The Genesis Game

Chapter 19 - The Road

Following his encounter with Michael, Seraph had to pause and consider his options. Now that it was day time, he could use the retreat ability to go back to Hometown and rendezvous with Paul and Jack to make a plan of action to secure and start the guild. The spirit of the world dungeon had given him one of two tasks, beat this floor or establish a guild

Though it had already been a long day, Seraph figured it was somewhere around noon or a little past, he still had almost two full days before other people would start arriving, he had time to put off the guild, and he did some of his best work alone.

If he was going to go off alone into the city looking to fight the Demon Lord Beezlebub he would need to consolidate his gains. Seraph mentally called up his status menu.

Name - Aliases

Luca Fernandez – Seraph

Race

Fallen

Passives

Body of Mana

Dark Heart aspect of Wrath

Prince of Lies

Abyssal Body

Abilities

Thousand Handed (18-1000)

Cold Hands (51-1000)

Burning Fist (48-1000)

Starfall (9-1000)

Preservation (N/A)

Level

Current Unassigned Stat Points

4

13 of 999

Current Experience

115 of 1,100

STR

2

INT

3

AGI

3

WIS

3

LCK

3

PHY

1*

END

5

PER

3

SOL

$194810*

Four points to upgrade almost made the whole ordeal worth it, though once upon a time he could have easily gained stats many times more than that just by consuming one of his enemies.

"That was another life though." Seraph thought as he pushed the thought away, he had realized himself to absorb the abilities and stats of other humans only when absolutely needed and when in the case of certain death. It was not a secret he planned to reveal ever again, it was his and his alone to know, he would not bring that ruinous knowledge into the public domain again.

Seraph knew where he wanted the four stat points and added every single one to boost his strength. So much of his fighting strategy ever since he had taken the Cats Claw was focused around precision cuts and strikes, he could not afford for those strikes to not cut deep enough. He needed to be stronger.

As soon as Seraph felt the power of the dungeon settle into his bones and his muscles, he set off, leaving the visitors center behind and walked across the ruined parking lot, up the stairs along the walking path that connected to another road.

Seraph scanned around in all directions, anxious to avoid the sort of trouble he had only just encountered, he had few guarantees that any skirmish would end the same, and out here in the open, if he was smarmed by a horde of the Hungers, he was unlikely to be able to run away.

The road in one direction ended just shy of the shore, the asphalt heavily corroded and broken off, but as the road headed towards the city, it remained in decent shape, even as cars, trucks, and every manner of vehicle lined the road in both directions, heavily rusted, the tires melted into the road, giving the appearance the vehicles had been sitting in place for decades.

The distance was not endless or as vast as he had thought. Though the ocean extended long into the horizon, the land he was on did not. Though the dark city loomed in the distance, he could see were an artificial border appeared to circle the city and the area's leading into it. The edges dark as they gave way to a waste endless infinity. This made it easier on him, he would need to explore a few miles, rather than an entire world like he had feared. The Phoenix Refuge had taken him months of exploring before ever finding the boss.

Carefully and quietly, Seraph walked in the middle of the road, avoiding stepping too near the vehicles. He did not catch the same feeling of unease he did earlier when traveling through the parking lot. His body wasn't warning him with tension that he was being watched, but still he remained on alert, the ability of monsters to shield themselves from his presence was not impossible and he would not be caught unawares.

Many of the cars still have partially destroyed bodies, vehicles with the windows sealed held bodies that appeared to be in a mummified state, while others with windows partially rolled down, cracked, or broken, had become blackened by the heavy rot inside. Others still the windows and window seal, even a few doors were broken, glasses scattered everywhere, doors shredded from large claws, and others tore open. Of those Seraph could only see bits of aged rust, the last bit of oxidized blood he was sure.

The silence continued as he walked onward, the sun beginning to set behind him, he was unsure of how long he had been walking on the road, but something about it did not set right with him. The road was familiar to him, and though he had been walking for hours, the dark city in the distance was not any closer, the journey of a few miles should have been over already.

"Whats going on?" Thought Seraph in frustration. He had already spent almost a day on the road and hadn't made any progress. He stopped to look at his surroundings and take in what it is that he was missing. The Abyssal ocean and the pier remained behind him, and the dark city in the front of him. The road full of cars and trucks had not changed and they remained in an as far as the eye could see.

"Wait a minute." Mused Seraph as he looked closer at the vehicles. Though he could see no evidence of recent travel, he was sure he had been here before, the cars and vehicles appeared familiar and the sense of dejuvi he felt was heavy.

"I'm trapped in a loop." Realized Seraph as the reason for why his lack of progress become obvious.

 "If I'm trapped in a loop when there's only one of two explanations either someone or something is actively targeting me for a spell or this entire road is enchanted."  Try as he might he just couldn't find the trigger for the spell and with night quickly approaching he had a sneaking suspicion that the dead he had seen in all the vehicles around him would become animated.

 What few options at his disposal he used his dungeon supplemented strength and his upgraded physique which nearly doubled the strength that he had to push aside some of the year abandoned vehicles and even with their heavily damaged tires they still moved a few feet giving him the much needed Room to cast the spell that he was attempting.  

 How the nearby hungers did not hear the loud screeching the vehicles made as he pushed them on the asphalt was beyond him though he guessed it was likely due to them being in another zone of this part of the dungeon.

 With a space cleared and safe for the moment  Hey aimed at the center of the space while he looked away shielding his eyes as he  Used in starfall ability to summon the brightest light that he could.  If you could not find the enchantment then he could at least rule out that it was not a caster who was enchanting him and if the caster couldn't see  due a temporary blind then the enchantment would fail.  But if there was no caster it would call to him the attention of every monster in the area.  Which made him very thankful to be on the raised roadway.

He continuously fed the charge for the starfall ability maba for 30 seconds,  Until he felt the spell could not grow in power any further and released it.

In response he could hear thousands of screams any else as every hunger in the area was alerted to his presence the aura  Pause a 1000 and tens of thousands of monsters hungry for his flesh bore into him.  But his Gambit paid off as a spell that had kept him in trapped had Been canceledIt was unlikely to affect him again unless he re entered this part of the dungeon in the future.  

He watched as the dark city he had been trying to reach began to collapse in on itself and all laborat allusion that began to disappear until it vanished completely.   The allusion obscuring a wasteland of destroyed buildings and endless rubble.  Whatever the dark city had been it was no more as for as far as the eye could see there were only in bricks and destruction.  Though he knew it was not an endless field of debris as the edges all this world had become more apparent as the infinite nothingness that made up its barrier became more pronounced.

 This entire time he had been walking towards nothing.  A suspicion and a hunch not at the edge of his consciousness as he turned around and walked on the road back to where it ended near the beach.  

He kept walking even as he approached the broken edge of the road that overlooks the pier and the beach many feet below.  The way the air shimmered led him to believe that something was here.  

He reached out to touch the shimmering air and as his hand connected physically a wall came down exposing a great throne Room and water had previously then and an empty space. 

On the throne an ominous presence emanated power, the demon Prince Beezelbub.   Clad in his personification of the Harlequin,  A demonic jester upon the throne eyes that glowed yellow And teeth like gathers ever upwards in a mirthless grin that was both profane and vulgar.    On all sides the demon Prince was by lesser demons of all types.   This was not a fight Seraph knew he could win.

 The empty space that he had walked thrill sild itself with a wall and he knew he would not be able to retreat.  In response the glaring and ravenous demons all around him looked in hunger and malice as they circled up knowing that he would be unable to escape they thought they would take their time.

"Hold." Declared the demon lord from his throne  as all of his host stopped in their tracks and shuffled back be gradually to their positions.

"Welcome little brother to the second circle. You and I are going to play a game,  If you manage to defeat me you may proceed to the next floor anytime you wish or go back to Hometown.  If you lose you must stay here as one of my vassals.  A pity really you would have made a fine vessel but the mark of shadow is already upon you."

Seraph shifted uncomfortably Demons especially greater ones were notorious for breaking deals in always having a sub agenda that somehow come back in the worst way.

" Little brother, of our kin I am by far the most patient but even I am not so patient I expect an answer or would you prefer to test your luck and try to defeat all those before you only a fool would hesitate." Challeged the demon lord its eyes full of menace. 

 "I'll play your game." Answered Seraaph. "What is it to be?

 "The only game that has ever mattered the game of life. " Responded the demon lord cryptically.