This Is Not the Life That I Imagined

Zak, breathing heavily, leaned on his staff as the earth spike that impaled the hound slowly crumbled into dust. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his legs wobbled beneath him as he tried to steady himself. "I—I need a moment," he panted, wiping the sweat from his face.

Joe, still in his lion form, gave a quick nod, his fur matted with blood. "Rest. I'll take care of the rest."

Without waiting for a reply, Joe sprinted away from Zak, his powerful legs propelling him across the battlefield. His gaze locked onto Maxwell, who was fending off the remaining hounds with sheer brute force.

Maxwell's fists were like iron hammers, crashing into the beasts with bone-crunching power, but the numbers were still overwhelming. His movement slowed a little compared to before, exhaustion written on his face.

Joe lunged forward, swiftly transforming mid-action into his rhino form. He charged straight into the nearest hound, sending it flying through the air.

"About time you showed up!" Maxwell yelled while puncturing a beast close through its eye by the spike at the end of his fist before mashing its brain.

"Could say the same," Joe snorted, lowering his horned head and charging into the next beast. The hound barely had time to react before Joe's massive body slammed into it, its bones snapping under the force.

Maxwell raised his hand, blocking a claw swipe, making his hardened hand tremble a little. retaliated with a crushing blow to its skull, splattering the ground with blood. "There are too many of these damn things."

Joe, still in rhino form, charged through two more hounds, leaving only a few stragglers circling them. His eyes narrowed. "Let's finish this."

The two of them moved as one, Joe's sheer strength and momentum cutting through the remaining beasts while Maxwell picked off any that he could reach. The battlefield was littered with the bodies of the different hounds, their numbers finally thinning to the last.

One last hound growled in defiance, its eyes glowing with fury. It lunged toward Maxwell, ice forming at its feet as it charged. Maxwell braced himself, his fists hardening to their limit.

But Joe was faster. With a roar, he transformed back into his lion form and pounced on the hound mid-leap, pinning it to the icy ground. The beast writhed beneath him, snapping its jaws desperately, but Joe's teeth sank deep into its throat, and with a final whine, the last of the hounds went limp.

Maxwell exhaled slowly, surveying the battlefield dyed with blood and corpses. "Finally." He wiped a hand across his forehead, flicking away the sweat and blood.

Joe released the hound's body and sat back on his haunches, panting heavily. His fur was stained with blood, his muscles trembling from the strain. "We did it," he said, his voice low and hoarse.

Maxwell grinned, offering Joe a hand. "Thanks for the help."

Joe gave a low growl but accepted the hand, shifting back to his human self. "We need to check on Zak and Toby."

Maxwell nodded, casting a glance toward where Zak had collapsed. "Yeah, let's make sure they are alright."

The team regrouped and began to take a rest after this brutal fight. Meanwhile, in the present, John just reached the BMI after the emergency mission notice.

In the bustling central hall, the clamor of voices and rushed footsteps echoing around him. Just a minute after he stepped into it, his watch vibrated at the same time as Henry's voice was heard through the speakers in the hall.

"To all the agents present, we need you all to gear up and be ready to move in five minutes. A dungeon just got discovered around a town to the far east of the country. This dungeon is a level one uncommon dungeon, but it is on the verge of an outbreak. By the time you reach there, you will have less than an hour to fortify the place before the outbreak. Now Go!"

John frowned as he hurried to wear his gear; his thoughts were in turmoil. 'I just discovered a dungeon and another one was discovered the day after, and on its countdown to outbreak already?'

After John reached the gathering place, he found there were only twelve agents, including him.

"May I have your attention, please?" Someone raised his voice, grabbing their attention. "I'm Liam, from the planning department. I will handle the logistics and the connection between our bureau, the police, and the army. The town near the dungeon is called Blackcrest. To be more specific, the dungeon is not just near; it is in the town itself. The portal appeared in the basement of one of the town residences."

John's heart skipped a beat as he asked, "What do you mean? The dungeon will have an outbreak in the town itself? What about its people?"

"Don't worry, Mr. John. The police and the army are already evacuating the town. It was an oversight on our part as the device that detected the anomaly and energy level malfunctioned, and it just got fixed. Now there is no more time to waste; let's go!"

Liam got in the driver seat of what looked like a military transport truck, and they got in after him. Inside was filled with supplies and just enough space for each of them.

 John sat in silence during the ride, his mind racing as the truck rumbled over the uneven road. The atmosphere inside was thick with tension, every agent deep in their thoughts, preparing for what lay ahead. His fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword; it was a new normal sword until the custom one was ready.

He wasn't sure if he was ready for another fight so soon, but there was no time for hesitation.

The town of Blackcrest came into view, its streets eerily empty. Rows of houses stood in silence, the only movement coming from the scattered police and army forces directing the evacuation. Helicopters hovered overhead, adding to the already chaotic scene. As vehicles sped away from the town, filled with families, their faces paled with fear.

As the truck pulled to a stop, Liam turned around. "Listen up! The police have done their job for now, but it's on us to make sure the dungeon monsters don't break out of town. We have less than an hour. Spread out and begin fortifying the area. Remember: If this dungeon breaks out, it's not just the town at risk. —it's the entire region."

The team quickly disembarked, moving with purpose. John's team consists of three people; one could control energy to speed himself up, make shields, and use it as a weapon. The other was pure speed type talent; he could move fast and have bursts of speed when he needed to become faster. This team was the support team; their job was to reinforce others when needed as they could move quickly between each location.

The other teams were teams of two in each direction (north, south, east, and west). Making a circle around the dungeon entrance. There were two earth-controlling agents; they were creating a ring-shaped wall around the place to contain the dungeon's monsters.

John could hear the distant sounds of crying children and panicked voices, growing fainter as the last of the townspeople were ushered into evacuation buses. His squad moved quickly, setting traps along the walls that had been created.

As he helped his team roll out more heavy barriers, his watch vibrated once again. A cold voice from the investigation department cut through the noise. "All agents, be advised. Energy spikes are increasing inside the dungeon portal. Estimated time until outbreak: twenty minutes."

John exchanged glances with the others. Twenty minutes wasn't enough. "Liam," John called out, running over to him. "Is there any chance to delay this? "

Liam shook his head, his expression grim. "Nothing we can do. The dungeon is too volatile."

John cursed under his breath and returned to his squad. As they continued to work, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease. John caught sight of one last family being forcibly moved out of their home, a mother clutching her two children tightly as soldiers pushed them into an armored truck. The terror in their eyes was unmistakable.

The sounds of evacuation grew silent as military vehicles were now moved a distance from the town. They were almost done with their section of the wall, and his squad leader signaled them to move to the east side, where the defenses were thinner.

As they hurried through the town, John noticed cracks forming in the air—distortions caused by the sheer energy leaking from the dungeon. The portal was becoming more unstable with every passing second.

Suddenly, an explosion of light flashed in the distance. John's heart raced as he turned toward the source, a building on the edge of town, where the dungeon portal was hidden. The ground trembled beneath him as a low rumble echoed through the air.