An hour later, Nero was running down a dirt road. His mind was spinning, the events of the morning pressing on him. He was going to war, on the prince's retinue, to act as a glorified doorman. The pay was good, the risk was low, and he had an escape plan. All he had to do was endure the douchebags. Right. He felt he needed to vent some stress and decided to do right that. He was also going to use his new weapon in a real combat situation and do some team-building exercises at the nearby rank-III Dungeon. His team was loaded in his shelter and ready to kick some monster ass.

Nero got a new sponsor-caretaker-trouble too. Amaryllis was inscrutable most of the time and whimsical to a fault. That she pinpointed him skulking invisible and lifted him that high up in the ground was a testament to her power. Maybe spending spring with the fairy would prove interesting if not beneficial for them. But it also meant he had a guarantor during his mission. The only person that the prince was wary around was her, after all. He remembered the shield she used to reflect the damage from the dwarf knight when they first met at the guild.

He reached the Dungeon's entrance and found a group of soldiers camped. Nero changed routes and went behind a tall shrub. There he opened a portal and dumped all of his things inside, changing into a simple set of leather moccasins, linen pants, and tunic. Even his bandolier he left inside the shelter with Altia. Then he approached the Dungeon. The smiles on their faces already told Nero everything he needed to know.

"We are charging a fifty percent emergency tax on this Dungeon, kid. And you have to declare everything you are bringing inside," The sergeant said.

Nero told him what he was carrying. "Nothing."

"You are insane. Are you going inside without even your bandolier?" The soldier asked, clearly suspicious.

"That's correct. It's a dare from some villagers," Nero lied.

After they searched him again, he looked at the Dungeon.

Name: Leshy's Twilight

Rank: III

Grade: Green

Condition: normal

Occupants: several

Entering "Leshy's Twilight" - rank-III Dungeon.

He created a portal and walked inside, paying six thousand Essence to attune the interior of the shelter with the Dungeon. Everyone was ready and waiting next to the stone archway.

"I need to add some benches here," Nero mused. "Wait a moment while I get dressed."

He jogged to the house-tree and readied his equipment. Once he came back, Altia appraised him.

"I can't believe you made this monstrosity," She pointed at the bayonet rifle.

"It works. Even if it doesn't, I can always get a better weapon later," He retorted.

Nero looked at the eanlings. They seemed unsure. When he met Knazer's eyes, the boy spoke.

"Should we come with you? We'll be rather useless in this Dungeon."

"Yes, I want all of us to go together. The knights might've stuck you with that [Squire] Class, but it is far from useless. What you need to do is to use this diagnosis card on yourselves. It will show which Attribute is about to gain an Accolade. You need to make sure at least one of them is above seventy percent. If it is not, then you need to pick one and work on it."

"You should add this to your display," Crystal suggested. "[Gadgeteers] can make modifications to their Arbitrium."

Nero knew what she was talking about. To modify one's Arbitrium, a [Gadgeteer] needed to use Essence manipulation to access the contacts underneath, the same that was tethered to the lifeforce of the wearer. It was impossible unless the person was working on their own bracer. But there was a problem with that.

"Glom told me I need more experience. If I mess up, I can maim myself."

"Okay. Should we go?" Altia hurried them.

Nero burned a white card to recover mana, then inserted his [Archer] Class and summoned bullets, filling the magazine. He led everyone outside, including Daisy and combat mode Bruce.

They were on the summit of a large sloped hill, with a raging and wide river running along a canyon around this hill from the northwest, going around the hill and exiting to the southwest. Falling in the river was a death sentence even for the nereid, leaving only one way down into an old and whithered forest, resembling the spider dungeon sans the cobwebs across the treetops. The sky was clouded as if a storm was about to descend like god's vengeance upon the land. Visibility was terrible even though there was no fog. The only way was down the west face of the hill. More than a mile separated them from the forest.

"Did everyone test their strain?" Nero asked. "If it is not the Attribute you want, you need to exercise it. Sister?"

"Willpower. I can live with it," Crystal answered. "It is good to delve with you again."

"Well, tier-III isn't too bad," Nero answered then addressed the eanlings. "Are you two comfortable with your weapon choices and Attribute strain? The cards are reusable so keep them with you and check after each Accolade you get. We don't want to level up too fast."

"I'm fine with getting a point of Perception," Knazer said.

"I'm set for Dexterity," Fotia added.

Knazer went with the classic sword-and-board while Fotia wielded a spear. The knight build was almost uniform across individuals. The first tier focused on cooperation and general survivability in melee. In later tiers, some flexibility was allowed but that avenue was closed to them as they could choose anything. Nero didn't see the specifics on their Skills and Classes but the twins would work well as melee.

Nero set his goggles and scanned. The first enemy was the pop-up shredooms. The hill slope was chock full of these little buggers hiding underneath the grass. They would come out in groups of five to ten and bash their serrated caps against the legs of adventurers, attempting to trip them. He could see some faint red emanations but not enough to pinpoint their location.

"I'm pulling the monsters," He said and aimed for the center of the nearest cluster.

He fired a normal shot and the ground burst, flinging shards of frozen grass and dirt while shocking the nearby shredoom. A group of seven popped up and charged up the hill.

"[Magic Arrow]!"

"[Holy Bolt]!"

The women fired their ranged spells while the front-liners set to receive the charge. Altia moved to the left so she would have an open room to use her vine whip while Nero dashed right to open fire on the incoming fungi warriors.

His improved rifle fired faster than before. Twenty percent but that time was saved because he didn't have to move the breech bolt after each shot, an actuator cogwheel took care of that. He didn't have to move the firing hand off the trigger and re-aim after each shot. Without regard for his summoned ammunition, he let the shots fly as fast as he could pull the trigger.

By the time the shredooms reached melee range, only three were left. Without a dollop of concern about their safety, the pets advanced. Bruce clawed one, Daisy smashed another down, and the third was skewered by Fotia's two-handed spear.

The first wave of monsters dissolved into white particles of what Nero now recognized as Anima, vanishing into the ambient Essence, leaving Essence crystals and some cards behind. Some white mace for level fourteen and gray armor. The crystals allowed Nero to gauge the average level of the party and the shrooms. The Adventurers averaged level six-something while the monsters were level sixteen. They were earning around four hundred Essence per kill.

"Good work, everyone," Nero cheered. "Keep the formation, I'm drawing the next group."

Nero repeated the same routine four times. They paused to rest after the fifth fight, still on top of the hill.

"This is what we were meant to do," Altia spread her arms, showing their group and the Dungeon.

"Yes, it is very good to delve with my family and friends," Crystal echoed. "I want to try my Skill on the next group, is that alright? I'll use my [Mana Shield]."

"An area Skill? The song?" Crystal nodded. "That's awesome," Nero cheered. "We'll be ready to break in if something goes wrong."

"We are not being helpful," Knazer said, his back arced. "Should we wait at the shelter?"

Before Fotia could speak, Nero cut in. "Nonsense. You are bringing the party level down, netting us more Essence. I think you can shift to ranged attacks. Maybe that will help. I have some equipment here you can use. I bought spare green-grade [Clockwork Rifle] cards at the guild in case my upgrade didn't work. I have no use for them now. We are going to shoot the heck out of these mushrooms and use the pets as our front-liners if any reaches us."

"We still have [Enchant +2] Cards left," Altia reminded then checked. "Three sets of [Permanency I] and [Enchant +2] left."

"What do you think?" Nero asked.

"It's going to get noisy, that's certain!" Crystal exclaimed then giggled.

"I don't mind the noise. I want to be helpful," Fotia said.

"Then let's do it. I'll scavenge the rest of the Arbitrii I have, I can add at least a silence modifier to them. Here are the cards, put the item on the leftmost slot, then the [Permanency] and the other modifiers."

The Eanling twins did as instructed and summoned their own Clockwork Rifles. Since it used the same ammunition as Nero's, he could make the ammo out of mana, but he gave each of them ten [Lightning Ammunition Crate] cards, each able to create two hundred bullets. The idea was to have the group of four delve while Nero was away. Since the bullet was made entirely of metal, they could hire a blacksmith to try and replicate the ammunition later.

"Let's go. Nero, don't shoot the next group. Let me draw them," Crystal said. "[Mana Shield]!" She walked down the hill until a group of shredooms sprouted. The teethed fungi rushed to attack Crystal and she sang the [Syren's Song]. The monsters stopped, lulled by the nereid's Charisma score of over 120 points. Once they were entranced, she pointed at Nero's bayonet and at the monsters.

Nero chuckled and removed the sheath of the bayonet. He killed the monsters one-by-one, taking care to direct the gore away from them.

"That was easy," He said. "Too easy. Now I understand why that Skill was considered a national treasure."

"Too bad they lost it," Crystal quipped sardonically.

"I got a point of Strength," Knazer said from behind.

"Let's keep hunting," Nero commanded. "Knazer, check again your Attribute strain. We really don't want to level up now."

The addition of Crystal's song and two ranged attackers increased the noise on both sides of the pleasant scale but allowed them to clear the groups of shredooms faster, rotating their tactics as they swept the hill clean. A party of five was considered a big one, one that couldn't sustain itself for too long. The upside was the added firepower and safety. It was amazing. The shredding mushrooms had no chance to damage them.

"Why can't I go with you?" Altia broached the subject after they killed a group.

"It is not safe," Nero answered with the same thing again. "And I need you here with my family so I can find you later. Stay together with, mom, dad, and sis. We'll know each other is still alive through the [Heart Bond]."

"There's a chance your tribe will have to abandon Hom," Crystal added. "We can join with the eanlings and the other surrounding villages and move, but then Nero won't find us. I think Bast is willing to cut off Honeywitch and give the county to Coriander to avoid losing more of its territory. My fa... the King of Coriander will be satisfied and vindicated by taking over Honeywitch county and won't press further. That puts the village of Hom in a very precarious position. Soldiers will pillage and raid the settlements around."

"But.." Altia attempted a feeble protest.

"Mom and dad are strong enough to repel most raiders. But they have little healing abilities. You can help keep our people safe with your potions."

"I have healing Skills," Crystal said. "But they are too expensive. Yes, you're staying."

Not to mention she had to kiss her target. Even though it hadn't to be on the lips, it still was too personal. [Holy Bolt] was too weak to properly heal a grave injury.

"Altia, please. I need you to stay."

"Okay. But if you die, I'm going to kill you."

Nobody could resist laughing. "Okay. Let's finish this Dungeon."

After a few hours sweeping the hill, they were almost done. The tree line was just a few dozen yards away. Nero looked up and thought they might be far enough for the ones near the top to respawn. He scanned around and found the next pack of shredooms.

"All right, time to try something really stupid," Nero clapped his hands, put his rifle away, and switched Classes.

"No!" Altia protested. "You're not..."

"He is," Crystal held her shoulder. "I bet the non-combat shrooms are cute."

"Guys, I'll grab one, you take out the others," Nero said.

He walked forward and the group of shredooms sprouted up from the dirt. They moved forward menacingly as the eanlings' rifles rained electrical death. The girls also joined in with their ranged spells. Nero looked at the biggest one. The teeth around their cap were more like sharp thorns up close. He kicked underneath the shroom's cap, damaging his boots and lifting the monster up. They were light for their size.

He grabbed its moving mycelium, reminiscing of Rafflesia's vines or the lashing tree's roots. He wondered if all plant monsters moved like that. Maybe not. His other hand shot up to hold the base of the stalk near the cap and immobilize the monster. The gnashing thorns scraped his Arbitrium and his whole left side seized in pain.

"Damn!" He cursed.

The mycelium was completely wrapped around his hand now. Nero tried again and this time he grabbed halfway and slid his hand up in a quick motion. The monster squirmed and even did some squeaking noises coming out from the gills underneath the cap. Maybe some spores came out but they weren't poisonous.

"You know, I think some people eat these guys," Fotia said. "Yes! They are considered quite the delicacy. They have to use [Monster Bag] to get them out. But if Nero can tame them, maybe..."

"It doesn't work," Crystal retorted. "Pets also vanish when they die, it just takes a bit longer. Pieces you hold can stay for one hour. I don't think it is long enough to cook them."

Nero had the gist of taming by now. It involved overriding the Dungeon's Essence with the tamer's own lifeforce. He focused on that aspect. After a few minutes of squirming, the mushroom monster relented. The mycelium that was partially cutting the blood flow to his right hand relaxed.

"Caught!" Nero cheered.

"You heal that hand of yours," Altia pouted. "I'm not helping."

Nero nodded. That wasn't the hill he wanted to die on. He healed himself and changed the shredoom into its non-combat mode. The thorns became soft tendrils, like a beard falling off the side of the mushroom. He put it down and the thing walked around, sensing things with these tendrils.

"Aww, so cute!" Fotia crouched and cooed for it to come closer. The mushroom approached, feeling the air with the tendrils, and she rubbed it.

"I guess that's how they orient themselves," Crystal conjectured.

Nero checked this guy out. A level seventeen monster focused on physical combat. It seemed strong enough to hold a person even if just a pet.

"Hey, Fotia. I want to see if it can hold a person," Nero said. "Can you try to sit on it?"

She looked unsure. Nero commanded the shroom to remain still. "Should I?" She asked Knazer. The eanling boy nodded. Fotia sat on the shroom. The cap gave a little but it held her weight. "It's soft," She mused then patted the edge of the cap.

"Can't spell toadstool without the 'stool', it seems," Crystal mused.

"I'm taming more of them," Nero declared.

"You can always come back later," Altia said. "We should explore the forest."

"There are wargs in the forest," Knazer reminded. "Huge wolves. Fast, smart, vicious, and tough. Not much room for shooting. Pack hunters, too."

"And their levels should be between sixteen and twenty-something," Nero said. "We're sticking to the mushrooms today."

They cleared the bottom of the hill, keeping their distance from the forest. Sometimes they heard something shuffling or saw movement behind the tree line but the wargs didn't leave their zone. Once they were tired enough, Nero led everyone and his squad of a dozen mushrooms into the shelter. By Nero's tallies, they'd earned seventy thousand Essence, about thirty cards, and five Accolades spread between them. It was half of the amount he expected so maybe there was something interfering with that. The twins got one each, and Altia increased her Willpower.

Still, in a bad mood, Altia complained, "I can't believe you brought this many monsters to serve as seats. There's just too many in here. All around the only thing I can see are monsters. Badger, badger, mushroom, mushroom, mushroom, snake!"

"And turtle," Fotia added with a giggle.

"Shambler," Crystal patted Daisy.

"I'm hungry," Nero commented to the wind, ignoring his wife's tantrum.

"I'll get lunch cooked!" Fotia said.

"I'm tallying our loot," Crystal excused herself and walked with Fotia.

"I'm... going to mow the lawn. Over there," Knazer also made himself scarce.

The couple was left alone. If you ignored the petting zoo around them. Altia was fidgeting, avoiding Nero's gaze. He got closer, she flinched. Nero reached out and pulled her in an embrace, with only token resistance from her.

"Don't go," She whimpered. "I can't be without you."

"I'll be fine, I promise. I won't fight. I'll hunker down in some room, act as the doorman, and paint. Yeah, I'll just focus on painting, and if I can get my hands on some components tinker a bit. People won't reach the prince's refuge, it will be crowded with knights."

She looked up. Her eyes were swollen and she looked angry and suspicious. "Don't lie to me. You want to murder him."

"Wouldn't you, after what he did to my sister?"

She bashed her forehead against his collarbone. "Yes. Still stupid."

"I won't. Okay. I'll not avenge her."

"You should," she whispered. Nero fought to understand the contradiction. "He's an asshole, rule three. But they'll kill you."

"What I could do was to raise my price to something he couldn't afford. One purple card per day. He took it without even negotiating back."

"He's up to something. I have a bad feeling."

"Yes. But he has to be careful with me. I have Amaryllis' backing now."

Fotia's voice came from the door. "Lunch's served!"

"Let's go eat," He pulled her. "Then we'll spend a day resting here before going out and clearing the shrooms again."

"A month?" She asked, hopeful.

"If the others agree," He promised.