"Be careful, this part is new."

"I already know. But don't worry, with Benjamin the Third here with us, everything will go smoothly! Hahaha!"

The succubus rolls her eyes and waits for the undead's minion to take the lead. Then, she crosses the door and steps into the new room.

Similar to the rest of the building, there are no signs of life. The computers, the furnishings, the decorative plants… everything feels old and antiquated, but they look as if they were abandoned just a few hours ago.

It's as if the people working here suddenly vanished without a trace. There are no signs of any emergency occurring either, and almost no dust has settled on the surfaces. The only unusual elements are the black mold-like patches scattered around and the cracks emitting purple light, both of which have been present all along.

After looking around, keeping track of the status screen in case there are hidden monsters, the succubus approaches the glass wall occupying the room's whole left wall.

"Still, Ben surprised me with his resilience. Who would have thought that–"

"Call him properly. It's Benjamin the Third, no abbreviations!"

"Fine… whatever you say."

With yet another roll of her eyes, the woman continues talking as if her teammate didn't interrupt her.

"It seemed good on paper, but I never expected it'd be so effective. The Avenger and Undying upgrades together with Everlasting Parade… Only he could have come up with such a crazy idea. Ignore stats, just focus on coming back from life again and again. An undead in the truest sense of the word."

Everlasting Parade (Triggered skill) During combat, increase your maximum HP by 5 every second and heal for the same amount. The bonus maximum HP lasts until combat ends.

Return from Death - Lv 3 (Innate triggered skill) After 30 seconds of dying, return to life with 100% HP. From that moment, your maximum HP is reduced by 1% every 5 seconds. Can only be triggered once per Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle. Upgrades Avenger: After returning to life, you recover 1% of your maximum EP and MP each second, and the maximum HP reduction doesn't start until 1 minute later. This only works if an enemy kills you, and while that enemy is alive. Undying: Removes the once per Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle limit and gives this skill a 1-minute cooldown instead. When this skill triggers, all stats are reduced by 10% until the end of the Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle.

"Hahaha, you're right! And the best is that combat never ends while an enemy's skill is draining your MP!"

The undead player, who at some point overtook her, starts laughing like a madman for the umpteenth time. He stands in front of the glass wall, paying close attention to what's on the other side.

"But let's stop praising my amazing Benjamin the Third and my insight in bringing him with us and come watch this." He says, signaling for her to come closer.

"I wasn't praising you… Forget it."

He waits for the woman to reach him before pointing forward. "Did you see that crack? That must be the path to the dungeon core."

"How could I not? That crack is way too big to ignore."

On the other side of the glass wall, there's another room with a very high ceiling. Despite the height difference, it's built in such a way that the two rooms' ceilings are at the same level, allowing them to see everything from above.

Metal railways and platforms occupy most of the otherwise largely empty room, and a four-meter-tall machine occupies the central space.

The machine, as big and complex as it is, isn't what draws the two players' attention, though. What draws their attention is a massive fissure that grows over the machine's surface and extends into the ground, until it starts climbing the wall at the other end of the room.

The fissure has the same properties as the cracks in the walls emitting purple light, but its size is such that it feels like a massive maw. A dimensional portal. Its size is so massive that the light coming out of it is enough to illuminate the whole space, which isn't small by any means. There are no more wall cracks in the room, just this one.

"This must be where the experiment went wrong." Says the demon player. "This must be the viewing room where they analyze the data from a safe spot, and the room below it is where the experiment takes place…"

"Could be, but it doesn't matter. Look, there are stairs to go down. I'm sure the dungeon core is on the other side of the dimensional gap! We're almost there! I can feel the victory is within our grasp, ahahaha!"

Before he can run amok, the succubus places a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to stay put.

"Wait. Aren't you going to use Benjamin the Third?"

She feels a shiver run down her spine upon pronouncing the full name. Even though it isn't her monster, she feels ashamed of her teammate's antics and obsession with using the full name, ridiculous as it might be.

"Of course, I won't forget. I'll never forget the painful feeling of having something precious extracted from me against my will." He keeps grumbling to himself. "Damn Abyss monsters! How do they dare drain my MP! We'll cross the portal and teach those awful aberrations not to mess with us and our world!"

"They aren't that awful. They're kind of cute when you look closely at them."

The man glares at the succubus, but not wanting to argue with her, thinking she's a lost cause, he returns to the issue at hand.

"Benjamin the Third, take the lead! Go to that door, open it, and walk down the stairs. Don't walk too fast, we need to follow you with our eyes closed." The undead pushes his minion forward. Then, he grabs the minion's shoulders and closes his eyes. "Choo, choo! Everyone, the Benjamin Express is leaving!"

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"Haaaaah…" Releasing a long and loud sigh, the succubus grabs her single remaining imp with her left hand and the infuriatingly obnoxious undead with the other before closing her eyes. "Let's go, Baldy."

"Benjamin the Third, we're on your hands. Show them who's the boss, ahahaha!"

With happy laughter, the undead player shuffles forward, following after his support mob. He bumps into the furniture and stumbles when his foot bumps into a large pot, but he remains happy. Contrary to his excitement, the woman walking behind him furrows her brows and frowns.

"...I hope they don't watch this replay. It's too shameful."

"Ahahahaha!"

Like this, the two players slowly traverse the abandoned room and start going down the stairs. They use the monster's behavior of staying hidden against them, safely passing right next to them without taking any damage or having their MP drained because they have their eyes closed.

They do suffer from effects that deal passive damage to them or reduce their HP, but as long as they aren't taking significant damage, their passive HP regeneration is enough to offset it.

Benjamin the Third suddenly stops, and the undead player bumps into it.

"Are we there…?"

The player opens his eyes to find the mysterious machine looming over him. The shadow created by the dimensional rift on the other side makes it look more ominous than before. Intimidated, he unconsciously takes a step back, stepping on his companion.

"Lily, sorry about that," he apologizes. "We're here."

The woman shakes her head. "Don't worry, I'd rather be stepped on than have to suffer the humiliation of putting up with you…"

Her words trail off, making it impossible for the undead player to hear.

"What did you say at the end?"

"...Nothing." She pushes her teammate's back and, together, they go around the machine. The large crack on the floor greets them. "Do we jump in?"

"Yes. Wait a moment."

Without warning, the undead player kicks Benjamin the Third and sends him tumbling into the gaping maw. He does so as if it were the most natural thing in the world, but the succubus sends him a bewildered look.

"...What? It's a minion. It has no feelings, and it's more efficient this way. And I'm just checking if it's safe."

The succubus covers her face with one hand. "Sure. Whatever you say."

They wait, and seeing that nothing wrong happens, they decide there's nothing to worry about.

"Do we… jump inside?" Asks the succubus.

"Yes. What else could we do? It isn't like there is another path we can take anyway."

The two agree to jump on the count of three before jumping inside. When they fall inside, the light blinds them, and the undead player feels the gravity flip. He falls on his but when the other side of the dimensional portal spits him out.

He's in some kind of inner courtyard, and around him, several large cracks are releasing purple light. They're on the walls of the large building.

"Nice, now we're in the middle of the laboratory complex. This explains the purple light we saw at the entrance. Don't you think so too, Lily?"

He waits for an answer, but no answer comes. It's then that he realizes what situation he's in.

"...Lily? Benjamin the Third…!?" The undead desperately looks around. "Oh, no. This is bad… We didn't agree on what to do if something like this happened." He suddenly pauses and opens a game screen. "My MP… Aaaaaaaaagh! Damn Abyss monsters!"

"Look, brother! It's the third fragment!" Clara approaches me, extending one hand with the pendant. "I did well, right?"

"Yeah, you did…" I reluctantly pat her head and snatch the pendant. "Hahaha! At long last, my quest is complete. Now, I just have to complete the puzzle, and the truth will be revealed! Fufufu! Hahaha!"

I quickly grab the other two fragments and put them side by side. It's clear now. This piece goes here, and that one goes there… and the pendant is complete!

"Fuhehaha! I just need to join the three pieces together…"

"I want to do it!"

Clara tries to grab the three pendants, but I turn around and hide them the best I can, keeping them safe.

"No. I've been waiting for too long. I'll be the one to do this."

"Alright. But I want to see what happens. Don't hide it from me."

She grabs my arm and shoulder, sending shivers running down my spine. I can't concentrate like this.

"Fine, but no touchies."

"Okay!"

While Clara looks from my right, I meticulously place the three pieces in place and take a deep breath. Then, I grab two of them and start pressing them together, but a sudden game screen pops in front of me, obstructing my field of view and forcing me to stop.

"What's up now?" I say, "I hope it isn't something trivial like I died… Not even death can stop me from knowing what's going to happen next!"

Dungeon Battle Won! ...

"Yes, we won!" Clara fist pumps. "I knew we would, we were so close to clearing their dungeon too! We almost got a perfect win, brother, hehehe!"

A perfect win means you kill your enemies and destroy their dungeon core, both at the same time.

But if this message appeared in front of us, it means…

"No, this can't be…" I shake my head in denial. "I need to create the complete pendant. I need to know what comes next, for our next matches…" and for personal satisfaction, obviously. "At least, let me put them together!"

I push the three pieces together with all my strength, but they're locked in place. Regardless of how much strength I use, they don't budge.

"Come on, don't be like this, game. Just a bit longer, just a little bit, and I'll–"

A sudden blinding white light surrounds me. It's the signal of the teleport. The game is kicking us out of the dungeon.

"N-no! I don't want the victory, I want to know! I need to know! Nooooooooooooooooo! I was almost there!"

Not long after, I find myself inside my laboratory. In front of me, there are the Lab Assistant and Clara, watching me with my knees on the ground and my hands up high in a prayer. It's the pose I took when the three pendant fragments disappeared from my hands.

They send me weird looks.

"..." I stand up, dusting my clothes. Then, I make a fake cough. "Khm…!"

Let's not talk about that.

"...

Be careful when creating the dungeon for these matches, Andreu and Clara, because certain dungeon elements and functions have a different cp cost when created than the cp value determined for Dungeon Battles. Most of those are for balance reasons, since the Dungeon Invasions and Dungeon Battles are completely different.

One of the simplest and most common examples is the teleportation circles and portals. When you create them for your dungeon, they'll cost the same regardless of how you connect them: the cost is fixed for each teleportation circle or portal. It's up to you to connect them properly and achieve the effect you want with them.

But the same isn't true for Dungeon Battles. While a portal that connects points A and B and doesn't change throughout the whole Dungeon Battle will have the same cp value and can be very effective, this won't apply to a portal that connects randomly between A, B, and C, for example. The cp value of the latter will be significantly higher, since it'll complicate the path your opponents will have to take.

And then, if you add random teleports that can also split the party, the cost is even greater… There's no real limit here. I've watched replays of players that bring this to the extreme and spend all cp value allowed for that Dungeon Battle in a teleport maze so complex that only the brightest, or luckiest, of players can resolve.

Then there's also…"

- 'Knowledge drilling' done by Ricard when he was explaining the rules for the event. Andreu couldn't escape this time, having Clara and Laura present, and was forced to listen. This time, the one who ended up regretting it, albeit just a teeny smidge, was Ricard.

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