That night Cless stashed everything in a secret room underneath the earth and prepared her guild. Everyone. including Kate and Shad. They wanted to go to the Dungeon early in the morning to delve for the whole day. The sun was barely up when they departed. They were using their Hellshadow leather surcoat with the guild's emblem. They took the long way around the poorly-planned city and after a walk that was more like a parade because of the wide berth the civilians gave the "monster guild" they reached the Dungeon entrance.

Located at the end of Dungeon street, the same road with the Association branch and the fancy delver shops, they built a fort inside the city. Tall, thick walls designed to keep the inside and outside separated no matter from which direction an attack came from. The descent into the Dungeon was a few meters from the front portcullis. Cless could hear chatter coming from a wider area to the left and see a faint mist coming out of Dungeon entrance. It was the first time she came to a Dungeon since she acquired [Miasma Sight].

Some Association guards were manning the entrance. Heavy armed and armored, they raised a hand.

"Halt, delvers. Who is your guild master?"

The tension with these guards was visible. Some of them were nervous, looking at the hulking slemuroth hunched next to Cless.

"That would be me," She answered. "We are delving. Is there anything we should know?"

After confirming their identity and charter, the guard explained.

"You are an unranked guild. Every floor has a designated breeding section. You are not allowed inside these sections. Enchantments are in place to detect trespassers, so don't even bother. After you kill the floor boss, quickly vacate the room as a new monster will take its place to become the new boss. Delving slots are an hour apart. Go over there and wait for your turn."

As indicated, Cless and her guild went to the area where the chatter was coming from. It was a square with several sitting areas for the many delver groups there, waiting for their turn to go into the Dungeon. The conversation died when the Blind Eye entered the square. The Delvers, almost all human, were looking at Cless and her guild, measuring them.

"Oh, great! Look, we don't need to delve anymore! The monsters came to us!" One of them joked.

Others kept their hands near their weapons, wary of their presence. Cless slowly met each of their gazes and kept her eyes fierce. She wouldn't step down here. After most of them averted her glare, she led everyone to an empty cluster of benches.

"We are not very popular, are we?" Venaris commented.

"That's irrelevant. What matters is ability, not animosity," Vic replied.

Silverfang scoffed. The stoic lycan looked at his wolf-kin clawless hands and stretched his arms. "Kate can defeat all the delvers in this courtyard on her own."

They talked and waited. Some guilds came, some left without going in. Every hour the guards would come and call one party. Cless noticed some guilds had more than one party. Noon came around and they ate from their rations. The afternoon dragged on. Cless noticed one thing. The parties were not being called in order of arrival. She went to ask one of the guards.

"We take into consideration both the order of arrival and guild ranking. Your guild is unranked, so you are at the bottom of the list. I'm sorry."

She craned her neck and peeked at the list. If two ranked parties arrived, they would be pushed out of the existing windows for the day. That must be the reason some parties left earlier. They knew they had no chance of going inside before nightfall.

"Are we even going in today?"

"I'm afraid not. This happens with all the new guilds. It takes some luck to get in the Dungeon. Once you go inside and enter the ranking, you'll find more opportunities to go inside and climb the ranking."

That was a load of bullshit. Cless returned to her guild cursing her ignorance. If she kept those charters or even allowed her own to be ranked, they would probably be inside by then. She explained to them what was going on and they decided to stay.

"We came here to delve, that is what we will do. No matter how long it takes. You brought five days of food and water," Kurt declared.

Cless thought of what they could do. Hand over their charter to let them get into the ranking? Why not? She had some information she wanted to keep secret but it was not worth losing a whole day.

"I'm going to the Association for a while. Wait for me here." She told her guild.

Cless went and found herself with a clerk after a few minutes. She explained her situation, especially the urgency of her request.

"I will need your charter to evaluate your accomplishments and place you in the ranking. I'll send the updated ranking to the guards at the Dungeon garrison."

"Does everything in the charter get into the ranking? I'd like to keep some details private."

"Like what, guild master?"

She leaned forward. "The fact I am a landed clergy."

The clerk took her charter and went over her item by item. Their three biggest achievements were defeating the orc horde, delving a new Dungeon down to the Core, and the over two hundred crowns in taxes paid over the course of the last semester.

"I finished calculating your ranking. You are now the guild number thirty-seven. You might want to check the top twenty guilds listed in the board. By the time you return to the Dungeon, the roster will be updated there as well."

She did as he asked and returned to her guild and they waited. Delving was not an exact science, and there was not a set time to come out. A group could come out at any time and the monsters cared little for the time of the day. The Dungeon operated twenty-four hours a day with groups going inside every hour. Night came and some groups went home. Of the ones there when Cless arrived, none remained. The next slot came and the guard showed up.

"Blind Eye, it is your turn. Good delving."

They went inside. The dungeon tunnels looked like worked stone. Square, long, and with walls patterned like bricks. Cless could tell the walls were solid stone instead of cut pieces of rock mortared together. It was almost a maze. The tunnels sometimes branched and joined, always moving in a straight line, but not always with straight angles. Some tunnels bent only an eighth of a turn.

The monsters were few. Some mutated rodents and a crawly brown bug the size of a dog. They were below everyone's level threshold, even Shad's, their lowest at nineteen. It was not even worth taming for use as fodder.

They reached the boss room and found one of the rodents, a big one, getting its miasma fix by the boss vent. The room was remarkably like all other boss rooms they've ever seen. It died to a sling bullet through the skull from Venaris.

Cless descended to the second floor. No use wasting time on the first and they couldn't go for the clear bonus because several monsters were being held in these breeding areas. She rushed through the second, with more bristly rodents, brown crawly bugs, and the addition of a mangy, diseased and rotting fox. They were vulnerable to Holy energy. They quickly found the boss room by following the well-traveled corridors and made their way to the third floor. At least the boss of the second floor, a slightly bigger and putridly decomposed fox, gave minimal Experience to Shad. It still died to a single Holy Bolt.

Cless wondered how the top guilds delved in this Dungeon. Something told her they didn't go down floor-by-floor like her guild was doing right now. [Tremorsense] didn't work inside the Dungeon, she had a hunch it was probably the miasma-laced walls. They were not really 'stone'. The third floor had a shambling plant in addition to the previous three monster species. It moved by lashing out its thorny vines around. It was hard to kill with melee attacks because the writhing vines covered its sensitive nucleus.

They had to put up some effort. Crystal Darts could pierce some of the vines and strike true. Venaris' sling bullets worked like cannonballs against the lengthy plant, courtesy of her bouquet of Skills geared toward dishing damage to big things with a sling. Kurt, Silverfang, and Shad stayed out of these fights while Kate would just grab a vine and pull the nucleus toward her. The one shining against the plant infestation was Vic, as his xylomancer magic contained Weedkilller, a spell to damage plant creatures.

The only one earning Experience from the plants was Shad. He was slowly trickling toward level fifty-one and his first evolution.

They reached the third-floor boss room. On the far side where the miasma vent should have been, a tangled mass of roots and vines spread from a plant monster. A flower in the shape of a mouth, red with white dots bobbing on a stalk snapped its thorny mouth and crawled around on its tentacles. The plant monster was sitting on top of the miasma vent, blocking most of the wicked humours that the hole spewed.

"Watch out. This boss seems like it is here for a while now," Cless warned. She placed Protection and Blessing on everyone.

On the two levels above, the boss seemed just like some bigger critter that found its way to the miasma vent after the previous 'boss' was defeated by the delver team that came before them. But this time, it wasn't so. Cless could see the miasma density in this room, it was less than the previous two. It was probably because this nightmarish plant was actively sucking on the vent for quite some time while on the other two floors the miasma vent operated on its own until another monster claimed it so the concentration was higher there.

Sensing their presence, the plant moved its mouth and snapped in their direction. They rushed down the circular ramp that went around the room. Cless shot Crystal Darts at the plant but it was still out of range. Kate matched her speed with the werewolf Silverfang and the two furry balls of murder bared fang and claw at the plant. Kurt sang one of his war songs, improving the reactions of the entire party.

Venaris went invisible. Cless didn't know if it would be effective against the eyeless plant. She tossed a Crystal Dart at the plant's thick stalk and it pierced a small hole on its fibrous support. Without the soft insides and complex fluid circulation the fleshy creatures had, it was not effective against the plant. The guild master kept moving forward, a few meters behind the raging vanguard.

Vic raised his snake scepter and theatrically chanted his Weedkiller spell. He obviously wanted the boost from [Stage Magician]. The plant shuddered as part of its stalk whithered. The vines grasped the ground and started to pump something toward its center. Cless felt a ping from [Tremorsense] where the plant was but it disappeared soon after. As did the hole she punctured and the whithering Vic's magic caused.

"It is using the miasma to heal. Get it off that vent!"

The plant snapped at Silverfang and Kate stood tall to block the bite with her arm. The thorny jaw slid against the Protection, taking a big amount of the barrier but leaving the slemuroth unharmed. Kate pounded the mouth-like spotted flower from above as Silverfang went for the stalk, slashing at it with his claws. The boss bit and lashed Kate with its tendrils. The slemuroth grabbed the plant and heaved, tearing some roots from the vent.

Thin jets of miasma shot from the small openings it created on the vent. The plant bit Kate again, finishing the Protection and scratching the other monster, but Kate was not a monster to defeat with small, repetitive attacks. The plant boss became more and more agitated once it sensed that his spot was threatened. Kate breathed in the miasma and surged with power. Cless and Kurt joined Silverfang in chopping off a few of the myriad of spiked vines and roots that drained the miasma to heal the boss.

Their effort paid off. By the time the last few roots were cut off and the plant monster fully dislodged from the top of the vent, the plant's attempts at biting Kate were barely scratching her fur. Once it was off the rich miasma feeding vent, its formidable regenerative ability tapered off and the plant died.

For defeating level 137 Deathstalk Chomper, you gained 5,211 kill and 17,000 proficiency Experience.

Cless gawked at the message, she even replayed it. What was such a critter doing on the third floor? It was completely insane! No wonder they had all that trouble to kill it. She looked around and saw that if you reached from the other side hugging the wall, you could make it to the stairs down to the next level without fighting this boss. He was probably left alone for so long that it grew to these monstrous proportions.

She harvested the body of the boss and the Blind Eye went downstairs into the fourth floor.

Status:

Name: Queen Cless Hreidmar of Myrkheim and Infernal Realm (in exile)

Race: Human.

Level: 92 ( 4,023,975 / 4,278,000 Exp ) [Experience Threshold > level 40]

Class (tier) level (Experience):

— Dabbler (1) 25 ( 300,000 Exp / ** ) — Beast Tamer (2) 25 (900,000 Exp / ** ) — Vicar (3) 25 ( 1,500,000 Exp / ** )

— Wizard Princess (4+1) 20 (1,652,143 / 1,710,000 Exp )

Professions — Veteran Warmaster 25 (300,000 Exp / **) — Master Instructor 19 (664,966 / 665,000 Exp)

— Crafter 25 (*) — Farmer 25 (*) — Herbalist 25 (*) — Alchemist 25 (*) — Diplomat 25 (*) — Administrator 25 (*)

Base Stats — Strength: 95 [229] — Agility: 122 [295] — Health: 138 [333]

— — — — Intellect: 211 [426] — Wisdom: 200 — Charisma: 304 — Magic: 303 [612]

Available Status Points: 151

Skills:

S-rank: [Absolute Contract]

B-rank: [Fear Aura] — [Perfect Might] — [Succubus’ Kiss]

C-rank: [Appraise Immunity ] — [Craftsmen] — [Dangersense] — [Dragon Skin] — [Earth Magic] — [Eat Anything ]

— [Elven Longevity ] — [Master Miner] — [Perfect Accounting] — [Seductress' Charm] — [Shadow Eminence]

— [Shrinking] — [Underdog] — [Will of the Mage]

D-Rank: [Acute Smell] — [Alchemical Tolerance ] — [Alchemist ] — [Architectural Ingenuity ] — [Breathless] — [Curmudgeon crafter ]

— [Dancer’s Grace ] — [Darkness Resistance ] — [Diplomat] — [Druidwalk ] — [Farmer ] — [Gemsense ] — [Giant's Stamina ]

— [Great Leap ] — [Grounding] — [Herbalism] — [Intimidating Authority] — [Ladykiller] — [Merchant sense ] — [Miasma Sight]

— [Ore sense ] — [Poison Resistance ] — [Runner's Dash ] — [Sharp Mind ] — [Singer] — [Snakes' Flexibilty ] — [Spell Resistance ]

— [Steelshine ] — [Sundering Magic]— [Tinker ] — [Tremorsense ] — [Woodworking]

E-Rank: [Air sailing ] — [Burrower Bond ] — [Cat User] — [Chick Magnet] — [Coin Sense ] — [Enhanced touch ]

— [Food Conservation] — [Gravebreath ] — [Hearth’s warmth] — [Heavy Lifter] — [Howl ] — [Lady's Countenance] — [Pack Rat ]

— [Pickpocket] — [Seamstress] — [Silk Hair ] — [Splinters ] — [Sword User] — [Virility] — [Wanderlust ] — [Weavertouch ]

F-rank: [Florist’s Wonder] – [Gardener’s touch] – [Inner Compass]

Techniques:

Beast Tamer: — [Beast Taming VI] — [Beast Status] — [Share Skills *]

Vicar: — [Sanctuary *]

Princess: — [Stronghold II] — [Demesne] — [Protector III]

Spells (Master Instructor: +2 to all. Spells without a number are at the soft cap / * denotes a level 25th ultimate):

Divine: — Mending — Detoxify — Light — Turn Undead — Blessing — Holy Bolt — Purify — Protection

— — — Hallow — Flametongue — Cure — Uncurse — Banish — Heal — Warding — Revivify*

— — — Censure — Bulwark — Mass Mending — Sacred Dance — Judgement — Song of the Accord*

— — — Water Breathing — Shield of Faith

Arcane: — Detect Magic — Mage Bolt — Armor — Firebolt — Icebolt — Lightning Grasp — Shield

— — — Fireball — Resistance — Shockwave — Magic Missiles — Wind Blade — Deeppockets* — Blink*

— — — Soften — Earth Armor — Spike — Stone Shape — Earthen Maw — Earthwave — Terrakinesis — Golem*

— — — Earth to Stone — Grasping Hand — Spike Wall — Construct*

House: — Detect Dust — Doorwatch — Prestidigitation — Never Overdone! — Touch Up — Dry — Repair

— — — Clean — Bloom — Hearth Recall*

Wiz.Princess: — ???? — ???? — ???? — ???? — ???? — ???? — ???? — ???? — ???? — ???? — 20: ????

Proficiencies (Master Instructor: +2 to all. Values under 10 hidden / {A} = Automatic Proficiency: Soft Cap +5):

Appraise: Status: 80

General: Prayer: 80 — Reading: 70

Academic: Magic Theory: 60 — Spellcraft: 60 — Architecture: {A}

Crafting (+9 Profession): Tailor: {A} — Embroidery: {A} — Knitting: {A} — Glassblowing: 85 — Blacksmithing: 85 — Carpentry: 85 — Pottery: 67

Farming, plants (+38 Profession): Foraging: 30 — Forestry: 30 — Gardening: 40

Farming, livestock (+13 Profession): Dismantling: 30

Production (+9 Profession): Mining: {A} — Weaving: {A} — Quarrying: 35

Social (+25 profession): Negotiation — Persuasion — Bluff — Flirting: {A} — Sexual Technique: {A}

— — Etiquette: {A} — Dancing: {A} — Singing: {A} — Gambling: {A}

Movement: Running: {A} — Athletics: {A} — Balance: {A} — Jumping: {A}

Martial (+18 profession): Leadership: 80 — Intimidation: 80 — Tactics: 80

Weapon (+18 profession): Long Blades — Unarmed: 80 — Archery: 80 — Maces: 60 — Pickaxe: {A}