The beauty of dying was that portalling back into the fight meant gaining a new vector of attack. I came out of the portal, knife clutched in both hands, as I flew down on top of the Tuli Monster.

  I hit the beast, riding it like a bucking horse. My knees clenched around its belly, the snapping appendage unable to reach me.

  I faced backwards and looked right into the monster's barred eyes. It was definitely odd. The unblinking, swirling eyes were...

  Gorgeous. The incandescent purple-blue whirlpools of the abyss. I reached out to caress the ridge between the Tuli Monster's eyes. It had a crusty barnacle scar, requiring me to scratch at it with my knife.

  My knees squeezed its belly. The wet, leathery skin smelled of salt and kelp. My hand froze as I scratched at the eye ridge, thinking the beast would really benefit from an exfoliating rub. No, I know, a piercing! A nice loop of silver with a sapphire gem, something that set off its eyes. Maybe even have it match my ring?

  [Blessings of the Waters] glowed a soft blue in the ocean. For a moment, I was sure Lael would have loved to see the Tuli Monster pierced, showing off its true beauty. With the resolve of her undead wish, I gripped my knife in my knuckles. I'd used a potato and needle to pierce my sister's ears, but I'd never attempted to do it on some leviathan of the deep.

  I dodged a snapping jaw, it was just trying to offer me a love bite, silly Tuli.

  Looking at my knife, I brought it to the ridge, and as I slipped it into the beast, the [Blessing of the Waters] ring glimmered. The fog wrapped around my brain lifted for a moment.

  I didn't want to give this beast jewelry. It needed to die before it killed my friends.

  I used the clarity to twist my hand and plunge it down between the eyes.

  The monster screamed. Its body flopping, the webbed feet still in the water losing their hold, the mesmerizing spell we were all under evaporated.

  I lifted the knife and plunged it in again and again, erasing all the images in my head about the Tuli Monster. How kind it was, the shape of its eye ridge, the slime around its blow holes. How its leathery skin just needed some moisturizing and a pumice scrub.

  "Cole, I think it's dead. " Ash's voice cut through the haze. I looked up, the heat evaporating before the horrified look of my team members. Even Meredeath looked uncomfortable, unwilling to meet my eyes. I stood, having ridden the monster to the sand. Blood dripped from my hands.

  Blue blood covered my bare chest. Walking over to Meredeath, I offered her the hilt of her borrowed dagger. She waved me off. "You're going to have to clean that first, tough guy."

  I nodded, humbly walking over to the side of our bubble. No fish or predators lurked. Several notifications blinked in my vision. I ignored them all, settling for a quick wash. Ash really needed to invent a potion to clean us all up.

  You did it? Richard was finally coming to. He smacked his lips as though waking up from a long hibernation. What is that smell?

  His eyestalks lifted sleepily from the undisturbed spot by the magical fire. Wow, looks like no one's eating mollusk today. Richard's head settled back in a more natural position as he closed his eyes. Wake me once it's sorted, will you?

  I cleaned off, trying to disassemble exactly what had happened. I felt like I'd uncovered a trick of a monster's compulsion.

  Needing some distraction from the itch in the back of my brain that I'd discovered something important, I checked my notifications.

  [Skill Upgraded: [Heartbeat] is upgraded to [Heart]. Through your bond with [Tandy Selvedge] you have not only helped her progress and unlock her magic, but you've uncovered a truth about your friendship. [Heart] grants you insight into companion motivations, build, and progression. Warning: you are more susceptible to seeing what you want to see in people, friend and stranger alike. This skill is passive.]

  [Skill Acquired: You have gained a new [Dead Wrong] skill through [Cheat Death], [Mesmer Twist]. You have increased resistance to mental manipulation skills and magic. This skill grants the ability to twist a compulsion to a different purpose. This skill passively resists mental manipulation, but must be triggered to twist a compulsion.]

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  That was it. By twisting the [Mesmer] skill to give the beast something I thought would be beneficial, no matter how outrageous, I’d been able to get 95% of the way to the killing blow.

  Part of me wondered how much of that was me, and how much was Lael’s influence.

  [[Quest Updated: [Below, as Above] Faction Challenge.

  You have successfully challenged the boss of the [Below, as Above] dungeon. Faction assignment and points will be given upon dungeon exit per [Legendary] status of this attempt. Note: [0] parties have exited the dungeon on a [Legendary] attempt. Rewards will be granted to you when you exit the dungeon.]

  "That son of a bogquacker!" I kicked sand at the barrier. The air in our enclosure had gotten better with the air bladders of the ammonites we'd killed, but it would not last forever. I'd grabbed a piece of a shell and thrown it full force at the barrier that seemed to mock me as it slowly absorbed the fragment of shell and it drifted off in the current in slow motion.

  "What's going on, Cole?" Ash interrupted my full-on tantrum. I turned to the guy, ready to take out my anger on him, then saw the rest of the party.

  Richard was passed out by the fire. Meredeath slumped against the rotting ox, eyes barely able to stay open. Argin and Leyla huddled with each other, wary eyes on me, like I was a monster. Ash was a few feet away, and even he looked like he was prepared to run before my rage.

  I took a deep breath trying to gather my thoughts.

  "Well, the good news is, I think that Tuli Monster was the boss of the dungeon." I paced the enclosure, looking out into the depths of the sea. It was just stretches of water until it faded into the abyss. "The bad news." I turned to my companions. "Is that we have to figure out is how to get out of here without the dungeon's help."

  I vibrated with anger. Part of me wanted to go over to Richard, shake him awake, and throw him out of our enclosure.

  "It's Richard's fault," I whispered my fear to Ash. "The damn slug upgraded the challenge to [Legendary] when we entered the dungeon."

  Ash blinked at my statement of fact.

  "You guys got the ability to adjust the dungeon? Did you get a quest?" Ash’s mind raced through every option and question. "[Legendary] dungeons are a thing of myth. The monsters we've fought were difficult, sure, but [Legendary]? Why did you two get the choice and the rest of us didn't? Why would the Tuli Monster be considered the boss of the dungeon? Don't dungeons have levels? Layers? I always thought they were a bit like an onion. Are you sure we've made it to the lowest level of the dungeon?"

  “Why onions? How about a parfait? Everyone loves a good parfait,” Meredeath chimed in. The two off-worlders laughed, sharing some joke.

  So many questions. The constant battering of his anxiety-fueled queries eroded my anger, leaving only a deep weariness that settled into my soul. I walked back towards the campfire.

  "Why do dungeons even exist? They seem like a stupid game mechanic to me. They're so artificial in a world that's so full of vibrancy. I wonder if I'm dreaming? Am I just in a coma back in Oregon? Did I really die after all?" His mutterings pulled me up short. Die? His whispers were audible only to me. Argin and Layla were muttering to themselves in their own huddle.

  "Ash." I turned, grabbing his shoulders with both my hands. His dazed eyes focused on my face. He couldn't meet my eyes. "Get a hold of yourself." For some reason, Ash's panic had the opposite effect on me. Every bit of anger was gone, and I found myself sounding like Tandy. "We're going to talk about your circumstances later." I waved at the strange additions to our party. "But right now, it's not prudent to talk about Oregon." I took a deep breath. "Let's talk about the new problem. We should all rest. If we're not going to get attacked soon, and we've got enough air, we could all use a nap."

  The color had returned to the man's face. He let out the breath he'd been unconsciously holding.

  "You're right. One thing at a time."

  "That's right." I clapped him on the shoulders. One thing at a time. I think I'd keep that mantra close. Turning back towards the ladies, we rejoined the campfire. Four sets of eyes turned to me.

  "First order of business, we need to figure out where the exit of the dungeon is." I spoke the words as if I knew what I was doing. Was that what Tandy did? Did she not know what she was doing either? Thinking about it, she probably didn't. Sure, she'd been a [Threadmarked Weaver], but she'd grown up in Woodsten too, not in some Adventurer Guild training camp. We were all just making it up. Looking from grimy face to grimy face. They were all scared, and they needed someone to tell them what to do.

  I glanced down at the snoring [Immortal] hero from another age. I guess I'd have to do.

  "We also need rest." Ash said it as he sat beside Meredeath, who slumped towards him. I couldn't disagree. A headache throbbed in the base of my skull, no doubt a result of [Cheat Death] triggering so frequently.

  "Rest sounds good. I'm fairly certain that we've taken care of all the monsters." Rubbing the back of my head, I couldn’t help but agree with Ash.

  "I'll stand watch first." Her quiet voice surprised me as Argin stood. "If it weren't for my grandfather, we'd be in a lot better shape." I would not argue with the guilt in her voice, and I was frankly too tired to try.

  "Do we have enough air for a nap?" I asked, my eyes already drooping.

  "I've got a timer on it. We now have thirty-six hours, give or take." This came from Leyla. We all turned to her, eyebrows raised. "It's a lady's skill."

  "[Air in a Room] is a lady's skill?" Meredeath laughed. "And I'm the Queen of England."

  Leyla blushed. I didn't know what the big deal was until Meredeath leaned over and enlightened me. "It's a miner's skill."

  Oh. I turned back to Leyla only to see her face redden further. I didn't bother arguing. I lay back on the cold, lumpy sand and joined my slug in slumber.

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