LEVEL EVERYTHING UP in my Eldritch Tribe

Far away from Lyerin, deep within the labyrinthine dungeon, a young assassin reveled in the chaos of battle. His name was Lucius, and he thrived on the adrenaline rushing through his veins.

His black dragon-design dagger gleamed as he licked its blade with a disturbing, almost unhinged glee.

Blood dripped from its tip, a sign of his previous kills, but the fight was far from over. He craved more--needed more. Every victory made his blood sing louder, and his excitement only grew the more dangerous his enemies became.

Lucius crouched on a stone ledge, eyeing his next target.

Below him stood three massive creatures, towering in the eerie light of the dungeon. Each one was a colossal beast, bristling with power.

The first resembled a humanoid mountain sheep, its muscular body covered in thick, slate-grey fur, with massive curled horns spiraling from its head. Its fiery yellow eyes scanned the area warily, clearly on guard.

The second was an elk-like creature, but its body was grotesquely exaggerated in size, with antlers the width of tree branches and eyes that gleamed an unnatural crimson.

Its hide was like cracked earth, rough and jagged, as though the dungeon itself had fused with its flesh.

The last was the most menacing of all, a hulking ibex-goat hybrid. It stood on two thick, muscular legs and had jagged, backward-sweeping horns that pulsed with dark magic.

Its nostrils flared, and its black, pupil-less eyes glowed in the shadows, scanning the room for the slightest movement.

Lucius' grin widened. Perfect, he thought. These beasts were exactly the kind of challenge he sought.

With a soft whisper to himself, he dropped silently into the shadows, darting unseen from cover to cover, circling the creatures like a predator waiting for the right moment to pounce.

"I am in the eight stage of the Initial Cycle," Lucius muttered to himself, his voice barely audible even to his own ears as he moved. "I am an assassin of the Borgias family, armed with skills to kill in the dark, to strike unseen. These three Mana beasts in front of me..." He narrowed his eyes, feeling out their power, sensing the mana they radiated. "Ninth stage, eleventh stage... and..."

His gaze locked on the ibex hybrid, its massive chest heaving with barely contained power. "Twelfth stage," Lucius whispered in delight. "I, Lucius, will kill all three of these Mana beasts and win the contest! This is my perfect prey! Perfect kill!"

He gripped his dagger tighter, excitement thrumming through his veins. However, just as he prepared to attack, something caught his eye.

The twelfth stage beast--the ibex--staggered suddenly, its hulking form wobbling as if drained of energy. Then, to Lucius' shock, the creature sat down, as though it were tired. But Lucius wasn't fooled. His sharp assassin instincts felt the shift in the air, the subtle change in the mana flow around the beast.

Lucius' grin widened further. "Is it... evolving?" he muttered in disbelief. Then, he let out a crazed laugh that echoed through the shadows. "Hahaha! It's evolving! Even if it's turning into a Second Cycle Mana beast, instead of being afraid... this makes me even more excited!"

Lucius was practically trembling with excitement now, his eyes gleaming with a manic light.

The Borgias family prided itself on its assassins, those trained to kill creatures or targets far more powerful than themselves. Lucius was no different. This challenge wasn't just thrilling; it was intoxicating.

Suddenly, Lucius felt a disturbance in the air behind him.

Swoosh!

Instinctively, he spun around just in time to parry a powerful strike aimed at his back.

Clank!

The clash of steel on steel rang out, and although he managed to divert the blow to the side, the sheer force of the attack sent a violent tremor through his arm, making his hand shake for a few seconds.

Lucius gritted his teeth, quickly regaining his balance. He glanced up and his heart skipped a beat. Standing before him was not just one, but several Second Cycle Mana beasts--large, menacing creatures that had clearly evolved beyond what he had expected.

Before Lucius could fully process the danger, the two creatures he had initially been hunting slammed their fists into the ground where he had been standing just moments ago.

Boom!

The earth cracked beneath the impact, sending shards of rock and debris flying in all directions. But Lucius was too fast. He evaded the blow, slipping back into the shadows with practiced ease, his body becoming one with the darkness.

Once hidden again, Lucius took a moment to catch his breath. His thoughts raced as he surveyed the creatures from the safety of his concealment. He had felt something--someone--else was here. And that person was no ordinary opponent.

"Who are you?"

Lucius whispered under his breath. He wasn't speaking to the beasts; his question was directed toward the figure he had spotted standing on the shoulder of one of the creatures.

The man was eerily calm, standing tall with long black hair that framed his emotionless face. His black eyes seemed to bore into the dungeon itself, unblinking and unsettling.

Lyerin didn't move, didn't even glance in Lucius' direction, yet he answered in a low, almost indifferent voice, "My name is Lyerin."

Lucius' brow furrowed. He didn't recognize the name. "Lyerin?" he muttered to himself. "Never heard of him..."

But Lyerin wasn't finished. He continued, his voice calm and devoid of any emotion. "You wouldn't know me. But I know who you are, Lucius. And I am here to take your life."

Lucius let out a laugh that echoed through the shadows. "Take my life?" he scoffed, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Let's see who takes whose life today."

Lyerin remained still for a moment, then slowly lifted his hand into the air. He murmured something under his breath, and before Lucius could fully comprehend what was happening, a strange, shimmering white substance began to gather around Lyerin's fingers.

Lyerin's lips curled into a small, almost unnoticeable smile. "White Sand Dust," he whispered, his voice carrying through the dungeon like a deadly promise.

Lucius frowned, his instincts screaming at him to move, to run, but before he could act, the white dust exploded outward with a soft, Kaboom! It wasn't a violent explosion meant to cause harm, but rather a release of energy that sent the shimmering dust scattering in all directions.

The white sand-like particles filled the dungeon air, drifting slowly like snow. Lucius' heart pounded in his chest, the sound of it suddenly deafening in his ears. His eyes widened as realization struck him with terrifying clarity.

His concealment--the shadows he had been using to hide--were useless now.

The white sand dust made it impossible for him to remain hidden.

The particles clung to everything, including his own form, marking him in the darkness.

"No..." Lucius whispered, his mind racing. He recognized the technique now. It was something he had only heard about in whispers, an ability that had once devastated the Borgias family.

The moment it was discovered, it had been used to hunt down countless Borgias assassins, rendering their stealth useless.

Lyerin watched Lucius with cold, calculating eyes. "This technique," he muttered to himself, "was enough to make every Borgias assassin's concealment pointless. Back then, it was feared across the Rose Kingdom. I wonder, how does it feel now, Lucius?"

Before Lucius could respond, one of the massive creatures--a hulking, horned beast--roared and lunged toward him, its colossal hand slamming into the ground where Lucius had stood just seconds before.

Lucius, ever quick on his feet, evaded the strike and darted to the side, barely avoiding the creature's crushing blow.

The fight that followed was brutal.

Lucius struggled to keep up with the monstrous creatures, dodging and weaving through their attacks as the dungeon walls shook from their destructive blows.

Boom!

Crash!

Every strike was like a hammer falling from the sky, sending cracks through the stone floor and splintering walls.

Lucius fought with all his might, using every ounce of his assassin training to evade the beasts' attacks and strike back when he could. But the creatures were relentless, their strength overwhelming.

Every time he managed to land a blow, another creature would charge at him, forcing him to retreat again into the shadows that no longer provided safety.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of battling for survival, Lucius found himself cornered.

One of the massive beasts--its body like a twisted, nightmarish version of a bull--reached out with its enormous hand and grabbed Lucius by the ankle, lifting him effortlessly into the air.

Lucius struggled, his eyes wide with fear and anger, but the beast's grip was too strong. He hung upside down, his body dangling helplessly as the beast brought him face to face with Lyerin.

Lyerin stared at Lucius with cold, unreadable eyes, his expression as emotionless as ever. "And so it ends," he said softly, his voice carrying a finality that sent a shiver down Lucius' spine.

Lucius gritted his teeth, his mind racing for a way out, but there was none. He was caught, and the man's cold gaze held no mercy on him.

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