Day 21

“You go too far.” Ms. Birdmask said.

I tapped my foot on the dungeon’s tongue and watched it wiggle in response. Saliva lined the hard pallet, dripping down slowly, keeping the mouth nice and moist. Hot breath blasted my face from a set of lungs that could work a steel foundry. Some of the back teeth were coming in straighter than I imagined. There was a slight crookedness to one of the front teeth that was concerning. Could a dungeon get braces?

The ludicrous thought brought me back to the situation. A smile threatened to spread across my face at the thought of new and interesting loot. I hadn’t tried out floor 2 yet, and floor 1 was most likely altered after our encounter. While the Blood Lake may survive, I’m sure the dungeon has taken steps to limit where the secret boss could be taken. Fighting that monster on the Blood Lake would be incredibly difficult. I felt my lips curve upward and couldn’t help feeling the anticipation.

Another run already when I had only taken a day out in the real world to readjust. I didn’t know if I could handle it.

“Atom, don’t go yet; we made something that we think you’ll need,” Veronica said.

I turned to see Veronica running over with a massive backpack made of leather and stitched with spider silk. Runes were etched into its surface, and the system gave me the details.

Atom’s backpack of friendship

Description: A backpack made of freshly cured hides, sewn with maneater spider silk, and enchanted for durability, it boasts 1/10th weight and tripled interior space.

I fully planned to load it entirely with skill shards. The backpack was easily my height, and when the straps were tightened, it would rest a little taller than me.

“Veronica, this gift is incredible; thank you.” I hugged my favorite bird, and she surprised me by pushing her beak against my lips. A quick kiss made her fluff up her feathers.

“Disgusting, but what else can I expect from a farmer. No one else would want to sleep with you.” Tony said.

I pulled Veronica back before she could throw a kick and take Tony’s head off.

“If that’s your opinion, you won’t have many friends; monster porn is popular even if most are scared to indulge in the flesh for a good reason. But there is something I don’t understand. Why would you say something like that in front of a man’s monster?” Scout asked.

Veronica fired a kick that popped the air; her talons were only an inch away from slashing Tony’s throat. I wrapped an arm around her midsection and pulled her back. She was being adorable, so I couldn’t get mad at her.

Tony looked like he was about to loose his bowels, and the others looked concerned. I rolled my eyes; it was only a light kick that easily dodged or blocked.

Still, I was the host; I had to go through the motions and chastise Veronica. “These people are under my hospitality. We can’t kill them unless they do something to disqualify themselves as guests.”

Tony smiled, only for Ms. Birdmask to speak up. “What did you mean by first dibs? Do you mean the first choice on every drop?”

I had hoped Veronica’s display would have distracted her from that. Leave it to an Eastoner to keep her eyes on the prize. Instead of taking them for everything they were worth, it was time for damage control.

“No first dibs here means the first choice on boss drops that I participate in. If I don’t fight, then I don’t get anything.” I said.

“I thought it meant the first choice among all the loot we gather after we leave the dungeon before distribution. Cultural differences sure are confusing.” Meng Bai said.

“I like that one better,” I said.

“Let’s flip on its heads; we do it the Weston way, tails we do it the Easton way.” Meng Bai said.

He took out a coin shakily and flipped it after I agreed. The coin landed on heads, and I was stuck on the first pick in every boss fight I performed in. Fu flipped open the top flap of my backpack and peeked out.

“It's not like we would share the loot in our backpack anyway,” Fu said.

“Your name is Fu, right; does this mean you’re coming with us?” Martin asked.

“Someone has to gather the loot,” Fu said.

“Lets all go in together, less chance of getting separated that way,” Scout suggested.

“I guess I have to act like a guide then. The dungeon will swallow us when we enter and drop us in a free fall.” I said.

“So you really have been in the dungeon, and you weren’t bluffing,” Scout said.

I gave the tamer a harsh look. Before I said anything, I was interrupted.

“I’m not great at flying, but I can hover for a few seconds; if I flap fast enough, maybe I can slow your fall,” Veronica said.

She was so eager to be useful I couldn’t take advantage of her like that. But if she wanted to help me by flying, maybe I could snag some skills to help her out. I could load her up into a flying specialist with psychic bombardment or blood skills for the eventual Blood to Flesh, Blood of Souls, and the other rare to legendary skills.

I honestly forgot most of the names for skill ranks. It was the kind of thing I learned for a test and forgot it afterward. After rare I believed it was epic or was epic after legendary. No, the rank after rare was O for obscure. Then it was legendary, mythic, forgotten, and unique. These rarities didn’t actually have much to do with skill power. Epic came from the system that established that, but it was less important to the system than skill rarity, so there wasn’t any text for it.

Reality called voiced by the other tamer. “Well, my Red Hawk Hank can’t carry more than 5 people; how did you manage it last time?” Scout asked.

“Don’t worry about me; there are some nice soft trees to break my fall,” I said.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“How high is your endurance at level 10? Did your family raise your attributes illegally?” Tony asked.

“I don’t think I’m going to incriminate my family today. Besides, the Graves family should get ready for a legal battle soon over the illegal attempt to seize a farmer’s class’s property through physical coercion.” I said.

“A judge will throw it out,” Martin said.

The mage and everyone else missed the point. I wouldn’t have a legal battle against Tony Graves but the Graves family. Then again, what would I win if I beat Tony. I doubt he would have much money left if he somehow made it to a big city to heal his monsters. How much of his family’s money could he possibly have access to as an assistant researcher.

“My family tried something similar a century ago, and the laws are no fairer now,” Martin said.

I smiled as we approached the throat leading into the abyss. Muscles expanded, saliva dripped, wetting the throat, and the tongue stretched to get a taste of us.

“This doesn’t feel like a dungeon. How can we be sure this isn’t some giantess?” Tony said.

Gulp!

The swallow was sudden, and darkness took us in its embrace as limbs flailed while contracting and relaxing muscles pushed us down through the long tunnel to the first floor. It had changed again, becoming more textured under my hand, and the smell was terrible.

I debated reaching for Tony and snapping his neck. That would feel good but not satisfying. I wanted to eat my cake, but I would miss having it. I decided to settle for something petty. I reached out and grabbed his wrist, snapping the bones quickly before letting go. We were in the dungeon; my hospitality no longer applied here since this was not my land; it was the inside of the dungeon.

The darkness opened to a vast interior darker than what I remembered. Castles dotted the land, crumbling and ancient. Towns appeared in the distance, glowing with structures rising to the heavens, pouring smog into the air. Time had moved in the dungeon swiftly after I had last been here, and floor 1 had greatly expanded. Few trees remained as we fell. Hank appeared and swiftly grabbed the others as Crow Step lightened my body while Fell Wind helped slow my descent. The ground flexed and bulged, spilling a foul-smelling liquid on the ground that swiftly melted the stone of ancient castles.

Floor 1 had changed. For better or worse, I was here again. I landed on a broken tower with barely a bend of my knee as the red hawk flew blindly in the low light. While I told them I would be their guide what was I going to tell them. From what I could tell, the age I had entered the dungeon had ended a long time ago. Who knows, maybe it was my blade that ended the lines of kings.

I turned and saw a statue of myself holding my chianswords battling Isobel. My bunny girl stood proudly, and I looked like a villain. The statues were so adorable I wanted them. Since I wasn’t in battle, that was an option. I opened a portal to the outside and tossed both out before it shut.

Dungeon Message

Moderator Atom is not allowed to take objects out of the dungeon, excluding willing monsters that aren’t carried on his person or in a back satchel. This is a warning any further acts will result in an infraction and loss of privileges.

I held up my hands in surrender. “I won’t do it again. I just really wanted the statues.” I said.

There was no answer from the dungeon, so I guessed that I was forgiven. I ducked into the broken tower as it sank into the acid and found a prayer room. Old cloth made of familiar spider silk frayed at the edges, exposing a pink chainsword on a green field. I drew my weapon and compared it to the banner; it was a good attempt but not quite right. Still, it gave me an idea for a symbol. I needed something to distinguish myself from the greater Walker family.

I drew my other blade, shining silver in the glow of my other weapon. A fell weapon would have been a cool balance with my psychic one. Too bad it wasn’t to be. A greater theme of the dungeon had inflicted itself on the first floor, consuming others. Grinding forces from the ground crushed the tower’s foundation, threatening to topple it.

Since when was the first floor more flesh and bone than monster habitat? An age had clearly ended, and I missed out. The dungeon might be reabsorbing this period. Maybe it would come again. I’ve heard floors could recycle events; there was a precedent.

A light shown from one of Martin’s skills. The hawk looked a little worn down from the high winds in this place, something I didn’t have to worry about thanks to Fell Cyclone. Wind Mastery would be a good addition to that skill, along with Wind, so I could begin creating a specialized build. I would turn myself into something like a bird monster that specialized in bird.

A chuckle left me, and my guests gave me weary looks.

“Sorry, I thought of something funny,” I said.

An impatient voice roared out of Meng Bai. “What could be funny in this situation?”

“Nothing, the moment passed. Let's get to the city; my blades are hungry for blood and guts.” I said.

They didn’t look excited or pleased. Weren’t we here to kill and plunder what was their problem.

“I think we should head back and come up with a plan; we came here without proper preparations.” Ms. Birdmask said.

“Prepare today and be unprepared tomorrow,” I said.

“This place has to develop a theme eventually,” Scout said.

It seemed he had some dungeon knowledge. Unfortunately, I had a feeling this place would continue developing into the next age. Maybe if we waited a few weeks, they would wipe themselves out and start over, or the dungeon could keep the current time period.

“Maybe if we leave the dungeon will believe this level of technology is too daunting and move to find a level closer to the Renaissance,” I said.

“Monster enchanters can’t become that advanced. They rely on their bodies, and we rely on tools that’s the natural order.” Martin said.

This world had a theme of tools. Instead of developing strange new variants of monsters, powerful mixed breeds, and higher ranks, this floor developed an industrial age. Maybe I could collect some skilled workers and managers for my growing population. My guests called them a tribe, and that felt insulting.

I rolled up the banners for my weavers to copy the designs. The symbol was of my chainsword, so mine.

Something crossed into my telepathic range, and I jumped on the broken peak of the tower. The others stiffened after I passed them by. Enhancing my body was second nature at this point with both Telekinesis and Lingering Will. Light pink light wrapped in fell energy shrouded my body as I moved briefly dying down as I focused on the incoming monsters. High in the air, a kite like aircraft with a propeller flew down toward us with two barrels of steel with sights aimed at us.

“Get to the air we have incoming,” I said.

“What’s going on?” Scout asked.

More planes came into my range until over a hundred dotted the smog-covered sky. They were almost invisible if not for my Perception attribute. Small flecks of light from my psychic energy were all I needed to make out our foes.

I turned to the stunned mercenaries and a frozen Tony. Had they never been in a dungeon? By their words, they seemed to have some experience.

“Farmers shouldn’t be able to move like a peak Pillar Formation adept.” Ms. Birdmask continued to lose valuable seconds and stand up on Hank when she should have made herself small to its body to assist it in balancing their weight. “Apologies for our earlier disrespect and for allowing this fool to poison our first meeting. I would give myself to you as an apology if you let off my young master.”

I decided to throw them a bone. “Negotiations, before offered hospitality, will not be held against you so long as you’re alive to enjoy them. Scout, get Hank in the air; we have incoming.” I said.

Repeating myself in a dungeon was beyond annoying. “Amateurs,” I whispered under my breath and moved.

Stone shifted as I kicked off a wall and used Crow Step and Fell Wind to shift in the air and ran up an unattached castle wall. At the peak of the displaced wall, I sucked in a breath and let it out along with my frustration. Most likely, they couldn’t see the enemy, but I could hear the engines atop the castle wall. The bones of a chimera rabbit fell over, covered in the rusting armor.

Close to 300 aircraft had entered my range, and they all had enough Willpower to resist my mental attacks. Fell energy flowed through their bodies and rejected the touch of my mind. They weren’t chimera rabbits, but I couldn’t tell what they were. My smile hadn’t left my face.

I bent my knees, enhancing myself and lighting my body and pack at the same time.

“What are you about to do?” Fu asked.

“You might want to hide. I’m about to cut loose.” Rumbling shook the ground, and massive spiders touched my psychic field. They were all massive, far larger than Rond Da, and moving easily through the acid. Heavy metal covered their bodies, leaving only the joins open. On their backs were massive fortifications covered in canons. More of the fell beings were inside them, moving to do innumerable tasks, upkeeping the mobile bases.

“I want one,” Fu said.

“You want a fortress on your back,” I said.

“No one of those giant spiders. They are probably dumb as bricks and only rank 2, but think of their silk production. Grab two, and my sisters can make clothing without wasting their own silk. Think of all the uniforms I can make for you.” Fu said.

“Fine, since I can’t beat your argument, I’ll try and snatch a few up. I don’t know if the dungeon will let me take them out.”

Dungeon Message: Moderator can annex any monster that goes willingly, and the portal size can be increased to accommodate. Enjoy the new first floor. Please remember that Floor Two needs to be stress tested. Inquiry: Would dungeon quests with rewards improve user experience?

Y/N

A second when I’m in the zone, ready to unleash Armageddon on my enemies, could feel like minutes. In that time I tried to weigh out the advantages and disadvantages of giving up some freedom in the dungeon in exchange for rewards and direction from the dungeon. No longer would I be a free agent; this would put me under the dungeon’s lead. There were consequences to that. If I went against the dungeon, it could unleash monsters from lower floors and be in the right to do so. While these rules were unwritten, they were mutually followed to ensure a beneficial relationship between the adventurer and the dungeon. We fought for treasure and the dungeon killed us for everything we were. In exchange for taking on the risk, the dungeon made things somewhat fair.

Saying yes would see the dungeon actively guiding me and rewarding me for services rendered. It created a deeper relationship between us and put me securely out of the category of adventurer. Doing so would, in a sense, ally myself with the dungeon. There were benefits to those quests and real tangible benefits, not including the drops. I might be able to communicate and better influence the dungeon which was the ultimate goal as a dungeon farmer.

I imagined there were also strings attached unwritten as the official unwritten rules were. Humanity had to find those rules and write them down. Putting myself truly in the position the dungeon gave me would take me from the comfortable rules discovered and written down into an unknown position. Some rules may transfer, and new undiscovered rules would apply. It was exciting.

“Yes,” I said.

Floor 1 Quest

Publius Aelius Hadrianus

Abstract: The Kitsunite People were uplifted, inspired, and freed by the dungeon in the guise of the great fox spirit breaking away from the land of Rabilim and settling in their promised land of Kudzu. Hundreds of years later, through trickery, kidnapping, and espionage, they have become the first floor’s superpower and subdued all other races. They build their technology to conquer lower floors and break free of the dungeon to seek more resources outside. As my Moderator, it is your task to discipline them. Destroy the superpower and scatter their people to the four winds.

Reward:

5 Attribute Fruit Random

25 Common Skill Shards

10 Uncommon Skill Shards

5 Rare Skill shards

1 Obscure Skill Shard

1 Weapon Upgrade Workbench

1 Bag of Material Holding Warehouse Size