Our collective minds were abuzz with confusion and bewilderment. Recalling all the instances when we thought the world was hopelessly unfair.

  That time when our friend Claire couldn’t join us in the Dungeon because she had no core. Because her parents had not worked hard enough when they were brought into the fold.

  That time when Eddie and us were separated in our training when he wasn’t able to keep up. Because he had a Stage 2 Core, [Smithing] and his time was better spent making weapons rather than risking his neck out there with the monsters.

  We remembered when Helen almost died after being poisoned by a giant purple toad on the fourth, despite us being perfectly fine. She’s lasted longer than most, but she too couldn’t keep up with what we were doing.

  We remembered being made to group up with people like Julian and his sister. Who were more inclined to bitch and moan about how unfair it was to be compared to coach Homer when they chose to laze around doing nothing in particular most days.

  We remembered all too well how they’d treated the likes of my friends because they were weak. Despite all my friends being nicer and working harder.

  We had vowed to change it.

  To make a difference despite great grandpa Carlyle saying there was no helping it.

  We promised ourselves we would find a way to make it right.

  And here was this moron. Dangling the secret in front of us like it was nothing.

  Swaggering around like he owned the place as he got soldiers assigned to watch his rear. Thinking that he was going to own the Dungeon too.

  As he and his flunkies prepared, the rows upon rows of people around took pictures and videos or posed for the news.

  “Good morning everyone. This is Jane Holland with the Channel 6 weekend review. Before we begin, let us hold a moment of silence for our cameraman Gary, who was found dead by Detroit PD last night. The number of dead after the monster surge was surprisingly sparse. Almost reaching zero with most people dying as a result of the riots that ensued. Which makes this death even more tragic. Gary was supposedly found dead with both eyes and his liver missing. The police have revealed that whatever monster broke into his apartment also bit several chunks of flesh from his rear, belly, forearms and thighs. All while leaving the organs like the heart and lungs untouched. Very sad. We at channel 6 news will hold a candlelight vigil tonight in his honor.”

  We listened closely through Muller’s ears for the things the crowd was saying, but in truth our attention was locked completely on Ryuji and his harem of pretty girls. Also, Slitpipes. Who we were sure was the most dangerous person on attendance.

  Speaking of which, Ryuji was taking the time to parse through a bunch of sidearms. Not rifles, but sidearms. Handguns and the like. He was strapping several belts to his trench coat and affixing the smaller guns to them. In a way that he thought was cool, but which actually screamed active shooter.

  However, against all odds… The girls next to him seemed to love it. All of them were actually, literally fawning over him and shoving each other away from him.

  “Now onto the news. A woman in California has been sued for damages by her neighbours as several of them claimed damages to their eyes and mental health due to her being so ugly. Lawyers said this would be a breakthrough case as, though it might seem frivolous, the woman in question was known to walk around in a bikini when going to the beach and at least one suicide has been attributed to her visage. In addition, several child therapists claim their clients were hopelessly scarred after, and I quote, ‘Having their retinas burned by looking at something straight out of the deepest pits of Dis.’ More at eight.”

  She gave the camera a dashing smile.

  “In other news, a man in Florida is facing kidnapping charges after holding several doctors at gunpoint and ordering them to make his dog immortal. The dog in question was a 12-foot-long gator that ended up chewing off one of the doctor’s arms. Moving on, researchers all over the world have been baffled and befuddled after the existence of magic was made public. Channel 6 news reached out to renowned NASA physicist Brett Lockheed for comment. Brett Lockheed replied by wagging his finger over his lips going all ‘Tululululu!’ and screaming about how nothing is real and we were all tiny insignificant particles floating in a deep uncaring universe that also wasn’t real. More on that story at nine.”

  She chuckled. Making it seem as if it was a joke.

  It probably wasn’t.

  “In other news, more government agencies have come out with news that they too were working with the newly found energy called magic. Specifically, the British government have revealed hat they were working on a new and innovative method of construction that would cause far less damage to the environment. This method takes the form of giant 30-foot-tall scorpion-crabs that would destroy all in their path in order to clear the way for new buildings and carry large loads to construction sites. Doctor Chester Skulls is the genius behind these new workers. Having stumbled upon inspiration for the idea after a terrible military experiment dissolved his right eye and right hand. The latter being replaced by a robotic claw, which was the most that Allstate insurance was willing to provide. And I must say, good for him. Anyone else would have been embittered and sworn death and revenge on humanity, but not him. He put his feelings aside and gave the world marvelous 30-foot-tall scorpion-crabs. Doctor Chester Skulls was later interviewed by Channel 6 news and gave us the quote: I was inspired by the weakness and selfishness of humanity. Now all will now the name of Doctor Chester Skulls. More on this story at ten.”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  She cleared her throat to continue.

  “Moving on. Children. Can they be trusted with secrets? Say if one saw a hypothetical person eating a human liver behind a dumpster and growling the name of a random man in ecstasy? I asked a few people here on the street and got some surprising answers…”

  “The time has come!” Ryuji bellowed suddenly. Gently edging the reporter from the camera and making himself the center of attention.

  “Good people of this city! I am Ryuji Hanamura and I come to you with your salvation!”

  He lifted his shirt once more. Revealing the two Cores amidst a flurry of flashing cameras and phones.

  “This is what a Core looks like and we will now tell you how to get two or more!”

  We sputtered and shook our heads as one. So did Muller due to our connection.

  This freaking clown had refused to share anything in the command tent. No matter how hard our Saboteur and by extension the Colonel who followed our lead, asked.

  And now here he was. Spouting off to the entire internet about something that was quite literally earth-shattering in its implications.

  For no reason.

  ‘Is he just compensating for something!?’ We wondered at once. ‘Could be. Maybe he has a really small banana and he’s now decided to make it everyone else’s problem by going on and on about how much of a badass he is. Would explain the cringy trench coat. And insistence on belting handguns to it. And the harem. Yeah, now that we think of it, those girls are probably all paid actors.’

  We decided to reach into their minds.

  Then we heaved because they all really, really wanted to sleep with him. Like… genuinely.

  We took another look inside his mind and saw…

  A single metaphorical fly buzzing around an endless empty void.

  So either he had a way to block mind-reading or he wasn’t actually that complicated.

  Good to know.

  We tried reading Slitpipes and found… a lot of things.

  So we left and spent a few minutes disconnected from the Dungeon and all our units. Heaving on the floor.

  When we came back, the lady from the news was actively interviewing Ryuji.

  “So what you’re saying is that you have a defector from Carlyle Robertson’s conspiracy that helped you get a second Core?”

  “That’s right.” Ryuji answered. “A young woman whom we rescued. With a Core that no one on their side knew what to do with. Patience Fowler, sister to the gorilla, Cecil Fowler.”

  The man made a face.

  “She had been hysterical when she reached us. Her Uncle told me everything. It turns out that she and her family had been kidnapped by Carlyle Robertson and forced to work for him because Carlyle wanted someone to grow his food for him.”

  We stopped dead in our tracks. Eyes going wide.

  “They brainwashed the gorilla, Cecil Fowler, but not the others. They’re all safe now. All the Fowlers. They’re staying with the other brave whistleblowers in a location maintained by my family. Why, I even promised to save Cecil if I could.”

  He donned a serious expression.

  “We don’t know where he is yet, but I promised his uncle and his aunt and even his little cousin that I would do my utmost in order to save him. I mean to keep that promise.”

  “Didn’t he beat the… didn’t he assault you the last time you two met?”

  “Yes. I was… careless.” The man looked ashamed. “I had not expected him to be as strong as he was. That will not happen again. I promise to you all and to his family, if you’re watching, that I have a cunning plan to incapacitate him without hurting him too much.”

  ‘We’ll kill you.’ We roared within our mind. Shaking the very walls of the Dungeon with our wrath.

  ‘Going on TV and purposely saying that you have our family. It’s no different than declaring you’re taking them hostage. Forcing them to work for you…’

  The Dungeon Core screamed. Blood now oozing from the walls in every floor as hundreds of limbs struggled to break free. To escape and rip and tear.

  ‘So this was Casper’s plan. Taking our family hostage and saying as much on TV to force our surrender. Telling us to knock it off and give up the Core, or else.’

  “I promise you all, we will triumph! No matter how bleak the day seems! Justice will prevail!”

  ‘None of you will ever make it out alive.’

  “I will even agree to take several reporters with us, to catalog how the Dungeon works and how one fights against monsters.”

  ‘We will kill you all.’

  “And with the knowledge we gain, we will break free from the shackles Carlyle Robertson wanted to put us in! We will break free of ignorance and tackle this new world together!”

  ‘I will kill you all.’

  It felt as though Pool Cecil said that, but we could no longer tell him apart from the rest of us.

  Indeed, it was almost as if he was the sole voice of reason as we reeled from the implications. The threats.

  ‘Slowly.’ I finished. ‘I will kill you all. Slowly. And I will revel in your screams.’

  “No one can stop humanity’s indomitable will!” He shouted. And the people around him cheered.

  “No one!”

  They all cheered together. While below them, the walls and floors shifted. New creatures being born amidst salt and smoke and an insatiable hunger.

  For blood.

  “Hello everyone. This is Jane Holland once more. Live from Detroit. We are currently installing a series of signal boosters so as to keep rolling live as long as possible. Our technicians assure us we will be able to maintain a feed of decent quality for the length of the first floor so long as we keep dropping the boosters every few hundred feet of depth. Once more, our thanks to Hanamura Heavy Industries for their generous donation in service to getting you all the undiluted truth.”

  The people behind her were moving about in a frenzy. Scattering like drunken ants.

  “And I am now being told that we’re ready to descend! Fantastic! Please stay tuned to get every detail of the Dungeon and see just what it takes for our brave militias and volunteers to get superhuman strength and speed.”

  The reporter began following the large group of soldiers. All of whom were themselves following the main group led by Ryuji Hanamura and his harem and, of course, Slitpipes.

  However, the latter stopped dead in their tracks before fully entering the hole.

  “This feels wrong.” He said at once. Sounding surprisingly coherent for once.

  “What do you mean, Slitpipes-san?”

  The man sniffed the air.

  “This feels dangerous.” He reiterated. “I’m scared.”

  “So am I.” Ryuji answered at once. “I’ve been scared this whole time. But I think it’s only at times like these, when we are frightened of what’s ahead, that one can be truly brave.”

  “No.” Slitpipes insisted. “You don’t understand. My Core. My first Core. Is howling. This place is much scarier now. Much more than before. It feels like death is right in front of me. Trying to drag me deeper inside instead of trying to push me out. I don’t like it.”

  “All right then.” Ryuji followed up. “All the more reason to go down and destroy whatever is giving you such feelings. Because if we don’t know one else will.”

  Ryuji made to descend. His harem in tow.

  Slitpipes didn’t follow him.

  Instead, he turned and ran in the opposite direction. Sweat streaming down his forehead.

  One of the soldiers looked back the way he came and raised his voice.

  “A… are just gonna let him go?”

  “We are.” Ryuji confirmed. “I don’t know what’s gotten into my friend, but we can’t stop the operation because of one person. We have a duty to humanity. If we don’t conquer the Dungeon, then more monsters will just keep coming.”

  He turned around.

  “Follow me, friends. Into the darkness.”