Jay floated down to a rising platform and landed softly. He pointed his sword at Magecatcher, the blade dripping wet with toy blood and fleshy plastic gunk.

The creature emitted a piercing screech as if angered by the audacity of the [Freak]. It dive-bombed at Jay, becoming a streak of black with hints of blue trailing through the air.

The hunt was on.

Jay dropped from his platform and flipped gravity with [Dance Floor Relativity]. The vertigo sickness he’d suffered before was negligible now. He’d progressed far enough that his mind adapted fast to the switch in worldview.

He landed under a moving platform. The abyss was now his sky. Everything was upside down with the runic scriptures holding up the platforms pointing up. It was a hell of a mind trip for Jay.

He entered a crouch and watched amusingly as the Magecatcher dove under-above him in search. It fanned its wings, slowing to a hover, ignorant of the threat waiting right over its head.

This was the first time Jay used [Dance Floor Relativity] to hold a concealed position. Rather than throw himself around like a zero-g ragdoll.

Jay flipped [Dance Floor Relativity] again and activated [One Heavy Step]. He didn’t bother using [Grav Kick] this time. He only wanted the added weight to increase his terminal velocity and–blah, blah, blah!

He fell harder and faster than normal, empowering his thrust through the bird’s back with the greatsword.

One Heavy Step leveled up from 5 to 7!

It worked better than he hoped, the sword sliding in hilt-deep!

Jay crashed and skidded across the bird’s back due to momentum. The creature spun around erratically, screeching in pain and surprise. Their only connection remained the sword until it slid out.

Jay became airborne once again, with his Agility penalized heavily.

He might trip and fall off a platform if he attempted a landing. Opting to stay in the air instead, Jay realigned gravity with [Dance Floor Relativity] once more. He fell through the air on the most direct course back to the entrance, his body a straight missile with the sword held down by his leg.

He was moving fast, but the magecatcher moved faster. It gained on him steadily, its deadly talons stretching out.

They might crash directly with the entrance door at their velocity, but the magecatcher had the agility to snatch Jay up and loop away from a collision course all at once. Even if it did hit the door, it wouldn't stop its pursuit. No doubt, all it cared about was Jay. He could feel that from the gravity of the moment.

Which perfectly suited Jay and his party.

The monster bird toy failed to notice the [Mage] waiting at the precipice of the entrance ledge. Nor did it notice Mike’s free hand raised as if he was going to give a signal.

Then the party sprung their trap before the magecatcher could change course.

Mike dropped his free hand while starting to cast a Solid Stars spell enhanced by [Manapusher] and [Mana Manipulation].

Frank struck together the brazier’s flint and steel tools, creating sparks. He lit four Good Fire Bombs tied together by the wick and wrapped in duct tape. With the jerry-rigged explosives armed, Dennis hefted the package and chucked it like it was a football he could bullet-pass.

The jerry-rigged bomb sailed right in the mix between Jay and Magecatcher.

Finally, with a timing that was borderline mad, a thick flying wall of Solid Stars slid in between Jay, Magecatcher, and the duct-taped bomb of an entry-level terrorist.

An incredibly narrow window determined whether the wall was on Jay’s side or Magecatcher’s side of the bomb. A difference of a few feet. A split-second flick of accuracy from Mike could lead to the greatest victory yet or the most horrible failure.

Jay didn’t have time to check. His sense of gravity covered his back with heavy shivers.

He closed his eyes and trusted his party to pull off the Hail Mary maneuver.

Boom.

***

“Huh, that went better than I thought,” Jay said.

He was sitting on the entrance ledge while absorbing a health crystal. Burns and heat rashes steadily healed with the help of the crystal. But it was far from a perfect fix. Moving was a pain.

Jay was happy that it was possible to crawl without a dedicated healer. Even if they had to wait out time limits and accrue lasting scars.

“That was insane,” Kleo said. “You all are insane.”

“No, not all of us,” Dennis said. “Jay is. Even if I had your powers, dude, I would’ve never done what you did.”

Frank pressed his mouth into a thin line. He looked annoyed that the plan hinged on Jay putting himself on the line for them. Just so they could platform around easier without the miniboss being a significant threat.

Jay chuckled. “It wouldn’t work without Mike plotting it out for us. Thanks, buddy.”

Mike nodded stiffly. He was still a little noxious from how close things could’ve ended terribly.

Suppose he was a split-second too late. Or too early. Jay would’ve died.

“Not only did you take out a top Rank 1 monster with as few moves as necessary,” Kleo commented, “you kept the loot from falling into the chasm by having it crash into the door as it burned. Damn, you guys don’t know the meaning of being newbie crawlers.”

“We’re not four basic bitches,” Jay said, scrolling through the recent notifications.

Your party has slain Toy Puzzle Room Magecatcher Miniboss, Level 10!

Congrats! Lesser Freak leveled up to 8! +8 Free AP.

Dance Floor Relativity leveled up to 10!

Dance Floor Relativity is at the pinnacle of its growth! Please evolve Lesser Freak to Rank 2 to continue leveling up the Skill.

Your party has looted 1 Good Cloak of Simple Hovering, 1 Good Anti-Magic Raptors Beak, 4 Good Barrier-Piercing Talons, 1 Basic Avian Monster Core, 1 Puzzle Solving Egg, 73 Iron Multiverse Coins.

“Good haul and we’re all Level 8,” Jay said, dropping all +8 AP into [Perception]. His worldview sharpened, and his sense of gravity expanded. His [166 Applied AP] is now double what he’d had entering the Toyreveler Dungeon.

“Kleo, question,” Mike said. “We see descriptors of items being basic or good throughout our journey. I’ve associated that with rank. Basic is Rank 1 items. Good is Rank 2 items. But here we see a Rank 1 monster having Good-quality loot.”

“Don’t you have Good-quality items?” Kleo pointed out. “You can use items that would normally be a rank above you, right? Dungeon monsters can do the same, reaching for power above us if we can meet requirements. Especially monsters at the top of their rank. But that depends on how they are designed when they form.”

“What do you mean?” Mike inquired further.

“Dungeon monsters can’t level up like you guys,” Kleo explained. “We’re stuck at our power by ourselves, only to be altered by the core and master. It’s part of what makes me degrade. This autonomy I have, it’s great, but it’ll be the death of me.”

“And a rebirth,” Jay said, standing up. “All right. I’ve rested enough. Let’s finish up.”

They moved together from platform to platform. Jay kept Kleo with him and acted like a lifeguard in case anyone fell.

To the big guy's displeasure, Jat had to save Dennis a few times. Since Mike had the least physical Attributes, the Cloak of Simple Hovering went to him.

It was hella fun for Jay, Kleo, and Mike to glide from platform to platform while the [Fighters] had to put in more effort.

Upon reaching each jungle bar enclosure, the [Fighters] cleared out the bug guards. They opened up the cage and passed the puzzle items to Jay. The [Freak] fell away from the group and planted each retrieved egg on an awaiting pedestal. Then he reunited with the party and helped them reach the next egg-holding ledge.

They made sure to loot anything valuable along the way, packing them into the lone rucksack Dennis carried.

Your party has looted 12 Basic Magic Polymer Chunks, 29 Basic Bundles of Fine Silk, 11 Good Bone-hacking Pincer Blades, 6 Basic Insectoid Monster Cores.

When they finished and reached the exit, all three eggs were set on their pedestals. A fourth pedestal rose from a hidden trap door in front of the others. The fourth held nothing up top, a silent and well-hidden request for a much-needed key item.

Jay and Mike shared an ear-to-ear grin.

They gave Kleo the honor of planting the fourth egg they’d taken from the slain miniboss. The doors to the third section where the dungeon master waited cracked open grandly. The moving gates rumbled the air as if accentuating the glorious moment for the dungeon crawlers.

They've finally reached the end of the dungeon crawl.

Jay kneeled beside Kleo. He pressed his mouth to her remaining ear.

“There is something you want to do,” he told her. “And there is something you need to do. You must do both, even if it’s pointless in the face of oblivion.”

“I have my doubts, Master Jay,” Kleo said tiredly. “I’m a Level 1 weakling. Shouldn’t I give up and fade?”

“What’s the answer to that?” Jay asked her.

Kleo hunched over as her gut degraded into nothingness. She was balancing her torso on a spine. A gruesome sight to behold under her cloak, but Jay withheld his pity. They had to be strong right now.

She looked beat. But a glint of bravery shone in the corner of her remaining eye. “It does feel good to rebel like this. Even if it’s to have my choice of a new master, this is my own defiance.”

Jay sighed pleasantly, surfing the ripples of gravity that nobody else could feel. That was the third time, like the third toll of an epic bell. He didn’t quite understand it due to his freakish madness, but he sensed everything needed to overcome the most significant challenge was at his disposal now.

It was time to bring this dungeon crawl to a worthwhile finale.