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In the following days, Lucien immersed himself in the task of reorganizing the selection and training process. He implemented new incentives, promoting the tunnel project as the most crucial mission for the city\'s survival.

The alarms continued to sound daily, a constant reminder of the urgency of his task.

Days later, Selene emerged from the tunnel with her first batch of apprentices, Milo and the others. Their swift summons looked tired but proud.

Lucien received them in his office. "Good job," he said, addressing both Selene and the young recruits. "Take the day to visit your families."

♢♢♢♢

Selene stayed behind. Having bathed and fed, she returned to Lucien\'s office. Her frog hopped alongside her, its movements reflecting its master\'s urgency.

"Lucien," she began, her voice laden with concern. "The situation in the tunnel..."

But before she could continue, the alarms sounded again.

Both rushed towards the wall, the conversation momentarily forgotten in the urgency of the moment. Their summons followed closely, ready for action.

This time, the barrier failed for two and a half seconds. Although the defenders managed to eliminate all the monsters without major problems, the increase in the duration of the failure did not go unnoticed.

Back in Lucien\'s office, Selene resumed the conversation.

"We can\'t go on like this," she said, echoing Zara\'s words from days ago. "We need to accelerate the process. I propose increasing the number of apprentices in this next round. Instead of the 30 you got, I\'ll train 40."

Lucien considered the proposal for a moment. His frog seemed to nod in agreement. "It will be a logistical challenge," he warned. "But you\'re right. We have no other choice."

♢♢♢♢

The next day, Lucien summoned the 15 apprentices who had returned with Selene. He explained the situation and offered them the million mana needed to obtain their system armors.

"You\'re about to face level 6," he told them, his voice grave. "But it\'s crucial for the survival of our city. Are you ready to take on this responsibility?"

The 15 recruits from Milo\'s group nodded, their faces full of anticipation. One by one, they received the mana and top-level armor to obtain their system armors.

The group prepared to return to the tunnel. Lucien watched as they got ready, feeling both pride and concern.

"Remember your training," he told them. "Trust your companions and your new abilities. And don\'t forget why you\'re doing this."

As he watched them disappear into the sea of monsters, Lucien couldn\'t help but think of Elio and the rest of the team in the tunnel.

Were they progressing fast enough? Would they reach the mana deposit in time?

With a sigh, Lucien turned towards the city. There was still much to do. He had to start recruiting the next batch of apprentices, more than twice as large as the previous one.

And all this while dealing with the increasingly frequent failures of the barrier.

Lucien looked at the barrier. "Hold on a little longer," he murmured, as if the city could hear him. "Just a little longer."

♢♢♢♢

The tunnel extended through the sea of monsters, a silent testimony to the tireless effort of its builders.

At its deepest end, the group of 15 led by Taron and the 8 under Elio\'s direct command worked tirelessly, shaping carbon with a precision born of practice and necessity. Their elephants worked alongside them.

Zara, newly arrived from level 7, approached Elio to report. Her penguin waddled beside her, its feathers still ruffled from the intense challenge.

"The last challenge was... intense," she commented, her voice low so as not to distract the others. "That final eel almost caught me, but I managed to refine the strategy a bit..."

Elio nodded, grateful for the information. Ice Ball, his penguin, chirped softly in acknowledgment of Zara\'s one. "Every little insight counts. How are things on the surface?"

Zara frowned. "The failures are increasing. Lucien is worried. But he\'s getting more recruits to support the tunnel. It should be soon that..."

Zara reported everything to Elio.

This news made Elio redouble his efforts.

♢♢♢♢

Milo and his group worked not far from there. Despite their determination, it was evident that they yearned to obtain the penguin, the summon that would allow them to advance to the next level.

"When do you think we can get the penguin?" Nessa asked Milo, her voice barely a whisper. Her elephant twitched its ears, as if also curious about the answer.

Milo shook his head. "You know we can\'t abuse core absorption. Von Elio needs to send all the balance to Lucien to increase the wall\'s defenses."

"I know," Nessa sighed. "It\'s just that... It\'s so cute..."

Kai, true to his taciturn nature, simply nodded in agreement. His elephant mimicked the gesture.

The tunnel buzzed with constant activity.

The city\'s most powerful group, composed of 22 level 6 and 2 level 7 (Elio and Zara), managed to build around 250 meters of tunnel per day. It was an impressive achievement...

But according to Ren\'s calculations, at that rate it would take them more than 6 months to reach the mana deposit. They had already been advancing for more than a month, but it wasn\'t enough.

This information weighed on all of them, especially on Elio.

Zara, noticing the tension in Elio\'s shoulders, approached him.

"Although the barrier problems are getting worse," she said quietly. "Lucien and Selene are doing everything possible to send more recruits. It\'s okay to worry a little, but..."

"We need to reach the deposit," Elio interrupted.

♢♢♢♢

In a corner of the tunnel, Aria, Valeria, Lila, and Mei conversed quietly with Zara.

The initial tension between them had dissipated over time, replaced by a bond forged in darkness and shared time. Their summons huddled nearby, mirroring the closeness of their masters.

"How does he do it?" Lila asked, looking towards where Elio was working. "He seems to never tire."

Zara followed her gaze, a soft smile on her lips. "He does, believe me. But he knows what\'s at stake. He carries the weight of the entire city on his shoulders. We all do, to some extent, but he... he feels it more than anyone."

"It\'s admirable, but that\'s why we\'re here," Valeria added, her tone softer than usual. "To share that burden."

The others nodded in agreement, their shared purpose stronger than their rivalry. Their summons seemed to sense the moment, standing a little taller as if ready to take on their share of the responsibility.

The tunnel, which already extended for kilometers, had become a world unto itself.

In certain sections, the silence was almost tangible, broken only by the occasional crunch of footsteps or the distant echo of voices. The summons provided a comforting presence, their soft chirps and light a reminder that they weren\'t alone in the darkness.

But despite the solitude and darkness, work continued without ceasing.

Finally came the day when Selene\'s new recruits would join them. Forty new people, all level 5 upon exiting their books, would obtain enough for the elephant right upon exiting and join the tunnel, ready to contribute to the mission.

The news spread through the tunnel like a shockwave, bringing with it anticipation and nervousness.

Elio gathered everyone at a central point in the tunnel to receive the new members. "These recruits are our best hope of accelerating our progress," he said, his voice resonating in the confined space…

Kriz, true to his nature, didn\'t miss an opportunity to make jokes to lighten the mood.

"Welcome to the most exclusive underground home outside the city!" he exclaimed, managing to elicit nervous smiles from the newcomers.

Micah was in charge of organizing the new members into groups, explaining work shifts and safety rules. "We\'ll work in rotating shifts," he explained. "It\'s crucial to maintain a constant rhythm, but also to rest properly." His elephant stood nearby, its trunk gently guiding the newcomers.

Milo and his group found themselves naturally gravitating towards the new recruits, sharing advice and experiences. "At first it seems overwhelming," Milo told a pair of particularly nervous recruits. "But you\'ll be surprised how quickly you adapt."

As the hours passed, the integration of the new members progressed smoothly. The tunnel buzzed with renewed energy, the sound of voices mixing with the constant crackle of carbon being manipulated.

However, as time passed, a sense of unease began to grow among the more veteran members of the team.

Elio exchanged worried looks with Zara and Micah.

"They should all have arrived by now, the fifth is one of the quickest challenges," Micah murmured.

Zara frowned. "How many are missing?"

"Two," Elio replied, his voice tense.

An uncomfortable silence spread through the group. Everyone knew what that could mean, but no one wanted to be the first to say it out loud.

Finally, Kriz broke the silence, his usual jovial tone tinged with concern. "Maybe they just got lost on the way. You know, ran to the opposite side, around the wall to go around the city and see everything in the monster sea."

No one laughed. The joke fell on deaf ears, the weight of reality settling over all of them.

They never arrived.