The Rise of the Winter Wolf - Book 5 - Chapter 14 - Conjunction Part I (Patreon)

                                                            Wolf
A few days after the fight in the Void Stream, not long after the war began.

I can’t help but look down at my chest where the amulet thing I got is sitting in an ethereal form. The thing hasn’t appeared once throughout my entire time in the beta dungeon yet, and I can’t help but wonder if it will ever do anything. Because the voice – who Talroth believes to belong to the progenitor of Ice known as Fenrir – said something about it saving me when I needed it the most? Or that I’d know about it then?

Too cryptic for me, to be honest. I wish he’d be more straightforward.

Although I can’t help but notice that the progenitor in question has the same name as a certain bringer of Ragnarök from Earth’s Norse mythology.

Not really sure if that bodes well for me or not, but from what the devourer said, Fenrir is supposedly a neutral progenitor. And that progenitors pick their blessed harbingers based on affinity with their element and their personality being similar to the progenitor’s.

Meaning they’re kind of narcissistic, but it would be best to not say that to them.

“Still trying to figure it out?” Sapphire asks as she looks at me from her place on the couch in my portable system store. The girl is just lying down flat on her back facing the ceiling, quite literally tossing a ball of string into the air and repeatedly catching it.

Why is she doing that?

Not sure.

But she is.

“Yeah,” I mutter while leaning back on my own couch sitting parallel with the couch she’s lounging on as I focus my gaze on the ethereal amulet again.

Just what does this thing even do? And why would Fenrir give it to me when he did instead of just right before I needed it? Because I have already almost died a couple of times in the beta dungeon, but it never did anything.

Does that mean the threat has to be a lot higher than that? Maybe another progenitor?

“You’re probably thinking too hard about it,” Sapphire says, breaking my train of thought again. “Just wait and see.”

After saying that, she finally sits up on the couch again with her hands on either side of her leaning against the couch before the girl asks, “So is it time yet?”

I let out a sigh of exasperation. Then I glance at the clock on the wall, which is apparently working through the System’s internal clock and not any actual power or electricity.

“Three, two, one,” a flash of vibrant green light shines in the store before Sapphire and I find ourselves in another conjunction – the first one since we entered the beta dungeon. “And we’re here.”

However, after my eyes adjust to the place, I realize that it’s quite a bit different from before. For one, I’m now standing with Sapphire on a clear platform above everyone else, who is still in the conjunction square, many of whom are looking up at me. And what’s more, is that my portable store is up here as well.

“Okay, so why are we up here?” I mutter out loud, only to notice Sapphire shrugging her shoulders to show her confusion.

Huh.

I stare at the Competitors who are all standing down below me in the square before raising my head at the sound of some sort of glass shattering. Which turns out to be a void creature quite literally breaking into the conjunction.

Okay, and why is he here? Pretty sure this is the same void creature I saw in the Void Stream.

The void creature looks at the conjunction square, seemingly ignoring me for the moment as he spreads his wings out and raises his voice, “Competitors of the 84th run of the Administrator Dungeon, wait at the square for five minutes for your lord to arrive.”

I frown for a moment, wondering why the hell the void creature is arrogantly calling The Reaper the lord of all of the Competitors. Then I glance down and notice his mark on the people down below wearing slightly more revealing outfits than others.

Oh. Yeah, glad I don’t have one of those.

Every one of the remaining Competitors still alive within the dungeon run – which if I remember correctly should be about sixty or seventy – begin chatting amongst themselves for a few seconds before a few of them begin leaving the square. Only to end up walking straight into an invisible wall that quite literally shocks them, sending them flying back into the square while screaming.

Although judging by what I can sense up here, they don’t seem to be badly injured or anything. Almost as if that shock was purely meant to bring them pain.

“Thank you for your patience,” the void creature says, not a single hint of sarcasm in its voice, making me wonder if it really means that or not. Then he turns and suddenly appears in front of me with his hands behind his back.

And right when I’m tensing up, wondering if it’s going to try something, the thing actually bows low before straightening back up again and saying, “You have passed the first trials to becoming a true Reaper of the Void. Therefore, you deserve my respect, young one.” It then vanishes in the blink of an eye, as if it were never here.

I blink in surprise before glancing at Sapphire and muttering, “Trials?” But she just shrugs again.

What trials?

I really don’t like the sound of that. And who ever said I even wanted to be a true reaper of the void anyways?

Katie is working with the fae so, joining the void’s side – which is what that sound like I’d be doing – would have me at odds with her.

Although from what I understand, The Reaper isn’t actually forcing people to fight there. It’s more like he’s forcing them into the portals where they can’t return from, and bribing them to fight.

Meaning I wouldn’t technically be against Katie.

“Don’t worry, young one,” The Reaper’s voice suddenly echoes in my head, making me jump in the process, startling Sapphire who apparently doesn’t hear anything, “a certain annoying dog has bound my hands when it comes to using you for my own purposes.”

Holy shit! Please don’t do that…

I just hear chuckling in my head before another glass breaking sound enters my ears and The Reaper slowly enters the conjunction, long before the five minutes that the other void creature stated is up.

Well, guess I’ll be seeing what he wants.

Also, did he just say something is protecting me? Albeit in a rather rude way.

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