Huddled in his little cave, stuck to a ring ten yards across else the Dungeon would start respawning monsters and feeling the heat from Aslanbek pyrotechnical antics coming from above and the cold coming from the fjord across the portal, Nero took his time to think.

He had several options, not a single one of them good. He could stay there and play the waiting game, letting the prince just wither and die on the surface. It would take weeks or months depending on how much Essence he needed to survive but he would run out. Nero could wait for months with the cards he had. Hell, he could survive on raw wheat for years if he needed to. He was unsure if the fake wheat in the shelter would ever wilt and die. He was betting on no because the grass in the house-tree shelter didn't grow. Weird proto-Dungeon and their distortion of the laws of reality.

He could go up and talk to the enraged prince right now. And become a burnt corpse. Next.

He could [Egress] and ditch the prince to his own luck. He was sure the knights were outside searching for them.

Using the shelter portals to get out of the Dungeon was a no-no. Once he attuned a shelter to the Dungeon Essence, the dormant portals linking to the outside just stopped working. They didn't burn their duration either. And his doubled Attributes still worked in the two shelters he attuned, so yay?

And none of his shelters that contained people could be attuned or he would murder some very important people. Like his parents, or Crystal's knights. No, the latter could burn in hell for what they did to the villagers.

So, he had doubled Attributes and time on his hands. Nero knew exactly what he should do. Tinker. If there wasn't a satisfactory option, he would craft one. He took his easel, a chair, and some schematic paper.

One, two, three days passed. Nero risked respawns and switched Classes to study the Essence flows in the Dungeon. As he suspected, Aslanbek was using an infuser. He could clearly see the Dungeon growing stronger than it should. It was already... green? Yes, that was the feeling he got. Even with the few monsters that were respawning, Aslanbek wouldn't find a [Egress] card so easily. His high level almost guaranteed that the monsters would drop no cards. But he couldn't risk. Before blocking respawns again, he used his [Gadgeteer] Skills to fix some problems with his schematic.

On the fourth day, he missed the heat from above. Nero swam back through his tunnel and surfaced in stealth mode once he saw that the lake wasn't boiling anymore. The whole Dungeon was scorched and most of the ground was vitrified. It was night and the air was oppressive, heavy, and hot. Hard to breathe.

Nero saw a few lionesses and lynxes prowling around but no leopards. Maybe they needed the trees to spawn. In the middle of the safe entrance zone, a big wooden cottage was set. An Essence lamp lit the canvas from inside and after some time observing, saw Aslanbek moving inside through a glass window. He risked swapping Classes and checked with [Essence Analysis] and his goggles. Just a few Essence seeped from the windows, door, and chimney of the cottage. Very little, less than what trickled through the closed portal in Tyre's case. Probably a contingency for such cases. Or just a fortunate happenstance.

He went back to stealth mode and watched. After a few hours, Aslanbek walked out of his cottage wearing his full armor.

"Thanks the First King! Finally, some respawns!"

The prince sighed with relief and scanned around the cottage, including the surface of the lake. He then tossed a volley of firebolts up in the air that flew around and down as they homed into all the monsters at once. Nero was thankful the prince didn't find him or he was sure one of those firebolts would fly in his direction.

He walked around, looking for cards. None dropped in more than thirty kills. Nero dove when he returned to his cottage and swam back to his schematics.

A Dungeon week later, he finished his work. Nero checked, compared the schematic he made with the one for Moira's leg, and found no flaw. That would have to do. He took the materials and his workbench and put himself to build his latest creation. It was a brass box the size of a card pouch with two card slots covered by a hidden panel on the top, made to attach to one's bandolier.

[Magic-Proof Twin Skill Booster of Resistance +6] - yellow Accessory.

+8 Endurance

+8 Reason

+8 Willpower

+8 Charisma

Ths item must be attached to the wearer's bandolier or belt by a [Gadgeteer]. Once attached, it shares the Arbitrium's invulnerability. This item can be deactivated but not removed.

Special: Reduce all magic damage taken by 56%.

Special: Add half your Willpower to Vigor to resist magical damage.

Special: Add your Endurance to Any Attribute to resist the effect and/or damage of Spells and magical effects.

Special: Add half your Reason to Willpower or Charisma to resist the effect of mind-affecting Spells and effects, including illusions.

Special: You automatically spend mana to resist magic. This item will repeatedly drain 1 point of mana to add your Endurance as many times as it takes for the chance of your resistance failing fall lower than 11%.

Special: This item has two Skill slots. Attribute bonuses for the Skills attributed to this item are halved. Once set, a Skill cannot be removed.

Modifiers Installed: Enchant +6 [6]. Twin Skill Slot [16]. Magic-Resistance [3]. Spell Resistance [3]. Automatic Resistance [3].

"Necessity is the mother of invention, indeed," Nero mused at his finished piece.

There were some concessions he had to make. One of them was to bind the item directly to the bandolier's Essence conduits. That allowed it to draw more power and to affect the wearer's lifeforce. But the resistance should stack with the one from his spiked buckler, although it would be multiplicative instead of additive, to his detriment. The [Enchant +6] backfired on one of the options. His automatic chance of failure should be no higher than five percent, but the modifier changed that value to eleven percent.

That was the way of life. You couldn't win all battles. He removed the seedpod, sending the purple item to his pouch as a memento, and used [Essence Manipulation] to bind the crystal lattice at the back to his bandolier.

The crown jewel was the white-grade Class build he made back in Rafflesia when he was suspicious of the strange [Enchantress] they met.

[Mage] - white - bound to Nero

+4 Vigor (+2)

+2 Endurance (+1)

+4 Willpower (+2)

- [Body over Mind] - If you fail to resist a mental effect, spend 1 point of Stamina. Increase your resistance score by half your VIgor and check again. This Skill may trigger several times.

- [Mental Prowess] - Add half your Reason to resist magic effects and damage.

- [Forsake Magic] - Your mana pool is zero. Add half your Willpower to Vigor and Endurance. You cannot recover mana.

- [Arcane Berserker] - For every three points of mana you are missing, increase Strength and Agility by 1.

- [Magic Hunger] - If you have less than half your mana, reduce all magic damage received by half. You recover 1 mana for every magical attack you receive. (No mana pool).

- [Magic Resistance] - Add Half your Vigor to any Attribute to resist Spells or magical effects.

Nero waited until it was past midnight, paid the upkeep of his shelter, and activated the Class. He felt the surge of power. His mana pool of over a thousand points vanished. He had no mana. His Strength and Agility soared and increased by seven hundred and fifty points due to [Arcane Berserker] combined with his doubled Attributes. His magical damage reduction was now seventy-eight of the damage, or eighty-four if it was fire or corrosion and he was wearing his modified spiked shield. He was betting on fire.

Finally, he tossed the two [Egress] cards he obtained from the shameful prince in the shelter and closed the portal. It was time to have a chat with the prince.

Nero surfaced from the lake and was immediately spotted by Aslanbek.

"There you are, bastard!" The prince raged and erupted into flames.

"Hey, Your Royal Highness," Nero shouted and waved. "I hope you have a cool head today, can we talk? Parlay? Have a cup of tea? My treat. I got a yellow-grade [Green Tea Set] card here with me."

"You jest! I'll kill you for your insolence, and then get a [Egress] card to get out of this place!"

"Feel free to try," Nero spread his arms wide. "I'm not going anywhere."

Aslanbek tossed firebolts at Nero. To his improved Agility, they felt like they were moving in slow motion. Nero drew his rifle and shot the firebolts one by one as he ran around the scorched Dungeon.

"Gotta do better than that, Your Highness," Nero taunted.

The prince's anger flared just like the fire that was wreathing him. Scary Skill, that. The fellow must be immune to fire. Or at least his own. "As I said before, I WILL have answers! [Greater Command]! - Nero, come to me as fast as you can!"

Nero's shoulders slumped. He burned five points of stamina to resist that command. He also noticed that his resistance modifier on the item was USELESS because he had no mana. He resisted the urge to facepalm at his folly. "Really? No, really?" He clicked his tongue, annoyed. "Do you think I'd show myself without having a counter to the Skills you showed me? Please, Your Royal Highness. I really hoped you would be smarter than your brother."

He fired another round of firebolts. Nero dodged them as they came and drew the attention of a lioness. He swung his bayonet without turning it on. The blunt force from a Strength score two points shy of a thousand broke the lioness' ribcage and spine. The monster vanished in a poof of white glitter, dropping a red Essence crystal. Nero ignored it.

"You are a level zero! How can you dodge my magic!" He screamed, appearing possessed. "[Homing Firebolt Volley]!"

Thirty firebolts soared up in the sky and flew toward Nero. He broke into a dash, putting his enhanced mobility to bear. Nero ran in a broad circle around the Dungeon, ignoring the felines he angered as he passed, and dove into the lake. It felt like he went through a wooden board as he hit the water but he dove down. The firebolts hammered and boiled the water. Nero surfaced a dozen meters ahead and grinned as he gave the prince a thumbs up.

"How much mana do you have? I'm bottomed out here!" Nero teased. "Ready to talk?"

"How can you move like that?" Aslanbek asked. He didn't fire any spells at him, so Nero considered that a small victory.

"Do you have any idea where you are?" Nero asked. "If you did, you would understand a bit of the answer to your last question."

"A Dungeon, of course. The matter is, which Dungeon? I didn't hear that a... is THIS the new Dungeon that appeared?"

Nero clapped his hands. "Bravo! You are already at least three hundred points smarter than your late brother, Your Royal Highness. But you still didn't ask the key question so we can move forward."

Aslanbek paused. The flames around him vanished. A minute later, he asked. "What is the name of this Dungeon?"

Nero raised his arms. "Yes! I already like you a thousand times more than your brother, Your Highness. The name of this Dungeon? It is called 'Leonal Prince's Shame.' You have one chance to guess who is the boss. He's currently dead, by the way. The first thing I did when we came here was to kill him and take the [Egress] card with me."

The prince's eyes went wide. Aslanbek took a step back. "No. It cannot be! You liar!"

He tossed volley after volley of firebolts at Nero. He ran from them, dove into the lake, and eventually, the prince's outburst died down. At one moment he had five monsters chasing him. They eventually died to the fire.

"Don't let the scraps of goodwill you gained go to waste, Your Royal Highness," Nero said once the firebolts died down. "You are better than that! You were groomed to be a King, for crying out loud! Not some stupid berserking mage that only knows how to burn stuff!

"Worse yet, didn't you notice that I am NOT SHOOTING back at you? I could just kill you and be done with it. Hells, I could just destroy your cozy cottage and let your precious Essence infuser seep and empower the Dungeon instead of keeping you alive!"

"You can't kill me! I'm the Crown prince! I'll be your King!" Aslanbek shouted back, visibly delirious. He was also tired, exhausted.

Nero waved at him and pointed at the cottage. "Prince Aslanbek, you are suffering from Essence Starvation. Go back to your cottage and restore your strength and wits. I'll be out here, waiting."

Aslanbek nodded and limped into his cottage.

Nero waited for an hour, but aside from glaring at him from behind the window, Aslanbek didn't show up. A Lightning Leopard shot a bolt at him, startling but doing no damage. Nero dashed and smashed the skull of the critter with a punch. Another hour and the prince came outside.

"Let's duel, you and I," Aslanbek said. "If I win, you give me a [Egress] card. If you win, I'll grant you one wish."

Nero flipped the bird at the prince. "Fuck you, Your Royal Highness! This is my domain. You have no leverage here. Let's not forget you spent the best part of the morning trying to kill me without a causing single wound. Not. A. Single. Burn. On me," He mocked and looked to one side and the other of himself, patting his body in search of a wound.

"I was not being serious!" Aslanbek protested, irritated.

Nero guffawed, slapping his thighs. "That was the best joke I've ever heard. C'mon. You want to duel? To what? First blood? I'll demand whatever I want of you if I win. One wishes my ass."

"That's fine!" Aslanbek stood tall. "If you wound me, I, the Crown Prince of Bast, vow to obey your every command for a year and a day. I'll be your servant!"

Just before the prince finished his line, Nero drew his rifle and shot his right hand. Aslanbek tried to dodge, but Nero's Accuracy and correction from his rifle were too good. Not to mention that he shot without warning with an Agility of a thousand.

"I win!" Nero grinned as Aslanbek clutched his frozen and twitching hand. To make justice to the prince's resilience, his hand didn't blow away and the elemental damage didn't cripple him.

"Not fair! That's not how nobles duel!" Aslanbek protested.

"Neener-neener," Nero blew a raspberry. "You are the one at a fault here! You broke your father's edict! I owe Bast nothing by his own declaration! Not obeisance, not taxes, not anything! I saved your bloody country from an invasion! You saw Mayleefa's badge, didn't you? The only high officer with honor in that shithole of a cesspool of depravity. Count Honeywitch and Valanaegornif were traitors! And your little brother spent all his time fucking his whores instead of leading the army as he should.

"Do you have any idea why he was bound to a Dungeon for the rest of forever? Because he is the shameful prince! And if your stupid flaming head didn't barge in, we would have solved all the fucking problems this nation suffers from! But now?

"I offer you my hand in friendship after you tried to murder me and you spat on it! Great prince, great diplomat you are! You should join your brother here and share his burden!"

Nero's rage flared on. He was drunk on power and self-righteousness. But this was a Dungeon, and rule three was absolute.

"You want to know if I can kill you? FIne! Let's see if I can or can not kill you!"

Nero ran and went around the cottage. He skidded to a stop and waited. Once no firebolts came, he ran out from the other side as he bet Aslanbek would bet he was about to turn around and he shot the prince's ankle joint between the greaves and the sabatons from the side. Aslanbek's balance faltered. Nero moved a bit and dodged a volley of hastily thrown firebolts then shot at the weak spots of the leg armor, striking the back of the knee joint of both legs and then shooting the [Healing Potion] Aslanbek just summoned. Then he shot the hands and turned on his bayonet.

"We peasants have an expression, Your Highness," Nero shouted. "we use when we want to give up. We cry 'Uncle'. Did you hear that? Do you want to concede victory?"

Nero shot the prince's ear, singing the fur and leaving frostbite on it.

"C'mon! What will it be?"

Aslanbek slumped and let his body fall on the ashes. "I give up. You win."