In less than two weeks Aegis had finished the renovation of their headquarters. There was a small table, a couch and a few chairs in the foyer, a central meeting room with an overhead projector, a training room which was sound proof and reinforced to withstand the strength of superhuman Players, and a room where the team could rest.

“Why did you install a landline?” Bon asked, gazing around at the central room. “And that phone looks like an antique. Do rotary dials even work anymore?”

“They do with a converter, and the antique phone adds class to the office,” Phil said.

“If you say so,” Bon equipped a spear from his Inventory. “I’m going to go train in the backyard.”

“Why don’t you use the training room?” Phil asked.

“I’m scared I’ll damage it. A few holes in the backyard won’t be a big deal, right?”

“As long as they’re holes and not craters,” Phil said. “The owner will kick my ass if he finds out. What are you doing with a spear anyway? What happened to your sword, and your sickle and chain?”

“I’m more comfortable with a spear,” Bon twirled his spear. “It was the first weapon I learned to wield. It’s about time I started taking my training seriously.”

Phil followed Bon to the backyard and watched as Bon practiced all the basic movements – blocking, taking, piercing, striking, cracking, pointing, penetrating, scooping and twisting. He was a little rusty. He finished ten rounds, fighting against the air, before he was fully satisfied.

“What use was that?” Phil asked. “In battle you’re going to be using your mana skills, not regular attacks, and especially not these basic movements. You must have already skilled up Advanced Spear Mastery, right?”

“You really think that these basic movements are useless?” Bon asked. “Let’s spar then. I’ll show you their power.”

“Alright.”

Bon began to move around using the qi technique, ‘Windfeet.’ Tian Bu Ru had taught it to him during the Alpha Test. The other qi techniques Tian Bu Ru had taught him were all fist techniques, except for the Harmonious Gathering of Light which was a ranged attack.

“How are you doing that?” Phil asked. “I can hardly see you. This isn’t fair.”

Bon stopped. “Didn’t you say you wanted to see some qi techniques earlier? Alright, I won’t use any qi in my attacks. All I’ll do is reinforce my spear with mana so that you don’t break it. Shall we start?”

“You won’t stand a chance if you don’t use your skills.”

“We’ll see,” Bon smiled.

Phil used a skill straight off the bat—Over the Brook. Phil’s spear took on a blue glow as it thrust forward at an incredible speed. Bon, who had matched his strength and speed to Phil’s level, easily blocked it and circled his spear around him to strike at Phil’s legs. Phil couldn’t dodge and the spear swept him off his feet.

“You got lucky,” Phil said, getting up from the ground. He activated his combat aura—Thunder Glow, increasing his speed and agility. It would help him to react quicker as well.

Bon didn’t give him a chance to form a stance. He attacked immediately, piercing his spear right into Phil’s chest. Phil’s HP was enough to save him, but he got pushed back, and could only recover his balance after falling on the fence.

“Let me recover my HP,” Phil said, in between ragged breaths.

Errel, who had been watching the fight, immediately healed Phil. It took a few minutes before he was back to full health.

Bon lunged as soon as Phil ran forward, and hit him square on the groin. Luckily, Phil had enough HP, so his manhood was spared. Phil used the skill—Stars of Iron—and light flashed from his spear tip. The spear left a fiery trail in the air as it came closer to Bon’s neck. With a movement so fast that it could barely be seen, Bon’s spear came up and blocked the attack. The sound of the clash was like thunder. With a kick, Bon sent Phil sprawling to the ground.

“Fuck!” said Phil.

Bon helped him to his feet. “You’re too dependent on your mana skills to fight. It makes you slower, and less flexible in your thinking. You should practice the basic movements more often.”

“Right,” said Phil. He took a deep breath in and then let it out slowly. “That was intense. Oh, I almost forgot that I came here to tell you that my uncle’s friend from the government will be visiting us here at three in the afternoon.”

“Okay.” Bon continued his training. He moved on from Basic Techniques to Advanced Techniques. By the time he finished it was almost time for the meeting. He took a quick bath and changed his clothes. Phil’s uncle’s friend arrived at their headquarters at exactly three o’clock. Phil greeted the man at the door and brought him to the central room, where all the members of their guild were sitting. They stood up as he entered.

“Everyone,” said Phil, “This is Edward Rodericks, my uncle’s friend.” Phil then introduced each member of Aegis in turn.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” said Bon, “What exactly is your position in the government?”

Edward smiled, “Let’s just say that I report directly to the President. I’m afraid I can’t tell you much more that that. I understand that you’ve recently come into possession of a dungeon core,” he said, taking a seat next to Bon.

“That’s what we want to talk to you about,” Bon took out the dungeon core, and let Edward examine it. “I’ve been experimenting with it. The first dungeon core I got ended up self destructing, but I got some useful information from the Boss before that happened.” He then told Edward about the Duke of Qultar’s projection, and what the hobgoblin chief had told him about the invasion, the dungeon’s ability to pump mana into the world, and how the monsters needed to reap life force to upgrade their dungeons. When he had finished relaying all this information, Edward thought over it for a few minutes in silence.

“So, you’re saying that we can control these monsters once we unlock the cores?” he asked finally.

“I can,” Bon corrected him. “You need a massive amount of mana to unlock the core and bind it. I don’t think anyone else on Earth has enough mana to do it.”

“What’s your level? You were quite mysterious about it when you were talking to the journalists.”

“A hundred and twenty five thousand three hundred and sixty,” he had nothing to hide any more. His high level would probably open a lot of doors and give him access to more information. With Qultar coming for him, he needed all the help he could get.

Edward whistled, “You’re serious?”

“Yep.”

“I shouldn’t be telling you this,” said Edward, “Our scientists have found that conventional technology fails around these dungeons, where the mana is concentrated. Now if the mana starts spreading outside the dungeons it could spell big trouble for us. Smart grids and avionics are already acting funny. It may get even worse. All sorts of electronics could start failing. We need to understand how these cores work and how we can neutralize their effects. The more cores we have to study the better.”

“I can’t give you this core since we’re studying it ourselves,” said Bon. “We’ll fill you in on what we find out. I can give you the broken one if you want it. It has refined mana stones in it, which are a pretty powerful energy source.”

“Well,” said Edward, “You’ve had more success with the core than us, so it shouldn’t be a problem for you to keep it. Our scientists will look into the mana stones. They might need to ask you a few questions about all of this. There are a few of them who spent time in the Tower and understand mana much better than I do.”

“As I mentioned earlier, we are trying to take full control of the dungeon so that we can take command of the monsters.” The ants were like cannon fodder, but Bon was thinking ahead. He was sure that new and more dangerous monsters would soon appear, before the Duke made his appearance. If he could control them all, he’d have a powerful army.

“You told me that you tried to control the queen ant in the dungeon,” said Edward. “What did you find out?”

“It’s mind magic, a compulsion that the monsters have to obey. I can set the parameters for friend and foe in the minds of the monsters, and there are various other functions that I haven’t explored yet.”

Edward thought out aloud, “If we can build these friendly monster forts to protect our cities it might be worth it. Fine, keep experimenting with the core. Feed it with other cores if you think it’s worth it. I can even supply you with more cores if your experiment proves to be a success.”

“We need to tell the other Players about our discoveries,” said Phil. “About the projection protecting the core, and the invasion plans, the self destruct – everything. Closing down the dungeons are our top priority, but tell them not to mess around with the core. The projections are dangerous, and the self destruct is lethal.”

Edward nodded, “I’ll take steps to see that the Players and the governments of the world are informed about this. Now, if you don’t mind Bon, how about a demonstration?”

“A demonstration of the dungeon core?”

“Yeah,” said Edward.

They went to the backyard where Bon opened the portal to the dungeon. Edward tried to move closer to it, but found that he couldn’t.

“Can you do something about the pressure ordinary folk feel around these dungeons?” he asked.

“I don’t think so,” Bon closed the portal, and kept the core back in his Inventory.

“That’s a shame,” Edward sighed. “Now let’s see what someone with a level over a hundred thousand can do,” he said brightly.

“What do you want me to do?” asked Bon. “If I use my full power I might cause a lot of damage.”

“You’re right, I wasn’t thinking straight,” Edward chuckled. “We’ll set up a testing zone for you somewhere close by. It should take a couple of days. You don’t mind being recorded, do you? I have to prove your worth to my colleagues.”

“I don’t mind at all,” said Bon.

“Hey Edward,” Phil said, “When are you guys going to start paying us for closing the dungeons?”

“You’ll have to ask the state of California, not us. I’ll have someone call the governor. He should have rewarded you for what you did.”

“Damn straight,” Bon heard Toby mutter.

“I’d better get going,” said Edward. “I have to be in Santa Clara in an hour.”

“Here’s the broken core,” Bon took out a container from his Inventory and handed it over to Edward.

“I’ll see that you’re rewarded for everything,” said Edward. “Take care of yourselves.”

They walked him out to the driveway where a car was waiting for him.

“Can he be trusted with the dungeon core pieces?” Bojana asked after he had left.

“He’s my uncle’s friend,” said Phil. “Don’t worry about him.”

“He didn’t tell us what exactly he did though,” Bojana said stubbornly. “We shouldn’t have just trusted him like that.”

“You’re right,” said Bon. “We should have been more cautious, but Phil’s uncle is careful and he wouldn’t expose us to harm.”

“Careful?” Bojana snorted. “He thinks the world is going to end because of the north pole.”

“It’s not the north pole,” said Phil. He looked a little irritated, “It’s the magnetic reversal of poles. And we all have our quirks. He’s still a good judge of character.”

“Y’all just relax,” said Al. “What’s done is done. We need to look forward. What’s next on the list for Aegis?”

“Recruitment,” said Phil. “Let’s design the ad together.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon making the ad and finally uploaded it on the website for Players.

Bon and Errel met Sarah in the evening in a bar. Surprisingly, Du Feng was with Sarah.

“We’ve done it,” Sarah grinned, as soon as she saw them. “The first human trial of the qi gathering pill was a success.”

“Already?” Bon asked. He was surprised, but then realized that these were unusual times. Things like this pill would be fast tracked, as long as they had enough backing.

“Our sect members tested it,” said Du Feng. “There are lots of impurities in the pill, but it will do for now. We will improve the formula with time.”

“How soon can you begin manufacturing it?”

“Two weeks. It is simple to manufacture. There are facilities that we can buy where things are already set up. Skilled workers will not be a problem to get.”

“That’s good to hear,” smiled Bon.

“I was tasked to relay a message,” said Du Feng, “Which is why I accompanied Miss Sarah here. Our patriarch Tian, wished me to convey his greetings and good wishes to you.”

“Tian!” Bon was awestruck. “You don’t mean Tian Bu Ru, do you?”

Du Feng nodded. “The third patriarch rarely communicates with the sect. This time he spent a good two hours talking to the elders. How do you know him?” he asked with a curious smile.

“We bumped into each other in the Tower,” Bon said vaguely. He didn’t want to give away any of Tian Bu Ru’s secrets.

“He does like to travel all over the universe,” Du Feng sighed. “It is not surprising that you found him in the Tower of Sacrifice.”

“Tower of Sacrifice?” Bon asked. “I haven’t heard that name for it before. Does your sect have records of earlier contact with it?”

“We have the vague ramblings of an Immortal who had lost half his strength and most of his mind. Our world’s aura field tolerated his presence because he was so weakened. He told of a Tower of Sacrifice that would train people to fight against a catastrophic invasion. He also said that the Tower’s intervention would both slow down as well as quicken the pace of this invasion.

“That does not make any sense,” said Errel.

“The mutterings of a madman,” Du Feng shrugged, “But the towers did appear on our world, and the monsters followed.”

“Well,” Sarah smiled, “Whatever happens, we’ll pull through. With all our brave Players and Cultivators defending the planet, those monsters won’t stand a chance.”

Bon nodded, though he didn’t share Sarah’s optimism. He might with great difficulty be able to fight one Duke of Qultar, but if there were more invaders like him then the Earth would really be in trouble.

“Can Tian Bu Ru come back to Earth?” Bon asked.

Du Feng sighed, “Not possible at the moment. The Grand Dao will not allow it. However, we’ve noticed that the qi in the environment is getting thicker. Maybe the planet is evolving, but it will take a long time at the current rate.”

“Mana is increasing in this world too,” said Errel. “Maybe they’re interrelated.”

“What’s your cultivation level?” Du Feng suddenly asked Bon. “I know that you cultivate but I can’t sense its strength.”

“How can you tell?” asked Bon. He thought he had hid it well.

“Cultivators walk and breathe with a certain rhythm. Also, when we first met I tried to overwhelm you with my aura but you acted as though it was nothing. None of the other Players I have met could withstand it. So, what’s your level?”

“Peak Nascent Soul,” said Bon.

“That’s impossible,” Du Feng looked at him carefully. “You should have ascended after Core Formation. If you really are Nascent Soul, the world should have either destroyed you or exiled you. How can the Dao allow it?”

“There are exceptions to every rule,” Bon said.

“The Dao is universal.”

“Then perhaps there are some loopholes.”

“There are no loopholes.”

“How can you be sure?”

Du Feng shook his head, “There’s something else too. None of the sects have members who were chosen by the Tower. You’re the only Player who can cultivate. How is that possible?”

“Ask your patriarch,” Bon said. He was getting tired of these questions. “Let’s order our drinks.” Du Feng sensed Bon’s emotions and immediately ceased his questioning.

While they ate and drank, there was breaking news on the TV. Two hundred portals had appeared all around the world. This time the portals were red in color and not blue. Bon gazed at the TV as it showed images from various cities. Players had been standing outside some of these portals for hours but no monsters came. What was going on? In America, these portals had appeared in Washington DC, New York City, Atlanta and a small town in New Mexico. The New Mexico one was odd. It didn’t fit the profile. All the others were in big cities. Steve’s guild would handle the ones in the east. Bon wondered if he should pay a visit to the New Mexico portal personally, but what if something happened to his city while he was away?

“I know that look in your eye,” said Sarah. “Where are you planning to go? New York?”

“New Mexico,” Bon answered. “There probably aren’t many Players there. I’ll be back soon.” He patted Errel’s back, “Tell the guild to stay vigilant while I’m away.”

He then walked outside the bar and took off into the sky.