“You’re telling me it has been nearly four months since the Upgrade and we still don’t know how to track something as dangerous as a…what do they call those things?” The president asked, looking around the Oval Office at the various advisors assembled for the meeting before motioning for her newest advisor to speak.

The young man was now the most trusted among her inner circle, having given her solid advice and helping to craft her character development and leveling plan. His guidance helped to make her the highest leveled person in the country, if not the world. At level 28, the president was just beginning to understand the power that was now available to her thanks to the Upgrade. Her newfound abilities made her wishes harder and harder to deny, ensuring her continued political success. A call to a troublesome press reporter or activist was all that was needed for her Persuasion skill to kick in, making the listener do as she suggested.

“Madame President, they are being called dungeons, which is a gaming reference to a dangerous area that heroes explore for loot. They possess great intelligence and are sapient creatures, expanding and growing under their malevolent guidance,” the nerdy eighteen-year-old replied. Her initial “leveling advisor”—the young medical staff member—had turned out to be less morally pliable than her new advisor and had been subsequently fired.

“Thank you, Mike. Your knowledge of the Upgrade has been a boon to this administration,” the president said, taking the time to praise her advisor.

She watched as the other’s in the room squirmed a bit. They were all jealous of Mike and his ability to guide her on her newfound path. The Upgrade was a challenge, yet also a revelation.

The power to unite not just America, but the entire world was now at her fingertips. All she needed to do was level fast enough and high enough to attain—as Mike had told her—nearly godlike powers. With a high enough level, she could live forever and bend the entire world to her will. The trouble was that it was taking too long!

“Madame President, the dungeons are in no way detectable before they form. Once a dungeon core has formed, they typically hide underground and can grow extremely powerful before being discovered, preventing an easy elimination. The situation in Los Angeles is a good example of this and we have recently learned of another large and aggressive dungeon that has formed within the city of Saint Louis, Missouri. These dungeons have proven too well protected for our bunker busters to eliminate,” The SECDEF replied.

He had been one of the few to challenge her authority and seemed immune for the most part to her persuasion skills. No matter, he was an appointee and could be quickly replaced once she had found a more suitable person for the position. The military had plenty of people willing to do her bidding for a shot at the power the position brought.

“I might point out that many of these dungeons provide valuable resources to our country. Perhaps Mike can elaborate on that phenomenon?” Secretary of State Brown asked. The president liked her absolute devotion, but the toadying was a bit much. Despite her annoyance, the president was willing to put up with a bit of annoyance for someone so loyal. After all, shouldn’t the entire nation be more respectful to her after all that she’s done done for them?

“Yes, I would be happy to elaborate. The dungeons feed on the people and beasts that die inside them, draining the nanobots inside the victims and using them to either expand its area of control or to create hostile defenders. Just being inside the dungeon will slowly bleed nanobots from any visitors, so most dungeons will try and encourage some level of interaction with people.

“While many dungeons are simply driven only by their hunger—like in Los Angeles—many others reach an almost symbiotic relationship with us. The adventurers enter and fight the defenders created by the dungeon. When they defeat a defender or trap, the dungeon uses a small portion of the reabsorbed nanobots to create rewards.

“These symbiotic dungeons only end up killing a few of the more foolish or underprepared people who delve inside, creating a fair chance for a reasonably equipped team to prosper without too much danger. These dungeons are playing the long game, accepting the trickle of nanobots from many visitors instead of trying to consume everything around them.

“As a result, these symbiotic dungeons are not being targeted for destruction. Those that venture inside are unlikely to harm the dungeon core that provides their source of income,” Mike said. The young man could get long-winded when explaining the new Upgraded world, a quirk she would put up with…for now.

“I suggest we protect these new lifeforms, at least the ones that are symbiotic. A law preventing a dungeon core’s destruction without prior government approval should be passed immediately,” Brown suggested. The Secretary of State had a point, there was also no reason the government shouldn’t cash in on the windfall.

“Agreed, I’ll see that my allies in congress get started on that immediately. We also need to make sure that the most commonly farmed dungeons get a mobile Internal Revenue Service (IRS) office near the entrance. The loot created by the dungeons, I understand, is sometimes given in the form of items that need to be properly assessed for their tax basis. Who knows how much tax money we’re being cheated out of because an adventurer walks out with a magic doodad that isn’t properly assessed for value?” The president added. She never wanted to miss a chance to increase the tax base.

“Now a question for our esteemed SECDEF. What can we do about the non-cooperative dungeons that have taken root? Other than Los Angeles and Saint Louis, where are the other problem children?” The president asked.

Los Angeles and its deadly dungeon had already become a political liability, a liability the Saint Louis dungeon was also likely to become. An entire Marine Corps company form Camp Pendleton had been sent in recently to kill the core, none returned. Each week it seemed that a flood of monsters poured out of a newly discovered entrance to the dungeon, swarming, and killing any they could find.

“We haven’t had any success with our bombing campaign or direct assaults against Los Angeles. The core is just too deep to be harmed by conventional weapons and its defenders are too numerous and deadly to deal with via direct assault. We have moved additional forces in to contain the expansion of both dungeons and are having success at defeating any of the forces that surge out to attack. The containment has held—so far. By keeping any foolish adventure seekers out of it and not feeding it any of my forces, I hope to starve the things to death,” he replied.

“Is that even possible? Care to comment Mike?” The president asked.

“Well, in a word, no. You cannot starve the dungeon to death as it is not losing any nanobots by simply being contained. Your efforts to keep it from expanding by containing the threat is not the worst idea in the world, but it is only a stopgap measure until we can level up a strong enough party to take out the core. I’m working on a new proposal to use the symbiotic dungeons as a relatively safe way to power level our troops. I’ll distribute it to everyone once it’s complete,” Mike replied.

“You mentioned conventional weapons, Mr. Secretary. What about unconventional weapons. Have we tried chemical or biological agents on the dungeon?” The president asked.

“No, we are prevented from using weapons of mass destruction on our soil so I have no idea if any WMDs would be effective,” The SECDEF replied.

“I understand, but we may need to open up all our options in this state of emergency. I’ll have my people in congress begin a new resolution of force to let us have access to our entire arsenal. Our first priority is to defend our people, to do that you need every weapon we can call upon in these dangerous times, without the usual red tape. Let’s adjourn for now, I have some other meetings to attend to,” the president concluded. She waved Mike back, waiting for the room to clear before also sending the secret service agents out, leaving the two of them alone in the office.

“Mike, we haven’t discussed this before. If I use a bioweapon or chemical agent on the dungeon in Los Angeles, what would happen to it? More importantly, if I authorize the weapon’s release, will I get the XP if it’s killed?” The president asked, excited about the possibility.

“I believe any chemical or bioagent might kill some of the dungeon creatures, unfortunately, the Los Angeles dungeon is an undead template dungeon, leaving its creatures immune to those types of attacks for the most part. It would take a nuke, or maybe even several of them, to have a chance at destroying a dungeon of that size and killing its core, Mike replied. His answer intrigued her; she wasn’t averse to using the bomb if it meant acquiring godhood.

“Yes, I would expect that a few nukes would do the trick. What about me, would I get the XP for something like that or would it be given to some dumb soldier who pushes the button to fire the weapon,” she asked excitedly.

“Well, we know from the other experiments we’ve done that you would likely receive the lion’s share of experience for such an act. The actual person firing the weapon would receive a small cut, but you initiated the action which should net you the bulk of any reward.

“There is an old gaming term called ‘tagging a mob’ which in turn gives the experience and loot to the person who initiates the attack. From all we have seen, you would be the one ‘tagging’ the dungeon by ordering the strike against it,” Mike concluded.

She remembered the experiment he was referencing. She had ordered some CIA agents to eliminate several targets overseas by her express order. Mike tracked her XP and confirmed that exactly at the time the kill was made, she received most of the experience that was awarded for the kill.

“Thank you, Mike. Your advice has been invaluable to me and our nation during these troubling times,” the president said, dismissing her aide.

The president spent the next few days working the problem over and over in her head, unwilling to trust her plans with anyone else. This was a matter of destiny, a destiny she had but to grasp and take hold of. She had at her fingers the very thing that every leader has wished for since the dawn of mankind, she would rule the entire world. She would be the first human to ascend to godhood by her next actions.

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She needed cover to complete the plan. The cover was granted in the form of the aggressive and dangerous dungeon in Saint Louis, Mo. The nature-based dungeon had sprouted quickly, entwining the city in its grasp and slaughtering inhabitants as it quickly spread. It was—like the dungeon in Los Angeles—now too deeply hidden for a simple bunker buster to destroy.

The dungeon in Missouri gained even more headlines than Los Angeles as several groups broadcast their attempts to clear the dungeon, all were killed in a bloody and gruesome manner on a live broadcast. The image of plant-like creatures tearing apart and feeding on the fleeing citizens whipped the population into a frenzy, demanding something be done to protect against this happening again. The president called a meeting with all her security advisors in the White House war room for early the next morning.

The usual members of her cabinet were gathered in the large secured room underneath the White House. Security was tighter than normal with extra secret service as well as a squad of Marine guards securing the room. The SECDEF looked concerned as did several of the military types, perhaps fearful about what she might be planning.

On the civilian side of the government, representatives included the Secretary of State and the newly appointed surgeon general. She had made good on her promise to promote the doctor who had initially treated her on the first day of the Upgrade. It always paid to reward key people. Mike was, of course, by her side, his sage-like advice was always welcome.

“I have called you all here for a specific reason today. I will not allow the terror of these uncontrolled dungeons to inflict their evil on our nation or anywhere else in the world,” with that, the president motioned for the Air Force tech to show a collection of videos taken from the St. Louis and Los Angeles dungeons, as well as several other mega-dungeons that had sprouted up in various places around the world.

“We cannot allow this to continue. For too long we have tried to fight the dangers of the Upgrade with one hand tied behind our back. Just this morning I received notice that congress has approved the use of any weapon in our arsenal to combat imminent threats posed by the Upgrade. I intend to use these weapons to stop the slaughter, and to stop it now!” the president exclaimed while waiving to the Air Force general in attendance whose name she had forgotten.

The general was one of the few military types she could tolerate—one more concerned with his promotion and not so worried about the lesser people under his command. He was hunting for the SECDEF slot, which she would likely grant him for his help today, never liking the current man holding the position who was infuriatingly resistant to her Persuasion skill.

The screen began to show targeting data that the general had compiled. Multiple nuclear weapons were assigned to every large dungeon known to be in existence at the time. A total of eighty-seven targets in dozens of countries were shown.

Alongside the targets, estimates of the weapons needed to destroy them and the platforms the weapons would launch from were listed. The general had balked initially, telling her the fallout would kill millions and that we would likely face retaliatory strikes from several of the nations that had dungeons located in their territories. His greed for power overcame his concerns as she had dangled the carrot of the SECDEF posting in front of him.

“This is insane, how can you even contemplate firing off that many nukes? We would kill millions and start a nuclear war that would be the death of the entire world. Look, you have weapons targeting our allies in England, Germany, France, and who knows how many others.

“What do you think the response from Russia or China will be when we fire a nuke at their soil? They’ll reply with everything they have, obliterating the country and the world!” The SECDEF shouted. The secret service agents in the room moved instinctively toward the president.

“You would sit back and let our nation be consumed by monsters instead? We can talk to the others before the launch, get their approval, or give them a chance to destroy the out of control dungeons in their countries with their weapons,” she replied.

In actuality, she was counting on starting a war. Deaths numbering in the billions would only increase her XP and leave her all that more powerful. With the powers of a god her disposal, she could set things right and remake the world into a paradise…one that she alone ruled over.

“This is insane, contact the Vice President. I move we invoke the 25th Amendment and have her deemed mentally incompetent,” the SECDEF replied.

“Not so fast, the surgeon general is here with us today to attest that I am perfectly in control of my mental state. Also, you are fired, the good general here is our new SECDEF. General, please confirm the launch codes so that we can begin to rid the world of the taint of these out of control dungeons,” she said with a smile. The Air Force general looked nervous but complied, ready to complete the process.

“I can confirm the order is coming from the president herself and is made while not under any duress, challenge code is Bravo Foxtrot,” The general confirmed, moving to the console that would initiate the strike. The president pulled a plastic card from her suit. The card that was known as the “biscuit” contained her authorization code to approve a nuclear strike. She cracked open the card and began to read the reply code to the Air Force general.

***

“NO!” The former SECDEF called as he produced a pistol he had hidden in his uniform. He had feared the president was heading on this path, disturbing rumors had been circulating about what the president and her advisor “Mike” had been up to. He had stacked the deck today, most of the Marine guard’s present knew that this might be happening.

“She’ll kill you all, kill everyone you know, stop her!” He ordered while firing off a round at the president. One of the secret service agents jumped into the line of fire sacrificing himself and pulling the president behind the cover of a desk. Two other agents fired on the former SECDEF riddling him with bullets only to be taken out by the Marine guards who had decided they wanted no part in starting a nuclear war for an obviously insane president.

A flash of light appeared as the aide to the president—the somewhat mysterious Mike—shot what looked like magical darts of light at one of the Marines. The darts tore through the Marine, killing him even as the marine fired several rounds into the aide. Mike had an Upgrade created shield that deflected the first two rounds, the third round penetrated the shield and his skull, dropping the aide.

The former SECDEF slid to the floor, his vision fading as he bled out. He tried to stay awake, watching as the marines and secret service battled. The room was in chaos, everyone firing at each other and he wasn’t even sure who was on which side. Darkness overtook him as the gun battle raged on, never knowing if he had failed or succeeded in his last attempt to defend his nation.

***

Naomi wasn’t sure who to fire her weapon at. The president’s orders were legal as far as she knew, but she also knew that they would likely lead to the deaths of her entire family. Crouching next to the president, she tried to shield her charge from the flurry of shots headed her way. The firing died off quickly, it was hard for professionally trained Marines and secret service agents to miss in a relatively small space.

A wounded marine turned the corner of the desk that she and the president were cowering behind, raising his pistol. Training kicked in and Naomi fired two shots center mass, and one in the head, killing the Marine. She risked a peek behind her desk, seeing only two others moving about. The Secretary of State was squirming about with a gunshot to her abdomen, babbling incoherently and crying. The Air Force general—now the new SECDEF—was wounded in the shoulder but looked to be functioning.

“Get off me, I have to finish!” The president shouted as she pushed her way out from under Naomi. The president looked at the carnage, gasping when she spotted the body of Mike.

“Mike will be buried with full honors, that young man has done more for our nation than any of the founding fathers. Now, you, make yourself useful and help me find the authentication codes, the president shouted at her,” Naomi was stuck in shock, still trying to process what had happened. She had done as she was trained, but should she protect the person who was about to condemn everyone she loved to death?

“The room is still secured, and I don’t think anyone is aware of what just happened,” the Air Force general stated while looking at the security cameras.

Naomi knew from her training that this bunker was soundproof and could only be entered or exited by a limited number of people once sealed. It took a special override code to activate the thick steel hatch once the order to seal the room had been given. The place was hardened against a nuclear strike as well as having filtration systems for biological or chemical weapons. As part of the president’s protective detail, she was one of the few with a code to the hatch sealing the room.

“Here it is, with this command I ascend to godhood, you will both be richly rewarded once I attain the XP from the destruction of these hated dungeons,” The president said, bending over to retrieve her code card.

It was true, Naomi realized, the president was crazy and wanting to kill her family and millions of others in this attack simply to gain the experience. She had sworn an oath to protect and defend the United States, that oath took precedence over the one she took to protect the president with her life.

“I can’t allow this,” Naomi said flatly, raising her pistol and firing into the head of the president.

The first round was deflected by some protective ability. Naomi had figured the president would have defenses in place, even she had a few defenses granted by her class of Secret Service Agent. The second, third, and fourth shots also deflected as the president sat there stunned. The fifth shot broke through, taking the president’s life and leaving Naomi as the fifth person in history to have killed a United States president.

Burning pain laced her side as another gunshot thundered in the room. Following her training, Naomi leaped to the side, firing with the Enhanced Aim ability as she moved. The ability kept the gun centered on the target—in this case, the Air Force general pointing his weapon at her—as she moved. Two shots were good enough to finish off the general who had not invested in any defensive skills.

Looking about, Naomi realized she was the last one left alive in the room. She had just killed the president of the United States. She ignored the level up notifications, disgusted with anything Upgrade related after today’s bloodbath. She had saved a billion lives, but her fellow agents would think her an assassin. It would be some time before the true nature of the incident was sorted out, she had to hide until that happened.

It was surprisingly easy to leave the bunker. Her access code worked and the guards at the hatch hardly gave her any notice, knowing she was a secret service agent. They were tasked with keeping people out, not inside the bunker. Naomi hurried to her nearby apartment, gathering everything she thought she might need before heading out of town and into the country. She ditched her car once out of the city, hiking the last thirty miles to her hideout.

The old family cabin hadn’t been used in years, so she should be safe there for the time being. She was smart enough to realize that the president’s allies in government would like nothing better than to pin the chaos on her, a lone assassin who killed the president. The political party the president belonged to would do anything to cover up what the president had been planning.

It would mean the death of the party if the public found out the true events of what happened this day. Her life would be measured in minutes if she had turned herself in. It was better to ride things out here in the woods until the truth was sorted out—if it ever did.

***

We all know the story of the president and her attempt to level up to godlike status by starting a nuclear war. What people didn’t realize was that the person who saved the world by killing the president was one of her own secret service agents.

The president never learned, and what the rest of the world wouldn’t find out until a little bit later, that there is a level cap on our world. Granted, the level cap is now all the way up to sixty, but back then, the level cap was set at level thirty. It was several weeks after the president’s death that the first person on the planet hit the level cap.

Once the truth of the incident finally came out, the Secretary of Defense was hailed as the hero, leading his Marines to stop a megalomaniacal president. My discovery of the true hero will likely cause a stir among history professors, but it is far from the last part of this tale…