Doomsday Pillars

238 days after the apocalypse has come and 262 days before the first tribulation to hit the world. 

At that time, thousands of abyss gates all over the earth will open and hundreds of thousands of monsters will come out from every abyss gate and flood the surface of the earth. 

In Alex\'s previous life, the gate of the abyss would be partially open after the first year so that the next monster that came after those critters would start to become a threat. While the main monster will appear on the 500th day. 

In order to raise his realm and cultivation level, Alex planned to enter and explore the gate of the abyss. But the natural opening time of each gate is different.

Currently the gate that is in front of Alex is one of the gates that would be able to be accessed earlier. But to gain early access to the gate is not something anyone would recommend, therefore Alex keeps this plan to himself. He plans to bring his special troops eventually before the tribulation, but for now Alex will go alone, braving the path for his forces.

Unlike the other gates, this gate, which was nearly 5 meters high, had a large crack that gave off a red malicious light, making those who saw it afraid.. This is a sign that the gate has undergone a change.

Alex had waited a long time to do this. Now that the gate was right before his eyes, Alex took a long breath before stepping forward and touching the cracked part. 

All of a sudden, Alex had found himself transported to a different area where he was at earlier.

A large cave with rows of rock stalagmites and stalactites protruding from the floor, walls and ceiling of the cave. The cavern shone a reddish light emanating from the small river of lava that flowed in the cave.

The temperature in the cave room is certainly very hot, apparent with the presence of the lava. But Alex who has reached the Sky realm level was not affected by it. 

When he was transported into the cave, Alex immediately drew his sword, vigilance on his face. He then started walking while keeping his alert. With the sword in his right hand and his left hand cast his light spell [Illuminate] which releases a bright light that further brightens the cave, ensuring Alex can guard against any kind of surprise attack.

Inside the cave, Alex encounters dozens of critters that are not difficult for him to kill every few minutes. He will also sometimes find a second tier abyss monster.

[Hellhound]

[Level 50 Abyss Creature]

[Tier 2 Middle stage]

A dog-shaped beast with an ember-like skin and fire coming out of its nose was a monster that was one level above the mutated dingo. But this monster is still not strong enough to stop Alex\'s steps.

The main strength of this beast is its running speed which can rival that of a peak Earth realm fighter. All fighters under Sky realm stage will find it difficult to face this monster especially because these monsters generally attack in a pack.

Currently, Alex is inside a place called the first level of the abyss which is known as the Abyss Antechamber where one needed to pass this antechamber before going to the next part of the cave, in short an entrance. And just like its name it was very suitable if the abyss monster found inside it were hellhounds, the guardian dogs of hell.

In religion and ancient folklore, Hell is a location in afterlife where evil souls were subjected to many kind of punishments, ranging from torture, misery, incineration to eternal damnation after death. Religions typically stated that hell was in another dimension or underneath the Earth\'s surface. 

Sometimes Alex can\'t stop but to wonder where were those mythologies came from because their unusual similarity with these abyss pits

In this abyss antechamber, there are two things that Alex should pay attention to. First, even though all the enemies that he encountered so far were not too difficult for him, if Alex made a mistake and was cornered by packs of hellhounds together then he would meet his end right there.

Second is Alex must measure the time he spent inside this cave. Because there is one special effect that affects this abyss creature that can become a threat, namely the innate skill [Creature of the Night] where at night these hellhounds will get an increase of one level to their stage.

[Hellhound]

[Level 60 Abyss Creature]

[Tier 2 High stage ]

That was the reason why Alex chose to not enter the pit when the night falls.

One way to know that the sun is setting outside and it\'s time for him to be careful can be seen from the bodies of the hellhounds when they start emitting blazing flames. 

This innate skill was the very reason why the threat level to mankind after the first tribulation increased so high in his previous life where every time the sunsets people will start to panic and alert, afraid of these hellhounds.

Apart from that, there is nothing Alex needs to worry about when he explores the antechamber.

Although this antechamber is considered a small part of the cave, Alex wouldn\'t be able to fully explore this place even if he decided to spend a whole week dedicated to roam the chamber. 

Alex spent his first day hunting hellhounds. The poor monster was getting annihilated by him without mercy. When he remembered the tragic state of mankind in his previous life because of these monsters, Alex couldn\'t help but to increase his rate of destruction, bringing literal hell for these monsters.

Every two hellhounds that Alex kills would drop a spirit stone, with some of them dropping a yellow spirit stone.

After walking for more than 10 hours, killing every hellhound that crossed his path, Alex decided it was time for him to rest. 

He searched around the chamber and found a small cave inside the wall then decided to rest there. The cave\'s size was no bigger than a basketball court, enough for 5 people to sleep comfortably. 

Naturally, the conditions inside this Abyss cannot be compared to the conditions in the Australian desert. To increase his security, Alex decided to use the artifact he previously prepared.

[Defensive Formation - Tier 2 Artifact]. 

The artifact that he bought by consuming his remaining spirit credits has the same value as a tier 2 golem. However, unlike golem that focuses on attacking its enemy, this artifact is specifically bought only to protect its user.

Just like its offensive counterpart, this artifact also needed spirit stones in order to be activated. Alex then spent 50 spirit stones to activate the artifact and the cave room immediately covered by a transparent barrier.

This barrier would be able to withstand the attack of any incoming enemies but if someone tried to force its way into the cave, the durability of this barrier will decrease just like his protective vest. Unfortunately, this barrier cannot be carried while moving and it takes time to activate it, making it somewhat useless in battles.

For this tier two artifact, unless hundreds of hellhounds attack it at the same time, the barrier will stand strong, protecting Alex for the threat. Furthermore, the artifact will notify Alex about the attacks, assuring his safety and let him sleep peacefully inside the cave.

As the barrier was activated , Alex could see that the area outside his small cave had become brighter, caused by the hellhounds that emitting flames from their body, the apparent changed due to the innate skill [Creature of the Night].

Seeing the situation, Alex could only shook his head and as usual took the opportunity to get back to his training. During the past 10 hour, he had again killed hundreds of critters and dozens of hellhounds which netted him 200 white spirit stones and 5 yellow spirit stones. A pretty good result he could say, but still not what Alex expected.

Alex quickly did a calculation inside his mind. To be able to meet his target of achieving the Saint realm within 2 years, Alex could not only fight inside this antechamber where the abyss monster was only the hellhounds. 

Alex then determined to make his way into the main chamber tomorrow. For that reason, he would take his time to rest his body tonight aside from his training to restore his condition to its peak. 

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Author Note

Dear reader, Thank you for the support. This month again i will again try to do the win win challenge. that\'s daily chapter update for the whole month. Honestly, I am not sure if i can complete the challenge, but i plan to use the challenge to push myself to give more time and thought for the novel. Hope for your help and continuous support for Doomsday Pillars. Please support the novel by giving just 1 coin for the privilege chapter this way when the win win completed, more people can enjoy the novel. thank you very much. Avans