Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Rain had always been guarded when it came to sharing his knowledge of secret techniques with others. This reluctance came from a combination of reasons, each of which had contributed to his initial hesitation.

Rain had learned over the years that trust was not easily earned. Many people he had encountered in the past had their own agendas, and sharing his secrets could potentially lead to those secrets being misused or falling into the wrong hands. He was cautious about revealing the extent of his abilities to individuals he couldn't fully trust.

The secret techniques he had developed were a source of advantage in battles and challenges. They set him apart and gave him an edge. By keeping them to himself, he maintained an element of surprise and unpredictability in his encounters. Sharing these techniques could potentially diminish their effectiveness.

Rain was well aware that, in the world they lived in, knowledge was power. Keeping his techniques secret gave him an edge over his adversaries. He believed that if he shared his techniques with others, they might level the playing field or even surpass him, making him vulnerable.

However, he didn't mind it that much since he had another trick up his sleeve, and it was much better than those techniques… it was a bit situational, though. It was also in the first few stages, and it could become much more fearsome.

"Sure, that means that we will have a force that can reach the four sides of the country in the blink of an eye," Rain said. "We don't need to watch the northern ocean, but it will be a good idea to have a base there in case we need to help the sea folk and gramps."

"I guess that is decided then," Branden said. "I will adopt Rain's same training methods in order to weed out those who can become a problem and those weak-minded. It is quiet. What is the word that you use again?"

"Spartan," Rain said. "Maybe I should have named my group the three thousand Spartans."

"The group will grow even beyond that, though?" Branden said.

Rain shrugged… only he could understand that kind of reference. In any case, Rain began to travel around to create the headquarters with his earth magic. He brought his kids with him just to let them see how magic was awesome and motivate them to train hard and become better than him. That was possible since he trained too many subjects.

It only took three days for the northern headquarters to be finished, and he felt proud of his hard work, but then, when Rain returned to the capital, he found everyone in a dark mood.

"What is wrong? Did I miss my birthday party or something?" Rain asked.

"The dungeons changed once again… a new type of monster appeared there, Rain," Terra suddenly said.

"What kind of monster?" Rain frowned.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"... Skeletons," Terra replied.

Rain blinked several times in confusion… how come skeletons reached the dungeons? They couldn't move, and he was pretty sure that there were no cemeteries close to the dungeons.

"Ah, I see… so that is how it is…" Rain said. "The deaths here, in those battles, served as fuel for the dungeons."

"We reached the same conclusion after a while… but isn't that too much?" Seara asked. "What kind of insane being would sacrifice over forty thousand people after turning them into mindless soldiers?"

"Someone who sees them as lesser beings, you also need to consider that the spirits of the monsters probably have been used to fuel the dungeons as well," Rain said, and then everyone gulped.

They won't have a break… that was pretty clear. Anyway, the group decided to check the dungeon and confirmed the reports… skeletons were multiplying inside the dungeons, but the area of the effect of the mana for the dungeons increased as well.

"The skeletons didn't leave the dungeon at all?" Rain asked to the squad leader stationed there.

"No, sir. They didn't try to leave. We are able to fight them, but their numbers are troublesome against ours, and it seems that the more they stay there, the stronger they become."

Everyone looked more confused the more they heard about that… how was that possible? Rain knew how it was possible… monsters stay in dungeons because they are drawn to the mana that the cores give them. They can grow faster because of that and stronger, too…

"I guess since this country only has five dungeons, they gained a massive boost of power thanks to the deaths in the war," Rain said while holding his chin in deep thought. "What happens to the skeletons when you kill them?"

"They become dust, sir."

"I should have known, their bodies are essentially made of mana, after all," Rain said. "Anyway, I am going to test things inside and see if I can clean things up here. Depending on the result, I will have to move the headquarters close to the dungeons."

"Try not to take too long there," Terra said.

Rain nodded and then entered the dungeon. At the same time, everyone looked confused by Terra's words and Seara's unusual behavior… they usually would offer to go with him, but they didn't look worried at all.

"Did something happen? I know that Rain is stupidly strong, but… this is something new and very different from the usual challenges." Branden said.

"Don't worry about it, Rain will explain things later, but we found out one technique that is very useful," Terra smiled. "We don't have to be by his side all the time to help him."

Rain was always learning new techniques, but it was hard to imagine one that could work in such a weird way, but Terra was confident, and Seara also felt quite relaxed, so their confidence wasn't unfolded… they couldn't help but think about this so-called new technique of theirs… if it was something more impressive than Limit Breaker and Magic Boost, then Rain probably won't be seen as human anymore.