John and Benny worked together to take out the bats flying through the cavern. Both Denver and I hung back so the boys could gain more experience. Neither of them was big into fighting, though John at least used his class with the shuttle now. Benny preferred growing food to using his fighter class, though at least it had changed to rifleman once John gave him one to use. He seemed to be a little more willing to put work into it now.

"You think we can kill whatever boss is ahead?" asked Denver.

"These levels are lower than what the ladies saw," I said, motioning to the bats which were only at level 28. "I think it's because John's only at 20, while Alex was much higher."

"So they had a harder dungeon."

"If we get rewards and can use our banked levels, does it matter?"

"Not in the long run, though I want to do a run with a higher level team," he replied.

I grunted in agreement and fired at bats that tried to circle back to my sons. Each of my shots downed one, making them fall to the ground. The small bits of experience would add up over time.

"The boss split should be ahead," I said after the last one fell, taking the lead into the tunnel. Both John and Benny appeared tired, and I paused. "How about we rest for a moment?"

John gave me a thankful look, while Benny just leaned against the cool wall.

"That's three bosses so far, right?" asked Benny, his eyes tracking something I couldn't see. "I think I'll hit level 31 in my profession, which will help with the orchard."

"Rub it in, why don't you," muttered John.

I frowned in his direction. "It's only one more run north, and it will shave half the time off your flight."

"I know, I know," he said, standing up straight. "It's hard being this low level, and my class doesn't give me any bonuses with the rifle."

Everyone had noticed how much less effective his attacks were, but no one said anything. He could fly the shuttle and provide aerial support. And as the only one who could fly the shuttle, everyone would give him as much leeway as he needed on pretty much everything else.

"Why doesn't your class evolve like Benny's?" asked Denver, rubbing his chin. "Hammy's changed as well."

John blushed and turned away, mumbling something.

"What was that?" asked Denver, leaning closer.

"I like flying," he finally said louder. "I just need to get out of here and work on my project."

"You'll get your chance, we just need that ore." I chuckled, knowing he wanted to impress a certain green lady in our camp, and this was holding him back. "Let's do this."

[Divide and Conquer: go deeper, and stop the attacks from below. Go higher and complete the dungeon sooner. Both paths offer rewards. Choose wisely.]

Denver and I shared a glance. "We're going down below. You both should go on ahead."

Benny only glanced at me once, then headed up the tunnel with the easier monsters. John followed.

Denver and I both used stealth as we crept down the darker path. The cavern was exactly like Alex had described. Holes dotted the ceiling through which I already heard gunfire.

A single tentacle slithered out of a crack in the center of the room.

[Deep Rock Cephalopod, Level 35, Threat Level Low.]

We went in different directions, splitting the creature's attention. I knew this would be easy, and it was.

We arrived at the ending tunnel before the boys, and I almost started backtracking when they finally appeared. Even the loot couldn't distract me as we waited.

"How'd you beat us?" asked Benny. "I thought Alex said it was a hard fight."

I used Insight on both of my sons.

[Benny, Biologist, Level 30, Threat Level Low.]

[John, Engineer, Level 20, Threat Level Low.]

"Only level 30," muttered Denver.

"Holy shit! You're level 32! Dad, you hit 33!"

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Progress feels good," I answered, waiting to see what the chests contained for them. I got a special attachment for my rifle, which created explosive bullets. "Let's see what you guys got, hmm?"

John hurried over to his treasure chest and popped it open.

Benny gasped at his loot. "A recipe for plant growth!"

Nothing came from John, and I turned back to him. His face stared into the box.

"What'd you get?"

His lips moved, but nothing came out.

I stepped closer to see what was inside, using Insight.

[Skill Stone, Soulbound, Unknown.]

***

"I got that bitch," Mary muttered between coughs, as blood splattered out with each.

The blue smoke didn't last long, and the poison didn't do much to me, but the others all looked pale. Once it cleared, Jennifer lay dead on the ground from a stab wound through her chest.

Cass and Abby recovered quickly, while Hawk and Mary recovered much slower. They each spit up blood a few times before it cleared.

Others around the camp freaked out at first, though Len calmed everyone down. His voice came out with a stern tone. "Anyone who attacks another is punished by death, and this is why. Though we tried to show mercy, see what she did to us in return…"

He had a point. Though I kinda wished my original hit had killed her when she'd attacked me, it was now taken care of. However, the only lesson I'd learned was the next time someone tried to kill me, kill them first.

Hawk offered to bury her, along with Matt, which took care of that. David tried to get Hawk to sit down, but Sang arrived with the healing crystal, and both of them healed up. Then David wanted more info on the crystals.

I was just happy to see Sang, not freaking out, taking charge as a healer, and not dwelling on my blade. After shaking my head, I marched inside the cavern, since they didn't need me in the middle of the cleanup. The side glances from a couple of people made me uncomfortable, even though I was the one she'd attacked.

Next on my list was the dungeon, and I continued down the tunnel after checking my meat supplies. I needed to go hunting soon, but hopefully the dungeon would take care of that as well.

I entered the archway and found myself in the same room as before. Nothing moved, but the message popped up, and I pulled the air crystal out of my pocket to send a message to Abby. As soon as I touched it, I knew the connection wasn't there, but I tried anyway.

Nothing.

The notification bounced in my vision again.

[Welcome to The Shifting Caverns. Would you like to go solo or create a party?]

That was easy enough, and I selected to go solo after putting the marble away.

[Which pathway would you like to test? The Descent, starting recommended level 45, The Spiral, starting recommended level 60, The Abyss, recommended level unknown.]

"How does going solo work?" I asked.

[Each pathway can be accessed once, getting harder the farther you progress down the trail. The Descent leads to the Spiral, which leads to the Abyss.]

"The Descent it is."

An archway appeared across the stone floor from me and I entered, finding myself in a dark tunnel with a few glowing mushrooms growing near the floor. Taking a deep breath, I let myself relax. Here, I only needed to concern myself with myself. Nothing else mattered besides completing the dungeon.

[Glow Mushroom, tasty.]

That was new, and I couldn't help myself. I snagged one and popped it into my mouth. The texture reminded me of an everyday mushroom, but the flavor was like a roasted nut. Very tasty.

I left the remainder of them there, and instead tossed a piece of meat into my mouth to settle my stomach. Hopefully, the first thing down here would be edible.

The roof of the tunnel was several feet higher than me, and four people could have walked side by side down the pathway. No rocks or boulders broke up the pathway as far as I could see in the darkness.

Two yellow eyes glowed in the darkness at about the level of my head, far enough in the distance that my prey sense didn't even tingle.

The large body appeared furry, and stepped forward.

[Aggressive Gopher, Level 44, Predator, Unknown.]

As my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, it raced down the tunnel right at me. I yanked my knife from my belt with a smile, wondering how it would taste.

It growled, showing off long fangs from its mouth as it raced forward on four legs.

I tested my spear as its speed increased, still not deviating from a direct assault. The blade on my spear tip suddenly extended out in front of me five feet. A bright light came from the tip just before contact. The gopher didn't react in time, as it charged right onto the tip of the spear, which entered its mouth.

I dug my feet deep as its momentum kept it going, the spear almost shoving me back. My body trembled at the force and I made a note to increase my strength soon.

Then it stopped.

[You have gained experience from combat.]

[You have gained insight into Blades and Polearms. Blades and Polearms - I: You have a minor increase in damage with natural blades and claws. Standing your ground with your polearm gives you an advantage over charging beings.]

"Fuck yes!" Already the dungeon was proving the correct choice. I jerked my spear back, and it shrunk back down to its knife length.

Then I spent the next hour field dressing the giant gopher and replenishing my inventory stores of meat. When I eventually got to the heart, disappointment rippled through me. Only about the size of a golf ball, I popped the whole thing in my mouth. It tasted like corn. Which was weird as heck, given the texture. Hopefully, the meat didn't taste like that.

[You have devoured an Aggressive Gopher and gained insight into Augmented Senses - II. Augmented Senses II - You have increased senses of vision, smell, taste, touch, and sound. Your sense of smell has increased and unlocked the ability to track your prey by a scent trail. Your sense of sound has increased and you can feel sound vibrations through your skin. Your sense of sight has changed and you can see without light. You have gained the ability to understand whether something is prey. By focusing, you can see minute details.]

The ranking of the skill hadn't changed, but the sudden rush of pain across my eyes made it easier to understand what had. Tears came to my eyes as the darkness in the farthest reaches of the tunnel turned grey, and it stretched farther on than before.

The shapes of gophers crawling in my direction appeared, but they didn't approach.

I tossed the fangs of the creature into my inventory and decided to just get on with it. My food stores were full, and I had plenty more where that came from.

Time to focus on the rest of my skills. I took off racing down the tunnel toward the gophers, a manic smile on my face.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.