They appeared inside the walled area, next to the portal. Everything normal, the afternoon sky slowly fading into night. Bezzias was there, watching the portal closely and so was the lieutenant and the truth-teller.
Nero waved a hand and smiled."Hey, we're back."
"Welcome. Was your delve fruitful?" Bezzias asked.
"Not much fruit. We didn't eat, now that you mentioned it."
The truth-teller, the same as before, looked at them. "I assume you brought nothing back this time as well, yes?"
"Affirmative," Nero nodded, forcing to keep his face straight.
"Truth. Are you smuggling loot out of the Dungeon?"
"I think you guys are doing your job correctly," He answered.
"Truth. Now answer the question."
"No. We are not loot smugglers. It is pretty impossible, given that we two don't have dimensional pouches and we will allow you to inspect everything we have on us. There's no new cards, Essence, or gear on us here."
The truth-teller ground his teeth. "Truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, gaaaaa! How are you fooling my Skill!"
The lieutenant held his subordinate back and asked. "Those thirty Adventurers that entered before you, what happened to them?"
"We are not going to violate the rules set by the Adventurer's Guild. You are allowed only to ask questions regarding taxes," Nero replied.
"Truth and truth," The truth-teller turned to his superior. The lieutenant nodded.
"Well, we have nothing to declare, and we are going back inside. Altia?"
"Yes, my husband. We are going back inside. Professor Bezzias, we are working on stabilizing the Dungeon's energy levels."
Bezzias nodded the only one that understood what was happening. Curious as to why the professor was staring at the portal and not them, Nero lowered his goggles. Bezzias' eyes were shining red in his view. A tendril of Essence connected his eyes to the portal. He turned around so his back was to the soldiers and swapped Classes to [Gadgeteer]. He used [Essence Analysis] on the portal. After a while, he learned about the Dungeon.
> Name: Rafflesia's Meadow
>
> Rank: I
>
> Grade: Purple
>
> Condition: Empowered
>
> Occupants: few
He turned back and made eye contact with the bat-kin researcher. Nero pointed at his eyes then at the portal. Bezzias nodded.
"What do you think, professor? Is it worth going back inside?" He asked.
"Yes. The Dungeon went from 'overcharged' to 'empowered'. Remind me to give you a private lecture tomorrow. Off you go."
They entered the portal and appeared at the grass patch. The flower wedge the raiders made had regenerated, regrown by the respawning trippers. The section of the forest he burned was still there, though. A few shamblers were walking between the charred trunks.
Nero opened his portal and Serena came out. He didn't need to pay a thousand Essence, as the shelter was already attuned and he didn't open it elsewhere. "Hey. Welcome back."
"Serena, how are you feeling? Is everything okay?" Altia asked.
"Yes. I panicked for a bit when the portal closed but it passed. There's one thing you must be aware of. The [Egress] cards, they vanished once you left the Dungeon. Wherever this shelter is, it goes with you. Since the cards 'knew' they had to vanish, some communication happens between dimensions."
"That's very good to know. Ready to raid this thing again?" He asked.
"Of course! Maybe I can get the summer ring too. Or all four seasons!"
They got their gear back and Nero adjusted his goggles' sensitivity and fired [Mana Bolt] at the trippers. Bruce picked up the loot and delivered it to Serena. They crossed the whole Dungeon again and Nero noticed the monsters' levels had dropped by one or two. The trees in the grass plains, for example, were now all below level twenty-five. Three hours later, they were looking at the thicket again. Or what was left of it. The thing was still badly burnt. In the middle, sticking out like a colored object in a black-and-white painting, stood Rafflesia.
"Is it just me, or she is smaller?" Altia asked.
Serena came after them with three charmed trees. "I left Daisy in the shelter."
"Leave her there. Rafflesia is going down the same way as before," Nero said.
He switched Classes, summoned two hundred flames and started his [Fireball] barrage, promising to himself to swap something for another single-target fire spell when he remade this build. The first spell hit Rafflesia right on. Nero noticed she did have some other monsters with her and all of them were burning from his spell.
"How dare you defile my sanctuary!" Rafflesia shouted and moved toward them.
The second [Fireball] hit, this one amplified now that Nero knew the boss fight had more monsters. The smaller minions all died when the burning DoT of the two fireballs stacked.
"My children!" Rafflesia cried. "My vines will--"
She shut up as the third fireball struck her stomach. Nero could swear she looked like she'd taken five.
"Okay, ready your spells, ladies!"
She approached and Nero discharged all the flames on her. Rafflesia went up in an inferno.
"Let's foot it!" Altia called.
They ran. Nero switched to [Archer] and readied his rifle. In his rush, he forgot he had to wait the eighteen seconds for the burning debuff to run its course. He just deprived himself of a lot of damage. He shook that worry away. A lesson was learned.
"Sending the tree monsters," Serena called.
"[Piercing Shot] - [Empower Attack] VII," Nero called his attacks.
He noticed it took less than one minute to charge the shot. Seven seconds less, if his guess was correct. The girls weren't idle during this time, burning through their mana like there was no tomorrow. He took the shot while she was entangled with the trees' roots. It went low and he struck the flower. A puff of pink spores rose but the flower's right side exploded with the lightning, severing a dozen walking tentacles.
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Rafflesia fell on her side. She still managed to kill two trees. Was she that weaker the first time? Nero had no idea. he switched to [Mana Bolt] and let his mana pool empty. Rafflesia killed the third tree before trying to stand up. By the time she did, a few vines on the left side were cut off too. It didn't take long for Rafflesia to die. Only Serena's Arbitrium chimed.
"I got four points of Reason. And you?"
"Nothing here. Unless she dropped something really good."
Rafflesia's level dropped from thirty-three to twenty-eight. The loot this time was a Skill and a Class.
> [Verdant Growth] - purple Skill. Tier-III Requires level 120. Reason +150. Willpower +150. Charisma +150.
>
> +12 Reason
>
> +24 Willpower
>
> +24 Charisma
>
> "Blessings upon you, child of Nature."
>
> Special: Whenever you are wounded, this Skill passively consumes 5 points of stamina every 6 minutes to heal wounds, in order of criticality.
>
> Effect: Spend 10*X (maximum 200) mana and stamina and concentrate for 20 hours. The growth and maturation of plants in a radius of Charisma yards around you are increased by 5*X% over the next 24 hours. A plant cannot be affected twice by this Skill.
> [Druid] - purple Class. Requires level 35. No Attribute lower than +15.
>
> +7 All Attributes
>
> "In all things, Balance. Such is the way of Nature."
>
> Special: Add half your Willpower to your stamina pool.
>
> Special: Add half your Endurance to your mana pool.
>
> Special: Whenever a resource is empty, you can use mana to fuel Skills that require stamina or vice versa, at the ratio of 2 to 1.
>
> Special: Lower your highest Attribute by 20%. If there's a tie, divide the percentile by the highest ones. Increase your two lowest Attributes by half the amount of points lost +2. If all your Attributes are both the highest and the lowest, All Attributes +5%.
"And here we go," Serena sighed. "The Elves, sprites, dryads, or any nature-aligned Race, really. They would kill for that epic Skill. Instant harvest, instant forest."
"What about the Class?"
"It is very good. The Attributes are all over the place," the princess explained, "but the total values are more than a legendary Class. With some equipment juggling here and there, achieving that last boon of five percent to all Attributes is not hard."
"What should we do with these?" Nero asked.
"We can't use the Skill anyway. We should hold it back as a bargaining chip or a lavish gift if we ever need the favor of one of them."
"Hold onto them for now, Serena. We should go out," Altia said.
Serena put the cards with her other purple Skills. Nero clapped his hands and stretched his neck muscles. They were feeling tired.
"Good. There's time for one more run before midnight. Anyone up to?"
"Yes, let's see if we run out of luck with this plant-lady," Altia joked.
"I shall follow you. The boss weakened considerably. Don't expect such epic loot next time."
"Okay. I just want to see how she devolves. Let's go. This way, Serena."
Nero opened the portal to the shelter and she went in. He changed Classes to [Gadgeteer] to check the Dungeon status. They got out. The same trio was there but now it was late at night.
"I think 'that' is working, professor. We are doing one more trial before we go home!" Nero said out of the blue before the questioning started.
He turned around and checked the portal.
> Name: Rafflesia's Meadow
>
> Rank: I
>
> Grade: Purple
>
> Condition: Charged
>
> Occupants: few
"Off you go," Bezzias said over the blurb of protest from the guards.
The couple entered and found the Dungeon already cycled from day into night. Maybe trying to reset. It didn't matter. Rafflesia was going to die again. The Dungeon begged to be farmed. They called Serena and repeated everything. The level of the monsters decreased considerably. The boss died to the charmed trees after being tenderized by six fireballs and one hundred flames.
The girls stayed behind while Nero went to get the drops. There was a slight chance a black card would drop for killing a purple boss N times and he would be the most suited for it.
"She was definitely smaller this time. By a few feet," Serena remarked.
"Yes. It was a nice fight," Altia nodded.
"Altia, if I may ask," Serena said softly, "Aren't you bored from just following him? Without a more active role?"
Altia laughed and shook her head. "Not at all. I chose a support Class exactly for that. And who keeps him from depleting his mana? Who made the potions? When we were little, Nero's dream was to follow in his father's footsteps. I always wanted to make something that could sell well, to earn a living even if I stop delving. Adventurers consume potions like dwarves drink mead and from that, I just added two and two.
"When I learned of his level cap, I knew I would have to support him. Make him grow in any way possible. Then my father sent him to die and he didn't. He carved a path out of nothing and here we are, killing bosses we shouldn't without a single scratch on us. I'm proud of my husband."
Serena hugged her. "I am proud of my friends."
They stopped because Nero was returning. That was not a conversation for him.
"She dropped three cards," He announced. "Two yellow Skills and a piece of purple Equipment. She was level twenty-four this time."
"What is the equipment?" the girls asked at the same time. Skills belonged to Nero, which was a consensus for a long time.
> [Dryad Crown] - purple Equipment - Headgear. Requires female.
>
> +2 All Attributes
>
> "Woven with Winter jasmine petals, Spring dew, Summer flax, Autumn leaves."
>
> Special: The wearer is 50% less likely to be detected in a natural environment.
>
> Special: The wearer takes 50% less damage and effect from nature-based attacks and hazards.
>
> Effect: Increase Charisma by 20% when interacting with nature-aligned races and monsters.
"This one has Serena written all over the borders," Nero joked. "Altia, how many sets of pink cards for equipment we have?"
She counted. "Six!" And handed one for Serena. "Five," She giggled.
Serena summoned the crown. It was something between a circlet and a tiara. It had white velvety leaves and orange and yellow small leaves bound together by a glossy golden twine. Round droplets of crystal-clear dew hung to the petals and leaves as if they were gemstones, catching the light and glimmering. Despite the appearance, it was stronger than metal. The droplets were solid to the touch as well. Serena put it on her head. The ocean green of her hair seemed to give her headgear even more emphasis as if it was on a grass field.
> [Dryad Crown +2] - Headgear. Bound to Serena
>
> +4 All Attributes
>
> Special: The wearer is 52% less likely to be detected in a natural environment.
>
> Special: The wearer takes 52% less damage and effect from nature-based attacks and hazards.
>
> Effect: Increase Charisma by 22% when interacting with nature-aligned races and monsters.
"It is time to go home," Nero announced. "I don't think they will let us return here."
They repeated the same procedure. The same faces, but the mood was dark. Nero checked the portal over his shoulder before anything.
> Name: Rafflesia's Meadow
>
> Rank: I
>
> Grade: Purple
>
> Condition: Stable
>
> Occupants: few
"We have loot to declare. Sorry, we couldn't just leave precious things behind. We are donating these to the Lyceum's vaults, of course. But first, the taxes."
Nero showed some half-drained crystals from the trippers and three blue Skill cards. After a barrage of questions from the truth-teller that they either evaded, half-answered or just refused to address because they violated guild policy, they left the [Venomancer] Class card as it was more than worth the payment for the taxes, both for the guild and the kingdom. Pushing rank, Bezzias took them to the carriage before the lieutenant had any stupid ideas. Lamuril looked a bit tired, his perfect elvish countenance broken. Nero knew they had abused the man's patience, but it was over now.
"Altia, a potion, please," Nero asked when they were on the move. "Midnight is coming."
Nero had more mana than necessary but it paid to be safe. They had no idea if the presence of a person and a monster inside would change the upkeep. It didn't, to his relief. The Skill did a snapshot of the cost of the upkeep the moment the shelter was created or modified, which meant he'd keep paying ten mana each midnight. It was a bit more than a third of his full mana pool without any Class modifiers.
When they were halfway to the city gates, Bezzias finally broached the princely subject. "Is our quarry alright?"
Nero smiled and nodded. "You can go see her if you want. I just need more mana to open a portal."
He considered using the [Druid] card but gave up. It was too valuable in a trade and he had no idea what build would be good for that.
"No. Let's wait until we are on campus. You three did a good job there. The energy levels in that Dungeon were stabilized. I assume you killed the boss three times, right? When it happens, the excess energy condenses into the cards. I bet you got good loot!" He chortled.
"Yes, it is with Serena," Nero admitted.
"And you found a way to smuggle loot out of a Dungeon. You are guilty of tax evasion. The Lyceum doesn't care but don't advertise it. Now, speaking of crime, what about the raiders?"
"I scorched them into submission," Nero said with a straight face. "She fought bravely and thankfully she was ready for the attack but we needed to take decisive action or she would be captured or killed."
"And their builds were focused on capturing her. They had little defense against Nero's magic," Altia added.
Bezzias sighed. It was a monumental waste of money, a hundred million at least already. Now that they were committed to capturing Serena, it would be hard to keep them from throwing good money after bad. He met their eyes and gave them the bad news.
"I visited the guild today while you were delving. A card shop was attacked last night, they took all the stock. Two [Gadgeteers] were kidnapped, a cache of Arbitrii from the army warehouse stolen. The specialists were rescued this afternoon. They were forced to prepare a hundred people this time and these thugs-made-delvers will go to the Dungeon tomorrow."
"They will find nothing," Nero affirmed.
"I know. That's why the Dean commissioned us with a special task. Your education. We are spending a week inside this shelter of yours, to teach you and let this whole crisis cool out. Starting tomorrow."