Finally, Ben reviewed his [Knight Protector] perk. Alongside general details and context, two new pieces of information stood out. The first was his global ranking, placing him firmly in the top 0.1%—well within the necessary top 1%. The second piece was about the wild dungeon they were scheduled to clear later that day, noting it was located in the southeast quadrant of the Protectorate, only 300 meters from the Protectorate Pillar.

  Ben felt a mix of apprehension and gratitude for the precise information—both frightened by the close proximity of danger and grateful for the clarity the system provided.

  A few hours later, they prepared to head toward the dungeon.

  “Before we set out, let's align on our team strategy,” Ben began. He looked around at his companions. “Correct me if I'm wrong, but Jamal, you have your taunt ability to draw animals away and focus their attention on you. That puts you at the front. With my [Resilient Body] and [Axe Handling] perks, I'll be alongside you, dishing out damage where possible and helping to hold the line. Michael, your [Silent Step] perk should allow you to flank or surprise enemies, and even scout ahead effectively. Mom, your ability to control roots should help slow down or trap enemies from the back line. Does this work for everyone?”

  Jamal nodded. “I read a bit online, and those gamers are already speculating and optimizing. Our 'party composition' looks pretty solid. The only obvious gap is a dedicated healer, but at least you have some healing covered.”

  “Great,” Ben said. “When I was forced into the dungeon earlier, I learned you can’t leave immediately—you have to fulfill prerequisites first. To avoid being overwhelmed, I'd suggest we try a test fight outside the dungeon first, then go find the dungeon to clear it.”

  “Seems like a smart plan,” Allison agreed. “Let’s move.”

  As they strode out, Ben waved to Barry and Damien, who were on watch and ready to close the gate behind them. They circled the settlement by heading northwest first, with Michael quickly taking the lead, silently scouting 15 to 20 meters ahead.

  Instead of following a straight line, they zigzagged through the midday sunlit forest to cover more ground. They had nearly reached the southern side when Michael stopped, waved, and quickly returned.

  “I saw movement ahead,” he whispered urgently. “Wait here; I'll scout further.”

  While waiting, Ben reflected on the incredible sensation of standing and moving freely without the exoskeleton. He did a few squats and took some practice swings with his axe, enjoying his regained flexibility and freedom.

  Suddenly, crashing sounds erupted from Michael’s direction, and moments later, the large man sprinted toward them. “Two large boars incoming!” he shouted.

  Ben initially saw only one enormous boar—dark gray fur, massive ivory tusks, and a head nearly chest-high. As it moved around a tree, the second boar, slightly smaller but no less threatening, became visible.

  “Mom, can you hold the second one off?” Ben called urgently.

  “I'll try!” Allison replied, concentrating intensely.

  Michael reached them, and Jamal stepped forward, roaring a powerful challenge at the approaching beast. Meanwhile, Ben lost sight of Michael momentarily as he saw his mother silently pointing at the smaller creature further back.

  Focusing on the immediate threat, Ben took three swift steps forward and to the side. Guided by his [Axe Handling] perk, he swung upward with full force, targeting the boar’s vulnerable neck area. Blood sprayed from a deep wound, yet the boar charged forward relentlessly, still heading directly for Jamal.

  Jamal attempted to dodge behind a tree but reacted too late; injury seemed imminent. However, Michael suddenly reappeared, striking the beast’s left leg with his axe, losing his grip in the impact. It was enough. The boar stumbled, narrowly missing Jamal.

  Ben seized the opportunity, repositioning swiftly to deliver two more fierce chops to the animal's neck until it ceased moving.

  “Boys, attention!” Allison shouted urgently, pointing toward the second boar.

  Turning, Ben saw the creature struggling against thick brown roots gripping its hind legs. Although the roots were failing, they had bought precious moments. Ben, Jamal, and Michael charged forward, striking relentlessly. Michael jumped back momentarily as the boar freed itself, but it was too late for the animal. Wounded and overwhelmed, the boar soon collapsed and died.

  "Well done, everybody," Ben said, breathing heavily. "That was intense, but we did really well. Mom, your roots were incredible. Fighting those two beasts simultaneously would have been dangerous without your help."

  Ben was about to compliment Michael's performance but paused as he noticed Michael looking distracted. After a few moments, the big man refocused and looked up apologetically.

  "Sorry," Michael muttered, slightly embarrassed. "Perk selection. [Quickslash]."

  Ben suppressed a smile—Michael certainly wasn't a man of many words. "That's awesome. I'm sure that'll help a lot going forward. Jamal, your taunt is incredibly useful, but we need to make sure you can survive the enemies' attention."

  Jamal grinned confidently. "Yes, boss. I have faith you'll keep me alive."

  If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  Allison gestured toward the boars' carcasses. "That's a lot of meat we shouldn't let go to waste."

  Ben nodded in agreement. "Absolutely. Plus, we need to extract the cores. Jamal, Michael, could you head back to camp and get the buggy while Mom and I harvest the cores? Then the folks at camp can start butchering these animals while we head to the dungeon."

  About forty-five minutes later, after extracting the two cores and transporting the boars back to camp, they set out again toward the dungeon. It took some time, but eventually, they stood before a familiar marble structure that marked the dungeon entrance. As they approached, a message appeared for each of them.

  You are about to enter a dungeon.

  Theme: Rat Attack

  Tier: 1

  Min / Max party size: 1 / 5

  Instances: 1

  Levels: 1

  Average days to break: 5

  Allison smiled wryly. "Well, at least this time you don't have an excuse to tackle it alone."

  Ben chuckled. "Honestly, I'm glad. Not sure I'd want to face a dungeon full of rats alone." He glanced at the others, confirmed their readiness, then touched the portal. Again, golden light blinded him momentarily, and his skin tingled with countless tiny pinpricks. This time, however, he felt considerably less overwhelmed.

  "Oof," Allison said, shaking her head and steadying herself. "Son, you didn't mention how disorienting that would feel."

  Michael and Jamal looked equally dazed, gradually regaining their bearings. Meanwhile, Ben took in their surroundings. They stood atop a small hill amid endless grassy plains, stretching unbroken to the horizon. The grass, knee-high and more yellow than green, offered no landmarks apart from the shimmering barrier and portal behind them.

  Curiously, Ben tested the portal and once again received the message barring exit until they survived the first wave.

  "Listen up," he announced firmly. "This is different from the last dungeon. Before, it was about defeating one creature; now it's about surviving and defeating a wave. Given the theme 'Rat Attack,' let's be ready for something unpleasant. Mom, stand in front of the portal. Guys, let's arrange in front of her. Ready?"

  Everyone nodded.

  "Okay, here we go," Ben said and touched the barrier. A message flashed before each of them: Safe zone disabled.

  For a tense moment, nothing happened. Suddenly, Jamal shouted, "Movement! Ten meters out!"

  Ben turned and saw grass rustling all around them as rats emerged from concealed tunnels. These rats were much larger than normal—about the size of well-fed house cats, white-furred with small black eyes and prominent yellow teeth. They immediately charged.

  "Counting ten," Allison called out sharply.

  "Stay close, cover each other's backs. Mom, if you can slow them, do it!" Ben said.

  Ben, Jamal, and Michael formed a defensive semicircle around Allison, who stood close to the portal. As the rats rapidly closed the distance, Ben started to warn Jamal, but it was too late.

  "[Beast Taunt]!" Jamal roared, and instantly all ten rats veered toward him.

  "Damn it," Ben muttered, lunging forward to intercept the two nearest rats before they overwhelmed Jamal.

  Fortunately, Jamal had anticipated the attack and swung his sturdy backpack in front of him as an impromptu shield, blocking several rats from reaching his legs. Meanwhile, Ben concentrated fiercely on his own battle, instinctively shifting to a one-handed grip on his axe. Rather than large swings, he employed swift, precise jabs and shallow cuts, steadily keeping the two attacking rats at bay.

  The rats were vicious—fast, nimble, and with surprisingly tough hides. But Ben had the advantage of reach. He managed to push one of them back with the flat of his axe head, then sidestepped and decapitated the second with a clean downward stroke. With one down, he refocused, repositioned, and balanced himself. The first rat lunged again, but one-on-one, it stood no chance. Ben finished it quickly and turned to rush back to Jamal.

  What he expected to be a desperate situation turned out to be surprisingly controlled. Jamal and Michael were each finishing off their own rats, while behind them, Allison had taken down a handful on her own. The creatures had been stopped in their tracks by thick roots snaking out of the earth—held in place and then crushed as if the forest itself had risen in their defense.

  As Michael struck down the last of them, a new message appeared in Ben’s vision:

  Next wave in 73 seconds.

  Ben scanned the field quickly. “Do we stay or leave?”

  “Let’s stay,” Allison said firmly.

  The others nodded.

  “Mom, can you cast your spell again?” Ben asked.

  “Yes,” she replied, “but the timing is tricky. Too early, and I won’t catch enough of them. Too late, and they’ll push through and overrun us.”

  “Understood. Last time was perfect. Jamal—maybe don’t use [Beast Taunt] unless it’s an emergency or we can isolate the enemies faster.”

  Jamal nodded. “Got it.”

  Ben continued, “Also, the countdown suggests these waves are on a fixed schedule. If we take too long, the third wave might start before we’ve finished the second—assuming there is a third.”

  They quickly re-formed their positions and readied themselves for whatever was coming next.

  As the seconds ticked down, the defeated rats shimmered gold and vanished without leaving anything behind. They had barely disappeared when Ben saw more movement in the grass.

  “It’s definitely more than last time,” Allison murmured.

  Ben nodded. A quick glance told him there were at least fifteen—no, twenty—rats this time, racing toward them with mindless aggression. Three of them were heading straight for Ben.

  “This is not a time for subtlety,” he muttered, stepping forward and swinging his axe in a brutal left-to-right arc. The leftmost rat was cleaved in half, the center one lost a hind leg, and the rightmost managed to dodge.

  Stunned for a moment by the sheer force of his strike, Ben snapped back to focus as the last rat lunged at his leg. He twisted away just in time to avoid a serious bite, though its teeth tore a gash in his calf.

  Grimacing, Ben retaliated with a swift backhand that broke the rat’s spine. The field was now chaos.

  Jamal and Michael were locked in their own battles. Allison was poised, timing her next spell. Ben stepped back to help close ranks, swinging his axe into the next wave.

  There were too many rats to coordinate perfectly, but the chaos worked in their favor—most couldn’t attack at once. Michael moved like a whip, cutting down rats with speed and precision. Jamal held his ground, though both were taking hits.

  Then came the roots—thick, twisting vines bursting from the earth, wrapping around several rats near Jamal and crushing them.

  With a half-dozen rats already neutralized by Allison’s spell, the remaining ones were quickly dispatched. Ben wiped blood from his arms, noting two more shallow cuts besides the one on his leg.

  “Everyone okay?” he asked.

  Before anyone could answer, another message popped up:

  Next wave in 33 seconds.

  Michael touched a wound on his arm, nodded. “Ready.”

  “Let’s do this, boss,” Jamal said.

  “One more round is okay,” Allison agreed.

  “Alright,” Ben nodded. “This one could be thirty or forty. I’ll move ahead to stagger them. Jamal, hold your taunt unless I’m getting overwhelmed. You and Michael flank the rest.”

  The others didn’t look thrilled but nodded.

  “I’ll be fine. I can heal overnight.”