We eat in relative silence, each of us enjoying our meal. This is my first meal with someone since the night before I was taken from my home, almost 10 years ago now. I watch my father eat, enjoying every bite. I can see his disposition improving by the second. I am glad that I could help him heal, and he can also help me heal.

However, I'm not done with him. I need to help him regain his life. I can't bring back my mother, his wife, but I can help him regain some of who he used to be. First, I have to get him back into fighting shape.

When we finish our meal, I put out the fire, clean our plates, and pack them away in my bag. I stand up and stretch, feeling nice and full.

"Ok, let's get going. First, follow me. I want to show you where I live."

"Um, ok. You mean the place underground?" He replies.

"Yep, let's go!"

I dive into the pond and begin swimming down toward the entrance to the Grotto. I hear a splash as my father jumps in behind me.

"Do you like the skill from that amulet father?"

"Y... yes, I do. How can you breathe and swim underwater when I'm wearing the Amulet?"

As we swim down toward the Grotto, I begin explaining how my Omniscience skill allows me to permanently retain any skill I see basically, even skills that are exclusive to items, such as the amulet.

"Astonishing." My father says in disbelief.

We arrive at the entrance to the Grotto, the shimmering barrier that fascinated me so much when I first came down here, still separates the pond from the air-filled Grotto. I watch as my father touches the shimmering surface with growing curiosity.

"It's ok, just step on through. There is air on the other side." I say, seeing the confusion on his face, obviously never seeing anything like this before.

We step through the barrier and arrive at the entrance hallway. I pull a Troll Axe from my bag and hand it to my father.

"Here, take this... just in case." I say with a small grin on my face.

I direct him down the hallway and instruct him to take the pathway to the right. I keep a step behind him and as he takes the right pathway, my small grin turns to a large mischievous smile. Soon we arrive at the section where the hallway curves to the left. The struggle to keep from laughing is becoming difficult as I know what's coming.

Soon, the familiar Shark that scared the crap out of me the first time I came down her, comes around the corner. My eyes are completely on my father, waiting for the show. I'm not disappointed.

"HOLY FUCK!" My father yells seeing the massive 5-meter-long shark swimming through the air, massive razor-sharp teeth gnashing as it swims along.

My father lands flat on his ass, then scrambles to get up and run away. I tell him the shark won't attack him when he is wearing the Amulet as it is the key to the Grotto, and this he is the "owner" of this place.

My father watches with a mixture of disbelief and horror as the Shark swims past him without so much as acknowledging his presence.

"W... What level was that thing?! My father asks while backed into the wall, clutching his axe.

"Hmm, about level 75. It's not as strong as the Elite Dire Wolves, but it IS still an Elite monster, meaning it's considerably stronger than regular monsters of a similar level. They are ridiculously easy to kill though. Just slide under it when it charges you and disembowel it as you go."

"Incredible." My father says, still watching the shark swim away.

"C'mon old man, get off the floor and let's get going. You will see a few more of those as well as large schools of carnivorous fish on the way. They will ignore you, so don't worry."

My father stands up and follows my lead. I hear him let out small gasps every time we encounter fish or other Sharks along the way. I chuckle every time I hear it. It's nice to be able to laugh these days, though I can sympathize with my father, however. My first time in here it was no laughing matter, as I didn't have the protection of the Amulet. Shit, for the first encounter with the Elite Shark, I was butt naked!

We finally approach the door to the arena, and it opens for us on approach. I lead my father into the arena and the look on his face is priceless.

"Oh, WOW!" He said in genuine awe at the sight of the arena with its massive almost 20 meter long, floor to ceiling aquarium.

"You have been living down here all this time?!"

"Yes. Well, for the past 4 years or so at least. I originally packed up everything and moved out when I challenged this floor's boss, since I figured I won't be coming back here, as the magic circles that take you to the next floor are one-way."

"Wait, you can't go back to the entrance in here?"

"No, what do you mean? In other Labyrinths there are ways out?!"

"Yes, generally there is a return magic circle adjacent to where you enter a new floor. It's often a small room close by. You generally can't miss it."

"Well, no such thing exists down here. There are no return circles anywhere to be found. That's why I never came out. Each floor I went to, I was stuck there until I cleared the floor and moved on to the next. It was only after I obtained my teleportation skill that I was able to freely travel between floors and outside the Labyrinth."

"This place really is unusual, and I can see why so many parties that ventured in here never made it out."

My father walks around my Arena home admiring the Gold Throne, the aquarium up close, and my living quarters. He wanders through my makeshift shelves holding all manner of trinkets and equipment I have collected over the years that won't fit in my bags anymore.

"By the Gods Christine! All this stuff is... this stuff is..."

Poor guy can't even form words to describe what he is seeing. The gear and items all range in quality from Rare to even a few Mystic items from the fourth floor.

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"Yeah, there's some good shit in there. That armor you are admiring would make anyone who wears it pretty much invincible. It's legendary quality."

"Language Christine. What are you going to do with all this stuff?! Even in the Capitol marketplace, you would be extremely hard pressed to even find someone who could afford such things. Some of this is even beyond what the Royal line itself could afford!"

"Hmm, that sucks to hear. I was planning a trip to Creshent to see if I could sell some of this. Most likely just the rare stuff like the set I gave to you."

"I'm not sure about even this Christine. Like I told you earlier, this gear is even beyond what I used to have when I was with The Wanderers."

"The Wanderers? What is that?"

"I forgot you were probably never told. That was the name of our party. We named ourselves that because we wandered the land searching for dungeons and strong enemies to fight. Most adventuring groups stick to the cities and local dungeons and labyrinths as it is just convenient since the city is right there."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Hey, when was the last time you saw your group?"

"The last time I saw them is when I left for Creshent to meet you and your mother for your registration. When you didn't arrive, I headed toward our house to see if you were just running late. But I found... I found..."

"It's ok dad, I know."

"After that, I buried your mother, then I searched for you for several months since your body wasn't there. I found no sign of you anywhere, and as the years passed, I figured you had died as well. I made you a grave next to your mother."

"Your party never came looking for you?"

"I don't know if they ever did. I spent most of my days caring for your graves. I lived in the forest just adjacent to them. I would check back at our house every day in case you somehow found your way back."

"Sorry it took me so long to come back. I was a bit preoccupied." I respond with a laugh.

"Yeah, I can see!" My father says gesturing to my horde.

"Well, that and my captivity with the bandits that raided our house that night."

"Ok enough of the painful reminiscing. Let's get going, we have to train you up!" I say as I see my father's expression turning toward despair.

"Ok let's... wait, what do you mean?!"

I hand him the troll axe I gave him before then grabbed his shoulder and teleported us to the entrance of the first floor, under the archway of the first troll room. The torches on the wall immediately begin lighting when our presence is sensed by the dungeon.

Slowly the torches light the room until they finally reach the end, illuminating the Troll guardian within. My father takes a step back seeing the Troll he fought once before with his party.

"Oh no you don't!" I say as I push him forward.

"Get over there and fight that Troll. You will be fine." I say with a slight chuckle.

"That's not funny Christine! That thing will kill me!" He says with genuine fear.

"So what. If it kills your, I'll just bring you back."

"YOU WILL WHAT?!!"

"I can bring you back. Don't worry father. If you get hurt, I'll heal you. If you get killed, I'll bring you back. No big deal!"

"No big deal..." he says in a whisper, his face a bit paler than before.

"C'mon just go and kill that thing already! I did it TWICE, once with my bare hands when I was 10 years old with no gear at all!"

I give my father another push and point forward. He gives me a scathing look then starts walking toward the Troll. He gets halfway, axe at the ready, when the Troll roars and starts charging at my father.

The battle is on, and my father's axe meets with the Trolls jagged sword with a loud crash. He is able to dodge and parry the Troll's attacks with relative ease, the Beast Tracker's gear and Troll axe I outfitted him with, providing significant boosts to his stats.

The Troll is able to land a few punches, but no strikes with his sword. My father was able to land several decisive strikes, dispatching the Troll in only a few minutes.

I walk up to my father as the Troll begins to be absorbed by the dungeon. He seems to be a bit satisfied with the result of that fight.

"How do you feel? Are you hurt?" I ask my father.

"Incredible! It took 6 of us to take that thing down, and that took us the better part of half an hour! I just killed the same Troll in a few minutes, all by myself."

"I told you, the gear I gave you is good. It all drops from monsters on this floor, so it's spec'd for the level of this floor."

I toss a healing wind on my father no matter if he needed it or not, then I pick up the mana stone and toss it into a pouch.

"Ok, let's keep going. Did you get any levels from that?"

"Several actually."

I can see the confident man I once knew starting to break through the rough shell. It makes me happy to see him fight. That was the first time I ever saw my father in action, something I always wanted to see.

We walk through the door into the tunnel beyond. We don't really say anything, and I just watch my father concentrate on the dungeon. His focus is impressive. His guard is up, leaving no opening for attack.

Soon we come across a familiar Goblin sporting a spear. Poor guy was left disemboweled on the floor the last time we met. I wonder what my father will do to this guy.

My father rushes the Goblin, dodged its thrusting spear, then proceeds to split the Goblin straight in half. The two halves of the Goblin fall apart, spilling guts and brains on the floor. This poor guy just can't catch a break!

"Nice one!"

My father just turns and gives me a smile and a thumbs up. I see he is having a good time now! I pick up the mana stone from the Goblin and we continue on down the hallway.

"Hey dad, I have a question. What are these stones good for?"

"Well, the color denotes the attribute of the monster it's from. Yellow for stone, blue for water, purple for lightning, green for nature, red for fire, white for light, black for darkness, etc. Most adventurers sell them to merchants in the crafting trades, as they use them to craft items, gear, and weapons with magical attributes. The stronger the monster they come from, the more they are worth."

"Hmm, how much would a 3-meter mana stone be worth?"

"3 meters?! I don't think anyone has even seen a mana stone that massive! I couldn't even begin to tell you what it would be worth." My father says with a look of disbelief.

Not sure how my father is still shocked by anything anymore. After all he has seen so far, is it really any surprise that I would have something like that?!

"Anyway, pretty soon we will come to another room with 3 Goblins. Have fun!"

We arrive at the second room and my father charges the Goblins as soon as he sees them. My father's confidence is shining through as he picks the Goblins apart, leaving a slaughter in his wake.

"Ok, that's enough of a warmup." I state as I walk around picking up mana stones.

"W... Warmup? What do you mean?!"

"Oh, nothing. It's time to have some fun!" I say as I put a hand on his shoulder and teleport us directly in front of the two Trolls guarding the Boss room door.

"Holy crap!" My father yells seeing the two hulking Trolls.

"Go get em!" I say with a laugh.

I walk backward several meters leaving my father to face the Trolls. I'm getting a sick sense of enjoyment watching this unfold.

My father starts defending against the Trolls immediate attacks, his axe clashing with the sword and spiked mace. Despite there being two Trolls this time, he seems to hold his own. I stand back and enjoy the show, my father having the time of his life facing TWO of the monsters that his whole party of 6 barely was able to beat one of. Now, here he is holding his own against two of them all by himself.

It takes him the better part of 15 minutes to finish them off, only taking a few hits himself. I walk over to him and heal him up, then proceed to collect the dropped stones.

"Ok! It's TIME for the main event of the evening!" I say imitating a certain famous ring announcer for a famous martial arts competition company back on Earth.

I gesture toward the large boss room door and tell my father to follow. He is confused at first but finally asks.

"What's through there?" He asks, his voice a bit shaken as he probably already knows.

"The Minotaur!" I say with a mischievous smile on my face.

"No! No way Christine! That's insane! You want me to face that thing all by myself?!"

"Of course! You are a full-grown adult. You are probably higher level than I was when I fought this thing, AND you have the same gear that I had when I fought it all by myself!"

My father just shakes his head, obviously not liking the idea of facing the Minotaur by himself. I can completely understand, as he did say that these beasts are normally found deep in Greater Labyrinths and only the best adventurer parties in the world are capable of taking one down.

"Look, it's going to be tough. It's at least 10-15 levels above that of these Elite Trolls. It's a tough bastard, but you need this. This is for your benefit."

"You don't have a choice father. Either you go on your own, or I teleport you into that room and throw you at the damn thing." I say with a laugh, but I was being completely serious.