(Zack)

"You guys killed a King Monster!" Big S exclaims.

"That woke you up?" I ask as Travis and Nik look amused and Luca looks confused.

"Uh, yeah!" He responds. "Do you have any idea how much power flowed into me? A King Monster's death is a lot of energy, Zack! Of course I woke up when I got flooded with so much power! Between you three doing that and Normar doing… I'm not even sure what he's doing, but it's involving a lot of death, that's a lot of energy!"

"Is he, perchance, wiping out hordes of monsters?" Nik asks. "Even if small hordes?"

"Yeah. He's taken out two over the last few days. He looks both angry and determined."

"Big S," I say, and Luca's confusion disappears as he realizes who we're talking to. "He's probably doing his best to help the war efforts by wiping out parts of the giant horde that's going to come after us before they can finish assembling."

"Oooooh! Right, I knew that," he says. "So you three killed a King Monster, and Nik did the final blow! That was cool. Wish I'd been awake for that. Man, that's refreshing! I'm probably going back to sleep soon, though I'm sure Normar's about to try to Ascend, he's almost there. Hm. That actually worries me."

"And me," Nik says. "If we lose him-"

"He'll make the decision to come here," I say with absolute confidence, and everyone stares at me. "Just trust me on this."

That knowledge comes from reality. While I was grounded during my Ascension Trial, I did a little bit of looking into Luca's family. I wanted to make sure that no one else could take Luca away from me, and once I returned here, my memories restored, I realized something.

Nathan had to have come from reality, since he's a demigod. And he and the twins have the same last name. And Luca's great-grandpa had a brother… named Nathan. A boy who died when he was only ten years old, a few weeks after surviving what should have been a fatal accident.

The only thing I can conclude is that this Nathan is that Nathan, and that he was undergoing the Ascension Trial. Which means that he absolutely will return to us, no chance against it.

"Well, okay," Big S says. "So you three killed a King Monster. By yourselves. That's awesome, guys. Next thing you know, Zack's gonna solo the Demon Kobold King, then wipe out the Goblin King and the Wolf King with a single hit!"

"Uh, highly doubt that," I tell Big S. "Like, highly, highly doubt that."

"That epic gear you three have probably helped a lot," he says. "Big Flame's now telling me all about the battle. So. Yeah. King Monsters can survive even with a fair bit of their brain destroyed, and they'll start to heal from that. But, uh, that combo-kill you guys did? That sounds cool. Wish I'd been awake for it. Nik nearly beheaded it from behind, Zack completely blinded one eye and scrambled its brain after destroying its hand, and Travis… you did good with those strikes. Wait, why am I wearing a tutu? CHAOS! I'm going to go punish Chaos and whoever helped him put this on me, then return to napping. Good job, you three, and thanks for that boost."

His presence fades from our minds, and I look at Nik and Travis.

"I really, really doubt," I say. "That I will be doing what he said. His imagination got away from him, I guess. Luca does that a lot, too."

Luca gives me an irritated glare.

"You think I'm immortal!"

He tilts his head to the side in confusion.

"Luca, just because I keep defying death, doesn't mean I'm immortal."

He shrugs.

"And I think the fact that I keep taking damage means I'm not invincible."

He shrugs again.

"Alright," I pat him on the head. "I think it's time for you to go back to training. I need to, too. This… was supposed to be an experiment."

One that went exceptionally well. No one had Nathan's powerful Blessing of the Crystal buffing them, and we killed a King Monster. The Goblin King and Wolf King are probably stronger than the dead beastie here, but that doesn't matter, not now that we've killed it.

The difference high-power gear makes… we can kill them. Well, they can kill them. Meanwhile, I'll be playing Tag with a Dragon.

Hm. Is there a chance I can figure out how to turn myself into a Dragon before then? I know Big Flame says it'll take a lot more Mana than I currently have, but I've done it before. I did black out for awhile, but I did it. And with a lot less Mana.

Travis and Nik talk for a minute, then Travis leads Luca out, and I look at the body of the Kobold King, which is crumbling away. I didn't want Luca to see that, it looks kind of gross. I look at Nik.

"So what was the reward you got for killing it?" I ask.

"Its heart," he answers. "Was the main one. I'll be offering it to Big Flame when we return."

"Good," I nod. "And the rest?"

"A Hero's Bounty," he tells me. "I suppose that's greater than the King's Bounty I got for the participation reward."

"Speaking of that," I pull it out of my Inventory to inspect it. It's a small wooden box. "Looks like it's a touch-access thing, like with the Santa Boss's sack thingy."

King's Bounty When used, awards 10,000 platinum, 1 crate of Neburis White Wine, 10 of a random ultimate ingot, and 10 of a random ultimate essence. The more of an ultimate ingot or essence you have, the less likely you are to acquire it.

That… sounds really fucking useful, but I'm going to save it for now. Something may happen where I'll want to use those ingots and essences, and whatever they are, if I get them now, I may be tempted to use them up immediately. More Primordial, Temporal, or Crystal Ingots and Primordial or Crystal Essences would be fucking awesome.

But also fucking tempting.

The King's Blessing is a 100% Experience Boost for a single battle, which I can use at any time. It's actually a golden coin with a crown on it and "King's Blessing" on the back in runes that are probably from before the Boundaries existed.

As for the Zack Noruva Kingslayer Sword, it's similar to my Zack's Blood sword, only white and gold instead of black and red, and it's pretty much a decorative sword. The description even says that. Nik checks his Kingslayer sword, and learns the same thing.

I put that away, then stretch again as I look at the passage leading into the area beyond this chamber, then the passages leading into this one, including the one we entered through. Then, I look back through the other one.

"Wanna find out what's past there?"

"Yes," Nik rolls his eyes.

"Okay!" I say. "Oh, but give me the heart."

"Why?" He asks.

"Because my Inventory puts things into stasis," I remind him. "It'll keep it 'fresh' while we're in here. Then, once we're gone and back in Maelnor, I'll give it to you."

Nik nods and hands it to me, then we start making our way through the passage, which twists and winds for a little while. We do have to kill a few kobolds, but other than that, nothing exciting happens. At least, not until we can see the chamber beyond.

Illuminated by crystals in the walls, ceiling, and floor, it's larger than several football fields and packed with kobolds. Hundreds, maybe even a thousand or two. There are bats high up as well, and I can see six large, glowing stones that have to be at least ten feet in height and two in width, with obelisk-like designs. They're glowing a pale teal, and their light creeps me out.

"Looks like a monster's den," Nik comments as excitement rises in me. "Zack, hold up!"

Too late, I'm inside, and a message appears in my vision as I do, before I can even draw my sword.

Monsters' Den (Kobold/Bat) Entered: The Spawn Stones generate either a kobold or a bat every 60 seconds; they will be of a random level and type; they can leave this den to enter another area of the mines where their Level is not forbidden; destroy all Spawn Stones to neutralize the spawning grounds.

Oh? That means they can teleport, right? They just warp right to a place in this Dungeon where they can be because of their Level. So the higher-Level ones I see can't go up to, like, the first or second floor or something.

"Nik! Nik! Nik!" I exclaim. "Big news!"

"What?" He asks as he enters. "Fuck."

"It's a fucking Experience farm!"

"Fuck," he says. "Zack, don't-"

Too late! I'm already charging into the horde of monsters, slicing them up.

"Demon Form!" I switch forms, then snarl at the lesser creatures before continuing my rampage.

Several of the stronger kobolds prove a little problematic for me. Most of those are Level 40 and above, though, and man are they tough! But they're no Kobold King. Side-stepping as a Level 42 Kobold brings its club down towards me, I pivot and cut into its side, before jumping up and ramming my sword through its left eye, killing it.

Twisting, I flick my sword, which then stabs into the stomach of a Level 43 Kobold Knight. It wails as I push off a Level 12 Kobold with both of my feet, which doesn't survive the force of the kick, its head flying off.

Reaching my sword, I grab it and plant my left foot on the beast, pushing as I pull on my sword, yanking it out. Landing on the ground, I cut upwards, killing the Level 21 Bat that attempted to fly at me. Pesky things with their sonic attacks! Fear me! I am the incarnation of hell itself!

Oof!

Okay! Which of you fuckers hit me?

Looking around, I find the Level 53 Bat that attacked me. I jump up and kick off the Level 43 Kobold Knight.

"I'll finish you off once I finish this fucker!" I promise it as I fly towards the bat, which attacks me with more sonic attacks.

Striking out with my sword, I slice through them. Its ability to cut through magic works here, causing them to dispel. The fucker hit me in the back of the head. It figured out that my armor was drawing magical attacks down to it and somehow aimed one that would not hit my armor, but my head, even with that.

My blade cuts through its wing, and it shrieks, letting out another sonic attack that slams into me. Even with my armor absorbing most of the magic, it's pretty powerful, and I grab onto the flying mammal's free wing as it falls, quickly sheathing my sword and drawing my Primordial Dark Knife, which I ram into the bat several times, killing it.

Then, I kick off of it, sending it flying into a group of kobolds as I perform a flip, sheathing my knife and drawing my sword once more. The Level 43 Kobold Knight from before, which is still wounded by my attack to its stomach, serves as the perfect landing pad for both me and my blade, dying as my sword cuts down through its open mouth, piercing out the back of its neck.

A fireball slams into my back, causing me to stumble. That one was pretty strong, enough that even my Primordial Dark Armor wasn't able to absorb all of it. Then again, part of it hit my wings.

Oh, I suppose I can flap those and fly around, huh?

I turn my head and look for the Kobold Mage that attacked me. When I fix my gaze on Level 59 beast, I give it my most terrifying glare, and the thing howls in fright. I howl in delight, turning the rest of my body around and flapping my wings, soaring towards the beast. It continues to cast fireball after fireball, and I Deflect them with my sword.

With the Skill for it that I obtain forever ago, back before I even had Dark Knight, I'm able to completely deflect all of the impact, absorbing none of the shock as I divert its attacks into other kobolds.

They scramble out of the way, and I reach the one aiming at me, cutting through its staff before plunging my sword into its chest. That's a fair bit of resistance. Pulling my blade out, I charge behind it, cutting into the back of its legs to take out even more Health, and as it drops, I plunge my knife into its back several times.

Then I'm moving again, cutting down more of the low-Level beasts here. Even the Level 30's are a quick kill for me.

A swarm of bats fly at me, and I hold out a hand, several violet Fireballs forming. They don't react in time, and the scent of burnt bat fills the air, mixing in with the smell of blood and burnt kobold flesh. Much like Luca and the beastborn, I have no need of actually saying Skill names.

I'm not sure why some people don't need to, but it's definitely not a Skill that allows this. It allows me to multiattack with certain Skills, like with Fireball.

Speaking of Skills, Demon Form's six minutes are nearly up. I should probably return to just slaughtering without using Mana-costing Skills so I can recover my Mana and activate it again. Simply butchering, intimidating, terrorizing, and scaring monsters will net me Experience for Demon, even if not as much as while in Demon Form or using Demonic Aura.

The fun part is that I gained 3 Levels from the Kobold King, and several Skills, including Demon Form, went up, so while I'm in Demon Form, I'm even stronger than ever!

"FEAR ME, LESSER BEASTIES!" I holler as I feel my form revert back to human, stopping in my attacks so I don't stumble around from the sudden drop in my Agility. "FOR I AM DEATH INCARNATE! AND I WILL ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE YOU GIVE ME!"

"You're having far too much fun!" I hear Nik yell from the entrance to the cavern as most of the weaker kobolds and bats freeze up.

I let out a happy whoop, then attack a Level 64 Kobold Knight, our blades clashing. Mine's sharper, and it cuts through the kobold's. The beastie then attacks with its fists, and I block with my sword, cutting at its arm before swinging my sword down into its shoulder. That's a nice bite! Lifting my blade up and swinging it a little away from the kobold, I swing it back towards it, cutting into its neck and sending blood pulsing out.

I pull out my sword and swing again, this time hitting its other paw, which it raised to stop my attack.

"You're gonna lose, you ugly fucker!" I exclaim as I bring my sword up and drive it down, cutting through its wrist and sending its paw to the ground. "Ha! Take that, loser!"

"Will you switch back to Zack's Blood already?" Nik hollers. "It's sharper and will kill things easier!"

"But then I won't get as much Experience!" I call back as I take a step back, then Dash forward, plunging my sword through the monster's rusty iron armor.

It howls from the pain, and I pull my sword out as I dodge to the side, avoiding the club a kobold threw at me. Hah! You missed! Stepping behind the knight I was fighting, I swing my sword into the back of its neck, this attack finishing it off.

"Woo-hoo!" I yell. "Tier 2 Demon, here I am!"

"Fuck," I hear Nik mutter, and realize I'm near the entrance.

"Hey, Nik!" I exclaim, then charge back into battle.

As I fight some more, I notice some of the stronger kobolds gathering together. All of them are Level 50 and above. Sweet! Gonna have to fight something strong! Well, already have been, but it'll be more of a struggle than before!

"Y'all are gonna have to wait until I can go back to Demon Form!" I tell that group of monsters, which looks confused as I run my sword through a Level 2 Kobold. "Take that, fucker!"

Then I behead another kobold with a swift, strong swing, before shoving my sword through the eye of another. Sure, their skull and skin gave a fair bit of resistance, but who the fuck cares? It worked! The beastie died, and I got Experience!

I continue battling my way through the kobolds until it's time to fight the stronger ones. It's not like I decided to, they simply decided to stop being patient, but I'm almost to full Mana, anyway.

"Demon Form!" I switch back into it as I drop to the ground to avoid the trio of fireballs thrown at me.

I charge at the ten strong beasties, and my blade clashes with a club, a fireball hits my arm, a spike of stone tries to cut through my leg, breaking against my armor. I punch a kobold that tries to come at me from the side, then flap my wings, and I'm up in the air!

Tucking my wings in, I let myself fall down, my sword clashing against another. I twist as I fall to the ground, avoiding a burst of energy that was shot at me, then I cut through a slash of wind.

Our Skills collide as I pull from my arsenal. Dash for extra oomph, Dark Slash, Strike of Darkness, Blood Burst, Absorb, Demonic Aura, and more. The kobolds manage to whittle away at my Health, too, even in this form, but despite that and these ten being able to resist Demonic Aura because of their high Willpowers, I'm winning, and their damage to me isn't concerning. I leave plenty of Mana for Drain Life and Heal, and Absorb helps to cover that cost. The spellcasters have enough Mana.

The lower my Health goes, the higher my Blood Frenzy bonus becomes. At Level 10, which is what it's at now, every 0.1% of my Health that I'm missing, my Strength increases by 0.4%. That puts me at thousands of Strength and increasing with every Health that I lose.

By the time Demon Form runs out, I'm covered in cuts, bruises, burns, acid marks, and various other wounds, but the ten powerful ones that ganged up to kill me are dead. The kobolds around me are all dead, too. The ones that weren't caught in my Demonic Aura are keeping their distance.

I probably look a terrifying sight. Based on the howls and whimpers of fear when I grin at the kobolds in my direct line of sight, the way some freeze and others tremble, I know that to be true.

"Come here, juicy Experience!"