NOVPUB
Chapter 68: The Infiltration Plan (II)
Zayn’s grip tightened on the griffin’s saddle as the creature beneath him let out a low, rumbling growl, shifting its weight in anticipation.
He had seen a Griffin in games before but never in real life.
It was a massive beast, larger than any warhorse, its body a blend of majestic eagle and powerful lion.
Its golden-brown feathers shimmered under the dim light, streaked with hints of deep red and black, as if fire had licked its wings.
The feathers along its head and neck were sharp, fanning out slightly with each movement.
Its lion-like hind legs were thick with muscle, clawed paws digging into the damp earth as it prepared for takeoff.
Its tail, a mix of feathers and fur, flicked from side to side, moving with an unsettling grace for something so large.
The beast’s piercing amber eyes locked onto Zayn’s, intelligent and fierce, as if it were assessing whether he was worthy of riding it.
Zayn adjusted his grip, steadying his breathing.
He had ridden a horse but you couldn’t compare a horse to a griffin in the slightest.
They weren’t just trained for transport.
They were war machines, meant for combat in the most dangerous skies.
Beside him, Tobias adjusted his glasses, his own griffin shifting beneath him, restless.
"We need to dodge the falling monsters," he said, looking toward the sky. "They’re coming down again."
Zayn followed his gaze.
The dungeon gate above had reopened, swirling like a massive wound in the sky.
More creatures poured out, their twisted forms plummeting toward the ground.
Some smashed into the earth, their bodies breaking upon impact.
Others had wings, leathery or insect-like, spreading just in time to slow their descent.
Some, horrifyingly, used their long limbs or claws to latch onto buildings, clinging to rooftops like grotesque parasites before scrambling down into the streets.
The only way to stop them was to enter the dungeon itself and kill the boss.
If the boss had already come out, the gate would have closed, but since monsters were still falling, that meant the fight had to happen inside.
That was why the Guild Master had arranged for griffins.
Tobias’s party, along with two B-Rank adventurer parties, had been assigned to storm the dungeon from above while the rest stayed behind to deal with the monsters rampaging through Timberstead.
Kara grinned as she tightened her grip on her griffin’s reins. "Been a while since I’ve flown one of these."
Bran, struggling with his saddle, scowled. "I hate heights."
"You’ll get used to it," Tobias muttered, unfazed.
The griffin handlers finished their final checks, stepping back.
One of them, a seasoned rider, raised his hand and gave the command.
"Fly!"
With a deafening cry, the griffins launched into the air.
Wind slammed into Zayn’s face, his stomach lurching for a moment before he found his balance.
Below, Timberstead shrank away, the burning buildings, the clashing swords, and the corpses of monsters becoming distant details as they soared higher.
The cold bit at his skin as they approached the swirling gate above, the air thick with unnatural energy.
Then, Tobias’ voice rang out. "Dodge!"
Zayn barely yanked his reins in time as a thrashing, multi-limbed creature tumbled past, letting out a distorted screech before smashing into a burning house below.
Another monster, this one with leathery wings and a skeletal face, snarled as it lunged toward Bran’s griffin.
"Shit — " Bran swung his axe.
The blade cleaved through the monster’s neck, severing it cleanly.
The corpse, however, didn’t let go, its claws still digging into the griffin’s side.
Kara extended her hand, murmuring something under her breath. A stone spear shot from her palm, impaling the corpse and sending it plummeting.
Bran exhaled. "Thanks."
"Try not to die before we even get there," she smirked.
Tobias, riding ahead, scanned the portal. "We’re close!"
Zayn could see it now, the swirling mass growing larger, the unstable energy crackling around its edges.
The closer they got, the more he could feel it — like static crawling under his skin.
Then, they went through it into the world beyond.
As they passed through the dungeon gate, everything around them shifted in an instant.
The sensation was disorienting, like being flipped upside down without warning.
Zayn’s stomach lurched, and he gritted his teeth, tightening his grip on the griffin’s saddle as his surroundings came into focus.
The dungeon was... strange.
It looked like the entire world had been turned on its head.
The sky —or what should have been the sky — was below them, a dark abyss that seemed to stretch endlessly downward.
Above them, jagged pieces of floating terrain hovered in eerie silence, flickering in and out of focus as if they weren’t entirely stable.
No ground. No walls. Just a vast, open void.
Floating gems scattered throughout the space pulsed with a dim, otherworldly light, providing the only illumination.
They shimmered in slow, rhythmic patterns, casting shifting shadows that danced in the emptiness.
Kara glanced around. "This... isn’t normal." 𝓷ℴ𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝒸𝓸𝓶
Tobias adjusted his glasses, his voice steady.
"The dungeon gate outside should be sealed now. No more monsters should be falling out."
"That means we’re the only ones left in here," Bran muttered, gripping his axe tightly. "So where the hell are the enemies?"
That was the strange part.
In a dungeon, you were expected to face monsters the moment you stepped inside.
It was the natural order of things.
But here? There was only silence.
Zayn frowned, scanning their surroundings. He didn’t like this.
An experienced B-rank adventurer riding ahead, a man clad in dark armor with a spear across his back, gave the order. "Proceed."
The group surged forward, their griffins gliding smoothly through the dungeon’s weightless expanse.
There was no up or down anymore — just a constant push forward through the abyss.
The lack of ground beneath them sent an unnatural chill up Zayn’s spine.
Then, something shifted.
Zayn exhaled slowly, focusing his soul energy.
It expanded outward, invisible waves of awareness rippling through the air around him.
At first, there was nothing — just emptiness. But then, faint disturbances. Something... moving.
They weren’t alone.
Zayn’s eyes sharpened.
He turned his head just as the distortion grew stronger. "They’re right in front of us — "
A piercing shriek split the silence.
From the abyss ahead, dark shapes exploded forward.
Bony, oversized bat-like creatures emerged from the shadows, their skeletal wings stretched wide, their hollow eye sockets glowing with eerie blue light.
Their ribcage-like torsos were lined with jagged spines, and their clawed limbs twitched erratically as they launched themselves at the group.
The first one dived straight for a B-rank adventurer.
The man barely had time to react before the creature’s talons slammed into him, knocking him clean off his griffin.
His scream echoed as he plummeted into the abyss below.
