Normal
Fatal to: Most firearms, blades, explosives
Modern weapons:
9mm handgun: Fatal
Assault rifle (5.56): Fatal
.50 BMG: Instant catastrophic death
Grenade: Fatal within 5m
---
🧬 Awakened Scaling Model (Gamefied System)
Assumption Model:
Every 10 points in Strength ≈ 1.8–2.2× normal human output
Endurance directly increases tissue density, bone hardness, organ resilience
Mana reinforcement adds exponential survivability after Level 15+
Level 1 Awakened
Typical Stats: 20–30 per attribute
Physical Output:
2–3× human strength
Can lift ~400–600 kg
Sprint 40 km/h
Durability:
Can survive stab wounds with reduced lethality
9mm still fatal with good placement
Assault rifle rounds still lethal
Grenade still fatal
Modern military advantage: Overwhelming
Level 5 Awakened
Stats: 50–70 average
Strength:
6–8× human
Lift 1–2 tons
Punch can dent car doors
Durability:
Small caliber rounds (9mm) survivable with non-vital hits
5.56 rifle rounds: Severe but survivable with immediate treatment
Shotgun at close range: Dangerous
Grenade: Still lethal within 3m
Military still dominant but requires coordination.
Level 10 Awakened
Stats: 100–130
Strength:
15× human
Lift 5–8 tons
Can shatter reinforced concrete
Durability:
9mm largely ineffective unless headshot
5.56 rifle: Painful but survivable unless concentrated fire
.308 sniper rifle: Serious injury
Grenade: Severe injury but survivable at 5m+
Light vehicle collision: survivable
Military must escalate to anti-material weapons.
Level 15 Awakened
Stats: 180–220
Mana reinforcement begins exponential curve.
Strength:
25–30× human
Lift 15+ tons
Break armored vehicle plating
Durability:
Small arms fire: Mostly ineffective
Assault rifle sustained fire: Damaging but not instantly lethal
.50 BMG: Critical but survivable with Endurance focus
RPG: Survivable if not direct hit
Grenade: Minor to moderate damage
At this stage, conventional infantry becomes ineffective alone.
Level 20 Awakened
Stats: 300–350
Strength:
50× human baseline
Lift 40+ tons
Punch creates localized shockwave
Durability:
Immune to pistols and rifles under mana reinforcement
.50 BMG: Painful, rarely lethal
Anti-tank rockets: Severe but survivable with high Endurance
Tank shell (indirect): survivable with heavy injury
Artillery (close impact): dangerous but not guaranteed fatal
Military effectiveness drops sharply.
Specialized mana weapons required.
-
James — Current Level 27
Stats:
Strength: 520
Agility: 410
Endurance: 350
Intellect: 420
Mana Capacity: 9000+
-
Strength Comparison
520 Strength ≈ 90–110× baseline human
Estimated raw lift capacity: 80–120 tons (with mana compression, higher bursts possible)
Punch impact: Equivalent to localized anti-vehicle kinetic strike.
Durability Comparison (With Active Mana Reinforcement)
Pistols: Ineffective
Assault rifles: Cosmetic damage unless sustained headshot
.50 BMG: Significant impact but not fatal unless repeated
Anti-material sniper rifles: Survivable
Grenades: Minimal threat
RPG: Moderate injury
Tank shell (near impact): Severe injury but survivable
Direct artillery strike: Dangerous but not guaranteed kill
Airstrike (single missile): Potentially survivable with reaction + rift mobility
Without mana reinforcement: vulnerability increases significantly.
🔬 Government Conclusion
By Level 25+:
> "Modern conventional military force becomes tactically obsolete against individual high-tier awakened without mana-based countermeasures."
This is why the 90-day countdown terrifies them.
Because creatures Level 60–150
Would exceed even James by orders of magnitude.
And modern cities
Would offer no resistance at all.
Back in the cathedral
James crushed another purple mana core in his palm.
Bone shards rained around him.
The scaling model didn't matter here.
Because across the nave
The skeletal throne cracked fully open.
And something far beyond Level 30 began to rise.