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"Mmm... as much as I hate to admit it, this is amazing. Where does the power to do this originate?" Zelo murmurs under his breath, his voice tinged with both awe and suspicion. His thoughts turn inward, pondering the enigma of dungeons: 'All dungeons are a mystery. They came from who knows where but have always been filled with all sorts of beings.'

Turning to him, Kael gestures to their surroundings. The area isn't as expansive as the others, composed of polished stone with a simple, clean square pattern. A single chair and a small table sit under the dim glow of red lamps drilled into the walls, casting dark red hues. "You're lucky I know what you're capable of. You get a good floor, although this place is smaller compared to the others, you have the most peaceful floor—there will only be one zombie on this floor," Kael explains, tapping on his screen. His thoughts flicker with a mix of calculation and bemusement: 'Zelo, Zelo, Zelo. You're so strong, yet you get into unlucky, unfavorable situations all the time.'

Closing his screen, Kael continues, "Your floor is a bit distorted; it's bent into three separate places. In other words, you'll have access to other 'floors.'" As the cube executes its function, Kael taps his chin thoughtfully. 'It's not really other floors. To others, it may seem like they're different floors, but it's the same floor, just twisted.' He muses further, 'This whole place is underground; it's a dungeon. One of the key things about dungeons is that the entire dungeon is technically a pocket dimension. This is what allows the creator—the cube—to make every floor different. The amount of mana needed to do this...'

His thoughts are abruptly interrupted by the system:

[You can't build a dungeon with mana alone, stupid.]

'Fuck you, shitty system. If you're gonna pop up, explain it,' Kael thinks with an annoyed exhale.

[Dungeons are part of the world, anyone that can make a dungeon was given the authority to do so by a higher being. This authority changes their body and gives them a property known as D-Essence. This is the source of power needed to create a dungeon.]

Kael nods, processing the information. 'Hmm... that explains why this cube can create pocket dimensions inside pocket dimensions. I'm guessing D-Essence is also the power used to create zombies and all other monsters and mechanics in here,' he concludes.

"I only made twelve chains, what are we going to do with this one?" Eira asks, pointing at the crazy fuck before stretching languidly.

"He's going back with me. I should be heading back now," Kael mumbles, slapping Lysandra awake with a gentle yet firm touch. "This whole dungeon thing is crazy. I'm gonna go see what the boxy grape does. Oh, and you know, you could get her—" Eira begins, but before she can finish her sentence, Kael pulls out a small, intricately designed box from his pouch.

"I know, I got this for her, take it. I don't have time to hand it over myself," he says, handing the box to Eira, who smirks in amusement. "Pff, I didn't think you'd know."

Kael turns away, muttering under his breath, 'Time to head out, system.' The space in front of him distorts as a rift appears, signaling their imminent departure. "Ugh... what happened?" Lysandra groans as she wakes up, disoriented and dazed. "Hey, can you..." Kael points at her nonchalantly.

"Eh? Oh, I forgot, sorry," Lysandra mumbles, and her scales and horns begin to recede, signaling her return to a more human appearance.

Walking through the rift, they reenter the forest. "Okay, do it now and get the hell out of the country until they stop searching for you," Kael instructs the crazy fuck, waving him off dismissively. "Yo, that place was interesting... Hmhmhmhm, I'll see you around," he replies with a smirk, lifting his arm up and blasting mana upward. The area shakes, the sky cracks, and the array breaks apart spectacularly.

Kael looks up, his interest piqued by the chaos he's caused. 'Ooh, this is cool,' he thinks to himself, glancing around. 'And he's gone already, I didn't even notice when he left.' He exhales deeply, stretching his limbs with a hint of fatigue.

"Hmm... Hey, Lysandra," he calls out to her as she yawns, turning to face him with sleepy eyes. "Hmm? What is it?" she manages to say through her yawn, her tone half-irritated, half-curious.

"If I tell you to stay somewhere, just listen, please," he says, his voice carrying a mix of frustration. Hearing him, Lysandra rolls her eyes dismissively. 'Oh yeah, let me just suck it up and listen, huh? You're not in charge—' But before she can continue her rant, Kael interrupts her firmly.

"You could have died. That man is strong enough to kill you in one hit," he states plainly, rubbing his temples as he contemplates the gravity of the situation. 'Hmm, this dumbass nearly killed herself. If the array wasn't here, she would be a corpse, and I'd likely be hunted down by her father.'

"Tsk, not even a 'thanks for helping'. I'm so sorry I decided to help when I saw you getting kicked around like a ball," Lysandra says, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"Ugh... thank you. I'll make you some steak and pizza. Is that good enough?" Kael mumbles with an exhausted exhale, his gratitude mixed with a touch of sarcasm.

"Um... I also want chicken, oh and a dessert," she adds, licking her lips eagerly.

"Yup, uhuh, anything else your Highness?" Kael mumbles, his tone dripping with mock reverence as he scans the surroundings. 'Oh, they're only 5 miles away. Hmm, when are they going to teleport us?' he wonders, tapping his chin thoughtfully. Suddenly, he slaps his face in realization. "Hey, Lysandra, can you do me a favor and punch me? I need at least one—"

Pow! Before he can finish his sentence, Lysandra lands a solid punch to his gut, her smirk mischievous. "Of course, leave it to me," she giggles, thoroughly enjoying the moment.

"Ugh... fuck you..." Kael coughs out, the air knocked out of him. 'Shit, I lowered my defense way too much. I forgot this dumbass just went through an upgrade. Her strength went up,' he groans, struggling to stand up straight.

-

Meanwhile, 5 miles away, Isabella is seething with frustration. "Fuck! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I was going to beat him!" she rants, blasting fiery explosions into the empty space where Zelo was just minutes ago. "How the hell can he just vanish!? He wasn't teleported, he just vanished," she groans, her anger palpable.

"It is weird, they all just disappeared. They're probably responsible for breaking the array," Aira mumbles, scratching her head in confusion. "Stop blasting magic, you're only going to make yourself angrier," she advises, offering a calming hand.

"Tsk, I was going to beat him alone! I was so close," Isabella mutters, holding back tears of frustration as she lunges forward in a mix of anger and defeat. 'What's the point of all that struggle...' she complains internally, her resolve faltering.

"Hey, have any of you seen V?" Sera asks, looking around in concern. "We have to find that bastard right now," Biana declares, her gaze fierce and searching. "He's probably cooking for himself and that damn fat bastard who eats everything," she adds, her frustration causing her to clench her fist around a tree branch, snapping it off with ease.

"Huh? Wait, I don't think—" Sera begins to speak, but before she can finish, they're abruptly teleported back. The elves around them look confused as they survey their new surroundings. 'Okay, now that we're back, all I need to do—' Kael's thought is cut short as they're teleported yet again, this time into an office.

"First off, I'd like to apologize for the situation you were in," Elder Fëanor says in a calm voice, his demeanor composed but the concern evident in his eyes. "The board is looking into the incident, and we won't let this go. It doesn't matter who is responsible; they will be severely punished," he asserts, standing up with a sense of purpose.

"All of you did great. We will be rewarding you for your efforts. Now, I must deal with rising issues, Isilcalë will take it from here," he concludes, giving them a reassuring nod before exiting the room.

Professor Ayla walks in as he walks out, her presence immediately chilling the air. She exhales sharply, her cold glare sweeping over the group. "Good job," she says firmly and coldly, her voice carrying both approval and a hint of sternness.

The door bursts open again, and a team of doctors enters the room, quickly starting to check everyone thoroughly. "Hey hey! Don't touch my stuff!" Biana protests loudly as a nurse tries to pull her away from her blanket.

"Human, I need to check your body... don't make this difficult," the nurse says in a disgusted tone, clearly not pleased with Biana's resistance.

"Oi Biana, why are you making their job difficult? I'm sorry about her, you don't have to check her. She'll be fine," Kael interjects with a yawn, trying to diffuse the tension.

The nurse stands up with a smile, completely different from a second ago. "Sure thing, sir V," she says, winking at Lúthien as she leaves the room.

'Hmm... I really should clear things up or V might get attacked again...' Lúthien thinks with a disappointed exhale, her mind racing with the complexities of their situation.

"You, I'm disappointed," Professor Ayla says calmly, standing in front of Lúthien. Lúthien bites her inner cheek and looks down.

"We'll talk later," she says before turning back to address everyone else in the room. "You will all be given two weeks off. If you're not my student, feel free to do whatever you like. If you're my student, come with me," she instructs, her voice firm, signaling no room for debate as she prepares to lead those under her guidance out of the room.

-

"Whyyyyy," Ayla moans melodramatically, sprawled on her couch and hugging a pillow tightly. "Why V..." she continues, her voice laced with frustration as she clutches a bottle of wine.

'Such a good actor, a minute ago she was completely different,' Kael thinks, rubbing his neck and exhaling deeply. "It's not my fault, you know. I had to improvise and fix the mess," he explains, trying to justify the chaos that ensued.

She sits up abruptly, her expression morphing into a childish frown. "Yeah... instantaneously overloading thousands of surveillance crystals, that was you, right?" she accuses, taking a sip from her bottle. "I mean, I'm glad you fixed it, but you know, now I have to clean up the mess and find those criminals that got away," she adds, rubbing her temples in exasperation.

Ignoring her lament, Kael looks out the window, his gaze distant. "I've dealt with them; no need to search for them," he states matter-of-factly, his eyes then catching a glimpse of Lúthien sitting outside, half-asleep. "By the way... I didn't know you had a relationship with Lúthien," he remarks casually, taking Ayla's bottle and helping himself to a sip.

"Hmm... It's not a close one. I knew her deceased aunt, someone told her about me and since she was a kid she'd call me whenever she needs advice. I promised I'd help her grow if she didn't disappoint me," Ayla shares, stretching languidly and pushing her white hair away from her face.

"So, how did she disappoint you?" Kael probes, curious, taking another sip from the bottle.

"Hmm... at her age, I was stronger, way stronger," Ayla reflects after a moment of thought, her tone a mix of nostalgia and critique.

"Seriously?" Kael responds, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"I know it sounds stupid and messed up. I wouldn't judge her like this if she wasn't the 'star'. You know that 'star' title means she's supposed to be the generational strongest. For instance, look at Isadora and Azura. Those two girls are considered 'stars' under our academy system. Lúthien is behind; I don't blame her, her situation is a bit unique, but I won't be nice to her until she catches up," Ayla explains, reclaiming her wine bottle with a resigned sigh.