Chương 297: Chapter 292

"What the—" Jacob mutters in front of Sir Maximilian.

"That's…" Sir Maximilian inhales sharply.

"Lord Ashenvale, immediately order the evacuation of all Ashenmere! This is—" [The rules of the Dungeon of Apocalypse have been set.] [No person can now escape 'Ashenmere.'] [People can still enter Ashenmere.] [Those outside the Dungeon are subjected to 'Mithril Poison.'] Jacob's eyes go wide. Wait, does this mean that nobody can actually leave? Can they stay in the Dungeon? And what the hell is Mithril Poison? Jacob feels a slight discomfort suddenly bloom in his stomach. Yet, a moment later it's already gone.

What's not gone is the grim expression on Sir Maximilian's face.

"Gather all the nobles for me," Sir Maximilian tells Lord Ashenvale, who nods, confused, and immediately leaves the room. Then he turns toward his scribe, "show me the census of Ashenmere, by Rank."

"Here, sir," the man replies with a troubled expression. Sir Maximilian casts a glance at Jacob and says, "this is an Original Dungeon, it seems. I've only fought offshoots of other Dungeons of Apocalypse that had been hidden. There's even a chance that all the Dungeons of Apocalypse I've destroyed in my life came from the same Dungeon."

"How is an Original Dungeon different?" Jacob asks, seeing Sir Maximilian looking through a thick stack of papers in rapid succession.

"Wait a moment. I'll have to explain the same to the leadership of Ashenmere." And so, Jacob waits. Once everyone gathers in the room, including people he has never seen before, Sir Maximilian finally stops going through the stack of papers and looks at them with a somber expression.

"I am sorry for the sudden summon, but this is the direst crisis your nation has ever faced." Everybody looks confused at that, including an imposing woman with an Early Imperium Rank aura.

"Sir Maximilian, explain yourself."

"Lady Severa Ashenmere," Sir Maximilian says, "I fear that everybody here has been trapped to feed the Dungeon."

"We saw the message. What does it mean?" Lord Ashenvale asks.

"Original Dungeons of Apocalypse are said to be the mold upon which every other Dungeon is created. Not only can they replicate and parasitize like all Primordial Dungeons do, but the Originals are able to set rules to reality. I had heard of this before, but I wasn't even aware that the Cult still had the means to create them. There has not been any record of a new Original Primordial Dungeon being created in the last thousand years." The crowd of people start muttering among each other.

"Original Primordial Dungeon? Does this mean we're dead?"

"Wait, what can we even do, then?"

"My wife is already sick, if this sickness from the Dungeon is too potent, then—""Please, calm down, and let me explain," Sir Maximilian says.

"No being, not even Primordial Gods, have the power to kill at will. Rules are enforced by the System. This Dungeon will put many in a tough spot and some sacrifices will be required. But this does not mean that everybody will die." The crowd seems to be slightly calmer after being reassured by Sir Maximilian.

"Then, what now?" Lady Severa Ashenmere asks.

"We just have to destroy the Dungeon? I'll just go myself and—""This Dungeon, unfortunately, can only be entered by those at True Diamond Rank and below, Lady Ashenmere." Jacob can feel the rage, the frustration, and also the desperation in Lady Ashenmere's aura.

"I won't allow my people to die just like that, Knight Commander. I must do something."

"You'll help me coordinate the logistics and organize the expeditions," Sir Maximilian says.

"Just like you, I cannot enter the Dungeon myself for the first time since I'm fighting a Dungeon of Apocalypse. In a way, this is the weakest Dungeon that I've ever faced. Its strongest monsters are not above Imperium Rank. It's new and it has just spawned. What it's trying to do is consume your people in order to become stronger and spawn more Dungeons." Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

But there is something that everybody here knows that Sir Maximilian has omitted saying. A True Diamond cap and Imperium Rank monsters inside means that one requires the most talented True Diamond fighters available in order to have the slightest chance at breaking through. And the rift between True Diamond and Imperium is not easy to bridge at all.

Jacob and all the other Champions, including the Dark Champions, despite being at Platinum Rank, have been able, through their massive talent, luck, and resources, to be able to fight at a normal True Diamond Rank. Yet, not one of them, even a monsterified Dark Champion, is able to fight at Peak True Diamond Rank, much less Imperium Rank.

"Reinforcements are on their way and will arrive here tomorrow morning. While some of them might hesitate at entering Ashenmere once the System tells them what's going on, most of them will anyway. In fact, an Original Primordial Dungeon of Apocalypse is an unseen-before treasure trove. Where many will find death, as many will find the greatest opportunity of their entire life." Sir Maximilian's words seem to be able to convince the nobles that people will come here and help them with this situation.

"And even if some were to retreat in fear instead of entering, the Academy has the sacred duty to help every city like yours, Lady Ashenmere, milords. The Headmaster will send here his best men. In fact, we had the Leader of the Generation of Legends already here on a secret mission." Sir Maximilian suddenly points at Jacob, who has not been introduced yet and suddenly finds himself in the spotlight.

"He's Jacob Cloud. And he came here in order to find a Dark Champion that was poisoning the region in secret and kill them. Unfortunately, his mission was interrupted by—""I was attacked by a Dark Champion, actually," Jacob says turning to Sir Maximilian.

"I have killed them. He was not the one I was targeting because they were trying to ambush me. Before they did, I killed one that had followed me into the Dungeon where I met the Minor Nightmare of Apocalypse. The Cult had first tried to unleash one of them upon the city by sacrificing… someone." Jacob avoids revealing the full extent of the Ashenvales' lore.

"A Minor Nightmare of Apocalypse was about to be unleashed upon the city?" Lady Ashenmere frowns, looking at Sir Maximilian.

"I was about to explain that as well," the man says.

"What the Cult of Apocalypse can't do is force Nightmares out of the Dungeon. The reason why this Dungeon will slowly poison the population is because it's slowly absorbing energy from the weakest people up to the strongest. It will kill the lower Ranks first, gorging on their energy and flesh. If it could have sent even one Imperium Rank monster out, it would have been a catastrophe of unprecedented proportions. Every kill such a creature scores sends power back to the Dungeon.

And if the Dungeon grows any stronger, our chances of clearing it without sacrificing most of our lives, if not all, would have gone down to zero." Every noble, realizing what that means, turns their eyes to Jacob. Sir Maximilian walks over to Jacob and puts a hand on his shoulder, "without Jacob Cloud, your nation would have been erased overnight." After Sir Maximilian spent several hours reassuring everybody, he and Jacob remain in the 'war room.'

"Sir, I would like to lead the expedition," Jacob suddenly says.

"I contacted the other Champions, and I believe that with all our Rainbow Skills we could rush to the center of the Dungeon and destroy it." Sir Maximilian looks at Jacob with a half-smile, and then replies maintaining his formal tone.

"I wish not to offend you, Jacob Cloud. I am sure that your generation will, indeed, be the tale of legends. But here, you'll be far from the strongest person. I told the nobles many lies. One of them is that there will be some Imperium Rank monsters. In my experience, around the Death Zone of the Dungeon, you'll only meet Intermediate to Advanced Imperium Rank monsters.

If there's a Boss creature, it will most likely be at the very Peak of Imperium Rank, stretching the limits of what the Dungeon is allowed to do by the System." Jacob clenches his teeth.

"Sir, my Rainbow Skill can make a difference. All the Champions have Rainbow Skills that can easily cut through the Ranks."

"I'm not saying you won't be part of the expedition," Sir Maximilian says with a neutral and calm tone.

"Just that you cannot be in the vanguard. Even with your Rainbow Skills, if more than a couple of Imperium Rank monsters were to surround you, you'd be dead before you could even think about activating your Rainbow Skill." Jacob looks at the man and doesn't know what to reply. What Sir Maximilian is saying makes sense. What else could he even say about it? Yet, there's a nagging sensation in the back of his mind that tells him to push.

"Sir," Jacob insists, about to reveal something that he fears Sir Maximilian might react very strongly against.

"You might know that the Dark Champions hate the Cult of Apocalypse. I've received an offer from Delefagus—he's leading them at the moment from my understanding. I've been offered an alliance."

"We'll take all the help we can get," Sir Maximilian says without missing a beat. Then, seeing Jacob's surprised face, he adds, "I dedicated my entire life to the Cult of Apocalypse. If the Cult of Asmodeus wants to temporarily join hands under the right oaths, I see it only as a victory. We can resume the Academy's feud with them at a later date." Then, why can't the Champions and Dark Champions lead? The question doesn't need to be spoken for Sir Maximilian to pick up on it.

"We'll need every hand available, but even with the Dark Champions and their Rainbow Skills, you shouldn't underestimate this Dungeon. The Cult of Apocalypse is the most Formation-proficient, tactically-advanced Cult. In some regards, it might not be the strongest, but it's definitely one of the most dangerous. That is why this requires us to be careful and methodical. Strategy is of the utmost importance. We'll need to slowly advance on the center of the Dungeon and starve it out."

"But didn't you say that people are going to die poisoned by the Dungeon who's trying to feed upon them?" Sir Maximilian nods slowly, "I take no pleasure in this, and all the nobles have already understood the implications of what I said. Don't you?" Jacob's mind reels and finally gets to the obvious conclusion.

"If you want to destroy the Dungeon carefully… are you already accounting for losses among civilians?"

"Fighters are hard to come by, even with a Dungeon of Apocalypse on the line. We will receive reinforcements from the Academy, but the Cult of Asmodeus has been acting up recently, meaning we're stretched thin. And we'll need many specialists to face this Dungeon."

"You… you value the fighters above the civilians," Jacob's eyes go wide.

"We can't let them die like this!"

"Jacob," Sir Maximilian says slowly.

"I don't want them to die. I don't want anybody to die. Yet, we're about to enter a war of attrition, here, then outside, then with whatever series of cataclysms are about to hit this era. Our men will fight this war, and then that war, and then the next. The civilians who sacrifice their lives here to allow us to properly clear the Dungeon will allow us to win not just this battle, but the entire war."