“This is wrong,” said Adara. “The dungeon is not meant to be used this way. It is a reward. Not a…whatever it is you are doing.”

Zeke rolled his shoulders. “You’re welcome to sit it out,” he said, glancing to the side. She was wearing her armor, which he could admit – if only in his mind – looked good on her. She certainly cut a striking figure. “I’m sure I can find someone else to fill out the group.”

“That wasn’t my point.”

“I know,” Zeke said.

Behind him followed Pudge and Jasper, as well as Eta, who’d agreed to leave the farms to act as their healer. Her skills in that arena weren’t the most powerful in the tower, but she’d proven countless times that she could survive whatever the world threw at her. Anyone who could make it through the first dungeon they’d run had Zeke’s trust. Besides, if she could gain a few levels, she might get a new skill that would help the tower with its food production. So, as far as Zeke was concerned, bringing her along was a win-win.

The other three were similarly easy choices. Jasper’s songs could help everyone be better versions of themselves, and Pudge was…well, Pudge was Pudge, which meant that he had every ounce of Zeke’s trust.

The only question mark was Adara, though as a level fifty-one, she could at least hold her own. More importantly, she had run the dungeon before, which meant that she could act as a passable guide.

“That’s definitely the reason you brought her along,” said Eveline, who hadn’t even bothered to mask her sarcasm.

“Shut up,” Zeke muttered silently.

But in the back of his mind, he knew there was some truth to her accusation. Adara had already revealed everything she knew about the dungeon, and even if she hadn’t, it wasn’t as if it was a complicated place. The entire thing was contained in a single arena, where they would be faced with ten waves of increasingly powerful and more numerous foes. The shape of the enemies tended to change from one run to the next – sometimes, they were humanoid, others they were bestial monsters – but the layout was always the same.

As such, he didn’t really need to bring Adara along.

“Going on a dungeon run is probably the weirdest first date I’ve ever heard of,” Eveline continued. “But I suppose it’s appropriate for you. And judging by all that armor, she’ll probably enjoy it. Once she gets over herself, at least.”

Zeke tried to ignore the mind spirit, but he had to admit that she had a point. Adara wasn’t entirely hostile, but it was clear that she didn’t like him very much. That wasn’t surprising, considering he had invaded and conquered much of her home. Certainly, she’d surrendered and come over to his side, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t conflicted about it.

Or maybe she just didn’t like Zeke from a more personal standpoint.

“You really do like her, don’t you?” Eveline remarked, probably as a response to the wave of nervousness he’d experienced at the prospect of Adara’s dislike. “That’s kind of cute. You know, if you weren’t both adults and murderous…”

Zeke pushed her away, saying aloud, “This is happening. Get on board, or stay behind. I don’t want to listen to a bunch of complaints while we’re fighting for our lives.”

“Smooth,” said Eveline.

“I know how to conduct myself in battle,” said the part-orc woman.

“Good,” Zeke said, turning his attention to the dungeon before him. It had taken nearly a week for him to arrive, and even that had been pushing it. Without the group of kobold rangers that had guided them through the labyrinth, it would have taken much longer. Fortunately, the scouts had spent the past few months meticulously mapping the entire thing, so they had no issues leading Zeke and his companions to the dungeon.

Still, he wished he could have brought Silik and Kianma along, at least. Sasha, too. Pushing them to higher levels would have been extremely beneficial for both the tower and the war effort. However, the tower needed its leaders, and so, the two kobolds had stayed behind to ensure that everything ran smoothly in Zeke’s absence. As for Sasha, she was ill-suited for the sort of fighting at hand, which she readily admitted.

Besides, she didn’t seem eager to visit another dungeon – a sentiment Zeke understood very well after his previous two. The centaur trials had been torturous, but the giants’ dungeon had been enough to put Zeke off of dungeons entirely. Still, he’d resolved to push those memories aside and do what was best for his own development – and, as an extension of that, for the kobolds who followed him.

The dungeon itself was different from what Zeke had seen from the two others he’d challenged. Both of those had been fairly self-contained, with the entrances presenting as simple gates. However, this new dungeon – which the Knights had dubbed The Arena – was precisely what its name implied.

Instead of a gate, it was a huge building that reminded Zeke of the Roman Colosseum on Earth. Or any number of more modern sports arena that had used the famous ruins as a template. In any event, there were quite a few major differences as well. For one, it was larger, giving the impression that it could seat hundreds of thousands of people. It loomed above everything like an artificial mountain, though with artfully carved columns and arches.

The second key difference had to do with those carvings, each of which were incredibly detailed and depicted a wide variety of monsters, most of which Zeke didn’t even recognize. Each statue looked like someone had simply turned a living creature to stone, which given the nature of the Eternal Realm, might not have been that far off from the truth. Zeke had never encountered a monster that counted petrification among its skills, but he didn’t think it was a far-off possibility, either.

Finally, The Arena differed from any other structure Zeke had ever seen in that it was all just a façade. He’d been told that the thing had no interior, and that if someone were to try to climb inside from any entrance but the one at the front, they would disappear and never return. Despite his curiosity, that wasn’t a fate Zeke wanted to experience, so he had no intention of tempting fate by testing it out.

“Is there anything else we need to know about this place?” Zeke asked, turning to Adara, who stood stiffly beside him. “I’d hate to get in there and find some sort of deadly surprise waiting for me.”

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“I have told you everything I know,” she stated.

“I’m just saying – if I end up getting trapped in here or dying, your people are going to die, too. Everyone in the tower will,” Zeke stated.

“And yet you throw yourself into dangerous situations. That is irresponsible.”

“Maybe,” Zeke acknowledged. He’d thought the same thing himself. “But if I don’t get stronger, they’ll die, too. So, this is the only way forward.”

She didn’t have any retort for that. So, after Zeke had asked his other companions if they were prepared, receiving affirmative answers as a response, he led them forward and through the arched entrance.

The moment he stepped through, Zeke experienced that same feeling of displacement he’d felt the other two times he’d entered a dungeon, and then, he suddenly found himself in the center of a massive arena. A second later, the others appeared beside him.

The roar of a crowd, hundreds of thousands strong, erupted all around, and Zeke looked up to a sea of spectators. Some were races he recognized – like orcs and lizard-men and even a few humans – but most were completely new to him. They all looked so real that Zeke couldn’t help but wonder as to the nature of the creatures inside the dungeons. He’d often had those same thoughts, but when confronted with the crowd in The Arena, they bloomed anew.

The floor of The Arena was pure, white sand, and it extended for more than a mile in each direction, ending in tall stone walls that reached a height of nearly a hundred feet. Everything about The Arena was out of proportion, skewing much bigger than reality would suggest.

And that included the booming voice that drowned out the crowd and echoed across the space. Zeke couldn’t understand the words – which was an oddity, considering the automatic translation usually provided by the Framework – but he didn’t let it shock him. After all, he’d been warned, and he knew precisely what it meant.

Four gates – one in each direction – opened the moment the announcement ended, and a monster charged out from each one. They looked like lions, though with a snake for a tail and the horns of a ram. Zeke used [Inspect] on one:

Chimera – Level 58

It was as he’d been led to expect. Not only would the waves – ten in all – increase the number of enemies, but they would also grow more powerful individually. It was an escalating threat meant to test power and endurance – at least according to the propaganda recounted by Adara. For his part, Zeke expected it was just another challenge that was supposed to separate the weak from the strong.

As was the case with every other dungeon he’d encountered.

In any event, Zeke didn’t have time to ponder the nature of his world and the threats within it. With the chimeras bearing down on him, he used [Triune Colossus], fueling it with unattuned mana. He transformed, growing taller and broader while adopting his predominantly metallic form. Then, summoning Voromir, he met the chimera’s charge with an uppercut strike that took it directly in the lion-faced chin.

It flipped backwards, landing dozens of feet away, its jaw shattered from the impact.

At the same time, Adara drew her own sword – a massive blade that took two hands to wield – and brought it down in an overhand chop that crushed another chimera to the ground. Yet, it was not defeated – not until Jasper darted in, his various songs already in effect – stabbing his rapier through its eye socket. Then, he dashed away just before its tail struck, and the snake missed by inches.

Adara severed it just below the cobra-like head.

Meanwhile, Pudge wasted no time with his own enemy, summoning [Netherclaw] and tearing it to pieces. It never even came close. That left only one enemy, which Zeke rushed, tackling it to the ground before it could bring its natural weapons to bear in an attack that would have hit Adara in the back.

The two – Zeke and the chimera – rolled across the ground, both jockeying for position until, at last, Zeke ended up on top. The moment he gained an ounce of leverage, he reared back, his hammer gripped in both hands, and brought it down with a ruthless overhand strike that shattered the monster’s skull. Meanwhile, its snake-tail struck. Once. Twice. Then a third time. But the thing’s fangs were incapable of penetrating Zeke’s metallic flesh.

It was a good thing, too, because each attack left a coating of powerful venom on Zeke. He knew that if it had injected that venom into his flesh, the results would be both painful and debilitating – at least for a while. He was certain he could deal with it by using [Cambion’s Awakening] but thankfully, that wasn’t necessary.

In the end, the first round concluded when Zeke grabbed the chimera’s tail and tore it free. Then, he banged it on the ground until it quit twitching. At the same time, Pudge finished off the first monster with a ball of [Hellfire]. Eta had remained stationary, summoning her healing flower. It didn’t cost much mana, but it let her contribute the fight and gain kill energy.

Even though she didn’t actually heal anyone, it still worked on their fatigue. So, she got credit for some level of contribution, which would hopefully help her gain some levels.

“Easy,” Pudge growled as he returned to the group.

“Don’t jinx it,” Zeke cautioned.

“Jinx?” asked Adara. “Are you cursed?”

“Not that kind of…you know what? Never mind,” Zeke said. “Everyone look alive. It’s going to get a lot more difficult, I’m sure.”

To punctuate that statement, the unseen announcer bellowed something incomprehensible, and the gates opened again. This time, two monsters spilled free from each gate, and once again, they were monsters out of mythology.

Minotaur – Level 59

“One level per wave,” Zeke guessed. “That means by the end, we’ll be fighting level sixty-seven monsters.”

“Hopefully, the number won’t double each time,” Eta said.

“It will be more,” Adara stated as the monsters cautiously approached. They were clearly more intelligent and far less bestial than the chimeras had been. “The numbers are never consistent, but my other experience within the Arena saw the final waves reach into the thousands. We had ten people, with one…chaperone.”

Zeke understood the implication. On the surface, they seemed weaker than whatever force the Knights had sent. However, Zeke knew that numbers were not really representative of power. After all, he felt certain that his personal might exceeded whatever their chaperone could bring to bear. Still, he didn’t want to underestimate what was coming.

Especially considering that after the first run, he intended to venture forth solo.

In any event, he had some minotaurs to kill. So, Zeke hefted his hammer and used [Center of Gravity], yanking one to him. At the same time, he engaged his twin domains, [Aura of Desolation] as well as [Burden of Sovereignty]. Immediately, his allies grew stronger as glowing red runes bloomed across their bodies, and the minotaur monsters all stumbled.

Except the one Zeke had pulled in his direction. That one fell toward him, and when it finally arrived, it was met with a vicious uppercut from Voromir. It tried to block the attack with outstretched hands, but they were crushed before Zeke’s might. The hammer kept going, meeting the monster’s torso and crushing its sternum before the momentum of the swing knocked it halfway across The Arena.

Over the next few minutes, Zeke and his allies engaged the minotaurs. Now that he’d used his domains, the fight proved trivial. That wasn’t to say it wasn’t potentially dangerous. It was. However, it would have taken an egregious mistake for that danger to prove lethal. And in the end, the melee ended without any major injuries. The few wounds they did pick up were already being healed by Eta’s flowers.

Only a few moments after the last minotaur fell to Pudge’s vicious claws, the announcer’s bellow once again filled The Arena. And a second later, the gates opened, revealing the next opponents, which were sixteen winged horses.

Pegasus – Level 60

Zeke knew they would prove even more dangerous than their levels suggested, if only because of their ability to fly. Thankfully, they seemed to be hemmed in by his domains, which meant that they couldn’t fly for more than a few seconds at a time. Still, Zeke expected that it would be a difficult fight, followed by even more of the same.

He rolled his shoulders and prepared to meet the challenge.