(Jamie)

"This is a pretty nice cave," Light says.

"No," I reject his request before he even makes it.

"But-!"

"No," I say firmly.

It's been… a few months since Light arrived and became a part of my team. I have stubbornly refused to do it with either of them so far, and I've also told Light that if he does anything with Cole, I will never do anything with him.

A bit cruel, but Light's… taken time to get used to, and Cole's only now probably ready for actually doing something with someone. For the most part, we've spent our time training in the Dungeon or hanging out around town, and things have definitely changed.

No one gives me or them any crap anymore, the town's council adjusts the laws if I ask them to without putting up a fight, and there are a few less people here. Some of them moved, some died in the Dungeon from the Dungeon's shit, and some…

Well, they died.

Most of those are blamed on the Dungeon as well. The ones I'm responsible for. Most of them occurred in the Dungeon, anyway.

Well, a few of them, Light were responsible for, but people either don't realize that or don't want to acknowledge that.

So my team and I are doing well. I've gained ten Levels, mostly due to pushing hard in this Dungeon and Light randomly attacking me at times. Instead of working on acquiring new Skills, the three of us have focused almost entirely on increasing the Skills we already have, along with our Levels.

At the moment, we're two days into a trip in the Dungeon, deep within our usual Floor's mountain. Navigating a maze that's notorious for no one ever returning from. The known information about it is that there are no monsters of any sort, just traps, obstacles, and a never-ending network of paths and tunnels.

Odds are, it leads to the next Floor at the heart of it, but has something exceptionally nice as a reward for completing the stage. Many of the 'obstacles' are random rooms we've found as we walk, like the one Light currently wants to go into.

"Why not?" Light pouts.

"Because," I sigh. "Four of the nine rooms we've found so far have had the skeletons of adventurers in them, Light. While this one doesn't, it's not a risk I'm willing to take. The safest path through this maze is by following the tunnels, and not entering any of the rooms."

He accepts that answer far more easily than 'I'm not having sex with you right now'.

"Okay," he sighs.

The Fairy's currently in his Human form, butt-naked, and floating over the ground. I ended up giving in to him on that front. He's been happier the last month, since I told him he didn't have to if he wanted to be a part of my team, and still thinks people don't realize he's not Human.

Even though we've told him several times.

Sometimes, I have to wonder if Fairies are complete morons, even with their naturally-high INT. Unfortunately, he's my only judge for it so far.

"Besides," I say. "I think we're almost to the end."

"What makes you think that?" He asks. "All of these tunnels look the saaaaaaaame! And I'm horny! Please?"

"No," I say, ignoring his pleading as I turn down the path to my right.

"Hey!" Light exclaims as I sense magic forming behind me.

The path I stepped onto was actually a cavern roughly two hundred feet across and half that wide, a portal of blackness on the far wall, the runes around it glowing red.

This is why I suspected we were almost there. I could sense the massive room ahead of us by the way the air felt and our steps echoed, and the fact that the branches we could see ahead only lead to dead ends was obvious by the same method of sensing.

Cole likely sensed the same thing, due to his Primal Instinct, though I'm not entirely sure. He may have sensed the separation barrier through it before it formed.

Glancing behind me, I confirm that there's a mostly-transparent barrier blocking off my escape. It seems that only one can trigger this. Or at least, that's my take on it. It's possible that two could have walked through the entrance at the same time, but it's possible that it wouldn't have triggered the boss fight.

Looking around, I do my best to sense the boss, yet nothing's showing up. It must not be triggered yet. That, or it's some sort of puzzle or test.

I take several cautious steps forward, examining the chamber. It's roughly thirty feet high, and the ceiling is embedded with a variety of stones glowing with a bright light, giving me clear vision through the entire chamber.

In other words, I can see everything here, and there isn't a damn thing that could-

A rumbling fills the chamber just as I step into the center of it. I suppose that's it. Looking around, I watch as two massive stone golems rise out of the floor behind me. They're easily ten feet in height and extremely thick. They aren't like the human-looking ones from the other Dungeon I trained in, but instead, have the same builds as the ones outside.

That is, thick, vaguely-humanoid, and probably very, very tough.

Wonderful. Light's better-suited to this.

"Two tasks set before you," twin voices echo through the chamber. "Pick one to undertake. One is the path of pleasure, while the other is the path of pain. Choose wisely."

The two golems hole out a hand, a glowing red stone on each. So this is a choice I get to make? Yet I don't know which of the two I am picking, just that I have to pick one.

"Pick one to undertake," the two voices speak again. "One is the path of pleasure, while the other is the path of pain. Choose wisely."

"Can you let me know which is which?" I ask, but they don't respond.

Figures.

Sighing, I approach the two golems, which repeat their statement again. I accept the stone from the golem on the left, and the one on the right closes its fist around the stone, the left one closing its fist as well.

"You have chosen the path of pleasure," the two voices says.

Doesn't reassure me. Either choice probably isn't something that would be easy to do. This is a high-level Floor in a high-level Dungeon, after all.

"Two tasks set before you," the voices echo once more. "Pick one to undertake. One is the path of care, one is the path of desire. Choose wisely."

The two golems then open their hands, revealing a pair of glowing crimson stones. So it seems I have to 'choose' several times. I accept from the same golem this time.

"You have chosen the path of desire," the two voices speak as the golems close their hands into fists once more.

Several seconds later, they speak again.

"Two tasks set before you. Pick one to undertake. One is the path of kindness, one is the path of fear. Choose wisely."

This time, I pick from the other golem.

"You have chosen the path of kindness," they close their fists.

They force me through several more decisions, Light looking increasingly worried as we go. It seems he knows something about a path-choice like this that I don't from my research into Dungeons. Normally, they end in either a fight or a puzzle of some sort, but they also normally only have up to three choices to pick.

Finally, after the ninth choice, it seems they have finished, as the two golems remain silent past the few seconds they did between choices.

A full minute passes before they speak again.

"You have chosen the path of pleasure, of desire, of kindness, of hope, of fuel, of might, of eagerness, of love, and of power. Your path has been determined, your future is set. Accept the rewards."

The rewards?

A message appears in my vision.

Your Choices Earned You: Nolmisra Hellbreaker (Mythical Class) Ultra Rainbow of Love (Ultimate Skill) Zenolms +100% Current Wealth +1 to All Classes (Non-Mythicals) +1 to All Skills (Non-Ultimates) +5 to All Stats Your Party is Teleported to the Final Floor of This Dungeon Accept Accept

Fuck.

I'm not sure what Nolmisra or Zenolms are, but a Mythical Class and Ultimate Skill? Doubling my current wealth? A bonus to all Skills and Classes that aren't at the peak? A bonus to all of my Stats? That's a pretty damn good reward.

My party being Teleported to the Final Floor?

That's not.

"What's the problem?" Light asks me.

"Um," I say.

"What's the reward?"

"Teleporting to the Final Floor."

I can't even see what the first four 'rewards' are until I accept, and judging by the fact that two Demigods were banned from there? And a god literally pulled his daughter out of it immediately? And the fact that no one has ever actually returned from it alive, other than her?

This is not going to bode well for us.

"We might be able to handle it," Light looks uncomfortable, looking at Cole for a moment, before looking at me. "I'll make sure to protect Cole while you fight… whatever it is."

Dammit. I'm confident that I'm that lucky that I got the best reward possible. However, the reward for receiving the best possible reward is being sent immediately to the Final Floor. If we beat it, we reap that reward as well.

And Limitless Adaptation doesn't seem to be kicking in Overdrive, despite the fact that it's at Level 4, mostly because of Light's constant attacks.

"Cole," I say. "Are you ready for this?"

"Yeah!" He nods. "You two will protect me!"

Maybe. Hopefully. I really, really fucking hope we can protect you for this, Cole. Closing my eyes, I take several deep breaths, then start to accept.

"Wait," I snap my eyes open. "Light – do you know of something called Nolmisra or Zenolms?"

"No," he responds. "Are they part of the reward?"

"Yeah," I nod. "Two separate entries. What about Hellbreaker?"

His eyes bug out when I say that.

"You know it, then?"

"Uh, yeah!" He exclaims. "I really, really want that Class! It's another Mythical Class! It's oriented towards both raw strength and magical might! It's Ultimate Skill is Holy Armageddon, a powerful area-of-affect Skill! It's been forever since someone managed to acquire it! The method of doing so was lost to time! You have it?"

"It's one of the rewards," I confirm. "Do you know the Ultra Rainbow of Love?"

Light blinks several times as if he can't believe his ears.

"The hell is that?"

"An Ultimate Skill, according to the reward," I answer, and Cole cracks up laughing.

"Jamie has a Rainbow!" He laughs.

I roll my eyes.

"Alright," I say. "Let's get going."

I've been somewhat pissed that I keep getting Levels and Stats randomly – both from Limitless Adaptation and from the Die of Mystery – though I've understood that it's simply a part of who I am, and that it also means I can better-protect my team.

This time, though, I actually feel like the bonuses weren't enough. We're about to be Teleported to the Final Floor, a place that a god doesn't want his children on because of it's difficulty Level. If they can't handle it, then we really can't.

Not without… not without our Ultimate Skills. Even then, it might not be enough. And yet… I acquired another Ultimate. Nolmisra and Zenolms are likely powerful weapons of some sort as well.

Taking a deep breath, I accept the 'reward', and our surroundings change.

We're not standing next to each other on a circular platform made of cobblestones, the cracks between glowing with a faint white light. Surrounding us is nothing but grasslands at all, the sky above us clear and devoid of clouds.

Only a moment after we appear do two notifications appear in my vision, one giving me the boosts I acquired, the other being… interesting. It seems the System had concealed the items' real names, for some unknown reason.

Reward Names Revealed: Nolmisra Real Name: Sword of Divine Retribution Zenolms Real Name: Shield of Enlightened Will