The Rise of the Black Plain

As this generation's opening of The Obsidian Shore entered its fifth year, the first people who had entered the place and managed to survive up to that point began to leave the area.

Each week, one group or another left the area while the groups waiting for their emissaries began to grow nervous.

It would be just over four years before the place returned to its unstable and inaccessible state. However, as time passed, the groups waiting for their subordinates or companions became concerned about their plans and the vital status of their personnel.

One of the interesting facts about this place was that even if an individual with people outside with devices connected to their vitality were to die, this information would not reach the people outside of it!

Only by the end of the time the place could remain stable could the groups be sure their messengers had died.

There was no way that Grandmasters or low-ranked Sovereigns could survive in that place after the catastrophic phenomena in the area had returned to their worst.

The monsters that existed in the area had special characteristics that allowed them to survive the worst times in the area, and some of them could go into hibernation for thousands of years.

Most visitors should not be compatible with the place, so staying there after the 10-year period was the same as dying. Either such a being had to have died, which prevented it from leaving the area, or it would die, as ordinary beings could not survive in the area.

Thus, groups like the Armhands became increasingly nervous about the possibility that their emissaries had failed.

...

In the city near the area where Minos' group was, the level 114 Sovereign, General of Armhands, was still waiting for his guild's envoys in this generation.

Today, he was again on a conference call with the Sovereigns who were waiting for Minos' group's return near The Obsidian Shore entrance.

"So? Are there any results?" he asked, hoping to hear something different from what he had heard recently.

"No." Said the leader of the Sovereigns in the place where individuals as strong as this General could not go.

The Obsidian Shore prevented Sovereigns from entering its region. But the stronger the Sovereign was, the farther they had to be from that place, or they might suffer negative effects.

The closest someone at level 114 could get to that place was the city where the General was now.

"There is still no sign of Minos' group, General," said the man in front of the entrance to that region.

"All right. Keep an eye on the area," said the highest-ranking Armhands member near the area. "Be ready to act if they show themselves."

After these words, he switched off his communicator and turned his eyes back to where he was, unable to keep a thoughtful and worried expression on his face.

As he pondered whether Minos' group would actually succeed, he narrowed his eyes, considering the many people in this city who might be interested in acting against him if his group succeeded.

'Just complete your mission, Soldier Minos. I'll take care of everything else while you're here.'

...

Meanwhile, in front of The Obsidian Shore, Rhett kept an eye on the portal that gave access to this place.

Looking at this place, he couldn't help but wonder what could have happened to justify the delay of Minos and the rest of the staff.

'Could something have happened to stop them?' he wondered, a little worried.

Minos was not his friend. But he supervised Emperor Stuart, and since he had met this spiritual human, he had been given many opportunities.

Rhett had recently reached level 106, and he felt that he could become an Intermediate Officer after this mission.

So he didn't like the idea that Minos might have fallen, and he couldn't help but worry about the return of such a human.

"How much longer will it take?" Rhett asked the other level 106 Sovereign who was there with their group.

"You don't know. They may already be dead, but there are still a few years left. If they're still alive, they have plenty of time to return.

In any case, I feel that they will hardly have succeeded even if they do return." Commented the alien leader of their group.

"This is better than nothing. Soldier Minos shows great promise. He'll make Officer even without this mission."

The alien next to Rhett did not comment, continuing to observe their surroundings, where there were still 35 other groups like theirs.

Some groups had already moved on with the departure of the first survivors from The Obsidian Shore, so there had already been chases, escapes, and battles outside of this place.

There would be many more fights in the coming months, and some of these 35 groups would leave to return to their organizations or even die on the way.

...

Meanwhile, two more years passed within The Obsidian Shore.

More groups had left the area. As time passed and the end of the ten years of 'tranquility' approached, the phenomena around the area became more intense.

The Obsidian Shore did not have the same stability in all areas or throughout the entire 10-year interval.

The first few months after the 'stabilization' of the phenomena in the area were the best, while every day that passed after the 5th year of this period of 'tranquility,' the phenomena in the area got worse.

Even though the place still had many opportunities and valuable resources, several groups that had survived so far abandoned their interests and left the area every day.

In the midst of this, Minos and his party were still in Obsidian City, where all of their surviving allies and party members had not only recovered but had also increased in level over the past few months.

Some of them had even begun quests within the city in search of valuable resources to help them on their way out.

Only Minos was still cultivating, but that was about to change.

Nearly 4 years after recovering from his injuries, Minos has finally reached the peak of level 98 and has begun to advance to level 99!

With this breakthrough, the group's departure from this area was finally imminent.

Of the nine people there, with the weakest of them, Ruth, at level 98, and the strongest of them, a level 102 alien, it would be time for them to face their final challenges in this region!