Leon moved closer to the swirling blue portal that was still forming, holding the device Peter had given him. As he brought it near the mass of churning mana, the needle on the semicircular device began to move, hovering steadily between 7 and 8.

So, around 140 people can enter without any problems, Leon calculated quickly. That wasn't enough for all the people in his dimensional space—there were hundreds waiting for their chance—but it was still a considerable number. They could work with this.

"Three hours until it fully forms," Leon mused aloud, then turned to Peter with curiosity. "Is there any way to speed up the process? To make the dungeon form faster?"

Peter opened his mouth to respond, likely to say it was impossible, but Seraphine's voice cut through first.

"It's possible," she said with a knowing smile, stepping closer to Leon. "Quite simple in theory, actually, though not easy in practice."

Leon turned to her with interest, and her smile widened.

"But for you?" She gestured toward the forming portal. "You just need to feed the dungeon with mana. Pour your own energy into it to accelerate the formation process."

Understanding dawned on Leon's face, followed by genuine delight. "Feed it mana?"

"Exactly. The dungeon is gathering ambient mana from the surroundings to stabilize itself. If you provide a direct source—especially with your massive reserves—you could have it ready in minutes rather than hours."

Leon's expression brightened considerably. His mana reserves were indeed massive, far beyond what any normal cultivator could possess. What might drain others completely would barely make a dent in his vast pools of energy.

"That's perfect," he said, already moving toward the portal's center. The blue energy swirled more violently as he approached, as if sensing the overwhelming power he carried within him.

Peter and the other guards took several steps back, both from respect and a very real sense of self-preservation. They could feel the shift in the air as Leon prepared to channel his mana, the atmosphere growing heavy with potential energy.

Seraphine watched with satisfaction. She had anticipated this possibility when researching the dungeons, knowing Leon's capabilities would make such a feat trivial for him.

Leon stepped forward and placed his hands near the swirling mass of unstable mana. The moment he began channeling his energy into it, the dungeon reacted like a starved beast.

WHOOSH!

The portal began devouring his mana at an alarming rate. The blue energy swirled faster, growing brighter and more violent as it greedily consumed everything he offered. Leon's eyes widened slightly at the sheer appetite of the forming dungeon—it was pulling mana from him faster than he'd anticipated.

Within just a few minutes, he could feel his vast reserves depleting rapidly. His breathing grew heavier as the drain intensified. Just as the dungeon threatened to suck him completely dry, Leon cut off the flow abruptly, stepping back with a sharp exhale.

"Huff... huff..."

He was breathing hard, his mana reserves nearly depleted, but unlike before when such exhaustion would have brought him to his knees, he remained standing. The holy energy residing in his divine heart pulsed steadily, stabilizing his body despite the massive drain. He was tired, certainly, but not incapacitated.

This is much harder than I thought, Leon admitted to himself, looking at the portal. It was more stable now, the chaotic swirling had calmed somewhat, but it still wasn't fully formed.

"Are you alright?" Seraphine asked, though she didn't seem overly concerned—she knew his capabilities.

"Fine," Leon replied, rolling his shoulders. "Just need to let my mana recover."

He sat down cross-legged on the ground, entering a meditative state. The guards watched in amazement as the very air around him seemed to shimmer with gathering energy. His recovery rate was extraordinary—what would take others hours was happening in minutes before their eyes.

After perhaps fifteen minutes of rest, Leon stood again, his reserves partially replenished.

"Round two," he said with determination.

This time, he was more prepared for the dungeon's voracious appetite. He fed it his mana at a steady, controlled rate, watching as the portal's form solidified further with each passing moment. The edges became more defined, the swirling stabilized into a proper gateway.

When he'd expended roughly half of his recovered mana, the change was sudden and complete.

CRACK-BOOM!

The portal snapped into perfect formation. The chaotic mana fluctuations ceased, replaced by a steady, rhythmic pulse. The blue gateway now stood fully formed and stable, its surface smooth like glass yet rippling with energy. The entrance to the awakening dungeon was ready.

Peter's jaw dropped. "In less than thirty minutes... impossible..."

The other guards were equally stunned. What should have taken three hours had been accomplished in a fraction of the time, all through the sheer force of one person's mana reserves.

Leon stood before the completed portal, somewhat winded but satisfied. The gateway hummed with power, ready to accept those brave enough to enter and seek their awakening.

Peter's shock didn't end there. What happened next was beyond anything he could have imagined in his wildest dreams.

Just a few minutes after the dungeon portal had stabilized, Leon raised his hand and began channeling his power once more. The air in front of him shimmered and twisted, then split apart as a silver-white portal materialized—completely different from the blue dungeon entrance.

CRACK-WHOOSH!

The silver-white portal expanded to an impressive size, its edges gleaming with otherworldly energy. Without hesitation, Leon stepped through it and vanished.

Peter blinked. A second passed. Then—

Leon emerged again, but he was no longer alone.

Behind him, people began pouring out of the silver-white portal. First came a few, then dozens, then hundreds. They streamed out in organized lines, all clad in armor that bore the marks of years of use and careful maintenance. Men and women of varying ages—though mostly adults—emerged with fierce, determined expressions on their faces.

Boots thudded like a war drum on the stone, the rhythmic clash of steel and armor echoing through the hillside. The scent of oil, sweat, and old iron flooded the air as their disciplined march turned the quiet field into a battlefield waiting to happen.

Peter's legs nearly gave out. Where did they all come from?!

The guards around him were equally stunned, some dropping their weapons in shock. These weren't ordinary civilians—every single person emerging from that portal moved with purpose, with the bearing of those who had trained and prepared for something momentous.

They kept coming. thirty..., Seventy..., Hundred... Peter lost count as the stream continued. Young adults barely out of their teens stood beside grizzled veterans in their fifties. All shared the same burning determination in their eyes, the same readiness for whatever lay ahead.

James emerged among them, his eyes gleaming with barely contained violence, though he stood apart from the others with visible frustration—he alone couldn't enter the dungeon.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was likely only a minute or two, the flow of people ceased. Leon stepped back, and with a gesture, the silver-white portal collapsed in on itself and vanished, leaving no trace it had ever existed.

The area that had been guarded by thirty soldiers was now occupied by hundreds of armed individuals, all looking toward the blue dungeon portal with anticipation.

Peter's mouth opened and closed wordlessly. His device—the one measuring mana fluctuations—was still in Leon's hand, forgotten in the spectacle. The guard leader's mind struggled to process what he'd just witnessed. Spatial magic of this level... creating a portal to somewhere else entirely... bringing hundreds of people through it...

What kind of monster is this white-haired devil?

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