There was loot to be had, something Nilbog rarely dealt with. An orange chest connecting each goblin’s corpse with a thread appeared in the center of them all. Not all were dead—some were just knocked out. Considering the chest connected to their bodies, it likely meant they were defeated. There was no point in killing them unless he wanted their Souls.

Which he absolutely did not.

Nilbog placed his hand over the chest. It flared, causing the air around it to vibrate. After a low drum that rose in intensity, it blew open with fireworks and confetti. An invisible crowd cheered as the chest began to fade, leaving behind a bright orange flame.

A bit much, but okay.

Nilbog reached for the flame. It lit brighter for a few moments before vanishing inside him.

Legendary Undying Flame

Against fate you have survived, and thus you have gained an extra life.

As long as Undying Flame remains Soul Bound to you, dying will cause you to respawn at the end of the Dungeon. Your score will be reset to zero, and you may not claim any rewards. A Dungeon Failure will appear on your record, regardless of what happens to the Dungeon itself.

If not used by the end of the Dungeon, you will gain 30 points and a 300% experience boost to all experience attained during the time you were in possession of the Undying Flame.

It was...amazing. Orange was the most glorious color of all, and for him to receive it because he survived against a squad of goblins?

Well, for someone who was level fifty, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but for someone who’s level 20...

It wasn't just that. The goblins with their channel skill, and the fight with the Stalker... it was all a trap. The Game purposefully created that scenario lure unsuspecting fools.

Kara was right. What she did was ludicrous. Whoever, or whatever she was, did something that was not supposed to happen. The title she went by was fitting. It made Nilbog ask the obvious question--how can someone this incomprehensibly powerful exist this early on? He didn't understand the full scope of her powers, of course, but what he felt was enough to be abnormal. Without The Game's massive increase of experience and rewards, it wasn't physically possible to be this strong this, and The Game just started.

No, even before then. She was as she is now when Nilbog first saw her at Rubio's Cafe.

Maybe The Game created her, too? As a special boss or event? Was that even possible? He didn't have a clue. Lady Viss was right, The Game's knowledge inside him was utterly inadequate. It might have been his greatest disadvantage yet.

So just how can I use this body to convince her to kill those three? He wouldn’t mind giving his life for it, but the issue was whether she’ll uphold the deal—Nilbog has learned what Sentients were like. He needed a way to ensure she keeps her word.

Wait, why does someone that powerful even need a body?

He let out another chuckle at that question. No wonder she’s so desperate--she’s blind. He’d forgotten about that. Imagining what’s it’s like was not pleasant. If he closed his eyes he could barely walk ten feet before he lost sense of where he was.

That was his only card, and he needed to use it wisely. There was an issue with that, of course: why would she negotiate when she can just take his body? Fighting against her was nigh impossible. There were ways to lower someone’s Soul Defense, so he wasn’t immune to that either.

Back to step one—what is the one card I hold?

His body. It was the only thing of value. She wouldn’t kill or damage him too much, which rules out torture. That likely left his Soul Defense. How could he give himself absolute protection from her?

No, that’s the wrong way to look at it. Anyone that is unable to defeat Nilbog could not possibly beat a kingdom. He better hope she can destroy whatever defenses he put ups, otherwise all of this would be pointless.

So if I can’t defend, I need to prevent her from attacking. Why wouldn’t she, though?

The body. It all went back to his body. He’ll have to make it so that any type of forceful overtake will endanger it. Negotiations can only happen once they were at that even footing.

But again, the real question is always how.

Distastefully, poison was the first thing that came to mind. Ingesting something that will kill him unless he takes the antidote might work.

That thought stopped him in his tracks. He would rather use his Shapeshifter skills than use poison for any reason.

Wait a minute, Shapeshifting isn’t the only skill I have!

Skills

Soul Siphon (Racial Skill)

Shaper (Racial Skill)

Shifter (Racial Skill)

Sentient Killer (Class Epic)

Murderous Lolie (Unique)

Seventh Sense (Monster Unique)

Lesser Bleed Resistance (Common)

Dodge (Common)

Short-Breath (Common)

Agile Hunter (Enhancer Common)

Not those. It was the one he hadn’t yet bought.

All Or Nothing (Rare)

Type: Soul Defense Active

Cost: 30

Add-on Cost: 10 points

Use all your Life force to defend against Soul attacks. For each 1% Life Force sacrificed you will gain an additional 1% Soul Defense. If more than 100% Life Force is required to defend against the attack, then you will die of Life Force deprivation.

(Free) Add-on: For each Danger Rank your opponent has on you, your Soul Defense will increase by 25%.

(Unowned) Add-on: You may spend HP in addition to Life Force. For each 1% HP sacrificed will gain an additional 1% Soul Defense. If more than 100% HP is required to defend against the attack, then you will die of Life Force deprivation.

Nilbog wasn’t sure what Life Force Deprivation will do to his body but having his HP hit 0 meant that the body is destroyed. It was so perfect that it made Nilbog suspicious.

The Game couldn’t see that far in the future, could it? Or was Nilbog bound to receive this, considering he resisted her with everything he had from the very beginning?

Who knows, who cares. He was going to take advantage of it. 30 points plus 10 for the add-on for the ensured destruction of his body was expensive but well worth it. If he still has the Undying Flame at the end of the dungeon he could buy it immediately buy it. Even if he had the points, being in a Dungeon meant he couldn’t buy any skills.

Okay, not bad. The pieces were coming together.

With that, he returned his attention to his status. Oddly enough his HP had increased to 123/130. STM was at 32/140, but most notably his overall STM had fallen to 410/700 with the day only beginning. It was much lower than he would have liked, but then again, when was it ever higher than that to begin with?

The only odd addition was the Mana Bar. It was at 68/120, and that was something he did not understand.

His Life Force bar was also changed at 105/120. For the first time he felt the Life Force floating from his heart. If things were as simple as he thought, then Kara might have forcefully opened his channels. He tried tapping into the Life Force, but all he was able to manage was a tug. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. Practice might just make it usable.

Nilbog also remembered how she snatched the Life Force that fed the goblin its flames. Vaguely enough he remembered her doing the same to the Life Force Ball.

Deviation, she called it. Could it literally change the direction of Life Force and Mana?

The last bit was his Life Dancer profession.

Life Dancer

There is no inherent power in names, for it is sound that guides the flow of Source.

Listen well if you wish to be a conduit.

I. Gain a 10% increase to all parameters while under the effects of a Song.

II. One of your Siren’s special traits allows you to silently cast skills.

I guess that’s a bit helpful. Songs were the things Nilbog rejected, but none of this mentioned Kara being able to fiddle with his head.

With no other clues Nilbog set off. Finding what’s left of his party was probably the best thing he could do. Just because Moon betrayed him it didn't mean everyone has. Cijo seemed like a decent guy, and while Lan was…well Lan wasn’t the brightest, but something is better than nothing, at least.

Still. It's going to be hard to kill that bastard. Generally, a Wolf was anywhere in between level 40 and 70

The level difference early on was extremely steep. Since Moon just reached Wolf, he was likely at least twice as strong as him. The stat difference plus the skills he has was at about… yeah, double is an optimistic guess. His high monster rank plus Sentient Killer was the only thing keeping him in earshot, and that advantage is quickly vanishing.

He’s gonna have to let go of his grudge. The only way Nilbog could possibly win is a dagger to the eye when Moon is asleep, and that was not something he was willing to do. Steeping that low would haunt him much more than letting that scum go free.

There was a way out, of course, but it was even more shameful than killing someone in their sleep. The solution, just like every problem he’s had and will likely ever had, is to just use his damn Shapeshifter skills.

“You know, sometimes it feels like you have it out for me,” Nilbog said out loud, for some reason. He looked up with a surprisingly fresh smile. He searched for a sign that The Game was watching, that it was listening, but of course, there was nothing but the dangerously nearing storm.

After getting all the crazy out of his system, Nilbog started on a slow trot. The storm was a minute behind him. He kept his eyes peeled for monsters. It was obvious where other parties traveled from. Even for his inexperienced eye their tracks were easy to find. Broken leaves and branches paved the way.

It was a disadvantage for the ones in the lead, but only if the party behind them was fast enough to catch up. But if that was the case, why lead at all?

Orbs, Nilbog guessed. He ran past each area, looking for them. He searched every corner and groove that had no signs of travel, and was lucky to find two of them after going through a few areas. One had an orb that recovered 10% MAX HP and Life Force, while the other for 10% MAX and Mana. Considering how easy it was to find them found them, the ones ahead probably got better stuff.

He used them right then. His HP went up to 108/130 and Life Force 117/120, and Overall STM to 470. Just because his Overall STM was not near 0 it did not mean he didn’t feel it. The closer he got to depletion, the harder it would be to move, even if his STM bar was full.

If the entire Dungeon area was a perfect dome, then the center was around a 20-minute walk away.

Twice he entered an area that already had a party in it. He kept his distance, though he did check them out. One of the groups had an archer, while the other had a Mage. Both had a much easier time picking off monsters. They each had a Wolf or two in their group.

Nilbog estimated his party to be slightly below average. Moon was the member with the greatest combat capacity, while Lan had adaptable buffs. Cijo was also reliable—he must have had some unique skills he didn’t tell them about. On the off hand, Moon was an asshole, and who the hell knew what Gale was up to. The guy just vanished.

And for Nilbog? It was hard to measure. He’d never fought a human before.

Seventh Sense activated. Nilbog’s stopped in place, raising his daggers to a guard position as he glanced around him. Nothing was there. He took a step back, keeping his ears at attention.

The glass leaves were everywhere. Sneaking close without crushing one was near impossible. That only below ground, and the trees above—their branches were thick and intertwined, providing enough space to hide behind.

He took a few steps back, letting his feet lead. He spotted nothing, but he did feel like he was being watched. “Could you go away?” Nilbog said.

Guess not, he thought after the pressure did not abide.

He was about to make a retreat when he caught something in the trees. He stared at one of the branches, unsure from which tree it extended from, and was not entirely too surprised to have the bark open, turn towards Nilbog with three milky eyeballs, and then slowly reach for a different tree to attach itself to.

Level 49 Sloth Ent

Monster Rank: D

The thing was less monster and more like four branches attached to a rock. It was practically a land starfish. On its four limbs grew more branches, allowing it to blend in with the rest of the trees.

His senses tingling again, causing him to snap his head around. There was nothing in sight, but he darted forward anyway before a shockwave threw him off his feet. He fell face first into the dirt, and since this was becoming a relatively normal routine for him, he was able to roll with the momentum and continue his sprint with only a small delay.

It was a different Sloth Ent. It hovered above him, its limbs wrapped around a different tree. One limb was poking through the ground, right where Nilbog had been moments ago. It was a bit thinner, only a few feet wide, and had stretched at least double the thing’s own height. Slowly, the sharp trunk detached itself from the ground and retracted. It grew thicker as it returned to the Ent.

Nilbog watched with curiosity, only realizing he should run when it attacked again. He sprinted forward, dodging the trunk, then twisted around as fast as he could. He stabbed with both of his daggers with all his strength.

No penetration!

You have dealt 1 Damage!

Minor penetration!

You have dealt a whole 5 damage!

A couple hundred of those and the thing might notice you!

Oh fuck off. Contrary to the notification, the thing did indeed notice him. The smaller branches attached to the branch struck him, leaving throbbing bruises around. He sprung back with bright red skin and a little bit of bleeding. He lost two HP for his trouble.

Trading damage did not seem like a good idea. In fact, fighting did not seem like a good idea. As the Ent began to retract its limb, Nilbog turned face and began to step away from the beast.

He got a whole three steps before curiosity held him in place again. He didn’t want to fight, but he sure wanted to learn a bit about it. It was such a strange creature.

He also had the Red Orb, and while dying was still not a good idea, it did allow him to take a few risks. It drove the fear away.

So how did this thing work? What was the trick? There had to be one. The Game rewarded cleverness and punished overconfidence.

Dodging is relatively easy, but so what? Nilbog couldn’t damage it. It didn’t even have Life Shield—its skin was just that thick. Its flat Damage Reduction was higher than what Nilbog could deal.

It attacked again, this time much quicker. Fortunately, the tentacle's size decreased the further it traveled. He dashed to the side, avoiding it without much effort. It struck the ground, denting it a good couple feet, and then reached for him with the branches attached to it. Nilbog ducked and weaved through them, keeping an eye on the other limbs. The Ent needed them for balance, but he wouldn’t be surprised if that was a trick too.

He knew the answer to the puzzle, when he studied it for the second time, but he simply did not want to acknowledge it. Hitting its limbs would not do much damage, but hitting the core, especially the spot where the limbs connected, was bound to bring it down. For the limbs to be that flexible the joins its body had to lack Armor.

The only inconvenience about that plan was that it was hovering nearly 20 meters up in the air. The way up was to climb that log of an arm while dodging the branches, or on the easier side was to have a precise ranged attack.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized how impossible this was for him. She could probably do it, Nilbog glumly thought, somewhat regretting the refusal of giving up his body to a malevolent death spirit that went with the ironic name of Life Siren. Iris probably could climb all the way, too, and Shon would have been able to burn it. Moon might have been able to bring it down with a Life Force Slash.

But he wasn’t them. He was just Nilbog, nothing more, maybe a little bit less.

As the last bit of its body retracted, Nilbog turned tail and began sprinting away. He kept an eye on behind him, in case it wanted to give chase, but apparently he was not worth the effort. Both Sloth Ents returned to their position. They wrapped around a tree, letting their limbs act as thick branches.

It was probably lighter than it seemed, otherwise its size would have bent the trees it was attached to. Nilbog couldn’t see a mouth on it. How would it eat him from up there, anyway?

Still, the rewards were too low for the risks. It was wiser to avoid it in this situation rather than waste time and resources. The Dungeon requirements only mentioned they needed to survive and kill the boss, not kill everything they see.

He finally spotted his party a way off. He stopped when he saw them and wove his way around the forest ground as best as he could. He snuck behind a tree to their side, letting himself go prone to hide under the cover of the up-breaching roots.

There was another party a short distance away. They stood without their weapons drawn, though the scorched corpses and the smell of blood was enough menace to send the shivers down Nilbog’s spine.