PHOENIX RISING (Book One In The Phoenix Hunter Series)

★CHAPTER 20★

 

    I pushed deeper into the dungeon, the familiar scent of wildflowers and damp earth filling my senses.  The further I went, the fewer hunters I encountered.  It was a good thing,  as I didn’t want to attract attention to my little secret.  I followed my instincts, the pull of the dungeon guiding me towards an unknown destination.

The silence was broken only by the rustling of leaves and the distant calls of unseen creatures.  I felt a sense of peace, a calm that settled over me as I moved further away from the clamor of the Dungeon Hub.

Finally,  after what felt like hours, I arrived at a place where there was no sign of life for miles.  A vast, empty expanse of grassland and scrubland stretched before me, a desolate wasteland.

But something felt different here, an underlying energy that buzzed beneath the surface.  I felt a pull,  a guiding force that drew me forward.  And then,  I saw it.

A small cave,  hidden in a rocky outcrop,  emitted a strange, warm glow.  I cautiously approached,  my senses heightened,  and as I stepped inside, I was greeted by a sight that left me speechless.

The cave was devoid of light,  and the air was cool,  but the glow emanated from within,  a warm, pulsating energy that filled the air.  It was the source of the Gem Bunnies.  I saw them,  condensing out of thin air,  their forms shimmering as they took shape,  before hopping out of the cave and disappearing into the darkness.

My heart pounded with excitement.  This was the bunny respawn point, the heart of the Gemstone Bunny dungeon.  It was a discovery that sent a jolt of adrenaline through my veins.

I sat cross-legged in the cave,  my senses focusing on the energy.  I was no longer simply controlling the bunnies, I was manipulating their very creation.

One by one,  I felt them appear,  their essence merging with my mind.  With each new bunny,  my mental connection to the dungeon grew stronger.  It was like a power surge,  a wave of energy that flowed through me.

I noticed a pattern.  For every twenty bunnies that emerged,  one of them was a gold Gem Bunny. And for every hundred,  one of them was a white Gem Bunny.

It was a beautiful,  almost poetic,  balance of the dungeon.  I wasn't going to disrupt it,  not completely.  I would let some go, just enough to keep the dungeon functioning, to keep the hunters from noticing anything amiss.

After five hours,  the cave was overflowing.  Bunnies were piled upon bunnies,  a mountain of shimmering fur,  all under my control.

They stretched out for a hundred meters,  a magnificent,  almost otherworldly,  sight.  I was a little overwhelmed.  I didn’t know the exact number,  but I was sure I would know soon enough.

The bunnies kept appearing,  but most of them were following their usual programming,  hopping away,  burrowing underground,  headed towards the various meadows scattered throughout the dungeon.

Finally,  it was time.

With a silent command, I willed them to fall.  The kill notifications cascaded across my screen.

“Level up!  Level up!  Level up!”  My heart pounded as I watched my level climb.

Level 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51...

“This one will take a while,”I muttered, feeling the fatigue set in.

52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77…

After an hour and twenty minutes it finally stopped.

I had reached level 77.  It was a staggering achievement,   one that seemed impossible only a few days ago. I remember Luna saying that I'll have to leave this dungeon in a month, but maybe that will be sooner than later.

I had gained 131,000 EXP,  which meant I had killed over 131,000 bunnies.  The sheer number of bodies was overwhelming.  It was a sea of shimmering fur, a dazzling, if morbid, sight.

I sighed. I had underestimated the scale of my success. It was one thing to control them, another to deal with the aftermath.  There wasn’t enough time in the world to collect all this loot. I hadn’t thought of that when I was accumulating them.

“Alright, what to do?” I muttered, running my fingers through my hair.

An idea hit me.  What if I tried putting them into my spatial box?

I picked up a Gem Bunny,  its fur still faintly shimmering.  I held it in my hand,  my mind focused on the spatial box.  And just like that,  it vanished,  absorbed into the vast, ethereal space within my possession.

My heart pounded with excitement.  It worked!

I breathed a sigh of relief.  I could do this.  I would have to spend another hour collecting them, but it was worth it.

I quickly gathered all the gems,  placing each one in my spatial box.  It felt like an eternity,  but finally,  they were all gone.

As I started to make my way back towards the exit portal,  I noticed fewer hunters than when I first arrived.  My aura,  boosted by my newfound levels and the remnants of the Mad Elixir,  was stronger. 

I walked through the portal,  feeling the familiar rush of energy,  and emerged into the now almost quiet Dungeon Hub.  The moon hung high in the sky,  It was time to go home.

After walking for over 40 minutes I finally got home. Then I unlocked the door and stepped Inside. I shut it and locked it from the inside. Walking into the bedroom, I collapsed onto my bed, my body weary but my mind buzzing with excitement.

I glanced at my spatial box,  its contents a testament to my success. I had a long way to go,  but for now,  I was content.  I was getting richer.  And more powerful.  And I was ready for whatever this crazy world threw at me.
...