Magical Mutants were created when a mage became trapped within a dungeon for a long period of time. The type of mutation always depended on the boss monster of that dungeon. Typically, when a person would transform into a mutant, they'd start to slowly become an advanced form of that monster.
For example, if a person stayed in a dire wolf dungeon for too long, they'd begin to transform into a dire wolf. The mutation would give them ears, a tail, claws, and fur, and their bodies would change and twist, getting worse and worse.
Eventually they'd begin to walk on all fours, grow jagged fangs, lose the ability to talk, and their bones would snap and distort to fit their new frame. The end result would be that the mage became a dire wolf. Their humanity would completely fade away, and nothing would remain.
They would simply be a wild beast and lack the intent to use the magic they once honed.
However, under rare circumstances, the mage who transformed would become something even greater than what the boss had been. This only occurs when a powerful mage mutates, or they have a special skill.
Should a mage at the level of a Vice Captain Arcane Knight get trapped in a dire wolf dungeon, they would instead become a lycanthrope, also known as a superior monster to the dire wolves. These monsters were special, as they could only be powerful mages who mutated, and unlike regular monsters, they still possessed the ability to cast spells and think clearly.
Their humanity was still gone, but the keen mind and past skills remained engraved in their new form.
These rare breed of monsters were known as Raid-Bosses, and they possessed two skills that made them extremely dangerous. Luckily, they were extremely rare, as beings on the level of a Vice Captain almost never got transformed due to their insanely high mana resistance.
They say it would take three months for even the weakest Vice Captain to transform.
Currently, it had been three and a half months, and Whisper was now starting to change.
The Vice Captain of the Pantheon Guild gurgled and weakly tried to crawl toward the exit. Each bit of movement was hard, however, due to the fact that both her legs and one of her arms had been completely ripped off. Thick trails of blood were left in her wake as she somehow pushed forward.
"Wowie!" Bloom clapped his hands as he watched the Vice Captain struggle. "You're doing so well!" She exclaimed, swapping to a female head.
Whisper spat up more blood, and if she still had her tongue and lower jaw, she'd have said every curse she knew. She lacked that, however, and so she instead pathetically crawled.
She was in a massive stone room, and hundreds of steps led up. She, of course, knew there was no way she'd be able to escape since Bloom was at the top, but she still tried.
After the death of Myth, she had planned to quit and leave the guilds completely. She wasn't ready to handle the position of Captain. Battery had managed to talk her into going on one last mission with him.
It should have been easy.
Now, months later, after surviving in this hellish dungeon, which Bloom had ambushed them in, she was only now at the entrance.
"This dungeon had an ogre leading it." Bloom hummed and began to walk down the steps, trading his head out for that of an old man. "He was a big, fat, stupid oaf, but he managed to get the great goblins together. They began to cause a ruckus in the nearby villages, and of course, you Knights just had to check it out. What's the harm? After all, you'd be able to handle a mere Ogre. And even if something did go wrong, you could always retreat or call for backup." Bloom reached the steps near the bleeding Whisper, and he stared down at her, his grin growing. "Of course, your plans would go wrong should some powerful being use a spell like Shadow Vault and gobble the entire dungeon up." The head changed to a woman, and Bloom giggled. "I bet your teammates spent these past months looking for you all, but they'd never find you, because the dungeon itself got moved into the spell Adam gave me."
Whisper made a weak whimpering sound as Bloom hooked her fingers into the Vice Captain's hair and dragged her up the steps. They reached the opening, and Whisper stared out in dread at the sea of darkness that was lying before her.
There was nowhere to go. Even if she did somehow get out of the dungeon, she was still trapped in the vault of this eldritch being.
"We all have a role to play. Rage represented monsters and mutants." Bloom said softly. "He needed to gather up an army of monsters, but he was always so lazy and too concerned with winning. I'm going to miss him." Bloom wiped away a tear that didn't actually fall. "Anyway! Now I get his title, and it is up to me to build that army! Esteria isn't going to invade itself after all!"
Whisper remained motionless as Bloom ran a finger along her skin. It was starting to turn an ugly red. Her mutation was showing.
"Those who get trapped in a dungeon like this would become a hobgoblin or an ogre. It seems you're becoming a Hobgoblin." Bloom hummed. "A very rare and powerful breed that puts goblins and great goblins to shame. Still, I expected you to become something better. I guess for a Vice Captain you're weak. Luckily the other one was better."
Normal goblins were led by greater goblins, while greater goblins were led by ogres. Then, above them, you had hobgoblins, which were always mutants, and they controlled the entire ecosystem of the dungeon. Hobgoblins were very deadly, but above them was one other tier. A very, very rare tier that would require a powerful mage to become. Something greater than even an alpha ogre.
The stairs began to shake as something massive started to approach. Bloom's smile grew, and she turned. Whisper made a squealing sound and struggled, but before she could even think about escaping, Bloom tossed her down the flight of stairs. From the darkness, a hand reached out and caught Whisper.
The very same hand that had torn her limbs off.
Battery's transformation was complete.
He stood at nearly eighteen feet tall and was covered in dark blue skin that was rigid and hard. His red hair had changed to the color of black and fell down his back in waves. A jagged horn sprouted from the center of his forehead, and his mouth was filled with fanged teeth.
Battery had become a Blue Oni. He was a Raid-Boss. And should he remain and continue to grow, he would become the true boss of this dungeon and further evolve into a Ruler Oni.
Whisper let out a pained scream before Battery opened his mouth and bit her head off. And just like that, Pantheon lost another high-ranking member. Battery continued to feast on her remains, devouring even her bones.
Bloom walked down and placed a hand on the blue oni as it got to devour its prey. "Yes. You should do just nicely. I shall give you a new name. From now on, you are the Ruler of Creation and Destruction, the great Giant. Or, for short, well, just call you 'Ruler'. Happy birthday, Ruler. I have some big plans for you."
And so, the rest of the world did not know that a great threat had just been created. A being engineered and written through Adam's manipulation of the plot had been forged.
"Come, Ruler. Let us show you your new kingdom."
Ruler let out a loud roar, and mana that surpassed even the captains spilled forth. "I want blood!" The beast screamed, and what little bits of memory remained in his mind flashed forth. "I want to bring an end to the Phoenix Flight guild! It is their fault this happened." The image of a man with a scarred face and ebony armor appeared next. "I will devour him!"
Meanwhile, far, far away, Davi sneezed. "Someone talking about me?" He muttered and wiped his nose with his sleeve.