(Jamie)

Fuck, I'm exhausted! And sore as fuck, too. Ten fucking waves of monsters, each stronger than the last. I noticed us getting stronger between each wave, and after checking my Status between two of them, noticed that we were receiving a 'secret' bonus.

Ten to All Stats. As if that's helpful when thousands of them isn't working to save our asses.

At least, I think we all received it. It'd be shitty if I was the only one receiving them, and I did notice their Health and Mana going up, so I think they both did.

There was something different every 'wave', too. The first one consisted of an endless horde of monsters, and I had to smash the stones to get it to stop. In the second one, we had to fight fewer monsters, but they formed up out of the ground, and were fucking massive. There was only a limited amount of them, thank goodness – but having all twenty attack at once was not fun.

We discovered that the platforms did have a time limit for how long we could stay on them and the monsters wouldn't be able to touch them. Three minutes of peace, resetting if we stepped off within a minute, but having a five-minute cooldown if we were between one and two minutes, and ten minutes if we were from two to three, being on the platforms.

This last wave, the damn floor was completely different. The ground had broken apart and floated up, forming a series of floating islands making a three-dimensional battleground.

Thank goodness none of the monsters flew, but we did have to travel along the strips of land between the platforms in order to kill the monsters, since it was clear we weren't getting out of here until they were all dead.

However, the monsters refused to leave their platforms, and Light's magic wouldn't cross the edge of them, meaning that we couldn't just pluck them off from somewhere else.

Which sucked to hell and back, especially since, if we were on an empty platform for too long, the monsters would respawn.

Including the 'safe' platforms.

Light's breathing heavily, and Cole's collapsed on the ground, arms and legs spread out, his tail between his legs as he breathes heavily, eyes closed. We're all covered in blood and shit from the fighting, a bit of it our own.

"Did either of you Level any Skills or Classes while we were in here?" I ask.

"No," Light answers, and Cole just barely shakes his head.

Poor guy. This place is way too tough for him. Curse the fucking room sending us several fucking Floors deeper for winning.

"Wait," Light's eyes widen, and Cole freezes up. "We didn't Level anything through all of that? WHAT?"

His voice is high-pitched as he yells that in surprise and shock.

"Why?" He exclaims. "It's not fair! We did all that work! It's been hours! I feel like I'm about to die! Is it over?"

Calm down, Light. You're seven centuries old! I guess this isn't very 'fun' to you, though, so I suppose it makes sense you'd be upset. But still.

"Yeah," I tell him, turning my gaze back to the notification in my vision.

Congratulations! You have completed the Horrendous Dungeon! Dungeon Name Revealed: Dungeon of Absolute Power. Ultimate Species Skills are now available once more. Skills and Classes can increase once more. This Floor may be accessed for 168 Hours by your Party, and only your Party who participated on this Floor for this round. All Members have received a Final Floor Warp Stone directly into their Inventories. All training performed here will yield 1,000% Experience for Skills and Classes during this timeframe. Primary Platform will act as a rest area. Food, refreshments, bathing facility, and resting areas will manifest starting after 1 hour.

Damn Dungeon didn't even reveal its real name until we cleared it. That bonus is nice, too. Though it did give a long explanation in the end. Still nice, though. Especially the bonus to training. That's a pretty damn good bonus for clearing a Dungeon.

"No Dungeon Core, it seems," I look around, then dismiss the notification.

"Yeah," Light shrugs. "Probably hidden somewhere. Wait. How do you know it's over?"

So they aren't receiving the notifications. This Dungeon seems to only care for the Party Leader. Which means… that that 'choice' room I faced that warped us here likely wouldn't have activated someone else had entered that room first.

It probably required only the Party Leader to enter it.

The rewards seem to be nice. Interesting, too.

Rewards: 1,000,000 Gold Royals Dungeon Core (inert) Crown of Divine Authority +1 to All Skills (exempting Ultimate Skills) +1 to All Classes (exempting Holy Classes)

More being handed things, but with all the fighting we did… it's probably less than we would have earned, with the Skills and Classes. However, it seems that only I received the rewards, which means my team lost out on the Skills and Classes bonuses.

"Did you two receive anything?" I ask after clearing the notification.

"No!" Light whines. "And after all that effort, too!"

"Check your Inventories," I say. "See if it ninja'd them in. It did send Final Floor Warp Stones for the Dungeon into them without notifying you two."

Light's eyes widen, and he focuses on something in his vision, then squeals. I look down at Cole, who seems to have passed-out.

"What did you get?" I ask.

"Money Pouch!" He exclaims. "It had five hundred thousand royals! And this spear! It's a Mythic-Grade Spear! I'm sure of it!"

A light blue spear similar to his usual one forms in his hands, golden markings running along it, along with some lighter ones, closer to being platinum than gold.

"Identify!"

Right. He's got that at the max. I could've asked him to Identify my new weapon and shield.

"It is!" He squeals, hugging it against him. "I'm so happy! It's even called 'Light's Spear'!"

The spear is tailored to him? That explains its appearance, then.

"Are your stats, Skills, and Classes any higher?" I ask.

"Hm," he thinks, though I can already tell his Classes probably aren't, since Cole's Health and Mana didn't change. "Nope! Well, my Stats are a hundred higher than they were before-"

"We gained 10 Stats to each every time we finished a wave."

"Oh!" He exclaims. "I didn't notice! Do you think our Ultimate Species Skills are working again?"

"How else do you explain your body being healed when we didn't get the healing notification?"

"Oh!" He exclaims, and I roll my eyes as he looks down at Cole. "Did he die?"

"He's still breathing," I roll my eyes again. "He's just passed-out."

"So what did you get?"

"Some Skill Levels and Class Levels," I answer. "Royals, an inert Dungeon Core, and something called the Crown of Divine-"

"Authority?" His eyes bug out of his head. "It's reappeared?"

"You know it?"

"WHAT PERSON DOESN'T?" He yells.

Wow, can Cole sleep.

"I've never heard of it," I say. "And you're seven centuries old, Light. You've probably heard of things that have been forgotten to time."

"Yeah, yeah," he looks disappointed. "Anyway, the Crown of Divine Authority is a Divine Artifact. It's above any mere Mythical item. You don't just 'receive' it – it chooses you. Sometimes, it's simply found in someone's Inventory, though it's manifested itself right onto their heads a few times. In rare cases, it hijack's a Dungeon's actual reward to bestow itself to someone."

Which is what it did for me, then, replacing my actual reward item for this. If Light received a spear that's his, then it was probably a weapon that's mine, most likely a sword.

Yes, I'm complaining a bit about that, even though I already have a powerful sword that's even stronger than the one Tara gifted me.

And I'm constantly complaining about things being handed to me, too. Everything's a headache.

Why couldn't I have had a normal entrance here? And not be handed everything?

Then again, Trickster might have a hand in all of this. Or it could be this absurd 'luck' of mine that caused him to notice me. Whatever it is, everything's annoying, and I'm looking forward to a break.

A big one.

Without any random bullshit happening, without training, without any of that.

"The crown," Light continues, and I remember that he's explaining the crown to me. "Doesn't have power in and of itself, but the one who wears it… well, just being worthy of it means you've attracted the goodwill of at least four of the gods."

In other words, I need more than half of the gods to like me in order to earn it.

"Anytime it does show up," he continues. "It usually means big shit's going down. It might have power that it gives to the wearer? I can't remember. I'm probably missing something."

Probably.

"That's fine," I say, then let him know about this being a training zone.

"Oh, cool!" He exclaims. "That's awesome-wait. Shit."

He needs combat for pretty much everything.

"Keep an eye on Cole, will you?" I ask. "I'm heading back into town for a little bit to do some stuff and make my presence known, so people aren't getting any funny ideas."

There are some of his Eidolons protecting our home, but people might still get some funny ideas if they don't see me for too long, and it's been a few days since we were last there.

Light nods, and I use the Warp Stone to leave the Dungeon, arriving just inside the entrance, then stepping out. A few people gasp and jump away when they see me. I'm not a pretty picture, considering how covered-in-blood I am, but I don't care too much.

"Why are people fleeing into the Dungeon?" I ask a random person.

People are literally running into the Dungeon right now. Including regular citizens, which means something big's going down.

This is my fucking town, so it better fucking stop.

"There's a Hellish Crusade going on right now!" He answers, then tries to run inside. I grab his arm. "Let me go!"

The fuck is that?

"What's a Hellish Crusade?"

"Who the fuck doesn't know what that is?" He asks. "You're traveling with a Warlock!"

I actually know, I just want to know the why. The Crusade doesn't bother me as long as my home isn't damaged, and Light's Summons are probably somewhat known by the Demons, so it probably will be. That, and they're stupidly strong.

I learned that when Susu tried giving me a hug. Broke six ribs.

So I can take my time and be calm about this. His Demons didn't seem to have been Summoned, which means it's probably only the Warlocks actively in the city whose contracted Familiars were summoned.

Still, though. Someone's fucking with my town, and I want to know who did whatever it was that caused Max to initiate the Crusade, and why the fuck they did that.

"Answer the question."

"All of the Warlocks within its range," he says. "Find their contracted Demons summon and unbound, and they're resummoned immediately if they die!"

What? That doesn't help me.

I release the guy's arm, and he runs back into the Dungeon. Why would there be a Hellish Crusade going on?

Making my way out of the Dungeon's location, I ask a few more people about what's going on, and discern that an Elf Warlock was imprisoned while I was in the Dungeon, and the Hellish Crusade is active until the Elf is freed.

This damn city. They really need to learn.

"Hey, Jamie," a familiar voice says as I return to the surface.

Looking over, I see Max casually leaning against a wall.

"Thought we weren't to interact?"

"Eh," he shrugs. "I'm not here as a representative of my father's. I'm here as the current head of the Demon Contracting Service."

"The one who initiated the Hellish Crusade?"

"They imprisoned a Warlock for being an Elf," he shrugs. "And said Warlock is highly valued by a certain Archdemon, who had sent him to this city on a legal mission to purchase some items. They also attempted to forcibly take said purchased items, and had someone on their way who could forcibly remove them from the Elf's Inventory after he defended himself against several thugs that attacked first."

In other words, they carefully worded things to ensure they could just let loose. Max is soooooooooo getting it.

"And Light's Demons?"

"I've put a block on him," Max frowns. "Father ordered me to. If his Demons went rampant through the City, there'd be nothing left, and Father said something about not destroying your home."

"Light has a Demon more powerful than the Eidolon that's always hanging out, invisible?"

"No," Max shakes his head. "He was referring to the city, since it's pretty much your home, now."

That's a relief. Both in that said invisible Eidolon is more powerful than Light's Demons, but also in that Light's Demons won't summon if he leaves the Dungeon.

And that they're not intending on actually destroying my city. Max is still going to suffer for letting them loose like that. He could have just contacted me, and let me deal with things. I'm sure his father would have known we were almost done, considering it hasn't been happening very long.

"Ah," I say. "So. Where's this Elf that needs freeing?"

And a private area I can beat your ass in.