Sanctuary: Safe Haven

Several hours had passed since the intense battle, and Canna now found himself back in the dungeon. He sat before a crackling fire, enjoying a meal of monster meat infused with mana. The aftermath of the war had been exhausting, spanning nearly nine hours because of the immense task of harvesting the mana cores from the dead.

Despite having numerous undead at his command, the sheer volume of cores made the process time-consuming. As he returned to the dungeon, he passed by Kael, who wore a dumbfounded expression. Too drained to engage, Canna merely brushed past him, eager to rest. Although he hadn't exerted himself physically, an inexplicable fatigue weighed heavily on him.

(Several hours ago)

Upon waking, Canna summoned Mortem to receive the report on the day's harvest. Mortem, standing with a respectful posture, began, "A successful battle today, Master. The harvest yielded fifty thousand mana cores. This includes 47,698 cores of varying ranks from low to high rankings, two thousand low calamity cores, three hundred mid calamity cores, and two cores of the great calamity rank."

Canna let out a deep sigh. The enormity of the harvest, so much bloodshed and so many souls collected in less than a day, was overwhelming. It struck him with a sobering realization of the cost of power and the blood spilled for it.

"The army of undead you summoned master was overwhelmingly strong, and our enemies were ill-prepared to face such a force," Mortem added.

"Master, there is also a personal matter I wish to report." Mortem's words pulled Canna from his thoughts. Curious, Canna prompted him to continue.

"Since our initial conflict, I have been gathering the remains of the strongest foes. Behold, my minions!" As Mortem invoked his spell, the dungeon trembled. Vorgrim appeared behind Canna, and Grimruk, roused from sleep by a chill, hastened to the scene. Kael, standing nearby, watched in awe as undead figures materialized around Mortem.

Canna's eyes widened in astonishment. Before him stood the leaders from the first war—an imposing kobold leader and a goblin chieftain—alongside hundreds of mid-calamity orcs and goblins from the recent battle. At the forefront were two formidable green orcs, their presence exuding menace.

"I have collected the corpses of those who were powerful enough to aid in your cause, Master." Mortem knelt before Canna. "As the firstborn of Canna Yakane, I present these undead to you as a gift. I will continue to elevate their ranks and make them serve as your personal army."

Canna, initially taken aback, approached Mortem and placed a hand on his bony shoulder. "Simply standing by my side is already a great gift. These additions are remarkable. I thank you, Mortem. You've done a splendid job with these..." He paused, glancing at the formidable array of undead, "collections."

Mortem stood and dispelled the spell, clearing the dungeon floor of the undead and restoring the space to its previous state.

Canna turned to Vorgrim and Grimruk. "While we're here, let's have a brief discussion. Mortem's actions gave me an idea. Do either of you have any requests? Mortem's focus is to collect the strong corpses, but what about you two?"

Vorgrim spoke immediately. "My liege, I wish to lead your army. Once the sanctuary is established, I want to be the one to train and prepare the forces to protect it. Since Mortem has been gathering the strongest corpses, I aim to train those who will serve you faithfully."

Canna chuckled, having long recognized Vorgrim's potential as a commander from the day he first saw his status. "Vorgrim, I can think of no one more suited for this role. It is yours. Mold them into a formidable force."

"Understood, my liege," Vorgrim replied with resolve.

Grimruk spoke next. "I don't have grand ambitions, Master. Use me as you see fit—whether for battle or for constructing the sanctuary. My only wish is to see my tribe again."

"We'll address that once we're outside the dungeon," Canna assured Grimruk. "Thank you."

Canna then glanced at Kael, who was nearby. "And you, Kael? I can personally escort you to your kingdom if you wish."

Kael's forehead glistened with sweat. The thought of revealing his kingdom's location to someone with Canna's power was unsettling, despite the unlikely chance of a massacre. He replied cautiously, "Nothing comes to mind, my friend. If you have your sanctuary built, I can assist with its logistics, I have some talent with it after all."

Though Kael attempted to mask his unease, he couldn't hide his true feelings from the dragon that was in the far corner of the dungeon.

Tonitrum, watching and listening from his place, was eager to see Canna's power grow. The plan to elevate Canna was advancing rapidly. Tonitrum anticipated the day Canna would emerge from his dungeon and for his name to be known across Sepra. However, for now, Tonitrum believed Canna was still falling short. As an A-Ranker, Canna had much room for growth.

The dragon decided it was the perfect moment for Canna to begin his ascent toward transcendence.

______________

(Present Time)

Canna was seated by the fire, enjoying his meal of monster meat, when he heard Tonitrum's voice. After finishing his meal, he stretched and prepared himself, knowing the dragon might have yet another audacious plan in mind.

Looking up at the immense head of the dragon, Canna asked, "What's on your mind this time?"

"Your progress is commendable, but you're still lacking. It's time to advance your rank. Gather some low and mid-calamity cores," Tonitrum instructed.

Canna glanced at the legendary rank spatium ring on his finger. With a thought, mana cores began to fall from the ring, one after another. After a few minutes, he turned to Tonitrum again. "Is this enough, or do I need more?"

"That should be enough. Sit down and absorb the cores. When you're finished, you'll need to drink this," Tonitrum said as he conjured a small black portal. A vial floated out and landed in front of Canna. He picked up the vial and read its information.

[Vial of Blood]

Rank: ???

Item Description: Concentrated amount of blood.

As Canna read the final line of the description, Tonitrum's voice echoed in his mind once more. "That's my blood. It's time for you to be completely reborn," the dragon declared with a chilling grin.

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