The Chains of the Combat Ape settled in my hands. The familiar weight of its ranker-grade steel provided some succor as I set my plan in motion.

[Stealth] and [Dark Stalker] worked in tandem, veiling me from the combatants in the room. They would learn of my presence soon enough, but for now, secrecy was important.

I used [Identify] on the chains to pull up its description.

Chains of the Combat Ape [Greater].

A melee-type weapon with specialties in short and medium-ranged combat. Each length of chain can be attached to a blade to increase its damage.

Requirement: Greater Strength or Dexterity.

The addition of daggers to the tips of the combat chains converted both into Chain Nails, which unlocked the hidden property of melding with objects.

I stuck the nails into the wall and began the arduous climb under the cover of darkness. Nalum and Byron continued their fight with The Chimera, which caused my heart to shudder each time they passed beneath me. Climbing like this left me exposed to attacks. Hopefully, the Chimera possessed no techniques that could override [Dark Stalker].

Down on the ground, Nalum activated an ability that caused the monster a great deal of hurt, judging by the shrieks. Byron's [Frost Aura] poured in full blare, applying debuffs. The three combatants moved at a dizzying pace, switching seamlessly between attack and defense. But, although the monster kept losing health, the rankers also depleted their reserves.

I focused back on the climb and eventually gained a foothold on the rafters. Vertigo swept in as I chanced a look downward—talk about a steep drop. This far up, I could glimpse the interior of the pit, and . . .

What the hell was in there?

The pit remained pitch black despite my vision perks, but a dreadful aura wafted up from it, like steam from a broth cooked slowly over a fire—if the broth was sourced from maggot stock and chunks of rotten meat.

The red, mist-like aura smelled as bad as it looked.

Yep. Definitely not going in there. Not for a million bucks.

I steadied myself on the rafters. The wooden beams were thick and wide, built to hold the weight of multiple grown men. It took some effort to avoid slipping off, but my elven perks came again to the rescue. The entire structure seemed to have been built on purpose, to offer some vantage to Rangers and long-distance fighters.

I couldn’t nock an arrow to save my life, but I owned something even better.

Bombs.

Seven of the sticky spheres of death sat idle in my inventory. They wouldn’t be of much use in a frontal assault on The Chimera, but a frontal assault wasn’t the plan.

The key benefit of the Sticky Bombs lay in their ability to be remotely detonated. And, I intended to exploit that to the fullest.

I dug the items out of my inventory and got to work. It was tricky business, choosing what intersections to fix the bombs in a bid to maximize spread. My engineering knowledge—or lack of one—didn't help matters. But, destruction of this scale didn’t require much finesse. Just give me big boom-booms.

With the bulk of my plan set in motion, I now faced a single problem: Ensuring I didn’t kill Nalum.

Beneath me, the fight had taken a new dimension as The Chimera unleashed an ability it had previously kept hidden: health regeneration. Its HP, which had fallen to the final quarter during my time in the rafters, now hovered in the mid-ranges.

Byron fought valiantly, though he only delayed the inevitable. As a level 27 Guardian, his high Strength, Endurance, and Mana cost him valuable points in Magic Intellect. And, it showed in the ease with which the Chimera shrugged off his abilities.

Byron's health meter had surged back up too, courtesy of a health potion, but The Chimera dented it with each glancing hit.

Ah, I could just stand by and do nothing, right? The Chimera seemed capable of dishing out divine punishment on my behalf. However, a powerful blow sent Nalum skipping across the ground, and judging from the way he refrained from healing himself, he had exhausted his potion cooldowns.

You better thank me for this, Nicola!

I slid down a long tapestry by way of the Chain Nails and crashed to the ground. [Stealth] muffled all noises. The Chimera took an ice cone to one of its five faces and roared with enough ferociousness to stop a baby's heart.

Nalum . . . didn’t look so good. Byron had intervened before The Chimera could finish him off—a decision born not out of camaraderie but out of the importance of Nalum's powerful curses. With only about twenty percent health available to him, Nalum didn’t seem keen on rejoining the battle. He leaned heavily on his broadsword, as though resigning himself to his fate.

The proud nature of his clan won out eventually, and he rose to his feet. With a soft sigh, he strode toward the melee. However, this was no time for martyrdom.

“Nalum, stop,” I said.

The big man flinched. “Favored one?”

I was still hidden by my techniques, which said a lot about his awareness. “Back away. Now.”

Nalum’s eyes steeled. “An Unkulunki man does not flee from battle.”

“Then, an Unkulunki man will die.”

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“Death does not scare me, favored one.”

“What about death by a trap meant for someone else?”

Nalum frowned as he digested my meaning. “Aye,” he said at last. “That would not be the most honorable way to go.”

We retreated toward the doorway which sat protected by a small arch, the sole cover in the hall.

Byron glared over his shoulder. “You hide, coward? Even after I had saved your life?”

“Don’t bite,” I whispered before Nalum could respond. “He is also the enemy.”

“Yes, but I do not like this, favored one. It goes against everything I've been taught.”

“You were taught not to kill two birds with one stone?”

Nalum grimaced. “I was taught the importance of honor. That man is my enemy. If we must settle our grievances, we would do so head-on.”

Unfortunately for him, I had no problems settling grievances from a distance.

An increasingly frustrated Byron traded blows with The Chimera. It was admittedly satisfying to watch his actions get more frenetic the closer he inched to despair.

Do me a solid, Chi-darling. Kill that motherfucker.

Byron weathered a hammer blow on his shield that sent shockwaves reverberating across the hall. The force drove him backward and onto his back. In one smooth motion, he pulled an item from his inventory: a cloudy, glass vial.

“You want to hide, then?” he snarled and glared at Nalum. “Hide.”

The glass vial exploded. A cloud of thick, dense smoke obscured him in a wide radius, also hiding his health meter. My stomach churned at the implication of his change in tactics before The Chimera even rolled to a stop.

The monstrous creature peered through the smoke, searching in vain for its prey. It turned around in a semicircle. Five pairs of eyes fell on us.

“Favored one?” Nalum stammered as The Chimera barreled in our direction.

Drat. Byron and The Chimera didn't get nearly enough time to pummel themselves as I’d intended. It was too early to spring the trap, but we could die at this rate.

I shelved the Chain Nails and commanded the magic in the Sticky Bombs to detonate. Nothing happened, and I paled at the realization that I had somehow botched the plan.

The Chimera had gotten close enough that I could see the whites of its eyes and hear the sounds of its five different mouths shrieking in cacophony.

The rafters collapsed with a deafening series of booms. Wooden beams, as thick as tree trunks, thudded to the floor. Chunks of sawdust plummeted in tandem with the beams, peppering the ground.

Even beneath the archway, we weren’t free from harm. Multiple pieces of wood came flying and knocked me out of [Dark Stalker]. A cloud of dust rose in consequence of the assault, punctuated in places by the last of the falling rafters.

The Chimera . . . Where was The Chimera?

A hulking mass of muscles and limbs sprawled prone beneath a great length of wood. Without a moment's hesitation, I waded into the carnage and buried my dagger into the gap between one pair of eyes. The Chimera squealed.

I weaved around its grasping arms and repeated the process for each of its heads. Without the protection of health armor, The Chimera's flesh offered little resistance to The Blackreach Dagger.

The last head to fall was the lion roach, and it blinked at me with slit pupils as I sank the dagger into its skull. The Chimera issued one last shuddering breath. Its flailing arms wilted to the ground.

You have participated in the killing of The Chimera LVL 30.

An appropriate amount of XP has been allocated per your contribution.

You have leveled up! You are now Level 24.

You have leveled up! You are now Level 25.

You have unlocked a new bonus technique as a reward for reaching level 25.

Visit your status sheet to inspect it!

You are now Silver Ranked! Only a few more steps left to Ascend!

Visit your status sheet to uncover new benefits!

I dismissed the messages, giddy with elation. This was a fair jump in levels, especially considering the XP had been shared three ways.

I looked back at Nalum, eager to know if he had gained any benefits.

Nalum’s blank eyes stared back at me.

You have participated in the killing of Warrior LVL 26.

An appropriate amount of XP has been allocated per your contribution.

No . . .

Nalum had been struck by multiple bits of wood, including one shaped like a stake that punched through his neck. It had plowed through the remnant of his HP and into his throat. Blood trickled down the wound, casting scarlet rivers atop the earth of his skin.

My stomach churned.

“Well, well, look at what you’ve done.”

Byron appeared from the dust cloud with his heavy shield lowered at his side. He ran his free hand through his hair, which lay matted with dust and sweat.

I should have known he’d survive. The [System] hadn’t issued any notifications concerning his death. However, he had taken a fair amount of damage during the bombardment, bringing his health meter down to the final thirty percent.

Just enough that I could win.

Byron picked his way through the rubble. “It is said that the only thing people have learned from experience is that most people don't learn from experience.”

I knew that quote. A version of it, at least.

“The chieftain here has paid the price,” Byron said, “for your long stretch of ignoring warning signs. You will try again to triumph over me, and you will meet death at the tip of my axe. For you have learned nothing.”

The scepter—the one that hovered over the empty throne—glowed from its spot at the other end of the chamber. The top unfurled to reveal a small orb that had not been made by any mortal hand.

One moment, the orb burned like the sun, fiery enough to sear the gaze. The next, it glowed with moonlight, soft and soothing upon all it touched. Yet again, the orb glittered with the likeness of a thousand stars set in the night sky. Light and dark clashed in equal measure within its confines.

I didn’t need [Identify] to confirm its nature. That much was obvious enough.

The dungeon heart.

The elusive treasure that had consumed the lives of thousands of rankers and monsters over the ages. For the first time since the dungeons reawakened, the Egg of the Labyrinth was finally on display.

And, goddamn, it was beautiful.

Byron knocked back a stamina potion. “You have my thanks, elf, for your aid in defeating The Chimera. All of the pain and sleepless nights of the past three years have finally borne fruit. The Labyrinth’s prize is mine—”

“Yapfest,” I said and spun my dagger. “I don’t give a fuck about your monologues. You want me dead. I want you dead. That's good enough for me.”

Byron smirked. “You still have an appetite to wet your blade after your last brilliant kill?”

I forced the image of the dead Nalum out of my brain. It returned, regardless.

“I'm fine with the turn of events, just to be clear,” Byron said. “I always intended for every single one of you to die in the Labyrinth. The drunk and the whore will follow. As will the barbarians.”

I slipped into [Stealth].

Byron summoned his axe and slammed it against his shield. [Frost Aura] exploded outward in a bitter gale, freezing the moisture within the air. The biting cold gnawed at my flesh and inflicted a series of penalties: 1.5x decrease to speed and reflexes, and an accompanying 1.5x increase to damage taken from all sources.

Byron followed up with a sweep of his axe. I met him halfway, bent on the kill.