** Serena's Mind ***

Serena closed her eyes and lowered her head. She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. She was told by everyone around her at the Water Palace that she would charm all with her Class once she got it. Her Charisma of thirty-eight at level four was a thing to behold and it would only improve one she reached level twenty. People are confident in their self-image. The first reaction to something that challenges it is denial. Serena was having a lot of that as she put everything together and the result was impossible.

Nero could very well have had that crystal from before he entered the Dungeon. It was a crystal you'd see a Knight bring from a delve at a rank-XXX Dungeon. The formula was simple, the monster's level squared times ten, times the quotient of the level divided by fifty, divided by the average level of the Adventurers nearby when the monster died. The special case was a level zero Adventurer, in which they just didn't count as they absorbed too little Essence. A level one, on the other hand, would absorb tiny amounts. Enough that the crystal on the table would have one less Essence.

But her [Sense Motive] would've told her if he was lying. He would need a Skill nobody inside a rank-I Dungeon could possibly have to fool her Skill. That's why she hid in there. Nobody with a level above ten would enter as their limiter would kill them. And anyone below level ten wouldn't be a danger to her. To add insult to injury, everyone knew this Dungeon was suicide for a novice. In a few decades, it would upgrade to a rank-II Dungeon because the energy concentrated on the Boss was overflowing after centuries of neglect.

Of all people, she had to run into them. Him. Nero Zero. Heh! What a travesty. His level couldn't be zero. He used Skills! He used [Mana Bolt]. He used [Mending] and [Clean]. It was obvious he had some weird Skill combo that made him immune to her Charm. And she did cast the spell more than once at that time. Three times, to be precise. She always did that when failure would be catastrophic.

He set the Stomping Shambler on fire. And after counting all that he did, Serena's heart sunk. Nero used too many Skills. He could mimic some effects using items but all of his gear was too shabby. His amulet was something good but the others? The point was if she put a name to everything she saw Nero do, including what she saw while observing him hunt for a week, it didn't add up. She had a legendary Class and it gave her two extra Skill slots. It was something to kill for. Nero used more than eight. If she put a name to every Skill-like effect she saw him use, it would be more than twenty.

Even if he had a legendary that gave two Skill slots on every Special entry, that would be only ten extra. Even if he did, why would someone that powerful waste points with a slapdash array of things that did no sense together? He didn't. And he couldn't have a Class at level zero.

The princess's thoughts went in circles. She couldn't figure out the man in front of her and it scared her. He was immune to her [Charm]. He farmed crystals that shouldn't exist in a low-level Dungeon. And he used too many different Skills.

"How can you do so much if your level is zero, Nero?" She finally asked after almost blowing steam from her ears.

"Unique black Class," He replied with a straight face.

Her [Sense Motive] told her it was not just straight, it was spotless. Serena felt every muscle in her body seize.

She was a princess, she received the best education. A good part of it was lore. Unique cards, the black borders. Treasures others would fight for. Kill for. If they didn't have the stupid requirement of binding on pickup. Whoever touched the card first was the owner, even if they couldn't use them. Most black cards were just novelty because they couldn't be read. Or decoded. Only those that could use the card could read them. So the black cards were sold as novelty and wealthy collectors paid very well for them. They were nice to look at even if they made no sense. They even had illustrations that hinted at their purpose. No other cards had pictures.

"What does it do?" She finally raised her head and looked at him.

"By itself, nothing. But it lets me equip another tier-I Class on top of it with its own set of Skills. And I can switch them."

Serena laughed. The torrent of emotions was so strong she cried. She heard once, that if you take out everything that is impossible, whatever remains is the truth, no matter how absurd it was.

That was his truth. That was Nero. Someone that should be a cripple, an outcast. By a stroke of luck or through sheer determination, he found his own path out of the depths. What good was her own Level cap? It increased her value as merchandise, as a commodity so precious it was stolen and broken.

"It is true, Serena. And proof we trust you. Nero would be dead if his secret came out," Altia said.

Poor Altia had no idea. Serena looked at the crystal he brought from the lieutenant boss. If he could harvest a cristal this strong from a mere level twelve monster, he would be put in a Dungeon mine forever. Farming crystals to sate the hunger of an empire.

The Princess stood. She wiped her tears. She knew she had to grow stronger. More than that, not once [Sense Motive] detected any deception from them. Nero was suspicious and he should be. She didn't blame him.

Serena made her choice. Her upbringing screamed at her she was making a mistake. That she should use these two and then discard them. She didn't want that.

The young nereid told her upbringing to go to hell.

"I accept it as true. You are Nero, level cap zero, with a unique Class," The princess said as she climbed back on her feet. "I am out of mana and represent no threat to you. Please show me your true power, Nero."

The young man nodded. He lifted his wrist so she could see the opening of his Class port underneath the display. A card came out, white. [Mage]. He took another, green [Warrior].

"[Dash n' Slash] - [Mobile Strike]!"

He shouted the Skills and his form blurred, reappearing a few yards ahead and his sword swung two times in the time it would take to swing once. He walked back to where he started, sheathed his sword and showed her another swap. A white [Rogue] this time.

"[Phantom Blade] - [Envenom]," He tossed a translucid dagger coated in green from his empty hand in the air. "[Smoke Bomb] - [Stealth]," He vanished in a puff of smoke and reappeared twenty meters to her side after a minute.

Then he changed into a [White Mage] and used [Cure Wounds], [Mending], [Clean]. And finally, he changed into [Mage], the build that allowed him to resist Serena's spells. Trust is hard to come by in a savage land where no murder will ever have consequences beyond one's conscience and the winner takes all.

"Stand up, Serena. I accept your pledge. You will always have a bed to rest and a spot at my table."

The princess lowered her head. "I thank you, milord."

"Now, don't do that. I'm no lord. I guess I need to find a way to smuggle you out of here. And keep you safe and hidden while the rest of the world looks for you."

Altia approached and held Nero's arm. "Husband, your wife is hungry. Food, please."

He kissed her forehead. "Yes, sure. I ate some fruit in the forest, guess I should return your cards and summon some food for you. While you eat, I am going to chop some wood. Gotta make another chair. Or at least a stump stool for me."

"Why not make a bench?" She suggested.

Nero left the two women to their lunch and went out into the glade again. He changed into his [Mana Bolt] build and killed trippers until he reached the treeline.

"I'm going to need a ton more Strength for this," He mumbled.

He changed into [Warrior], summoned a [Greataxe] from a white card, and hacked away at the trees. They were made of Essence and would vanish if taken outside the Dungeon, just like almost anything else with rare exceptions. Altia's potions, for example, were heavily processed and infused with her own mana. That changed the nature of the materials to become permanent. The ax and the tree would remain until the Dungeon could reset, being reabsorbed and remade.

He hacked the trees thinking of how he would get Serena out. He would need to go and ask for help. Maybe her supporters would help but Nero doubted they were still active or even alive. The persecution of the nereid now made sense. They were trying to find the princess.

Nero shook his head. They came here to spend some quality time alone, enjoying each other. Not to get involved in an international diplomatic incident. Too late now. Things would get super awkward with Serena around. He'd needed to dig a latrine. Maybe make at least a screen. Right, more wood.

The rest of the day was spent delimbing the trunks. Night fell, Nero was tired and trying to find an excuse to not drag the trunks back to camp. His luck was that the ground around him was covered in twigs and cut tree branches. He heard the shambler coming from behind him.

Nero spun and didn't hesitate. He activated his one-two combo. He closed the distance and hacked away with the [Greataxe]. The weapon bounced, leaving only a nick on the spongy moss. [Mobile Strike] triggered before he could process the effect of the first blow and the ax came down again, making another dent a few inches away from the first.

Surprised and off-balance from the bounce, he couldn't dodge the slam. The shambler punched him on the ribs and he was launched away. The blow had the same properties as before. It connected and did nothing while the moss was being compressed, then pushed him away and when he was off-balance the moss sprung back and launched him away. Nero flew for ten yards and fell in the field of flowers. He looked around and found no thorny tripper. This combo would be fatal.

He tossed the ax at the shambler and the weapon hit off-alignment to bounce off harmlessly. Nero got back on his feet and drew his sword, turning it on and moving away for the two seconds it took for the teeth to speed up. He measured up the shambler. It was a level six by the size and speed it moved. Nero grimaced. His flank hurt even after the blow was cushioned by his brigandine. He shook his head and charged. That shambler was going to become splinters.

Compatible Anima detected. Energy absorbed above the threshold. Processing upgrade. Weighing Attribute strain.

For defeating a foe six times your level, you gained +1 Vigor.

At least something good out of it. Training Vigor was the hardest as you had to get hurt for that. Nero retrieved his dented [Greataxe] and collected picked up the ends of two logs. It was going to be a drag of a drag. By the time he returned to the camp, Altia was done with her alchemy for the day and was cleaning up her equipment. Serena was sitting on a cushion, humming some beautiful but haunting tune.

"I'm back," Nero announced.

There was a tension in the air, the way the two women were slow to react. Altia actually finished stowing her alchemy equipment before answering.

"Welcome back, husband," She smiled but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Is something wrong? Is it something I should know?"

"No. Serena and I were talking. What do you get there?"

Nero removed the greataxe from his back. It was badly slung through his bandolier. "I got some wood. I need a third chair so I'm making me a chair or stool of some sort. We also need an outhouse so I'm making at least a screen and digging a latrine tomorrow morning. We can't just dig a hole somewhere between the flowers anymore."

"Good. Serena knows how to reach the river. I emptied one barrel, we could fetch more water. Our armor is self-cleaning but baths are nice, you know?"

Nero nodded. He closed his eyes and he felt tired. "I might go to sleep early today."

"Yes, we have the tent today,"

Altia put some emphasis on the 'we'. Nero's gaze wandered to Serena's back.

"Okay. Let's make sure Serena is comfortable outside," He said.

The princess raised a hand, "You don't need to worry about me. I spent months sleeping on the ground. Even this cushion here feels like a luxury."

Something happened between the two women but Nero didn't want to bother them by asking the obvious. The least he knew, the better. They ate dinner and Nero could barely climb into the tent before he fell asleep.