"How in the world would a normal party ever survive a place like this?" Tram screamed over the chaos. He swung his shield at the wall to his left, crushing an ant against it with a cracking pop.

"It's a freaking nightmare!" Lana agreed, bringing her staff down to pulp another ant's head.

Congratulations! You have achieved level 59. You have been awarded 30 skill points!

"Yes! Keep on giving Mama Ash more of those delicious levels!" Ashlyn screamed in joy as she kicked the head of a worker sneaking past Tram. "No, no. You need to stay in front of my mobile wall here like a good little buggy wuggy."

Ian snorted as he severed a warrior ant's head before crushing a worker against the wall with a kick. The last two hours had been a slow grind through the cavern, which turned out to be a full-on ant hive. The workers they ran into at the beginning were only level thirty to forty, but the warriors were forty to fifty. The queen and her guardians were supposed to all be level fifty-five, but they still hadn't been lucky enough to find her yet.

"Behind us is still clear," Nia screamed over the crunch of exoskeleton and the chittering of the advancing swarm. "I also feel full up again, so I'm ready to cast again when we need it."

"Sounds good," Ian said, dispatching four more ants in quick succession from his spot next to Tram. "I think they are beginning to thin out."

"I sure hope so," Claire said, lashing out with her dagger and chopping off an antenna from an ant trying to sneak by on the wall. As it fell, Lana quickly stepped forward to pulp its head.

"I thought you said we would only deal with a hundred of these things at most," Lana said, grimacing as the ichor ran down her staff onto her hands. "This is so disgusting."

"All the reports said that people got swarmed in smaller groups," Claire replied. "It's taking us nearly thirty kills per level right now, and they are still pouring in. I can't believe we haven't found the queen yet, either. The original map that we studied of the cavern didn't have any of these extra tunnels or rooms. That large open cavern we left an hour ago used to be the boss room."

"So, we really have no idea where we are going?" Ashlyn asked, kicking another ant, crushing its head between her boot and the rock wall.

"Forward?" Claire answered with a shrug. "It isn't very often that dungeons change like this. I wonder if it is because there are very few people who ever come into here?"

"Maybe," Ian said. "There are also some weird things going on here. I've never seen monsters from outside of a zone show up in another one, even if the grelkin down here are half-eaten."

As Tram cleaved the head off of one ant with his sword, he swung his heater shield down at an angle, severing the head of a worker on the wall. Ian smiled as Tram quickly got back into a defensive position to find the cavern devoid of living insects.

"About time," he said, taking a deep breath. "I was starting to get a little tired there."

"Right?" Ian laughed, helping loot the corpses and handing the stones off to Claire.

Standing up straight, Ian cracked his back as he looked farther down the tunnel. With his awakening still intact, he could see better in the darker environment than any of the others. There was a moss that gave off a subtle glow growing on the walls and ceiling, but it barely provided enough light for it to be safe to fight in there.

"There is another downward sloping tunnel up here," Ian said with a frown. "The moss glow also changes from this greenish color to a brighter blue."

"Rampancy…" Claire whispered before a huge grin spread across her face. "It's an actual case of dungeon rampancy! This is amazing! There has only been one other case of it recorded, and it comes from one of the higher-level dungeons that is so deadly most people never venture inside. It gained at least one extra level, but nobody has beaten it since it was discovered.

"I can't believe we are actually seeing it, and with drones that will let us provide the information to the AO. We are literally making history here!"

"We're already making history, Claire," Ian replied, giving her a playful smile. "We are going to complete two hard mode challenges this afternoon. I'm kind of worried about the new level, but there isn't anyone better than us to accidentally find something like this in the novice tier."

"Yeah, I think you're right. Your buffs make us stupidly overpowered in here. Normal novices would have problems cutting into these monsters, and most parties usually have to resort to blunt weapons. You and Tram are having no issues chopping them into pieces, and even the four of us can punch and kick them to death when they get past you."

"Yeah, let's stop doing that if we can help it," Lana said, looking at her gore-covered hands and arms.

Ian looked over the group to find everyone liberally coated in green and yellow bug guts. He noticed the only person out of the group who was smiling was Ashlyn, who was flicking some of the ichor onto Tram's back. Smirking, he started walking towards the next area.

They made it to the bottom of the ramp a few moments later, which opened into much smoother corridors. Unlike the previous tunnels, the rock seemed like it had been worked, and the blue glow from the moss gave it an ominous feel. Ian and Tram could still easily walk side by side down the hall, so they continued on as they had during the previous level.

It only took a moment before a fluttering of wings came down the hall. Ian took three quick steps forward and materialized his spear, catching the creature center mass as it flew at them. He swung the creature against the wall, and the sickening crunch of exoskeleton followed.

Congratulations! You have achieved level 60. You have been awarded 30 skill points!

"What is it?" Ashlyn asked, running over to her brother.

Ian pulled his spear out of the creature and took it in. It was definitely ant-like, but it had wings and graspers on its upper legs. It took Ian a moment, especially with its head and upper torso so smashed in, but he realized that the ant had taken on a humanoid shape and posture.

"I didn't realize sugar ants developed into a humanoid type. I'm honestly surprised they are completely different than soldier ants," Lana said, poking the dead creature with the butt of her staff. "At least they aren't half again as tall as Tram with an ant's lower body and a humanoid torso. I've only ever seen those ones in streams, but they give me the creeps."

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"I'll see if I can analyze the next one. For now, let's get back in formation," Ian said.

Following Ian's advice, the party continued down the passageway. Within moments, the sound of fluttering came from in front of them again.

"Three incoming," Ian said. "They are called sugar drones, and they are all just under level seventy."

The fight was over seconds after it started. Ian cut two of them down, and Tram slammed one into the wall hard enough to pulp the half of its body that was caught between his shield and the wall.

Congratulations! You have achieved level 61. You have been awarded 30 skill points!

As exciting as the level was, Ian grimaced, "I think the sound from the last fight let them know we are here."

"How many?" Tram asked, moving forward.

"Enough that it isn't worth counting. Call out if anyone needs help. Nia, start shooting ice shards down the hallway."

"But I can't see them yet, what if I miss?" Selenia said, the sound of fluttering reaching her ears.

"Just shoot right down the middle," Ian replied with a snort. "You can't miss."

The screeching that followed her first cast caused her to start casting as rapidly as she was capable. Arrows started flying as Ashlyn quickly followed suit in the hope they would help further thin the numbers. Ian grimaced as he saw the ranged attacks, while effective, were not enough to effectively thin the oncoming swarm. They were going to be very busy for the next few moments.

*~*~*

Ian collapsed on the floor as he looked at the newest notification waiting in his log.

Congratulations! You have achieved level 87. You have been awarded 30 skill points!

"This dungeon is being renamed Purgatory," he exclaimed. "Is everyone alright with that?"

He looked back down the hall, getting a thumbs up from his party members who were catching their breath after the long battle that had just finished. It had taken over an hour for the monsters to stop coming down the hall at them. They would have been overrun if it had been any wider.

"If I didn't have this armor, I think that situation would have gotten really uncomfortable," Tram said, sitting with his back against the wall.

"Definitely," Ian said, looking down at the holes and bloody spots that marked his arms and legs. "I didn't think their mandibles were that sharp, but they managed to break skin in a few places. With my endurance to their strength, that's pretty impressive."

"Even more so that they did it after cutting through your armor," Claire said, looting the monsters. "This dungeon is way too over-tuned for its level range."

"Actually, I was thinking that anyone with an area of effect damage spell would absolutely love this place," Selenia replied thoughtfully. "I'm just sorry I don't have a wand or focus with a spell that will work yet. It would be better to know one myself, but that definitely won't work for most people at this level.

"Even having a wand or focus of one of those spells would be incredibly expensive at this level," Claire said, looking thoughtful. "But I don't think that will always be the case. Imagine being gifted Gale Storm or Blizzard and just casting it in this hallway as they charged at you. I think this dungeon will become incredibly popular when we catch up to Nia's planet in terms of progression."

"What are you all talking about? This place is awesome!" Ashlyn exclaimed as she collected the last of her arrows. "We are so close to achieving our goal, and we still have plenty of time. Another couple fights like this one, and we will be there."

"We're gonna slow way down here in a moment," Ian chimed in. "You have to remember that we are gaining experience similar to if you were in a duo instead of a six member team. However, the level gap between us and the creatures will probably slow way down when we hit level ninety if there aren't any higher-level monsters in here.

"If we could have gone straight to the goblins or horkers, it would have only taken us an hour or so to hit level one hundred. Though I would have needed to submit my skills for testing to get approval, and even that would have taken weeks. The Novice rules are pretty set in stone, unfortunately, and it isn't worth the wait when we are going to finish this so fast."

"Yeah, yeah. I get they are protecting us from ourselves," Ashlyn said, getting smirks from the rest of the party. "I am just ready to see what my inherent skills are going to be. Maybe I'll be able to shoot lasers with my bow or turn into a werewolf and rip the throats of my enemies out with my super sharp claws!"

Ian chuckled, "Are you going to pick up a cool alias to go with that?"

"Hell no! Ash, the Ultimate Conqueror of Dungeons and Stealer of Hearts, doesn't need an alias," she said with a smirk. "I'm sure my deeds will precede me, and nobody will need to be reminded of my greatness."

Ian chuckled as he looked over to see his sister stick her tongue out at him.

"Is that the full name your parents gave you, Ashlyn?" Selenia asked from where she was helping Claire loot.

"Don't let her lie to you, Nia," Ian said before his sister could respond. "It isn't her name—she was just being silly."

Selenia thought about it for a second before smacking one hand into her other palm. "I think I understand, she was being sarcastic! Your emotional displays aren't that different from the ones my people display, but trying to figure it out while translating is…difficult."

"No biggy there, Nia. Stick with me and you will be fully caught up in no time," Ashlyn said, getting up to help loot and grab her arrows.

Ian finally caught his breath and stood up. After a few minutes of looting, they had cleared the hallways.

"Alright, let's go see about the rest of this dungeon," Claire said as everyone got back into formation.

They ended up walking through empty tunnels for quite some time. Just as the lack of mobs was hitting the threshold to go from creepy to terror-inducing, Ian saw a light at the end of the tunnel. As they got closer, he could see the pathway opened up into a giant cavern. The whole area was nearly daylight levels of bright, illuminating a giant queen ant that was easily twice as tall as Tram.

Much like the new drones, she was humanoid, or at least close enough to fall into that category. She had two sets of extra-long arms that ended in sharp claws, and only one set of 'legs' that didn't appear to be able to move her giant reddish-brown body. Her upper body stuck up like the soldier ants in later dungeons, though her chest and head were still very much 'ant' and not like a human.

All around the cavern, Ian could see her specialized guards, all of which were level eighty—the same level as their queen. They had pincers attached to their upper legs that acted like arms, and a few of them also had wings to let them fly.

He turned back to find that every member of his party was ready. Pointing between Tram and himself, he motioned to the entrance of the cavern before pointing at Tram's shield. Getting a nod, he motioned at Selenia and Ashlyn before making the universal 'pew pew' finger guns and pointing at the ants closest to them. When Selenia gave him a confused look, he realized finger guns probably weren't as universal as he assumed and mimed shooting a bow. Looking at Claire and Lana, he just shrugged, causing Claire to roll her eyes as she pulled out her daggers. Lana surprised him by pulling out a small crossbow from her bag and giving him a wink.

Moving into place, Ashlyn, Lana, and Nia set up right behind him and Tram before they began to unload on the monsters. As the first couple fell, the room erupted into a flurry of motion as all the guards charged the tunnel. The first monsters to reach the door were the fliers, but they were taken out in quick order when they couldn't easily get past Tram and Ian. The girls stopped firing and backed up as the monsters finally brought the fight to them.

As chaotic as the fight was, Ian cut down the last couple of guards moments after it began. The queen was screeching from her location on the far side of the cavern, but she wasn't able to do more than swing her arms menacingly. Not wasting any time, Ian pulled out his spear.

"Hurry up and loot them, we are going to be on a timer here in a second," he said as he charged the boss. As he got into range, he ducked underneath a swipe of its claws and activated magic soul before driving the spear directly into the creature's chest. As it roared in pain, Ian twisted the blade before ripping it out of the side. He dodged two more swings from the creature before he could continue the attack. He was forced to do it two more times before the final notification popped up.

Congratulations! You have defeated the boss of the Mithum Plains. Bonus levels doubled due to the first clear of the dungeon's new layout. You have been granted 8 bonus levels. Unable to provide full bonus as user has reached the milestone cap of 100, process milestone rewards to unlock additional leveling. Milestone rewards will be processed upon dungeon exit.

Warning! A new level range for the dungeon has been solidified. Rampancy event for Mithum Plains has been terminated. Removing triple spawns from new zones. Removing the hypersensitivity buff from enhanced monsters. Solidifying the new spawn map.

Storing his spear, Ian looted the boss as the cheers came up from his party. He turned to see Ashlyn and Selenia hugging each other and jumping up and down. He started walking back, but just as he reached them, the area lit up with the tell-tale sign of the dungeon teleport.

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