“What the hell is a world dungeon?” I asked, staring wide-eyed at the system message.

  “Sounds fun!” Kril exclaimed, turning tiny once more and buzzing toward the camouflaged entryway. I glanced around hesitantly, searching for any more invisible monsters, before following behind the demon.

  “Are we sure about this?” Viressa said nervously. She hadn’t even moved, keeping her distance from the entrance of the dungeon.

  She’s right… We don’t know how powerful the creatures in this dungeon could be.

  [Don’t be a bitch, Carter.] Joshua taunted.

  I don’t succumb to peer pressure.

  “There is only so much we can gain from roaming this swamp,” Lioren reasoned, following behind the Imp. “If our goal is to grow our strength to combat the Elves, this may well be our best opportunity.”

  “I guess…” Viressa muttered, still not entirely convinced.

  I glanced at the demon reassuringly, giving her a small smile. “I think it’ll be fine. Besides, these two are probably the best help we could ask for,” I said, nodding at the pair of powerful companions I had recently acquired.

  [Acquired? What is this, Pokémon?]

  Shut up, Joshua.

  We pushed forward, the door magically opening up before us, and we were suddenly swallowed whole by complete darkness. We stood silently, the only source of light being the glowing fur of the Ashmane in front of me.

  “Uh, is something wrong?” I said aloud, and then my stomach was ripped from my body.

  Figuratively, although it felt pretty literal.

  I closed my eyes, feeling the same sensation that I felt when I used Abyssal Rift, and when my feet had returned to solid ground, I reopened my eyes, taking in our new surroundings.

  The environment could only be described as… weird, to say the least.

  We were enveloped by a huge, sprawling jungle. It was nighttime, but the trees and plants around me glowed with neon pinks and purples like we were in some sort of cyberpunk-inspired dimension. Odd formations of wood curled and twisted to form what looked like trees, while the grass and foliage around me hummed with vibrant colors. Above me, I could see stars twinkling in the night, even though it had been midday back in the Mortal Realm. A full moon stared down at us, but unlike the one I had come to know, this moon threw streams of violet light down upon the uniquely colorful jungle.

  [Location discovered: The Moonwake Jungle]

  [Exp +250]

  Cooldown? What does that mean? Can we come back after six days?

  “What is this place…?” Viressa gasped, taking in our new environment.

  “I haven’t seen anything like this before,” Kril commented, flying closer to my shoulder and whispering in my ear. “Are you sure we can handle this dungeon?”

  “You’re the one who said it would be fun!” I accused. Kril casually shrugged in reply as he flew forward.

  “Be wary, demons. I sense a great power lurking in this place.” Lioren warned, sniffing at the air as he followed the Imp. “Lucivar, it may be best if you ride upon my back.” He prompted, lowering his head. I climbed aboard, gripping his golden armour as we trekked through the thick glowing plants.

  It wasn’t long before we encountered our first opponent.

  It was a hulking beast, appearing less like a monster and more like a living suit of dark grey armour. Two short, stubby legs supported the massive frame, morphing into a wide-set torso with two powerful, armored arms at its sides. The creature's head was hunched forward slightly, and a glowing pinkish horn protruded from the center of its helmet, framing the two cyan eyes that bore down on me with intensity. Neon pink mushrooms clad the monster's back, and if it were to lie down, it might have blended in with the jungle around us.

  He kinda looks like an upright rhino.

  [Do you really have time to be thinking about stupid shit like that?] Joshua complained as the creature suddenly charged toward us.

  [Bloodrazor Claws]

  I knelt atop Liorens' back, then bolted forward, stretching out a hand as I passed by the fungal creature. It was large, but also relatively slow, and though it tried to impale me with the horn attached to its head, I was able to avoid the attack easily. However, my claws lacked the necessary power to break through the Mycoknight’s armour, bouncing harmlessly against the dark fungal wood. My hand shook with the reverberation from the blow as I skidded to a stop a few feet behind the creature.

  [Greater Fire Spirit]

  The large wisp of flames shimmered into existence, charging towards the second Mycoknight. Viressa channeled her flame lance skill, sending the piercing fire straight at the beast, but it swatted the attack away with an armored hand. My spirit approached, but its attacks only served to mildly disturb the creature. A plume of acidic gas spread from the Mycoknight's mushrooms, burning my skin as I yelped in pain.

  [Lesser Wind]

  Viressa's new skill shot a ferocious gust of wind, pushing the gas away from me as I reflected on my failed attack.

  I’m gonna need to up my firepower…

  [Watch out, idiot!] Joshua warned, a second Mycoknight appearing from the ground beneath me and tossing me into the air. I twisted, landing gracefully next to Viressa.

  “How many more are there?” I asked breathlessly, and it almost seemed like the jungle had an answer. Four more Mycoknights suddenly sprang up from the ground, their glowing mushrooms having been clever disguises among the odd assortment of plants around us.

  “My transformation is still on cooldown!” Kril shouted, readying his pitchfork. He tossed it, and the small weapon dug deep into the first Mycoknight's shoulder. The Imp stretched out his hand, but the pitchfork was rooted deeply in the creature's armour and did not fly back. “Shit,” Kril cursed, readying his next attack.

  But Lioren struck first, sending a plume of fire towards a second Mycoknight, slowly closing in on us.

  [Holy Flame]

  The fire glowed, no longer red, but a magnificent gold. It seared the armour of the Mycoknight, and the mushroom-clad creature was forced to retreat behind a tree that was reduced to ash in mere moments. Lioren leapt forward, using his powerful jaw to bite down on the creature's stubby leg, but a second Mycoknight bounded towards him, slamming a fist into his side.

  How can I help?

  [Let me show you.] Joshua answered confidently. Begrudgingly, I activated the skill.

  [Parasitic Manifestation]

  Joshua appeared, leaping into action without further prompting. His claws sharpened, then he slammed them into the exposed eye socket of one of the Mycoknights. The creature screamed out in pain, grasping at the parasite, but he was already gone, flying through the air as a blood-stained chain manifested from his palm, latching onto the creature's bleeding eye socket. He pulled hard, propelling himself forward and wrapping the chain around the Mycoknight's neck. He summoned his own Greater Fire Spirit, and it shot a torrent of flames at the creature, slowly burning away at its fungal wood armour.

  I guess I could learn a thing or two from that guy…

  [Willing Host]

  I elected to use the skill to buff Viressa, as she was probably the weakest out of the four of us, and she began to glow with a red aura. Now, with the tactical information gleaned from Joshua’s fight, I copied his strategy. He was much more skilled, but I still had four times the raw power. I slammed my claw into the exposed eye of the first Mycoknight, blood splattering from the wound. Immediately, I activated Blood Chain, dashing around the slow creature and wrapping it tightly. I dug my feet into the ground, straining the muscles in my arms and core as I spun, lifting the Mycoknight from the ground. I slammed the creature heavily into the sixth fungal warrior, and both animals careened into the glowing trees, branches splintering in their wake.

  “You learn fast, Carter,” Joshua said playfully, now finished killing his target.

  [Exp +75]

  [Gold +30]

  [Fungal Wood +1]

  Kril flew forward, landing on the armour of the first Mycoknight. He wrenched his pitchfork free, then dashed to the left at a surprising speed, easily dodging a swipe from the creature's armoured hand. He raised a palm, dark energy coalescing and exploding outwards at point-blank range, blowing the creature's head off in a single blow.

  “That’ll teach you to mess with the mighty Kril!” The small Imp said triumphantly, buzzing forward to assist Viressa against a second Mycoknight. Joshua was already on it, a bloody chain connecting his hand to the Mycoknight, but he struggled to hold on, the raw strength of the creature eclipsing that of the parasite.

  [Greater Fire Ball]

  The bolt of flames rushed forward, slamming into the right leg of the Mycoknight. The creature knelt, its knee burning from the intensity of the heat, and Kril took the opportunity, impaling his pitchfork through the Mycoknight’s exposed neck. The creature fell to the ground, exploding into a burst of yellow orbs.

  The two Mycoknights that I had sent flying suddenly approached, but Lioren met them first, having made quick work of the pair he was originally fighting. He leapt, biting his powerful jaw against one of the mushroom-clad creatures’ necks, enveloping its head with holy fire. I ran forwards, slicing at the joints of the second Mycoknight's knee and procuring a blood chain instantly. Joshua joined me, mirroring my attack on the creature's neck. We both pulled hard, holding the Mycoknight in place at the same time as Viressa readied her skill.

  [Fire Lance]

  The piercing flame bore straight through the Mycoknight's head, killing the creature instantly. Joshua faded away at that moment, and the red aura surrounding the demoness also disappeared, both skills going on cooldown. I took in our surroundings, now burning and singed in spots, while trees and plants had been destroyed or trampled upon during our battle.

  Good work, Joshua.

  [Yeah, yeah, let me know the next time you need me to bail you out.] He said tiredly, almost bored.

  “That was fun! See, I told you!” Kril shouted excitedly, pumping both fists into the air. Lioren walked beside me, allowing me to ride upon his back once again. I held out a hand, and Viressa hesitantly took it, gingerly placing herself behind me on the Ashmanes' back.

  “Let’s keep going,” I prompted, and we began to head deeper into the jungle.

  A handful more Mycoknights appeared along our path, and in that time, I managed to reach level ten. This time, I elected to upgrade a skill that I used most commonly.

  [Bloodrazor Claws have evolved into Claws of Mutilation]

  A pretty interesting effect! And the lifesteal portion has increased by five percent!

  [Oh, that’s gonna be fun.] Joshua cackled evilly.

  “What’s that?” Viressa suddenly said, pointing in the distance.

  A portal-like structure stood directly in front of us, surrounded by a clearing in the neon jungle. It was an oval shape, creating a massive hollow outline that perfectly framed the violet moon in the sky. We approached a small stone altar table a few feet in front of the portal, and a few words were inscribed into it, as well as a spherically shaped indent in the smooth surface.

  “What the heck is this?” Kril asked, gazing inquisitively at the altar, but the system had an answer ready.

  [You have reached the trial altar of the second moon, challenge commencing.]