“Time to go, Caesar.” Lily looked a little downcast at his disappointed mood. He followed them further into the dungeon. They picked up the pace. A few more rooms and corridors appeared – the usual. He busied himself with thoughts about his future until they came across another cozy room. The other two took this time to sleep while he kept watch.

[Notice]: Congratulations! Your Ever-Shifting Faces has leveled up to Level 19! +2 Free Stat Points

His mood lifted. He sent his skeleton mage to open the gate and perhaps secure some loot before the others woke up.

[Item]: Beastslayer Sword – Rank 0

[Rarity]: Rare

[Effects]: A sword with increased damage against beasts.

Although only rank zero, it cut through his hippo’s hide like rank one equipment should. He nodded in satisfaction and stuffed the blade into the skeleton mage’s backpack with the rest of his loot.

------------------------

The group moved on. A while later, they found a corpse cut open – Arnold’s work. Lily and the guard ran ahead. Caesar followed behind in the distance, unhurried.

When he reached their room, he found the others arguing over what to do next. Arnold led the attack, arguing to kill the boss in the hidden dungeon first.

“Think I don’t know what you’re doing?” said the arrogant man to Arnold. “You’re trying to tire us out before the actual boss fight. Reducing our contributions, then our spoils. Shameful.”

“You think secret areas have worse treasures? Wrong. They can have great items but that’s only if we clear them. That’s why we need to fight this first. You’ll get some if you help.”

“Easy for you to say. She has an S-tier ability.” His spiteful eyes glared at Mary, then sneered at Arnold. “Unlike you.”

That came as no surprise to Caesar. Mary had told him the day she awakened. But the tone in the nobleman’s voice hinted at the primary source of conflict between the two brothers. Perhaps, in their competition, most favored the S-tier to win.

Arnold dismissed the scornful tone. “I’ll fight front and center then. Happy?”

“Very.”

True to his word, Arnold walked in front while the bodyguard led the unfriendly group of nobles to his right. Mary and Lily formed their own little group to his left, sticking closer to Arnold while also keeping an eye on the other nobles. In the back, Caesar watched. They were warier of each other than the monsters in front.

Smooth stone without any markings replaced the familiar walls. Finally, this farce would soon end. Mary turned back in worry while the other five went into what they hoped would be the final room.

“Will you be alright, Caesar? I heard what happened.”

He nodded. “Don’t worry. I can still hold my own.”

In the middle of the room lay an intricate altar decorated with glowing markings. Four pedestals rose in the air, upon which four Rare undead glared at the party. They were level twenty-two – he had gained the ability to view exact levels from identify after ranking up.

At the sides of the altar stood a Skeleton Sharpshooter and a Skeleton Berserker. At the head, a Skeleton Knight wielded an eerie halberd while its Skeleton Battlemage partner chanted a ritual.

Four weaker skeletons – archer, brute, squire, mage – loitered around the altar. Unlike last time, these apprentice undead were empowered by energy from the ritual. He estimated they could muster up rank two stats for a period of time.

Arnold initiated the fight with a greatsword swing at the archer. But the squire caught the attack on its ability-bolstered shield. Instead of helping as four undead converged on him, the other noble group stood by and hurled random attacks in his general direction.

He cursed and unleashed his facet. Light exploded from his body in rays, skewering the skeletons and knocking them back. He used this reprieve to stab the archer’s eye, killing it. The other four nobles shot down the mage. “You still want rewards, huh?” Arnold said.

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

The two melee skeletons paused and broke off toward the other noble group. Arnold didn’t bother stopping them. The arrogant noble screamed profanities and shot off a quick sequence of three spells: fire bolt, frost bolt, and fireball. A pale barrier launched into the brute and sent it flying back. The bodyguard closed in on the squire while Arnold finished off the brute.

The altar stopped glowing. Four furious skeletons stepped off their respective platforms and stalked forward. Since his party had dealt more damage, they were targeted first. An arrow propelled by unnatural wind ripped through the air, aimed at Mary. Thorns moved to intercept it, but it turned abruptly in mid-air and headed for Caesar instead. He let it pierce his left shoulder.

Mary tried to heal him while an augmentation spell hummed. To prevent it, the other mages focused their spells on the enemy battlemage. But the skeletal berserker swelled in size to block them. Spellfire splashed off the berserker’s body – a Spell Shield. It stomped forward with its doubled size and swung a two-handed ax toward the other nobles.

The skeleton knight flickered into shadow and rushed at Arnold, locking him down. The two noblemen left their bodyguard to defend, casting spells as they fled. A fiery lance shot toward the berserker’s legs, but ice formed at the point of impact. The stone underneath trembled and melted away, turning into quicksand that trapped the berserker.

Caesar and Mary huddled together with Lily, who tried her hardest to defend against the arrows. A few hit him. With all their combatants bogged down, the mage’s spell was successful. Red light glimmered around the skeletons’ muscles. The berserker tore itself free. The sharpshooter drew its bow faster. The knight though, still failed to hit Arnold.

The ranged skeletons recognized the danger and switched targets. But this freed up Mary to cast a Rain of Fire. Lightning-quick dodges allowed Arnold to avoid getting hit in his vitals. Light rays flashed again, and he drank a Potion of Fire Resistance.

The fire rain devastated two skeletons but only harmed the third. In an act of desperate, the sharpshooter dashed toward Caesar, who delighted in exacting his revenge.

He chose not to mark it. Its abilities failed to satisfy him, and he’d much prefer the Skeleton Knight instead, or perhaps the Flesh Elemental in Starry Forest. But no wisp arose when Arnold’s sword sliced through its skull, causing him to sigh.

“What’s wrong, Caesar?” Mary admired her handiwork.

“Was I useless that fight?”

“No… you did well! You helped protect us,” she said. “It’s fine. It’ll be better next time. What’s your level?”

“Twelve.” He hoped he had calculated correctly. Three from Undead Swamp, three from Elemental Lair, and five from this dungeon. Of that five, three from this skeleton. Sounds about right.

“Don’t worry, Caesar. Your ability gets much better. We’ll bring you to more dungeons when we can.”

He nodded and tried to look a little happier. Arnold looted the halberd, inspected it in his hands, and came over.

“I have a feeling we’ll run into a little trouble when we leave the dungeon,” he said as he watched the other group fight the berserker.

Another three sequenced spells hit the skeleton while a red light surged around the bodyguard, much faster than the Battlemage. Interesting abilities. Caesar eyed them like a predator, thinking about whether or not he should have his horror ambush them afterward. Too much of a risk. He turned his sight away quickly in case anyone grew suspicious, spying the altar as an object of fascination. He studied the markings, which looked like a vague shape of an eye. The gaze trailed upward, where a slightly discolored blotch appeared, and he identified the spot on a whim.

Dungeon Detected!

Lost Canvas

[Type]: Field

[Level]: Low Rank 2

Shock forced his head to turn away, back to his teammates. The others were still watching the struggle. With the spell shield broken, the berserker didn’t last long.

“Let’s go,” Arnold said.

The party split the loot. A sharp ax and tough helmet – spoils from the berserker – were given to the other group, while his party took the rest of the enchanted gear for his contributions in the fight. The seven of them gathered around the altar’s receptacle, where many little items sat.

Arnold took the lead in distributing the loot, scolding the other three for their weak performance. He gave them around a quarter of the materials, which they took in a huff. The group exited, but Caesar still looked a little dazed.

Just outside the room lay a set of stone stairs ascending to another room above. The party climbed the stairs, Arnold in front, and the other noble group in the middle. They exited overlooking the boss room, where a horde of skeletons and zombies surrounded a rare Wight in the center. The two warriors dove into the fray while Caesar followed on the outskirts, his mind spinning. The revelation had sent shivers down his spine.

Those secret areas…weren’t hidden dungeons? Did I miss any?

After the fight had ended, he stopped and rested. The spoils were distributed again, and the two groups split up to clear the mansion in its entirety.

“How are you feeling, Caesar?” Arnold asked.

“I’ll take a break. You go on without me.”

Mary hesitated but left him alone to his thoughts after healing him fully.

He narrowed his eyes. His mark hadn’t regenerated yet. It seemed his ability actually had a downside after it ranked up.

I shouldn’t have used up my second mark on a test.

Caesar fiddled with things around the boss area but nothing important stood out. Thus, he did nothing else but await the others’ return.

Arnold’s group looked happier. Clearly, they had picked up something good. Meanwhile, the arrogant noble’s group did not look nearly as pleased.

With the boss slain, the dungeon began to destabilize, but it’d take much longer depending on how large it was. This one might take weeks, but they hadn’t seen the entire underground location yet. Perhaps it might take months, enough for further exploratory attempts. It wasn’t difficult to gauge the time, although staying inside was risky. Nobody knew what happened if the dungeon disappeared with people remaining.

The seven of them began their long trek back home. With four roads to choose from, the two groups split apart without talking and left. He stayed quiet on the trip back, sharing a few conversations with Mary, but not as many as before.

---------

“Sorry for dragging you into this mess,” said Arnold. “You might have to stay at my house for a while until dungeon rights get sorted out.”

“Is this the trouble you were talking about earlier?” Caesar said.

“Yes. Someone from my family should come and guard the place once word gets out about the dungeon. Problem is, I don’t know if they’ll help much.”

“What do these rights entail?”

“They’re the rights to keep the dungeon’s loot and explore further. You need to know that domain dungeons are very rare. But I should be able to negotiate for more since those other nobles went in with me.” He smiled a little, then frowned. “You won’t get anything, though. Thanks to my brother, it will go into ‘the family.’ I can try to slip something past them, but don’t expect much.”

Caesar hoped for the halberd if nothing else.

"You should watch yourself when you leave. My brother...might make a move. You'd be safest at home."

I don't have much of a choice. But thanks for the warning.

-----------

The end of the road contained a small, oval exit portal. He looked back at the misty forest and sighed again. His first priority after leaving the port was to finish exploring Starry Forest. Some more goals included alchemy and artifact repair, but they’d have to wait. He wanted to avoid this college, for now.

When Caesar stepped out of the portal, he found the area surrounded by guards of many different emblems and banners. Three leaders stood out at the front of the three most prominent groups. The one standing in front of the portal, and facing the other two, looked back and smiled when he saw the group. Arnold’s eyes lit up as well.

The two greeted each other as nephew and uncle, exchanging conversations about the current state of affairs. Others looked over at him with both surprised and hostile gazes. It seemed Caesar was unexpected.

The other factions withdrew, disgruntled. A while later, the other noble group exited from their portals and met with their respective factions. They argued, but Caesar couldn’t be bothered to eavesdrop. He waited to follow Arnold’s faction back and they sent him to sleep in a grandiose room. Servants waited on him for the rest of his stay there.

Less than a week into his house arrest, a mark regenerated. Another faction’s representative came in and checked his bags for any hidden loot. They found nothing and left.

Arnold, Lily, and Mary disappeared near the end of the week. They didn’t reappear even when the next few days passed, and the noble houses approved Caesar’s release from the college. Another faction inspected him once again before he boarded the carriage, but they let him go.

On the carriage back home, he closed his eyes and rested. Marks regenerated weekly, compared to daily at rank one. After the last few days, his second mark had returned.

A good trip, but it could’ve been better. He thought about his party’s actions. If they had disappeared because they went into the dungeon again, then they might have detected Lost Canvas. He wagered they would clear it as a group.

They probably don't believe I can survive for long inside a true hidden dungeon. Then, good luck.

It mattered not. Now was the time to secure more summons. Starry Forest awaits.