Deep amid a rainforest on the fiftieth floor of the dungeon, Charlotte groaned, "I'm sick of sleeping on the soggy ground. Why does a dungeon have a rainforest, anyway?"

"I want to know how the dungeon can fit so much underneath the city." Said Amy with a yawn as she leaned back against a tree.

I turn around to Stacy, who is happily humming while braiding my hair with a tired sigh. "Do you have any more dry firewood? Amy and I ran out yesterday."

Stacy stopped what she was doing, then scratched her scaled cheek in embarrassment. "I don't think I brought some this trip, sorry I forgot in my excitement." Then she began unbraiding my hair while humming a different tune.

I knew that would be the case, but I wanted to try anyway. Turning a pleading stare to Charlotte, I ask her too. Unfortunately, she also forgot. I began piling damp logs together before casting a spell to pull the moisture out with another sigh. Then stuck my sword into the center and cast flame saber on it.

A rank smell wafted off whatever kind of wood this is and began permeating our clearing. Soon I started frying vegetables and some chicken Tayna pulled from her inventory.

"We should reach the center tomorrow around midmorning," said Amy placatingly to Charlotte. "Hopefully, we will get your last set piece for your armor, then say goodbye to this smelly rainforest."

With an amused smile, I Looked up from my task. "I don't know. I kind of like this camping in the woods. It's fun, well unless we run out of firewood and have to smell whatever this is."

Giggling, Stacy says, "Aww, your cooking ain't that bad, Nalle." After that, she sidled closer to the fire scratching at her scales. "I hate this damp weather. I'm all itchy, and there is mud getting under my scales."

Winking at the uncomfortable kobold, I say. "If you can convince Amy to use her earth affinity to make a stone tub, I'll get us a hot bath after we finish eating. It won't help with the dampness, but we will clean all that icky mud off."

Amy, who had just dozed off, jerked awake when she was abruptly jumped on by Stacy, who started shaking her. "Please make a big tub for us so that we can get cleaned please, please, please."

"Alright, alright, I'll do it. Stop shaking me. Sally, can I get the stone you stored for me, please?" A few moments later, she had shaped the massive stone block into a five by eight, two-foot deep tub. With a grin, she turned back to the clapping Stacy. "I made the tub you and Charlotte have to fill it."

Stacy stared at Charlotte, who looked back at her for a minute, then they both turned pleadingly to me. Feeling their eyes on me, I turn and see the massive tub. Taking the pan off the fire to let dinner cool, I walk to the tub, raising an eyebrow at Amy. "Why is it so big?"

She only shrugs and starts getting dishes out of her bag. Getting my staff from Tayna, I conjure a stream of water. When I finished filling it to the brim, my mana was nearly empty, and with a tired sigh, I turn to the others hoping for some praise.

"Why didn't you just move the water from the creek into the tub?" asked Amy with her mouth full of chicken.

Blushing slightly, I Say, "I thought everyone would prefer clean water after mucking around in the local stuff all week."

Stacy jumped from her seat and ran up to me, throwing her arms around my waist. "Well, I think it's amazing, but are we going to take a cold bath?"

Grinning down at my best friend, I say. "No way," then a switch back to my sword, casting the same fire saber spell as last time, and chuck my weapon into the tub. "Let's let it warm up while we eat," then grabbing her hand, I lead the way.

"Although the dampness is irritating, at least the dungeon didn't put nasty bloodsucking bugs on this floor. I went camping with my parents once, and the bugs were terrible." Charlotte suddenly said during our meal.

Amy sighed. "I wish I could see what it's like outside the city, but if Nalle and I separate too far, we get weak, and no one knows why either. By the way, sis, the water is boiling."

Stuffing my last piece of cauliflower in my mouth, I jump up and retrieve my sword from the tub, grinning as I strip down and dive in, "me first."

Soon we were all relaxing on the edge of the tub. Well, except Stacy, who was sitting on my lap while trying to keep her head above water. However, soon Amy finished forming a seat for her to sit on as we all gathered around her, helping to clean the mud from beneath her scales.

Finished with that, Stacy gave us a quick hug and began helping me wash my hair, which had grown down past my waist.

When we finished with our bath, Amy flattened the tub down. Afterward, I cut some warming runes around the edge with my sword tip. We were making a nice dry and warm, although hard pad to sleep more comfortably.

The next morning I woke up with my arms wrapped around a small scaley body. Looking down, I could see Stacy looking back with a pouting face wanting to get up. With a smile, I kiss her on the flat nose and say, "good morning, body pillow."

A second later, a pile of clothes falls on my head, and I hear Amy grumble, "get up already, daylights burning, and we need to move."

"Kay," I sit up, dragging my squirming body pillow with me. When I am fully up, I raise my arms, waiting.

Getting a fit of giggles in answer from Stacy, who says, "sorry princess, no Yuri in the wilderness, you have to get dressed on your own."

With a sigh, I say. Fine, then I snap my fingers, and the pile of clothes vanishes, appearing on my body.

Stacy narrows her eyes, then jumps on top of me and began pulling at the edges of my robe. "Aha, you better put your undergarments on, princess, or I'll tell Aleana on you."

Amy and Charlotte, meanwhile, are holding their sides, from laughing to hard watching the scene.

Stacy noticing this said, "you too, Charlotte."

As Amy suspected, we arrived at the center around midmorning. We walked out of the trees into a big clearing with knee-high grass waving in a soft breeze.

This time the boss was waiting for us, rather than wandering in the woods nearby. A slow, deep, creaking voice came from the big forest and vine monster in the center. "I see you made it back here. You're getting faster. It only took a week to walk across my forest. The first time took you poor things nearly a month, and you didn't even bring your firewood."

Stacy jogged up to it "hi Mr. Bark, did you miss us? Is that why you're sitting here instead of wandering around?"

"As energetic as always, Miss. Stacy, yes, I have missed you; however, that is not why I am waiting here. The master asked me to pass along a message for your leaders. 'A gateway is being formed right outside his zone of influence. He estimates roughly a month before they break through into your plane.'"

"How far out is his zone?" asked Amy with a troubled face.

"And what do you mean by 'your plane,' don't you mean our plane?" I add, confused.

Meanwhile, Stacy was jumping up, trying to grab an apple hanging from one of Bark's branches.

"Well, his zone, I believe, extends around a mile and a half of your measurements beyond the city of Khuzdul. And yes, technically, this dungeon is part of your world, but it is also a separate plane. How else do you think he could put a continent-sized forest under your city?" said Bark with a rumbling chuckle as he lowered the branch for Stacy.

"Honestly, I assumed the dungeon had portals going all over the world where he set up these trials for adventurers," I said.

"Unfortunately, the master does not have permission to claim more land. That is why he studied some dimensional mumbo jumbo. I don't understand any of that; I'm just a tree protecting my forest. Now I believe you lot came here for the last set piece for Miss. Charlotte, shall we begin." He said as he slowly stood up, his wood joints creaking the whole way soon, he was standing at a full fifteen feet tall.

Charlotte gulped audibly, "Um, Mr. Bark, did you get bigger since the last time we fought?"

Chuckling as he moved back, "yes, Charlotte, I am, as you adventures like to say, going hard mode. you defeated me too easily last time, and this should give you the push you all need to reach your first ascension."

Then turning to me, he said, "I have also had Master place a fireward over this clearing. So you won't be able to rain a firestorm down on me from a distance, young lady. However, your saber attacks will work just fine."

"Alright, everyone, let's huddle up," said Amy. "We need to come up with a new strategy since raining fire from a distance won't work."

Stacy skipped over, then turned and gave a stern look at Mr. Bark. "No listening to our plan. That would be cheating." Then she grinned, turning to the group.

"Okay, Nalle, you will go frontline with me casting your elemental buffs on the two of us. Good thing you have been training with Mother in her spell sword techniques.

"Stacy, you stay back, ready to erect barriers as you deem necessary. If you see a good opening for a light beam or two, don't hesitate. You have way too much mana, anyway.

"Charlotte," Amy turned to her with a grin. "He said Nalle couldn't rain fire, but he said nothing about you, just don't accidentally hit Nalle. She is tough but not tank tough." Let's go!

Amy and I sprinted forward, covering a hundred yards in a second while Charlotte started pulling her bow back faster than anyone's eyes could see. Soon the fire was raining down all around Mr. Bark.

The moment we separated, he had begun lumbering forward, picking up speed as he went. Except Charlotte was no amateur. She had already tracked his movements, and the first arrows had fallen on his leaves. Small red 100's began floating above Bark's head as we got closer. Sadly, there was no visible decrease in his HP bar.

When we were within fifty yards, I gave both Amy and my weapons a blue flame. I covered my entire blade down to the hilt, but as Amy is not immune to my magic, I only gave the spiked ball of her mace my elemental flame.

Bark was still picking up speed, running right for us. I stopped and began pouring buffs onto Amy for endurance, and I covered her shield in another layer of elemental steel.

Ten feet to go, Amy stopped, planted her feet, and shouted, "Bastion!" A wall formed ten feet to either side of her and two feet thick with her in the center.

Before the wall fully formed, Stacy had fifteen layers of barrier planted into the ground in Mr. Barks' path in front of Amy.

Zero feet to go, Mr. Bark slammed into the barriers tearing through all fifteen. He barely slowed before hitting Amy's Bastion, bringing him to a screeching halt. However, it tossed Amy back with a red 15,000 floating above her head, dropping her HP a considerable amount.

Mr. Bark quickly followed through with a vine several inches in diameter slamming down toward Amy, who was still trying to stand up. A golden glow is already coating her body from Stacy.

I stepped forward, swinging my flaming sword, which extended to ten feet, slicing the vine off before reaching her.

Simultaneously, a giant arrow that looked like it came from a ballista rather than her tiny bow. Slammed directly into the trunk, blowing a chunk off, and a red 1500 rose from Barks body.

Now we could see a sliver of damage on his bar. Also giving Amy the time she needed to get back on her feet, though still unsteady.

I rushed forward, swinging my sword at any vines that moved toward any of my party. Occasionally I could see a shattering barrier at the corner of my vision, letting me know that I missed some of them.

Grinning like a maniac, I began swinging my sword faster and faster. Soon I conjured a second sword made of elemental earth to deflect the occasional swing from Mr. Barks. While massive arrows still slammed into the trunk mere feet from me, some even passing close enough to move my hair.

Moments later, Amy runs by me, ramming the spike attached to her shield into the trunk. Clicking a button, she released the spike and bounced back. Dropping my swords, I push both hands forward, shouting earthen wall over and over till ten were between us, and between every stone wall was one of Stacy's barriers.

An explosion rocked the clearing, shattering all but one wall. Pinging noises above my head causes me to look up, and I see pieces of Mr. Barks raining down on Stacy's barrier erected above our heads.

Annoyed at the interruption, I Turned to Amy, "Overkill much?"

Amy just shook her head. "No, even with all the damage from Charlotte's arrows, we barely dropped him just below half health."

Waving my arm, I drop the last wall only to see Bark still standing there. Although his health was below five percent now. Bending over to pick up my swords, I notice Bark's health drop again and again.

Bark looked at us and smiled. "I didn't think of bombs. - Well, that was a blast. See me again when you have time. I will let you appear here in my clearing. I have nothing else to offer in combat for you four." Then he turned to motes of light that flowed into us.

I was about to ask if everyone was alright when the world turned white, and all I could see was myself standing in a vast nothingness. Well, not entirely. There are two gems above my head, pulsing to the beat of my heart.

'A green and brown gem, how strange I wonder what this place is?'

{Congratulations, you have reached your first ascension. You have a choice. You can rank up Elementalist to 1 star or change class to Spellsword}

What will happen when I choose? I say nervously.

{I will rebuild your bodies to utilize your new or upgraded class better. All main stats will rise by 100. secondary stats will increase by 25.}

{You will attain a title with an aura. I will raise your actual body to F grade Dungeon core.}

{Dungeon avatar will upgrade to 1 star. + 2 to all stats per lvl. + 100 to main stats and + 25 to secondary stats.}

"--- Huh!? What do you mean my actual body is a dungeon core!? Also, what even is an Avatar. And who are you? This is nothing like the system messages before?"

{I am the world system. Please make your choice you have 1 minute before I will choose for you.}