[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1021114179333148682/1208074262078824458/arthelad1_a_fantasy_monster_sand_shark_jumping_up_in_the_air._U_a93f6d94-4540-427b-8925-c9136f6544ec.png?ex=65e1f5d5&is=65cf80d5&hm=b9522727314f1ad184ec3b6fbdd5ab18ce447b2d2bf804e422713c046dfff891&]

It was not long before things rolled in motion, at an avalanche’s pace. Cora’s mechanized forces, a combination of Gundams, self-propelled guns, and combat suits, both for infantry and airborne were all over the place, and so did the Carabinieri, Swat teams, and some refurbished US military from Calveor, Viscardi’s County.

In truth, it was chaos. Each force was doing all right on its own, but not together, and only the troops in Elkins knew the area. But Rowan’s priority was not to organize the makeshift army—he delegated a Carabinieri general, a US colonel, and Isla for that—but to get the dungeon core.

[Rowan to Cora]: Give me an update, please.

[Cora to Rowan]: Moment, I'm already here.

She landed two hundred feet up the road, and spoke something to her troops, before approaching Rowan.

“Good news or bad news first?”

“Any news you tell me can’t be bad, baby.”

"He's a sweet talker. I taught him well," Papa Allinder nodded next to them, but was ignored, not without Rowan grinding his teeth.

“The Dungeon is fully formed, with its own floors," Cora said. "No competition inside, or I would have received a notification at the entrance. This is the good news. The bad news is it’s a level eighty, on Extreme settings. It will be hard, and one cannot exit before it’s cleared.”

“How many levels?”

“Twenty, like every other Dungeon on the Traipenent. The cores have been adjusted for the ship, there’s a planet that specializes in tuning dungeons. The entry is under the bridge, at the far side, on a pilon. It took me some time to find it.”

“OK, people, let’s move!” Rowan yelled.

“We’re missing somebody,” Hubert said. “Your party has only five members.”

“Don’t worry, we’re fine. Wait for me at the entrance. What are you doing, Papa?” Rowan diverted his attention to the elderly man, who was sniffing in the air.

"Training. Snemc told me that I have to train my senses permanently, to better detect dangers."

"Please, stop, you embarrass me."

"OK… Oh… I hear Italian… Is that Carla? I'll go say hello and introduce myself."

"You'll say hello in town, they're staying for a while. We have to go."

Taking the lead, Rowan ran to the other side of the bridge, then down into the Tygart River’s valley. A patch of intense and swirling darkness waited at the spot where the highway met the hill, under the road, and on the side of a short concrete structure. As they approached, a notification met them.

Shore Dungeon, level 80 Setting: Extreme. A full Clear is required before you can Exit. Do you want to challenge the dungeon? Y/N

“Priest Guy is the main tank, he should be the leader,” Rowan said, sending the invitation to the Paladin.

“Good call, Father Hubert knows his job,” one of the members of the second team said.

The Paladin nodded, accepted the promotion, and selected Yes, stepping into the black whirlpool, with the rest following. On the other side, the sun shone bright, but not with the light of the snow and clear air of the mountains, but that of the sea and the tropical sun.

“Armor!” Hubert bellowed, giving a shove on Rowan’s shoulder. "C'mon, you enter the dungeon unequipped? Rookie mistake. Defensive formation, while the Count deigns to dress."

"I don't need to dress," Rowan blurted back. He had forgotten to activate the armor, true, but it wasn't like he needed an hour to put it on. In seconds, the new armor Viscardi gave him grew around him, out of nothing. It had more or less the same shape as his previous segmented armor, only thinner and way more comfortable.

[Cora to Rowan]: Don't forget to activate the targeting module I installed for your helmet.

[Rowan to Cora]: Already did, baby. Feels great.

It was a lie, and Rowan turned the module on as he inspected the surroundings. They were on a beach, with a few palm trees here and there, going forever to the left and right, and so did the blue sea. It was so hot that the ones wearing winter clothes or hiking gear along with their equipment took a moment to undress to lighter attire.

“I remember now!” Cora yelped, covering her mouth. “This is one of the entertainment dungeons. Sea resort thematic. My parents never allowed me in it. There are all sorts of… massage parlors,” she blushed.

“Then it’s our lucky day. Except for Father Hubert, he must keep his temptations in check,” another adventurer joked. The gear on the people called by Hubert was generic, and their tags turned off, so Rowan couldn’t tell what was each class or job.

“Keep sharp!” Rowan barked. “This is a prison, treat every monster you see as a sentient. We talk first, and shoot late— what the fuck?”

A slight tremor was the only warning. A jaw opened under his feet, and only a last-second reflex to dodge saved him. A shark the size of a small car erupted up from the sand, falling back down with no grace, but with a weight that could crush anyone caught underneath.

Rowan's half-pike left a deep bleeding mark on the monster’s flank as it disappeared back into the ground. Calling for the weapon felt as easy as summoning the armor.

You have inflicted a Critical Hit and a DOT of 2%/second on Sand Shark, level 80 (Elite). You have slain Sand Shark (1/20). XP postponed until all the pack is killed. Sonar has detected that the gills, eyes, and tail are the weak spots.

“There are more!” he yelled. “Hit the gills, eyes, or tail.”

“Get to the rocks,” the Paladin bellowed, showing them a cluster of solid ground patches.

The sand trembled again. Rowan activated one of his Joint Trip stacks and plunged into the ground. Four large shades approached fast. Interposing himself between the incoming attack and his raid, Rowan started to extract rebar pieces from his inventory, thrusting them into the monsters.

As soon they left his hand, the rebars reappeared in the real world, skewering the sharks. The hearts or brains proved as good as any other weak spot, in the end. He killed the sharks with twenty seconds to spare and took time to inspect the environment. A hundred yards away, a second group was advancing fast, and in its back, another, and a third, and fourth one, in the faraway. On his left side was the dungeon limit, he could see the bridge and the normal sky, upward.

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He ran up, imagining there were steps under his feet, and reappeared in the middle of his group, on the stone formation. “Incoming fast, this direction, fifty meters,” he pointed East.

No unnecessary words were spoken. Those who had guns started to shoot, the Paladin and Bree, the tanks, went in front, spears at the ready, and the rest prepared to do whatever. From above, Cora went up in the air, unleashing her firepower in the sand.

There were notifications about the first group Rowan had killed and three more sharks from the incoming group. The remaining two monsters leaped out of the sand, one crashing atop the Paladin, and the other on Bree. The Ranger roared and threw her shark head-first into a rock, killing it. The Paladin wasn’t so lucky, slipping on the wet rock while trying to block the attack with the shield and the Sand Shark fell on the priest, thrashing his tail around, wildly. Finally, its spastic moves relented, as he was hacked to death, but Rowan knew the next group will be there in no time.

Dashing forward in the sand, he activated his Stormstorm, pushing it down, into the ground, trying to shape it as a cone. It worked. A giant fist of icy wind crushed into the beach, throwing up sand and shark parts. Due to Sonar, Rowan could now feel the next group of monsters. Interrupting the spell for a few seconds, he ran onward, reactivating it when he neared the fourth group, rinse-repeating the move with the fifth.

You and your Raid have slain a Sand Shark Pack (20/20). You have leveled x 2. You are now Level 71. To clear the floor, kill the remaining four Shark Packs.

Snowstorm's cost has been reduced to 48 Mana/Second. A Synergy between Sonar and Snowstorm has been created. Snowstorm can now detect the location of your enemies, their weaknesses, and apply Critical Damage. Its base damage against unarmored opponents and Living type creatures is increased by 25%

His Mana was only two hundred now, about fifteen percent, eighty-five minutes to regenerate it naturally. Shaking his head in disappointment, he returned to the group. Cora was back down, and Papa Allinder was healing the broken bones of an injured adventurer. The Paladin lay on his back, staring into nothingness.

“Oh, fuck,” Rowan said, kneeling near the priest and closing his eyes. “I’m sorry… You were a nice guy, albeit bitchy. And I promised you a confession, so take it as a goodbye gesture. I did a lot of stuff in my life, and regret some. May God rest your s—Whoa!”

Hubert’s eyes were now alive and filled with anger. “You call that a confession?” he blurted, spitting out sand as Rowan jerked back on his feet, startled.

“A Paladin has a stack of Rezzes he can use each day, and it works on him too,” someone said.

“Lucky bastard.” Rowan patted the Paladin’s shoulder, then helped the priest get back on his feet.

“What did that?” Hubert asked, taking in the view of the huge trench.

“Rowan. He killed eighteen out of the twenty sharks by himself,” Bree said.

“You know what? Why don’t you take the lead?” Hubert gestured.

“Nah, it’s OK. Nevertheless, let’s talk strategy. There are four more packs like this before we clear the floor, and there are a ton more floors after this. It will be a slow grind, my Perks consume a lot of Mana. Any suggestions."

"I'm buffing your Mana regeneration, son," Papa Allinder said. "Drink a potion from time to time and we're good.”

“Thanks,” Rowan nodded.

"Just doing my duty, kid."

[Rowan to Papa Allinder:] Don't kid me with strangers present.

“There are solid ground patches here and there,” the Paladin said. “We run to the next one and try to do a better job at killing them. Let’s use as many skills as possible, it looks like the XP is low, but the skill progression great.”

“How much ammo and fuel do you have, baby?” Rowan turned toward Cora.

“Moment… three hundred mini-rockets, ten thousand rounds, and about three hours left of fuel, flying time.”

“We do as Hubert says. I bet the monsters are divided by areas. The path to the next safe spot must be clear, but I’ll run ahead just to check. Fire some rockets in the sand, far from us, to confuse the beasts, I’ll tell you their position, and we shoot them before they reach us.”

The plan started well. They ran safely to the next spot, a higher ground between palm trees. Cora fired two rockets to their left, on the beach, and Rowan let out his ability for a second. It revealed the first group just underneath Cora. They jumped up, but she was too high to reach, and the leap exposed the sharks to the Raid’s fire. Trying to see if his Artifact weapon could change shapes, Rowan was pleased to see a rewarding notification:

Your Artifact weapon has been changed into a Mystical Rifle. It can shoot a Mana projectile every two seconds.

It was too late to shoot at the first group of monsters, they were already dispatched. He took a shot at the second group, taking a monster out with a single shot, and the rest were killed by his friends. The third group, though, had learned the lesson, sped up, and threw themselves at the Raid. Rowan took a step back, switching his weapon to the spear he used before. Their good fortune made it so that the sand was shallower before the mound they were on, and the Sand Shark shapes were fully visible before they reached their target.

With fantastic precision, Cora shot at the monsters from behind, as the group switched to melee combat. The one making the difference, this time, was Papa Allinder, who started throwing all sorts of magical projectiles, aiming wildly but still finding the targets because of the size of the monsters and his high rate of fire.

For the fourth group, they started firing in the sand well before the sharks appeared, guessing the trajectories from the previous attack. Rowan jumped in the fray and the first line, assisting Hubert. Two sharks got killed before they emerged from the sands, and then a third jumped in the air and crushed itself on a palm tree, but for the remaining two, it was a hard fight.

Even with the half-spear, his weapon of choice, Rowan felt at a disadvantage. His strengths were his perks, and he wished now he had trained harder in melee combat. The thought cost him, as a shark threw a tail into his chest before he could react, projecting him into the tree behind.

Delayed Truth activated. You have 0% HP. You have ten seconds to heal. You are Dazed for 20 seconds.

Fuck, they hit like a truck.

“I need healing,” he yelled, casting a Combat Heal and activating a Health Potion Patch. Both Hubert and Papa Allinder helped with their own channeled spells and his HP recovered in no time.

HP is easier to build back than Mana. I need a larger Mana Pool…

Rowan was still dazed and unprepared to face the last group. Feeling his hesitation, Papa Allinder threw himself in the first line, shooting miniature mana bolts into the sand like a machine gun while their companions and Cora fired guns and bows. No shark managed to emerge from the sand this time, and the notification showed:

You and your Raid have slain a Sand Shark Pack (20/20).

Rowan XP bar has raised only a quarter to the next level, and he preferred this way. Papa Allinder, on the other hand, was quipping happily: “I’m level thirty, I’m level thirty!”

“When did you get so good at magic?” Rowan inquired.

“Snemc taught me. It’s all about following your instincts.”

“It's his Will perk," Cora said. "Very fast spells, but little damage."

“Little damage? I lost half my HP to him,” Hubert complained. “Sir, you have to aim.”

“I’ll try, I’ll try…”

“Papa, you're a natural at magic and dungeoning,” Rowan patted his father on the back. “You did well, I'm proud of you.”

“Let's reassess. We spent half an hour for two groups,” Hubert said. “We’re slow, and the Count's mana regeneration is a factor. Not complaining, just stating a fact…What if we try a new approach. This spot is better than the rest. Why don't you kite the rest of the monsters here?”

“You think they’ll leave their designed area?” Rowan asked.

“Can’t hurt to try.”

“What if I fly on Cora’s back and shoot spells at the pursuing monsters, to speed up the kills?” Papa Allinder proposed.

“That's a terrific idea. Hop on,” Cora said.

Nodding his approval for the overall plan, Rowan ran forward until he felt in the Mana that the next territory began. Activating his AoE on the ground enough to activate Sonar, he saw the first batch of sharks coming in hot pursuit. As he ran, he wondered if they’d cross the line and if the rest pursued.

The monsters died to Cora and Papa before they reached the high ground, but the second group was already following.

“They’re all linked, once one group starts, they all start,” he shouted. Feeling in an experimental mood, Rowan decided to test something else. He ran to a side, and as soon the sharks’ fins appeared over the shallow side, he tried to add more Gravity and Cold to his Snowstorm and less Wind.

The effect was spectacular. The monsters froze, or were immobilized, squirming in place, and were killed in seconds by the Raid’s firepower.

“Seriously, dude, you can freeze time or something?” Hubert yelled.

“Gravity! Rinse and repeat.”

It was as easy, and the notification about the demise of the third pack showed their progress.

“Let’s move on, we have the upper hand now,” the Paladin proposed.

“I agree. See, kid, everything is about adaptivity,” Papa Allinder said like he had been dungeoning for a lifetime and had taken his son out to teach him the basics.

In minutes, the next pack was disposed of. However, when they advanced toward the last presumed shark spot, they arrived back at the entry. The beach had made a full tour.

“Where the fuck is the fifth group?" a melee-type adventuress from the second team asked.

“In the water,” a voice said, and a whiff of cigarette smoke reached their nostrils.