( Earth, The Climber''s Association )


    There was palpable tension within the room, as the most prominent guild masters, fighters and factions of Earth had gathered at the climber''s association headquarters.


    Sir Cody, sat at the head of the table, surrounded by Pope Cole on the left and Karna to his immediate right.


    Neatwit stood behind Karna and the other major guildmasters upied the rest of the seats on the table.


    This was the assembly of Earth''s mightiest warrior''s and yet everyone seemed to be tense and covered in sweat.


    "Are you sure Sir Neatwit, are you absolutely sure that the prophet predicted a monster outbreak to happen within the next 7-9 days?" asked Guildmaster Andy, the leader of the Scarlet Fire guild.


    "I''m sure…. I have already submitted the answer paper with the prophets stamp to the climbers association, there is no doubt about it, a monster outbreak will start in 7-9 days" Neatwit replied, as everyone within the room clutched their hands tightly.


    "Undead Outbreak….. there can be no doubt about it, this is an undead outbreak" said Pope Cole as his words sent chills down the spines of all those present.


    Usually, 14-16 days before the actual monster outbreak, the tower started to show signs of disturbance.


    Small monsters would emerge on ground zero and would be quickly neutralized by those patrolling.


    The tower would quake unnaturally and cause minor earthquakes.


    However, this year there had been no such sign yet.


    Although it wasn''t a given, every monster outbreak followed a kind of ''Theme''.


    Eight years ago there was an outbreak of winged beasts and judging by the early signs of monsters emerging, the climbers association began its preparation for what was toe next by buying anti-flight weapons in bulk and creating temporary archer corps.


    Four years ago, it was the outbreak of ming beasts, so the monsters that emerged were of the fire element such as hell hounds, ming lions, ming rabbits etc.


    To counter this wave, the climbers association dug water trenches and prepared adequate water supplies/ antifire measures and more.


    Whenever it was a beast monster outbreak, there was a general theme that was followed and the outbreakcked proper structure and leadership.


    Every monster acted as an individual rather than a collective and hence were easy to beat back.


    However, ording to legends, theck of a sign two weeks before a monster outbreak usually signified that the next monster outbreak was going to be an undead themed one.


    Unlike mindless beasts, undeads had a proper military structure amongst them.


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    At the base of the undead army''s structure were the skeletal troops. Despitecking flesh and blood, they possessed a menacing determination, driven by dark magic to serve their masters tirelessly.


    Each group of ten skeletal troops or more was overseen by a Skeletal Champion or a Skeletal Horseman.


    These higher-ranked skeletons were distinguished by their worn armor and weapons, while the Skeletal Horsemen, mounted on skeletal steeds, provided swift mobility to the undead ranks, allowing for rapid deployment or withdrawal, making them unpredictable on the battlefield.


    Above the skeletal soldiers and their champions stood the formidable Durahal. These towering skeletal figures wielded magic and immense physical strength, acting as elite guards for the more precious assets of the undead army. Their presence on the battlefield was a harbinger of despair, as they could decimate entire squads with their dark sorceries and brute force.


    Commanding these forces were the Undead Commanders, beings who had retained their tactical acumen and leadership abilities beyond death.


    They were the orchestrators of the undead''s military strategies, capable of adapting their tactics as the battle unfolded.


    At the pinnacle of this dark hierarchy resided the Lich, a powerful spellcaster who had willingly embraced undeath to gain immortality. These beings were the architects of the undead outbreaks, their vast magical knowledge allowing them to summon and control vast armies of the dead.


    Because of the undead possessing such aplex hierarchy, they became formidable enemies that could fight using proper tactics and adapt to situations.


    Theck of no monsters emerging, the eerie silence as the outbreak drew near were products of the undead''s discipline.


    Not one skeletal soldier acted upon their own free will and tried to break out early, as they waited for the monster gate to open fully before charging out.


    "If it''s an undead raid then Earth is doomed. If a Lich leads them then that Lich would be as powerful as a floor 60 climber.


    No offense to any fighter here, but Earth has no lesser gods in our ranks.


    Yes, guildmaster Karna is strong, but even he can''t bring down a Lich" Mark, the leader of the rangers guild said as he expressed how ill-prepared Earth was to face such a threat.


    Karna frowned at thisment, he was currently considered as one of Earth''s top three strongest fighters, however, none of them had sessfully attained lesser god-hood.


    Ascending past floor 60 was not an easy task at all and Karna disliked this jibe by Mark for that exact reason.


    He would attempt the floor 60 raid, however, he just needed more time to do so.


    "I agree with Pope Cole''s analysis, if we look at the deadliest outbreaks throughout history, in the 1600''s there was an undead outbreak and it wiped off 25% of our civilian poption.


    ording to records, the tower showed no signs of an outbreak happening that time as well, so his hypothesis may be right" Cody said as everyone clutched their fists harder.


    "So what do we do now? We can''t just quit fighting because the opponent may be stronger than us?


    The civilians depend on us for safety!


    If the undead appear, they appear-, the question now is, how to stop them!" Said guildmaster Andy as he tried to steer the conversation in a positive direction.


    "I agree with your viewpoint, however, I genuinely think that if we all agree that the next raid might be an undead themed one, then the first thing we need to do is to recruit the help of a lesser god.


    Doesn''t matter how much we pay him, we need to bring him to our side to deal with this problem…..


    Only if the Lich is defeated can the rest of the army be defeated, that''s the rule of any undead raid" Mark said, as his words resonated within all the guildmaster''s within the room.


    "We should also not forget the fact that we  have the Champion Of Gemini amongst us now-" said Sir Patrik, Chief pdin of the Church Of Gemini, Earth branch.


    "You seriously don''t expect a kid to solve our problems for us do you? He has not even graduated from his university yet, he''s not even a proper climber, much less an individual capable of taking on a lich" Mark said, as Karna secretly agreed with his words.


    "It might not be possible for you, but he''s not you, he''s the champion of a True God. Chosen by the heavens.


    If it''s him leading us on the battlefield, victory is all but assured for Earth" Patrik said devotedly, as his dangerously delusional faith began to shine through.


    "Did he really just say what I think he said?" Asked Guildmaster Mark in disbelief, as he tried to double check if his brain was not tricking him into hearing the wrong words.