The sky was covered in a red hue, and the air was heavy, leaving a slight tingling sensation on one's skin. For those who weren't Pagna warriors, it would feel more like a sunburn, leaving one incredibly itchy.
The place also had a lack of oxygen, giving the same effect as a person when they were in a high place. Because of these things, it wasn't usually a place where one would venture. It was a place that only Pagna warriors went to, and not even the usual Pagna warriors.
This was another dimension; it was not the world of Pagna, and it was filled with deadly beasts. Standing in the center was a man cloaked in fish-scaled, dark blue colored armor, holding onto two swords that curved upward. On the edge of the sword, it was jagged and white, while the main part of the blade was a dark blue, giving it the appearance of a giant shark tooth.
Dashing towards his side was a beast that was as large as a car. It had dark red eyes and spikes running down its spine. It shook the ground as its feet hit the floor.
Gunther held onto the two swords in his hand, and when the beast was right by his side, he swung both of the swords. Droplets of water appeared from the swing that was made, and in turn, the large beast had been killed.
"You guys are not the ones I want!"
Spinning around, Gunther swung his sword again, slashing another beast, and it fell to the floor, joining the rest of the field of dead beasts that were on the ground.
"Why won't you come out!" Gunther yelled, huffing and panting.
Gunther was a member of the Flowing Force Clan, one of the big five clans of the Dark faction, and he himself wasn't a nobody either. He was next in line to become the headmaster, ahead of his three brothers.
He was a Pagna warrior that had gone past the initial stage and was now at the middle stage, a 7th Rank Pagna warrior, and one of the most skilled in the Dark faction. However, it had been over several years since he had reached the 7th stage, and he had yet to progress.
He was in one of the highest-ranked portals that his clan owned, and he would continue to hunt any moment he had, but the level of crystals he gained, it was useless to his development and were no longer helping him.
"I don't understand, all of the other portals, if I was to kill beasts this much, then usually a much larger one would appear. The dimension boss, but it hasn't appeared once? Does it just not think I'm strong enough? Or is there really not one in this dimension?"
There were a lot of rules and regulations that were set up by the clans when hunting in other dimensions. The clans, for one, would give them ranks based on their danger. Initial, Middle, and Deity.
The rankings were the same as the different stages of the Pagna warrior as well, and it was in concordance as to why. It was set up that way because it was believed that those portals were suited for those ranks.
This was why deviation from those delineations was incredibly risky because there were large gaps in strength between Pagna warriors, ranks, and stages.
In Gunther's case, he was in a low-level Initial stage dimension that had been checked by others beforehand.
Another thing that would occur in portals was a dimension boss appearing. They named it so because there was one way to close a portal, and it seemed it was to defeat this dimension boss.
However, most clans would try and avoid defeating the dimension boss as they wished to continue gathering crystals from those lower. Only if the clan had an abundance of portals, or felt there was more to gain from killing the dungeon boss would they allow it.
In Gunther's case, he believed the crystals from the dungeon boss could be turned into a Qi refining pill that would allow him to grow to the next stage, but for some reason, no matter what Gunther would do, the boss just wouldn't arrive.
"If I can't get to the dimension boss, then I guess I'm just going to have to try and get permission from one of the other clans to use a higher dimension portal. But I would have to give them something in return. If I could get better equipment, or get some Qi pills that could help me advance.
"The alchemists haven't come up with any new creations other than some buff pills that gain temporary strength. If only they could have some breakthroughs."
With nothing else left to do, it was time for him to leave the area. In his hand, Gunther held a light blue stone.
It looked similar to that of the power stones, but this was a return stone. It was something that if crushed would return one to the place of their origin. It would be an item that was rare for some, but for someone of his status and position, they were easy to come by.
Rather than heading and finding the portal exit, the stone was crushed, and his body was starting to light up. The next moment, he had disappeared.
"We greet the young master!"
A group of men, covered in dark blue cloth, bowed down. They were in a wooden floor dojo room, and the portal was behind Gunther.
"Sir, we have some important information to give you." One of the men standing at the front stated. "Firstly, the Academy master has contacted you, asking for your attendance at the next assessment."
"Oh?" Gunther raised an eyebrow. "This can be the opportunity I was looking for."
"As for the second matter, there has been a bounty placed out, for anyone with information on a particular individual. It was sent by the Crimson Crane."
"The Crimson Crane, who annoyed them that they would put a bounty out for them." Gunther asked.
"It's a person named the Dark Magus."