Ascension of the Nephilim

Kyros walked over to the edge of the dome. The darkness of the Shadow Ghouls once covered it, but now Kyros could see its edges. Soon, he found a strange large door.

"You mean you can't just take away this entire Dome?" Calaminus asked.

"Yup. If I take it, the sudden instability will cause the entire mountain to collapse. I'm not sure what's going on outside. So I don't want to kill a few innocent bystanders in this area. The first thing to do is get out and scout the area. Besides, I need to bring items inside of this temple and increase the level of the Temple Storage Space.|

Kyros then saw the details of the Nephilim Sealing Temple in his vision. Because he is linked to it, he could bring out the temple stats immediately.

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Nephilim Inventory

Kyros to mark ten items for quick storage and retrieval in the Temple Storage Space. Number of marked items increases per level. Marked objects cannot be unmarked and marked within 24 hours. Number of available objects to mark: 6.

May be upgraded with quest objects.

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Temple Storage Space

A fifty cubic meter storage space that resides in the dimensional space of the Nephilim Sealing Temple. Kyros can store and retrieve unmarked items at the cost of 3 magic points per cubic meter of the item to be stored/retrieved. If items are physically carried inside the grounds of the Nephilim Sealing Temple, transferring the item into the Temple Storage Space can be done without expending magic. However, retrieving the item to move anywhere within the temple still requires magic.

Storage space cannot store water, air, and other intangible objects.

Quest objects are directly absorbed into the temple and are not stored here.

May be upgraded with quest objects.

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"So with this, I should be able to retrieve a few in the missions list. It seems that a lot of limitations are set so that I can't take advantage of this..." Kyros looked at the description and laughed.

"Yeah. This temple is training you. You'd have to think of ways to bring everything inside this temple to increase it. I think you should also upgrade the Temple's defensive protocols..."

"Well, we'll see about this. I can always try to tame monsters to help me guard this place. And if I can recruit my original team, they could be trained here. Of course, right now, some of them are but kids like me. The younger ones might not have been born yet since I awoke nearly three decades earlier than in my past life!"

"It's a good thing that vampires age slowly. She should have been born now... That Mechiel."

Kyros sighed as he recalled that woman.

"It's a good thing that this temple has some defenses that hide me from fate. So It should take a while for Fate to find me if I train here. If fate is slower in finding me, they won't make an adversary out of them yet."

"It won't kill them. But right now, they should be inflicted with the same curse you have. They will live harder lives now."

"Then all I have to do is change it! For now, I'll focus on increasing the temple! If I complete the inner core areas of the temple, it will grow larger." Kyros noted.

The quest he had allowed him to select the rooms to be built and create layers of walls to increase the temple grounds. The area which included where the Sword of Ten Thousand Grudges was now part of Kyros's temple. When the next level of Shade would be fought, a newer dimensional area would open and would make the temple grounds larger than ever.

"I need to make those many rooms. Alchemy labs, forges, and all that. There is also that farmland. If I am to stay here and protect those I love, I have to create those too!"

"You should consider bringing some people in here. You know, slaves and the like to help you with these things."

"I'll see what I can do. What if Greater God Daradiel can stay here?"

"Well, if you find him, it is possible..." Calaminus realized this possibility.

Kyros concentrated, and the large door began to open. The door was sliding upwards and revealed a strange tunnel heading out. It was pitch black, and Kyros took a deep breath and began to march in the dark cave.

Kyros held a sword on his hands and wore a pair of dark arm guards. These were among the items that Kyros marked.

"It's a good thing the system detected the armguards as one item." Kyros laughed. He then summoned one of the objects he had marked with Inventory.

A torch appeared on his hands. The fire was burning with a strange flame. This was one of the torches that lit up the inner parts of the temple.

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Temple Torch

Attack: 1

Durability: 10

Inexhaustible torch.

Fire burns out at the will of the wielder.

Uses 1 MP to activate outside of Temple Grounds.

The fire of this torch is hot. Keep out of reach of children.

---

Kyros willed it, and the torch began to emit fire as he ignored the odd text description of the torch. He then slowly rose through the rocky tunnel leading upwards.

"Where am I?" Kyros wondered as he looked at the rocks and minerals in the area around them.

"These plants... Those minerals... And then we have Char Vermillion Lizards... This isn't in any location I know. But since we are inside of a mountain or underground, then I shouldn't be familiar with this place. Hopefully, this place is still close to the Midlands." Kyros sighed.

Kyros then began to walk slowly, and suddenly, he could hear some strange voices.

"Humans?" Kyros wondered. He then willed it, and the doors leading to the Temple closed.

"It looks like this place is being explored or mined. But if there are Char Vermillion Lizards are still here, this means that these humans ought to be an extermination team hired."

"You might want to change the text on your shirt. It draws attention." Calaminus reminded.

"Right! The t-shirt!" Kyros looked at his shirt and saw the odd words. But through the power of Dark Cloak, Kyros covered the white text on his shirt. It looked like Kyros was wearing an all-black shirt.

"You have to find some new pants, Kyros. That robe pants of yours are just on the edge of breaking."

"Right. Because the most important thing that I should worry about is my pants..." Kyros remarked sarcastically.

Soon, the voices were getting closer.

"Baron Steele. I seriously think we should retreat now. This pay isn't worth the work! That was a Char Vermillion Lizard! We haven't seen one of those in the Lowlands for a while! If there is a nest here, it will take more than eight men to kill them!" A voice could be heard echoing out in the distance.

"Steele?" Kyros and Calaminus reacted together.

"Well, it makes sense..." Calaminus nodded.

"Indeed. I was found here by a member of the Steele clan. If I recall correctly, it was my uncle, Aron Steele, who found me." Kyros recalled.

"Fate still is kind to you. You get to meet a member so early."

"Well, it has to. The title, Baron, indicates that my family just managed to secure a noble title from knighthood. But this still means they are the lowest nobility rank yet. They already received the rank of Earl in my time."

Kyros decided to start running towards the sound of the torches.

"Help! Are you humans?! Help!" Kyros began to shout.

The knights heard the shout and immediately reacted.

"That voice? Someone's still in here! Quick! Move!" The familiar robust, and decisive voice echoed from the end of the tunnel.

"It is Uncle Aron!" Kyros smirked as he began to move closer.

The sight of eight armored men appeared holding torches.

Kyros began to make himself look frail and afraid.

"A boy?" In his late twenties wearing iron armor that stood out of the other men, a young man wondered as he looked at Kyros.

"Who are you? Why are you still inside the cave? Everyone evacuated since that earthquake three weeks ago!"

"I'm sorry... I... don't remember." Kyros decided to go with this lie. If his wild state drew the interest of his uncle, who decided to bring him home, then it would be possible that his kindhearted uncle would take pity on him this time.

"You don't remember?"

"No. I woke up... With this sword nearby and this armguard on my hands. I... don't remember anything." Kyros sighed.

"Please don't leave me here!" Kyros begged.

"How did you survive? What about food?"

"I had some food with me... but they all ran out since yesterday..." Kyros sighed.

"Were there no monsters who chased you?"

"There were some strange lizard creatures. But I kept running away from them. I'm sorry... I don't remember."

"Alright. Kid. Do you have the strength to move on?" Aron asked.

"Lord Aron?!" One of the men asked.

"This child must have been from an earlier mercenary team sent in to deal with this place. Look at his sword. The design. A noble family must have crafted it."

"But that's a boy! Why did they bring a boy here?"

"For experience. This is the Lowlands Plane. If a family from the Midlands sent their men here, they'd have no fear over whatever creatures this place has. But it seems that the danger is worse than ever." Aron explained.

Kyros noted that he was at the Lowlands.

"Right. I forgot that my family said they once hailed in the Lowlands..." Kyros recalled,

"Boy... Do you remember your name?" The young man asked.

"Kyros... That's all I remember." Kyros answered.

"So be it. Kyros... We are on a mission to explore this cave and have journeyed inside here for two days. Moving back would be a waste of time. We have enough food and rations to help you. Do you have experience in using that sword?"

"I... I can wield it!" Kyros answered.

"Good. Then join us for now. But you have to work for your food!" Aron explained.

"Thank you!" Kyros dropped on his knees and knelt before Aron.