For a moment, a dark thought crossed Carlos's mind.
Exclusive retention.
If he kept this quiet . . . if he didn't report Jacob's full capabilities to the Guild . . . if he kept the boy strictly within his own party . . .
He could be rich. Not just "good run" rich, but "buy a castle" rich. With armor like this, his team could push into B-rank dungeons safely. They could dominate the market. He could take the kid, leave the region, and set up his own operation where no one else could touch them. He could steal the asset for himself.
Just as the thought took root, the skill flashed a second notification, the "oracle" component of the subroutine calculating the timeline of that decision.
Risk Assessment: High.
Projection: Monopolization of critical asset significantly increases probability of external conflict. 94% chance of hostile intervention by rival factions upon discovery.
The red text hit Carlos like a splash of cold water.
The logic was brutal but sound. You couldn't hide a sun in a jar. If he tried to hoard Jacob, someone would notice. And when they did, they wouldn't ask nicely. They would come with armies. He wasn't a king; he was just a C-rank adventurer. He couldn't protect Jacob if he made the boy a prize to be won.
Carlos exhaled slowly, letting the greed die. He wasn't a villain. He was a leader. And a leader's first job was to keep his people alive, not to paint targets on their backs.
The rest of their time in the safe area passed with each team member, besides Jacob, taking up a watch to let the others properly rest.
Quest Updated
Objective:Clear second floor without losing anomaly.
Status: Completed
Reward Earned: Upgrade for one skill (one per team)
PICK ONE TEAM MEMBER TO UPGRADE A SKILL
New Objective: Clear third floor without losing anomaly.
Reward:Upgrade for one skill (one per team)
Carlos shook his head as they approached the gate to the third floor.
"Two floors, two upgrades," Carlos muttered, reading the text again to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. "I have never seen a dungeon hand out power like this. Usually, you are lucky to get a stat point after a boss fight. This is . . . aggressive."
"Do not look a gift horse in the mouth, boss," Tamsin grinned, spinning a dagger. "Or in this case, a gift System. The anomaly pays well."
Grimmand stepped up, cracking his knuckles. "I don't care why it is happening. I just care that I rolled an eight last time. I am taking this one. My axe is thirsty."
"Same rules," Carlos said, tapping the interface to bring up the holographic die again. "High roll takes it. No crying."
"I never cry," Grimmand grunted. "I rage."
He slapped the icon hard.
[Grimmand rolls: 14]
"Better," the dwarf nodded, crossing his thick arms. "Fourteen is respectable. Beat that, wizard."
Elara adjusted her glasses, looking at the number. "Fourteen is statistically average for a winning roll, but hardly insurmountable."
She tapped the icon.
[Elara rolls: 19]
"Hah!" Elara threw her hands up, a rare break in her composed demeanor. "Read it and weep, Grimmand! Nineteen! The mage takes the prize."
Grimmand groaned, dragging his hands down his face. "Unbelievable. Two floors, and the frontline gets nothing. I am going to have to tank the next boss with my beard at this rate."
Carlos stepped up and rolled a measly six. Tamsin followed with a twelve, proving that his luck, while passive, wasn't an infinite resource.
"All yours, Elara," Carlos said. "Make it count. If the third floor is as swarmed as Brann said, we are going to need crowd control."
Elara didn't hesitate. She selected a skill from her tree instantly.
[Skill Upgraded: Frost Nova -> Glacial Burst]
Effect: Radius increased by 5 meters. Freeze duration increased by 2 seconds. Power multiplied by 2x.
A chill wind swirled around her for a moment, frosting the tips of the grass at her feet. She shivered, then smiled dangerously.
"Glacial Burst," she announced. "Anything that gets within ten meters of me is going to turn into a statue. That should keep the swarms off Jacob."
"Good," Carlos said, securing his helmet. He felt the new, dense weight of his breastplate settle against his chest. Between Elara's upgraded magic and Jacob's hidden enchantment, they were walking into the third floor stronger than any F-rank party had a right to be.
"Form up," Carlos ordered. "Grimmand, point. I will take the rear guard this time to keep an eye on our asset. Jacob, stick to Elara like a shadow."
"Understood," Jacob said.
They stepped through the shimmering gate.
The transition was instant. The humid, stale air of the second floor vanished, replaced by a gust of wind that smelled of ozone and wet fur.
The third floor was still a plains biome, but it had abandoned all pretense of being a starter zone. The grass here was a vibrant, violent purple, standing as tall as a man. The sky above wasn't the neutral gray of the lower floors; it was a churning, bruised mix of violet and black clouds.
And it was loud.
Howls, screeches, and the heavy thud of running paws echoed from every direction. The "festival" Brann had mentioned sounded more like a riot.
[Combat Insight Triggered]
Environment Analysis: Mana density 200% above baseline.
Spawn Rate: Extreme.
Aggression Level: Frenzied.
Suggested Action: Maintain tight formation. Do not stop moving.
The text flashed in Carlos's mind, confirming his fears.
"Movement right!" Tamsin hissed, crouching low.
The purple grass exploded inward.
It wasn't a pack of jackals. It was a stampede. A dozen of the boar-lizards, larger and covered in thicker plating than the ones below, charged the line. But they weren't alone. Running alongside them were sleek, black raptor-like birds with serrated beaks.
"Contact!" Grimmand roared.
He slammed his shield into the first boar, stopping its charge with a crunch of bone, but two more piled onto him immediately.
"Elara!" Carlos shouted, drawing his sword.
"On it!"
Elara slammed her staff into the ground.
"Glacial Burst!"
A ring of white-blue magic exploded outward from her position. The temperature plummeted instantly. The purple grass froze and shattered like glass. The charging raptors and boars were caught in the blast, their limbs seizing as thick ice crusted over their bodies, locking them in place mid-stride.
"Grimmand, shatter them!" Elara yelled.
"With pleasure!"
The dwarf spun, his axe becoming a blur of steel. He didn't have to chop through flesh; he just had to hit the frozen statues. Crack. Crack. Crack. The monsters shattered into chunks of frozen meat and dissolving mana.
Jacob stood in the center of the storm, his eyes darting around. He watched the mana flow from Elara's staff. He watched the kinetic impact of Grimmand's axe.
A raptor that had avoided the freeze circle leaped over the frontline, screeching as it aimed for Elara's exposed back.
"Behind!" Jacob warned, his voice cutting through the noise.
Carlos was already there. He stepped in, intercepting the bird in mid-air with his shoulder.
THUD.
The raptor hit the breastplate.
Normally, a hit like that would have staggered Carlos, maybe even bruised a rib through the padding. But today, the impact made a dull, flat sound. The enchantment Jacob had woven into the steel drank the kinetic energy instantly, dispersing it across the entire surface of the armor.
Carlos didn't budge an inch. The raptor, however, bounced off as if it had hit a mountainside, stunning itself.
Carlos took its head off with a clean backhand swing. Guidance from his sword allowed him to make an instant swipe.
He glanced down at his chest, then at Jacob. The boy just gave him a small, knowing nod.
"Clear!" Tamsin called out from the flank, wiping black blood from his daggers. "First wave down. But that was heavy for an entrance. Brann wasn't kidding about the spawn rate."
"Keep moving," Carlos ordered, the adrenaline singing in his blood. "We need to find a defensible position before the next wave hits. If we stay in this grass, we are blind."
He looked at his team. They were panting, but they were grinning. The loot drops from the shattered monsters were already glittering in the grass: cores, claws, and hides, abundant enough to make a king jealous.
"Welcome to the third floor," Carlos said. "Let's get rich."