Lucas, Gelm, and Aurora were exhausted. They’d been staying in the Save Point for an entire week while trying to conquer the 2nd floor of the Unnamed Dungeon. During which, they’d put their hands on training with captain Eli to the test. The only recently certified young party had shown incredible growth since they all met just 2 months earlier. From E rank rookies all the way to C+! While they could have taken a rest and slowed their ridiculously fast paced progress down, the young students were eager to maintain the established momentum.

The party had met by complete coincidence when Lucas offered the pair to join in his training regimen after stepping in during an argument between Gelm and a merchant. Working together they’d managed to get revenge for Gelm and Aurora’s fallen comrades by taking down the Timber Wolf Alpha and Swarming Slime. Before they’d met Lucas, Gelm and Aurora had belonged to a new party with some childhood friends of theirs. They’d been one of the first groups into the dungeon and sadly only the two of them had returned. After some training captain Eli tasked them with completing the 1st floor in 30 days. As of 2 weeks ago they’d managed just that and assigned themselves the party goal of doing the same in the Smoldering Sequoia. A goal much easier said than done...

Just yesterday Gelm, the party rogue, had almost been killed when a swarm of giant bats tried to lift him up above the smoke and steam. If it hadn’t been for the mana drained Aurora’s quick thinking and a lucky throw of Blast Corn from Lucas he’d have been lost forever. Tired as they were the party decided head back to Brooksdam for a well-deserved break. Cashing in their loot netted them some new gear as well. Lucas picked up a new sword made of a Honed Hawk’s feather while Gelm now donned a black cloak made of the ash like substance covering the Volcanic Salamanders. The cloaks were of particular popularity amongst higher society when the color was altered. The flaking substance would trail behind them before reappearing on the cloak proper. Noble’s seemed to enjoy walking amidst a quite literal purple aura of authority.

Just when they’d been about to chow down on some of the recently harvestable Burst Corn, which had the awful slogan of “It’ll blow your mind”, the group heard a man yelling in front of the adventurer’s guild.

“The Grilling Gorgon party will be holding a meeting tonight to discuss a possible raid on the Unnamed Dungeon’s second floor! Any parties who have reached the second floor and are interested in participating should come in and listen!”

With that the three entered the adventurer’s guild and quickly found the room being used by the Grilling Gorgons for the meeting. Inside was about 15-20 people already discussing some failed attempts at crossing the river.

“Damn Salamanders are working with them now! It was hard enough when it was just the fish but now I’ve got fire shooting over my head as well!”

“The whole place is on fire it’s not any different. Those fire cages might as well be an ice bath compared to that fucking ivy. And don’t get me started on the corn!”

Being obviously younger and less experienced the three rookies sat in the back of the room and kept to themselves. While not being directly disrespected or bullied a stigma did exist against younger adventurers. They would always be seen as less experienced and strong than the older adventures with decades of experience. Even if they were technically of a higher rank.

About 10 minutes later the Grilling Gorgon leader, Kroll, stood up and began his speech.

“Hello everyone! Thank you all for coming tonight. My party would like to propose a raid on the 2nd floor boss scheduled 3 days from now. We have discovered a working method of crossing the river without engaging the Red Torpedo Fish!”

Instantly the room became completely engaged in what the man was about to say.

“Of course I understand the value of this information, so I’ll make a deal with anyone who joins us on the raid. We’ll show you our method and our party gets to keep any exclusive loot dropped by the 2nd floor boss.”

Groans immediately echoed across the room and one older gentleman even walked straight out.

“Now, now everyone. That may seem like a steep price, but I think you should consider the value of this method! It’s been over 2 weeks since groups began trying in earnest to cross the river in earnest, but none have been successful. Once this method becomes wide spread more parties will begin crossing and getting any new loot we find on the other side. If we defeat the boss it’s also a possibility that we’ll gain access to a second safe zone! Having access to another teleporter would easily make one measly piece of loot worth it!”

Kroll was a persuasive man. While he could not guarantee the existence of what he was promising just placing the idea in the other adventurers’ heads would help his cause. Most people in this line of work tended to be quite greedy after all.

“We’ve scouted ahead ever so slightly and found 3 great black staircases resting deeper into the forest. Standing at the base we found some meticulously carved golems that we engaged. The fight was relatively straightforward until they called for reinforcements. By the time we managed to head back across the river we’d cut down around 15 of the bastards in total.

“Making an executive decision I decided we would come back and request reinforcements of our own. Many more of those golems, along with many other creatures, likely lie further up the stairs. Keeping in mind the high enemy concentration it is my belief these stairs will lead directly to the boss should we follow them. Personally we believe the boss to be a more powerful version of the Honed or Serrated Hawks we’ve all fought against before. Given how powerful the base species already are we’re looking for 15-20 adventurers of C+ to B- rank or above. We don’t have time to babysit so if you aren’t confident leave now. Party comp and strategy will be determined once members have been selected.

“Anyone interested in joining us should contact me directly or sign the sheet we have posted on the notice board. Thank you for your time!”

The three adventurers headed outside into the hallway to discuss the raid opportunity amongst themselves.

“Well... we meet the requirements. Barely. We did only rank up recently.” Said Gelm.

“Yeah so do we want to give it a shot? Even if the raid goes south we’ll still be able to replicate their method of crossing the river. Not that I think it would go bad of course.”

“I’m open to the idea on one condition.” The much more cautious Aurora said.

Both boys looked towards the mage who held up a finger “We don’t know if we can even kill a Honed Hawk by ourselves yet, let alone a boss version. So unless all of us have Withdraw Orbs I think it’s too risky. Without one of those around each of our necks I’m out.”

Withdraw Orbs were the newest commodity being offered by the Unnamed Dungeon. While they had existed before the orbs were previously only crafted for A rank parties and above due to their expensive ingredients. But once again the new dungeon had surprised everyone and begun selling the orbs itself! For just 50,000 mana or 15,000 Rhilos one could buy a Withdraw Orb for themselves or a party member. When worn the wearer would be saved from death 1 time. An attack would end within a sliver of the wearer’s life being extinguished as they were teleported back to the dungeon entrance. As of 2 days ago when the item was introduced several guards with healing magic had been stationed around the “Respawn Point” as the dungeon called it to assist anyone at risk of dying from their injuries.

“Come on Aurora! That’s so expensive! Those orbs would cost as much as we made in a week plus 2 whole days’ worth of mana from you!”

Crossing her arms the ice mage said “I’m not budging on this. It’s better than the three of us dying. If we have to just wait another week and train ourselves I’d rather do that.”

Lucas himself was somewhat split. He’d been looking at buying some more new pieces of gear, but the raid really was a great opportunity. They could always just go back to the Bog and farm for money if they really needed to, but this raid was likely a onetime thing. Being among the first to reach the third floor could prove a very profitable venture at the risk of short term financial loss.

Raising his own finger Lucas said “Counteroffer. Gelm, me and you split our earnings to buy Aurora a Storage Necklace and we go hunting for the next two days. If by the end those days we still want to join in, Aurora can buy the Withdraw Orbs with that mana plus our cash from the hunts. That way we can train and still leave the decision open. We were going to buy one eventually so we could passively spend mana on Withdraw Orbs anyway. All we’re doing is changing the purchasing order around a bit.”

Rubbing her chin Aurora smiled “I’ll do that.”

Groaning Gelm said “Fiiiiiiiine. But you’d better fill that thing in 2 days. We’ve finally caught up to all the other adventurers. I’m not falling behind again.”

Decision made the party went a bought a Storage Necklace capable of storing 150,000 mana. Slightly smaller than the industry standard but it had the added ability of generating 20,000 mana a day from its surroundings. Considering that the Withdraw Orbs don’t expire until the wearer next exits the dungeon, something made trivial with the luxurious Save Point, it was a good purchase in the long run. Even if they were all looking at some small meals over the next few days.

---

2 days later the young party was feeling much better about their ability to participate in the raid. Together they’d saved enough mana for 3 Withdraw Orbs ensuring their safety and pulling their funds even ought Lucas a new set of plate armor. Nothing incredible fancy but even a standard set of unenchanted iron was better than the discount junk he had before.

So on the morning of the raid all three walked into the adventurer’s guild and signed up with Kroll. They were questioned harshly about their ability given the recency of their promotion, but when he heard they owned Withdraw Orbs he let them in as long as they swore not to get in the way of his team.

Not too long after that, the 4 parties that would be participating all began discussing how best to organize themselves. Given that the teams didn’t know what the boss was like they decided to go with an old standard. Defensive units and shielders in front, healers and support right behind, and the damaging rouge like classes flanking. It was a tried and true strategy that worked in most cases.

Closing out the meeting Kroll announced “Alright then! Seems we’re all good. Everyone has until around 3:00 to meet up at the western end of the river near the waterfalls. All parties will move independently so no outsiders get suspicious and try to follow us. Once we’re all there we cross and head up the stairs. See you all in a bit!”

Having already replenished their supplies the still unnamed party headed off to the docks and caught a boat to the dungeon at noon. Once there they walked the currently being paved path from the shore and were let in by the guards.

Directly where the paths to the 1st floor and the teleporter room split was a new indent in the wall. This was the “shop” where adventurers could buy Withdraw Orbs. They already knew the price but Lucas made sure to read over the banner next to the store.

The Withdraw Shop!

Hello adventurers who have chosen to delve into this dungeon! Would you be interested in some insurance? This place is incredibly dangerous if you are not prepared, so the dungeon has decided to give young and experienced adventurers alike an opportunity to keep themselves safe. For just 50,000 mana a single person can be guaranteed safe evacuation from what would be a deadly situation with what we are calling Withdraw Orbs. Admittedly expensive the Withdraw Orb is a must have item for any serious adventurers looking to spend long periods of time within the dungeon. Some rules and known questions about the Orbs are listed below.

Why so expensive? Sadly this is the absolute lowest the dungeon can provide items of this caliber without taking a loss. This may change in the future if adventurers continue helping the dungeon grow but for now this is the best we can do. How do they work? When an adventurer is about to be dealt a fatal blow the Withdraw Orb will teleport them to the dungeon entrance right before it results in death. Anyone teleported will be in grave shape but still treatable with potions or magic. Does my loot come back with me? Anything determined as “gear” by the orb will be brought back with you. Things such as weapons and armor fall under this jurisdiction. Some things not included are monster loot or corpses, Rhilos, and any food items brought into the floors. Do they work regardless of circumstances? Yes, even if an adventurer kills another adventurer or even drowns the orb will activate. If it happens inside the dungeon they will be teleported. Residual damage? Any form of poison or damage over time effect will be purged from the person being teleported to give the best chance at survival, although it is not guaranteed survival without proper treatment. Do they expire? After a teleportation is made they will disappear yes. But the orbs have no cooldown so another can be bought right away if so desired. If someone in possession of a Withdraw Orb leaves the dungeon it will also break. We are currently trying to prevent this from happening but at the very least the teleportation will not work outside the dungeon. Why offer this at all? Put shortly the dungeon takes no pleasure in the taking of lives. But it must protect itself and still have the ability to grow. Since it understands the valuable riches found inside of itself the dungeon won’t stop anyone from entering it. So this solution was made. It allows for continued growth of the dungeon but also lets adventurers keep their lives! We hope this is to everyone’s liking!

Any doubts previously held about the dungeon’s intelligence were now gone from the hearts of the adventurers and citizens of Brooksdam alike. It was self-referential and seemed to refer to something else as “we”, held morals, and was even capable of understanding the reasons people delved into it.

Pointing to the last question Gelm said “I still can’t get over the fact it doesn’t want people to die. Doesn’t that seem counterproductive? As far as I was aware dungeons grow by killing people.”

“Perhaps that theory has been wrong all this time. The only test subjects’ scholars have had is enslaved cores, meaning we’ve never been able to study one in a natural state. Personally I think the dungeon grows from absorbing man. That would answer why it allows mana as payment over Rhilos.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Gelm said as he took the necklace form Aurora and transferred the mana to pay.

The shop was just a small indent in the wall with an orb on the right and a funnel that ran above. It was the same orange orbs that were used to make transactions at the teleporters by absorbing mana. Once payed for, a Withdraw Orb would be dispensed from the funnel and could be taken by the buyer.

They’d just left the dungeon when the shop opened but even then the orbs were incredibly popular. Having death insurance for an adventurer was worth every penny. It did suck that leaving the dungeon broke the orbs but when the safe zone existed that was hardly a problem. Some people had even begun hiring carriers that would take loot back to town and sell it for them while they lived in the safe zone. One group the party had ended up fighting some Perytons with had been living in the safe zone for almost a month while making a hefty profit to live off outside.

Once all three orbs had been purchased and stored away the three made their way to the teleporter line. Even without the existence of the other commodities like the safe zone and orbs these teleporters already made the dungeon incredibly popular. So many A class adventurers had been complaining for years about having to descend 20+ floors when trying to hunt for good loot. The existence of the wonderful machines has been reported and soon many of the higher leveled adventurers that previously ignored the new dungeon due to the party staggering performed by the knights should come running.

After a quick payment and a flash of light the party was now back in the familiar safe zone. It was incredibly lively with sounds of the kitchen utensils hitting the tables and pots being picked up and put down banging from inside the kitchen itself. Laughter and tears could be heard from poorer parties that just lost friends and lucky individuals who had just made fortunes.

On the left wall near the male dormitories the adventurer’s guild had set up an official quest board and it was even attended 24/7 by an attendant. That had all been Valentia’s idea so the knights and guild could still keep track of the goings on within the dungeon.

Some entrepreneurs had attempted to put up some small merchant shops near the 2nd floor staircase but the dungeon itself had actually intervened. Using the quest system to interact with the merchants it basically told them to screw off and build shops outside. But not all hope was lost since the dungeon had hinted at allowing stores in the later floors. Many took this as confirmation of more safe zones and the party was crossing their fingers for the same.

After a quick lunch the team headed down the 500 foot mushroom lit staircase and entered the Smoldering Sequoia. Even though the team had been exploring this floor for over 2 weeks the spectacle that was an ever burning forest never got boring.

“Aurora please for the love of gods activate that spell.” Said Gelm fanning himself inside his cloak.

“On it.”

Aurora lifted her hands to touch both Lucas and Gelm’s shoulders with her palms before activating [Chilling Aura]. It was a simple spell that reduced fire damage and allowed those affected an hour of heat resistance. She’d picked up the spell in her very next dream after they reached the second floor as local alchemists were up charging for the in demand heat potions.

“We’ve got a little under 2 hours guys, let’s get moving.” Lucas said taking the front as usual.

Having become familiar with the terrain and dangerous plant life that was around the floor the team wasted little time weaving through the burning trees. Occasionally they’d lay low when they heard some telltale sonic booms coming from up ahead, but they never encountered any Perytons. Instead they found something way worse.

“Incoming! 1 Serrated!” Gelm alerted them just as the tearing sound above them shifted in pitch.

“[Glacial Dome]!” yelled Aurora just as the enormous avian struck the 6 inch thick dome of icy protection she’d created above them.

Lucas raised his shield and sword directly below the Hawk while Gelm took the time to cast [Invisibility] on himself. Aurora began channeling a more powerful spell while the Hawk began beating on the dome with its wings.

2 quick slashes with its feather blades and the dome shattered. Casting ice down on the party below.

Banging his shield with his sword Lucas activated [Booster] and [Aggravate] in succession. Drawing the bird towards him while also increasing his speed exponentially.

Shifting its position midair the duel loving bird turned it’s gruesome and battered feathers towards Lucas before rushing in with a single beat of its wings.

Meeting the strike head on Lucas and the bird began exchanging swings blow for blow seemingly matched in strength. Sparks flew onto Lucas’s shield as the metal wings and blade clashed above him.

Seeing the effects of [Booster] beginning to wane Aurora sidestepped behind the Hawk and cast [Cone of Frost]. It was a highly damaging spell that wouldn’t hit Lucas since he was positioned behind the bird.

Sensing an attack the bird activated a skill of its own, [Mana Blade], which coated its blades in a bright green light that gave it the ability to cut through magic for a few seconds. With a single swing it managed to sever most of Auroras attack, but some cold damage still managed to catch its legs.

Before the [Mana Blade] skill had even worn off Gelm activated his newest skill [Blink] and warped behind the bird, trying for a [Vital Strike]. His hit landed and his new Coal Cat tail dagger was lodged into the Hawks neck.

A strong blow that would win them the battle, but they needed more time for the bird to bleed out. Spinning her staff quickly Aurora cast [Frozen Confinement] which summoned several icy chains around the Serrated Hawks wings, that bound it to the forest floor. They wouldn’t last long in the heat but it was enough time for Lucas to activate his own skill [Positioning] and slide across the ground to the front of the bird.

While Gelm wrestled the bird from behind and began stabbing with another dagger Lucas landed a few strong slash attacks on the bird’s chest. The hawk was bleeding out fast but it would not let them end the fight unscathed.

Using its muscular thawing legs the bird kicked into the air, throwing Gelm of its back and breaking both its arms, and managed to land a few slashes on Lucas with its incredible talons.

Gelm on the floor and Lucas bleeding from his face and bruised beneath his armor, the bird seemed to smirk before giving into its injuries.

The group looked on as the bird was reabsorbed by the dungeon and shifted into its drops. A pile of feathers, a dagger made of its talons, and about 800 Rhilos.

“Damn... that doesn’t get any... easier...” said Lucas as Aurora rushed over to heal him.

“Yeah... so many skills back to back hurts like hell.” Said Gelm lying on his back.

Gelm was right. The cost of such flashy moves was the enormous strain they put on the body after use. But if the team wanted to fight against the Serrated and Honed Hawks or a herd of Perytons they had no choice but to spam skills. If the fight came down to fundamental martial ability the hawks would win every time.

Taking a moment to let the skill strain fade from their bodies the team soon got moving again. In an attempt to save energy for the raid the party did their best to hide from any wandering Coal Cats and Perytons. Since Gelm was such a good living radar they could mostly avoid encounters they didn’t want to fight.

By the time they reached the western waterfall the team had only fought a wandering pack of 3 Perytons that ended rather quickly. With Aurora’s ice magic she could freeze their hooves to the ground while their wings were recharging so Lucas and Gelm could unload on them. A simple encounter which ended with some easy loot.

Kroll and his party were already there along with a single party fighter. They hadn’t caught his name, but the man’s skill was undeniable if he’d reached the 2nd floor by himself. Since they’d organized the raid, Kroll and the other Gargoyles were in charge of keeping the perimeter safe while the other teams took a break. One they’d all gladly take after trekking through a few miles of burning forest.

The final party arrived at exactly 3 and they were very upset when they weren’t given time to rest. Being the youngest and seemingly weakest party of the raid the three rookies kept to themselves and stayed out of the argument.

“Alright guys here we go! The trick is to climb up to that waterfall and swim across the pool. None of the salmon are here right now since the current is flowing the other way. Just don’t touch the eggs since they’re glowing hot. On the other side stick to formation and we’ll start climbing the stairs.”

Pulling a ladder out of their enchanted bag the Gargoyles began climbing up first. Once on the other side the teams quickly dried off in the ambient heat of the fire and began getting in formation. Lucas and the others were in charge of guarding the backs of the healers. Meaning they’d been pushed to the back since they were newbies...

Not being ones to complain the group kept their mouths shut and didn’t complain. Riling up the more experienced leaders wouldn’t do anyone any good. They’d even be gifted a small gift since the solo hunter would be fighting with them in the back.

Sadly their positions meant the group didn’t do much fighting as they fought through the forest. And as they finally reached the bottom of the black marble staircase with red beams of Infernal Redwood logs lining the path in front of them the young party began to feel the weight of what lay ahead.